The Triboar Trail, Chapter 3. Revelations
3.1 Recoup
After a short recovery from their victory over Klarg the bugbear, the adventurers investigate the boxes and crates around them. The crates bear the blue crest of a lion on a shield and contain provisions and weapons. Nalfos uncovers Klargs personal hoard - a chest with coins, an ugly jade statue, and two healing potions.
They gather their new belongings and return to the rickety bridge. After checking it’s strength and searching for traps, they proceed slowly across the span. Guided by Tinkerella, Meza’s weight tests the quality of the bridge, shaking part of it free. All four adventurers are able to cross safely.
Two goblins sit near a campfire in a room on the other side. The warm smell of cooking meat and pine timber fills the air of the low passage. Light dances on the walls.
Attempting to sneak up on the goblins, Ivandale’s footsteps reverberate throughout the stone chamber alerting the goblins. He fires an arrow, eliminating the closest goblin. Meza, able to see again by the fire’s light. She picks up a rock as she charges into battle. She hurls the small stone harmless at the goblins as she passes the elves.
The second goblin attacks, but misses Meza. A third goblin steps from behind the wall of the cave and quickly fires an arrow wildly. The arrow misses Meza, hitting the cave wall and where it snaps harmlessly.
Tinkerella follows Meza, sliding under the barbarians legs to hurl a conjured blast of fire, killing a second goblin. Nalfos fires on the third goblin, who is able to deflect the arrow. Ivandale draws his own bow and hits it. Meza twirls her axe in the tight space and heaves it forward, skewering the last goblin.
As it falls, an angry voice screeches, “Enough!”
3.2 Parlay
The group realizes that they are all in the doorway, illuminated by the fire, and visible to those in the room. A large, well armored goblin stands far back on an elevated slab of rock.. He holds a mangled human in one hand, and a sword in the other. A second goblin holds a bow steadily aimed at the group.
“Stop or Yeemik kills this human!” squeaks the large goblin through a mouth full of sharp filed teeth.
The room is quiet, tensions high. For a long moment, the only sounds are the pops of sap in the fire and the feeble, ragged breath of the victim.
Ivandale recognizes the limp and bruised face of the human as their employer’s bodyguard Sildar. He lowers his bow and steps in to the room. “It seems like we’re at an impasse, but we’re both businessmen. What do you want in exchange for his life Yeemik?”
The goblin smirks a triumphant smile. It thinks for a moment before a jagged smile splits it’s ugly face It responds, “I want you to kill someone.”
Nalphos also drops his bow, “You want us to kill someone? Who?”
“Klarg,” is the simple response.
Hoping to keep the Yeemik talking, Ivandale responds quickly. “Who’s Klarg? Why do you want him dead?”
Yeemik’s eyes flash in anger. “Klarg!”, he spits. “He’s the biggest. He thinks he’s the goblin leader. I should be the goblin leader! You kill Klarg and Yeemik will be leader. Then you leave.”
“We killed the bugbear.” Tinkerella states simply. “He’s already dead.”
Yeemik is visibly disturbed by this news. “You no kill Klarg. Prove it!” Sildar’s body shakes in the goblin’s grasp.
Nalfos reaches into his robes to retrieve the jade statue and Yeemik reacts. He throws Sildar to the ground. The human strikes the stone floor head-first with a crunch.
In response, Yeemik’s remaining companion fires his taught bow upon Nalfos. The arrow cuts across Nalfos’s arm.
Tinkerella leaps into action. She lobs conjured flame at Yeemik. The fire doesn’t connect, but still forces the goblin to step back from Sildar. She then directs a rejuvenating steam of healing energy towards Sildar, sustaining him from the brink of death.
Ivandale eliminates the bowman with a mighty shot from his own bow, sending the small goblin pinwheeling to the ground.
Nalfos presses the offensive and swings his sword against the goblin boss.
Meza hurtles into the fray. Her bulk fills the room as she swings her weapon, finishing the goblin. The scavenged armor no match for the weight of her twin-bladed axe. She screams in triumph.
Tinkerella assists Sildar. He’s weak and dazed, but already in a better state then when the group arrived.
Nalfos and Meza tend to the elves arrow wound before scouting the darker corners of the cave room.
“Thank you strangers. I surely wouldn’t have survived if not for you.”
Confused, Ivandale examines him. “Sildar, certainly you know us. We’re no strangers!”
“Do I? I’m sorry. The goblin - Yeemik - worked me over pretty hard. Tortured me for information. Who are you?”
“You hired us. We left Waterdeep at the same time, but you rode on ahead with Gundren.”
Meza returns from the back of the room, a small keg in each hand. After scrounging a filthy tin mug from the edge of the fire, she pours some of the contents of the keg into the mug and swirls it around. A heady waft of elvish ale fills the room. She dumps out a slurry of ash and ale before refilling the mug and handing it to Sildar.
