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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Goonalan" data-source="post: 7533355" data-attributes="member: 16069">We D&D.Lost Mine of Phandelver Session #4 A Broken Promise.Myrium the Blessed (played by Sandy) Female Human Cleric of Lathander Lvl 2Shagga, Son of Dorf (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Paladin of Kord Lvl 2Gaukus Grom (played by Pete) Male Dragonborn Sorcerer Lvl 2Elvis Pickersgilly (played by Jackie) Male Forest Gnome Rogue Lvl 2And so here we go again, the Blessed Avengers are mid-infiltration of the Redbrand’s lair, and being lead to the gang’s leader- Glasstaff, otherwise known as Iarno (the former Lords’ Alliance agent).Down a short corridor and to a pair of doors, the first Redbrand guide knocks on the northern portal and then opens it to reveal what looks to be an alchemical lab, “this way”, the fellow adds.Meantime the second Redbrand barges open the other door- revealing a messy chamber in which four more Redbrands sit at a table and bicker and argue, cards in hand and the pot piled high.“Damnation!” Myrium (human cleric) hisses- then nods at Shagga (half-orc paladin), pointing the paladin towards the newly revealed enemies with a meaningful glance. Shagga grins and slowly nods back.Seconds later and the leading Redbrand, three of the adventurers following, heads through the neat alchemical lab and to another door, after knocking once more- only this time waiting to be told to “Enter.” The chamber revealed is a well-lit, and well-appointed bedroom-cum-study. A short middle-aged bearded man in rough robes stands, a staff clutched in his hand.[ATTACH=full]112928[/ATTACH]“Iarno. I mean- Glasstaff.” Myrium states with a wink, which causes the Redbrand leader to rethink what he was about to say, and in the same instant gives the game away. Too late.“Go!” Myrium shouts- and the adventurers are in action, the priestess of Lathander mutters a prayer and Blesses her companions. Shagga blocks the corridor behind, draws his longsword and slices the nearest Redbrand who is left screaming- and heavily wounded. Gaukus (dragonborn sorcerer) fills the wizard’s chamber with a gout of swirling cold- his frosty Breath Weapon, Iarno and the Redbrand within are both left shivering and numb. Moments later Elvis (gnome rogue) plunges his rapier in to the same Redbrand’s thigh, the unfortunate fellow instantly folds- clutching the spot, artery severed the fool dies quickly, although far from quietly.Through the screams Myrium stares hard at Iarno and calls for his surrender. “Never!” is the mage’s hissed reply.Out in the hall Shagga cuts down a Redbrand, the other four gamblers stagger away from the card table and go for their blades, they’re drunk. Shagga grins. That is until three of the four launch themselves at the paladin- the half-orc is cut twice and bloodied. The fourth drunken Redbrand tries to rush past the half-orc, to get to his leader’s side, Shagga slices him open- shoulder to belly, he dies thirty or so seconds later, whimpering and pleading all the while. Trying to hold himself in.Back in Iarno’s chamber Gaukus fires a trio of Magic Missiles in to the bandit wizard- he drops, seconds later Myrium is on hand with a Spare the Dying cantrip, she checks Iarno’s pulse- nods at Gaukus, he’s alive, job done.Meantime the three-remaining drunken Redbrands have forced Shagga to give ground, one of them races past the half-orc and in to Iarno’s chamber, he takes in the situation there and then attempts to repeatedly stab Gaukus- a flickering blue Shield suddenly appears before the sorcerer to block both of his attacks.Elvis skewers the fellow with his rapier, at which point Myrium shouts in her sternest voice over the chaos- “Glasstaff is captured, the rest of your colleagues are dead- put down your weapons and surrender. NOW!”The wounded Redbrand facing Myrium, Elvis and Gaukus complies immediately, however out in the corridor the other drunken pair are still swinging furiously at Shagga. Elvis and Gaukus move to help the half-orc, together the trio cut down another Redbrand before the last attempts to run.It doesn’t get far, Elvis buries a dagger in its back- dead.Iarno captured, a Redbrand taken prisoner- and four bodies. The adventurers police-up the area and retire to the bandit wizard’s