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Day 41 - Leaving Phandalin

The party has much to decide as it returns to the Stonehill Inn, when a large array of townsfolk approaches. The group stops and waits in the warm morning air as the group approaches, and a person at the front asks, "Are you the ones who drove off the Redbrands". The group, hesitant, not knowing their standing, almost questions why they want to know. Orryn decides to reveal, "Yes, it was us."

"Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!" the townsfolk cheer. The one in the lead thanks the group, stating that the town is a better place without them, and that they are all thankful for their assistance. Suddenly another group approaches, like a dark cloud on a clear day. "We should not be so fast to congratulate these adventurers I think." It is Harbin Wester, the Townmaster.

"Yes, the redbrands are gone, but we've had buildings burned down, an attack by goblins and worse in the street, and wolves rotting on pikes at the edge of town. Is this what peace will look like from now on. Your types always bring violence and sorrow. Sure, you "saved" the town, but we would not have been attacked if you were not here." Harbin leans over Orryn, their shortest member, threateningly.

"You were ineffective in removing the Redbrands, and now you want to blame us for doing your job?" Nowhere asks.

"The redbrands were a nuisance, not a catastrophe. You should leave town quickly before you stir the pot and unsettle something else that you will have to "save" us from. We will have to form a stronger militia to protect ourselves when you are gone, but I have that in hand."

"Just like you had the nuisance of the Redbrands trading slaves in hand?" Nowhere replies.

"They may have been slaves, but they were also strangers to this town, like you. We don't know what they did that caused them to be locked up, but we don't have any redbrands alive to ask, do we?" Harbin returns. "If you really care for the wellbeing of this town, you will take your adventuring, disturbing, murderous group and leave our town in peace."

Nowhere replies "Your town will soon fall under the evil influence of a Red Wizard at the direction of a lich. Do you want to handle that problem on your own as well?"

Wester is startled. "I know nothing of red wizards or liches. A likely story, but if true, likely caused by you foreign interlopers. I guess we have more to prepare for, no thanks to you - peace destroyers."

At this point, the air has left the crowd, and people who were applauding the heroes are now questioning their support and shuffling away from the area. Some visibly join Harbin's side of the line. The members of the league bite their tongue while Atlas and a couple others hold the visibly furious Dain at bay. The last thing they need now is a berserker raging on the townmaster to prove his distrust is valid.

Harbin turns to leave and K'ronk calls out. "I guess we will just take leave of your town then, and leave you to your fates."

"That is the only thing of sense I have heard from any of you."

At this point Gundren, their partner now in the mines, makes a late arrival in the street. He tells you that Harbin can be bargained with, and he will speak to him privately to cool tensions. Immeral takes a walk to the town green and the booths of farmers and crafters selling their wares. Orryn and Nowhere go for a calming walk as well to check on Lady D. Nowhere had risen early and hunted down a coyote for Lady D to enjoy. The creature has seemed to enjoy the luxury of others bringing her food rather than hunting herself. Atlas, K'ronk and Seraphina try to get some drinks into Dain before he goes all berserker on Wester.

When they return, Nowhere decides to approach Harbin herself. She goes to his office near the mining exchange and starts a chat. "I apologize the harsh works exchanged in the street. I feel as if we have gotten off on the wrong foot, but be that as it may, if you want us to go, we will. We have been asked to investigate the problems with supply wagons being sacked by orcs near Wyvern Tor."

"It sounds like that is the only thing we would be in agreement on. If you want to go kill orcs, nobody here will stop you." he replies.

"We are in need of supplies though - my party cannot rest in the wild, and we have days up the Triboar Trail to the caves. Do you know where I could secure some tents and bedrolls, maybe some rope?"

"Yes" Harbing replies. "Halia lives a few yards south of the Miner's Exchange." She may have the sort of things you are looking for. "Good day." he says with finality.

Orryn is waiting outside and they go on to Halia's home. She

They both follow Halia to the Sleeping Giant and gather 3 tents and several bedrolls. Orryn asks if Nowhere needs a tent, but she tells him that she can sleep outside with Lady D. Orryn seems a bit jealous.

The pair returns to the inn, gathers the team, and leaves for the three day march to Conyberry and the Tor. Along the way the party heals and talks and bonds. Nowhere practices new skills she is naturally acquiring as a Gloomstalker - one who hunts in the shadows - even healing one of the party who still is recovering from recent battles. Immeral and Nowhere copy a spell each from the spellbook they discovered in Wave Echo Cave, they also attune to some of the secret items they found, and learn about their magics, and Dain sharpens his javelins in readiness to fight.

