DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games LMP: Lost Mines of Phandelver 4 - Wave Echo Cave

Kriv

"Agreed. Getting Nundro safely to Gundren is paramount: That will be for naught if some ghast haunting these halls strikes him down beforehand. We must ascend from here, at least for the time being."

DM

Seeing that there's relative agreement, the group begins the trek outside the mines. Nundro knows the shortest and safest ways and that path is littered with the corpses of those that the party had dispatch. The bodies that are not undead corpses are being chewed on by rats and other vermin which scatter as the party approaches. They stay vigilant and on-guard while making their way out. They avoid any uncleared areas. The path takes you through the smelter chamber where you battled the Flameskull and undead. Then through the Great Cavern where you battled ghouls and finally towards the intersection where the stirges attacked. From there you found your way through a small tunnel into the open pit in the cave entrance. After climbing up, you find Tharden in the western part of the cave and Nundro rushes over to the body, drops to his knees and begins to sob and wail at the sight of his dead brother.

Ryssa


She needed to sleep, to recover her abilities and strengthen the contact she normally held with her deity, the Morninglord Lathander.

But Nundro needed her help. She kneeled at the dwarf's side and prayed quietly for the soul of Tharden and his siblings.

Ryssa did not speak to Nundro... not yet. She was afraid he was not ready to deal with that.

Nundro

He took solace in the fact that the priestess was showing solidarity and compassion and was honoring his brother.

In his state of grief the dwarf cries out, "Why? Why did the drow come here? What did he want?"

The answer, as far as the party was concerned was 'the forge of spells'. But what did he need the Forge of Spells for? Was there something more to it? The heroes hadn't really had a chance to ask Nundro a lot of questions. The trip back to Phandelin might be the right occasion for that conversation.

"Where's his boots?" he then asks through his tears.

The boots were last seen around Ryssa's neck, but I'll assume that they're in her backpack now.

Ryssa


Ryssa pulled her haversack from her back and extracted the dwarf's boots.

"I had forgotten I was holding onto them."

Nundro
"No. You keep them. I owe you my life, the boots don't come close to repaying the debt I owe you! The boots are special, did you know? They let you jump real good. They're yours."

Davroar

Feeling the fresh air again on his face, he takes a big deep breath and wanders off to the nearest tree for some relief.

Being young he is uncomfortable sticking around the older dwarf in his sorrow. In the short wait, to keep busy he casts his druidcraft cantrip to see what the weather will be like.

Ryssa


The cleric frowned as she examined the boots and finally nodded, her expression easing to a thankful smile.

"I appreciate your offer, Nundro. I did not mean to take them but they will be appreciated."

Ryssa looked around the rest of the group, wondering if there was someone else in their party who could garner more benefit from the footwear than she herself could.

[I don't think any PC would benefit from them specially. They're for jumping. None of us particularly use that ability.]

Chandan

The wizened old monk may have a life-time's experience with burial rites, but very little in actually comforting the grieving. Chandan did what he thought had to be done for Tharden when they first found his body. Now is the time for Ryssa the priestess to shine. Light and grace, surely what a mournful soul needs.

Chandan rests his hand on Ryssa's shoulder.

"You take them. They will help you come to the aid of those who need it." He says.

To Nundro, he says, "Come, Nundro. Let us bury your brother and be on our way. Your other brother awaits you in Phandelin."

"What did the Black Spider want? This mine? The Forge of Spells? Both? For himself, yes, and killed to keep it secret.

"But no good end comes from evil deeds. This mine belongs to your family once more."

Chandan suggests the move Tharden to a corner and build a cairn over him with rubble. In time the dwarves can erect a more permanent memorial.

Where the monk comes from, it's tradition to chop up the deceased's body and feed it to the condors. But that practice might seem outlandish in Faerûn.

To be exact:

Quote

Boots of Striding and Springing
Requires Attunement

While you wear these boots, your walking speed becomes 30 feet, unless your walking speed is higher, and your speed isn't reduced if you are encumbered or wearing Heavy Armor. In addition, you can jump three times the normal distance, though you can't jump farther than your remaining Movement would allow.

What it means is you could jump over crevasses and if you're carrying something heavy, it won't slow you down.


Nundro

He accepts the help offered to build a suitable cairn for his fallen sibling. It was very much the dwarven way. As they worked, he replied to Chandan. "I'm not sure. He asked a lot of questions and kept talking about something called the "Crack Society" or something like that.

