Recap As the party emerges from the burning ruins of Tresendar Manor they press the Redbrand guard they've taken into custody for information. He reveals that the wizard Glasstaff's real name is "Iarno", who the party recognizes as Lord Iarno Albrek - a member of the Lord's Alliance that had previously been dispatched to Phandalin from Neverwinter, and whom Sildar mentioned he was looking for. The party cuts the Redbrand loose and allows him to flee for his life. Once the Redbrand has left, an older woman steps away from the younger man and woman who the party had rescued from their cells within the hideout under Tresendar and introduces herself as Mirna Dendrar - the wife of the woodcutter that Recto had overheard Innkeeper's wife saying had been murdered by the Redbrands - and her children as Nars & Nilsa . She thanks them for saving she and her children and tells the party she intends to flee for Neverwinter; she also asks the party if they wouldn't mind searching the ruins of Thundertree for an emerald amulet that once belonged to her family that she believed still rested inside a secret compartment within the store shelves of her family's ruined herb & alchemy shop. After some discussion the party agrees to give her 200 gold in return for (a) keeping the amulet for themselves should they find it and (b) the deed to her husband's woodworking shop in Phandalin. Mirna suggests that they all make their way to the Townmaster's office where Harbin Wester would be able to transfer the deed over to the party. En route to the Townmaster's office Droop lets the party know that he knows the general way to Cragmaw Castle (though is a bit iffy on exact details) and that it was King Grol , the ruler of Cragmaw Castle, himself that had pressed Droop into slavery under his bugbear tormentors. Everyone arrives at the Townmaster's office where Sildar Hallwinter is relieve to see them and finally rewards them with 500 gold for saving him from the cave they found him in. He also asks for their assistance in finding Gundren Rockseeker and promises to reward them with an additional 200 gold should they be successful, and suggests that he & the townmaster would be willing to reward the party for assistance in finding and - if necessary, rescuing - Iarno Albrek. Unbeknownst to Sildar & Harbin, Iarno started going by the name Glasstaff shortly after arriving in Phandalin, though the party does not inform either man of this. Harbin Wester signs over the deed to the woodworker's shop to the party, also mentions his interest in finding and ensuring the safety of Iarno Albrek, and further asks the party for assistance in ridding the eastern section of the Triboar Trail of a group of orcs who have made trade challenging by mounting attacks against caravans near Wyvern Tor . For help in eliminating the orcish mauraders Harbin agrees to pay the party 100 gold and make a warm introduction to Halia Thornton , the head of Phandalin's Mining Exchange. Meanwhile, sensing some duplicity in Harbin's words, Steve, Granny, & Droop sneak off toward Harbin's house to investigate. After a bit of light burglary Steve finds that Harbin appears to be cooking the books - to what end, he doesn't know. After a short rest at the woodworking shop, the party makes their way to the Sleeping Dragon tavern where they believe Glasstaff / Iarno may have fled to. Steve blows apart the front door injuring some of the Redbrands hiding within and, after a short and ineffective attempt at diplomacy by Glasstaff, battle begins. The battle is short as the now more experienced band of adventurers quickly annihilate the Redbrands within, including melting the face of Iarno Albrek, AKA Glasstaff - who drops his magical staff and slumps to the ground, dead. The tavern's barmaid, Grista , storms forward and attempts to kill Zigmundo before she is tackled by Garad. In the ensuing interrogation the party learns that it is The Black Spider - a drow elf - who has been pulling the strings of Glasstaff and has enabled the Redbrand menace to terrorize Phandalin as a distraction from his real project: finding the lost mine of Phandelver and the Forge of Spells within. The party had previously learned that the mine may now be located within a cave system known as Wave Echo Cave , though they know not how to get there. Grista is terrified of the might & resources of The Black Spider and believes she is now doomed with Iarno & the Redbrands defeated. She does not know how to reach the drow - he had only communicated to her via messages delivered by a messenger who seemed to wear a different face everytime they met. After some arm twisting Grista suggests that Harbin would likely be willing to sign the deed to The Sleeping Dragon over to the party with its owner now long dead, and she would stay on to help run the place for as long as she can - though she fully expects The Black Spider to kill her within a tenday. As night falls on Phandalin, Steve & Granny load the bodies of the defeated Redbrands onto some canvas tarps they find and drag the bodies to the town square where they intend to burn them. A small crowd starts to gather in the town square as Tresendar Manor burns brightly on the hilltop above them all. And that is where we'll pick up next week... Phat Loots 500 gold (reward for Sildar) 31gp, 55sp, 75cp (Iarno & Redbrands) Glass Staff of Defense (Iarno) Glass Staff of Defense This slender, hollow staff is made of glass yet is as strong as oak. It weighs 3 pounds. You must be attuned to the staff to gain its benefits and cast its spells. While holding the staff, you have a +1 bonus to your Armor Class. The staff has 10 charges, which are used to fuel the spells within it. With the staff in hand, you can use your action to cast one of the following spells from the staff if the spell is on your class’s spell list: mage armor (1 charge) or shield (2 charges). No components are required. The staff regains 1d6 + 4 expended charges each day at dawn. If you expend the staff’s last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the staff shatters and is destroyed.
