It is getting dark – the sun has undoubtedly set, although it's hard to tell what lies behind the heavy overcast cloud dome sitting heavily over the region. But there is still enough light to see by for the moment; the dull glow of twilight still penetrates the cloud cover somewhat, and the village itself is well-lit. A strange, greenish glow emanates from the northwest, from somewhere near Edermath Orchard. However, Gwyn insists that Carp said he was looking for Pip in the fields in the southeast, where he was sure Pip had been playing. 

Fergus:

”Agreed.  Let’s find Carp and Pip to the southwest…then maybe figure out what is causing that glow to the northwest once they are safe,” suggests Fergus as he finish his last few bites and one final swig of ale.

Wasting no further time, Fergus leaves the papers with the Dwarven Schokar and asks, “Please, see what else you can learn while we are gone,” as he heads out the door.

Boona and Karst follow the others to the southeast.

Jorzu 

"Agwreed" says Jorzu, echoing Fergus, through a mouthful of food. Once on his feet and in hot pursuit of the larger folk he turns to Fergus. "I do hope its not Mind Flayers. My kin has encountered them back in the Shaar. Nasty things. Never seen one myself. Nasty, nasty" he whispers as to not alarm Byrony any more than necessary. "To the task at hand though, let's go find Carp and the boy" he finishes with certainty. 

Gwyn leads you southeast to the edge of town, still whispering animatedly about mindflayers and the early history of the temple of Talhundereth. Finally, she stops behind a shed at the edge of the fields Carp had spoken of. It's close to the beanfield where you first tracked the psionic goblins; the black outline of Alderleaf farmhouse is visible to the northeast. What's left of daylight is fading quickly.

Somebody should make a Survival check to look for fresh tracks in the field (do so at disadvantage unless you have a light source, Darkvision, or other means that doesn't rely on vision.)

Fergus:

Getting out his bullseye lantern, Fergus shines the light to help others look for tracks in the field.  He himself has only passing familiarity with tracking, though he understands enough to shine the light and stay out of the way.

(If someone wants to look for tracks, Fergus will be happy to offer bardic inspiration 1d8).

Quinn activates Lightbringer to shed more light on the ground. He crouches down low attempts to find tracks or any signs indicating movement to from the area that the party is focused on.

Survival check: 17 (12 + 5 from bardic inspiration)

Fergus lights his lantern as Quinn illuminates his radiant mace and gets to his rangerly work. The crops here seem speckled with disease - this is not a healthy field. Quinn soon finds a set of fresh tracks through the field that appear made by someone of Carp's stature, someone on a mission unrelated to the tending of a sick farm. Following them clear across the cultivated area and out into the moor beyond, you are soon hailed by a whistle from the brush. 

It's Carp. "Bryony!" he whispers loudly, coming out of hiding. "You guys gotta see this! Follow me!" He leads you further east, into the dark meadow.

Carp explains a little more as he leads the confused party through the dark, scrubby fields outside Phandalin and up into the rocky hills.

"Pip's up ahead. I found him. He saw three of these weird little monsters today, these like weird spindly-legged flesh nuggets, shaped like little pyramids. They were bouncing through the hills on their little legs. He didn’t know what they were, and followed them. He thought they were maybe dangerous, and he wanted to learn what they were doing. He followed them for a while, then they dropped from sight. Turns out they fell through the top of a ruin and can't escape. Pip's been watching the hole from behind a boulder – where I found him a little while ago. It's at Marthungrim’s Home - or under it I guess. I didn't know there was a hole there."

Bryony knows "Marthungrim’s Home" - a place of local folklore. Just thin ruins now – there are a lot of those around Phandalin – but this one was once supposedly the home of a dwarf named Marthungrim who died long ago.

Boona followed along happily, pleased they had found at least one family member.

" Flesh...nuggets...."

"Carp!" Bryony cries, her face torn between elation and confusion. "Wait, where are you taking us?" She scampers off after her cousin as quickly as she can. 

"Flesh nuggets...what in the name of Tymora?" Bryony says, her confusion only growing. "Wait, Pip's okay? His dad is so worried! You need to come back to town with us. And you have to tell me what happened. When's the last time you saw Auntie...your mom, I mean?"

Despite telling Carp to follow them back to town, Bryony continues to follow her cousin toward Marthungrim's Home. "Well, since we're out here, I guess we might as well take a look..." she mumbles. "And we can fetch Pip."

Boona held out her hands to contain one child apiece ready for orderly transport back to town...

Fergus:

Utterly confused, Fergus says, "Have you both been out here since the attack?  Your family has been worried!"  He follows along uncertainly, not sure what is going on.

Insight:  15

Carp's face hardens at the questions about his mom, as he continues to lead you into the hills. "The goblins grabbed her. They tried to grab me, too, but I hit one and ran. They got a lot of people – Thawnia the florist. They got Aida. They got Tumblewick. They got Wramble and Violet. Like, I dunno, twenty people? I've been hiding in my fort in the old orchard. I gotta knife and trying to make myself some platemail..."

He lowers his voice as he approaches some old masonry in the boulder-strewn weeds. "Psst! Pip!"

A head pops out of the weeds near a large chunk of crumbling masonry. Pip.

In the lantern-light, you see the unimpressive ruin of what may have been a small building, once. Scavenged of most of its useful bits, and even much of the worked stone, it's mostly weeds and broken rocks now. A black hole, maybe seven or eight feet across, yawns at its center, with a few old stone steps newly exposed at its edge. It looks like some of the earth collapsed into a small sinkhole some weeks or months ago, perhaps into a cellar or small cavity below. Bryony has been here before, but many years ago, as a child. She doesn't remember the sinkhole.

"Three of 'em!" whispers Pip, pointing into the hole. "They fell in and can't get out!"

Fergus can sense these are scared kids thrust into a new and dangerous adult world, kids who are trying to grow up fast and rise to the occasion by roleplaying adventurers like yourselves.