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!

Phandelver - Of dragons, griffons, and ghosts

Saturday, March 12, 1491

Having recuperated from the food poisoning he was afflicted by the day before, Kyrdean wakes up still feeling slightly ill, but at least with a now settled stomach. Not sure what happened yesterday, the Tabaxi makes plan to eat a quick breakfast in the Stonehill Inn's common room, then head back on the trail towards Neverwinter to catch up to the caravan. Fortunately, when he enters the common room, Kyrdean finds Fugnar and Kite eating a copious breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, freshly baked bread, and cheese, and Kite informs him that the caravan was delayed yesterday due to missing oxen, but that everything was resolved and Gundred determined they would leave this morning. Being done with breakfast, Fugnar returns upstairs and knock on Kaine and Kritza's doors, but both of them still groan in pain, and they tell the barbarian they will not be joining the caravan today. With breakfast consumed, they head out to Barthen's Provisions, where they will meet Gundred and Sildar.

Meanwhile, when Emmy wakes up from her magically induced sleep, she experiences a massive headache pounding behind her temples. Climbing out of the wagon she slept in, her body feels sore, her mouth is dry, and she feels dizzy, but a few steps take the feelings away. When she is joined by Fugnar, Kyrdean, and Kite at Barthen's Provisions, she inquires what she missed. Fugnar tells her they met faeries, goblins and oxen, and life is good. Gundred and Sildar arrive, and Gundred is thrilled his team is here and ready to go. Fugnar tells him that both Kaine and Kritza are still sick, and will try to catch up with them when they recuperate. Dori and a heavily laden Dunleaf finally return to their wagons.

After completing their preparations, the caravan leaves the village of Phandalin and takes the road back to Neverwinter. Gundred inquires about Kaine and Kritza, and both of them are still sick. Driving their wagons pulled by their four oxen, Dori and Dunleaf begin the slow trek back to Neverwinter. Fugnar comments that he's hoping the bridge has been fixed. But by the time the caravan nears the river, it is clear that the bridge has been destroyed, and the bodies of the nymphs Fugnar had strung under the bridge have been removed. Fugnar suspects that friends of the nymphs destroyed the bridge to avenge their friends.

Gundred consults with Sildar on what the caravan should do. Sildar considers that rebuilding the bridge so it could handle the weight of the oxen and wagons would take about two days, and they are better off to head south to the next ford in the river instead, as this will only take a few hours. Gundred agrees, and the caravan follows the east bank of the river until it crosses over to the other side. Heading back north, they soon rejoin the road. Several times over the day, Kite cheers the oxen, and Fugnar provides them sweet grasses to munch on as they walk on the path.

Later in the afternoon, an injured griffon flies low above the caravan as it is being chased by a juvenile green dragon, which releases a jet of boiling acid. Dori leads her wagon under the closest tree, closely followed by Dunleaf. The griffon crashes to the ground about 100 feet away from the path, while the dragon gracefully lands between the caravan and the griffon, with its back to them. Kyrdean immediately jumps off the wagon, and begins crawling towards the dragon. Seeing this, both Emmy and Kite take out their bows and ready an attack. Gundred whispers to them that they are crazy if they think they can take on a dragon, but Fugnar only grins at him before jumping off the wagon and loudly charging the dragon. Dori also pulls out her axe, but Dunleaf hanks her back.

Surprised, the dragon pivots. Emmy's arrow is true and hits the dragon, while Fugnar's battle hammer strikes the dragon on its side, causing significant damage. Kyrdean jumps into the fray, but Kite's arrow narrowly misses. With the dragon distracted, the griffon also strikes back against the dragon. This significant damage from multiple sources is enough for the dragon, which springs upwards and flies away in the general direction of Phandalin. Emmy slowly steps closer to the now quivering griffon. Using her skills, she approaches the griffon, and, taking out her salves and bandages, she cleans the beast's wounds as best she can, and the griffon remains stoically immobile throughout the operation. Once Emmy is done, the griffon gracefully bows its head, before heading into the woods. Emmy bows back and thanks the griffon for allowing her to care for it.

Gundred is pleased with this battle, but he suggests the caravan should not tarry. They head back on the road, and by night fall they pitch camp in a secluded grove.

Sunday, March 13, 1491

With empty wagons, the caravan makes good time and reaches Neverwinter before the gates are closed at night. Reporting to Bran & Sons's Warehouse, Gundred shakes hands with Bran, and tells everyone the caravan will depart Tuesday morning. However, they can all get a couple gold pieces tomorrow if they wish by helping to load new cargo back on the wagons. Everyone agrees they will help. Gundred suggests they return tomorrow morning around 8. After the oxen are placed in their pen, Kite thanks them for their hard work, and gives them each a carrot.

 

Monday, March 14, 1491

In the morning, Emmy walks to Neverwinter's guard headquarters and reports the presence of a greed dragon in the area. The captain of the guard tells her they will investigate, and he will also notify other towns and villages to be on the lookout. If the dragon proves to be active in this area, a party will be assembled and a reward will be given for its killing. She then heads to the local alchemist, the Alembic Apothecary, where she purchases a jar of nightshade poison she can coat her arrows or her weapons with.

Promptly at 8, Fugnar, Kyrdean, Emmy, and Kite return to Bran & Sons' Warehouse, where they meet Gundred and Sildar. The warehouse is filled with boxes, and Bran, owner of the warehouse, shows them which boxes to load. While Bran and Sildar take the inventory of what is being loaded, Gundred and Dori make some repairs to the wagons. Dunleaf prepares lunch, and soon the caravan's crew and all of the employees of Bran & Sons partake of another lovely meal.

As the wagons become progressively fuller, Fugnar expresses the concern that the oxen will need to work harder than the last trip, and the barbarian tells Gundred he will need to convince the oxen to complete this ultimate trip. Flummoxed, Gundred asks Fugnar to intercedes, and the barbarian agrees for 5 gold pieces, which Gundred gladly hands over.

Fugnar tells Gundred he must convince the oxen they Gundred gives Fugnar 5 gold pieces, and the barbarian makes a show of consulting and cajoling the oxen, before claiming that everything is good, they've agreed to pull the heavy wagons.

Early in the afternoon, a rider delivers an important message to Gundred. Emmy and Kite see him read it, then they hear him exclaim to Sildar "They think they found it!" Making hasty plans, Gundred informs Fugnar he's now in charge of making sure the caravan arrives in Phandalin, as he needs to ride out right away. Soon, both Gundred and Sildar ride out of Neverwinter.

Continuing to supervise the loading, Fugnar catches Bran trying to sell them goods that do not match the description on Gundred's list. Bran apologizes profusely and blames his underlings for the mix up. With the wagons fully loaded early in the evening, Fugnar, Emmy, Kite and Kyrdean discuss whether they would be better off departing immediately instead of leaving the wagons in the warehouse one more night. The absence of their teamsters, who have already withdrawn for the night, convinces them they must stay here until morning. But they determine to sleep in the warehouse. Bran lends them a key to lock and unlock the warehouse gate, and he returns home for the evening.

