“Thanks for the information, that was good work young Master and good work should be rewarded.” Yed will then take a gold coin from his pouch and present it on his palm for the boy to grab. He will have a supportive look on his face as he does so, “Use it to buy something nice for your Ma maybe, she’d probably appreciate it very much...Or whatever you choose to do with it, it’s up you now.” 

"Thanks mister!" The boy runs off to show the coin to his father.

Having had their fill of food and talking, the group decides to retire for the night. The inn's rooms are far from luxurious, but the beds are warm and soft. 
The group wakes up the next morning and goes downstairs to eat breakfast, where they find Sildar and the bartender already talking. The bartender turns to you and tells you that Ena left in the middle of the night, saying only that a higher power had called her.

Sildar greets you. "Good morning, friends! I'm gonna be having some talks with the Townmaster today. Mostly it will be boring negotiations, but I'm sure y'all have some questions as well. So why don't you meet me at the Townmaster's Hall around midday, find out what's been happening and what the next steps are. Maybe the Townmaster will even know something 'bout Cragmaw Castle, if we're lucky. How's that sound?"

Big Bear stretches and yawns, wiping sleep from his eyes. That sounds mighty fine. We have a few leads on some other information we wanted to check out, we'll meet you at the townmasters!" Turning towards the group, "I want to check out the Sleeping Giant tavern, is there anywhere else you all want to check out before we meet with the townmaster?"

     ”I would like to stop by the Alderleaf Farm before we meet Sildar later on, there might be some information there about a hidden tunnel of some bandits calling themselves Redbrands. Feels worth checking out at the very least.” Yed replies to Big Bear with his head down, focused on the food in front of him as he eats breakfast.

"Alderleaf then the Taphouse sounds fine. I'd recommend we visit the nearby Shrine as well, we passed it just outside the Inn. If I'm not mistaken, I'd say it belonged to Tymora. You can never go wrong with getting on the goddess of luck's good side."

Doc says, sipping water from his mug.

"Doc, I agree with you, I would greatly love to visit the shrine and speak with the matron there, her name is Sister Gareale, and the folk I was speaking with last night said she just came back from some adventure. But the main thing is we have to do something about these Redbrands. I heard last night that they had killed the local blacksmith, just becuase he stood up to them. Yed, your lead sounds promising. Good work."

"I also agree with Big Bear, I think we need to see what is going on at this Sleeping Giant Tavern."

Shamash has an extra gleam in his eye this morning. As he thinks about the day, his mind keeps racing back to the dream he had last night. He had prayed and invoked Ilmater so many times in his life he couldn't possibly count, but for Ilmater to come to him...it must have been Him. His purpose is much clear to him now. This group is leading him in the right direction.

"I think the Shrine is across the square from Inn, should we make a quick stop there on our way elsewhere? The should we go to the farm first? The tavern?"

The group decides to visit the Alderleaf Farm first. The farm is a small plot of land on the outskirts of town growing several kinds of crops in neat rows. A halfling woman greets you at the farmhouse door. She's wearing a brown apron and has her hair tied in a bun. "Hello strangers! What brings you to Orlane, and more specifically to my farm? Is there anything I can do to help you?" Her voice is soft and warm.

   As they make their way to the Alderleaf Farm, Yed will tell the party of his interaction with Pip the night before. Letting them know of all the details needed to extract any information they’d need once arriving, such as how Carp may know something about a secret tunnel. He will ask them to take charge once arriving, as he’s not sure how friendly the parents may be to letting their child speak to a Goliath about bandits. Once arriving Yed will keep his head down and try to appear non threatening, waiting for his party members to take lead. He will speak if spoken to but if it’s not required he will try to avoid attention. 

Big Bear feels at home and in his element out on the frontier farm. He approaches the halfling farmer with a wide grin, “well, I sure hope so, these beans are beautiful! What’s your secret?”

The farmer smiles at Big Bear. "That's very kind of you to say so, young man. But there's no secret, just hard work and good soil."

Big Bear laughs loud and warmly, his jolly belly jiggling with happy heaves. "Well I can always appreciate the rewards of hard, honest work. Now, to the matter at hand, unfortunately we aren't here to appreciate your farm. We've heard rumors that your boy, Carp has found..." Big Bear cuts off to look around to see if there are farmhands listening, before leaning in and whispering, "that he found a tunnel connected to the Redbrands. We were hoping to see if he would show us what he found, or at least point us in the right direction. Would that be possible, ma'am?"

