The next morning, the group mills around the camp fire. Everyone remains quiet as the coals die down to ash. Sildar, feeling awkward, is the first to speak, "Well, you are all a lively bunch! Any chance we could hit the road? At a good pace, we can get to Phandalin by the evening."
Erenaeth, looking sullen, grudgingly stands up and says, "Yes, I feel sorry for Gundren, but this adventuring stuff is not what I expected it to be. I should be able to hike to the cart and hopefully it is still there. I can ride in the cart, or if necessary drive the cart the rest of the way. If my colleagues choose to head off after Gundren directly, then I will return the cart myself and I'll make sure their share of the coin will be available for pickup if and when they go to collect it."
With that, Erenaeth begins limping back the way you came the day before. Sildar looks at all of you expectantly and elaborates, "The gold I offered to pay out for an escort to Phalandin will only be paid to those that actually escort me back." And Sildar also starts his labored march behind Erenaeth.
I rest my gaze on Sildar and let it rest there for an uncomfortable moment. I turn and look down at one of the last embers clinging to life as I say, "We should head to Phalandin and find out as much as we can about Craigmaw, Black Spider, and see what we can learn from the wizard Iarno Albrek if we can locate him. Very little is known to us, we need to align ourselves through knowledge."
OOC: That's enough consensus (Kitryn, Leek and Rindelk voted to return to Phandalin).
The rutted track emerges from a wooded hillside, and you catch your first glimpse of Phandalin. The town consists of forty or fifty simple log buildings, some built on old field stone foundations. More old ruins — crumbling stone walls covered in ivy and briars — surround the newer houses and shops, showing how this must have been a much larger town in centuries past. Most of the newer buildings are set on the sides of the cart track, which widens into a muddy main street of sorts as it climbs toward a ruined manor house on a hillside at the east side of town.
As you approach, you see children playing on the town green and townsfolk tending to chores or running errands at shops. Many people look up as you approach, but all return to their business as you go by.
Sildar seems much more at ease.
“My friends,” he says, “let us secure lodgings. I’m told the local inn is very quaint.”
Sildar nods and hops off the wagon, saying, "As you are aware, I do not have coin to my name at this time, but I am good for it. Meet me at the local Inn this evening or tomorrow and I will pay you."
As you continue travelling along the main road, Kitryn and Katerielle both point to a sign on a small building with a red roof to the left of the road - 'Barthen's Provisions'. Kitryn, being the scout, arrives at the door first and finds it locked. She bangs on the door a few times in frustration. Just as you are all about to decide what to do given this new circumstance, a lean and balding human male in his fifties with a kindly manner rounds the corner and asks, "Can I help you kind folk?"
The man stiffens a bit at the brusqueness, but answers with courtesy, "My name is Elmar Barthen, and that door your lady is trying to break down belongs to my shop. You have a delivery you say, for whom?"
Elmar nods and says, "To be honest, Gundren's shipment is the only one I am expecting. I still have to be sure. Gundren should have given you a ledger. Can I see it please?"
Rindelk hands over the ledger to Gundren, who reads it. "Ten gold each and there are five of you, so you are correct. I owe you fifty gold. The cart and provisions are to be mine. Please wait a few minutes, as I have dismissed my clerks for the evening. I will need to fetch them and open up the shop. I can pay you inside."
Around twenty minutes pass before Elmar unlocks the door to the shop, from the inside. Two young men come out and are introduced as Ander and Thistle. They take the reigns of the ox and ask the party to remove any personal belongings from the cart. They begin to wheel it away towards a warehouse adjacent to the shop.
You enter the shop and see that it is fairly well stocked. Elmar already has a stack of fifty gold piled on a table. "Here is your payment gentlemen. And ladies, my apologies. Feel free to purchase anything you may need here. Anything you can buy in Phalandin is for sale here at Barthen's Provisions. Except for weapons and Armor... you'll have to go see Linene Graywind at the Lionshield Coster for that."