Looking around for vulnerabilities, Kyrdean builds an elaborate alarm using pots and pans. If the main door or the loading gates are opened, the pots and pans will make a racket, alerting everyone. Emmy places a heavy crate on top of the trapdoor that leads to the sewer, ensuring that no one will be able to climb through that space.

Warehouse in Neverwinter

Tuesday, March 15, 1491

Fugnar sleeps on the bench of the first wagon, while he waits to take the last watch. Emmy takes the first watch, and patrols through the building. Two hours later, she wakes Kyrdean up, and he begins his own patrol as she heads to bed. Halfway through his shift, the temperature in the warehouse drops precipitously. Noticing a faint light in the front office, Kyrdean positions himself stealthily, before opening the door and jumping on the person on the other side. The noise wakes everyone up.

Kyrdean has captured a burglar named Thrumbone, who claims he is here to search the office and retrieve a metal box that belongs to his patron. Kyrdean finds the story hard to believe, but Thrumbone describes part of the contents of the box, including a child's drawing of a unicorn, and what the box itself looks like. While Thrumbone is guarded by Fugnar, Kyrdean searches the office and soon discovers said box underneath a bunch of boxes and piles of paper. Carefully unlocking and opening the box, Kyrdean indeed discovers the drawing of the unicorn. 

Thrumbone attempts to convince them to let him go with the box, but when Kyrdean refuses, a ghostly apparition floats down from the ceiling and threatens everyone with bodily harm. Some quick thinking on Kyrdean's part disarms the situation as he reveals the location of the child the ghost is looking for with her agent Thrumbone. Now aware of the address, the ghostly apparition rushes through the wall, leaving Thrumbone behind.

Kite heads out of the warehouse to alert Bran an intruder was here. Bran returns to the warehouse with Kite, and he alerts the guard. Kyrdean purchases the metal box for 7 gold pieces. Aside from the child's drawing, the box contains what appears to be a contract signed with an arcane symbol, perhaps a debt that binds the family; a collection of foreign coins and trinkets worth 21 gold pieces; a handwritten will amended multiple times: a collection of coded ciphers; a collection of love letters filled with passion, betrayal, and a forbidden romance; a court document with a broken wax seal revealing a past trial, and a hidden crime, as well as the location and new parents of a child; and a leather-bound journal with coded entries filled with what appears to be scientific observations of magic and alchemical formulas.

The city guard finally arrives and hauls Thrumbone away to jail for breaking and entering. Though they promise they will look for the ghostly apparition, everyone knows those are empty promises.

Following the sunrise, Dori and Dunleaf return to Bran & Sons' Warehouse. After being appraised of the events of the previous night, the dwarves retrieve the oxen from their pens, and the caravan departs Neverwinter. On the road, Kite makes flower crowns for the oxen, which they happily munch on.

 

Friday March 18, 1491

As they near the fork that will take them either to the broken bridge or to ford the river, a discussion occurs between Dori and Fugnar. The wagons are very heavy with all of this material, and crossing the river risks being harder than when they traveled back to the city. But the bridge is most likely still out of commission. Kite rides to the bridge, only to discover that Gundred and Sildar's horses are standing on the western shores, and their leads have been staked to the ground. Suspecting an ambush, Kite returns to the caravan to report.

Ambush at the broken bridge

The caravan approaches cautiously. Fugnar and Kyrdean examine the ground, and find goblin prints. Fugnar loudly voices his desire to pay his goblin friend Blonk. Snickers can be heard from the woods near the horses. Fugnar again offers money for the goblins to come out, but the goblins reply that they might as well attack and take all of the gold instead of some of the gold, and they charge. Combat is short, and all but one goblins are quickly dispatched. Fugnar interrogates the last remaining goblin,

Searching the area near the horses, Kite finds Gundred's horse, and his traveling kit, including the letter he received a few days ago. Reading through it, Fugnar, who can read dwarf, notices a reference to a map, but no map is found.  

Returning to the wagons, Emmy asks Dori if there are objects that either Gundred or Sildar carry with them at all times that could identify they were here. Dori replies that Sildar eats sunflower seeds, and Gundred always carries feathers in his pockets because he enjoys the feeling. Kite recalls seeing the dwarf with his hands in his pockets more times than she cares to remember. With that, the caravan heads to the ford to cross the river and reach Phandalin ...

When all the threads tie together

Sarenith 28, 4712

Returning from their latest trip to the Emerald Spire, the Coopers arrive in Fort Inevitable to find the town in uproar. The entire Hellknight guard has been deployed at the gates and on the walls as if an assault was expected. People entering the town as well as people leaving are being thoroughly searched, and traffic is backed up on both sides of the gates. Noticing this, and realizing that there is now a dwarf and a gnome among their party, the Coopers decide to avoid the questions and fees their appearance would receive at the gates and instead enter through the sewer tunnels. Instead of following her siblings, Daryle heads back into the woods. She will hunt for a few hours, then return through the Juliver Gate and see what information she can obtain from the guards.

The gnome Olifrit is the first one to enter the town, followed by the rest of the party through the sewers. They head directly to the secret door that leads into Dr. Mordel's basement. A few creatures are laying in clean beds, while in the corner the silver demon paces his cage relentlessly. They come up the stairs and meet Erynna, who greets them warmly. When questioned by Darelle as to what is happening, she informs them that two nights ago, Duke Mosley returned in a covered wagon. Deathly ill, he has taken residence on the top floor of the Citadel in Roscoe's old quarters. The few that have seen him report that he is bleeding heavily from a large gash on his shoulders. Magical healing has been unable to staunch the flow, and remove curses have all been ineffective. He is ghastly pale and shivers uncontrollably. Even though it is the height of summer, fires burn in all fireplaces of the Citadel. She further tells the Coopers that though Dr. Mordel's healing and alchemy skills are well known, his services have not been called for.

They then join Dr. Mordel himself in his small laboratory on the second floor. He also greets them warmly, and tells them that he suspects Duke Mosley is both dying and highly infectious, if the rumors and gossip reported by his network of informants are to be believed. Most people who can flee the town have already done so, but the Hellknights are ensuring that valuables are left behind. Hence the heavier security details at the gates. Darelle asks him what Mosley might be suffering from. Dr. Mordel replies that to the best of his knowledge the Duke was stabbed by a demon during a campaign in the World Wound, and Mosley has never recovered. He's not sure what it could be, but with magical healing not working, it has to be some seriously powerful demonic magic. Dr. Mordel might be able to analyze the sickness and prepare an antidote, but he would have to get a sample first. Concerned about herself, Olifrit interrupts the discussion and asks Dr. Mordel to restore her hands and her left foot to their proper nature. She confesses that she used to be Gerald. Dr. Mordel agrees to do so but it will require some time, extensive and very painful testing, and most of Dr. Mordel's patience, but it should be possible to at least address some of the issues currently plaguing Olifrit.

Pulling Darelle aside, Dr. Mordel also tells Darelle that her that Fort Inevitable's enemies are marshaling their forces against the town. Events are coming to a head and the fate of the town's citizens hang in the balance, he warns her. Armed with this newfound knowledge, Darelle and the remaining members of the party, minus Olifrit, head back out of town to avoid the contagion.

