Visibly frustrated with her mediocre performance lately, Daewen takes out her anger by attacking (with gusto) the remaining orc (Oxxx):

Attack: 19 Damage: 7

Bonus Action: Offhanded two-weapon fighting Attack: 25 Damage: 5

Quote from PlotArmored >>

(O4 died per post #333, not injured per post #336. I believe Marcon’s first attack in post #337 killed O3 and then the flurry finished O1. DM can confirm or deny.)

Yes, my typo, O4 is dead

Quote from o_Merlin_o>>

Attack: 19 Damage: 7

Bonus Action: Offhanded two-weapon fighting Attack: 25 Damage: 5

O3 is dead

Everyone gains 100 XP each

4x hide armor, 40 gp
4x Greataxe, 120 gp
4x Javalin, 2 gp
total 162 gp, sellback 81 gp
Each 20 gp, 2 sp, 5 cp

Congratulation, that was a tough battle. Good work.

* If you guys want to go forward, I'll let you explore but I need at least one survival from the group and perception, investigation, survival, or something else from each of you
- 1 survival from each character
- 1 other skill from each character
-* perception, investigation, survival, or do something else

* Otherwise, you return to Phandalin with news of Orc scouts and the town begins to panic. The Mayor asks that you search for their hideout
* You can still ask around town, plenty of rumors and side quests
* Feel free to spend money and shop for magic items while here, everything is available from the "Sane Prices" PDF
* https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8XAiXpOfz9cMWt1RTBicmpmUDg/view?usp=sharing
* Be creative, challenge the dm, etc

“I’ve had enough adventure today.” Wilhorn says visibly quite wounded. “But, if you all want to continue out here, I could use a rest first.”

Marcon agrees with Wilhorn. "Yes, my feet and hands hurt. Punching and kicking orcs is not easy. Here, dear friend, take my potion of healing" Marcon hands Wilhorn the potion of healing he got from Cragmaw Hideout earlier.

Daewen draws an arrow on the ground, pointing back towards town, casting her vote to return, heal up, reprovision, and interview more of the townfolk. 

“Thank you for your generosity, Marc. But, please hold onto that potion of healing. I think we’ll be safe on our return journey to Phandalin.

(Marc, please make sure to record that you still have that potion.)

(Who took the other potion? And did they record it in their inventory?)

(Lol, I forgot to ever record it in my inventory. I play DM more, so even though I'm the one always telling players to update their character sheets, I often forget to lol.)

Marcon isn't low on Hp, so he's good with either choice.

"I'd like to sell my wakizashi and yumi anyway and get a hoippu and a daikyu, as well as a quiver, so I'm fine with heading back to town."

OOC: A hoippu is a whip and a daikyu is a longbow. After much thought, I finally decided to choose Kensei as my subclass.

Despite his exhaustion, Wilhorn sleeps fitfully. He remembers no other dreams than the visitation from Cassius.

“I have seen you. You are doing well. Even though you are sometimes relying on your own magics, I can feel you accessing my powers. I commend you for this.”

The imposing angelic creature must stand some 7’ tall. His wings extend from him even in their resting position. His eyes are blindingly white and his skin exudes a glowing golden light. His armor and weapons are extraordinary. His voice is both booming and trumpet-like.

“Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since well before Neverwinter.” Wilhorn squeaks out the question, but did he even use his voice or was it just in his mind.

“There are events too fantastical for your mind to comprehend. Let’s just say, I’ve been otherwise engaged.”

Wilhorn remains silent. There is nothing he can add to this encounter, he thinks to himself.

Cassius smiles, “Because you have shown yourself to be a good steward of my power, I am prepared to give you a bit more.”

He stoops down and raises Wilhorn with the ease of a child picking up a toy. While holding him aloft with one hand, he places the palm of his other hand on the top of Wilhorn’s scalp and begins chanting in a celestial language. At the conclusion, he breathes into Wilhorn’s face. A warm breath of life and power.

He sets the halfling gently back on his feet, then turns to face something only he can see.

“I must depart. Stay on your path. You are doing well.”

With that, his enormous wings begin to flap and the gust causes Wilhorn to flinch, hold his ground and turn away momentarily from the gale. And just as quickly as he had turned away, Cassius had disappeared.

Wilhorn woke to the feeling of unlocked potential.

OOC: is that wilhorn leveling up?

(Indeed it is!)

