When we last joined our adventurers, after gathering information around the town of Phandalin, they decided to sneak into the lair of the brigand group "the Redbrands." After pied-pipering a small child in the middle of the night (its a long story) they discover a secret entrance into castle cavern beneath Tresendar Manor. After a striking a bargin with a Nothic for copious amounts of meat, the party catches the infamous wizard in his study through a secret door. In a strike of (infuriating for the DM) inspiration, Keras cast Sleep on Glasstaff, ending the battle. The party quickly dispatched the remaining redbrands, and settled down for a short rest in the wizards quarters, next to his bound, stripped, and gagged body.

The fantastical Staff of Defense, was given by Keras to Demna, who used the short rest to attune to it. With their now awake, but still battered wizard captive in tow, the party sets out to rescue the prisoners still held captive in the lair. Heading through hidden doorway opposite the party finds a locked door at the start of the hallway. Keras uses the key recovered from Glasstaff, and entering the party discovers an armory of weapons. They discover:

• Red Cloaks x4

• Spears x12

• Short Swords x6

• Long Swords x4

• Light Crossbows x6 (Two taken by Lillian and Billie)

• Quivers of 20 Crossbow Bolts x8 (Two taken by Lillian and Billie)

Billie uses the opportunity to intimidate Glasstaff. The threat of the Nothic causes him to piss himself, and he is now very compliant. Patting him on the head, Billie tells Glasstaff he's a good boy. Leaving and locking the room behind them, the party head down the hall and into a crypt like room. In the room, the party sees three skeletons in rusty bronze armor standing by three stone sarcohagi. As the party enters, the skeletons animate.

The party does not hesitate to attack, Lillian quickly lashes out with Burning Hands, destroying one skeleton, and damaging another. Keras leaps into the fray and attacks the injured skeleton with his mace. The skeleton crumples under his powerful swing. The final remaining skelton uses this distraction to lash out at Dripp leaving him with a nasty slash on his chest. Seeing his comrade in danger, Billie interviegns with his quarterstaff clocking the skeleton in the head. The skeleton's head spins backwards, but the skeleton is still standing. Demna comes in to deliver the finishing blow, casting Mind Sliver, causing its feeble intelligence to fail. The light in its eyes fade and and dropping the skeleton.

With the enemies dispatched the party searches the sarcophagi locating:

• Platinum Signate Rings x3 (worth 50GP each)

The party sees two paths out of the room. The party listens at the first door hearing sobing and whispers on the other side of the door. Believe to have found the prisoner quarters, they enter. Inside they find a woman and two childern, shackled and chained. They identify themselves as Thal's (the wood worker's) family. Keras uses the key recovered from Glasstaff to unlock their binding. They explain their husband was murdered and they were abducted by the Red Brands. They have nothing to reward the party, but they do share the location of a possible valuable treasure. Apparently their family once owned a herb and alchemy shop in the city of Thundertree. The village was overrun by undead. The shop was located in the southwest of the village. Inside under a storage area the party may find a gold and emerald necklace. Keras gives them the last of his provisions and warns them of the nothic outside.

Asking the former prisoners to stay safe in the room for the moment, the party moves on to the next room connecting to the crypt room. Lillian enters the next room, an ornately decorated, but dillapidated looking room with angelic copper skulptures in the wall. Detecting a pit trap in the center of the room, Dripp and Lillian avoid the trap. Using their rope, the remaining members of the party are able to make it across the trap.