<Bern>

He moves to help with the cairn, moving rocks up near Tharden, but let Nundro do the actual placement.

(OOC - What it also means, although not for this party now that Lingo is gone, if anyone was playing a halfling or dwarf whose movement speed is less than 30, they no longer have to run to keep up with everyone else.)

True enough, but the boots would let him keep up without having to use up a Bonus Action or Run. Same for when the original party had the Dwarf Cleric Nivek was playing. It rarely comes into play, but when the party is running to get somewhere, or away from something, the dwarves and halflings can fall behind.

Jaliera

Her eyes had followed Davroar as he headed outside but she hears the 'boots' conversation.

"Chandan has it right Ryssa. Using the boots you can better reach anyone in need. Besides they were gifted to you."

She smiles at the cleric.

"If you need me to help with the rocks, just call. I'm heading outside to make sure Davroar is OK."

And she does just that, wandering over to the young druid as she spots him, Whisper flying to sit in a tree.

"It seems strange now that it is all over. In some ways I'm a bit apprehensive now as it would be nice to retain the friends we've made."

Ryssa


Instinctively she moved her hair to cover the scar on the left side of her face, she smiled at Jaliera and nodded as she realized that she had almost given up the habit of hiding the ugly scar she'd carried on her cheek.

Then Ryssa turned to look at the ones who were constructing the burial cairn.

"Call me when you have it complete," she said to Nundro and Bern and the others.

"I would like to pray to my deity in hopes of sanctifying the burial site, if you do not mind."

Ryssa followed Jaliera outside, arriving just soon enough to catch her words.

"Yes," she said to Jaliera. "I have lost friends during our... adventure, but I have also gained friends. Good friends."

The cleric smiled at Jaliera.

Kriv

Quietly, the Dragonborn noble assisted with assembling Tharden's cairn. He had never spoken much on the substance of the honour debt owed by Norixius Keep, but for those aware of the eldritch knight's aversion to acts of charity, it was clearly something he held in even greater esteem than his personal inclinations.

Davroar

He turns when he hears Jaliera approaching, and nods to Ryssa too.

"We could, Jaliera. We all are good people. Just need another good cause we can all follow."

He remembers Jaliera said she needs to return back to her mentor though, and suggests, "Like you, if others have oaths to do after this, perhaps we can all agree to meet again later."

Jaliera

Impulsively she turns and hugs Ryssa.

"True for us all I think."

Then she turns back to Davroar, a big smile on her face. It is clear that she has feelings for him.

"That would be good. Maybe we can talk to the others on the way back?"

She feels she has really come into her own on this adventure, honed skills she didn't even know she had at the outset, gained an ability with magic - still a wonder to her - and maybe moved away from being a child. She still misses her parents but feels more sure of her own footing now.

Ryssa


The cleric tensed briefly but then quickly relaxed and returned the embrace offered her by Jaliera.

"I have learned much from you, my friends, and you have helped me advance in the service of the Morninglord, Lathander."

She looked around and smiled at the others.

"I would gladly accompany you, help you if I could, in any mission."

DM

The heroes took their cue from Nundro. Once he was ready to leave, so were they. He was eager to see his brother and It was just a 10 mile trek downhill to get to Phandelin. So, at his urging, they made the journey, which was uneventful.

It's not surprising that the trail you took into town was called the Miner's Trail and that the first non-residence you pass is the Miner's Exchange which is manned by Halia Thornton. She sees the group and steps into threshhold of the exchange and calls out, "Ho there! Nundro! It is good to see your ugly face again!" to which Nundro replies, "And it's a pleasure to see your fat rump too!"

The two were smiling and she steps forward and kneels down to give him a hug. Then she pulls away from him and asks "Where's Tharden?" as her smile melts away quickly.

"He is with our ancestors now," Nundro said.

She pulls him in again and gives him another embrace. This one a bit longer and she doesn't say anything. Her meaning is understood. Then she stands back up. Gundren's at the Inn. Someone should go tell Sildar that you've all returned.

Stonehill Inn is the only inn in town and Sildar is likely to be found at the Townmaster Hall ever since he removed Harbin Wester from the active role of townmaster.

OOC: If there are loose ends you want to tie up from the conversations that you started, the could continue on the way and also into town.

Ryssa


She walked alongside Jaliera after pulling on the new magic boots of jumping if that indeed was what they were. She had managed a full night's sleep and had gotten up early to carry out her morning prayers.

Ryssa felt better, much better.