The Burning of Randlebenk Grove

Hello dwindling fanbase, long time no write.

When we last spoke the group had defeated the wicked Glasstaff and liberated Tresendar Manor and the Redbrand's chokehold over Phandalin. The group decided they should head back to town and re-group, figuring out what should come next.

They headed back down the overgrown path when suddenly a figure bursts from the brush beside them. The group reacted accordingly and readied themselves for a spontaneous fight, but the person seemed harmless, and very dishevelled. His face screamed that of major distress and he was whimpering and panting like a depressed dog. They asked the fellow what was wrong.

'My house is ablaze! It came out of nowhere, I was out in my herb garden, gathering ingredients for dinner when suddenly I smelt smoke. I turned around and my house was completely engulfed in flames, and my daughter is trapped in there! Please help me!'

The group agreed to help and they collectively ran in the direction the man lead. As they approached, they saw thick black smoke billowing over the treetops, indicating the man's story had a shred of truth to it. They made their way through a clearing of trees, the visual of the man's charred and ruined house becoming clearer step by step.

They quickly made it into the small clearing where the distressed man was standing as if his feet had been bolted to the spot, his face in a state of distress.

The group did the usual checks, detect evil revealed nothing, detect magic gave off a minor hum, and an investigation check showed a small set of footprints, too large for a child, but too small for a man, leading away from the house and into the forest. The group decided to investigate, and follow the trail.

The trail of footprints lead them through the forest for a small time, before they realised they were being led to a clearing. They emerged from the row of trees onto a dirt path, where the trail of prints ended. Not intent on giving up, the group looked around for clues. That's when they noticed a small wooden sign being partially obscured by overgrown shrubbery. They pulled at the shrubbery and revealed the shoddily written 'Danglemore Forest', which summoned a few quiet laughs. It appeared they'd deviated quite significantly from their intended route back down to Phandalin. Below the sign were two wooden arrows, pointing in opposite directions.

The first arrow had 'Hathmere Hollow - 20 km' written on it, and it pointed west. Below that was another wooden arrow which read 'Randlebenk Grove - 16 km' and pointed East. The group deliberated for a short time before deciding they'd rather avoid whatever Hathmere Hollow had to offer, after the incident with the Moth and the mysterious Elf, who they recently found out was an Elf mage called Sedruid. They headed East and plodded on for a short time before seeing the Grove just over the horizon. Less of a Grove, and more of a town, Randlebenk Grove grew larger as they approached. A town unlike any they'd seen or stayed in, the one difference it boasted was a small wooden wall encompassing the entire town.

The group continued on their approach and came towards a solitary guard standing in front of a rather shoddily constructed iron door/gate/fence.

'Hello, welcome to Randlebenk Grove, may I ask what business you will be conducting here today?' mumbled the guard as if he'd had to recite the same line a thousand times that very day. The group revealed they were investigating a nearby arson attack, and their enquiries had led them to this town. The guards eyes flashed with mild excitement for a moment, he then fumbled with some keys on his belt and opened the gate.

'Go to the town hall and tell them what you just told me, the Mayor will want to speak to you' said the guard with a now rather more pointed excitement in his voice.

The group do as he said and walked towards the largest building which was placed almost smack-bang in the middle of the town. They conversed with the guards standing on either side of the door who immediately let them in to the Town Hall. Once inside, they noted how dimly lit and almost intimate the space was. Armed guards lined a small carpeted walkway, which lead to a large wooden throne with an even larger man atop it. A smaller and neater looking man stepped forward.

'You are standing in the presence of his Lordship, Alfred Bamblebeck the Third, gracious

master of this bountiful town. What business are you here to conduct?' bellowed the man in a very rehearsed manner. The group revealed the details which led them there, both Alfred and the neater man's eyes widened.

'Thank you for bringing me this news, young adventurers.' spluttered Alfred, his speech surprising both the group and the neater man. 'I will leave you in the capable hands of my steward here, Fandel.'