Thorne enters the town a little later through the same sewers wearing a disguise. He returns to his old shop, and finds it shuttered by Roscoe's orders, but it has not yet been repurposed. The rogue gathers gear, and he bids farewell to his place of commerce. He heads to Dr. Mordel's house, but Erynna turns him away and does not let him in the house. Dejected and sad that no one recognizes his role as a hero and savior of the town, he enters the sewers and heads out. Thorne manages to avoid two Hellknight patrols, but he runs into his siblings right outside Dr. Mordel's basement. As they leave, Darelle fills him on what has happened in town, but tells him flat out that she does not trust him. They emerge from the sewer outside the walls, but unfortunately Thorne is noticed by two guards and the alarm is raised. Thorne runs away, pursued by a Hellknight patrol but eventually manages to lose them.

Daryle comes in a little later with the produce of a hunt through the Juliver Gate. She encounters Bolgur, the Hellknight half-orc who leads the guard detachment. He seems very unhappy to see him, but he's generally unhappy so she's not too worried. She tells him she's been gone for four days, and she inquires as to what is happening in town. Bolgur reports that the Duke has returned with a small escort of four guards, and is now living atop the Citadel. He's real sick, and it is said he's taking it out on the staff. Bolgur then tells Daryle that Maralictor Wirt has left her a letter. He retrieves it and hands it to her. Daryle reads Wirt's message, which tells her not to enter the town but to send word she's back with a place to meet. Daryle tells Bolgur she forgot something at the farm she must get. Could he send Wirt a message? The half-orc replies that he can, but it will cost her. Daryle agrees to leave him the result of her hunt.

Half an hour later, Wirt meets Daryle outside in the shade of a grove by Mother Holworth's farm. The Hellknight reports on the event of the last three days. On top of the information already gathered by the other Coopers, Daryle learns that the Hellknight contingent that transits through Fort Inevitable every three months has disappeared. More than 600 troops have simply vanished. On top of everything else, quarterly taxes are due in three days, the merchants are stuck in Daggermark awaiting their Hellknight troops as escort, and the population is restless and panicky due to persistent rumors of infection. Wirt advises Daryle to avoid entering the town right now due to the possibility of contagion. She also tells the ranger that the Seven Foxes have all left the town. Daryle requests that a meeting be set up at the Hunters' Lodge with everyone to discuss the current situation. Wirt replies that she should be able to get them there in time for supper.

The necromancer Rowen, who has finally recovered from the betrayal of his cult, has spent the greater part of the last months rebuilding his evil forces. Having returned to Fort Inevitable, he decides to investigate Duke Mosley's claims to see if there's any way Mosley might be entreated to join him in his last days. Rowen contacts a highly placed servant in the Citadel, and that servant describes that the mental status of the Duke has deteriorated and he's been abusing his staff. The servant also reports that Duke Mosley is compiling a list of individuals he plans on executing before his death to settle old grudges. No one seems to know who's on the list, but speculations are rife among the Hellknights. Rowen wonders how he can capitalize on this situation. He decides to spread rumors through town and wipe up the hysteria that surrounds the fears of an epidemic. Throughout the day, more and more people gather to listen to speakers at the fountain boasting of the benefits of joining the Death Cult. Rowen rubs his hands in glee.

Daryle and Darelle connect at the Hunters' Lodge. There they are met by Shim Longbranch, who is very much out of breath. He has run all the way from Dimsdale to report that an army of emerald automatons has laid siege to the village. They are left by four different Geralds. Shim reports he barely managed to escape the siege. Gerald has threatened to burn the village down to the ground if a powerful object is not turned over to him before nightfall. Shim tells the Coopers that the inhabitants have fled across the bridge into the forest, but all fighters have remained behind to resist the invasion. The Dimsdalers have some experience with a siege, having suffered one only a few months back. The sisters agree to help Shim. Darelle summons her jar of cloud and they fly south, reaching Dimsdale a half hour later. Shim also mentions that his patrols have discovered that the giants have finally arrived and that they have setup a camp at the base of the Emerald Spire and could attack at any moment.

They spot from the sky four distinct forces arrayed against the village, all led by a different Gerald. They all appear to be collaborating together. Darelle and Daryle land beyond the village, connect with the refugees, and then enter the village. They meet Dunleaf Appletop, Dimsdale's mayor, who informs them of Gerald's demands. He doesn't know what Gerald wants, but he'll fight to protect his village. Daryle heads out and, under a flag of truce, meets with Gerald. He reveals that he has had a vision that the Hellknights have hidden a powerful weapon in Dimsdale. In his vision he has seen Duke Mosley use the weapon to destroy Fort Inevitable, and he wants to prevent that from happening. He's not sure what he is searching for, but he is convinced it is here in the village. If it is not turned over by nightfall, he will order an assault and burn everything to the ground. During this conversation, Gerald is joined by the other Geralds, who all agree that this is the proper course of action. All of them have had similar visions, and they all sincerely believe that they are saving the town from certain doom. Daryle informs the Geralds of the events that have transpired in Fort Inevitable over the last few days. Gerald is encouraged that his vision is coming true, and he threatens his sister with bodily harm if she remains in the village.

Daryle returns to the village and reports what she has discovered from Gerald. Darelle, meanwhile, searches the former Hellknight barrack and discovers a secret space behind a wall. In this small space she finds a lead chest. Even without any particular ability regarding the detection of evil, Darelle feels a faint trace of it emanating from the chest. The sisters remove the chest from Dimsdale and depart on their cloud. The Geralds sense that the object has been removed. One Gerald returns to Fort Inevitable to retrieve his wife and mother and save them from the destruction that's about to take place. One Gerald takes control of some automatons and heads back to the Emerald Spire. Another Gerald decides to search for the missing Hellknights, while the last Gerald launches an assault on Dimsdale with greatly diminished forces and is quickly wiped out. Darelle and Daryle head back to the Hunters' Lodge.

There they meet six members of the Seven Foxes. Dunleaf remained in Dimsdale. The Foxes advise they have about 80 fighters ready to seize key infrastructure areas of Fort Inevitable if an attack by giants and Greenhide leads the Hellknights to attempt a sortie. They are concerned, however, about the remaining civilian population still in the Fort. Darelle and Daryle agree that in case of an assault on the town, the Foxes' forces will need to remain hidden until needed to either turn the tide of battle or to remove weakened Hellknight forces. Abernard Royst identifies the object the Coopers retrieved from Dimsdale as the Octillio Crystal Sphere, a deadly weapon that could destroy a large section of the town.


In the late afternoon, feeling that the Death Cult has been sufficiently frenzied, Rowen leads a group of about 100 individuals out of Fort Inevitable. The Hellknights do not oppose this departure, correctly assuming that these discontented folks were better off beyond the wall, and possibly dead, in their quest to get rid of the powers that dwell in the Emerald Spire. Having taken refuge in a barn, Thorne spots the procession and follows it. The crowd walks down the road and passes in front of the Hunters' Lodge. Rowen senses the evil of the object newly acquired by the Cooper sisters, and he attempts to break into the Lodge. His attempts are repulsed none too gently by Daryle, and Rowen accepts for the time being to move his group away from the Lodge, bidding his time.

