Phandelver - Cragmaw Hideout

Friday March 18, 1491

Missing Gundred and Sildar, who were ambushed and abducted, the caravan and its guardians finally arrives in Phandalin. After parking the wagons at Barthen's Provisions and securing Bling, the goblin they captured earlier, Dori gathers Kite, Kyrdean, Fugnar and Emmy. Under the circumstances, with their employer missing, Dori considers that they have fulfilled their part of the contract. Due to Gundred's sudden absence, the caravan will not travel back to Neverwinter for a while while Dori and Dunleaf look for their dwarf friend. She takes out her purse and pays them their full wages, even though they will not complete the return trip. Dori, for her part, plans on mounting an expedition to Cragmaw Hideout after she notifies Gundred's kin at the mine.

Kite informs the oxen that their duties are done, and they will be able to depart in the morning. She just needs to remind Dori that their muscle is returning to be with Twiggleleaf and the stickbugs in the Fae world.

The group heads back to the Stonehill Inn, so they can spend the night and check on Kaine and Kritza. Kaine finally started feeling better yesterday, and though he has not completely recuperated, he is ready to adventure. Awaiting his colleagues in the common room of the Stonehill Inn, he is surprised to see them enter without Gundred or Sildar. Questioning them has to what happened in the last week, Kaine learns that while he was incapacitated, their oxen were stolen, they fought a green dragon and rescued a griffon, and they were challenged by a burglar and a ghost. Furthermore, their employer has been captured by an unknown force, which also acquired the map Gundred's kin had sent him. Inquiring about Kritza, Kaine tells them that Toblen Stonehill, the inn's owner, found him lodging with farmer Alderleaf, because he was afraid the man might be contagious. Kaine has not received any news from him in the last few days.

Facing multiple challenges, from the presence of the scarlet-cloaked ruffians to that of a juvenile green dragon, from goblin activity to the kidnapping of Gundred, the party has plenty of loose ends to tie before they can be on their way. Discussing late into the night, they agree that their first order of business should be to head to Cragmaw Hideout and see if Gundred and Sildar are there.

Saturday, March 19, 1491

After a hearty breakfast  in an otherwise deserted common room, the group rehash their plans. Dori and Dunleaf will head to the dwarven mine to notify Gundred's kin of the current situation. Kite, Kaine, Kyrdean, Emma and Fugnar will collect their goblin and head to the bridge to track the goblins and find the location of Cragmaw Hideout. With any chance, Gundred and Sildar will still be there alive.

Before leaving, Emmy finds Toblen Stonehill and she leaves a message for Gundred in case he returns while they are out. Emmy and Toblen talk about the green dragon and the griffon, and Emmy mentions that the bridge has been destroyed. Toblen will notify Town Master Harbin Wester that the bridge is out, and perhaps they can assemble a crew to go fix it.

Returning to Barthen's Provisions, Fugnar knocks Bling out after tying a rope through his mouth to shut him up. He then strings a rope around him, effectively turning the goblin into a sausage, and throws him on his shoulder before rejoining the party.

They follow the goblins' tracks to the base of a cliff about two hours northwest of Phandalin, where a shallow stream emerge from the mouth of a cave. The goblin tracks cross the river and follow a skinny path inside the cave.

Fugnar moves closer, and as he stands next to the cave's entrance, he hears the vicious sounds of dogs barking. He returns to his group and inform them of what he heard. Kaine takes the lead and fords the creek, followed by Kyrdean, Fugnar, Kite and Emmy. With the stink of animals and the snarls coming from the tunnel on the right, Kaine carefully peaks in. Three dire dogs are straining at their chains, trying to get to Kaine and his friends. The loud barking seems not to have attracted attention, so they cautiously proceed ahead.

The path follows the creek and steadily climbs. Fugnar notice a cave opening about 15 feet off the floor of the creek on the other side of the path. They then pass underneath a crumbling bridge about 10 feet high from them, but not seeing anyone, they continue the ascend and reach a series of pools held by a series of boulders. Next to the pools, three goblins are playing with three dire dogs, throwing bones and hitting the dogs with sticks. Kaine shoot one of the goblins, while Kyrdean uses his martial skills to land behind the dogs and strikes one of them. The rest of the group joins the fight, and the goblins are swiftly defeated. Fugnar keeps one of the goblins alive, and after solidly tying him to the other, they leave them behind.

Faced with an opening in the south wall of this large cave and one in the west wall, they elect to go west and find themselves at the edge of the bridge, with a goblin sentry on the other side. Kaine shoots his crossbow and wounds the goblin, while Fugnar sprints across, and despite its ruined looks, the barbarian arrives on the other side without breaking the structure, and strikes the goblin dead. Searching the goblin, he fins a piece of white fabric, most likely from a wedding dress, along with three wooden six-sided dice which always land on one. 