The neat man, now revealed to be Fandel, did a small bow with his head, then mildly directed the group to a small room at the side of the Master's chamber. The group followed, paying their mildly sarcastic respects to the Master as they went.

When the last member of the party was in the room, Fandel closed the door behind them. The room, seemingly his office, was a much brighter room, but also a shambolic mess of scrolls and books strewn about the place. Fandel scurried to the other side of his wooden desk and sat down.

'You've come at a very pivotal and fearful time for this town. This arsonist you track, they've been causing untold havoc to the town and it's people. No one has any idea how to track them, and anyone who tries, never returns. I know i'm not painting a very positive picture, but if you assist us in this matter, the office of Master Alfred Bamblebeck the Third will bequeath upon you 1000 gold, provided the death stops.' Fandel said this which such haste that he began to pant lightly when he finished. The group agreed to his terms and his face beamed with happiness.

'Thank you kind adventurers. I would advise starting with a man called Bandil, he is the most recent victim of the arsonist, and claims to know who's doing it. You'll find him residing in the Laughing Chicken Inn, on the other side of town.'

The group heeded the advice of Fandel and hastily headed towards the Laughing Chicken Inn. On their walk they took note of the town, how almost all of the buildings seemed new and yet there was the occasional hint of age littered throughout. There was also a palpable air of dread floating about, as everyone they pass seemed weary or cautious. They soon arrived at the Laughing Chicken Inn, an unremarkable inn, not unlike any they'd ever been to, aside from the scorch marks. They did note however, it appeared to be one of the very few buildings untouched by the arsonists cruel hand.

They headed inside and were greeted by mild hostility. Everyone stopped their drinking, and halted their conversations, and turned to look at the group, eyeing them up. The tension became almost unbearable before a woman holding a tray of empty flagons headed towards the group.

'Welcome to the Laughing Chicken Inn, or should I call it the Miserable Old Man Inn' she said whilst side-eyeing some of the more downtrodden clientele. 'The name's Joanna, what can I do for you?'

The group said they'd been sent by the Steward to talk to a man called Bandil about the spate of arson attacks. Joanna nodded and pointed them to a dark corner of the inn. The group headed over and noted that sitting alone in the corner, was a Dark Elf. He was slowly nursing a flagon of ale and muttering to himself.

The group stopped just before his table, casting shadows over the already dark corner. The Elf looked up, angrily eyeing them all up.

'What do you want?' grumbled the Elf.

The group explain their mission and how they'd been sent by the Steward to ask about the arson. Whilst they explained, Bandil slowly passed his gaze across all of them, focusing particularly on Sandaril, the newest member of the party. Out of nowhere the Elf cut them off.

'Listen you grumpy old fool, we are here to help you and we've been through enough this week. Just tell us about the night your shop burnt down and we will be on our way.' belted out Sandaril angrily, which took Bandil and the group by surprise.

Sandil stewed for a moment, darting his eyes all over the place.

'About a week or so ago, I awoke in the middle of the night. I could smell smoke, I knew instantly that my shop was on fire. Not wanting to dwell on it, I ran to the window, and that's when I saw them, the arsonist. I will admit for a short time I suspected it was this fellow who lives just outside of town in a hut, but no, this person was smaller. Before I had any more time to dwell on it, the fire was engulfing everything around me. I smashed the window and jumped to safety. The last thing I saw before I passed out was the arsonist burning a hole in the fence and running North, towards Anthel ruins, a few miles outside of town. No one believes me, but I know exactly who did this.'

The group leaned in as Bandil subtly took in his surroundings.

'Unicorns. Gotta be.'

The group mustered a collective sigh. They thanked Bandil for the information and decided to head towards Anthel ruins, as it was their best lead. On their way out of the tavern, Joanna wished them luck.

They headed out of the main gate and North towards Anthel ruins. The excitement amongst the group was palpable as they walked with a skip in their step, eager to stop the dreaded arsonist causing misery in Randlebenk Grove, but evil forces plotted to stop them at every turn...