#the cloak is from the redbrands which he made friends with

[b0nelessdoodles]

is it goblin time i think its goblin time featuring his outfit update plus another one cause his bestie (boyfriend) gave him a Luckstone which happened right after Tic got sus of him because someone knew his name

anyway i love the silly little goblins they make me happy

[abenthyadventures]

Day 18 (Pt. 1): Or A Coincidence of Fates

Over the last few weeks, traveling with Agnes, we have shared some stories of our lives so far. I have sensed there is something more to Agnes than I’ve seen thus far, but I can tell she is just and true—a paladin to the core. Today, I bore witness to her splendor in battle, and truly she is a force with which to be reckoned, but more on that later.     

Our contact in Phandalin, Sildar Halwinter, pointed us toward a group of adventurers in search of one Cragmaw Castle. He stated they had rescued him recently and been effectively dealing with a troublesome gang called the Redbrands who had been harrassing the town. The castle itself had apparently been overrun with a goblin tribe working along with Redbrands. I was shocked to learn that the leader of the Red-brands was actually a traitor to the Lords' Alliance. Sildar filled me in about Gundren Rockseeker, a dwarf who had gone missing and might have a lead on Wave Echo Cave. The adventurers were presently trying to locate Gundren; it was feared he may be in mortal danger, if not murdered already.     

We set out this morning, good portents in mind, and found them without much difficulty. Nolwë aided our efforts to locate the adventurers admirably, though her hunger struck at an unfortunate moment—I thought she might help me listen in on their conversation, but a murine delicacy appeared and caused her to reveal herself quite conspicuously as my familiar. One of their number, a female elf was quick to draw her bow as soon as she saw us; these are not the safest lands, so I understand it somewhat, but if we are to partner, I must encourage her not to be too quick to provoke potentially powerful enemies—although a showdown between her and Agnes would have been some spectacle. Nevertheless, three of the four were cool headed enough to first use words over weapons.     

We introduced ourselves as representatives of the Lords’ Alliance, Abenthy Laphroaig from Silverymoon and Agnes Aberlour from Waterdeep, and then learned their names as well, as I shall detail momentarily.  I should make a notation that they hinted at several interesting encounters recently. I do not have many details yet, but I was especially interested in their encounters with a green dragon they claimed to slay and a red-cloaked wizard apparently practicing necromancy, whom they left alone. I sense there may yet be a confrontation with that necromancer, whom the party believed to be a Red Wizard of Thay. For the time being there was other business which needed attending. After several exchanges of wit, we came to an agreement to cooperate and set onward toward Cragmaw Castle, which turned out to be a makeshift outpost of goblins and hobgoblins in the employ of a nefarious individual known as the Black Spider, as Glasstaff also apparently had been.       

  I do not know if the aforementioned aggressive elf would agree, but the halfling named Finnan seemed to me to be their leader. At the very least, he led the way in promoting discourse betwixt us. Finnan is a bard, and though he did not communicate to me his schooling, I suspect he has a connection to the Weave through the Feywild. He spoke of “The Great Stories” and suggested a frontal assault on the keep—not because it offered a strategic advantage but because, as he put it “so many great stories involve marching right through the front door.” I found myself involuntarily placing my hand to my forehead at this and muttering a mild oath under my breath. Despite this, he was the one who suggested we put the tactical options to a vote and he made no efforts to overturn the fact that four out of the six of us wanted to enter the side door we located. I found it intriguing to watch him when the fighting began. Without a doubt his songs were inspiring, and I found myself vitalized and more fleet of foot than usual. One might think it unwise to start playing a lute mid-battle, but magic can be a funny thing. My proposal of a stealthy approach had already been thwarted by this point, so using every available resource seemed wise. Lest I paint a picture that he entered the fray with naught but a lute, let me state he also had skill with a rapier; however, his compatriots seemed surprised when he unsheathed it.     

