Session A13 — Bonus Session

Summary

A homecoming-and-planning episode. After a drow ambush on the final stretch of road, the party returns to Phandalin to find their relationships intact and their reputation growing. They check in with nearly every important local contact, handle outstanding obligations, and settle on Thundertree as the next destination. Reidoth is the key new lead — finding him means both druidic knowledge and a route toward Cragmaw Castle and Gundren Rockseeker. The session closes on rain dance theology and Othorion's first theologically ambiguous shuffle.

Key Events

The Road Ambush — Final Stretch to Phandalin

On the last stretch of road before Phandalin, a House Baenre scouting party was waiting for them.

• Othorion moved ahead of the party alone to investigate suspicious movement in the treeline
• The drow had been waiting — Othorion was swarmed and nearly taken down
• Haldak Tencloak cast Darkness over Othorion's position, blinding the drow and covering a desperate withdrawal
• The party pulled Othorion back; the drow melted back into the wilderness without pressing the pursuit
• From the party's perspective: the first confirmed active assassination attempt by House Baenre in the field
• Zilnath led the scouting party — Othorion's House Baenre cousin

Arrival — Pip's Reunion at the Stonehill Inn

The party rolls into Phandalin after roughly twenty days on the road in miserable rain. The mood is tired, relieved, and ready for hot food.

Roland's Spear of Legends: On the journey back, Roland whittled a toy spear for Pip — three days of carving on a bouncing cart, with no carpentry tools. The DM rolled three nature checks of varying difficulty. The result was described as follows: "The bottom of this looks like a child has basically chewed on a stick and whittled it down into the rough shape," then the middle section became "a work of art — there's a squirrel whose legs look like a Cronenbergian nightmare but it looks like a freaking beautiful Leonardo da Vinci painting up top," and the tip was a functional sharpened point. Final ruling: "You made a 10-foot spear because you forgot how tall she is." The DM: "It looks like three people worked on it." Pip named it the Spear of Legends.

Pip's greeting: She dropped her food, hovered across the inn, and sucker-punched Roland in the groin as hard as she could. First words: "Where the hell have you been? And where's Jonah? Who the hell is this?" Roland: "We've been on the road. We've been having adventures. We have stories to tell." Pip slapped the table: "Barkeep! Milk!" — and was immediately corrected by her mother from the back: "Pipithril Stonehill, I am your mother and you will not call me a barkeep. Get the milk yourself." Full name confirmed: Pipithril Stonehill. After hearing that Jonah had departed: "Well, he's in a better place." Then, accepting the Spear of Legends and turning to the party: "I have a weapon now, so you better be honest."

Pip's intelligence on the town while the party was away included that some other adventurers came through and "were kind of making fun of you" — one of them "had a really punchable face." She handled it. Also, Mainestrid Copperlocks had come through: a particularly abrasive red-haired gnome woman who attempted to throw her weight around regarding the town's future and the missing Rockseeker situation. Sildar Hallwinter, Daran Edermath, and Granny Graywind pushed back. The message is clear: if Gundren stays missing long enough, outside interests will start claiming control of the region's mining prospects.

Kavu, Qelline, and Drizzle at the Alderleaf Farm

Kavu heads to the Alderleaf farm, where Qelline Alderleaf and her son Karp are hauling in potatoes in the rain and Drizzle is working off his time in the kitchen.

• Kavu confirms Drizzle is alive and well; pays him his back wages; points him back toward the party's orbit
• New lead: through the Alderleafs, Kavu learns that the druid Reidoth periodically comes to the farm for supplies and can be found near Thundertree — this transforms Thundertree from a vague map location into an actionable destination

Tresendar Manor Becomes a Real Project

Roland and Kelvin head to Tresendar Manor, where Sildar Hallwinter walks them through the current reconstruction.

