3C. Workers Unite!

Brilies wants someone to go talk to the farmers in Phandalin and get an idea of what they think about forming a Farmers' Guild with the farm workers in Rockport.

Structure

Exposition

Brilies asks the PCs to go talk to some of the prominent farmers in Phandalin and maybe, if they have time, Trilena, too. She is just really busy and the person who usually does their diplomacy has been dealing with a representative from the drow in Neverwinter who is in town looking at their dragon defense system (minus the masks of course. Mostly just the teleportation circle and how they're training their defense forces. Brilies is hoping the drow will share some of their training techniques.
The drow requires a lot of babysitting since they don't fully trust their intentions, so the farmer's guild plans are on hold until the drow leave.
Brilies will give them the names of the people who will have the best idea of what the concerns and issues are and then ask that they also talk to Trilena to brief her on what they say, too.

Rising Action

Climax

The possible information they can find out is:

1. The mucus rain that happened a bit ago has contaminated the ground water, so the farmers have had to supplement it by bringing water from the nearby river. It would be great if they could get some help diverting the river closer and maybe irrigating the fields. The farmers aren't really construction workers.
2. Lailo DeGray has been telling his workers not to join a Farmers' Guild and they're worried about losing their jobs. It would also be bad if the owner pulled his farm out of the cooperative agreement with Rockport.
3. Linene Kegshaper, a former member of the Redbrand Bandits, has been recruited by Lailo DeGray to intimidate the workers. She's been hired as a farm worker as a cover. Eyes in the Forest has been working for Lailo and has suspicions about Linene, though she hasn't threatened him personally yet.
4. Alderleaf Farms has some of the best farmland in the area, but Oliver Farlight owns it and hasn't agreed to share the harvest with the rest of the town.
5. Alderleaf Farms employed some of the most experienced farmers in Phandalin since before Tiamat rose, but they've expressed some private dissatisfaction with their boss's stance and some of their farming practices
6. Kaidink has been trying to advise Oliver Farlight on how to improve harvest, but he won't take any of her advice. Instead, he's just been planting rutabagas in the fields and nothing else. It's far too early to plant rutabaga and it's not a very versatile crop. They should be doing crop rotation, too.
7. Lailo DeGray has been underreporting his harvest so he doesn't have to give as much to the collective. There's a hidden set of books in his office.
8. Oliver Farlight has been experimenting with homemade growth potions and inadvertently created Sentient Rutabaga

Falling Action

They should conclude the mission by reporting to Trilena about what information they discovered and what concerns the farmers had. All in all, the farmers themselves are open to the idea, but some worry about losing their jobs. However, at least two of the farm owners are acting recklessly, unethically, and secretly. There are more talented and knowledgeable people working the farm that could get more out of it.
Trilena's not willing to do full land seizures yet if at all, but she does want to address the issues on the two farms and remains firm in her conviction that a farmer's guild is a good way to organize the farmers and give them some kind of say in what happens.
Trilena will also ask the party who they think she should approach first about getting the phandalin farmers on board.

Resolution

Ulo asked Eyes in the Forest to touch his hair and he said no

Kaidink told them that Oliver is doing something weird to the crops

Ulo turned Linene into a sheep to get her to tell the truth after Marco figured out that she was lying about being a member of the Red Brand Brigands. She spilled all of her secrets, including that Lailo had a second set of books.

Linene confessed that she was thinking of restarting the Brigands but has now been scared straight and won't do that.

Linene agreed to help with any heists

They told Trilena about the second set of books in Lailo DeGray's office and she said she would talk to Brillies and figure out what to do.

Trilena offered to help in any way with Brillies' election because Nisalisse would be bad for Phandalin.

They fought Sentient Rutabaga and beat them while also making friends with 15 of the rutabaga.

Marco turned into a dog-vulture mutant on accident and is freaked out. Will try to learn how to control this during downtime.

They confronted Oliver Farlight and he told them that he got the fertilizer from a guy in a hooded cloak who was weirdly tall and seemed to know that the rutabaga weren't growing without Oliver telling him. He got the fertilizer for free.

Taking the remaining fertilizer to your house and giving most of it to Elysia to possibly make some guard plants

Friendly swarm of sentient rutabaga in the pocket zoo and Elysia can use as guard plant.

Marco's Journal Entry

Parent Plot

3. Everybody Wants Something