Lost Mines of Phandelver by kyleh2486

Mirna looks at the elderly elven woman. "Thank you so much. The necklace does mean so much to me and my family. Though, I can not be certain where we will end up." Mirna gives her son a one arm hug as he is pressed against her side. "There is no way my family and I can remain in the city with the Redbrands still around. But I am also afraid for my husband. I am sure they have killed him, but I do not want to leave if there is still a chance.." Mirna trails off and her eyes begin to tear up. A few streams run down her face. 

"Then let us rid this den of their foul presence. Let us find Iarno, and make to with the work of educating the Redbrands on proper civility in such places, and then... That thing will taste it's own blood." Vah'Lhorn returns to the others.

Passing the sarcophagi, Vah'Lhorn hears Kim telling someone to go back to the city. Entering the room, as he sees the prisoners, his vision swims... The sea of red comes crashing down on him, almost washing him away. Fighting against the current dragging him down. He breaks the surface and as his head rises out of the water, the sea calms and fades away from around him. He is on an island, the sea stretches as far as he can see, he turns and looks around. As he turns back, where there was only sand before, there is the child again. The innocent from his last vision. No... not an individual, the embodiment of innocence. The sea flares up again, but around the island that he stands upon the water starts to freeze. The red fades and a taint of blue starts to spread with the ice. In the distance, the glassy finish of the calm sea is broken by a rising wave. A squall speeds towards him, the sea rising, it's wrathful intent obvious. He moves to stand in front of the innocence. The ice forms into a breaker as the island fades and he stands on the surface of the sea itself. The waves crash over him... 

The red fades from Vah'Lhorn's vision, he finds himself on one knee just inside the doorway. Kim is speaking to Gramgran and Yuri. Vah'Lhorn hears her say "I will continue finishing the Redbrands before I can return to that mission". Fire and Ice... he thinks to himself.

Vah'Lhorn, still on one knee, offers "I can escort you out of this place, it may not be safe to walk the rooms alone now. Though there be sights that young eyes best not see. I shall shield you as best I am able."

((Edit - Seeing Kim's post below, felt it worked well to tie that in since I had chance to get back to this post, if we are going to get some RP time ))

Kim speaks up to Gramgran and the woman, "Correction, we do this to get paid. However, if we can help someone along the way, we will. Even more importantly, this whole mission has now changed." Kim looks to Gramgran and it is notable that she has deep anger and rage in her. "You can go back to the city without any worry. I will make sure every redbrand is hunted down and pays for their crimes. I was okay with the pricing they gave the town for protection, but if they are actually harming the city, they are no longer protecting, but stealing." Kim clinches her fist and purposely coats them in ice. 

She turns to Gramgran and Yuri, "Once we encounter Iarno, I understand if the group needs to continue the original mission and search, however, I will continue finishing the Redbrands before I can return to that mission."

For a woman so cold, the fire in her eyes are surprising. The anger continues to swell and her cloak changes again in color. The black and pink face away, replaced by the white and blue. The amulet changes from the emerald color to blue along with her eyes. He hair changes to white. 

OOC - I couldn't figure out how to delete this post...

Morpetor returns to the others in time to hear Kim’s words. “I agree, Kim, we cannot let these tyrants loose on this city again.”

((OOC - Vah'Lhorn easily resists saying 'Told you so...' to Kim - also updated the post above.))

Gramgran 

Though she keeps it hidden beneath a caring face, Gramgran is actually pissed off. Nobody hurts family. NOBODY. She will look at Kim and say, “Yes, but only those who deserve it. The ones who have hurt others. Kim, that young boy who ran away, he’s just being a dumb child. It is the adults that need to be taught a lesson.” As she’s talking, it’s weird. She doesn’t sound like she normally does. There’s an absence of emotion in her voice that’s usually so full of laughter that none of you have heard before.

“That ‘dumb child’ is probably telling the rest of the Redbrands about our position right now. He might have to die.”  Morpetor’s face saddens. “If he is with them in the end.” 

Yuri looks at his companions, and at the former prisoners, at the tiny drab room they're sharing. He exhales in a long drawn out sigh.

"That kid could just as easily be stuffing everything he has in a bag and heading for the next town."

He gives Morpetor and Kim hard looks. Given their travels up until now, he thought that Renvalm was the most uncompromising member of the group when it came to retribution and vengeance. 

"I agree Yuri; however, we will still capture him. If he submits to his crimes and faces trial,  then he can be jailed. If he does not wish to accept trial for his crimes and fights, then we will put him down."

Kim attempts to think of how many are in their numbers. 20? 100? 1000? It doesn't matter. They have given people to distrust the powers that protect them. No one should have to fear those that they should find peace in.

“I am not a ruthless killer, but I do not have hope for that boy. I am pessimistic about his decision making.  I would love to be proven wrong.”