Entering the room, the party sees a large water filled cistern and barrels. Keras seeing the large body of clean water leaps in. Just intending to "get his gills wet" he accidentially discovers a waterproof satchel hanging from a roape in the water. Keras decides to keep it. The satchel contains:

• Potion of Healing

• Potion of Invisibility

• 50GP

• Traveler's Clothes

Investigating the room they discover significant quantities of Barels contain salted pork and other provisions. They further investigate the room, discovering a hidden doorway that leads out of the cavern which they guide the former prisoners along and to safety. They also open another normal door into a store room with beds. This was the quarters of the Red Brands they dispatched earlier. They find their coin purses and some clothing, amungst the many crates of provisions, all with the Lionshield Coster logo. Collectively they find:

• 28SP 12GP 15 EP

• Garnets x2 (worth 10GP each)

• Red Cloaks x3

Electrum is generally considered counterfeit platinum in this area of the world. The party decides to hold on to it, seeing it as a possible useful tool for the future. Now with a good grasp of the layout of the area they head to the only unexplored area they can think of, in the direction the nothic headed. Inside they find the nothic, surrounded in corpses and dismembered body parts. He inquires about the meat he was promised. The party informs him they will bring it soon. The nothic returns to his area, but not before Keras asks him for his name. He thinks on it a moment and decides on a name for himself on the spot. "My name is Bread." Giggling he goes back to the caverns where the party first found him.

Inside the room, the party sees what must have been a gambling table in the center of the room and even more provisions, they discover:

• Set of Loaded Dice

• 75CP 55SP 15GP 22EP

• Gold Earrings with Rubies (15GP)

• Short Swords x4

• Light Crossbows x4

• Quivers of Crossbow Bolts x4 (20 bolts each)

The party moves to the last remaining door yet to be explored. Listening at the door they hear grumbling in an undecernable language. Throwing caution to the wind, Keras enters, finding a small baracks chamber with four crude bunks, one goblin, and three bugbears. The room smells of rotten meat and bile. The lone goblin appears to be being forced to dance and embarass himself for the bugbears' entertainment. The suprise of the adventurers entering causes the goblin to faint. Keras enters the fray attempting to hit two bugbears attacked with Word of Radiance by Keras. Lillian attempts to use Thorn Whip, but it goes astray, nearly hitting Keras, who ducks at the last second just avoiding it. Dripp lashes out with his bow dealing significant damage to one bugbear. Demna attempts to cast Sleep on one of the bug bears, but it fails.

The bugbears recovering from their suprise, strike out at Keras, but he catches the vicious morningstar strike with his sheild. Keras responds by casting Vicious Mockery, telling him that "We're going to behead you like we beheaded Klarg." The bugbear actually appears saddened, taking psycic damage. Billie follows up with strikes to another of the bugbears, cracking his clavicle with a hearty thump to his chest, and disloacating his jaw with a follow up strike.

Lillian casts Summon Fire Spirit Elemental. The summon burns two bug bears... and Keras. Lillian directs the elemental to strike at the injured bugbear but the spell goes off target and disipates on the stone wall behind him. Even with the miss, the bugbear is frightened by the flames and strikes it with its morningstar, immediately dispelling it. Keras, still in the fray, continues to dodge incoming attacks.

Dripp strikes out with his bow at the last uninjured bugbear, using an Ensnaring Strike, dealing a moderate amount of damage. Demna strikes out at the same bug bear, casting a super effective Chromatic Orb. Its acidic magic burns a hole straight through its chest, immediately killing it. Seeing one of his friends killed, the broken jawed bugbear attempts to hit Billie but misses. Billie responds with an inspired strike to its head, killing it instantly, and fully seperating its jaw in the process.

Lillian casts Summon Fire Spirit Elemental again, but this time Keras manages to avoid the flames. The summoned elemental rakes the last bugbear in flames, bringing it to the edge of death. Demna strikes out again with a Chromatic Orb. Its acidic magic soundly dispatches the last bugbear.

• Jeweled Eye Patch (worth 50GP)

• 33SP

• Iron Key to the Hideout

• Morningstars x3

• Javelins x3

• Sheilds x3

• Hide Armor Set

The party ties up the goblin and question him. He explains that the Cragmaw goblins patrol around the city of Phandalin, and the party might be able to question them for the location of Cragmaw castle. The party promises not to kill him. He explains his name is Droop. He is covered in scars and burns. He explains he was tortured for the bugbear's ammusement. He explains that Glassstaff used the bugbears to keep the Red Brands in line. Glassstaff and the golbins all can trace their allegiances back to the Black Spider.