Aster's Ledger

Summary

Picking up from the overnight Redbrand ambush, Beatrix interrogated and flipped the lone surviving ruffian — christened "Harold" — into the first employee of Marsh and Company (1 gp/week plus a cut of future scores). The morning at the Stonehill Inn introduced the chipper dwarf barmaid Elsa, Toblen Stonehill the proprietor and his young son Pip (who tipped John to a secret tunnel near the old manor), and a tense, unsettling standoff with Edvard — an impossibly-cold "human" who charmed and commanded Beatrix without spell components, almost sparking a bloodbath in the common room. Sildar Hallwinter paid the party 50 gp for his rescue and, on the Lords' Alliance's behalf, offered 200 gp to deal with the Redbrands (and a personal favor to find the missing wizard Iarno Albrek). Townmaster Harbin Wester, a greasy coward, refused to pay a copper for the Redbrands but posted 100 gp for orcs near Wyvern Tor. Harold sold out his former gang: the Redbrands (~30 strong) lair beneath Tresendar Manor under a wizard called Glasstaff, who keeps a one-eyed aberration fed in exchange for guarding the crevasse. Using Pip's tip, the party found the tunnel at the woods' edge, and Beatrix wild-shaped into a bat to scout — encountering the aberration, which plucked Beatrix's darkest secret from her mind. Resolved that the creature is too dangerous to leave alive (and too knowing to trust), the party descended and opened combat, with Beatrix's Entangle and Shoomit's shot bloodying it before the night ended.

Key Events

Harold, First Employee of Marsh and Company

• Beatrix interrogated the captured Redbrand at 3 AM, using her conjured dinosaur to nip at his legs. He folded immediately: "I was ready to talk the moment you captured me."
• The Redbrands fear Halia Thornton of the Miner's Exchange — they struck a protection deal with her and won't touch the place. She's "kinda scary."
• ~30 Redbrands, led by Glasstaff (a wizard), based at Tresendar Manor on the hill east of town.
• Harold was hired as general muscle and wagon-guard: 1 gp/week retainer + 5% of future major scores. Beatrix: "Name's Beatrix Marsh, and don't you forget it. You may call me Miss Marsh."
• Long rest taken uneventfully through the rest of the night; the party slept in until ~10 AM.

Morning at the Stonehill Inn — Elsa, Pip, and the Hangover Cure

• John's "hangover cure" — swamp water, egg white, hot sauce, a dash of healing potion, uncracked pepper — administered to the bar at large. Narth stomachs it: "Not too bad at all."
• Elsa (dwarf bartender) directed the party to Daran Edermath, a former adventurer at his orchard, as a potential ally. The inn's cat Pumpkin patrols for mice.
• Breakfast: Elsa offered the Phandalin specialty — "a pig's stomach that has been flattened and fried with a little bit of cheese on top." Beatrix's response: "Y'all got French toast?" Elsa scowled.
• Pip (Toblen Stonehill's ~10-year-old son — Toblen is the inn's proprietor; Elsa is a bartender who works there) pulled John aside with a secret: his friend Carp Alderleaf found a tunnel in the woods near the old manor, and spotted goblins with glowing hands. John bribed him to keep it quiet.
• Beatrix offended Elsa by demanding French toast and finding her too chipper: "That is a whole lot of chipper for me first thing in the morning." Elsa scowled and gave John the meal for free as a regular.
• On the way out, Beatrix's passive perception (16) caught Jakob — another patron fixated on Elsa, "looking very hot in the literal temperature sense" — who was also displeased with how Beatrix treated her, though he kept to himself. Beatrix: "What the fuck? I didn't do nothing to Elsa. I didn't do anything."