Sildar takes the mug and raises it to Meza before responding to Ivandale. “That’s right, it’s coming back to me. They killed our horses. Dragged us up a path and separated us at the opening of a cave. They knocked me out and when I woke up, he was torturing me in this room.”
“Do you know where they took Gundren?”
“I don’t, but the last thing I remember was something about a castle. ‘Take him to the castle’”.
They retreat from the cave. On the way out, Ivandale pry’s off a lion seal from the weapons crates in Klarg’s room. He rubs some of the tarnish off the embalm before pocketing it.
Sildar then recalls another aspect of his kidnapping. “Klarg said they had orders to take Gundren to the Black Spider. I’ve never heard that name.”
They slowly make the return trek down the path and find the cart and oxen where they were hidden. The oxen peacefully eating.
3.3 Phandalin
They ease the cart back onto the road at a walking pace. Sildar takes Meza’s place in the cart while she walks alongside it.
Ivandale takes the opportunity to probe Sildar for more information. Sildar reveals that he is an agent of the Lord’s Alliance. The Alliance is a coalition of nobles on the Sword Coast who have banded together to ensure the safety of the cities, villages, and settlements in the area.
He also explains that Gundren’s brothers are in the area. They are searching for Wave Echo Cave, the legendary home of the Forge of Spells. The Forge of Spells was a magical forge built by an alliance of gnomes, dwarves, and humans. The legends say that it was able to permanently enchant magic items. The legend also states that it was lost during an Orcish assault hundreds of years ago. It’s entrance remains a mystery.
They enter Phandalin in mid-afternoon. Barthen’s Provisions sits on the edge of town. Elmar Barthen exits the building as they arrive to collect the cart. He chastises them for being a little late, until he sees Sildar.
“I expected to see you much sooner Sildar. What happened to you?”
“Goblins happened Elmar. They got Gundren.”
“Gundren!? Someone better let his brothers know. It’s been about ten days since I saw them.”
While Elmar pays them, Nalfos asks him if there are any additional jobs available.
“Well,” Elmar cautiously responds, rubbing the fading bruise on his cheek. “Not a job per say, but I think a capable group able to dispatch the Redbrands might find a reward in this town. If you’re really interested, maybe ask for Daran Edermath. You’ll find him at his Orchard.”
“Thanks for the suggestion Elmar.” Seeing the discomfort in the old man’s face, Ivandale steps in to change the subject. “Where in town can we sell wares? We have a few odd items we’d like to part with.”
“Ah, the Miner’s Exchange can help you there.”
Ivandale nods and turns his back on the storefront. As they walk away, Nalfos whispers to him, “You see the elf right?”
Ivandale nods and the two turn from Tinkerella and Meza towards the direction of a robed figure observing the group. The figure slips into the shadows revealing a flash of red from under the hood.
Ivandale and Nalfos return to find Tinkerella and Meza discussing dinner and ale, respectively.
The group heads in the direction of the Miner’s Exchange to pawn the gold teeth and jade statue they scavenged in the goblin cave. They receive a fair trade of coin, and divide it evenly. While there, Nalfos inquires about the Redbrands.
Halia, the shop keeper, nods. “Well, if you’re fool enough to seek them out, you won’t be able to miss them at the Sleeping Giant. From what I’ve heard, their leader’s name is Glass Staff.”
Nalfos asks about the shrouded figure with the red eye.
“We just noticed an odd character down the road. She snuck off when we approached her, but it looks like they had a red eye. Do you know anything about them?”
“Oh yeah. That one? I’ve seen her around in the evening. Just sort of loiters. I think she’s staying at the Stonehill Inn.” she says, pointing through the window of her shop towards a two-story building across the town square.
“Thanks Halia, I think that’s our next stop,” Ivandale says. “If I wanted to buy, or sell, weapons - could you help me out?”
“Weapons? Not my interest. There’s only one place in town that deals with weapons. You want to talk with Linene. She owns the Lionshield Coster.”
Ivandale thumbs the small seal he removed in the goblin cave. It’s value discovered.
They thank Halia and exit the small shop. The moon hangs low as the weary group walks towards the only two story building in town, a quaint slate-roofed building. A sign above the door marks it clearly as the Stonehill Inn.
As they enter, the refreshing smell of warm food and heady ale pulls them towards a table near the crackling hearth. Tolbin the innkeep passes them menus and takes their orders.
Tinkerella sends a drink to the shrouded figure in a far corner. Disinterested, she dismisses the waiter and lowers her hood. Her red eye fixed on Nalfos while the group eats their meal.
They overhear rumors and gossip as they eat their first warm meal since Waterdeep. Tales of the Redbrand’s recent attacks and whispers that Daran may step in. His skills as a fighter well known but unseen since his retirement.