Big Bear's laugh is infectious, the halfling starts to laugh as well. "You must have been talking to Pip at the inn, eh? Those boys are inseparable. Why don't you come inside, and Carp can tell you the whole story. My name's Qelline, by the way." 

Inside, the farmhouse is rustic and homely, although Yed needs to duck to fit inside the halfling's home. Qelline calls for Carp, and he comes running down the stairs. When he sees you, his jaw drops in awe. "Mama! Real adventurers!" His eyes are wide with excitement as he tells you his story.

He was playing in the woods near Tresendar Manor when he found a secret tunnel in a thicket. A couple of "big ugly bandits” came out of the tunnel when he was there, and met with a pair of Redbrands. They didn’t see him, but it was close. Carp thinks that the bandits have a secret lair under the old manor house. "If you go into the woods next to the manor house hill and follow the edge of the trees below the manor, you should be able to find it. I can't believe I'm helping real adventurers!"

Having heard Carp's tale and thanked Qelline, the group decides its time to check out the Redbrand's inn. The Sleeping Giant is a ramshackle taproom at the east end of town. Four human ruffians linger on the covered porch, perched on empty ale barrels or leaning against the wall. They all wear grimy scarlet cloaks, their sullen stares fixed on you as you approach.

One of the thugs spits on the ground. “Well, well,” he snarls. “Here’s a whole pack of little puppies. What do you want, puppies? Come here to bark at us?” They step down from the porch and start to encircle you. They all carry shortswords and don't look afraid to use them.

Big Bear cracks his neck, and looks at the talking thug placidly. You know, gang? I must confess, I really hate bullies. My hometown had an incursion of ruffians, much like these rowdy children more than a few years ago. They pushed hard working people around, took their gold, and killed anyone who stood up. He steps closer to the talking thug, "Those ruffians found themselves wishing for an early grave before I was done with them." Just for a moment, his eyes flash and his teeth bare, reminiscent of a vicious mountain lion. 
OOC: I am trying to intimidate them, but if they escalate the situation, Big Bear will wildshape into a mountain Lion (Panther stat block)
INTIMIDATE: 5

One of the Redbrands snarls at Big Bear. "You wanna fight? A little farm boy like you? You're the one who's gonna regret this, kid." The ruffians draw their swords and get ready to fight!

Initiative:
Doc Jennings: 13
Big Bear: 4
Shamash: 9
Yed Orilo: 21
Enemies: 6

(Doc, Yed.)

   Seeing these thugs attempt to bully them as they’d been doing to the rest of the hardworking people of Orlane, Yed will RAGE. He the. swiftly pulls his Warhammer from his back and gives a powerful two handed swing at the ruffian standing near Big Bear with a primal roar.

Attack:9
Damage:10

Doc will drop behind a set of nearby crates to get a better vantage and fire from cover.

*Cunning Action: Hide*
12

He will then loose an arrow at the enemy beside Yed.
Attack:
Attack: 26 Damage: 16

(If the Hidden action and advantage is taken away due to high Perception, 24 to hit, and 10 damage)

Doc cunningly runs away and hides right where the ruffians were standing, ducking behind an empty beer barrel. As the bandits are distracted by the others, he pops up from behind the barrel and puts an arrow straight through one of the ruffians' skull!

Two of the ruffians stab at Yed, taking two swings each.

Attack: 16 Damage: 6
Attack: 11 Damage: 4
Attack: 6 Damage: 4
Attack: 18 Damage: 4

The other one is a little more astute, and runs after Doc.

Attack: 8 Damage: 10
Attack: 23 Damage: 6

(Everyone is up.)

Shamash will stride after the ruffian who is going after Doc, anger burning in his eyes. Since his conversation in the Inn last night, he has been looking forward to punish those who prey on the weak. He doesn't bother with his shield, but instead grip his sword with two hands.

Attack: 26 Damage: 5

If he hits, he will call down some divine anger, and burn a spell slot for a Divine Smite 11

(OOC: WHAT?! TWO 1s?!)

Shamash takes a heavy swing at one of the bandits. A mote of light burns as the sword cuts through flesh, and the ruffian screams.

(Doc, Yed, Big Bear.)