With an air of curiosity and maybe a tinge of worry, Elmar asks, "To be honest, I was expecting Gundren to be with you. Do you have word? Did he set out to meet his brothers at the mine? They are overdue to come stock up as well."
OOC: You can buy anything from the Equipment section of the Player's Handbook that is 25gp or less, except for weapons and armor.
OOC: Yes, you can cash out on gems or other items that have a monetary value assigned to them (what they're worth when you sell it). Any coin you loot is automatically coin and can be added to your inventory, based on how the group decides to split it. I'm not managing that.
Elmar answers Rindelk, "I've heard of the Cragmaw in passing, from travelers mostly. They cause trouble, but not unusual for goblins. I've never heard of Iarno Albrek or Black Spider. I'm afraid all of us in Phandalin have our own troubles to worry about and those names aren't it."
"you say the arms vendor calls his shop Lionshield? he opens at dawn i guess, and we'll simply find the shop by looking about for the blue and silver emblem?"
Elmar begins with the easy question, answering Kitryn first, "Keep going into the village and you'll see an open square. By the square you'll find the Stone Hill Inn, the Shrine of Luck and across the square, the Lionshield Coster. It will have a sign that looks like a wooden shield with a blue lion painted on it."
Then to Rindelk he answers with a weight of gravity to his voice, "A couple months ago, a gang moved into our village. They call themselves the Redbrands. I guess because they all wear red cloaks. In any case, they're making it hard on everyone and the townmaster isn't doing anything about it."
The next morning, the group mills around the camp fire. Everyone remains quiet as the coals die down to ash. Sildar, feeling awkward, is the first to speak, "Well, you are all a lively bunch! Any chance we could hit the road? At a good pace, we can get to Phandalin by the evening."
Erenaeth, looking sullen, grudgingly stands up and says, "Yes, I feel sorry for Gundren, but this adventuring stuff is not what I expected it to be. I should be able to hike to the cart and hopefully it is still there. I can ride in the cart, or if necessary drive the cart the rest of the way. If my colleagues choose to head off after Gundren directly, then I will return the cart myself and I'll make sure their share of the coin will be available for pickup if and when they go to collect it."
With that, Erenaeth begins limping back the way you came the day before. Sildar looks at all of you expectantly and elaborates, "The gold I offered to pay out for an escort to Phalandin will only be paid to those that actually escort me back." And Sildar also starts his labored march behind Erenaeth.
I rest my gaze on Sildar and let it rest there for an uncomfortable moment. I turn and look down at one of the last embers clinging to life as I say, "We should head to Phalandin and find out as much as we can about Craigmaw, Black Spider, and see what we can learn from the wizard Iarno Albrek if we can locate him. Very little is known to us, we need to align ourselves through knowledge."
It seems both paths lead the same way. One is just longer. Let's go get paid and get supplies. Then we can bleed more goblins.
OOC: That's enough consensus (Kitryn, Leek and Rindelk voted to return to Phandalin).
The rutted track emerges from a wooded hillside, and you catch your first glimpse of Phandalin. The town consists of forty or fifty simple log buildings, some built on old field stone foundations. More old ruins — crumbling stone walls covered in ivy and briars — surround the newer houses and shops, showing how this must have been a much larger town in centuries past. Most of the newer buildings are set on the sides of the cart track, which widens into a muddy main street of sorts as it climbs toward a ruined manor house on a hillside at the east side of town.
As you approach, you see children playing on the town green and townsfolk tending to chores or running errands at shops. Many people look up as you approach, but all return to their business as you go by.
Sildar seems much more at ease.
“My friends,” he says, “let us secure lodgings. I’m told the local inn is very quaint.”
We have goods to deliver. Plus there is the matter of our reward. After, maybe we can rest?
Sildar nods and hops off the wagon, saying, "As you are aware, I do not have coin to my name at this time, but I am good for it. Meet me at the local Inn this evening or tomorrow and I will pay you."