quarters, after grabbing the cash strewn on the card table.The Blessed Avengers rest up, search the chamber and interrogate, a little, the drunken Redbrand. Iarno, Myrium determines, will not be conscious for a good while- the wizard is gagged, bound and made uncomfortable.Elvis gets a little alone time with the wizard while the other guys are busy, the darling gnome uses the pommel of his dagger to hammer Iarno’s hands until most if not all of the bones are broken. He’s a piece of work…The captured Redbrand is a low-level recruit- he knows the bandits have prisoners within their lair- the Dendrar family, wife and kids of the dead carpenter, he is happy to show the adventurers the way. He also knows ‘sorta’ that they are working for someone called the Black Spider- their orders were to look out for adventurers and the like coming to Phandalin, and more specifically to locate a trio of Dwarven brothers- the Rockseekers. The latter were to be captured alive, other than that… the fellow knows nothing. Not even what it is that lurks in the depths of the crevasse and whispers to passers-by.There’s plenty of incriminating evidence to be found in Iarno’s chamber, including a letter from the Black Spider-[ATTACH=full]112929[/ATTACH]Which confirms what they have already been told. The unconscious wizard also has plenty of coin, and better still a magical staff made of what looks to be glass, “actually a glass-steel compound” Gaukus advises, and then retires with the item to examine it further, muttering “most interesting” every now and then.An hour or so later- time enough to complete their search and for Shagga to tend to his wounds, the dragonborn sorcerer has attuned the item- a Staff of Defence.There follows a very brief chat- prior to the adventurers heading out to rescue the Redbrand’s prisoners, the subject of the chat is ‘what do we do about the promise we made to the voice in the crevasse?’ The unanimous answer is, after Elvis withdraws his “shove the dead ‘uns in the ‘ole” with a sheepish grin that they are not going to pander to the voice in the dark. In fact… well, you’ll see.A few minutes later, back in the crevasse chamber- with Shagga carrying an unconscious Iarno over his shoulder, and the Redbrand prisoner bound and leashed leading the way, the sibilant voice from below comes again.[ATTACH=full]112930[/ATTACH]“You promised…”“That’s as maybe.” Myrium states out loud- mostly for effect, “but we don’t know what you are or what you intend, we will not exchange dead flesh for either your silence or your favour.”“YOU PROMISED ME!”“Show yourself then- what manner of creature are you?” Myrium replies sternly.“YOU… I KNOW THINGS!” The hissing voice is strident now, “I can hear their thoughts, as I can yours- I could tell you their secrets… I can help you?”“We have the wizard”, Myrium nods at the unconscious Iarno, “we don’t bargain with fiends, or monsters. Show yourself and accept the light of Lathander in to your soul, turn from your dark flesh-eating ways. Show yourself and we will treat with you.”The priestesses last statement hangs in the air for a good while, there’s no reply- not until the adventurer’s head on their way again, then the voice comes again- quieter, much quieter, and this time full of menace. “You will regret your choice”, the unseen creature hisses, and then is silent.Fellow DMs don’t give up your Nothic too soon, there’s fun to be had with them- as I will demonstrate. Obviously the key is make sure that your thought stealing Nothic may (or may not) have some deliciously devilish nugget of information that the players are really going to want to learn. Cecil, the Nothic, has told the players this but right now they don’t believe him, or else they’re convinced that they have all the pieces of the jigsaw- they just need to find a bit of edge, or else a corner.There follows a short-ish debate amongst the players as to whether they should just head down in to the crevasse and sort ‘the voice’ out, popular opinion is maybe after the prisoners have been rescued and the Redbrand’s lair secured.And so onwards…The Redbrand guide leads the Blessed Avengers to a blank wall, which turns out to be another secret door, situated in the store room to the north of the crevasse. Through in to a narrow passage, a locked door is opened by Elvis, after the Redbrand is made to tell what lies beyond- a storeroom. Iarno and the Redbrand are shoved within, their bindings secured, the pair gagged and bagged. This after the Redbrand has indicated the route to the prisoners- through the southern door ahead.The adventurers ready themselves and then head on in, to an unlit crypt- as they had been told, the way to the prisoners- a door in the eastern wall, but first… three skeletons rise from floor of the tomb, their bones dancing in to the air and then knitting together.