"Of course I'd like to help Gundren as well, but I think to achieve that we need a little more information an preperation.", Arikon replied. "I for one know nothing about the location of Cragmaw Castle and also don't think we can just walk in there. I think securing a base of operation and help with immediate threats to the town are prudent things to do."
"You drive a hard bargain! I can lower my price if you choose to stay longer. 20 gp for a fortnight, but if you accept my quest, then I will acquiesce with 10 gp."
However, when Jeb mentions that the party are adventurers, he narrows his eyes and speaks to Sharloon.
"You are adventurers? Folk like you have a reputation for stirring up trouble. If I see that from you, you will have a hard time becoming a welcome member of our town."
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DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral-Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries;Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
"You drive a hard bargain! I can lower my price if you choose to stay longer. 20 gp for a fortnight, but if you accept my quest, then I will acquiesce with 10 gp."
However, when Jeb mentions that the party are adventurers, he narrows his eyes and speaks to Sharloon.
"You are adventurers? Folk like you have a reputation for stirring up trouble. If I see that from you, you will have a hard time becoming a welcome member of our town."
Jeb quickly agrees to the Mayor's terms. He says, "Agreed! We will secure the empty building upon you or a clerk pointing us in the right direction. We will need some time to settle in and regroup after our recent journey here; but we will see about your orcs. Rest assured Mayor they will trouble the area no longer."
Jeb offers his hand to shake in settling their agreement. He then nods at the Mayor in farewell and moves to leave to seek Sildar once again.
Jeb seemed to have secured their base of operation which was a good thing. They could rest and plan there what to do next. If nobody could point them to the Cragmaw Castle, they would have gather the necessary information and going after the orcs seemed like it could help on this front. The attitude of the mayor troubled the young sorcerer a little bit as he didn't appear overjoyed after learning that they were adventurers. Maybe Sildar could give them a little insight into the situation in this town. "I can also assure you, good mayor, that there will be no trouble from us. It was a pleasure to meet you.", Arikon would say after they concluded their business.
The mayor appears inordinately gleeful after raking in the pile of gold pieces. He swiftly writes a contract leasing out the building and stamps it with a wax seal.
"A pleasure doing business with you! I expect results on that orcs within a week."
Outside, Sildar waits patiently as you exit the town hall. He's angry, muttering curses and insults under his breath.
Once he sees you, he says, "I have secured a loan from the mayor to pay you for escorting me here." He hands you a bag of coins, containing 50 gp, before continuing.
"I have never met such a pompous old fool in my life! That man was appointed mayor solely because of his elven heritage. And his incompetence has now become glaringly visible..."
Sildar sighs as he cools down. After a few moments, he continues.
"Phandalin is threatened from within and without. The Cragmaw goblins have captured Gundren and are keeping him in a castle nearby. It is only a matter of time before they decide to attack Phandalin itself. And yet, the internal threat is more insidious. A group of human insurrectionists named the Redbrands are terrorizing the town. From what I've gathered, they aim to overthrow the "tyrannical elven goverment." The mayor has been utterly intimidated by them, and not only has he done nothing about them, he won't even let me stamp them out!
Meanwhile, a colleague of mine, the mage Iarno Albrek, had arrived at Phandalin two months prior. He was last seen exploring the ruined manor on the hill before he disappeared. The queen has asked much of me when she gave me this task. I need your help. I was allocated a royal fund, resources to help complete my mission. You will be paid well. Will you assist me in finding my colleague and destroying the forces that threaten this town?"
Jeb smiles as he accepts the large purse of gold from Sildar. He says, "We apparently will be in high demand. We have been hired to deal with Orcs threatening the town as well by the mayor. I do not hold a opinion of the official myself. I am willing to assist you in your goal. We will have to see about the others opinion as well."
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Arikon hearing Sildar's explanations replied, "So do you want us to investigate the disapearance of this mage as a priority? Have you already invastigated the manor you mentioned?"
Sildar replies to Arikon. “No, I have not yet investigated the manor, though it is indeed a priority of mine. I wish not to meet the same fate as my colleague.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “My friends, I know I am asking a lot from you. Gundren is held in a goblin-controlled castle, and to rescue him you would likely have to storm it by force. Meanwhile, the Redbrands are a dangerous group of radicals- they would likely not appreciate your presence in town. However, you would be duly rewarded. I will pay you 500 gp to rescue Gundren and eliminate the goblin threat. 200 gp to find and rescue Iarno. I you agree, then I shall leave you to your devices. You have a lot of work ahead of you.”