Edvard — The Thing at the Bar

• The standoff began while Beatrix was disciplining Corby in the yard (threatening to "bend you over my knee"). She felt her brain being "prodded into" — Con save succeeded, so the probe leaked only surface information, not her deepest secrets.
• A quiet patron across the bar — Edvard, who'd been sitting motionless in the same seat all night (and per the recap, all the prior night too) — was staring at her. Arcana 15 confirmed he was the source.
• Beatrix confronted him; his eyes glowed red. She dismissed it: "I'm not intimidated. I can do that — that's a goddamn cantrip." Edvard, componentlessly, urged her to "just leave."
• John tried to persuade Elsa (18) to take the threat seriously — "that guy is doing some untoward business to us" — but she half-heartedly asked Edvard to step out and he refused to move. Elsa covered for him: "His eyes look pretty golden to me, as they always are. Edvard wouldn't hurt a fly."
• Beatrix threatened to "shoot you dead in the middle of this tavern" and turned to leave. Edvard cast Charm Person (no components — Beatrix and the DM confirmed it manifests without verbal/somatic gestures, like an innate ability). Beatrix looked around asking "did y'all see that?" — briefly affected.
• Shoomit attempted an unarmed strike in retaliation (Edvard was within 5 ft; would have qualified for sneak attack) — but missed completely: "It was as if he moved too quickly for you to even register… he's immediately back to his spot. He just takes a sip of his coffee."
• The entire bar gaslit Beatrix: Elsa insisted "the only people I see messing with folks here are you all," and the patrons vouched for Edvard. Beatrix: "This man is controlling the minds of the proprietors… we've wandered into his little fucking nest."
• Beatrix, resolved to leave, got in Edvard's face one final time. He cast Command ("Leave") — Beatrix rolled a natural 1 on the Wisdom save and was magically forced to march out the door under Edvard's "it was nice to meet you, Beatrix."
• John — who had never left the bar — moved to de-escalate Edvard directly. He grabbed Edvard by the collar (Edvard was unusually cold to the touch) and persuaded him (19, with a luck point for advantage) to chill: "can we please just start over at square 1? Can you please stop casting spells on us?" Edvard agreed to a fragile détente — leave the party alone so long as they leave Elsa alone: "I've got my eye on Beatrix… but we're square." When John threatened legal action, Edvard replied: "What court? I am the court here. There is no government in this town."
• Edvard's nature is unconfirmed. He never leaves his seat, is fixated on Elsa, is cold to the touch, and casts without components. A second, sweltering patron (Jakob) was also watching Elsa. The party strongly suspects Edvard is a vampire; the DM did not confirm or deny it ("You can clearly think that he's a vampire").
• Beatrix's grudge is locked in: "Before I bring law to this town, I will murder that man." John asked her for "at least a week" of grace; Beatrix gave no firm agreement.
• Outside the bar, Shoomit diagnosed Edvard: "He's crushing on Elsa. I think he's some kinda incel who's trying to white-knight or something. She doesn't really like him — unrequited feelings." Beatrix's plan: "Call me miss steal your girl, because I'm gonna go lay it on thick with Elsa after this, and we'll see how he likes that."
• On the topic of a permanent base of operations, John floated his vision for Tresendar Manor: "I would like to create a haven for the wayward lasses and orphan children. It could be some kind of orphanage." Beatrix: "Could be some kind of workhouse." John clarified: "The Whorephanage — one half orphanage, one half horse whorehouse. What can go wrong?" The DM balked: "I don't know about that choice of name." John: "Not from the orphans. Not from the orphans." Beatrix, defending the dual-business model: "Ain't you ever been to a Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin Robbins? Two businesses in one establishment. Classic Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. You don't get the pizza from the Taco Bell." Beatrix closed: "Those poor wharfans."

