Session 14: The Circle of Thunder

"'The flashes of lightning and booms of thunder became more rhythmic and all seemed to be landing in the same area in Neverwinter Wood.'"The adventurers face off against Gorthok the Thunder Boar with assistance from a stranger in the woods.

Summary
In the heart of Neverwinter Wood, the adventurers witnessed the summoning of a huge boar that seemed to be a conduit of lightning and thunder.

The Circle of Thunder
The party was nearly drained to exhaustion from their battle at the woodland manse, but they were committed to saving the would-be sacrifices they found.

The giant boar, who identified themselves as "Gorthok," fought with bolts of lightning and thunderous stomps that shook their targets to the core. The half-orc priest of Talos fought with similar powers in addition to being able to control and create twig creatures that assailed the captives that the party was trying to save.

Moneux and Morgana engaged Gorthok from afar until the panther was struck down by the mighty boar. Latham, Quoorin, and Varien busied themselves with destroying the twig creatures and escaping with the captives until they saw that the half-orc could bring the creatures back to life.

From the darkness of the woods, the party received aid in the form of powerful spells and conjured animals. A druid in the form of a cloaked figure wearing a plague doctor's mask arrived. The druid was Amos Freebird, he called the adventurers over to a nearby tree so that they might escape.

As the druid cast a spell on a nearby tree, three arrows flew out from it and plugged into Gorthok. Falcon and Reidoth emerged from the tree and a wall of vines surrounded Gorthok.

With their reinforcements the adventurers regrouped and pushed one more time against their enemies. With their last bit of energy, the party defeated the half-orc and Gorthok, releasing a crash of thunder and lightning that caused the boar to disappear.

Back to Phandalin
Reidoth cast a spell on a nearby tree, gesturing for everyone to walk into it. The adventurers and the surviving captives found themselves in Thundertree. Corwin was relieved to see Falcon who was barely able to keep himself standing.

The adventurers took a well-deserved rest before setting off toward Phandalin the following day. Corwin stayed behind with Falcon at Thundertree, but Amos Freebird expressed a want for adventure that took him on the road with the party.

Back in Phandalin, the party could see Tresendar Manor nearly at a complete restoration before heading to Edermath Orchard to receive their reward.

Trouble in Town
After a few days of rest, the party was met by the young Carp Alderleaf. The halfling boy reported that workers at Tresendar Manor were deliberately throwing away materials or damaging tools when all of the other workers were gone. The only thing Carp knew about them was that they were local miners, not out of town labor like the other workers.

With the information in hand, the adventurers made their way to the Phandalin Miner's Exchange to see if Halia Thornton knew anything about the workers. When they arrived, the exchange seemed to be closed but the adventurers quickly picked up on something happening within. The bursted through the locked entrance to the exchange to see Halia Thornton and "Harbin Wester," in his doppelganger with swords drawn among two dead bodies on the floor of the building.

Harbin told the adventurers that Halia could not be trusted, while Halia asked that the adventurers defend her from the creature. Harbin tracked down the cutthroat that had attacked him and was able to peer into the man's mind, seeing clues that led the doppelganger back to the miner's exchange. Halia begged the adventurers help her as a doppelganger could not be trusted, let alone lead the town.

Latham placed the two under a zone of truth, but even after questioning Halia and Harbin, the two made their cases that one of them had to die. Moneux nocked an arrow into her bowstring and loosed a shot at Halia, as the woman clutched at her wound a winged snake descended from the rafters and coiled around her as they turned invisible. Latham moved to block the door as he felt Halia bump into him and fall to the ground.

When the adventurers got a hold of the invisible Halia, her form became visible as the flying snake glided back into the rafters. A bite wound was visible on Halia's neck and she was left lifeless. Harbin thanked Moneux for her deed but was frustrated by the winged snake. He explained that the snake was the trademark of the Zhentarim, a notorious criminal organization. Harbin told the adventurers to leave the exchange as he would clean up the mess and make sure no one caught on to what had actually transpire. He also warned the adventurers to be cautious now that they had been caught up in Zhentarim business.

Tresendar Manor
The adventurers returned to a peaceful life in Phandalin for the next tenday. Merchant and traders from afar came to finish the construction of Tresendar Manor and the day that the adventurers could call the crumbling ruins their home finally came.

Tresendar Manor had been restored to a beautiful and fortified three-story structure overlooking Phandalin. The party took claim to their lodgings as a familiar face made an appearance. Don-Jon Raskin, the overseer that the adventurers guided to a gold mine, was impressed by the keep and congratulated the adventurers on how they came. Raskin was released from the Neverwinter Consortium's employ and asked if Tresendar Manor needed a chamberlain, especially since townsfolk were already looking for work at the fine keep. Happy to have an experienced man such as Raskin looking over the manor, Latham obliged to his request.

Player Characters

 * Amos the kenku druid of spores
 * Latham the goliath paladin of devotion
 * Moneux the shifter beast master
 * Quoorin the wood elf battle master
 * Varien the half-elf warlock of the fiend

Non-Player Characters

 * Carp Alderleaf, the young male halfling son of Qelline Alderleaf. He is tasked with tolling the bell above Tresendar Manor in cases of great peril to Phandalin.
 * Corwin, the female human retainer to Falcon who was captured by the cult of Talos.
 * Daran Edermath, the gray-haired male half-elf owner of the apple orchard in Phandalin.
 * Don-Jon Raskin, the male human overseer formerly employed by the Neverwinter Consortium. He is now the chamberlain of Tresendar Manor.
 * Falcon, a male human ranger and guide for paying hunters who brave Neverwinter Wood.
 * Halia Thornton, the female human who formerly owned the Phandalin Mining Exchange.
 * Harbin Wester, the male human townmaster of Phandalin and doppelganger in disguise.
 * Morgana, the panther animal companion to Moneux.
 * Reidoth, the male human druid of Thundertree.
 * Spills the Stew, a male tabaxi bard and adventurer looking to catalog the adventures of heroes.
 * Tibor Wester, the male human contractor and half-brother of Harbin Wester. He now runs the Phandalin Mining Exchange.

Deaths

 * Halia Thornton: shot by an arrow and received a venomous bite from a flying snake.