It’s about 6:30am, when the party finally returns to the main road and their cart of supplies
The party moves towards Deepdale with Sildar
They arrive early morning, the town looks busy and somewhat normal
Sildar suggests they seek a room at the inn
The townsfolk don’t much care for the arrival of the group and go about their day
As they reach the center of town, an excited young boy jumps in front of the group
His name is Ander and wants to know more about them
They tell him they’ve come to deliver goods
They’re weirded out by the kids energy and curiosity
They are not very forthcoming with more information
They ask for a place to stay and Ander points them to the Stonehill Inn that is right there next to where they stopped
Brannus, Kiara and Dwolf go inside the inn
The common hall is full of people
They meet Toblen the innkeeper
A large man with a thick mustache
He greets them warmly and assures them that he has rooms for everyone
He does so with mild hesitation in his voice.
The stay is 15sp a day per person with food
Extra drink is payed separately!
They ask for the store and the innkeeper wonders if they mean Linene’s or Barthen’s, confusing the party for a moment
It’s Barthen’s so he points them the way: they missed it, it’s at the town’s northern entrance
Sildar has gone his way, in the meantime
While most talk to the innkeeper, Sigmar has gone towards the town square to investigate a small temple there
He recognizes it has a temple dedicated to Fharlanghn, the god of roads and travellers.
It’s not of his deity so he shuns it, loudly, raising some eyebrows
The party goes together to Barthen’s
Elmar, the shopkeeper, is a lean and balding man of around fifty years
He is happy to meet them, but sad about knowing of Grunden’s kidnapping
He worries for the brothers now, that have left and not returned for quite a few days
His sadness turns to frustration because not all is well with Deepdale
Pressured by the party he reveals that the town has been plagued by a group of ruffians calling themselves Redbrands
The Redbrands extort money out of businesses and cause trouble all around town.
No one stops them, Hardin the mayor seems useless
They bother every business except Linene’s store and Halia’s Miner Exchange
But Linene seems to be missing supplies as well
Elmar calls for Ander and Thistle, two boys that help him around, to unload the supplies cart that the party escorted
The party recognizes Ander, but he seems to have no recollection of meeting them and seems weirded out by the whole affair
The kids go work and avoid the group as much as possible
Elmar pays the party 10gp per person
He keeps the cart and the oxes
Conversation and business finished, the party goes back to the inn to rest
Brannus casts Detect Evil & Good as they walk, because he is suspicious, but sees only that the small temple is indeed holy
It’s around 10am, and after their almost sleepless night fighting and travelling, they go rest until 6pm
They wake up and talk to the innkeeper about the dwarf brothers and the Redbrands
He recognizes the Redbrand problem and ALSO complains that the mayor does nothing
He knows the dwarves, they were regular drinking patrons, but has no idea where they went
He suggests they speak to the commoners in the inn
Unfortunately, the old town drunks in the inn’s common room are of no use
Elsa the plumpy barmaid, however, points out that the ruffians usually drink at the Sleeping Giant and that the elven priest might have more information about what troubles the town
The party speaks to Sister Garaele
She is an elf and seems kind and caring for the people of the town
She echoes the same knowledge:
Redbrands are a problem
They lurk around the Sleeping Giant
Linene and Halia stand up to them
Harbin, the mayor, is really useless
She reluctantly adds that the child of a halfling farmer was bragging earlier that he found a secret tunnel where “red monsters” lurked
She heard him because children play nearby during the day
A remark like this is usually irrelevant children’s stories, but the reference to “red” worried her
The party speaks to Linene at the Lionshield Coster:
She’s a young human, buff and tough
Knows the dwarven brothers only in passing because they bought supplies there
Echoes the Redbrands tale but adds that she takes no shit from ruffians
She shook them off when they came to intimidate her
She now refuses to do business with them altogether, even if legitimate
She cares more about her business and shipments
The party recalls that they found boxes with her logo in the goblin’s cave
She’s excited about that and promises 50gp payment if true
She refuses to lend a fighting hand to the party, though
The party talks to Halia at the Miner’s Exchange
She is a stout middle-aged woman; looks and sounds stern and rude
Knows the dwarven brothers well, since they’ve been to her office often to make mining claims
Refuses to talk about those, her business is private
Sees herself as THE authority, and belittles the mayor openly
Knows of the Redbrand problem and shows profound displeasure about it
Measuring up the party, she proposes a deal:
100 gp for the head of the Redbrand leader – dead, no exceptions
Bring proof of the deed plus any documents found, no questions asked
Brannus and Dwolf feel that she means more than what she’s saying
Nevertheless all agree and she reveals the following:
The Redbrands leader is called Glasstaff
They lurk in small numbers at the Sleeping Giant, but are quite more in truth
Their base is under the manor at the top of the town’s hill
There’s an entrance in the cellar
Business concluded, she kicks them out
It’s pretty much night time now, but the party goes to the Alderleaf farm
The center of town is well lit, but not these side streets
Wilderness noises echo as they walk
They arrive to a small farm with a closed door, but there are lights inside
As they knock, they hear movement
A small halfling woman carefully opens a bit of the door to ask who is there
The party respectfully introduces themselves, and they are invited in
Sounds of chains being moved around the door are obvious
Qelline Alderleaf is a halfling in around her forties
She’s tiny even for halfling standards
The party explains how they got there and asks about her boy’s story
Qelline calls her son to know more
Carp, a peppy ten-year old, arrives
He seems interested in sharing, but is fearful that his mom scolds him
He explains that he found a tunnel in the back of the manor where “ugly red men that smelled of alcohol” roamed
Qelline asks about the party’s objective
They mention Grunden’s predicament
She offers that her druid partner, Reidoth, might know how to help – but he is currently far away in a place called Thundertree
They return to the center of town. It’s now past 8pm and all shops are closed.
Even the town hall is closed
The party notices a job board in front of the building, though, with mentions of orc trouble
They go back to the inn and find Sildar there
They tell him everything they found during their day
He is worried about Grunden, the Redbrands, and Iarno Albrek
Iarno is the Haven’s Guard envoy sent before Sildar, which seems to have disappeared
He dislikes the bloody task that Halia proposed to the party
Criminals should be captured, not killed on sight
He laments about his actions against Klarg the bugbear, again
Sildar commits to a reward for saving Grunden and securing the fabled Mine
He believes it is of critical importance to the region to secure it
Sildar asks the party to deal with the Redbrands and look for Iarno because he might be in danger
He is an experienced swordsman and worries that the younger Iarno – which he describes as a fragile bookworm that knows magic – could be in serious trouble
He will not help the party physically, as he argues that his duties lie elsewhere
With conversation done, the party decides to rest, and start afresh the next morning.
The Draconus Dictum
Deepdale; source Deviant Art.