Another elf, much more soft-spoken, was also in this party. He introduced himself as Aief. I did not recognize his name as being typically elvish and he must have noticed a quizzical expression on my countenance, as he then provided an addendum: his name comes from the dwarvish language. I asked how he came to have a dwarvish name, but indicated that was a tale for another time. I respected this and did not push further. I trust I shall learn soon enough. Aief struck me as one who has trained religiously in the martial arts, both unarmed and with blades. He bore a quarterstaff and scimitar and wielded them effectively. I did not sense the same malice as I did in the other elf though. He moved with both measured steps and grace. One might have wondered why we so readily joined with this band of adventurers, especially when one of their number greeted us with hostility. In truth, seeing Aief amongst them played no small role, for you see I received a portent before we set off. In my dreams,I had clearly seen Aief striking a down a grick, though of course within the dream I did not know his name. Once I actually met Aief, the very elf I saw as I slept, I knew destiny awaited. Indeed, as foretold, Aief delivered a fatal blow to a grick within the keep, after I weakened it. I anticipate we will be able to work well together.     

Berien was the third to introduce himself. Berien had several elven features, but as he stood next to two elves, it was clear he was also half-human. I imagine it to be most challenging to straddle two such dramatically different worlds. To hardly age as your human family and friends grow old must be a heavy burden. But that is compounded with maturing at a much more rapid pace than pure elves, certainly creating a restlessness that must be difficult to contain. I can see why many half-elves gravitate toward a career of adventuring. Where else can they turn after all? But I digress. Berien was a curiosity, and not merely for his race. No, he was remarkable for his unpredictability. He reminded me of a pirate, with how he moved about and brandished a rapier. Hopefully he is of stronger moral character than the pirates about whom I have read. I do suspect there is some redemptive quality within him. I also noticed he seemed to have a certain respect for the halfling. In the midst of the fighting, he was rendered unconscious and I suspect he very nearly died, but the bard was able to reach him before it was too late. Perhaps this has been a recurring theme in their own adventures, accounting for his respect. I did not bear witness to how he managed to get himself hurt. What I do know is that he had tried to scout a room and as soon he entered it, debris came crashing down blocking his return. He later came screaming through a different entrance, bloodied and with tattered clothing. Finnan helped him revitalize, and again he was off like a bolt from a ballista, promptly screaming again once out of my sight. When Finnan and I were able to reach him, he was downed and in mortal danger from multiple hobgoblins. We were able to fight them off while Finnan stabilized him. As an aside, I noticed he seemed to have a sword imbued with magical properties, but he did not actually use it, opting instead for his rapier. I found this most curious.     

My initial impression is that these four adventurers are quite capable, especially if their claims of slaying a green dragon are true, though I’m concerned about the impetuousness of the elven woman, Lyria. Ostensibly a ranger, she is fierce and indeed today she was indomitable, but she is unlike any ranger I’ve known—rather she reminds me of a barbarian on a warpath. She was irrationally celebratory when faced with opportunity for battle against the goblins and hobgoblins; I do suppose hobgoblins are infamous for their cruelty, especially toward elves, so it was not entirely unmerited that they receive the wrath of her war instruments. Still, I worry she will charge forward at the wrong time and put not only herself in unnecessary peril, but also the other members of the party who might not be so sturdy. I found that there was one time she acted particularly irresponsibly. While the rest of the party had agreed to try a stealthy approach, she brazenly approached an arrow slit—which, mind you, I had obfuscated with an illusion so as to mask our approach—and started blindly launching arrows into it. Somehow, this did not alert the goblins who seemed more concerned about a cruel manager of a hobgoblin who was barking orders at them. Once the fighting began in earnest, she was a frontline soldier, alternating between using her bow and using her sword, both to tremendous effect. If she can be trusted—and perhaps convinced to work more tactically—she may prove a very valuable ally. One item I did notice especially: she wore a belt I readily identified as an arcane artifact that I believe gives her preternatural strength. When time allows, I must ask her how she came across such a wondrous thing.     