(Bet)

After defeating the orcs, Marcon has a profound moment of thought. "I have unlocked something new with my ki. I feel like I've been a master of longbows and whips my whole life. Thus is the power of ki. I have unlocked that which I have always known without knowing I knew it."

Vex seems un-phased as the group easily defeats the attacking Orc but inside he is very worried, thinking Not much help in close combat, used to attacking from range with underlings keeping attackers away. Need to find way fix this.

Once back in Phandalin he will help those that need it with selling and carting what he can carry here and there to be sold. Then he will excuse himself grab some food from the tavern and go and eat in his room to think about things.

In his room he will finish his meal and pull out his treasured rock from his old master and curl himself around him, missing her gentle presence and her very infrequent touches of assurance. He missed the days traveling her protected land and the rest of his tribe and wished he was able to somehow divert the outcome of what happened that day. He knows he is small and probably would not have altered the outcome, as what could he do against a creature or creatures that could so easily defeat a dragon of her size but deep in his heart he wished he could have at least tried.

With those thoughts in his head he finally drifts of to sleep, the "rock egg" warming to his touch and he dreams.

Vex is at first frightened of his dream as ae huge presence starts to fill his vision and then the smoky image coalesces into his old Master, her Brass scale glinting with an unbelievable shine, her voice curling around his body and pulling him close, "My loyal Vex, champion of my realm, fear not, you still have much to do. I desire you to do one last bidding, protect her and teach her to be strong and fierce, in doing that, we will meet again, in this realm or the next."

Vex eventually wakes up from his deep sleep, the dream wafting away to nothingness by the growing sunlight. His eyes still closed he is suddenly alarmed as he hears a faint rumbling close to his ears. His notices that his right hand seems to be rising and falling and he can feel the rumbling breath of a scaly creature close at hand. He very slowly opens his eyes and finds himself staring into the golden bronze eyes of a baby dragon. Frightened at first he starts to scramble backward but then his dream floods back into him and he stops. Looking at the creature in front of him, he can see his old Master in its face and he reaches out a hand. The baby dragon leans forward and nuzzles his hand and then gently nips at his fingers. Vex quickly picks up the dragon and places it on his back under, as the creatures claws seek purchase on his back with its head rest up on his shoulder. A long tongue flicking out and kissing the side of Vex's head.

Vex immediately jumps up and runs out of the room heading to the taproom, seeking food for his new friend and himself, ignoring the gasps of alarm of anyone that he dashes past as they see the dragon clinging to his back.

If he sees his companions at a table he will rush up to them otherwise he will find a table to sit at and order some food. Fried bacon and other assortment of meat and cheese with water to wash it all down. Waiting for others to join he will continue to babble in draconic to Dorah, he decides.

At a sizable table, Wilhorn is savoring his first breakfast. A look of joy washes over him with each bite. A steaming mug of coffee sits beside the nearly empty plate. On the floor next to him is Drool, laying on his belly and licking a tin plate, trying to extract any remaining grease or flavoring from it. The plate clanks on the floor as the tongue pushes it around.

Wilhorn sees Vex approaching. He ceases his chewing when he sees what looks like a living backpack on his shoulders.

”Vex! Good morning. Who’s your new friend?”

Drool also notices and his ears lower momentarily, perhaps thinking he would be expected to share. One more glance down at the empty plate and his demeanor becomes much more friendly.

On your return, you check into the Stonehill Inn, meeting (again) Toblen Stonehill, a short human man who says, "I used to be a prospector until I realized I know a lot more about running an inn than I do about mining."

The next morning, Sildar, A Miner, and Toblen's wife are all with the Townmaster, in the common room. You overhear three people talking over each other.

Lanar (a miner), "Orc raiders were spotted on the eastern end of the Triboar Trail. Once I saw them, I hightailed it to town. We need to send someone to deal with them, we don't want another raid."

Trilena Stonehill, "Thel Dendrar, you know the woodcarver, was murdered. Several townsfolks saw it but nobody is talking. We all know who did it."

Sildar: "Still no signs of my colleague from the Lord's Alliance. His name Iarno Albrek, he was sent here more than two months ago. While I never served with him, because I'm much older and retired, his fame as a wizard is well known to me and my fellow men at arms. It makes me uneasy that someone like that can just up and vanish. We've got to find him."