Omok, who also joined the Coopers at the Lodge, feels the pull of the object as well. Rowen attempts to convince Omok to join him and take the object by force, but reason prevails and Omok chooses not to align himself with Rowen at this time. Thorne, who has observed this whole exchange, also attempts to enter the Hunters' Lodge, but is turned away by Daryle. She vociferates a series of threats and advises him that he needs to step up. To prove his loyalty to the family, he must organize an evacuation of Fort Inevitable. If an assault does come, he must get as many inhabitants out as possible.

Thorne returns to town and, working with his remaining contacts, creates a plan that will safely see most of the remaining residents depart Fort Inevitable in the first minutes of the conflict. Darelle contacts Zoarth and delivers a message telling him about the alliance between hill and cloud giants and Greenhide, and request any possible assistance the cloud giant could provide. Worried about their new object, the sisters decide to hide it in the dimensional gate below the Hunters' Lodge. It's possible, but improbable, that a creature from that level of the Abyss would stumble upon it, and it would also remove its influence from the Material Plane. The sisters thus take into the basement, through the mine tunnels, and into the Abyss, before using the hand of banishment to block access again from the Abyss.

As night falls, the Coopers feel as ready as they ever will for what is surely to come on the following day.

The Foxes assemble

Gozran 5, 4712

Concerned over the loyalty of the Hellknight command staff, Roscoe and Omok devise a clever strategy to determine whom can be counted on. Every day, they will question the orb of command with the name of a Hellknight on the command staff and determine whether that individual is loyal to Roscoe or not. Over the course of the next 45 days, the same depressing answer is returned: No one is loyal to Roscoe. The entire command is not loyal, nor are any of the senior officers out in the field. Roscoe begins to ponder how to replace the command structure before it is too late.

Three options present themselves to Roscoe. First, he can clean up the command staff of Fort Inevitable either by wholesale replacement or through attrition and appoint a new command staff that will be loyal to him. His second option is to figure a way to exile the Hellknights completely by clever stratagem or rapid battle attrition, and replace them with soldiers loyal to Roscoe before the next quarterly exchange of troops. The third option is to simply walk away from the Fort and its people.

It will take Roscoe a long time to reach a decision, and he wants to talk to his siblings. Unfortunately, none of them are currently around.


Sarenith 12, 4712

Now back from investigating the stealing of lumber, Daryle and Darelle meet with Roscoe and report on their discoveries. First, they mention that one of the conversation they overheard on the Unbroken dealt with the rumor that Duke Mosley's injuries were serious and were getting worse. Such rumors have been swirling around Fort Inevitable for a few months now.

They mention to him that it's time to come up with an exit strategy from Fort Inevitable. Roscoe tells them he's been thinking the same thing, and it is time to implement his strategy. He presents the options he and Omok have been weighing over the last few weeks. The sisters agree that the first option, that of replacing the command staff with new leaders is the best option. There is no realistic way to entirely remove the Hellknights from Fort Inevitable, and as for simply walking away many people in town and around depend on them, including their mother's cousin and others who depend on them for help or for work.

Roscoe mentions that there are references in Hellknight files to an organization in Fort Inevitable called the Seven Foxes. This resistance group was decimated six years ago when two of its leaders were arrested, tried, and executed following the assassination of the former Lord Commander, Emos Varden. Since then there have been hints that this group still operates in the shadows, but none of the remaining principals' identities have been revealed. Perhaps someone can connect Roscoe with this group and survey their interest in participating in a replacement of the Hellknight command staff? Darelle says that she's never heard of this group, but Dr. Mordel probably has. The Coopers decide to go talk to him. Their plan is to invite some of the Foxes at the Hunters' Lodge, then discuss with them Roscoe's plan.

After exchanging pleasantries, Darelle reaches the reason for their visit. She explains the dilemma the Coopers are in, and explains the three options outlined by Roscoe. Mordel agrees that the first option is not the safest, but it provides the most likelyhood of keeping Fort Inevitable away from disaster. Roscoe asks Mordel if he knows of anyone who could serve in a leadership position and be loyal to the town. Mordel provides the names of six people who could form an effective council to govern Fort Inevitable: Falandra Nolm, whom he trusts; Abernard Roysts, whom he does not trust; Karlyle the Butcher, whom he does not trust but knows he has Fort Inevitable's best interests at heart; Doliver Reedbank, owner of the Juliver Arms, whom he trusts; Mormuk Goldfoot, owner of Goldfoot's Mercantile, whom he trust; and Peter Ardra, son of Adrian Ardra, one of the civic leaders of Fort Inevitable. Adrian was executed following the assassination of the Lord Commander Varden in 4706, and Peter is currently in exile. When asked by Darelle whether he could also serve, Dr. Mordel replies that he has no interest being involved in such a leadership entity. He expresses that he has enough work with his research and his patients.

Departing Dr. Mordel's hospital, Roscoe and the sisters decide they need to organize a meeting between themselves and members of the Seven Foxes. Getting the Seven Foxes involved, along with the citizens named by Dr. Mordel would help fill a void left with a dismantling of the Hellknight command staff. Roscoe asks his sisters where they think they should start looking. Daryle mentions that Mordel suggested Karlyle's name. Since she's on friendly terms with Karlyle, and he seems to know everyone that's anyone in Fort Inevitable, he's probably the first one the Coopers should talk to. Roscoe agrees and says that he will talk to Doliver, since he used to live there and knows the halfling pretty well. Darelle agrees to talk to Falandra. The Coopers part ways to talk to their respectives contacts.

Daryle is the first one to reach her destination. The doors are wide open, and Karlyle is busy butchering a sheep with his assistant. They make small talk for a few minutes, and then Daryle intimates that she would like to talk to him alone. Karlyle sends his assistant away, and brings Dayle to his storage area. Daryle uses all of her diplomatic and innuendo to invite Karlyle to a dinner at the Hunters' Lodge that very night. She tells him that he can invite a friend, and intimates that she hopes members of the Seven Foxes will be present. When Karlyle discovers that Roscoe will also be there, he wonders aloud, in these times of trouble, how his return back to the Fort will be made safe. Understanding that he's asking for a guarantee of safety that this is not a Hellknight trap to catch the resistance, Daryle personally vouches that he will neither be harmed not impeded. Karlyle agrees to meet her there at dinner time.

Roscoe arrives at the Juliver Arms. As he enters, the conversation among the numerous guests gathered for lunch swiftly come to an end. He steps to the counter, and is greeted by Doliver Reedbank. They talk for a few minutes, then Roscoe notices that the place has emptied rather quickly. He takes this opportunity to invite the halfling to a meeting at the Hunters' Lodge. Doliver agrees to meet him there at dinner. Roscoe steps outside, and waits around the corner. The departed guests all return inside the inn. Roscoe shakes his head and walks away. This is another reason to implement his plan!

