Where the Cold Winds Blow... A Lost Mines of Phandelver Story

The forest wins by popular vote.

It is a different experience altogether, camping inside the wood vs out on the open plain.  The roar and whistle of the wind is muted, but supplanted by the call of owl and bobcat.  A crackling fire warms your bones as you rest.

[Everyone gets a long rest.]

The watches pass without incident tonight and soon the rays of the morning sun are trickling through the branches and calling you all to rise.  Droop, for one, seems especially chipper this morning.  "Droop knew she would find forest.  We must be almost to castle, now."

"Very good little Droop. We knew we could count on you." Since he packs light, by the time everyone is up, Droknin is ready to go.

Garrin performs a series of stretches as his old bones creak and swelling goes down

Breaking camp, the party follows Droop deeper into the forest.

You spend the morning following the little goblin as she picks her way through the forest, occasionally stopping to look through bushes or investigate game trails.  This forest is vast, and home to many creatures.  You don't encounter any.  The forest is quiet, and even birds seem hushed.  There is an eerie stillness around you as you travel.  The silence only amplifies the occasional twig snap or rustle of leaves, raising the hairs on your neck and giving you the unshakeable feeling that you are being watched... hunted, even.  

But these feelings are not the prelude to any attack, and may just be your imaginations brought on by the change of environment after your time on the open plains.

Midday comes without arrival at the secret goblin castle, and your bellies rumble.  Will you scout for food, consume rations, or just press on?

Garrin needs to scout for food, and will do his best not to hold anyone up as he does so. Although, it does mean he's not watching for danger as much as he might, what with being focused on finding berries, mushrooms etc to eat. 

Survival 11 

T'laren would also have been keeping an eye out for game, but after the first hour or so of hushed travel with no game showing, he would have stowed his arrow and kept an eye out for edible vegetation instead.

Survival: 13

If he comes up empty, he'll nibble at some rations, passing some along to Garrin without comment if he's in need.

Droknin stays at the camp while the other goes foraging for food. He makes sure they are safe.

Perception: 15.

Keashirryl has probably ran out of rations, and is left with the only option to forage something. She is looking for edible plants or berries, as it is less likely they will bite. Though she isn't sure any more, as the forest makes her uneasy. She decides not to stroll too far from the others.

Survival: 6  

Garrin and T'laren both reach opposite sides of a mushroom colony.  Wide brown caps indicative of an edible, if unappetizing variety.  The two of you work your way toward the middle from either end, gathering up enough for everyone.

They make for a squishy, gritty lunch for any who partake.  There are enough left for dinner... heated and dried over a campfire they will make for a slightly more palatable 'chip' like snack.

[Anyone who doesn't/won't eat the mushrooms, consume a ration off your sheet.  But there are enough mushrooms for everyone if you are so inclined.]

Garrin chomps away happily. 

"I've had far better, but... I've always had far worse." He swallows another one and chews up the next

Droknin will politely decline the mushroom. He remembers that the clan's shaman would look for black mushrooms, dry them, and make a concoction that only he would drink. He would get all strange, and speak things that did not make sense. Though, the ones collected by Garrin and T'laren are definitely different than the ones he remembers, he will would give it a pass.

After lunch, the party resumes following Droop as she walks north, deeper and deeper into the Neverwinter wood. 

Sometime in the late afternoon, you cut across a fairly obvious track.  Droop examines the ground and then makes a frowny face.  "Orcs.  Yuck."  The trail is at least a day old.  These Orcs had been heading west/northwest.

Eventually the sun falls low in the sky again.  As the shadows loom, it is time to make camp again.  "We must be getting close now," says Droop.

Garrin holds up a hand. "Hold on now, Droop. Probably not going to be welcomed at the front door. I'm going to send my lazy, good for nothin' spirit on up just to give us the layout. After that, we'll know which direction to approach from." 

Garrin sends his imp to become invisible and fly ahead, and look at their destination. I believe he can communicate this in real time if the others have questions. I don't want to take our ranger's natural talents away from him with this, I just want to give him a leg up in the approach. 

((We don't have a ranger, so knock yourself out!))

Droknin studies the track to confirm Droop’s assessment, and if he is able to get further insight.

Survival: 9

Quote from Spiderwrangler >>

((We don't have a ranger, so knock yourself out!))

 (,Oh my god, I thought t'laren was a ranger the whole time lol)

((To be fair, he's a wood elf archer, with high perception, stealth and survival, so definitely reads as ranger, just can't do ranger magic stuff, instead is able to manipulate alternate threads of possibility to swap places with where he COULD have gone (echo knight).))

Garrin, you send your familiar out to scout.  He eventually reaches and exceeds the range by which you can connect directly to his senses.  Following your instructions, he continues on.

After more than an hour of waiting, the Imp returns.  

Garrin:

 It is now full dark.  If you make camp, please advise if you set a watch and of the watch order (need three to cover the whole night).

(Does Droknin find anything else from the tracks?)

((T'laren would want a watch, he'd plan on trancing for the first four hours, then being awake for the remaining 4.))