With all the commotion, once you enter the room, all eyes are on you. "Harbin Wester", the Townmaster steps forward and introduces himself. "I've been meaning to come by and see how you are all settling into our little township. As you can see, we are dealing with more problems than usual. I see you are all very able and capable mercenaries. I was hoping I could hire you for 25 gp each, to travel east down the Triboar trail, to Wyvern Tor, a famous rock feature in the side of the Sword Mountains. This miner, what was your name again, oh right Lanar, saw Orcs just yesterday and ran here to tell us about them."

Trilena cries out to the mayor, "Orcs are not the immediate threat, we have mercenaries of our own, terrorizing the good people of your town."

Toblen runs to his wife's side and say, "Hush now, Harbin is doing his best."

Trilena continues, "I don't see why that fat lazy, good for nothing mayor, let's them get away with murder, when we all know that they are living in the old Manor, that run down castle on the hill."

Sildar says, "Now now, no need for name calling. I agree with Toblen, we need to see to the Orcs on the road first, make sure they were just scouts and not a raiding party. I know little about these ruffians that she talks about, my investigation is to find my colleague Iarno, from what I've gathered, he worked as a town wizard for weeks before he disappeared. If the goblins and orcs got him, there must be some clues somewhere."

Trilena's comment about the Manor grabs Marcon's attention

What Manor? Is that what those ruins on the hill are? And what is this about mercenaries living there?

Prior to making his way to Stonehill inn, Marcon sells his yumi and his wakizashi (shortbow and scimitar) at Lionshield Coster (Persuasion 2 to haggle for high price) and purchases a quiver, a whip, and a longbow (Persuasion 19 to haggle for lower price)

Wilhorn winces when he hears there’s more orcs to deal with. He rubs his side where even healing magics haven’t completely hidden the scar.

Quote from Jonpawl >>

Vex seems un-phased as the group easily defeats the attacking Orc but inside he is very worried, thinking Not much help in close combat, used to attacking from range with underlings keeping attackers away. Need to find way fix this.

Once back in Phandalin he will help those that need it with selling and carting what he can carry here and there to be sold. Then he will excuse himself grab some food from the tavern and go and eat in his room to think about things.

In his room he will finish his meal and pull out his treasured rock from his old master and curl himself around him, missing her gentle presence and her very infrequent touches of assurance. He missed the days traveling her protected land and the rest of his tribe and wished he was able to somehow divert the outcome of what happened that day. He knows he is small and probably would not have altered the outcome, as what could he do against a creature or creatures that could so easily defeat a dragon of her size but deep in his heart he wished he could have at least tried.

With those thoughts in his head he finally drifts of to sleep, the "rock egg" warming to his touch and he dreams.

Vex is at first frightened of his dream as ae huge presence starts to fill his vision and then the smoky image coalesces into his old Master, her Brass scale glinting with an unbelievable shine, her voice curling around his body and pulling him close, "My loyal Vex, champion of my realm, fear not, you still have much to do. I desire you to do one last bidding, protect her and teach her to be strong and fierce, in doing that, we will meet again, in this realm or the next."

Vex eventually wakes up from his deep sleep, the dream wafting away to nothingness by the growing sunlight. His eyes still closed he is suddenly alarmed as he hears a faint rumbling close to his ears. His notices that his right hand seems to be rising and falling and he can feel the rumbling breath of a scaly creature close at hand. He very slowly opens his eyes and finds himself staring into the golden bronze eyes of a baby dragon. Frightened at first he starts to scramble backward but then his dream floods back into him and he stops. Looking at the creature in front of him, he can see his old Master in its face and he reaches out a hand. The baby dragon leans forward and nuzzles his hand and then gently nips at his fingers. Vex quickly picks up the dragon and places it on his back under, as the creatures claws seek purchase on his back with its head rest up on his shoulder. A long tongue flicking out and kissing the side of Vex's head.

Vex immediately jumps up and runs out of the room heading to the taproom, seeking food for his new friend and himself, ignoring the gasps of alarm of anyone that he dashes past as they see the dragon clinging to his back.

If he sees his companions at a table he will rush up to them otherwise he will find a table to sit at and order some food. Fried bacon and other assortment of meat and cheese with water to wash it all down. Waiting for others to join he will continue to babble in draconic to Dorah, he decides.

OOC:  I'm kinda confused rn. What is Vex's subclass. And if it's Beast Master, are you telling me he has a freaking bronze dragon wyrmling as his companion?  Or is it a pseudodragon?