"Oh yeah! I remember that little guy!" responds Reidoth to Quinn. "Hope he's okay. As to spiders, well, we got a lot of 'em here."

"Cragmaw Castle!" she continues, nodding at Qunn's tale. "Yeah, I know that one – the old ruin in the southern lobe of Neverwinter Wood, north-northeast of Triboar-Phandalin fork. Infested by goblins, they say. It was built by a talented wizard of old Phalorm. They say it originally had seven overlapping towers; however, I'm told its upper levels have long since collapsed." 

"But anyway, how we gonna drive out that dragon?"

Bryony looks excitedly between Reidoth and the others. "What if Gundren is still alive, and he knows of a way to help us with the dragon?" she asks. "We could try to rescue him first and then plot an attack against the dragon when we have more help. Didn't someone mention Gundren has some brothers running around town somewhere too? Maybe they would be willing to help us as well. Gundren knows Jurgen. If we rescue him, I just know he would return the favor!"

Syzygy has already begun accepting the dwarfs possible demise before this moment. But he also knows the possibilities of survival and maintains a thread of faith. He was too deep now anyway, too curious. 
“I’m unsure. As little time as I think Gundren has…it pains me to leave the Kobold. But I’m sure we’d find ample tribute at Cragmaw.”

Jurgen has been busy around the blacksmith shop getting it up and running. He stokes the forge and gets ready to build. As he waits for things to heat up he quickly creates a medium sized replicate of his captor and with Draco's help moves it the hill top. 

"That's a long hike to Cragmaw," interjects Reidoth. "Two days, anyway. Halfway to Phandalin, 'nless you got a way to fly there or somethin'. Your little guy gonna be okay in the meantime?"

~~~

In the meantime, Jurgen has left the cottage and has made his way down the hillside. Looking over his shoulder, he sees no sign of the dragon, nor any other activity in town. Passing the webs, the ruined store, the dead spiders, and the ruined herbalist's shop, he approaches the smithy and opens the door to the building where they recently took cover.

Inside, two inert ash zombies lay crumpled on the floor where they had been smitten. A variety of old tools—tongs, bellows, hammers, and a pair of iron anvils—are scattered around the interior of this building. The battered old cabinet where you found the strange gold-colored plates, lay open as you left it, still half-buried.

There is indeed a forge here, partially filled with dirt and an abandoned birds' nest, connected to a fat chimney. Clearing it out and firing it up won't take too much work – there's plenty of fuel – but there's little in the way of metals to work with. This will take some time... and you'll need to find more materials.

" We have to have faith in Jurgens ability to stay alive.  We should strike out for Cragmaw now if we want to get back as soon as possible." 

Kimberley looked back towards the tower and ran her tongue over her canines, " Soon...as my Lady wishes it.", she whispered to herself.

Kimberley sees a wisp of smoke rising from somewhere on the other side of the blighted farmhouse.

Quote from cbaer8 >>

Kimberley sees a wisp of smoke rising from somewhere on the other side of the blighted farmhouse.

" Smoke over there?", Kimberley said pointing.

" Should we have a peek?"

Quinn turns and squints looking towards the wisp of smoke. He takes a few steps forward and shields his eyes.

"Is that coming from the smithy? Yes, let's check it out."

"I hope the stinky dragon didn't light something on fire," Bryony remarks, following Quinn and the others toward the smithy.

Recrossing quietly past the ruins of the blighted farmhouse and through the dry, brambly grove behind the ruined store and past a heap of dead blights, the party finds smoke coming from the wide chimney of the old smithy. Within, (unless Jurgen has other plans) you see Jurgen rummaging for materials within and around the sagging building.

"Oh, Hi guys." Jurgen says as they enter the foundry area.

Kimberley looks relieved to see it is Jurgen but casts her eyes toward the tower in case the dragon is wondering why they haven't left yet....

Seeing Kimberley looking to the tower, "Yeah, about that. I think I may have made a tinney, tiny, itse bitse deal with the dragon." He nervously/sheepishly smiles.

"Uh oh," says Bryony, also looking nervously toward the tower. "I hope you didn't promise him your firstborn child or anything like that."

Syzygy has a face of mixed surprise, delight, caution, anxiousness. Strange, even for a Kobold. But then again, a Kobold’s going to kobold and hustle tribute for a dragon…Syzygy puzzles together Jurgen’s subtle genius. 

“Good to see you, friend. So soon as well. I take it the dragon has given you some leeway… The Druid has divulged the location of Cragmaw. We have a plan to raid the castle, gather enough loot for tribute and your release. We’d be a few days at the least. Or..,” Syzygy pauses, “we could all  leave together for Cragmaw now and piss off both Druid and dragon.” 

Where to, next?

Kimberley was eager to move on and trusted Jurgens confidence that things were going well...

" Cragmaw then?  We've at least made it a little safer here."

Bryony nods. "The sooner we're off, the sooner we can rescue Gundren. Jurgen, do you think you can sneak away from the dragon? Or would it be safer for you to remain here so the dragon doesn't suspect anything?"

"Byron, good question." Jurgen answers. "I believe the dragon is sleeping now in the tower. It's a young dragon. Poison gas, but no magic at this age. I'd like to stay with the party, but I do think that there may be some value in staying here. I told it we could help it build its empire. Not totally a lie."

Whispering he adds "I believe our options are

1. I run with you all and we always watch our backs
2. I stay here and I/we become it's minions
3. We attack now (or in the future) It's powerful, but at our current experience we'd most likely fail"