• Rubble cleared, cranes in place, materials arriving
• Sildar frames the decision: a simple residence is one option, but the manor could anchor barracks, defensive walls, and a fallback position for the town guard
• He reminds them that Phandalin has been destroyed by raiders before — it would be unwise to let history repeat
• The manor stops being ruined inheritance this session and starts becoming infrastructure

Sister Garaele — Bowgentle's Spellbook Quest Concluded

• Kavu visits first; confirms the Agatha errand was completed but cannot cleanly relay the specifics
• Roland follows up and delivers the clean report: Agatha traded Bowgentle's spellbook more than a century ago to the necromancer Surnath of Eriabor
• Sister Garaele considers the quest fulfilled; pays the promised reward: 3 potions of healing
• The lead on Surnath of Eriabor remains — his current location and what became of the spellbook after him are unresolved

Daran Edermath — Old Owl Well Debrief

Roland and Kelvin find Daran picking apples in his orchard and loading barrels onto a cart. He is humming: "and then the Kenku said, my name is Rain Falling on a Wooden Roof" — a Lifting Spirits-era tune passed down through Order of the Gauntlet channels. The party sat on barrels while he sorted apples for cider and ate the one good one.

• Undead were accurate; a necromancer is operating there; the situation is more complicated than a simple hostile target — the party accepted a bargain, the immediate threat to Phandalin is not urgent
• Daran treats this as useful reconnaissance; he wants Kost involved in the Phandalin mining share discussions: "If there is indeed a person with whom we can deal, we want to involve them in the Phandalin mining shares as soon as humanly possible." He requested name and description; Roland gave both; Daran asked if they had anything of Kost's bearing his mark (hair, blood, etc.); Roland produced the signed contract
• Kavu offered Order of the Gauntlet membership: Daran formally extends the offer. Kavu becomes sidetracked by the prospect of meeting a giant blue dragonborn who burps lightning and wants to know if he can be taught — the session did not resolve whether he formally accepted or refused
• Daran on his old boss (Calarin Dexok): "It was important for him that communication be thorough and brief. Then again, if you were an eight-foot-tall lightning-spewing dragonborn, you might find yourself in the same situation." He adds that Calarin can be found at "Trollskull, Yawning Portal — one of those three" taverns in Waterdeep these days

Haldak Learns the Truth About Netheril

Upon seeing a regional map of Faerûn, Haldak Tencloak became deeply disturbed. Waterdeep, Neverwinter — cities he had never heard of. When the party explained that Netheril fell over 2,000 years ago — not "a few days ago" as Haldak believed — he had a severe emotional breakdown. Everyone he had ever known was dead. He spent time conjuring an astral lute and weeping. The party gave him space.

Pip's Age-Testing Incident

Pip had acquired a broken age-testing dagger and insisted on testing the party. Results: Roland — 18 (legal to drink), Kavu — 19 (dragonborn can drink at 6), Othorion — approximately 100 (drow can drink at 80, so technically illegal), Kelvin — claimed he was 6-7 moon cycles old. The device flagged him as a minor. Kelvin was placed on the Stonehill Inn's "do not serve" list until he determines his actual age. Haldak registered as 100 but Pip concluded the device was broken.

Elmar Barthen and Haldak

Haldak Tencloak visits Elmar Barthen at Barthen's Provisions.

• Barthen recognised the old dialect Haldak uses; they converse in it — an unexpected moment of connection
• Haldak requests historical books on Netheril; Barthen sources them

The Blacksmith — Alger Frakk

Othorion visited Alger Frakk at the smithy, where Maza Fieldsalder was still apprenticing. Othorion asked Alger to repair his hand crossbow (damaged during the road). Alger also had an unclaimed gift originally intended for Jonah — since Jonah had departed, he offered it split between Othorion and Haldak. Haldak deferred, calling it debt repayment to Kavu for saving him earlier. Othorion selected a razor-sharp dagger (non-magical, upgraded quality)

Shopping, Logistics, and the Wyvern Tor Reward

The party reconverges, compares notes, and handles the practical work: supply runs, potion counts, custom item pickups, healing gear.

• 100gp Wyvern Tor reward paid: 100gp distributed (20gp per person) for clearing the Wyvern Tor orcs
• Boulders for Muscles serenades Granny Graywind: Kavu found Boulders outside the Lionshield Coster performing a song he had just written, "I Want to Show What Love Is", to Linene Graywind watching from a second-floor window. Key lyrics included "My dearest Linene Graywind, I sing my song for you" and "Come set my boulders free." The DM described it as "a young man with his heart on his sleeve and a song in his throat, holding his boombox out outside of the Lion Shield Coster." Linene Graywind was moved. After the song, Boulders addressed Kavu directly: "I truly have you to thank for this, Kavu, Knight of Fire. Thank you for not killing me when you first met me. Thank you for allowing me to travel with you and be the bard to tell your tales." He concluded: "I think I could find a home here and be very happy. Would you have me?" Kavu: "Boulders, once people hear that beautiful, beautiful voice of yours, I don't think I would want you to leave." Boulders is staying in Phandalin.

