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

As you retreat from the dragon's tower and return to Reidoth's cottage, the old druid is waiting outside.  He looks relieved to see you return, unscathed.

"I heard the wyrm prattling on but couldn't make out the details from this distance.  Pray tell, what did she have to say this time?  Is she willing to relocate voluntarily?"

T'laren pulls a sour face and sketches a bow.

"You're looking at the newest... provisional... members of Venomfang Incorporated. The new boss wants her white cousin out of the picture, and is willing to stoop to using mere bipeds to do her dirty work, if we can prove ourselves competent enough to be granted weapons from her horde. She considers you meddlesome and nosy, by the way, but hasn't put your name on our to-do-list. We're to prove ourselves by finding the goblin keep that Lil' D here was "leading" us to." 

Droop stand up proudly when referenced, bowing slightly to the druid and not remotely following what is going on.

T'laren pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a deep breath.

Droknin was going to suggest that the group should go directly to to take on the White Dragon, but if they need to make a detour on their way there, so be it.

Garrin holds up a finger. "And! She is injured. Her wing is nearly limp. I'm amazed she let us see that. We'll kill two birds with one stone. First, the goblins must be found. Reidoth! Any tips on finding Cragmaw?" 

Reidoth listens to T'laren and Garrin, then pulls a pipe from a pouch and some pulverized plant matter from another, sparking it with a snap of his fingers and taking a few contemplative puffs.  "Hmmn.  Very curious.  Though that dragon is not half as clever as she thinks she is... she does think herself quite clever.  If she revealed an injury to you, it was not by accident.  She is playing some game, I fear."

Then, "Cragmaw, you say? ... Hmmn... Yes... Yes, I recall there is a troupe of goblins mucking about in the Neverwinter Wood.  Built their nest into the ruins of an ancient fortification."  He puffs again.  "Not particularly nearby, though.  The Cragmaw's control the southern edge of the forest, near the Triboar Trail...".

While you don't possess a map, Reidoth takes a stick and makes a crude map in the dirt, relaying directions as best he remembers them.  You're left feeling like you have a pretty good idea of where to find the goblin castle.  It is quite a distance back the way you have already traveled.

"Well, it is settled then. Goblin hunting it is." Droknin looks at Droop. "Not you little one, of course." The Leonin indicates to the party that he is ready to leave. "I am sure your good o' Droknin and our little Droop here can find this place in no time. Right Droop?" He gives Droop a "gentle" pat on her back.

T'laren studies the crude dirt map, trying to commit the necessary directions to memory.

Garrin gives Droop the hairy eyeball, having been lead so far astray by the goblin's sense of direction...

In case noone has anything else to attend to, Keashirryl is ready to depart.

[Sorry for the lack of activity recently, internet connection was very unstable (next to non-existent) for a week.]

[As much fun as another prolonged wander through Neverwinter Wood could be, let's just take you to the castle....]

You make your farewells with Reidoth and depart the ruins of Thundertree.  With the druid's careful instructions, and a full day of travel, you return to the southern reaches of the Neverwinter Wood in search of the hidden goblin fortress. 

Near nightfall, the little goblin Droop gives a hoot, then launches into a forward handspring, landing with a hip-shaking, finger-pointing dance.  Looming above her is a 6' tall, vine covered rock.  Past its base, a footpath runs East-West.  "See!  Droop told you the rock was out here!  Come, the castle is just this way."  Before you can restrain her, she steps a dozen paces to the East and then there it is, looming through a gap in the trees.

You are met with the haunting silhouette of a once-mighty fortress perched upon a low jagged hill of bedrock emerging from the forest floor.  Bathed in the warm orange hues of the setting sun, the castle stands as a testament to both its former glory and its current state of decay.  The exterior walls, now weather-worn and crumbled in places, are made of ancient gray stones.  Vines and ivy creep up the walls, as if nature itself is reclaiming the site.

A short flight of steps leads up to a terrace in front of the main entryway.  Past the wreckage of a pair of sundered doors lies a shadowed hall.  Cracks and gaps in the stonework reveal the castle's vulnerability.  Tall, moss-covered towers rise along the outer wall, 7 in all and of varying heights, though some have suffered significant damage, with portions of their tops crumbled away. 

“Are you sure little one?” Droknin asks the Goblin. He surveys the area around them looking for signs of life, and if he finds any, how many there are going to the castle.

Survival: 18

Garrin will assume a lotus position and see through the eyes of his spirit of air and darkness, the imp, to explore castle invisibly from above

Keashirryl takes a stroll around, giving the castle a wide berth, looking for any signs of danger, be it traps or natural collapse of the structure that would be better to avoid.

Perception: 5

Droknin:

 Keashirryl, you circle the castle, keeping at the treeline to remain out of sight.  Unfortunately, from this distance there isn't much you can tell, though you do spot the flicker of torchlight emanating from a few of the windows.

Garrin, make a Perception check using Garrin's Perception and a Stealth check using the Spirit of Air and Darkness' Stealth.

"Little Droop might be right after all, and perhaps we might be in luck. A sensed a couple of humans with wolves leaving the castle earlier, and one human, perhaps wearing fine clothing, just passed this trail towards the castle. If we are to visit that place, this might be a good opportunity." Says Drokin cleaning some of the dirt from his feline nose after surveying the area.

Garrin perception 12 

SoAaD stealth 16 

Garrin: 

"It is good we missed the humans. The well-dressed one will certainly mean trouble, though", she answers Droknin.

"What did you learn? The place is definitely guarded, that much I gathered, but do we have alternatives? Or do we need to approach head-on?" she turns to Garrin when he seems finished.