As for Agnes, my travel companion of the past few weeks, she was like a spring sunrise after a long winter, piercing the veil of night. She gallantly put herself on the front line, shield in one hand, sword in the other. Once, she commanded one goblin to stop in its tracks, and it had no choice but to obey. Another time, as I had seen in another vision, she delivered a blow so thunderous that it would have made Talos envious. She was restless at times and looked to press ever forward, but she was never reckless. While we were making acquaintance with the others, I overheard Lyria jest about me having a bodyguard. Agnes is certainly a guardian, no doubt, but not just of me. No, she has a great destiny ahead of her. She will undoubtedly be a mighty bastion standing firm against the tide of evil.     

After we cleared the kitchen and multiple hobgoblin patrols, we were able to take several minutes to process our surroundings. Returning to the chamber in which the grick had attacked Aief, we recognized that it had been a sort of shrine in the past. Berien located a small golden statuette which I noticed as having magical properties. I called upon my arcanabula to perform a brief ritual to identify the magic while the others kept watch. Interestingly, the statuette was enchanted with the spell known as augury. One can imagine why it would catch my particular interest. The statue bore the form of a sun elf. It might be a random treasure hidden here by one of the goblins, or I suppose it could be a remnant from when certain gods were worshipped here—namely Lathander, god of dawn—as Berien seemed to suggest. When time allows, I’d like to do some more research. At first, only I, Aief, and Berien knew about finding it. We resolved to discuss it with Finnan and Agnes when possible, but agreed it might be best not to include Lyria just yet for fear that she might, in her impatience, waste its magic.    

 <to be continued>

[meonlyred]

The Story So Far: Part 2

Transcript of our D&D game written by our DM Amy: Character Art by meonlyred or dreambled

Early the next morning, as our dear lovable losers sat having a hearty breakfast and discussing what their next plan of action was, the young half-dwarf bard and Mara’s bedmate Fera presented the group with a job opportunity that could again net them some tidy profits. They were introduced to the enterprising Dwarf miner Gundren Rockseeker and his bodyguard Sildar Winterson. He laid before them the very simple, trivial, could not POSSIBLY go wrong task of escorting a cart of mining supplies to the small village of Phandalin located south of Neverwinter with the promise of good pay. Taking a moment to talk it over, and considering the success they had working together the previous days, the group decided to stick together and take on the job, what could it hurt to earn a bit more gold?

After an uneventful week long trip on the High Road, the group arrived at the Triboar Trail, the path that leads to Phandalin. It was here they encountered a turned over, bloodied cart they recognized as belonging to Gundren and his men and were set upon by a Goblin Ambush! After defeating most of the

goblins and taking one as prisoner, they were able through torture to get a hint as to where Gundren had been taken.

Choosing the play the heroes, the band of adventurers hid the cart of supplies and trekked their way to the Cragmaw Cave Hideout. They fought their way through, located the battered and beaten Sildar Winterson, and took out Klarg the bugbear leader. Upon completion of this daring task, the group brought Sildar back to Phandalin and began making plans for their next step. After spending the next day investigating the goings on in the town, the group with the assistance of Sildar made the choice to take on the Redbrand Ruffians in their hideout which was located under the dilapidated Tresendar Manor located on a hill overlooking the village. After a run in with several of the members of the bandit group, meeting with a strange creature known as a Nothic which they allowed to feed on some of the Red Brands, and rescuing a young goblin child being held by a group of bugbears, the group cleared out the cavern and found evidence that Gundren was being held at an old castle taken over by the Cragmaw Clan. Though unfortunately a strange magical user managed to escape. They believed him to be a wizard known as Glassstaff and that he was behind some of the incidents taking place, Sildar believed him to be Iarno Albrek, a former member of the Lords Alliance.

Showered with cheers of joy and jubilations and hailed as heroes by the towns people, the group enjoyed a brief night of drinking and respite, Mara getting cozy with the local Zhentarim contact and guildmaster of Phandalin Miner's Exchange Halia Thornton. Following on leads they gathered from the hideout, the group headed out the following day in search of the castle where Gundren was held.