Jeb replies to Sildar, "I will accept both of those missions. I wish to aid Gundren, as both of you facilitated our speedy departure from Doveheart. I will also aid in locating your missing companion and investigating these malcontents, The Redbrands. This town looks to be on the knives edge of either chaos or order. Men such as us can aid in their struggle, make a living doing so, and possibly find a home from our perpetual roaming. For all of these reasons, I will aid you in this task. Will there be a new contract you require us to sign?"
He turns to his companions and says, quiet for a moment. “My suggestion is we drop off our gear at the building we are using as home base. We can see if the displaced children can be bribed to keep an eye out for curious onlookers. We can then check with the Lionshield Coster on the goods we found in the Goblin Cave. While we're there we can take a look around again to see if we can find any signs of where to look for their main lair. Once we get back to town we can look into the Manor and the missing mage friend of Sildar's. What do you lot think?"
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Sildar replies. "No contract this time. The Crown...disapproves of mercenaries. Please, keep quiet about our arrangement. I shall retire to the Stonehill Inn for the night. I understand you have leased a building in the town; nonetheless, the Inn will be a font of information. I recommend you visit it."
He says his farewells before walking away to the Inn. As the party walks to their newly acquired home base, they can see it is early evening. Newly lighted candles can be seen through windows as businesses begin to pack up and close for the night. The townsfolk give a wide berth to the party as they approach the Town Green.
At the edge of the Green, there is a solid-looking stone building. Despite the cracks in the walls, there is still a roof and an old oak door, covered in cobwebs and left ajar. Next to the entrance, a small halfling boy plays with a wooden toy sword. He seems to be imagining himself a knight slaying a dragon.
As the party approaches, he turns and says cheerfully, "Hello! I haven't see you before. Are you new to town?"
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DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral-Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries;Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
"You could say that my friend.", Arikon answered. The halfling boy must be one of the children the mayor talked about. "We will be staying here for the foreseeable future.", he gestured at the run-down building in front of him.
"Do you know anything about this house? Any ghosts we have to worry about?", he gave the boy a hearty smile.
Jeb approaches the young lad along with Arikon, Jeb flashes a friendly smile at the small lad. He stops a few feet away from the boy as he kneels to be at almost face level with the young lad. He says, "Why hello there young man! That is one fine looking weapon you have there. May I?", Jeb accepts the wooden sword from the lad. He makes a show of testing the weight, balance, and swinging the blade. He then hands the wooden blade back to the lad hilt first. "It's a fine blade. And you wield her well, lad. No my friend is correct. We will be staying in this building for a bit. We could use someone to keep an eye on the place when we're away. Some folks might be curious about new folks and come by when we're not about. You could keep and eye out for us."
Jeb carefully walks a gold coin across his left knuckles to drop into his right hand. He then extends it to the young man. He says, "One for you and if you have any friends to assist, one for them as well."
Jeb smiles as he sits back to see the young man's response.
"Do you know anything about this house? Any ghosts we have to worry about?", he gave the boy a hearty smile.
The halfling boy laughs, tossing his sandy brown hair. "Don't be silly! Ghosts are just somethings adults make up to scare us kids into coming home early. So, you are going to be my new neighbor?"
Jeb carefully walks a gold coin across his left knuckles to drop into his right hand. He then extends it to the young man. He says, "One for you and if you have any friends to assist, one for them as well."
When Jeb compliments the boy's weapon and "skills," the boy blushes. "That's awfully kind of you, mister." However, the halfling boy looks in awe when Jeb shows off his own martial skills.
He says ecstatically, "Are you an adventurer? I've always wanted to be an adventurer! I have a sword, so all I need is a horse and I will be all set!"
The boy spouts out his plans to become a world famous adventurer. Among his words you catch something interesting.
"Just the other day, I was playing in the woods near that old mansion when I found a secret tunnel in a thicket. However, I was caught by a couple of big ugly bandits, but I hid from them and escaped!"
