Session 3 Notes

RECAP
After a rough day in the Wood, our party finally arrives at Thundertree just as night falls. They are challenged at the gate, but ultimately gain entry once Dr. Bonez reveals herself and is recognized as the dragon healer spoken about by a dwarven trader who arrived days prior telling tales of an ambush in the woods. Carl, a friendly simple watchman, directs the group to the Squirrel and Pheasant Inn, which is where he first heard the rumor. The trader might still be there, as it is a usual spot for merchants and other sorts passing through the trade settlement. The Squirrel and Pheasant was a decent place, run by a human man named Kevin (also the bartender). After getting drinks and a table, the team settles in for a relaxing evening, having learned the trader was apparently at the Temple of Mielikki on the other side of town. Dungar takes the stage to play some music, sometimes accompanied by jokes from Thorne and an attempted knife routine by Gil.

Val decides to engage in a little tradecraft and attempts to glean information from some of the bar attendees. The first table was a no go, and she was rather rudely harried away. She settled in at a table full of gnomes--from Lantan, they revealed--where she was immediately engaged in an (one sided) enthusiastic conversation with a fellow named Rolf. He may want to hire some guards for the next leg of their journey, if interested. Upon extricating herself Val receives Rolf's card.

At the party table, Gil and Yglesia get into a bit of a heated argument that ends with Gil losing his eyebrows. They are also approached by a man claiming to be a Son of Alagondar who tried to recruit them, but also warned them to stay out of the far reaches of Blacklake. Yglesia stomps up to her room. Seeing this, Val goes after her to see what's wrong, where Yglesia reveals she's made the connection between the rumors in Thundertree and their mission to find the Zhent agent.

The next morning the team travels to the Temple of Mielikki, an interfaith nature temple. They meet Langdon the ranger, self titled warden of the Thundertree environs (DM edit for brevity). Yglesia speaks with the priest of Gwaeron Windstrom, who notices she seems trouble. He asks her to pray with him, and raises her hand to touch the bark of the silver stone tree in the center of the sanctuary. She and the priest are pulled into the vision of wailing trees, but this time there's enough detail for the priest to recognize the location: Linu's Repose. The team learns that the dwarven trader has actually gone to the merchant's guild, so they make their way across the plaza.

After a quick shop, they enter the Guildhall and are directed to the cafeteria where they see a braggadocious dwarf telling tall tales about the encounter to a group of impressionable young people (Caravaners, guards, aspiring merchants). Interrupting his tale, they pressure him to tell them what he knows about the attack. He reveals that the half-orc attacker was wearing the Armor of Many Arrows, a unique armor worn by the highest ranking or most gifted from the Kingdom of Many Arrows--the orcish civilization bordering the lands ruled by the dwarves of Mithril Hall. Gil buys some products from home, including a nice new warhammer, a set of bagpipes, and a growler of dwarven ale.

Having learned all they could and with new direction, the team leaves Thundertree around lunchtime and heads back into the woods. As they walk deeper and deeper, Yglesia starts to hear the wailing from her vision. Kibeth takes off after catching a scent from the armor, and the team runs after her. Pressed by her vision, Yglesia charges ahead of the party and is suddenly brought up short by a crossbow bolt streaking through the dim light. Rising above them are the walls of a wooden encampment, and perhaps the conclusion of their hunt through the Neverwinter Wood....