Although they found Gundren, it was also here they ran into another bugbear calling himself King Grol of the Cragmaw Clan, proclaiming this dilapidated castle as his own. They overhead King Grol speaking to a female dark elf, plotting and planning something to do with an individual named Black Spider. The dark elf it turns out was a changeling in disguise! After defeating this group, they healed Gundren and returned him to Phandalin where they discovered more about what he had been planning in this area. The group learned of the Spellforge located in Wave Echo cave and the Phandelver Pact that had been made many centuries ago, and how the members of this pact have been defeated by a vast orc horde. The wizards of the pact, in a defying act on their death bed, collapsed the cave and sacrificed themselves in order to seal off the Spellforge so that it would not fall into the wrong hands. They learned that the individual named Black Spider had found out about the caves and made plans to take over this spellforge himself, but were still yet unsure why he desired this. Gundren it turns out had located the entrance to this long lost cave with the help of his two brothers that were now missing.

They set out that evening, following what information they had from Gundren and the townsfolk in search of anymore signs of the mysterious Black Spider. Their crusade took them to the ruins of Conyberry and the lair of a banshee named Agatha,  to Old Owl well where they faced off in a near fatal battle against a Necromancer who was raising an undead horde for "science" reasons, though there was some evidence he was in service to the Black Spider. They then found themselves in Wyvern Tor, the old nesting area to a group of vicious Wyverns now occupied by a Orc tribe known as Red Arrow under the leadership of a large Ogre. After a strenuous battle, Corrin managed to land the killing blow on the ogre gaining the loyalty of the orcs who chose him as their new chief. They learned the tribe had been

recruited by Black Spider to seek out the entrance to the Wave Echo caves as well as pilfer old sites along the Sword Mountains for anything valuable that may have been left behind. Seeing value in having an army of orcs on his side, Corrin ordered the tribe to the newly liberated Cragmaw Castle where he said he would come for them should they be needed.

They once again returned to Phandalin and spent the night conferring on the events over the last couple of weeks. During their previous trip Gundren had managed to gather a team of miners and sent them off to the entrance to the Wave Echo caves to make sure they had a way in, and explained that doing so could take a few days. Knowing they had some time before acting on the next part of their plan, the group decided to head off to Thundertree, where they had heard of strange happenings taking place.

Upon Arrival in the Thundertree ruins, they found it to be overran with wisps, undead and spiders, a sense of foreboding and dark energy enveloped them. After carefully making their way through the overgrown crumbling buildings and facing off against a few of the creatures here, they came upon a large decaying tower and witnessed a battle taking place. Strange individuals in black and red cloaks were attacking the building and being held off by a single female elf who seemed to be commanding the plants and trees themselves. After lending her a hand, they learned that the druid named Reida was trying to protect a Hippogriff that had taken up nesting in this area from a Wyvern cult that wished to sacrificed the rare magical creature to increase their own power. Reida was exhausted and injured after strenuously defending her feathered friend Vesper and her 3 young for weeks, seeing the wearyness in her eyes the group volunteered to get rid of the cult.

After setting out and finding the cultist group gathering on the edge of the ancient village, a large epic battle broke out. The group took on many cultist, the wizard leading them, and his wyvern. Several members of the group were badly injured and things had began to look bleak, until Reida came flying in on Vesper and attacked the Wyvern before summoning two treants to aid the group. Together they were victorious in wiping the cult out, and spent a night recouping with Reida in the tower. Before leaving she granted Maras request for 3 of the Hippogriff feathers as a boon for the groups aid. The foreboding feeling was already fading away from the area, and Reida promised the area would soon heal from the dark magic the cultist had brought to it.

Our band of scamps, which were rapidly becoming an experienced adventuring troop, made their way back to Phandalin ONCE AGAIN were Gundren announced they had an opening to Wave Echo cave ready and they would proceed at the party's behest. Corrin trekked out that night to Cragmaw Castle seeking out his newly acquired orc Tribe, promising to meet the group at the cave entrance early the next day. Upon arriving at the castle Corrin was shocked to see some 200 orcs setting up camp outside the castle walls. As he made his way in he was greeted with salutes and orcs shouting words of respect. He also noticed they had taken to painting his likeness in crude drawings on the castle interior. Here he spoke to Brughar, a high ranking orc within the Red Arrows that the others seemed to look to as 2nd to Corrin. He was given a band of their 15 best warriors to take with him in the exploration of the Wave Echo cave. He spent the night resting at the castle and having a drink with Brughar, then headed out to meet his comrades.

