2️⃣🥇 heroes of phandalin

sessions 13 - 22 | 02/19/2022 - 04/02/2022 | summaries in a 100 words or less!

✨synopsis

Upon arriving at Phandalin, our heroes uncover treachery among them and convince Sorennar, an unwilling agent of the Black Spider, to help them stop him instead.

We meet the townsfolk, some of whom are more than they seem, and clear out the Redbrand bandit threat, learning of Iarno Albrek’s betrayal of the Lord’s Alliance, and the Black Spider’s desperation — during which Hugh and Soren display concerning signs of “possession” on separate instances.

Silhouetted by the cheers of the grateful townsfolk, we leave for Cragmaw Castle to rescue Gundren, with the guidance of a friendly goblin, Droop.

📜13. the truth

Sorennar reports his adventures to the Black Spider. The group prepares to interrogate Sorennar, getting roped into a favor by Sister Garaele to go to Conyberry.

They confront Sorennar, who escapes long enough to Sending Scroll his family a warning, receiving devastating news in return. Under Zone of Truth, he admits his past and treachery. The group requests he stay with them to take down his master, Nezznar Xorlarrin, which he tearfully agrees.

Lera's attempts to heal Hugh seem to backfire, and they visit Garaele for magical pain relief, as well as to receive more instructions on their Conyberry quest.

🔪14. to kill or not to kill

The group share a tense dinner. Everyone remains kind to a bewildered Sorennar; but Sildar, who, to the group's agitation, puts into place precautions like confiscating his weaponry. Hugh confronts Elsa's racism.

Dinner is interrupted when a group of four Redbrand ruffians antagonize the party and threaten hostages. The party ends up taking them down and questioning them for information, learning of the Redbrand's hideout location and leader.

We struggle morally at the prospect of executing the unconscious bandits, and end up breaking into the Townsmaster's Hall to lock them in jail. We take the keys and return to Stonehill.

💜15. pleasure.

At Stonehill, we discuss how to handle the waiting Black Spider. Sorennar and Sildar share a tense night, exacerbated after Sorennar dreams of the party killing him. Colt gets an unexpected visit from his old mentor's "ghost", prompting discussion about Underdark dangers.

Sister Garaele helps the party scry on Sorennar's next meeting with the Spider, and they get better understanding of the situation when he gets punished for "failing" to kill Sildar.

We visit Alderleaf Farm to learn about the Redbrand kidnappings, where Colt and Sorennar get possessed by a presence that forcefully encourages them to save the Alderleafs.

🧦16. dobby and gollum

The party shops at Barthen's, buying a drum for Sorennar; Hugh buys pelts, Colt entrepreneurs coats, Lera gets rations/cooking supplies. We return the Lion Coster crates, and buy potions + crossbow bolts.

We enter the Redbrand's hideout from a cave, meeting a Nothic, whom we uneasily "befriend" with the promise of food. We find bugbears humiliating a goblin slave, Droop, causing Sorennar to recklessly attack and vengefully interrogate the remaining bugbear after the group kills all but one.

Sildar and Lera calm him, and we discuss sending Droop safely back to Phandalin, before getting accosted by some drunk Redbrands.

🦟17. sack of worms

Together, the group makes short work of the Redbrands. We feed the bodies to placate the Nothic, before Droop leads us to the Alderleaf prisoners, whom we free.

We loot the hideout after making sure the Alderleafs escape safely, then confront Glasstaff, who turns out to be Iarno Albrek, the missing Lord's Alliance member. He taunts Sildar about the world running on money and corruption, before almost wiping the group with Fireball.

Hugh's "magical rage" blinds Glasstaff to turn the tides, and we knock him out as he tries to escape. We find documents and treasure in his study.

🧹18. spring cleaning

The group questions Iarno, not learning much about the Spider but gaining information about Sildar's and Colt's past. We kill him, and clear out the rest of the Redbrand Hideout of skeletons and loot, then pick up Droop from the grateful Alderleafs.

We intimidate the remaining Redbrands at the Sleeping Giant with Iarno's body, put them in jail along with the old Townsmaster for his incompetence and aggression to the party.

The group instates Sildar as the new Townsmaster, and we discuss future actions regarding going into the Underdark, as well as Sildar's disillusionment with the Lord's Alliance.

🖤19. decay.

We pick up shovels at Barthen's to bury Iarno, where Sildar buys several instruments for Sorennar and starts a war with Lera, which Sorennar helps him win :)

We bury Iarno, go for a warm bath at the bathhouse, and head to the Phandalin Miner's Exchange to sell our gems. Halia, the clerk there, seems to hate us and offers Soren a job in secret.

We have dinner with Garaele after Soren and Sildar confront their feelings thanks to Lera's encouragement. Garaele casts Detect G&E on the group, causing Hugh to go batshit and start eating dirt, paper and rugs

🦎20. unexpected visit

Colt departs for Luskan. The party decides to go to Candlekeep after everything, to research Hugh's mind demon.

Soren visits Halia for his "secret job" while the party listens in, learning she is Zhentarim and wants to recruit him. He agrees, in order to gain information for Sildar / TLA. The party chides him for his rashnesses.

After a trip to Barthen's, we find Nezznar waiting for us at Stonehill. Soren poisons himself and Nezznar with the taggit poison, and the group interrogates Nezznar, learning he's actually a doppelganger named Art who'd been manipulated by Nezznar to come scare Soren.

🍻21. not drunk

We rope Grista into Hugh’s prison food program, then deliver Art to the Townsmaster’s Hall, where Sildar begins his work as de-facto Townsmaster, awarding us for the Redbrand cleanup on behalf of the town. The group returns to Stonehill for a drink and rest.

Soren gets hopelessly drunk and Hugh gets laid with Garaele. Lera, learning about Vulmar and Aire, comforts Sildar. Sildar and a wasted Soren share an intimate conversation about their relationship going forward, and their differing lifespans.

Toblen suspiciously wakes us, to reveal that the town has thrown us a surprise thank-you party!

🎊22. the party

The party joins... the party!

We network with the townsfolk of Phandalin: Henry, the Alderleafs, the Dendrars who asks us to retrieve a family heirloom from Thundertree), Freda Norle, The Stonehills, Barthen, Edermath (who asks us to check in on some archaelogists near Old Owl Well) and Elsa before finally regrouping with Garaele. Several townsfolk bear gifts.

Hairs are braided, and Soren learns to identify. We reforge Halia's letter, then set off on the Triboar Trail. Soren identifies every magic item the group has, and discuss Hugh's brain demon, whom he's named Myco. We also discuss strategy for Cragmaw Castle.