Previously on: We killed some wyverns and some ogres on the way to Phandalin. In Phandalin, we find that the town is doing well, and the threat of Talos on the land is much diminished. We survived an assassination attempt by the Thieves Guild of Neverwinter. We captured the assassin and he spilled his guts. He was sent by Seth the Silent in Neverwinter and he tells us that the Neverwinter Thieves Guild has connection with the Black Network.
While the others adventured, I oversaw the construction and restoration of Tresender Manor. I’ve gotten the secret door to the underground lair perfected. It is carefully concealed, but pulls open easily and silently if you know where the latch is. It can be locked from the underside with a key.
News in town is that trade still continues to be hampered by banditry on the Triboar Trail and the High Road. The bandits seem to enjoy the cover of storms, and there are a high number of undead attacks.
We decide to set out for the Wayside Inn after a caravan that had left the day before. I stable Boney and buy a non-descript pony. I also commission a suit of platemail armor.
We head off early in the morning. We see very strange storm clouds in the distance. We decide to hurry along. We come upon the caravan, stopped in the road. They’re on a break and when we ask, they say they sent two soldiers ahead to scout. One of the soldiers gallops back, soaking wet. He reports that the storms have gotten impassable. The other soldier, Emma Lou, remained ahead to await us. We offer to join them for greater protection.
We enter into the storm. It is obviously an unnatural storm. A soldier runs toward us. She is bleeding and panicked. She runs past, refusing to parlay. After she passes, four creatures of air approach us out of the storm. They wear metal armor, carrying spiked flails. Hob identifies them as elementals. It is a brutal fight! Larnent is killed!
*Note from last session: the cultists from the inn were specifically looking for Tarbin the bard!
We search the rooms. There’s a room with a shrine to Talos. Hob and Larnent examine it. They find that it’s hard to move around. It’s a room not meant for haters. We get in there and search and smash! We find some treasure, like a Ring of Warmth, a Potion of Vitality, and some ornate silver daggers.
We gather up Castor and our prisoners and bring everyone to the sleeping quarters of the cultists so that we can catch 40 winks. Some of the prisoners ask us about our plans with them. We tell them to do something good with their lives. One, a lass named Zephira, wants to exchange information for a bit of gold. I say, she can take any weapons she likes from the dead and that there’s a ship anchored nearby in need of a mutiny. She talks about a ship named the Dreadnaught captained by Fheralai, the leader of the Talosians.
We question the prisoners under a Zone of Truth and discern the true believers of Talos from the hangers-on. Then we all sleep, and in the morning the prisoners have a proposal—send to Blowhole and let Talos judge them. I say, good idea, but let’s consecrate the Blowhole to Helm first! Hob just wants to Fireball them. Larnent is okay with the re-consecration and Sliver from the monastery of Helm loves the idea. One by one we send them in. Two of them are blown away. A third survives. Helm has a new devotee!
We go on to confront the hags. They want booze and gossip and music. We give ‘em a bit of booze and gossip, but we have no music, so they decide to eat us. We show them what’s what and head back to the crowd. We split up the treasure and give Castor his share.
We have to row back to the ship in two groups. Larnent goes with the first group and Hob flies. When they get there, there is a stand-off happening between Kristoffen and Kastisha. Zephira dashes in and stabs Kristoffen in the kidney. He dies and Kastisha takes charge. We set course back to Leilon. Hob saves the corpse to cast Speak With Dead the next day.
From Kristoffen, we learn that Fahralai is a half-orc who loves Talos. She won the Dreadnaught from the Myrkulites. It says the Dreadnaught will be in Leilon soon. We gotta think about how we’re gonna defend this region. We can’t be everywhere!
From Leilon, we want to return to Phandalin. Pinchwit the goatherd wants us to escort her to Phandalin. We want to hit the Wayside Inn on the way. But the goats travel slow, and it’s better to go to Phandalin first, drop off Pinchwit, and then go to the Inn. Sliver and his apprentice come with us to Phandalin, and Kora wants to go with us all the way to the Wayside Inn.