Darelle walks to Nolm Bindery and is greeted by Gerald, who appears to be balancing the books. Something is off, though, and she can't quite put her finger on it. She meets Falandra in the back of the store, and asks her if she's noticed something strange about Gerald. Falandra replies that indeed she has. Gerald has not screwed up anything nor has he destroyed anything of significance in the last month. Darelle shakes this off and invites Falandra to dinner tonight. She agrees to attend.

In the afternoon the Coopers arrive at the Hunters' Lodge. Darelle prepares a sumptuous meal. Daryle patrols the grounds. Roscoe prepares his argument. Around five, the guests begin to arrive. Karlyle is the first one there, followed closely by Falandra and Abernard. Soon, Doliver and his cousin Dunleaf Appletop also cross the bridge. High Mother Sarise Dremagne , head of the Temple of the Golden Key arrives next. This surprises Roscoe, but not as much as the next guest to arrive: Maralictor Wirt! Finally, old Mother Holworth is the last to arrive. There are now seven guests at the Hunters' Lodge.

Roscoe questions Wirt and asks who invited her. Mother Holworth discreetly nods at the group, and Karlyle reveals that he invited her. Wirt may not be loyal to Roscoe, but she appears to be loyal to the people of the Fort. Roscoe then presents his plan, with the hope that the Seven Foxes could take a leadership position. Mother Holworth retorts that they are not willing to stick their neck out at this time in case his plan backfires, but they know some reliable young folks who could step up and fill these roles, with the Seven Foxes remaining in the shadows for the time being. However, Dunleaf adds, they have a condition. Thorne and his various associates and enterprises must be dealt with. Roscoe tells them that Thorne has already lost access to the treasury, and that he is more than willing to deal with his associates if Dunleaf could provide a list of names. Dunleaf agrees to do so. Darelle talks with Dunleaf Appletop about the missing lumber and reports what her sister and her discovered. Dunleaf is pleased that at least the wholesale theft of lumber from Fort Inevitable has been dealt with. Falandra agrees to take a look at the bookkeeping Thorne did while in charge.

Satisfied with their meeting, the Seven Foxes depart. The Coopers return to Fort Inevitable soon after. That very night, Falandra delivers three forged letters to Roscoe.


Sarenith 13, 4712

In the morning, Roscoe requests his top three commanding officers to meet with him, one at a time. Using Falandra's forged letters, he informs them that he has received news from the Hellknight hierarchy that several forts have recently lost their commanding officers, and due to their tireless and devoted services, they are being promoted but most leave immediately. By the end of the day, all three have ridden away. Roscoe's plan has begun!

The chess game has started

Desnus 4, 4712

Daryle is on Hellknight patrol in the middle of the night walking with her sister Darelle and two other soldiers when the sisters notice suspicious activity near one of the wells. A man is sitting by the well holding a keg of wine singing Hooray, it was inevitable softly to himself. Daryle talks to the man and he is clearly intoxicated. In the conversation, the drunk reveals that he got the keg from Thorne, but he was told he wasn't supposed to say that. Daryle arrests the man and orders the Hellknights to escort him to the drunk tank and to place the keg in evidence. She quickly examines the keg and notices that it is from the Zelnaux winery. They shackle the man's hands, and leave with him and the keg.

Meanwhile, Darelle smells the well and it resembles the plant hoya carnosa, take a sample of the water and notices it is very waxy. This well, much like many others in Fort Inevitable, has been contaminated with a waxy substance. She packages the water in a jar for further study.

After some waiting for the two soldiers to return, the Coopers decide to head back towards the Citadel. They discover the prone figures of the two soldiers. Daryle checks for vital signs but she sees severe puncture wounds. There is no sign of the drunk, but the keg lays on the ground. The wounds are similar to those inflicted to the Juliver Gate guards a month back. Daryle sounds the alarm, and as soldiers arrive on the scene she reports the incident, and she requests that Commander Roscoe be notified as well, even though he is on patrol with a party of Hellknights in the mountains, searching for the giants.

While examining the Zelnaux keg that has been left behind, Darelle discover that the keg has a secret hinge that opens a hole in the top. When leaned over, this hole could be used to dump the contents of the keg out of it without being noticed. Unfortunately the keg is empty, but it still smells like hoya carnosa.

Wanting an explanation, Darelle and Daryle decide to go and find their younger brother Thorne. They locate him in Braddon's General Store as he is about to open his doors. After a headed conversation he reports that he doesn't know anything about the water being poisoned, but he suspects the poisoners from Daggermark. He also acknowledges that he did sell kegs of Zelnaux mead, and his most recent sale, of 7 kegs, was to the Hunters' Lodge. When asked by Daryle, he produces a liquor license he obtained from the Hellknights. He also tells her that he actually doesn't own the mead but acts as a broker between Mayor Dunleaf Appletop and other parties interested in this rare beverage, so even if he did not have a liquor license, which he did, he never owned any liquor himself and therefore would not be in violation of any Hellknight ordinances.

Daryle informs him about the millions of board feet missing. Thorne professes not to know anything about it, and for some unknown reason Daryle believes that his surprise is genuine. Thorne had not heard about the wood being stolen, and he vows to investigate and find out how he can get a cut. Perhaps Gerald has discovered something since he was asked to look into the topic.

Darelle decides to bring the sample of the water she collected from the well to Dr. Mordel. The good doctor agrees to investigate the waxy water and perform alchemy checks. Darelle wonders if there's some illegal dumping going on. It does seem like a strange way to get rid of whatever this substance is. Dr. Mordel tells her the local priests are treating the water, but they can't keep up. Clearly someone is still contaminating the water. In Fort Inevitable, most wells are about one hundred feet deep and reach the water table, but in a few cases the wells had to be dug to about one hundred and fifty feet. It is believed these wells tap a different water table. However, wells from both depth have been contaminated.

The Coopers decide to head over to the Hunters' Lodge, on the outskirts of the forest. The place looks as it always does, but there are now three very mean looking and well trained dog, as well as two men on the deck who appear involved in casual conversation but are in fact guarding the place. Daryle approaches and asks to speak with the owner. The lodge's president introduces himself as Vorkstag and listens politely to Daryle's inquiries. After some back and forth he agrees to let her look at his wine cellar even though she doesn't have a search warrant. In the cellar Daryle discovers the lodge only has two barrels and not the seven Thorne claims to have sold. Was their younger brother lying to them?