Sildar's Payment and the Lords' Alliance Job

• Sildar paid 50 gp for his rescue: "I wanted to give you a little something just in exchange for helping me get to Phandalin and saving me from those awful Cragmaws." He reached into his coin purse and produced a sack of coin. Beatrix muttered "goddamn time" under her breath, then aloud: "Oh, you didn't have to. That's awfully kind."
• Divided 12.5 gp each to Beatrix, John, Shoomit; Glomblax's share folded into a party fund Beatrix is tracking.
• Sildar pitched the Lords' Alliance: "These are the benefits of helping out those of us in the Lords' Alliance. There's more to come if you are interested." He described the missing wizard Iarno Albrek — "thin man, wizard style… about 30 years old… normal looking white guy with a beard, wizard's cloaks, gloves" — prompting John: "You have described a third of all wizards."
• Beatrix roasted the Lords' Alliance mercilessly: "You're all on the dole is what I'm hearing." / "Your people just go get missing and kidnapped and let folks out in the street get robbed in the night." / "How the hell am I gonna count on the Lord's Alliance to come fish me out of a hole somewhere when all of you are trapped by goblins or captured wizards or in a fucking cave with a spider?"
• John piled on: "So far, the Lords has had a 100% kidnap rate from our point of view."
• Sildar: "You gotta break a few eggs if you wanna make an omelet." Beatrix: "Some things are just better off left to the private sector, someone like me."
• Sildar fired back: "Okay. Well, then 200 gold pieces retracted." Beatrix immediately backpedaled: "No. No. I wanna take the job is what I'm saying." John: "Beatrix, you have been fairly hostile to the man offering us money for a job."
• 200 gp from the Lords' Alliance to bring the Redbrands to justice (payment on completion, not upfront). Beatrix haggled Sildar into not mentioning the deal in front of the Townmaster.
• Sildar can offer nothing personally for Iarno — "It would be much appreciated personally" but the Lords' Alliance cares about the Redbrands, not individual missing agents.
• Beatrix's closing philosophy: "If his people wouldn't get kidnapped all the time, they wouldn't need to offer us money for the job." Sildar: "It sounds to me like it would benefit you that we are getting kidnapped." Beatrix: "Oh, it certainly does. And for that, I am thankful."

Townmaster Harbin Wester — A Greasy Coward with a Deal

• The Townmaster's Hall: a sturdy stone building with a pitched wooden roof and small bell tower. A notice by the door: "Reward — Orc marauders near Wyvern Tor. 100 gold pieces. See the Townmaster."
• A secretary opened the door, doubtful they'd have luck: "That business… I don't know if you'll have much luck."
• Harbin Wester: portly, greasy, wiping crumbs off his shirt and grease off his face when disturbed — a banker by trade. His opening line: "Numbers and progress. That's what I'm all about."
• Redbrand apologism: Harbin called the Redbrands "just a mercenary guild, not that much trouble" and blamed the party for camping out after dark. "In any town you go to, think of Neverwinter. You wouldn't be camping out after dark."
• Beatrix pitched a package deal (Redbrands + orcs): rolled 2 and 1 with a luck point — double disadvantage. Harbin stonewalled: "The red brands are upstanding citizens, and I've had no trouble with them whatsoever."
• Beatrix whispered to John: "This guy's clearly being paid off by the red brands. You think you could work a little magic with your fast talking?"
• John called Harbin out: "You're the only person who has given a glowing review of them, it's making me a mighty bit suspicious." Persuasion succeeded — Harbin closed the door and came clean: "The red brands have indeed been causing a bit of trouble. But as you can see, we don't have a police force here and the man who was sent to establish a constabulary just disappeared off the map."

The Property Deal

• No public money for Redbrands: "I can't be involved with this. If this goes south, that's the end of Phandalin as we know it."
• Instead, Harbin proposed the party keep whatever loot they find in the hideout, and he'd tell townsfolk the items were "lost" — a private, deniable arrangement.
• On top of that, Harbin offered two properties in exchange for dealing with the Redbrands:
  • Tresendar Manor — the large, abandoned manor on the hill east of town. Roof caved in, completely destroyed, but Beatrix's eyes lit up: "I think that's a bit more…" Harbin warned it would need rebuilding "not at a small cost."
  • A vacant shop southwest of town, boarded up due to the Redbrands, "ripe for a business opportunity."
• The deal was struck on a handshake. Harbin's parting words: "If you are captured and tortured to death, you know nothing about this deal. I offered you nothing."
• 100 gp for the orcs at Wyvern Tor remains a separate, public bounty (payable on completion).
• Harbin's philosophy: "I am a businessman. I am a banker by trade. I would be remiss if not to see some enthusiastic and business minded individuals who are interested in uplifting our town via the market." The market-is-never-wrong banter between him and Beatrix culminated in Beatrix's "Natural selection is natural selection, and it has selected me as the winner of that engagement."
• Sildar stayed behind for private discussions about shoring up the town's administration. Beatrix wild-shaped into a fly (Stealth 22) and eavesdropped: Sildar wants to help rebuild Phandalin and start his own constabulary in Iarno's absence. He asked about Iarno — Harbin confirmed Iarno vanished without a trace. Sildar's offer to assist was readily accepted.
• Post-eavesdrop, John was shocked: "Beatrix, did you just turn into a fly? What the fuck?" Beatrix listed her wild shape repertoire: "I can be a wolf, a bird, a different variety of cat… I haven't quite worked out dinosaur yet, but I'm working on it. It's part of my studies."