The rest of the party soon follows across the bridge, only to find another stinking room. They have located the goblins' residential quarters, and they have surprised nearly a dozen goblins. Fugnar rages and charges one of the goblins, while everyone else joins the fray. But these goblins are led by two captains, and the battle is more dangerous than they would have expected. Fugnar is the first to go down, followed by Kaine. Kyrdean is injured, and both Emmy and Kite suffer damage, but eventually they triumph over their enemies. 

At the back of the room they find a pit about twelve feet deep, and a ladder. Inside the pit is Gundred's companion, Sildar. Sildar has been bound and gagged, but is otherwise uninjured. Kyrdean puts the ladder in the pit and frees Sildar. Sildar inquires after Gundred, and Kyrdean has to inform him they have not yet located the dwarf. The two climb back out of the pit. Meanwhile, Emmy bandages Fugnar and Kaine, stopping their slow bleeding. With everyone wounded, they decide to rest here, despite the stink, as this room is easily guarded.

Searching the dead goblins, they find jewelry and other evidence that suggests the goblins attacked a wedding party. They find a pair of earring, a garter belt, more pieces of a wedding dress, and other trinkets.

During their rest, Sildar explains what happened to Gundred and himself. They were traveling back from Neverwinter three days ago when something spook the horses by the bridge, and both riders were thrown off their horses. Gundred has never been a very good horse rider, but Sildar considers himself skilled, and it would have been something very scary that spooked the horses enough to throw the fighter off his horse. Once on the ground, the two of them were attacked and captured by goblins. Once tied, they were escorted to Cragmaw Hideout, and that's the last time Sildar saw Gundred. 

Fugnar questions Sildar on what Gundred and his kin discovered. Sildar explains that the Gundred and his brothers had just located an important section of the mine of the Phandelver Pact. Sildar is not sure what that is, but Gundred was excited beyond belief at that news. When asked about the map Gundred had received, Sildar replies that it showed the location of the mine and its network of tunnels, including the big find that had Gundred so excited. Kyrdean informs Sildar that the map is now missing, as it was not found in Gundred's personal effects left at the ambush site.

While in the goblins' captivity, Sildar heard the following information. The goblins' king, a bugbear named Klarg, is responsible for the capture of a human wizard named Iarno Albrek, but this happened several months ago and the goblins didn't know what had happened to the wizard. Sildar also heard that Klarg works for someone called the Spider. It is the Spider that ordered the ambush on the trail, and the Spider seemed to know that Gundred would be on the road back to Phandalin. Klarg was ordered to capture Gundred and send him to Cragmaw Castle. Sildar doesn't know where Cragmaw Castle is located. He also mentions that when he and Gundred were escorted back to Cragmaw Hideout, his captors were intercepted by three other goblins with oblong heads that glowed faintly. His captors did not seem to know these particular goblins, and there was animosity between the two groups. They almost came to blows, but the strange goblins, after examining Gundred they told his captors that the dwarf was to go with them, as he was the one Ruxithid was looking for. They showed the goblins a token Sildar did not see, but this was apparently enough to convince the captors to give Gundred to this new group of goblins. That's the last time he saw Gundred.

Sunday, March 20, 1491

After a long rest that came with no challenge from the inhabitants of Cragmaw Hideout, the party heads back to the bridge. A goblin is standing guard there, and as soon as he sees Fugnar he fires an arrow before running away. Wise to the possibility of a trap, Fugnar jumps down the bridge and lands in the creek, followed by Kyrdean and Kaine. Fugnar rounds the corner back into the large cave just as the goblin emerges from the tunnel, and the barbarian does quick work, ending the goblin's life.

After jumping off the bridge, Kyrdean lowers himself in the river by the dam, with only his nose, eyes and ears sticking out. Kaine stands near Kyrdean. Another goblin standing on the bridge releases the rope holding the dam's keystone in place. This releases the dam, and the rushing waters transport Kyrdean and Kaine back to the mouth of the cave. While Emmy, Fugnar and Kite enters the cave to the south, Kyrdean runs back and chases the goblin across the bridge, avoiding the bridge trap. Cornering the goblin, Kyrdean defeats him, the looks for a secret door. He does not find one.

Map of Cragmaw Hideout

 In the main cave that looks like a poor version of a throne room, they discover several crates, many of them marked with a blue lion's head. They defeat the largest dire dog they have ever seen. The inhabitants of the cave seem to have left, however. Searching for a secret door here, Kyrdean finds one. In a small room, they discover 900 gold pieces in a wooden chest, two potions, and two strange magical items. Cragmaw Hideout is theirs!