Being presented with the gold coin brings the boy to tears of joy. "My mom will be so happy when she sees this. The farm hasn't been doing well, and some nights we have to go without dinner. You're the best, mister."
As he says those words, you hear a woman shout down the street. "Carp. it's almost dark. Time to stop playing and go home!"
The boy looks over his shoulder upon hearing his name. "That's her right now. Come, I'm going to show the coin to her!"
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DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral-Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries;Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Jeb looks about at his companions and shrugs. He moves to follow the energetic scamp to where his mother called him from. Jeb says over his shoulder with a smirk, "Perhaps we'll get invited to dinner. Step lively lads. It's been many a year since I had a homecooked meal." Jeb beckons the others to follow their small guide.
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"Of course I'd like to help Gundren as well, but I think to achieve that we need a little more information an preperation.", Arikon replied. "I for one know nothing about the location of Cragmaw Castle and also don't think we can just walk in there. I think securing a base of operation and help with immediate threats to the town are prudent things to do."
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Murmen grunts faintly.
"Orcs? This Cragmaw Keep was a goblin castle 'r something, wasn't it? Orcs could have some information about it. Could kill two birds with one axe."
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Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Jeb quickly agrees to the Mayor's terms. He says, "Agreed! We will secure the empty building upon you or a clerk pointing us in the right direction. We will need some time to settle in and regroup after our recent journey here; but we will see about your orcs. Rest assured Mayor they will trouble the area no longer."
Jeb seemed to have secured their base of operation which was a good thing. They could rest and plan there what to do next. If nobody could point them to the Cragmaw Castle, they would have gather the necessary information and going after the orcs seemed like it could help on this front. The attitude of the mayor troubled the young sorcerer a little bit as he didn't appear overjoyed after learning that they were adventurers. Maybe Sildar could give them a little insight into the situation in this town. "I can also assure you, good mayor, that there will be no trouble from us. It was a pleasure to meet you.", Arikon would say after they concluded their business.
(So, the price for renting the building is 10 gp for a fortnight from each of you. Is everyone willing to pay that price?)
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
<Jeb is prepared to pay the rental fee.>
Jeb smiles as he accepts the large purse of gold from Sildar. He says, "We apparently will be in high demand. We have been hired to deal with Orcs threatening the town as well by the mayor. I do not hold a opinion of the official myself. I am willing to assist you in your goal. We will have to see about the others opinion as well."
Murmen shrugs.
"As long as we can take care o’ this fool’s orcs in time."
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Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Arikon hearing Sildar's explanations replied, "So do you want us to investigate the disapearance of this mage as a priority? Have you already invastigated the manor you mentioned?"
Sildar replies to Arikon. “No, I have not yet investigated the manor, though it is indeed a priority of mine. I wish not to meet the same fate as my colleague.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “My friends, I know I am asking a lot from you. Gundren is held in a goblin-controlled castle, and to rescue him you would likely have to storm it by force. Meanwhile, the Redbrands are a dangerous group of radicals- they would likely not appreciate your presence in town. However, you would be duly rewarded. I will pay you 500 gp to rescue Gundren and eliminate the goblin threat. 200 gp to find and rescue Iarno. I you agree, then I shall leave you to your devices. You have a lot of work ahead of you.”
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DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Jeb replies to Sildar, "I will accept both of those missions. I wish to aid Gundren, as both of you facilitated our speedy departure from Doveheart. I will also aid in locating your missing companion and investigating these malcontents, The Redbrands. This town looks to be on the knives edge of either chaos or order. Men such as us can aid in their struggle, make a living doing so, and possibly find a home from our perpetual roaming. For all of these reasons, I will aid you in this task. Will there be a new contract you require us to sign?"
He turns to his companions and says, quiet for a moment. “My suggestion is we drop off our gear at the building we are using as home base. We can see if the displaced children can be bribed to keep an eye out for curious onlookers. We can then check with the Lionshield Coster on the goods we found in the Goblin Cave. While we're there we can take a look around again to see if we can find any signs of where to look for their main lair. Once we get back to town we can look into the Manor and the missing mage friend of Sildar's. What do you lot think?"
Murmen nods in agreement.
"Aye, lad. A good enough plan fer now."
