The group talks with the top inventors of the rock gnome settlement, finding they were arguing on what to do about the mental health of their king. The party interrupted this argument over a sanity ray or a straitjacket is to be used to discuss with them for further information on what's been going on. The two gnomes explain one of their two kings has gone mad and had locked himself and the other king in their bedchambers. The party goes to check on the king, who tasks them with finding and killing the shapeshifter. The party agrees and goes off to the east side of the settlement, where most of the stuff a mimic can hide in. It didn't take the party long as they started searching the wine cellar, and Briar suddenly noticed an oddity in the room. An amorphous blob staring right at him. He freaked out and found out no one else could see what he say, and after a moment to think on this, he looked at his blue robe he purchased, tested something by taking it off, and saw what was once the amorphous blob to be nothing more than a wine barrel. Not to be seen as crazy, he put his robe back on and used mage hand to push the barrel. This caused the mimic to rage and attack the party, who quickly dealt with it in moments. Unfortunately, this included lighting it and several wine barrels on fire, causing the rock gnomes to come to investigate and quickly try to deal with the fire. The party goes and shows the king the mimic is dead, and the settlement was safe. The king graciously thanked them with some useful items, as did the tinkering gnomes since killing the mimic seemed to heal the king of his madness. The party returned to Phandlalin, turning in the quest as they run into a sibling they hadn't seen in quite some time. Their drow sister Neristina Faelee. After catching up and reconvening at the inn, they prepare themselves to take on Butterskull Ranch, going to the Lionshield Coster to purchase upgrades to their armor and weapons, the smithy to pick up a commission, and paying for someone to pick up the manticore body and hold it for them when they return. The party heads out to Butterskull Ranch, stopping by the abandoned town of ConyBerry, where they found branded riding horses grazing around a well. Neri wanted to see if there was anything in the well, There was only pain as she fell 30 feet. Amazingly though she climbed herself back out, and helped tame the horses enough to give them rides the rest of the way. Along the way they managed to find another animal with the same brand, figuring it was a good idea to take it with them. They eventually do make it after a long 2-day trek, finding the barn and smithy burned and destroyed. Neri with the aid of Kia find and bless the bodies of some farmhands and orcs in the barn, before going off to explore the rest of the farm. They found a number of orcs occupying the farmhouse, quickly dispatching the first floor, capturing an orc, and interrogating him for info. They found out they were there for food and a place to stay after the dragon pushed them out of their territory, and the owner of the establishment, Big Al, was still alive in the cellar. They retrieve the owner, and agree to help him retake the farmhouse. They already cleared the first floor, so to the second floor they went, where they killed off all but one of the second-floor orcs. They managed to capture not only two orcs but a bounty of great axes, javelins, and the reward from the owner which is a mithral chain shirt and a handsome payment of coin. The party decides to head back to Phandalin, taking their orc prisoners with them. They turn in the quest for a second handsome reward of coin, and they were told to take the prisoners to the exchange where they sold them off for a bigger profit. Nira goes and sells the weapons, keeping one of each for herself, and walking out of the Lionshield with a heavy profit, the party all making around 700-800 gold on this trip. Satisfied with their haul, they head to bed for the night a the Stonehill Inn.