[ATTACH=full]112931[/ATTACH]Elvis and Shagga are ready for them- the pair rush to take down the first undead to rise, however both fail to land a blow.Shagga takes an arrow to his thigh and grimaces, the last undead has fetched out a bow.Myrium steps in to the chamber, lofts her holy symbol and with great authority says the words- a dazzling light like the first rays of dawn causes all three undead creatures to clutch at their eye-sockets and fall back.At which point the eastern door is flung open and a cloaked Redbrand rushes out and stabs the priestess twice in quick succession, the first blow cuts deep (a Critical Hit), leaving Myrium gasping for breath. She swings her mace and clobbers her attacker- just as a second Redbrand joins the fight.Gaukus lights the chamber up with a Burning Hands spell, alas the flames only serve to singe (3d6 fire damage = 5 fire damage, and both Redbrands make their save = 2 fire damage).Elvis steps in and stabs the Redbrand attacking Myrium in the back (actually in the arse, the gnome is not that tall), the fellow falls. The last Redbrand is sliced by Shagga, he drops to his knees-spills his blades, and begs to be spared.Meantime the three skeletons clamber and claw at the wall in the furthest corner away from Myrium the Blessed. “Finish them- take them out one by one”, she orders- her three companions make short work of the trio, while the priestess binds and secures their newest prisoner.Just a DMs note here to say that Sandy, who plays Myrium, is really starting to get the hang of being in charge. What is obviously even odder is that Sandy has been playing D&D now for a little over three month’s maybe (that’s seven sessions). She hasn’t read a book, or bothered to learn any rules beyond what she needs to know to make her PC work. The guys with 20+ years’ experience of the game are eager for her to make the decisions, they’re enjoying the backseat, which is not how the adventure started if you remember back to Flint and Shah (both of whom were fairly loud and obnoxious).Back to it…Weak voices filter out when the noise dies down, from the chamber recently vacated by the Redbrands, “help us… please, help us…”. The adventurers cautiously venture in and discover Mirna Dendrar and her two young children- the trio are filthy and have been much abused- for three of the adventurers the sight is all the motivation they will ever need.Shortly after the trio are released, and tended to, and given food and water; and after the Redbrands and Iarno are all locked up (in different cells), the trio are listened to- they tell their story.It’s a very common story, a very depressing story- the one about the little folk oppressed and made to suffer by the greedy powerful people. A story we’ve all heard before.Mirna, with a final sob, and through gritted teeth while clutching her cowering children to her, hisses- “make them pay, all of them- make them all pay!” She is however preaching to the converted, the Redbrands- if indeed any survive, are all going to pay.Myrium, Shagga and Gaukus swear it.Elvis, when the other three adventurer’s turn to stare at the unmoving (and unmoved) gnome, finally nods once- shrugs his shoulders in a ‘who me’ sorta way, and then mutters “alwight”. The adventurers are going to finish what they started, their original plan was to grab Iarno, rescue the prisoners and then be on their way- not any more, they’re all going to pay- all of the Redbrands.And with that the fourth session of play comes to a close.A short session, this one was around the table- with a myriad interruptions in play for family affairs- and it must be confessed to top up drinks. I (your glorious DM) do not partake of the foul and noxious substance that is alcohol. The players are however less stoic in their resistance to the demon brew.</blockquote>

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