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Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
Currently DMing: Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Coliseum of Conquest—The Arena (Sometimes)
Sildar replies. "No contract this time. The Crown...disapproves of mercenaries. Please, keep quiet about our arrangement. I shall retire to the Stonehill Inn for the night. I understand you have leased a building in the town; nonetheless, the Inn will be a font of information. I recommend you visit it."
He says his farewells before walking away to the Inn. As the party walks to their newly acquired home base, they can see it is early evening. Newly lighted candles can be seen through windows as businesses begin to pack up and close for the night. The townsfolk give a wide berth to the party as they approach the Town Green.
At the edge of the Green, there is a solid-looking stone building. Despite the cracks in the walls, there is still a roof and an old oak door, covered in cobwebs and left ajar. Next to the entrance, a small halfling boy plays with a wooden toy sword. He seems to be imagining himself a knight slaying a dragon.
As the party approaches, he turns and says cheerfully, "Hello! I haven't see you before. Are you new to town?"
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
"You could say that my friend.", Arikon answered. The halfling boy must be one of the children the mayor talked about. "We will be staying here for the foreseeable future.", he gestured at the run-down building in front of him.
"Do you know anything about this house? Any ghosts we have to worry about?", he gave the boy a hearty smile.
Jeb approaches the young lad along with Arikon, Jeb flashes a friendly smile at the small lad. He stops a few feet away from the boy as he kneels to be at almost face level with the young lad. He says, "Why hello there young man! That is one fine looking weapon you have there. May I?", Jeb accepts the wooden sword from the lad. He makes a show of testing the weight, balance, and swinging the blade. He then hands the wooden blade back to the lad hilt first. "It's a fine blade. And you wield her well, lad. No my friend is correct. We will be staying in this building for a bit. We could use someone to keep an eye on the place when we're away. Some folks might be curious about new folks and come by when we're not about. You could keep and eye out for us."
Jeb carefully walks a gold coin across his left knuckles to drop into his right hand. He then extends it to the young man. He says, "One for you and if you have any friends to assist, one for them as well."
Jeb smiles as he sits back to see the young man's response.
The halfling boy laughs, tossing his sandy brown hair. "Don't be silly! Ghosts are just somethings adults make up to scare us kids into coming home early. So, you are going to be my new neighbor?"
When Jeb compliments the boy's weapon and "skills," the boy blushes. "That's awfully kind of you, mister." However, the halfling boy looks in awe when Jeb shows off his own martial skills.
He says ecstatically, "Are you an adventurer? I've always wanted to be an adventurer! I have a sword, so all I need is a horse and I will be all set!"
The boy spouts out his plans to become a world famous adventurer. Among his words you catch something interesting.
"Just the other day, I was playing in the woods near that old mansion when I found a secret tunnel in a thicket. However, I was caught by a couple of big ugly bandits, but I hid from them and escaped!"
Being presented with the gold coin brings the boy to tears of joy. "My mom will be so happy when she sees this. The farm hasn't been doing well, and some nights we have to go without dinner. You're the best, mister."
As he says those words, you hear a woman shout down the street. "Carp. it's almost dark. Time to stop playing and go home!"
The boy looks over his shoulder upon hearing his name. "That's her right now. Come, I'm going to show the coin to her!"
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Murmen blinks.
"Whoa whoa, back up a bit lad. Did ye say ye were trapped by bandits?"
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Currently playing in: Quest for the Shunned City, Coliseum of Conquest, DragonDenn's Dragonlords, Shipwrecked on Fugue, Tomb of Annihilation, Razor's Lost Mine of Phandelver, The Lost Kenku & One Grung Above
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Carp quickly responds. "Yeah, it was really scary but I got away. They wore these dirty red cloaks and reeked of liquor."
He beckons you to follow him to his mother.
DMing:
Solo Hoard of the Dragon Queen
Playing:
Baral- Coliseum of Conquest, Lazarus Vernon- Tale of Mercenaries; Bernard Lionsbane- Solo Curse of Strahd
Jeb looks about at his companions and shrugs. He moves to follow the energetic scamp to where his mother called him from. Jeb says over his shoulder with a smirk, "Perhaps we'll get invited to dinner. Step lively lads. It's been many a year since I had a homecooked meal." Jeb beckons the others to follow their small guide.