That morning the group was quite surprised to see Corrin come marching in with a large group of orcs covered in red war paint, but Sildar who was there accompanying Gundren seemed quite excited at the idea of fighting along side some orc warriors. As collected and prepared as they could be, our heroes set off into the depths of the cave, making their way carefully through the dark halls. Immediately they found the remains of Gundrens brother Tharden at the camp he and their 2nd brother Nundro had setup when first scouting the cave entrance. Some signs of the previous inhabitants and battle that took place long ago were still evident as well. They faced off against a varying collection of odd creatures, suchs as an ocher jelly and  several undead, a weird poison fungus room, and a wraith which had long been trapped in a storage room. They came upon an odd Spectator calling itself Domo, and referring to them as Master. Domo was apparently a long forgotten servant to a wizard who had worked at the spellforge many years past crafting various magical items for him and his people. Domo was left behind in the chaos and destruction of the final battle that had been fought in the caves, waiting patiently for a master to return to him so he may continue on with his task.

Trudging on the group came upon the Forge Room, being guarded by Glassstaff and a large Golem that had been created using the magic of the forge. It was there they learned that Black Spiders intent was to create an army of magical golems. After a long strenuous fight in which one of the orcs perished, the golem was defeated and Glassstaff was subdued as requested by Sildar, so that he may meet justice at the hands of the Lords Alliance. They continued on to where they found a room that Black Spider had holed up in with two more Golem Guards. After a brief conversation and an attempt to reason with him, the group battled him and his golems fiercely. Diago managed to get the upper hand, restraining him and taking him out. Here they found Gundrens other brother alive but in poor condition in a small room that had been turned into a cell. Now having liberated the Spellforge from Black Spiders control, Corrin sent the orcs back to Cragmaw and returned with his colleagues to the inn in Phandalin where they got drunk and celebrated their victory. Sildar, feeling a kinship with Corrin who reminded him of himself when he was younger, gave Corrin a cloth Lords Alliance badge and offered him a place in their ranks, which he agreed to. It was early the next morning when Mara received a letter asking for her presence in Neverwinter from none other than the mysterious bard Fera.

[keys-to-the-mine]

The Lost Mine of Phandelver – Chapter 3

The evening began with the group reconvening at the inn and sharing what they’d learned.  It was late morning, almost midday, so they ordered lunch. Aratani’s meal came with a special note, a note she kept private from the group but that seemed to make her very happy.  As they finished their meal, Klonius came downstairs.  He snuck up behind behind Beckler and just as he was about to pounce, Beckler got up and ran from the inn!  Klonius dropped his disguise and revealed that he is Beckler and shouts at them to stop the imposter!  The group gave chase but when they got outside, there was no sign of their quarry. They spotted Elmar Barthen walking up the road nearby and call out for him to stop.

Suspicious of Elmar being an imposter, they pepper him with questions regarding their interactions with him the previous evening.  What time did they arrive?  What was in the delivery?  How much were they paid?  He answered all of them quickly and easily.

Beckler then noticed that Elmar had his rapier and asked about it.  Elmar said he’d just found it lying in the street and offered it straight away to Beckler saying he was welcome to it if it was his property.  He had no idea who the rightful owner was. Beckler takes the sword and then eyes Elmar suspiciously.  Were those shoes his?  He couldn’t be sure.  They might be but it was difficult to tell with them as dirty as they were.  Beckler pressed Elmar on the shoes and Elmar told him that he just came by them yesterday. He offered to sell them for 1 silver piece.  Several members of the party felt that there might be something sketchy going on here and didn’t trust his replies.

