Bryony exhales the breath she had been holding as Venomfang flew above them, searching for them. "That was a close one. I like your idea, Syzygy. If we can manage to stay hidden from the dragon until Cragmaw, maybe giving it a whole castle will satisfy it."

Quinn comes out from under his cloak once hears Bryony's voice. He stands, dusts himself off and exhales in relief. 

"Yes, that was close. I agree with Syzygy. Let's get going before that dragon comes back around."

The rest of the day proceeds without any surprises. You proceed cautiously, stealthily, but surely south along the edge of the forest. The landscape changes little – dry scrub, thin trees, high grass, no civilization, and little in the way of animal life. Venomfang does not make a return appearance.

You end the day, according to Bryony's best calculations, due west of Cragmaw Castle. Tomorrow you should reach your destination, but it will require entering the dense wood.

Daylight is quickly fading. Are you relying on Draco for your watch tonight? Any new precautions or activities? When you're ready to proceed with the night's rest, somebody should roll a d20 for me.

5

Kimberley blessed Draco once again and offered to sit the first watch to ( Help).

She then created enough fresh water for everyone to refill their skins and ate the last of her rations.

Syzygy attempts to look for lizards and insects in the dry grass and scrub. (Survival 5) 

Sparse pickings, hardly enough for a sparrow, he nibbles his rations and sings a song he picked up in Neverwinter. The melody is slightly different though, he quietly sings it in an haunting melodic mode heard mostly on the shadowfell. (Performance 17)

With wide-eyed attention they take to their course

Farewelling the city, bright gem of the North.

A mish-mash of scallywags ride Phandalin way

Bound East along dangers of the Triiiboar trail. 

(Chorus)

Farewell bright-lit gem of this land.

Farewell dear kin-folk and old friend.

Should I rise bearing halo on head

Burn ev’rything under my bed.

After eating, syzygy would take a seat and meditate in a dream state. After which he would take second watch. 

After the days journey, Quinn is quite impressed with Bryony's ability to navigate these woods. He himself recognizes some of this terrain, after all, his own village is not far off from this section of the Neverwinter wood. If Reidoth was correct in the location of Cragmaw Castle, he's surprise he never stumbled upon the location himself. Now that he thinks of it, some of the elders in his adoptive village warned the children to not head deep in the woods to the north east of his home. Perhaps they knew all along. The idea that these threats are nearly at his doorstep steels his resolve to get to the bottom of this.

He stands up on the stump of a tree that was felled decades earlier perhaps, by the people of his village. He squints and strains his eyes trying to catch a glimpse of the use trail that leads to his village. He cannot see anything. Perhaps that's a good thing. His focus on the horizon is interrupted by Syzygy's attempts to forage for lizards and bugs. He cracks a smile and hops down off the stump and heads towards the tree line to have a hand at foraging himself. 

Survival check: 10

He too isn't all that successful, but he does find some old sun-dried berries and mint. Hardly enough to feed the group, but he'll set these items to steep in his waterskin overnight. He rejoins the group  and eats some rations while he listen's to Syzygy's performance. Quinn claps lightly when the performance is over.

"Good show, friend. Good show."

He turns to the rest of the group.

"With Draco taking first watch, I'll turn in now and take last watch."

The night passes uneventfully, other than a soft rain. Everyone may receive the benefits of a Long Rest.

You awaken to dark skies and wet grass. The forest looms dark to your east.

Based on Reidoth's directions, you're probably less than ten miles of dense forest from Cragmaw Castle. If your journey goes well, you should arrive before nightfall.

When you're ready, somebody should lead the party into the woods, and roll a Survival check (with advantage, if someone else wants to Help.)

If you're continuing to try to remain stealthy, everyone should roll a Stealth check.

If there are any other preparations or precautions you want to make, post them.

Finally, if someone could roll another plain d20 for me to determine how your day goes...

Day Dice- 1

Kimberley Stealth- 20

(Fortunately, low numbers are usually good in encounter rolls!)

Stealth 11. Does not want to lead but would help Quinn or another. 

The night passes by uneventfully, thank the gods. Bryony wants nothing more than to get to Cragmaw as quickly as they can while not attracting the dragon's notice. "I can take the lead again," she says, her cheery demeanor returning after the horrible encounter with Venomfang.

Survival (w/ advatange if Quinn helps) - 19

Stealth - 26

Quinn knows these woods well and he'll gladly help Bryony, though seeing how well she's done leading the party thus far, he doubts she needs it. 

Stealth: 7

Led by Bryony, the party creeps eastward into the forest under gloomy skies. 

As the day progresses, the sun comes out, and the forest reveals itself to be not nearly as foreboding as it first appeared. Underbrush is thin, and the party makes good time through the dry and rocky woodland. By noon, the elevation begins to climb somewhat, and by early afternoon you arrive at your presumed destination.

The centuries haven’t been kind to this ancient structure. It appears to have seven crumbling towers of different sizes and heights, but the upper stories are all in varying states of collapse. Only the ground floor remains somewhat sound, by the look of it. A short flight of steps ascends to a terrace in front of the main entryway. Past the wreckage of a pair of sundered doors lies a shadowed hall. Round towers loom over the entranceway, with arrow slits facing the terrace.

There are no immediate signs of life.

Welcome to Cragmaw Castle!

"Great work Bryony. You got us there without encounter with the dragon." Jurgen says.

"Whew, thanks Jurgen! I'll go scout ahead really quick. Don't worry. I'll be quick and quiet; I'll report back if I see any guards," says the halfling.

Bryony will creep forward to get a better view of the castle, sticking to the shadows and hiding behind tree trunks whenever possible. She's looking for guards or any signs of creatures patrolling the area.

Stealth - 20

Perception - 14

(How close does Bryony want to get?)

Bryony begins to creep closer...
She sees no signs of movement or activity.
The front doors are long smashed in, and lay crushed on the floor. Within, Bryony can see more rubble.
Large heaps of ancient debris from the crumbling towers can be seen to both the north and south where the upper stories have collapsed, buckling the walls below.

Bryony will get close enough to peer inside the smashed in front doors. If she is able to do that without being spotted, she'll return to the others and report what she finds.

Quinn draws his longbow and nocks an arrow as Bryony sneaks through the trees. Once she reaches her destination safely, he makes his move to the tree just east of Syzygy.

He crouches low, moving slowly scanning the area for any movement or threats. He tries to gain a vantage point of the rubble strewn section to the north east. 

Stealth check: 16

Perception check: 18 

Bryony quietly creeps up the crumbling stairs onto the terrace.  (Oh just some rolls: 19, 6)

She can dimly make out an interior corridor cluttered with dusty rubble and fallen plaster from a partial collapse of the ceiling, together with a couple of doors.

Then she freezes, hearing somebody humming to themself behind one of the two arrow slits facing the terrace.