Planning — Thundertree

Thundertree emerges as the obvious next step. Reidoth may be there. The area may also connect to Cragmaw Castle and, by extension, Gundren Rockseeker. With local business handled and town relationships refreshed, the party ends the session in significantly better organisational shape than it began.

The Rain Dance — A Theological Moment

Kavu and Kelvin resume their ceremonial rain dance, this time recruiting more of the party. Kelvin asked Othorion if he wanted to join. Othorion's response: "I would rather kill myself."

The DM's immediate reply: "I'm not going to make you do anything, but I would rather kill myself as a really good way to make sure the DM never heeds any calls you make to your deity ever again." Then: a dark foreboding descended on Othorion — "you know when you walk around and it's dark out and then everything goes really quiet and this chill and heat at the same time run down your body and you're like, shit, I shouldn't be here, I've done something stupid." There was also a full moon. Behind the clouds, but present. Kelvin noted to Roland: "in nature, wolves bond by howling at the moon together. This could help us be stronger as a tribe."

Othorion: "I will join you in your dance." He did not strip down (the DM had offered advantage on the roll for doing so, citing the Eilistraee doctrine; he declined). He shuffled. After the performance, Sildar's verdict: "If nothing else, that was good cardio."

The next morning's weather: "35 degrees Fahrenheit. Clear skies. I shit you not." The DM put the roll result on screen to prove it. Kavu is now essentially convinced the dance works. Roland is not. Othorion is trying very hard not to examine his own participation.

NPCs Encountered

Loot / Rewards

Party Notes

• Roland: Whittled Pip a 10-foot spear over three days of bouncing cart travel — the DM rolled three nature checks resulting in a three-tier monstrosity: "The bottom looks like a child has basically chewed on a stick, the middle is a work of art with a squirrel whose legs look like a Cronenbergian nightmare, and the tip is a perfectly functional sharpened point." Pip named it the Spear of Legends. Reported to Sister Garaele and Daran on the party's errands. Equipped +1 plate armour from the roc nest
• Kavu: Paid Drizzle's back wages (4gp); found Boulders serenading Granny Graywind; collected the Wyvern Tor bounty from Harbin Wester (negotiated 100gp from a "typo"); may have been offered Order of the Gauntlet membership by Daran (unresolved — got distracted by the prospect of meeting a giant blue dragonborn who burps lightning)
• Kelvin Fairlight: Claimed to be 6-7 moon cycles old; placed on the Stonehill Inn's do-not-serve list; participated in the rain dance and recruited Othorion
• Othorion: Deeply ashamed after the Zilnath incident; had a quiet emotional conversation with Haldak about debt and normalcy; got his hand crossbow repaired by Alger and selected a new razor-sharp dagger; reluctantly joined the rain dance — shuffled once: "I would rather kill myself" → dark foreboding from his deity → "I will join you in your dance"
• Haldak Tencloak: Suffered severe emotional breakdown upon learning Netheril fell 2,000 years ago; conjured an astral lute and wept; visited Barthen for Netheril history books; deferred the blacksmith's gift to Othorion as debt repayment

Threads Opened / Advanced

• Phandalin elections: Elections for Lord Protector are coming — winner and descendants become nobility. Harbin Wester will be replaced
• Thundertree: Next destination — Reidoth is findable there; leads toward Cragmaw Castle and Gundren
• Gundren Rockseeker: Still missing; outside interests circling (Mainestrid Copperlocks)
• Tresendar Manor: Actively in reconstruction; fortification question now open
• House Baenre (road ambush): Othorion believes House Baenre is actively hunting him — this is exactly what Jarlaxle intends him to believe
• Surnath of Eriabor: The spellbook trail continues; his current location and the book's fate are unknown
• Calarin Dexok / Lifting Spirits history: Daran knows more than he shows; the Kenku song is a thread
• Eilistraee / Othorion: He danced. Once. Sort of. This is noted.