When asked what he’s hiding, he told the group he was hiding the fact he needed to use the privy. They escorted him back to his shop where the apprentices happily greeted him.  It was revealed that he hadn’t yet been there today.  Elmar went inside to use the privy while the group talked to the apprentices.  It was revealed that Ander and Thistle never saw the shoes being sold in the shop the previous day.  Was Elmar lying to them?  The group discussed options.

When he came back out, they asked Elmar what he’d been doing all day and he said that he had some errands to run and had been down near the SW corner of town.  Aratani seized this opportunity to ask what he may have seen near the woodcutter’s place.  He recounts the odd sights left behind by the encounter she and Prutrix had had with the Redbrands that very morning.  It seemed he really was down that way.

Sick of all the Q&A, Prutrix demanded he explain the circumstances around how he came into possession of the shoes.  He told them that last nite, after closing, he was confronted by Redbrands in the street that wanted to sell the shoes.  He thought it was weird but didn’t want trouble, so he bought the shoes and then continued on his way home.  He thought the shoes looked nice so tried them on while he went about his morning errands.  Unfortunately, they were too small for him and he again offered to sell the shoes to Beckler.

Aratani headed back to the inn to see if Beckler’s shoes might have been left in his room and this was all just a big misunderstanding.  At the inn, she asked Elsa to go upstairs and see if there were any shoes in Beckler’s room.  She agreed to do so.

At the same time, Dorin wandered over to the Shrine of Luck to ask Sister Garaele if she had any healing potions for sale.  She did not.

About now, a group of six Redbrands came up onto Barthen’s place from behind.  One of them was Rohan, the goblin fetishist.  Combat erupted almost immediately and the commotion drew Aratani and Dorin back to the area.  Skit quickly found himself surrounded.  Beckler rushed in and put down one of the ruffians immediately but the rest of the battle was quite bloody.  Before it was over, Skit was knocked unconscious and Prutrix was on death’s very doorstep.  Despite Dorin’s wild flailing, the group emerged victorious but battered.  While investigating the bodies, a ring was discovered in Rohan’s pocket.  It was determined that it was a Ring of Mind Control.  There was MUCH debate over what should be done with it.  In the end, it was decided that Dorin would donate it to the Shrine of Luck.  As he walked to the shrine, Aratani stole it right out of his pocket.

After much discussion, persuasion, and a little deception, the group headed off to speak to the townmaster, Jimothy Wester.  During this time at the inn, Aratani’s contact there informed her that there was a lot of Redbrand activity at the old manor up on the hill at the edge of town. Aratani took the opportunity to hide the ring on her contact’s person to be retrieved later.

At the town hall, they found Sildar Hallwinter.  He told them he came by to look in the holding cells beneath the town hall to see if his contact, Iarno Albrek, may have placed in one of them.  He still had no sign of the man and asked if the party had seen him.  He also asked if they had any information on the name Glasstaff.  Sildar had heard it mentioned by some Redbrands and it seemed he might be their leader.  Upon being told no to both inquiries, he left to continue his search.

Through a lot of questioning and intimidation tactics, Dorin learned that the reason Jimothy let the Redbrands do whatever they wanted is because Jimothy Jr. was one of them!  He told the group that there was nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice to keep his son alive and in this case, all he had to do was stay out of the way.  So that’s what he did.

Realizing there was nothing more to be learned here, they headed back outside where the world’s worst lookouts, Aratani and Beckler, informed the group that two Redbrands had just passed by seconds earlier.  They both hid around the corner instead of going inside to warn the group.  The pointed the way they went and Dorin took off after them like a man possessed.  He caught up to them around the corner confronted them.  They tried to shake him down for coin and Aratani recognized them as the same two that had tried to get money from her the previous evening.  Beckler snuck around and got behind one of them.  His ambush was successful and he managed to take one down with a dagger to the throat.  Realizing that the fight was on, Dorin swung at the other Redbrand and landed a resounding blow.  His follow up strike was just as powerful and laid the man out.  As quickly as it had started, it was over and two more Redbrands lay dead in the street.  Beckler took one of their cloaks.

