The last ruffian is badly wounded and sees he is surrounded. He drops his weapons.

"I surrender!" he cries out.

 Kara binds him while the others see to the unconscious Vishka.

"I am no medic but I will see what I can do here. Blink, give me a hand."

Medicine 21

 Vishka stabilises

The part carry her back into town dragging the wounded Redbrand behind them.

Kara leads the interrogation of the the bandit; he confirms that the leader of the Redbrands is a human wizard known as Glasstaff, so named because his magic staff is made of glass. He also tells them that the Glasstaff’s chambers are in the western end of the stronghold.

A mysterious figure called the Black Spider has hired the Redbrands to frighten off adventurers and intimidate the locals, for reasons unknown. The Black Spider has sent bugbears to reinforce the Redbrands and provide extra muscle, this confirming the links to Cragmaw.

He tells them that the lower part of the complex is guarded by a hideous “eye monster” and that the Redbrands have a handful of captives in a holding area “near the old crypts,” which are guarded by skeletons. All in all, a useful interrogation.

Sildar imprisons the man next to Wester in the chambers beneath the Town Hall.

"What ever you do next you should move fast or this Glasstaff may flee."

A familiar figure enters the Hall while they are talking.

"Before you leave I have called the town cleric to heal you Vishka."

"My thanks."

"We should seek out the farm boy that the innkeepers son spoke of. Alderleaf farm was the place was it not?"

"We do not have time to waste on a childs fantasy Melandra. We should take the place head on."

"If this Glasstaff is truly a wizard of some power then that would be ill advised."

"It can't hurt to question the kid, its more or less on the way."

"Fine, fine, Alderleaf farm it is.

The party make their way back across town and veer south toward the farm. As they reach the farm yard they are greeted wise female halfling of middling years. Qelline Alderleaf greets them warmly and seems to know much of the party's business already, including the particulars of their recent fight at the tap house.

 "I suppose you will be wanting to speak to my lad about the secret tunnels he spied out in the forest?"

She calls for her son and after a few moments he comes running from the fields behind the farmhouse.

"Now you tell these good people what you told me about the tunnel in the forest and only the truth mind you. It important."

"I was playing in the woods near Tresendar Manor and I found a secret tunnel in a thicket. A couple of big ugly bandits came out of the tunnel when I was there, and met with a pair of Redbrands. They didn’t see me, but it was close. I thinks that the bandits have a secret lair under the old manor house. It points in the right direction."

 "Are you sure lad, this is important."

 "If he was not sure, he would not have said it."

Qelline folds her arms and gives Kara a hard stare, "Carp you go inside and I will lead these people to where you saw the tunnel. Go on now."

She is as good as her word and leads the party out into the woods, where they soon find the hidden entrance to the manor.

Redbrand Hideout

The party enter a narrow opening in the ground and follow it along for around 100 feet before it opens up into a wider cavern. A cold breeze fills this large natural cavern, carrying with it the faint scent of decaying flesh. A crevasse divides the cavern and is flanked by two rough stone columns that support the twenty-foot-high ceiling. Two arched wooden bridges span the chasm.

"If the prisoner was telling the truth then we should make for that far passage."

Melandra points toward the far left hand passageway and the group begin to make their way alongside the chasm.

"Worthless thief... stole from your own family. They'll never forgive you. You can never go home." The words hiss into Blinks mind and she looks around in shock.

"Who said that?"