En Route Intel — Harold's Dendrar Bombshell

• On the wagon ride to the Townmaster's Hall, Harold dropped a bombshell: the Redbrands hold the Dendrar family captive in the manor — Thel Dendrar was murdered in the street ten days ago for standing up to them. Harold: "I wasn't directly involved in that one. I was resting." Beatrix: "You buried the lede a little bit, Harold."

Logistics & Alderleaf Farm

• After the Townmaster's Hall, Beatrix used survival and stealth to hide the wagon deep in the woods northwest of town (well-hidden camp), leaving Harold and Corby to guard it. The horses and oxen were visibly tired — they hadn't been fed or watered all day. John took the animals to the Stonehill Inn stables (where Toblen knows him) while Beatrix refused to set foot back inside.
• Alderleaf Farm: John initially mistook it for Daran's orchard — the halfling farmer clarified he grows "a little bit of everything — carrots, cabbage, potatoes." John asked about vodka — the farmer said all his alcohol goes straight to the Stonehill Inn.
• John, looking to "cut out the middleman," bought a whole keg for 1 gp. The farmer agreed but warned discretion was needed: "I don't think they take kindly to outside alcohol in the inn." Solution: label it "medicinal." The farmer approved: "Smart move. I'm the same way."
• The farmer asked how they'd found Phandalin, mentioned the Cragmaw trouble on the way in, and pointed them to Reidoth — a druid who knows the location of Cragmaw Castle. Last seen headed ~50 miles northwest to Thundertree, west of Neverwinterwood. "If anyone could tell you, I think that he could."

Carp Alderleaf and the Tunnel

• Carp Alderleaf (a halfling boy, Pip's friend, wants to be an adventurer) led the party to the tunnel — carved into rock at the woods' edge, dark, decrepit, "kind of falling apart." No light visible inside.
• He reported goblins with glowing hands inside, and mentioned he was scared. Beatrix, still baffled by the bandit taxonomy: "You're talking about goblins and bandits? And which bandits? Is it both bandits? Is it all three groups of bandits? Is there a fourth group of bandits which consists of one member of each of the other two groups plus one of the goblins?" John: "Beatrix, you're overwhelmed with Phandalin."
• Carp also mentioned a red handprint at the town's Shrine of Luck that "didn't used to be that way." The party noted this as unexplained.
• Carp and Pip wisely stayed outside — "I'm not gonna go in there with you."

Scouting the Redbrand Lair — Bat-Shape Recon

• Beatrix wild-shaped into a bat and flew ~80 ft into the tunnel (Stealth 6 — "classic bat noises"), finding a large cavern with a crevasse, two arched wooden bridges, and a 20-ft ceiling carrying a cold breeze and the scent of decaying flesh.
• A one-eyed aberration (gangly, gray-green flesh, one arm higher than the other, vicious claws, true sight) sensed the bat and probed Beatrix's mind — Wis save failed (12), so it extracted her darkest secret (the deliberate destruction of a rival's irreplaceable archaeological specimen, covered up as an accident). The DM took Beatrix aside to a private channel for the reveal.
• Beatrix reverted and reported to the party: "It knows what we did at the dig site. We gotta kill it, otherwise we're gonna have authorities on us." She framed the killing as pragmatic, not just revenge: "It's a freak monster creature — no one's gonna miss this fucking thing."