The evening of the third day of travel finds the party within sight of Wyvern Tor again, so they head south towards Old Owl Well. The party sets up camp in a hidden glade, tucked against the rocky hills, so they can keep a fire and stay hidden, but curiosity gets the best of Nowhere as night falls. While they enjoy a meal together, Nowhere and Orryn set out to see if there is anything happening at the dig site where they last met Hamun Kost, the Red Wizard. They approach cautiously and stealthily in the dark, and Nowhere uses her superior Darkvision to confirm that the camp is abandoned. The tent is still there, but the zombies and the wizard are gone, with the dig obviously successful. There is a hole in the ground to the side of where the zombies were digging, and Nowhere peers in to see that it descends as far as she can see. She hears a sound in the darkness, and the bit of moonlight illuminates the ruins like daylight. She turns and sees a black unicorn, tucked behind an ancient pillar, they stare at each other a moment and the unicorn flees.

They back away and return to camp. Before they others go to sleep, they tell them of developments and the black unicorn. They query the wizards if there is any portent regarding the black unicorn. Immeral relates that his understanding is that a black unicorn is not a portent of positive things, that good unicorns are universally magical. A black unicorn could only mean one thing, a place where the melding of magic and evil was near. They then set watches for the night, but during the first watch, Nowhere makes a wide circle far beyond camp to search for danger. In the darkness she hears distant voices, the growling vocalizations of goblins which she can understand. She creeps forward and listens, hearing snippets of conversation from the night-foraging creatures. She learns there is going to be a celebration in the canyon, hosted by someone called "The Master", and that they are celebrating finishing sending weapons of some sort to the town of Red Larch. There is little else that they communicate, other than the whining complaints of the lowest creatures in the canyon where they live.

Nowhere returns to camp and relates her findings to the league who is not sleeping. They go to sleep now committed to their direction - what they have called The Caves of Chaos. Especially since now they know danger is heading to Red Larch, the same destination as their friend, sister Garaele.

Day 42 - Return to the Caves

At dawn, they pack up their things and make the remaining trek to the mysterious canyon where the many different humanoid monsters are working together to some sinister purpose. They see a few Kobalds washing by the stream running through the center of the canyon, and consider an illusion to distract the creatures, but decide against something that could bring the entire canyon running. They know kobalds will mostly be sleeping during the day, so decide to just sneak into a nearby cave they have not yet visited, and they do so successfully.

They step into the gloom with Nowhere and Dain in the lead, the dwarf chomping at the bit to relieve his pent-up rage at the dealings back in Phandalin. Just a few feet in, they spot guards on a wooden platform in an alcove offset from the entrance, and rush in to attack. Nowhere, Dain and Atlas engage a half-dozen reptilian Kobalds, meeting them with mace, axe and fists, but something happens to Orryn. Racing in, the boards he steps on to get to the creatures starts cracking and he barely manages to leap back as it gives way revealing a pit trap below, separating the front guard from the rear of the party.

Luckily Atlas, Nowhere and Dain easily vanquish the crocodile creatures. They throw the bodies into the pit and reset the boards for an easier crossing. They make their way down one passage into a stench-filled room of trash and refuse. The party hears rustling in the pile and an occasional squeak, and Nowhere decides to give the pile a whack with her mace. Unfortunately, the attack disturbs the denizens of the pile, a giant rat and a swarm of two dozen lesser rats. They immediately attack Nowhere.

The league creeps past a side passage and heads to a room ahead where they hear many voices. They peek in to see a room with many adult kobalds and their small young in their nests and bedding, and decide to race in to attack. All the group participates, but Orryn breaks off from the main group and goes after the screeching young in the corner of the room, and begins to destroy them. The party takes some hits, but defeats the adults - and then only the young remain, and the impact of their decision hits them. Immeral backs away from the slaughter, K'ronk turns too, and Atlas retreats, thinking about his vows to punish the guilty, but only the guilty. The others step forward to end what is likely a future of evil from creatures that famously show no mercy, trap and harm humans, and launch attacks from this very complex on innocent traders. The others and especially Orryn, with the fury of a past encounter in his eye, releases his hate as they kill the rest. The group looks to each other, checking that they are all right with each other. There is surprise, but there is understanding too, and they move on... together.

The group ventures on, up an unexplored corridor deeper in the hillside, it breaks left and right with a door to the left, but voices are traveling from the right. The group creeps closer and hears the high-pitched language of the kobalds. They rush in, trying to gain the element of surprise, but the run across the room gives the kobalds a chance to react. They are guards, and they are at the ready.