As you continue travelling along the main road, Kitryn and Katerielle both point to a sign on a small building with a red roof to the left of the road - 'Barthen's Provisions'. Kitryn, being the scout, arrives at the door first and finds it locked. She bangs on the door a few times in frustration. Just as you are all about to decide what to do given this new circumstance, a lean and balding human male in his fifties with a kindly manner rounds the corner and asks, "Can I help you kind folk?"
We have a delivery and expect payment. Who is in charge here?
(You can't expect subtlety from a gnome that has been living the life of a hermit for several hundred years...)
The man stiffens a bit at the brusqueness, but answers with courtesy, "My name is Elmar Barthen, and that door your lady is trying to break down belongs to my shop. You have a delivery you say, for whom?"
the supplies are for you then, on behalf of the dwarf Gundren. We were told that payment of 50 gold pieces was awaiting upon its successful delivery.
Elmar nods and says, "To be honest, Gundren's shipment is the only one I am expecting. I still have to be sure. Gundren should have given you a ledger. Can I see it please?"
Rindelk hands over the ledger to Gundren, who reads it. "Ten gold each and there are five of you, so you are correct. I owe you fifty gold. The cart and provisions are to be mine. Please wait a few minutes, as I have dismissed my clerks for the evening. I will need to fetch them and open up the shop. I can pay you inside."
Around twenty minutes pass before Elmar unlocks the door to the shop, from the inside. Two young men come out and are introduced as Ander and Thistle. They take the reigns of the ox and ask the party to remove any personal belongings from the cart. They begin to wheel it away towards a warehouse adjacent to the shop.
You enter the shop and see that it is fairly well stocked. Elmar already has a stack of fifty gold piled on a table. "Here is your payment gentlemen. And ladies, my apologies. Feel free to purchase anything you may need here. Anything you can buy in Phalandin is for sale here at Barthen's Provisions. Except for weapons and Armor... you'll have to go see Linene Graywind at the Lionshield Coster for that."
With an air of curiosity and maybe a tinge of worry, Elmar asks, "To be honest, I was expecting Gundren to be with you. Do you have word? Did he set out to meet his brothers at the mine? They are overdue to come stock up as well."
OOC: You can buy anything from the Equipment section of the Player's Handbook that is 25gp or less, except for weapons and armor.
Link to the correct section:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/compendium/rules/phb/equipment#AdventuringGear
So we also get the rest of the payout (except for Sildar's reward)?
600 copper
110 silver + 15 silver (in pouch)
40 gold (statue) + 3 gold teeth + 50 for successful mission.
= 120 copper, 31 silver and 18 gold each.
I would like to ask Elmar how he knows Gundren. Does he know anything about Craigmaw, the wizard Iarno Albrek, Black Spider.
OOC: Yes, you can cash out on gems or other items that have a monetary value assigned to them (what they're worth when you sell it). Any coin you loot is automatically coin and can be added to your inventory, based on how the group decides to split it. I'm not managing that.
Elmar answers Rindelk, "I've heard of the Cragmaw in passing, from travelers mostly. They cause trouble, but not unusual for goblins. I've never heard of Iarno Albrek or Black Spider. I'm afraid all of us in Phandalin have our own troubles to worry about and those names aren't it."
What troubles would you be speaking of?
"you say the arms vendor calls his shop Lionshield? he opens at dawn i guess, and we'll simply find the shop by looking about for the blue and silver emblem?"
ooc: forgotten was 5 gold worth of salvage arms/armor so +1 gold each.
Elmar begins with the easy question, answering Kitryn first, "Keep going into the village and you'll see an open square. By the square you'll find the Stone Hill Inn, the Shrine of Luck and across the square, the Lionshield Coster. It will have a sign that looks like a wooden shield with a blue lion painted on it."
Then to Rindelk he answers with a weight of gravity to his voice, "A couple months ago, a gang moved into our village. They call themselves the Redbrands. I guess because they all wear red cloaks. In any case, they're making it hard on everyone and the townmaster isn't doing anything about it."
"shop while sir Elmar has his wares at offer, then lets find Sildar at the inn and gather the lay of this town, and the remainder of owed coin."
OOC - what do you think maybe we should do something about this gang