Combat — The Aberration in the Crevasse

• Before initiative, the aberration addressed the party telepathically (a voice in all their heads): "Visitors who do not like my visage. How new. How novel." It admitted it collects secrets and serves Glasstaff by choice — "The wizard has kept me well fed and given me treasure and meat in exchange for protection" of the crevasse. It refused passage and offered to entertain a "better offer" than Glasstaff's.
• Beatrix rejected parley outright — the creature held her dirt, so no deal was possible: "You've sealed your fate, strange freak." It replied, in her head: "Very well." Initiative rolled (Beatrix 17).
• John was emotionally paralyzed — the memory the aberration surfaced (his own buried shame) broke his will to fight. He readied Healing Word rather than attack: "I have too much blood on my hands." (Retcon noted by Jonas post-session: the creature "made him remember what he drank to forget.")
• Beatrix cast Entangle — vines erupted and restrained the aberration (DC 14), granting the party advantage. She dropped into cover.
• Shoomit crossed the bridge, which collapsed under him (Dex save — caught the right-side ledge, pulled himself up, nearly fell into the dark cold chasm). From the ledge he landed a 20-damage musket shot with sneak attack (advantage from the restraint).
• Glomblax raged, leapt into the crevasse (3 bludgeoning damage, halved), and reckless-attacked for 5 slashing. The aberration is bloodied.
• The aberration broke free of the Entangle (Athletics 14 — exactly the DC), fled into the crevasse (it has a climbing speed), and the round ended. Beatrix's familiar (a flavored Dimetrodon using owl stats) moved in to use the Help action.
• Session paused mid-combat, aberration bloodied and retreated into the crevasse.

Inspiration

Post-Session Feedback

Jonas:

• Loved the Edvard encounter — nearly escalated to a bar fight; having Beatrix Commanded out was the one thing that diffused John enough to prevent it. "We're gonna fuck with that guy 100%."
• The cold-touch + never-moving details strongly signaled a vampire to the players.

Jesse (DM):

• Was pleased with how the Edvard and Jakob roleplay unfolded. Jonas questioned whether the pair was from the book; Jesse confirmed they are. "I think that could have been a very interesting way to take it" if the party had fought in the bar.

Sam:

• No notes; felt the session ran smooth.

Numbers & Resources

Party funds & deals

• Harold (Marsh and Company hireling): 1 gp/week retainer + 5% of Beatrix's take on future major scores. Paid 1 gp up front. Watches the wagon/Corby.
• Wagon parking at Stonehill Inn: 1 silver piece/day (Toblen's fee; registered to John would waive it, but Beatrix refused).
• Sildar's payment: 50 gp → 12.5 gp each (Beatrix, John, Shoomit); Glomblax's 12.5 gp folded into a party fund Beatrix is tracking.
• Lords' Alliance bounty (pending): 200 gp for dealing with the Redbrands (Sildar; payment on completion).
• Orc bounty (posted): 100 gp for marauders near Wyvern Tor (Harbin Wester).
• Going into the session (prior night, per recap): 10 gp each from Barthen for the wagon delivery; John netted +8 gp gambling (5 bet + 3 profit), spent 1 gp on 5 rounds for the bar; 3 sticks of dynamite secured.

Combat resources spent this session

• Luck points (2 used): John (Edvard persuasion, line ~00:12), Beatrix (Harbin persuasion, line ~00:37 — rolled double-disadvantage: 2 and 1).
• Beatrix — Entangle (1 spell slot; concentration held then dropped after the aberration broke free).
• Beatrix — wild shape used to scout the tunnel as a bat (reverted before combat).
• John — readied Healing Word (held action; slot committed, not yet discharged).

Gear notes

• Beatrix fights at midrange: pistol is at disadvantage past 30 ft.
• John has a keg of "medicinal" cider (1 gp, Alderleaf farm) inbound to his Stonehill room.

Loose Threads

• Edvard and Jakob at the Stonehill Inn — Beatrix has sworn to kill Edvard; John asked for a week's grace (no firm agreement). The party suspects Edvard is a vampire (and, per Sam's post-session riff, Jakob a werewolf), but neither is confirmed.
• The aberration in the crevasse — combat resumes next session; it has Beatrix's darkest secret.
• Glasstaff (wizard) and the Redbrands beneath Tresendar Manor; the captive Dendrar family.
• Iarno Albrek — the missing Lords' Alliance wizard (Sildar's personal favor).
• Halia Thornton of the Miner's Exchange — her protection deal with the Redbrands.
• Reidoth the druid (Thundertree) — knows where Cragmaw Castle is.
• Orcs near Wyvern Tor — Harbin's 100 gp bounty.
• The red handprint at the Shrine of Luck — new, unexplained.