Kimberley listened to the letter, " Well, this piece of filth had the letter, yes? So its likely him....perhaps?"

" Its hard to cast spells with broken fingers."

She breathed out slowly, " Thank you, everyone. For doing this.  For too long I ignored the Redbrands and excused their actions, I failed Phandelver and its people.......but with such a fearsome Pack as you we have delivered grace back up on its people."

" Though I do feel we will need to deal with the horror in the crevasse soon....what if a child wanders down there."

She looked at the wax symbol, " Why a spider?"

Quinn takes a deep breath as he tries to calm his anger. 

“It seems as though some of us are tangled up in this mess more than we knew.

The dwarves mentioned in that letter are the Rockseeker brothers. The strangers mentioned are most likely some of us, as we were hired to escort a caravan of goods and supplies from Neverwinter to Phandalin. 

Gundren and his escort, a man named  Sildar, were captured by a band of goblins along the Triboar trail. We tracked them to a cave in the foothills and saved Sildar but Gundren was nowhere to be found. 

We uncovered evidence that Gundren was taken captive by someone named the Spider and held at Cragmaw castle.”

He pauses to let those details sink in.

”Sildar is here in Phandalin and he tasked us with finding a missing wizard named Larno Albrek, who is an associate of Sildar’s and also a member of the Lord’s Alliance.

Thats the best I can recall at the moment. It seems this Larno Albrek is Glasstaff and he appears to be allied with the Spider who in turn is possibly orchestrating this entire mess. Now this begs the question, what is Sildar’s place in all of this?”

Bryony chews at a fingernail. "Sildar seems like a nice enough fellow," she says. "I didn't get the sense he would be involved with the Redbrands. Maybe he knew that Albrek was up to no good and was sent to apprehend him?

Either way it seems likely that Cragmaw Castle is our ultimate destination. That must be where the Spider is holding Gundren."

Bryony shudders at the thought. She's never told any of her companions this, but she's afraid of spiders. They have too many legs. It's not right.

You are at the edge of the ruins. Glasstaff remains unconscious; Kimberley has his staff. From this angle, you can no longer see the cellar stairs, but you can see Phandalin in the distance, sprawled out at the bottom of the hill to the west. The day is warm and hazy. All remains quiet.

What do you do next? 

" Sildar. Lets hustle."

Kimberley stayed close to those carrying the comatose idiot.

Unless you have further business at Tresendar Manor, you proceed to carry Glasstaff's unconscious form down the winding road to the west without incident. You finally pass Roderick's cottage and the Sleeping Giant, and then past the Stonehill Inn into the Town Green. It's a busy and sunny midday scene in Phandalin. Children play on the town green, and townsfolk tend to chores or run errands at the shops in town. People look up and smile as you approach, and then look with concerned curiosity at the bundle you carry, but all return to their business. Sister Garaele eyes you curiously from her Shrine of Luck on the green.

Sildar told you he could be found at the Townmaster's Hall, which is just off the green across from the Lionshield Coster, the town's arms dealer. Is that your next destination?

Bryony nods to the others and heads off toward the Townmaster's hall. Sildar and the Townmaster would surely know what to do with this villain. As a halfling, she wasn't really strong or tall enough to help carry the dead weight that was the wizard and for that she was secretly grateful. She made a note to herself to check in with her Auntie and Carp as soon as possible to let them know the Redbrand threat had been vanquished.

Townmaster’s Hall is a newly-constructed building – simple and unornamental, with only a single window facing the street. Outside the front door is a board for official notices. One prominent poster offers a 100 gp contract to any group that can drive away a group of marauders and goblins that have attacked several caravans near Wyvern Tor, to the east on the Triboar Trail. It is signed by "Harbin Wester, Townmaster."

Inside, you find an office space. Behind one desk covered in books and parchment is a portly human man in his late fifties with a taste for fancy clothes and sporting a pair of graying muttonchops. 

"Hello, strangers! Can I help you with something? My name is Harbin. I am townmaster of Phandalin. Are you new to town?" He strikes a cheerful tone.

"Oh, Bryony! I didn't see you there. Friends of yours?" Bryony barely knows the man, but knows who he is. She is surprised he knows her name. Kimberley has never crossed paths with him, but knows his reputation as well-liked but timid – an apologist for the Redbrands.