Back in Fort Inevitable, Daryle and Darelle pay a visit to Karlyle the Butcher. He tells the sister that the last time he had contact with the lodge's president, Peter Dusk, was about two months ago. Come to think of it, he has not seen any of the hunters for at least a month. The sisters consult the tax rolls. The quarterly taxes were paid by Vorkstag, the new club president. Darelle writes down a timeline in a her notebook:

• 73 days ago, Karlyle claims that this is the last time he saw Peter Dusk, the hunter also known to Daryle.
• 36 days ago, an assassin kills Hellknight guards at the Juliver Gate. There are reports that many of the wells in Fort Inevitable have been poisoned, and there's a confrontation between Roscoe and Karlyle the Butcher. An assassination atttempt on Roscoe's life results in the destruction of a newly erected apartment block.
• 34 days ago, all of the ruffians and workers from Daggermark are tricked into leaving Fort Inevitable on rumors of a gold rush in the hills.
• 30 days ago, paperwork is filed with the Hellknights indicating that the Hunters' Lodge has a new president.
• 7 days ago, the Cooper sisters resolve the confrontation between the Hellknights and the villagers of Dimsdale.
• 5 days ago, Thorne brokers the sale of 7 kegs of Zelnaux mead with the Hunters' Lodge.
• Today, the sisters discover that one of these kegs is used to poison at least one well in Fort Inevitable.

Daryle thinks the wells should be locked. Darelle thinks the wells should be guarded. Both of these measures should be implemented to stop the contaminated process. Plain clothes officers should be placed next to wells. These ideas are suggested to Maralictor Wirt, who agrees to the measures and dispatches soldiers immediately.

Darelle goes back that evening Dr. Mordel's neighborhood patrol could guard the wells. Mordel tells her that his sources report a master alchemist from Daggermark is involved in the plot to poison the residents and the Hellknights of Fort Inevitable. Dr. Mordel says that his agents will keep an eye on the wells. When Darelle questions whether an alliance of assassins and poisoners could truly take place, Mordel responds that if their target was a common enemy, they may be able to put aside their differences.

Daryle tells Mordel about the missing members of the hunter's guild. Mordel replies that he will try to find out as much as possible.

The sisters meet again with Thorne, who claims not knowing why both guilds would want him dead. He speculates that the presence of demons indicate that Duke Mosley, who is a member of the Order of the Nail, and has an not-so-secret interest in demons, might be behind the overall plot, maneuvering pieces like the assassins, the poisoners, the Mistress of Thorns, the giants, and Greenhide and his goblins like so many pieces on a chessboard.

Darelle then talks to Falandra about manufacturing evidence against Thorne to get him demoted. Falandra replies that it shouldn't be too hard, but maybe the sisters should address themselves to Maralictor Wirt while Roscoe is gone first. They do so, and Wirt is more than happy to immediately suspend Thorne's access to the treasury.


Desnus 5, 4712

Passing through town in the morning, Darelle finds a message waiting for her at the Juliver Gate. Dr. Mordel urgently needs to see her. She goes over to his house, and he tells Darelle that there are 22 members of the poisoners' guild in the hunter's lodge. He also shows her the prisoner he captured in the night. The demon is currently captured behind a series of walls of forces in Mordel's basement, and the good doctor will attempt to get as much information as possible from it.

Leaving the house, the sisters run into Gerald who tries to hide that he is carrying a spellbook. He was coming from the direction of Abernard's house, and he looks suspiciously guilty, as if he had borrowed the book without permission.

In the evening, the sisters trek to the Hunters' Lodge. The sisters fire arrows and slay the guard, then Darelle entangles the dogs under the porch. They break into the lodge and interrupt a card game, only to let one of the guards escape. He returns with a team, but in no time the Coopers dispatch them all. Exploring the lodge, they discover an alchemy lab on the second floor. Darelle finds a jar of cloud.

In the basement they discover over 40 barrels of Zelnaux mead behind a secret wall. They then find another trap door leading downward. The latter takes them about 150 feet below ground, in a series of tunnels. Someone has been mining crystals. They locate the rest of the poisoners' crew, who are running away. The sisters manage to eliminate them all, then they track what had scarred them. In a wall at the end of one tunnel, they discover a clear crystal window, and on the other side is a frightening outsider who appears to be trying to break free. The sisters wisely decide to withdraw, and they return to Fort Inevitable.

Seeing the forest for the trees

Gozran 28, 4712

The sisters are summoned to the Citadel early in the morning to meet with their brother Roscoe, commander of Fort Inevitable. Roscoe informs Darelle and Daryle that the halfling population of Dimsdale has risen up against their Hellknight protectors and are preventing any more felling of timber as required in his order of Calistril 28, 4712. Furthermore, they are holding seven Hellknights hostage. Roscoe wants them to head to Dimsdale to settle this dispute with the haflings, but there is neither money to be offered nor flexibility on the amount of wood that needs to be collected. The Hellknights originally estimated that over three million board feet were needed to renovate the town, and currently about 75% of the destroyed part of town has been rebuilt. Roscoe tells the sisters that the most recent estimates from Thorne indicate that another 750,000 board feet of wood is needed to complete the repairs.

Darelle uses her tree token and sends a messenger bird to notify Dunleaf Appletop, Dimsdale's mayor, that they are on their way. Daryle suggests that her sister talk to Mother Holworth about any known way to speed growth of trees. Mother Holworth reports that many decades ago, there was a fey named Eithne. She has met her several times as a small child in the small woods surrounding the pond in the back of the farm. She remembers her being very tall, with long hair stretching down to her feet. She once gave her a pouch of magic seeds. When planted, these seeds immediately grew to their adult size and bore fruit, which retained some of the magic. Over the course of a few years, Mother Holworth's garden grew so fertile and rich that it became the envy of the neighbors. She doesn't know of a way to attract Eithne, and she seems to simply appear and disappear without making a sound or leaving tracks. She also hasn't seen her in many decades.

On the way to Dimsdale, Darelle plays her golden flute in the hopes of attracting fey folks, but either there are none around at the moment or they do not wish to be contacted. She then decides to gathers some fresh healing herbs.

The sisters arrive in Dimsdale midday. A camp of roughly one hundred Hellknights has been erected a mile down the road from Dimsdale, out in the plain. The landscape around is entirely barren. They have cut down everything around the western portion of the village. Dimsdale itself is now protected by a stout stockade fence. Maralictor Gregg is the Hellknight officer in charge of the camp. Darelle introduces herself to the commander and presents her commission. Gregg explains that his orders have been to cut down all of the trees. He reports that the inhabitants of Dimsdale resisted the cuts when it got too close to the village, and there were several incidents that forced the Hellknights to destroy some homesteads. A week ago the halflings stole wood overnight and built a stockade around the village, capturing seven Hellknight soldiers in the process. These soldiers are now being held hostag within the village.

Daryle points out to Gregg, who is not from this area, that most of the mead drunk in Fort Inevitable comes from Dimsdale. More selective cutting would preserve the environment and allow for the necessary shade to protect the plants and flowers that the bees use to produce honey. Gregg admits that he did not know the village derives much of its wealth from alcohol, but he has his orders to enforce. Daryle tells Gregg that the sisters will head into the village and negotiate directly with the Mayer. Perhaps there is a simple way to resolve this issue.

The sisters then move to the village itself. They are refused access at first, but when they introduce themselves they are welcomed with open arms. Dunleaf Appletop is thrilled to see them. He tells them he got their message, and inquires if they have come to help them against the Hellknights. He informs them that he has sent several messages in the last two weeks requesting their assistance, but the sisters never received any of them.

