The Lost Mines of Phandelver
Dean (Jared), Matt (Spinter Paw), Mariel (Ragash), Chris (Creeper), and James (Kraygen) are returning cast members.
We left the group exploring the Redbrand’s hideout, Ford having left to escort the prisoners home. Ford had declared his intention to take the carpenter’s body with him so it could be buried properly, and indeed when the group returned to the center chamber the body was gone.
Creeper led the way, investigating a corridor into the north-west area of the building. He found two doorwars, north and south. The one to the south had voices leaking through the door, so he retreated and asked Ragash to open the northern door. She did, surprising a rat that ran under a table. The room itself was filled with alchemical supplies and a small library of reference books and materials. Later examination revealed a Dwarven book on the mines of Phandelver, mentioning a Spellforge used to create magical items, once of which was a mace named Lightbringer.
While the more learned members examined the lab, Creeper entered a smaller room next door, and Splinter Paw took a seat on top of the lab table – accidentally knocking one of the glass vessels to the ground. From the room to the south, a raised voice called out “You ok in there, boss?” A moment later the door opened, and a man in the Redbrand uniform entered the room. Splinter Paw immediately began to perform, distracting the bandit, while Ragash and Kraygen took up flanking positions. When Kraygen’s rapier missed the bandit, and the bandit yelled for help, the fight was on.
Several other bandits joined the fight from the south, followed by bugbears. More bugbears took a different route, approaching the back of the group from the south.
Meanwhile, Creeper was examining a letter he found on a desk within the next room. The room itself had a desk, a bed, and a chest, the latter containing two scrolls and some coin. The letter reads:
"Lord Albrek, My spies in Neverwinter tell me that strangers are due to arrive in Phandalin. They could be working for the dwarves. Capture them if you can, kill them if you must, but don’t allow them to upset our plans. See that any dwarven maps in their possession are delivered to me with haste. I’m counting on you, Iarno. Don’t disappoint me." ((Signed with a Black Spider Symbol))
The room also contained a wizard, who had just opened the secret door on the other side and cast Charm Person on Creeper. Creeper was also to call out to his old friends before following his new friend in search of stolen cider. After encountering one of the Redbrands on the way (and killing him with two quick shots), the wizard guided Creeper into the jail cell and slammed it shut. This broke the spell, and Creeper shot the wizard before the wizard managed to flee, slamming the door behind him.
Meanwhile, the impromptu ambush in the laboratory by Splinter Paw, Ragash, and Kraygen defeated several of the Redbrands. Several more fell to Kyros and Jared tag-teaming from the entry corridor. After the Redbrands, however, bugbears appeared, lasting substantially longer and doing more damage. Still, the party gradually forced them to the south, eliminating the last of the bugbears.
Matters were almost lost when the wizard emerged from hiding, casting Hold Person on Ragash and quickly sprinting past him towards the exit. However, Splinter Paw happened to be perfectly placed to intercept his escape, casting Thunderwave which killed the wizard (already bleeding from an arrow wound) and threw him into a crevice. The spell and the fall together shattered the wizard’s staff.
The group explored the rest of the building and left from an alternate entrance at the top of the hill to return to town and stay the night at the Stone Hill Inn. In the morning, they evicted the last three remaining Redbrands (drunks sleeping it off in the common room of the Sleeping Giant) from town.
While the rest of the party wandered off to collect a 50gp reward for driving off the Redbrands from the proprietress of the Lionshield Coster, Kyros snuck off to assassinate the Redbrands. He succeeded in killing one, but the remaining two – alerted by the death of their companion – managed to defeat him. However, having noticed him sneaking off, the rest of the group followed up shortly thereafter and were able to revive Kyros, kill one of the remaining bandits, and drive the last one off.