Bryony gives the man a small smile. She doesn't really know him but hasn't heard anything too terrible about him, and he is the Townmaster. She gestures to her friends. "My friends and I have apprehended a criminal wizard," she announces. "Is Sildar Hallwinter here? We were hoping to meet him. We think he would be interested in this prisoner."

Quinn hangs back, still carrying Glasstaff slung over his shoulder like a sack of manure. He stands in silence, biting his tongue.  Though Phandalin is not his home, he and his people have always had a good working relationship with the town. It pains him to see the state of things and he can’t help but judge the Townmaster for the state of things.

While Bryony talks, he keeps his mind occupied on the notice regarding goblin marauders attacking caravans in the vicinity. He thinks that might be a good starting point to track down Cragmaw Castle. 

"Sildar went to fetch some lunch," he says, standing, his smile sagging. "A criminal wizard?" He spots Quinn carrying Glassstaff. "What crimes did he commit?"

A bead of sweat forms on his brow as he approaches. "Is he alive?"

Bryony nods quickly. "He's alive. He surrendered," she says. "He attacked us. My head's all bloody because his creature smashed it into the ground. Then he cast some sort of bewitchment charm on my friend Syzygy. Beside all of that, it looks like he was the leader of the Redbrands in town, and they had taken some townsfolk prisoner, including my new friend Aros here."

As she speaks of Syzygy and Aros she looks to them in turn.

"Let's get him into a cell," responds Harbin, a worried note in his voice. talking briskly toward the back of the office, where he unlocks a sturdy reinforced wooden door. "Do you need medicine, my dear?" he asks Bryony with concern. "I have some bandages. Or maybe Sister Garaele can help."

"Is this Glasstaff?" 

(Are any of you still wearing red cloaks? Or did you ditch them?)

“Bewitchment! How very dare…” 

and it’s at that moment you see a seething rage run across Syzygy’s face, he drops to his knees and dry gags as sickness, an absolute humiliation overcomes him. He goes to reach for a dagger, missing, given to the creature in the crevasse. Further enflamed. Syzygy reaches for the staff slung across his back using it to calmly rise back to his feet. 

“Ack! Charmed! By a wizard, a human wizard at that! I’ve grown soft since I crawled from the shadowlands! 

syzygy takes a swing at the unconscious wizard slung across Quinn’s shoulders. 

Adv to hit: 18 damage: 0 (he weak, yo) 

(syzygy would have bagged his cloak before entering town) 

(OOC: Quinn would have taken off the cloak so that he wouldn't be associated with these scum. But he wouldn't have hidden it. He would've tossed the cloak over his shoulder. )

Quinn is caught off guard by Syzygy's outburst. He shifts slightly and puts his hand out, motioning for him to stop. He then reaches out his hand and places it on Syzygy's shoulder.

"It's okay, friend." Quinn says in a stoic, calming voice.

He then directs his cold steel glare at Harbin and looks him square in the eyes. He walks over with Glasstaff still slung over his shoulder. He grabs the Redbrand cloak with his free hand and tosses it on the Townmaster's desk.

"Redbrands have been running this town until we routed them. But we hear this place is infested with them like roaches. What assurances can you give us that it's safe to jail him here? Perhaps it's best we turn him into Sildar and the Lord's Alliance."

Quote from cbaer8 >>

"Is this Glasstaff?" 

" It....is.", said Kimberley curiously, she still technically had the cloak on but it was bunch around the staff itself.

Syzygy whacks the unconscious wizard ineffectively with his staff before Quinn tries to stop him. Harbin squeals anxiously, "Not in here! Not in here!" until Syzygy pauses his attack.

"You bring up a most urgent question," replies Harbin nervously to Quinn, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Where are Glasstaff's mercenaries? Do they know what's happening here? Will they come for him next?" He peers cautiously behind you into the street.

"Sildar will be here soon!" he adds. "He's getting lunch. Let's lock him up safely and stop with the hitting until we sort this out."

Jurgen will help to haul him to the cell. 

Quinn rolls his eyes in disgust and cracks his neck to relieve some of the tension. He walks into the cell and set's down Glasstaff. He double checks that his hands are bound securely. He gags his mouth and blindfolds him as well with scraps from the foul smelling Redbrand cloaks.

He looks at the Townmaster waiting for him to lock the cell.

"Must we do everything for you? We took care of the Redbrands and caught their leader. The least you can do is lock the cell."