Melathos decided he wanted to have a look around the town a bit, and asked the others to excuse his absence, before heading out the door.

And remember! For good fortune, plant a tree for the faire folk to live in. They show their gratitude in good fortune! The more homes the better! Hay Yeah! It's been a pleasure!

OOC who wants to ask around for old Daran Edermath? He might know where to find Echo Caves and Cragmaw Castle.

After Teranthvar is sated and the crowd has grown a bit due to the performance, he tries to mingle around the patrons to uncover gossip in the town.

The performance plays out very well, drawing more patrons in to listen, and the ale does flow more freely. Some of the locals offer to buy additional drinks for the party, and comments are heard here and there along the lines of Xander being a local favorite, and that Toblin should bring him back more often. During breaks in the performance, some of the locals even come over and ask questions to get to know you better.

As the party moves through the crowd asking and answering questions, or just listening to the locals discussing things among themselves, a number of interesting topics are revealed:


An elderly farmer named Narth shares, "Sister Garaele, who oversees the Shrine of Luck, recently left town for a few days before she returned wounded and exhausted."

Teranthvar asked a couple of questions about Daran Ederrnath, and the barmaid Elsa told him he runs the orchard across town.

A local miner named Lanar was drawn in by the sound of music and shared, "Orc raiders have been attacking people out east on the Triboar Trail, and the town master is looking for someone to run them off."

Dakath notices Toblin keeps a weary eye on the streets and questions him about it. He reveals, "There's a group of mercenary bandits in town called the Redbrands who have been terrorizing the town. The town master, Harbin Wester, has done nothing at all to curtail them."

Toblin's wife, Trilena, adds, "Thel Dendrar, a local woodcarver, stood up to the Redbrands a ten day ago when they came by his shop and leered at his wife. The ruffians murdered him! Several townsfolk saw it happen. They grabbed his body and took it off, but now his wife and two children have gone missing too."

Toblin's son, Pip, wanted to offer something too, "Quelline Alderleaf's son, Carp, said he found a secret tunnel int he woods, but the Redbrands almost caught him, so he had to run for his life instead of seeing where it leads."

The final bit of information comes from a weaver named Freda who added, "The Redbrands hassle every business in town. Every one, 'cept for Phandalin Miner's Exchange. They don't want any trouble from Halia Thronton, who runs the place, so they keep away from that one."

Teranthvar collects himself and heads off to sleep. With the local gossip swimming around in his head he's curious where the group will insist on going in the morning.

Talin enjoyed his early night & wakes up refreshed and very very hungry! So heads into the tavern to see what they can rustle up for breakfast & to find find the other members of the party

Teranthvar joins Talin for breakfast.

I'm more for stealth these days. Easier to see and write about great things, but I have a sneaky feeling our party might be interested in hunting orcs. I'm ok with it if we have the muscle, otherwise I think we should investigate that secret path into the woods.

The group headed off to bed, ready to put this day behind them and move on to the next. You wake to the smells of an active kitchen. Those who wander outside to see what their nose is trying to tell them discover that a menu has been posted, and a query to a waitress reveals the price to be 2 silver pieces.

Breakfast: Bacon, Quail eggs, Soft cheese, Strawberries, Millet

Teranthvar chows down on some quail eggs and strawberries. He stands up, stretches a little, and then sits back down.

Xander will join Teranthvar, after a delightful breakfast he will ask the party

so we are in agreement, we are to find the town master and get hired on to push off the Orcs?  does anyone need any supplies before we seek out the town master? 

  I am in agreement Talin speaks in in between mouth fulls, he ‘s not had a breakfast this good for a long while!

I’m not sure about supplies though, maybe lets speak to the town master first to get a better idea of where we are going and can decide if we need further supplies or provisions then

With a couple of questions to the locals for directions, the party finds their way to the townmaster's hall.

The building has sturdy stone walls, a pitched wooden roof, and a bell tower at the back. Posted on a board next to the front door is a notice written in Common that reads, "REWARD - Orcs near Wyvern Tor! Those of a mind to face the orc menace should inquire within." The notice bears an official seal and an apparent signature though you can't even make out a specific letter much less whose name it's supposed to be.

Stepping inside, you see a fat, pompous looking human man talking to Sildar. Sildar pauses when he sees you enter, "Harbin, these are the heroes I told you about who saved me from the goblin cave." He introduces each of you first, "This is the town's headmaster, Harbin Wester."

"Welcome to Phandalin. Have you come to answer the call against the orcs in Wyvern Tor, as well?"

Sildar looked slightly annoyed at the headmaster, as if they had been in the middle of a discussion about one topic and Harbin and jumped right over to another.

Sildar! A surprise, you look well! Thank you for the tip on Stonehill Inn. Better food and company could not be found.

Headmaster Wester, we were tasked with escorting goods to Phandalin. We have done that but it seems there is still much work to be done. Tell us about the orcs and how much you value this job.

My thanks too for the recommendation Headmaster  Talin nods hello to  Sildar I’m keen to learn more about these orcs that have been causing you bother

"Well, there have been many reports of a band of orcs attacking travelers near Wyvern Tor. There is a reward of one hundred gold pieces to eliminate the threat. It's hilly country and we don't know exactly where their camp is located up there, but reports say there are at least half a dozen of them up there. We only care about the threat being eliminated, so whatever goods you find among the orcs is your's to keep."

In reply to z Harbin Wester (msg # 26):

Teranthvar says to Talin:

You know I didn't consider the terrain. Perhaps we sneaking about in the hilly countryside will go well for us when figuring out to do with these orcs. I'm just concerned we don't have the muscle we'll need if caught or decide to engage.

The terrain is troublesome, I’d prefer to be riding rather than walking too, is it possible to hire on a fighter to add to our numbers?

we can see if anyone else accepted the job. If it's just us, I'm sure we can manage. We are very capable.

"No one else has answered the call. Old Daran Edermath was good with a sword back in his time, but he's been retired for some years now and just works the orchards. I doubt he would be interested in risking his life against some orcs, but you never know if you don't ask."

I wouldn’t want to put an retired swordsman back in harms way, he will have earned some peace & quiet. I guess we will have to make do as we are

In reply to Talin (msg # 31):

I agree, but perhaps he has some advice about the geography here and what he knows about the orcs.

Daran Edermath is the old adventurer who might know something of echo cave and Cragmar Castle. I would be all for seeing him and picking his thoughts.

Privately to the group.

I honestly believe we can accomplish this, 6 or so Orcs are not beyond us, shall we accept? 100 gold is nice three ways but maybe we can convince him of a more even split? Shall we?

Good idea Teranthvar Talin nods to the elf let's accept this contract as we stand now but go to Daran to see if he has any advice to offer

Great! Let's get moving then.

The townmaster thanks you for accepting the job, and mentions that the results of the job will determine whether or not he can increase the fee to something more evenly split three ways. How quickly and how thoroughly you do it could increase the reward.

With that, the group headed out to find the Edermath Orchard. "Good day to you, gentlemen. I take it you are the adventurers I've heard tale of all over town this morning. What brings you here to my orchard?" Daran is a fit, silverhaired half-elf. You can tell from the age that does show in his face that he's well over 100 years old.