Back at his house, Dunleaf Appletop tells the Coopers that Hellknights have cut trees near houses, and have demolished houses when the residents refused to allow the trees being cut on their properties. No one was killed, but a few people were hurt in the scuffle. He admits that they took the lumber to build the stockade, but only to protect themselves against a Hellknight assault. Appletop realizes that the village does not stand a chance against the large force outside the walls, but if they have to they will resist to the bitter end.

Daryle mentions that everyone has to pitch in to rebuild the damage Fort Inevitable suffered. Appletop replies that Shim Longbranch, local ranger and wood expert, has estimated that the Hellknights have already harvested over four million board feet in the last three months in this area alone, and that there are several other harvesting areas. Darelle sends her tree token to report the problem to Gerald so he can investigate where the wood has gone.

Darelle asks if there are any parts of the forest that are not protected by spirits. Appletop reports that a fey named Eithne, but the fey has not been seen in at least a year. Darelle and Daryle meet Shim, who tells them about the gnarled old man who has moved in to the forest across the river. He's left the path alone, but is protecting the forest with his wolverines. There has been fey folks all around the village, but with the clear cutting they have left, and without Eithne's protection it's not clear what the impact will be on the mead production in the fall.

The Coopers return to meet with Maralictor Gregg, and begin negotiations. They expected Gregg would not see reason, but he seems surprisingly malleable. Daryle examines a copy of the Maralictor's orders, and they do in fact specify clear-cutting all around the village. Gregg agrees that if the wood came from across the bridge, he would not have to cut the remaining trees on this side of the ravine. Darelle states that Appletop is opposed to that, due to the gnarled old man's presence and possible retribution against the village. Gregg replies that he must get the wood as ordered. Daryle asks him how the wood is transported. Gregg replies that every day the same team of oxens, carts, and teamsters arrive, load up the wood, and take it to Fort Inevitable. But according to Shim, most of it does not make it there. Gregg compares his notes with the quantities requested from the Fort and notices the glaring discrepancies. He agrees to escort the carts from now on to ensure their safe delivery. Daryle proposes a compromise. The sisters, Gregg, a couple of Hellknigths, and Appletop should cross the bridge and contact the gnarled old man, then negotiate the harvest of the best trees from the other side. Appletop agrees to this course of action, but only in exchange for the Hellknights leaving Dimsdale alone afterwards. Gregg agrees that if enough wood is harvested, the Hellknights will leave Dimsdale alone.

The party crosses across the river. Darelle yields "We seek to parley," but no one answers. The party gets off the road, and heads into the woods. After ten minutes, they still haven't encountered anyone. Darelle uses her ranger's abilities and talks to a squirrel. The squirrel tells her that the gnarled old man is nearby. They reach a clearing near the river, with a large group of rocks piled together. Eight large wolverines lay on the rocks, sunning themselves in the late afternoon sun. They seemed unfazed to see the Coopers.

Suddenly, an overpowering smell of rot drifts through the clearing, and the gnarled old man comes around the rocks. The wolverines warily eye him. He tells them that they shouldn't have gotten off the road, and that now the village will pay for their temerity. Darelle asks him why he's doing this, and he reveals that he enjoys chaos. It turns out that the old man has only been around a few months. When Daryle reveals that they need to harvest wood from this side, the old man attacks. Six Twigjacks appear and join the fight. The wolverines do not. The battle goes poorly at first, with all members of the party suffering grievous wounds, but eventually the gnarled old man retreats by transporting through plants, leaving his twigjacks behind to die.

Exploring the pile of rocks, Darelle finds a cave. In the cave is a giant about 10 feet tall encased in amber. She has very long hair and fine features. She fits the description Mother Holworth gave of Eithne. The Coopers free the fey from the amber after much effort. Eithne reveals she had been targeted by a spell about a year ago that encased her in this magical cage. Darelle asks Eithne if she has any seeds that would help the Hellknights meet their quota while keeping the village forested. She provides the ranger with enough oak seeds to grow the wood needed.

Darelle plants the trees, then the harvest resumes. As trees are felled, more are planted and immediately grow back. By the end of the day, the Hellknigths have harvested enough wood to meet their quota, while enough seeds remain to replenish the forest around Dimsdale. The Coopers successfully negotiated a settlement between the two groups, much to Maralictor Gregg and Mayor Appletop's appreciation.


Gozran 29, 4712

Having received the message from Darelle, Gerald investigates the lumber's disappearance. The one caravan the Cooper sisters  interacted with took the lumber to Fort Inevitable, but it was accompanied by a Hellknight patrol so there wouldn't have been the opportunity to divert the lumber.  were not able to extract any meaningful information from the teamsters.

Gerald tracks a disgruntled teamster whose tongue gets loose when fueled with free alcohol at the Juliver Arms. After a few drinks, that teamster reveals that large quantities of lumber  are being diverted to a water landing in the suburbs of the dead city of Mosswater. The wagons are unloaded there, then the caravan departs and returns to the harvesting site. When they return with another load a few days later the lumber has been removed. The teamster doesn't know who gets the lumber, and he and the rest of his team do not tarry in the area.

Further inquiries reveal that all caravans are now accompanied by Hellknight patrols, so all of the wood is now being delivered to Fort Inevitable.


Gozran 30, 4712

Despite Gerald's best efforts, he is unable to locate Eithne  in the area of Dimsdale. On his way back he reflects that his membership in the Hellknights might have been a distraction for the fey. However, in talking to Abernard, the old wizard identifies a spell that might be of use. Called Discern location, this spell can find any object or creature anywhere. Due to the difficulty of performing this spell, however, he indicates that it probably will cost 1,800 gold pieces to acquire a one-use scroll. He can arrange to secure such a scroll, which will take 2d8 days, or Gerald can trek up to Starfall, capital of Numeria, which will take you about four days to get there. Either way, getting a load of lumber to Mosswater at the same time should provide enough time to locate its eventual destination. Now, if only Hellknights were not supervising all caravans of lumber...

When the giants have a party

Pharast 20, 4712

Daryle is summoned by Maralictor Wirt to the Juliver Gate, and she is to bring her gear. Wirt has a mission for her. She reports to the gate with her sister Darelle and she is not surprised to see Gerald there as well. Their assignment is to find Byrsag, the hill giant near Dimsdale and collect the back taxes he owes. Wirt believes that the Coopers are the best people for this task since they have already had some dealing with him. They are to make contact with the giant and "convince" him to turn over the two barrels of honey he must pay every quarter. This honey is especially needed now with the rationing and the lack of food. They can use physical force but they are not to kill him, however, as he fulfills a needed economic role in the area. The Coopers are provided with two riding horses, and a sleigh with a team of two horses. Daryle and Darelle will ride the horses, while Gerald will drive the sleigh.

While they are readying their equipment and animals at the Juliver Gate, Cassandra walks in from the refuge camp. She talks to Gerald and attempts to convince him to help her and Nissa by allowing them to stay in his house. Gerald mentions that there are already two families staying there, and that there is no room available. He tells her she should seek shelter in the Hellknights barracks as other civilians are also housed there. Cassandra walks away angry at Gerald. The Coopers shrug, then head out.