"Maybe let's see how Sildar has gotten on with the town mayor before we start thinking about trials. He's allowed the Redbrands to be the town guard and tax, imprison, and do whatever else to these people."

Yuri leans his back against a wall and continues.

"But looking at the town, it hardly seems like there's a huge amount of opportunity here. Maybe that boy had no other choice, food still needs to be put on the table."

"There is always a choice Yuri." Vah'Lhorn chimes in, in a slightly more sombre tone than normal, "It may be hard to see all the options sometimes, but they are there nonetheless. I am a cold-blooded murderer, and I will put these filth down. No-one that can watch the innocent caged, knowing what fate awaits them, deserves to be excused because they lacked an opportunity. He could have had the courage to do what was right, but he found himself lacking."

"Mirna, can you describe your husband for us? We have seen few here so far, but should we see a man of his description, for good or for worse, we shall let you know."

Yuri sighs. Signing up to guard a caravan between Neverwinter and Phandalin seemed an easy job at the time, paying his debts in Neverwinter and putting food in his belly. It was a lifeline for a struggling adventurer in a city where people like him were commonplace. Would he act any differently than the Redbrands here had Gundren asked for some dubious act to be carried out? Yuri honestly wasn't sure. A choice between something and nothing was no choice at all to him.

"Let's just try to get out of this place first, and safely, with our charges here." Motioning to Mirna as he speaks."

Yuri resolves that he will carry on seeking Gundren out, even if the others are intent on hunting Redbrands. He has to know the measure of this dwarf for himself, know whether he was almost in the same position of that young man who ran screaming from this very room. 

"I agree with you Yuri. He might have been starving and needed a job, but Van is correct too. He knew this was right and let these people suffer. I have not suggested death for all of them. If the boy who ran accepts his crimes, then we will find a proper jail cell for him to serve his time.if he fights us when we tray to arrest him, then I have no choice but to protect my allies."

OOC: Just got back into town. I will get myself and you guys updated tomorrow morning. 

Vah'Lhorn looks to Yuri and Kim, then speaks in hushed tones, " We shall get this family to safety first, though if her husband is here I fear the worst for his life. As Gramgran suggests, a trip to Thundertree can figure into our plans later." Then in a more normal volume, "Let us find him first Kim, justice may be a luxury we can no longer afford him should he have brought others down on us. Know that I shall stay no blows should it come to that, they lay in ambush with no intent of mercy when they swung their blows at me and I shall return the sentiment. Should you still wish to show any of them kindness, I should have you think on whether their actions towards you or any here warrant it, but I can at least give you that chance."

To Van'Hlhorn:

Mirna tells you that he (Thel) is a human man of fair skin and hair with a mustache. He had been wearing common clothes, colored much like her and her children clothing. The clothing is very nondescript, though she does mention a patch affixed to the sleeve of the shirt. She explains that Thel is part of a merchants guild in the area. The patch is to signify to city guards and city folk that he is a trader in the area. The patch is circular, containing a black compass rose on white with a red ring around the patch. 

To everyone:

"Is there anything else you need to ask of me? I fear to stay much longer in this place. You all seem so brave to fight the Redbrands. I wish I could tell you how many there are, but I am not sure. We have seen about 10 since we were brought here. We were brought in here through a room with stairs leading down and then through a door by the stairs. We were in a long hallway and had to walk over a plank of wood in the hallway even though there was a floor. Then through that cold crypt room. Those skeletons just sitting upright against their crypts..... unmoving....."  

Is everyone going to venture deeper into the manor? Head back to town? 

((My vote goes to nominally see the family out of the manor / grounds, but continue the main dialog of the adventure and proceed further inside. Though if people want to make a side trip to town, as an escort, we could always split up and some stay here - I can get by with short rests for the most part, and have been to town the most recently. From a pure adventuring aspect, it seems like a bad time to leave and then come back - surprise may be lost to us, and giving the Redbrands a chance to clear out or re-group could make this much harder.))

"Could you show us the way you came through - we entered this section through a natural cavern, though those skeletons should definitely stay unmoving now. As I said, there are sights the way we entered which would be better left unseen after what you have already experienced." Vah'Lhorn replies to Mirna, "As to your Thel, I do not recall anyone matching that description, but will keep an eye out as we proceed. I am sorry I cannot offer you more comforting news at this point." That's if his clothing is still identifiable... I know how I'd dispose of a corpse round here, a beast that hungers for flesh seems a ready solution for a band of thugs trying to cover their tracks.

Gramgran 

“Don’t worry dear, we’ll definitely look for your husband. But first we have to get you and your children out of here safely. It’s not far to town, and you’ll be safe there while we deal with the Redbrands here.” While she’s talking, she’ll cast mending on the family’s clothes until they are as fixed as possible. (Going over to the Redbrand, did he have anything else on him besides the keys?)