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Session A05 — Cleansing the Manor

Summary

The party couldn't begin renovating Tresendar Manor — the Tresendar ghosts were still hostile to anyone who entered, despite Aldith's blessing to Roland. Kavu went to the manor alone one night and communed with the spirits, convincing them their watch was over and Phandalin was protected. The result was a spectacular town-shaking tornado of ghosts erupting from the manor, visible across all of Phandalin. The manor was finally clear. During the downtime week, Roland picked up a quest from Sister Garaele — deliver a silver comb to the banshee Agatha at Conyberry and ask about Bowgentle's spellbook. The party planned a multi-stop expedition: Old Owl Well first, then Conyberry on the way back. On the trail they met the dwarf merchants Dim and Sum, who sold them gear — only for the brothers to ambush the camp days later — detonating the fake "Wand of Fireballs" on the sleeping party to open the attack. It nearly worked, but the Forge Wardens survived and killed them both.

Week of Downtime

The DM advanced the calendar by about a week so the party could recover, stop paying inn costs, and begin using the manor grounds as a base camp. Characters pursued individual downtime actions — paid work, foraging, magical research. Tents and makeshift arrangements went up around Tresendar Manor as the group settled into ownership.

Manor Plans — The Ghost Problem

Conversation turned to the estate's future. The party discussed using part of it as barracks and offices for a local constabulary while keeping the rest as their own residence. Sildar Hallwinter was involved in the practical planning — but there was a problem. The manor couldn't be worked on yet. The Tresendar spirits — including but not limited to Aldith Tresendar — were still haunting the grounds. Despite Aldith's blessing to Roland, the ghosts had not been welcoming to anyone who entered, and renovation was impossible while the dead still guarded the halls.

The Cleansing — Kavu and the Ghost Tornado

That night, Kavu decided to fix it. While the rest of the party stayed at the Stonehill Inn, Kavu went to the manor and attempted to commune with the Tresendar spirits — using Augury or a similar divination — to address Aldith's unfinished warning and convince the ghosts that Phandalin was now under the party's protection.

It worked — far better than anyone expected. Kavu reached the spirits and made his case. The Tresendar dead accepted that their watch was over. What followed was not a quiet departure.

Every ghost bound to Tresendar Manor released at once. A massive, town-shaking tornado of spectral energy erupted from the manor — a vortex of spirits visible across all of Phandalin. The ground trembled. The townspeople saw it from their windows. The party watched from the Stonehill Inn as the column of ghosts tore into the sky above the manor and dispersed.

Kavu's response: "I totally meant to do that."

The manor was clear. Renovation could begin.

News and the Old Owl Well Lead

Reviewing local news and speaking with allies, the party checked in on open threads around Phandalin. One article continued to focus on danger near Old Owl Well. Kavu learned that Qelline Alderleaf wanted a statement from him about recent events.

Daran Edermath explained that prospectors had reported undead near the old ruins and that someone appeared to be actively excavating the site. He noted Old Owl Well may be an ancient Netherese location — potentially valuable — but framed success as investigation and a safe report-back, not necessarily clearing the threat at all costs.

The party agreed undead near town deserved priority. Old Owl Well was set as the next destination, with Cragmaw Castle, Gundren, and regional orc activity remaining on the growing list.

Errands Around Town

Before departure the party made a full circuit of local business — supplies, alchemical materials, smoke bombs, and expedition gear. Roland stopped in at the Shrine of Luck to buy healing potions from Sister Garaele. While there, Garaele asked a favour: she needed someone to take a silver comb to the banshee Agatha at Conyberry and ask her a question — the location of Bowgentle's spellbook. Garaele had tried herself and been rebuffed. The party accepted, and the errand shaped their route: they would head to Old Owl Well first, then continue north to Conyberry afterward, making the expedition a multi-stop run before circling back to Phandalin.

Meeting Othorion

During the downtime, Jonah noticed a stranger watching the party — an elf who had been staring at them with obvious intent. Jonah walked straight over and invited him to drink with them.

The stranger was Othorion. He introduced himself with confidence — swashbuckling charm, smooth delivery, the kind of entrance that makes a first impression. It was the last time the party would ever see him speak to someone like that. He had practiced what he would say the entire way from Luskan — rehearsed it over every mile of road — for the moment he met the first band of reasonable people he came across.

He managed to ingratiate himself with the group. After discussion, the party agreed to bring him along as a trial companion — not yet a full member, not part of the manor's core ownership structure, but in the field with them.

Departure

The party set out with Othorion on the Triboar Trail. A wagon carried rations, spare equipment, and party loot, making this a better-prepared expedition than earlier.

Dim and Sum on the Triboar Trail

Partway along the trail the party encountered two dwarf brothers, Dim and Sum, who had halted their cart to sell magical goods to passing travelers. During the exchange they mentioned having been separated from a larger wagon train after orc raiders struck farther back along the trail — confirming the road trouble was not just rumour.

Purchases made:

Camp and the Stirge Attack

After a day of travel the group made camp. A swarm of stirges descended and threatened to turn the site into a bloodletting mess. Area attacks thinned the swarm quickly, and Roland cut through the surviving creatures in a single flourish — the clear highlight of the fight.

The Dead Boar and the Neverember Letter

After the stirge fight the party found a dead boar near the trail, saddlebags still attached — suggesting its owners had fled in panic or died nearby. Most papers inside were ruined by weather.

One sealed envelope had somehow remained perfectly dry. The seal bore the crest of House Neverember, and the letter was addressed to Alustriel Silverhand. The party recognised it as politically significant and preserved it. See Sealed Neverember Letter.

Blue Capitis

The boar's carcass was covered in dangerous blue mushrooms. During inspection Kelvin was exposed to spores and infected with blue capitis — a disease that, left untreated, would have caused blue mushrooms to sprout from his body over several days before becoming contagious to anyone nearby. Using magic the party diagnosed the condition, maintained distance, and cured Kelvin before it could mature.

Dim and Sum Unmasked

A few nights after meeting the dwarf brothers on the trail, the party discovered that some of the items they had purchased were fakes — and worse, several were designed to track the party's location. Dim and Sum were not honest merchants separated from a caravan. They were swindlers who had marked the party as easy targets.

The brothers attacked the camp in the night. One of them triggered the "Wand of Fireballs" they had sold the party — it was never a wand at all, just a stick rigged to detonate a fireball on the camp. They expected it to kill the party outright. It nearly did, but the Forge Wardens survived the blast and cut them down in the fight that followed.

Kavu: "You call that a fireball, this is a fireball" --- Wooshing explosion sounds followed

The session ended with the road to Old Owl Well still ahead.

NPCs Encountered

NPC Role Notes
Sister Garaele Quest giver — Shrine of Luck Asked Roland to deliver silver comb to Agatha and inquire about Bowgentle's spellbook
Othorion New trial companion Joined the party during downtime; practiced his introduction all the way from Luskan
Dim Dwarf swindler Posed as merchant on the Triboar Trail; sold fake/tracking items; killed in night attack
Sum Dwarf swindler Brother of Dim; same fate
Daran Edermath Orchard keeper, Order of the Gauntlet Briefed the party on undead activity at Old Owl Well
Sildar Hallwinter Lord's Alliance Involved in manor renovation planning

Key Loot

Unresolved Threads