The party noticed a woman nearby and approached her.  She explained that their actions were completely unnecessary as they wouldn’t have been any bother to her but that she appreciated the efforts they made on her behalf.  She introduced herself as Halia Thornton.  There’s a brief discussion and while some of her answers didn’t seem entirely truthful, in the end, most of the group agreed to take up her offer of 100gp if they killed Glasstaff, the apparent leader of the Redbrands.  She confirmed the intel about the manor on the east end of town being a place of importance for the Redbrands.

As they were discussing what course of action to take next, Pippa and Carp came skipping by and quite literally bumped into the group conversing in the trees.  Pippa introduced Carp as her friend that had found the tunnel.  Carp took and immediate liking to Prutrix because she’s a halfling, just like his mom. He told her about finding the tunnel in the woods and how he almost got seen by the Redbrands that came out of it. Pippa asked if they wanted to see it now and told them it was over on the eastern side of town.  Realizing that this tunnel might be secret way into the manor, the group agrees.

They traveled to the farm and met Carp’s mom, Quelline Alderleaf.  She confirmed that Carp thinks he found a tunnel but tempered that confirmation with a caution about knowing how active the imaginations of children can be.  Dorin, Buckler, and Prutrix all headed into the nearby woods with Carp to look for the tunnel.  Skit hung out at the farm while Aratani went back to the inn ostensibly to see if she could locate a poison supplier within the town.  She also remembered at this time to collect the intel on the shoe question. Elsa explained that she had found a few pairs of shoes in Beckler’s room but said she didn’t know specifically which ones were of interest.  She also explained that the only poisons she knew of in town were some of the chemicals Halia used in mining operations and the pesticides at the Alderleaf farm. Aratani paid Elsa in kisses and clumsily retrieved the ring in the process.  She then headed back to the farm.

Along the way, she decided to place the ring on her pinky finger and immediately realized that this was not a mind controlling ring at all.  She had been transformed into a beautiful Elf!  Reveling in her new appearance, she continued her walk back to the farm.  Once there, she and Skit bought four gallons of pesticide.

Meanwhile, Carp was true to his word and showed the three adventurers the hole in the hillside that was the entrance to a secret tunnel.  They no sooner found it then the truth of the matter was laid bare for them; two Redbrands were disgorged from the tunnel’s mouth.  The trio hid in the trees and ambushed the pair of ruffians. One went down immediately and the other was subdued just as fast.

Beckler tied him to a tree for interrogation.  He was not forthcoming and actually broke free of his bonds.  He assaulted first Beckler and then Prutrix before being subjugated and bound yet again.  He was fearful of the paladin but was unwilling to provide any reliable information. Beckler just drove him through the heart and called it a day.  He then collected two more read cloaks.

Back at the farm, everyone shared information again.  The decision was made to go to the inn and make a big show of chasing down orcs and leaving immediately to do so.  Secretly, they would head back to the farm and hide out there.  Quelline had offered the use of her hayloft for free.  This plan was followed almost without deviation. Beckler got distracted by Elmar there having his meal.  He finally paid him the silver piece for the shoes and bought Elmar a pint to show no hard feelings.  Meanwhile, Aratani went upstairs to have another tumble with Elsa.

Back at the farm, a plan was developed.  Aratani would pose as an exotic elven dancer and Beckler would attempt to infiltrate the Redbrand ranks.  They would both go to the Sleeping Giant about 10:00 or so when the ale would be flowing freely and attempt to use the pesticide to poison all the Redbrands. Meanwhile, Prutrix, Dorin, and Skit would investigate the tunnel to see what lay on the far end.  During this conversation, the rest of the group started noticing that Aratani seemed a little more enamored of herself then usual and that she kept referring to herself as an elf.  Prutrix’s keen eye caught sight of the ring on Aratani’s finger and immediately came to the conclusion that this was the source of the odd behavior.  This was a problem to be dealt with later, though.  For now, it was time to prepare for the night’s pending work.