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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Grassy Gnoll" data-source="post: 6571199" data-attributes="member: 6788652">Lost Plot of Phandelver: part 7Wren drained his mug of ale in one gulp. When rough farmer's hands clapped him on the back and gave him another mug, he readily accepted. He was trying to forget the eye.The boy had been right, he had found a secret way into the catacombs below the ruined fortress, which the Redbrands were using as a base. After leading them there, he had fled back to his mothers farm, and through the rocky crevice the three of them had gone. Seeing the reaction of the Redbrands in town had made them bold. These guys were pushovers. Simeon reckoned they could be dealt with in one go if they were taken unawares, and they'd probably run away or piss their pants again. Both Wren and Pandjead had agreed with this assessment and promptly set out to teach them a lesson.He drained the second mug.They'd come out of the passage into a wide chamber split in the middle by a ravine of some sort with bridges over it near and far. The place smelled damp, and watchful. And sure enough, not two stealthy steps in and a huge blue eye appeared below the far bridge. A voice, sibilant, lisping, ragged, and in his head. In all of their heads. Demanding meat. Female meat. A third mug. Good. Wren drank it slowly this time and wandered outside to watch the sunset over the shrine to Tymora. He hoped to catch a glimpse of the priestess. Gods, but she was a fine woman. Too tall for his liking, but still. No sign of her. Shame. He wondered what she woukd have made of their desperate bargain they made with the huge lizard-like beast that leapt up from the ravine in one smooth movement, with its unblinking eye seeming to burrow into their souls as it's horrendous voice spoke in their minds.Simeon had agreed to find the creature female meat if it would let them pass. This didn't sit well with the gnome, but he had to agree that anything would have been better than taking on that eye.He shuddered in the evening breeze. Or perhaps he was remembering the damp of the cavern.They edged past the eye creature and down some stairs to find a short t junction. Ending at stout doors at either end, they had decided to get the job done and get the nine hells out of there, so Pandjead went ahead and grabbed the nearest door and shoved it open.Wren wasn't sure quite what surprised him more.The unexpected bugbears.The goblin they were making dance for them.Or the fact that Simeon changed into a snarling black bear before his eyes and leapt into the room, clawing at the nearest bugbear's face.The goblin was just as surprised as he was, and promptly passed out. Pandjead started smacking the biggest bugbear, the one with the bejewelled eye patch, and Wren fired at him, too, casting a spell of ensnaring thorns as the arrow hit home, with sharp needles and briars erupting from the shaft and engulfing the bugbears as they fought back with little success. In a few seconds and another arrow, hammer and claw later, monsters were dead and Pandjead was wearing that eyepatch as a trophy. The goblin came to, took in the carnage, and promptly declared itself to be both Droop and their friend.Which reminds him, what happened to Grokk? He wasn't there when they came back from the goblins' cave. Hmm. Anyway. Simeon joined him on the porch, handing him another ale with a smile. They both watched the sunset for a moment.'We nearly lost it in there, Wren', he said. 'I honestly thought that woman had me. Thank you.'Wren smiled up at the Druid, clinking mugs. It was the second room. That was the moment. The three of them repeated their tactics and rushed in, to find four Redbrands playing cards and drinking ale. A tall, red haired man, one of the men from earlier in town, plus a shorter man, and the ugliest human woman Wren had ever seen.Simeon bounded in first, still in his wild shape of a bear, followed by the Dragonborn, as Wren fired a volley at the ruffians. They figured that these cowards had been drinking, they'd drop what they were doing and flee...but no. Simeon dropped the short man, but the other men ducked under Pandjead's hammer and the woman and they brought out their scimitars. Gods, but they were fast! Two attacks for every one the party made, and the woman slashed at bear-Simeon in a frenzy, sending him crashing to the ground with a roar and reverting to his human shape. Again she slashed at him, again she bit deep with her blade. She stood above him, ready to finish him off. Pandjead and the other Redbrand were toe to toe...well, toe to claw...and Wren simply had to hit. His arrow flew true, burying itself in her eye. Wren smiled to himself, outside the inn. That was a shot he was proud of.But Pandjead was also struggling, the red haired Redbrand slashing as fast as the woman had and theone from town earlier having found some courage in the bottle it seemed. All looked lost. The fight had made a lot of noise. The Redbrands, on home turf, seemed to be more of a challenge than they had thought, and they had no way of knowing how many there were down here...or whether that creature would be attracted by the noise.At that moment, just as Pandjead slipped on some spilt beer, Simeon got himself to his feet and in a bear-like roar, unleashed a Thunderwave spell. All the Redbrands, alive and dead, were hurled against the far wall of the room. The table thudded into them and all the coins they were gambling with studded the wall with the force of the spell. The Redbrand from earlier died with twenty silver pieces embedded in his face, and Pandjead took advantage of the red haired ones stupefaction to crush his head against the wall with one mighty blow.The spell was ringing in their ears as they looked at one another, Simeon and Pandjead badly bloodied. Someone was bound to have heard that! The door of the inn opened, and Wren was brought back to the present by an Elven smile he had hoped to see all night. How had she slipped past him? Pandjead's grinning green face joined the priestess at the doorway and he went back in, content for now to leave the memories where they were.Simeon stayed outside, puffing on his pipe. He had come close to dying that day, and there were worse memories. And mysteries to ponder...</blockquote>

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