map by Gunther
Previously, seven adventurers, Ruu Dawnhammer, Almalexia, Sauroff, Silvermoon, Koravhik Agu-Vakanu, Squirrelly, and Cernan defeated the Redbrand brigands under the ruins of an old manor. The leader of the brigands, Glasstaff, made his escape after casting a fireball from a scroll at the party. Meanwhile, Cressidien was standing guard over their employer, the dwarf Gundren Rockseeker, at the Stonehill Inn in Phandalin.
Most of the party in the ruins were quite injured, and since they could not pick up Glasstaff's trail, they decided to go rest at the Stonehill Inn in Phandalin. Cressidien had told the townspeople of their previous adventures, including the battle at Cragmaw Castle, the altercation at the Redbrand roadblock, and that the party had gone to the ruined manor to confront the Redbrands. The townspeople watched the party expectantly as they approached, and were visibly relieved and happy when they heard that the Redbrands were no more. Several of the townsfolk offered to buy drinks for the party.
Since Gundren handed Squirrelly payment to disburse to the rest of the party, the townsfolk consider her to be the leader of the group. Because of her name, they have started to refer to the party as "The Scurry", as that is what a group of squirrels is called.
As the party relaxed and drank their free drinks, they were approached by Halia Thorton. She introduced herself as a Royal Surveyor, and asked them about the roadblock that the Redbrands had set up. After hearing that they had demanded a toll for using the road, Halia exclaimed "Yes, I finally have them!" She explained that her legal authority as a Royal Survyor was limited, but claiming ownership of a public road fell under her purview. She had the party sign an affidavit concerning the roadblock, and how Glasstaff led the Redbrands. She then signed a warrant for Glasstaff's arrest, sealed with her badge of office.
Halia offered the party 200 gold to apprehend Glasstaff. She added that she wanted any papers that he had on him. Cernan asked "Is the warrant 'dead or alive'?" Halia replied that if Glasstaff resisted, and died as a result, the warrant would probably be sufficient to defend the party. She added that since her signature was on the warrant, she would probably be in more trouble than the party. She seemed to be sincere when she said this.
The party then went to the townhall to confront townmaster Harbin Wester concerning his relationship with the Redbrands. Harbin was happy to see Almalexia, and expressed his regret that she did not perform at the local inn the last time she was in town as she had promised. When told about the problems the group has had with the Redbrands, he initially claimed that the Redbrands were simply a mercenary company trying to "tame the wilderness" of the province, potentially even gaining acceptance into the kingdom as a new Principality. He insisted that any problems with the Redbrands, such as the roadblock incident, were just minor issues that he would smooth over with Glasstaff later. The party informed him that the Redbrands were all dead, and Glasstaff had fled.
Harbin visibly blanched at this news, and began walking back his earlier support of the Redbrands. He said that Glasstaff had paid him a "franchise fee" to designate the Redbrands as the local militia. He added that Glasstaff had asked him to submit a land claim for a fellow wizard. However, Halia Thorton had refused, telling him that the ruin (Old Owl Tower) was ineligible for being claimed. He expressed distain for a mere "clerk" denying a request from the townmaster. When asked where the ruin was located, he claimed he did not know, but that Halia would.
As the party approached the Phandalin Miner's Exchange to see Halia, they briefly spotted a face watching them from a second floor window. The miner's exchange is a study stone building, a strong door, and a slate roof; it's much better constructed than any other structure in town. They knocked on the door, and were let in by one of Halia's assistants, a male half-orc. When asked, Halia told the party where to find Old Owl Tower. She explained that Harbin had tried to submit a land claim to the tower in the name of Hamun Kost, and that Kost had been illegally barring others from accessing the well in the tower's courtyard. She offered them 100 gold to deliver an eviction notice to Kost. She also started to explain the intricacies of Wallacian law regarding land claims, but the party soon cut short her exposition.
Cernan asked her who was upstairs, as they had seen someone peeking out as they approached. Halia called down another of her assistants, a young half-elf named Mirri. They asked Mirri if she had seen Glasstaff pass by as he fled the ruins, but Mirri said that she had seen no one. When Halia noticed that the party had spotted someone peeking through the narrow windows, and had no concerns about facing a possibly hostile wizard, she seemed to look at them in a new light, reappraising their abilities.
Most of the party then went to the inn for dinner and sleep. Squirrelly, Almalexia, and Koravhik when to the blacksmith to see about repairing Squirrelly's scimitar, which had been damaged by the gray ooze. While Squirrelly bartered with the blacksmith, a human named William "Bull" Davos, Almalexia started pounding on his anvil like it was some sort of drum. This angered the blacksmith, who chased her off. Balking at the price and time for repair, as well as the cost of a new sword, Squirrelly decided instead to use Koravhik's old longsword. She then sold the damaged scimitar to the blacksmith for two gold.
Back at the inn, the party was discussing the contents of the letters and journal which they had confiscated from Glasstaff's quarters. Sildar perked up at the mention of "Lord Albrek", and later pulled aside Koravhik (whom he called "Leadfoot"). Sildar revealed that he signed on as Gundren's bodyguard in order to search the province for a man named Iarno Albrek. According to Sildar, Albrek was a wizard in the Wallacian militia. When not fighting or practicing magic, militia wizards work as staff officers; this involves reading maps, coordinating logistics, making orders of march, etc.
Sildar said that it had been over 40 years since the army actually deployed to the province, and that someone at the royal court was worried that their maps and other information were out of date. For political reasons, an overt survey by active-duty military was not practical. Instead, the court official had hired Albrek, now retired from the militia, to travel throughout the province as a "civilian" while covertly compiling updated maps and reports for her. However, Iarno Albrek had disappeared without a trace some months ago.
Later that night, Almalexia snuck back to the smithy and turned Bull's anvil pink while he was working with it. This caused Bull a great deal of anguish. Almalexia also changed the color of his pants, but his attention was fixated on the apparently cursed tools of his trade. Satisfied with what she had accomplished, Almalexia returned to the inn, and still didn't perform for the guests there.
In the morning, Gundren was still exhausted, but improving. He paid Squirrelly the promised 500 gold reward for escorting safely back to Phandalin. The party then set out on foot towards Old Owl Tower.
Along the way, they were first attacked by a Shambling Mound. Investigating the area after the battle, they deduced that it had recently been planted/created just a short distance from the road. There were no signs of any previous travelers being attacked by the Shambling Mound, so they must have been first to pass since it appeared. The party found this to be an unlikely coincidence.
The next day, the party was attacked by two Owlbears. Just as they dispatched the Owlbears, a sounder of seven Giant Boars appeared, apparently attracted by the noise of battle, and looking to pick off the weakened opponents. However, the party was more than a match for the ambushing swine, and the boars attempted to escape when they realized their intended prey was too strong for them. Most of the boar escaped, but the party did fell three of them. A search of the Owlbears revealed two more of the strange wooden tags around their necks:
As we left our brave band of adventurers, they were preparing the three boars for dinner. Three boars cooking by the side of the Tri-Boar Trail - coincidence or fate?
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