The ride to Dimsdale is cold and uneventful. They notice logging activities along the way, with several logging camps set up and hundreds of Hellknights cutting away a large number of trees. Darelle is concerned that these logging operations may not be sustainable. When they arrive in Dimsdale, they notice that the population of has doubled overnight with refugees. Mayor Dunleaf Appletop is happy to see the Coopers again, and greets Gerald enthusiastically. He shares with them some of the hardships the village has been living through since the destruction of part of Fort Inevitable. He also gives them the village's last apple pie.

The Coopers head up the valley, following the pastures that border the river. Slowly they ascend until they reach an altitude of 2,000 feet. Here they find Byrsag's home, a rough one room cabin built of hewed timber. There are several large bee hives as well as a stable. Right away Daryle notices that there is no smoke coming from the cabin's chimney and that all of the shutters are closed. She also sees several large tracks, which indicate that a sleigh pulled by two large draft horses accompanied by the giant left here since the last snow fall and headed north east higher in the mountains. Nevertheless, they decide to check the cabin just in case.

The door is locked from the outside, and there is only one window but it is shuttered. Daryle opens the door and steps inside the cabin. Byrsag appears to have left everything but his winter gear here, indicating that he plans on returning. Gerald looks at the thatching job and sees that it's decent work. But the spigot appears to be broken, so Gerald casts mend. He also uses flaming sphere to start the fire while the rangers place the horses in the barn for the night. They spend the night in the giant's home. The cabin eventually becomes nice and warm. Gerald casts clean to provide himself with a space to place his bedroll, and also wizard lock to close the door, but makes a slight change to allow Byrsag to come in. Fortunately for the girls' sanity, he does not share this information with them.

Pharast 23, 4712

Waking up refreshed after an uneventful night, the Coopers set out with their animals and arrive after two days to find a large stone fort at the bottom of a valley nestled between two high peaks. The fort sits at the base of a large frozen waterfall. This waterfall, when running, falls on the roof of the hall then wraps around on either side and the water forms a natural island. A stone bridge leads from the hall across the river. The tracks on the outside of the fort indicate that a large amount of traffic has circulated through here in the last three days.

As they observe from a distance, Daryle notices two orcs coming out of the only set of doors visible, carrying a large chamber pot on a wooden pole. They carefully make their way on the ice, then dump the waste in the river. Marks on the orcs and the poor quality of their clothing indicate that they are slaves. The Coopers can also hear faint merry singing, even with the distance that separates them. Thinking that the level of intoxication must be high, they decide to enter the giants' fort and explore.

The first room they enter after cracking open one of the giant double doors is the barn. A large numbers of wagons, sleighs, and animals are housed here. A tower in the southwest corner contains hay bales and lead to an observation post above the roof line that is currently not manned. Two well crafted doors stand over twenty feet tall and ten feet wide. They work together and manage to prop one of them open. Inside they see a large corridor leading to a great hall. Though only a portion of the hall is visible, they can see that many giants are gathered here, enjoying food, drinks, and songs. Daryle sees at least three kinds of giants: hill giants, stone giants, and even a frost giant. The sound is deafening. There are smaller doors on either side. As they debate what to do, an unseen giant orders the crowd in the great hall to settle down and let their guest speak. An unseen Greenhide then takes the floor and begins to discuss the possibility of an alliance between the goblins and the giants to attack the Hellknights while they are weak.

Having heard enough, the Coopers decide to open the western door. A corridor leads the length of the fort and sports several doors on either side. This hallway smells of good food and fresh bread, indicating that the kitchen is nearby. The Coopers walk to the end of the hall, and open the furthest door. This appears to be a guest room, richly adorned. Evidence indicates that four giants currently reside here. Gerald proposes to steal some of the giants' possessions and place them in Greenhide's room to mark him as a thief and lose credibility with the giants. Darelle and Daryle agree but decide they should find his room first before encumbering themselves with the giants' stuff.

Other rooms along this corridor include the weapons room and the armory, as well as two other common guest rooms. So far the Coopers have seen that there are at least twenty-two giants in the fort. Not wanting to explore the kitchen while it is being used, the Coopers cross the large hallway leading to the great hall again, and enter the east wing. The first room they enter has a giantess sleeping in the bed, and several gleeming objects on the shelf about ten feet off the ground. They then enter a room where four beds are tightly placed next to each other. On two of these beds two hill giants are passed out drunk. Darelle notices that one of the giants has a bulging purse. After a whispered conference with her siblings, she decides to steal the purse. In it she finds 110 platinum pieces from Galt.

They move on to another room. This room is richly decorated and appears to be unoccupied. Daryle spots a chest, and struggles to open it. Inside she finds female clothes. Meanwhile, Gerald is grabbed from behind and thrown on the ground before being dragged under the bed, where he is attacked by a bear. Darelle manages to charm it. She eventually gets it to climb on the bed, and once he is settled Gerald casts deep slumber and the bear goes down. In the mattress Daryle discovers a large leather backpack with 28 gems of various value, for a nominal value of 5,890 crowns, as well as roughly 5,000 crowns in coinage.

The Coopers then converse with each other. Should they remain here and continue their attempt to set up Greenhide or should they head back to Fort Inevitable with the wealth they found in the mattress? Surely, they surmise, the value of the coins will more than offset the missing honey.

They head back, encountering nothing in the corridor, but when they crack the door to the barn open they see a stone giant accompanied by an ogre. The giant is feeding the animals while the ogre is sweeping the waste away. Darelle and Daryle successfully sneak under the wagons and head towards their own sleigh. Gerald is not so lucky, however, and the money he is carrying jingles, attracting the stone giant's attention. He lumbers over to the first wagon, where Gerald is hiding, and bends down. The stone giant confronts Gerald, mistaking him for an orc and orders him to get back to work. Gerald replies that he's been ordered to lubricate the axle. The stone giant grumbles but heads back to feeding his animals. A few minutes later, both giant and ogre step back into the fort.

The Coopers quickly hitch their animals and ride out of the giants' steadfast.

Pharast 26, 4712

The party returns to Byrsag's house and they check the barn to ensure that there were no honey barrels left, which is indeed the case. They arrives in Dimsdale early in the morning, and provide Mayor Appletop with some of the game they found along the way. The mayor is thankful.

They head back to Fort Inevitable and report what they discovered to Maralictor Wirt. She collects the animals. Darelle turns in 100 of the Galt platinum pieces, while Daryle turns in 2,600 crowns to the Hellknights. Wirt tells them she wants them to go back and find out whether the giants were convinced by Greenhide and, if so, what their plans are. In the meantime she will notify Roscoe and take appropriate defensive measures.

Gerald returns home with flees from Byrsag's home. He finds that Cassandra and Nissa have convinced Roscoe to issue an order relocating them to his bedroom. Gerald heads to the Citadel. He explains to Roscoe what has transpired in the last week and attempts to talk Roscoe into nominating Cassandra as ambassador to the giants. Roscoe replies that he will think about it.