The Old Ways

No sooner had the portal snapped shut behind Alderoc than the druid had scuttled off, grumbling as he went.

"Should we follow?" Olo asked looking to Yarrik.

"Don't look at me - I don't know the guy," Yarrik replied. The druid casually dismissed the hulking earth elemental staring at the group wearily and with what sounded like a slowly exhaled breath the rocks and earth crumbled to the group. The druid had moved a ways away when he turned back and glared at the group expectantly.

"You coming?" he asked and without seeing if they agreed he turned again and hurried off deeper into Thundertree.

"I guess that's a yes," said Aethulian, sliding an arrow back into his quiver. With no other obvious options, they all slung and sheathed their weapons and follow him into the town.

Near the center of the town and past the glade where Alderoc had been waiting there was a small house. It appeared to be in better condition than the ruined and dilapidated structures nearby. The doors were heavily reinforced with iron bands and thick shutters protect the windows. There appeared to be an almost halo of growth around the house. Thick grass completely enveloped the once ruined cobblestone and lush and colorful flowers were arranged in a design which was too intricate and ornate to be natural. 

"Mind your step," the druid warned and pointed to a series of smooth flattened stones which seemed to form a path through the garden. Hopping from stone to stone, the group crossed the expanse and clustered behind the druid as he fiddled with the three massive padlocks on the door. After a moment of waiting and an grunt of effort from a heavy shoulder, he forced open the door and ushered you in. 

The interior looks quite comfortable although it is sparsely decorated. Short, wide windows allow enough light to enter the home and have been added to the house in a fairly asymmetrical pattern. Dozens of bundles of herbs and plants dangle from twine straps and tied to the rafters. The furniture seems to be all hewn from stumps and timber. The druid moved over to a large cavernous stump which looked more like an open skeletal hand. He flopped down into and leaned forward, planting his elbows onto his knees. He was wearing what appeared to be a torn cloth robe held together with twine. There was what appeared to be bone fragments, perhaps large animal skulls, fixed as pauldrons on his shoulders and one atop his head like a helmet. He had a thick red beard with long dreadlocks of red hair sprouting from under the skull cap. His eyes were a wild green-yellow and they were fixed intently on the grou. With a glare stern enough to make a Drow Matriarch wither he studied each one of his guests.
"So," he finally said after a while.
"Citizen of Faerûn, there has been unlawful planar activity in this regions. I am Kaeru Pertronic, Warden Second Clasp of the Mortal Sectorum and by the power vested in me by-" Kaeru began.
"Bah - silence you meddling time thief," he said and casually flicked a hand towards Kaeru. With a flash, one of the hanging vines shot out at impossible speeds and wrapped itself around Kaeru. The vine slithered up and around his legs and hoisted him off the ground. It wrapped over his mouth and the man's shouts were muffled. Small thorns suddenly sprouted from the vines and glistened with a clear liquid.
"That there is a Spiny Fellenwort vine. Any of you stone dwellers know what that it?" the druid said with a wicked look in his eyes. Aethulian inhaled sharply and stepped back.
"Crystal Leaf poison," he said and pointed at the vine. "One prick from that and your blood will be boiling in your skin before your feet touch the ground."
"Aye," he said and then looked to Aethulian, curiosity across his face.
"You've got more of the forest in you than you care to admit Elf," he said. Aethulian looked down at his feet.
"I am no longer of the forest," he said quietly. His brow furrowed and a deep anger seemed to bubble up and take the usual jovial grin from his face and replace it with a cold and seething anger. The druid closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, mouth moving soundlessly.
"I can see that," he said. Aethulian stepped back as a few of the leafs on the floor of the house began to spiral around him as if caught up in a small dervish. Aethulian looked up at his companions and saw the looks of confusion across all their faces. He realized he and the man had been speaking a dialect of Wood Elf known as tree cant. It was a language he had learned in his youth and thought long forgotten.
"Who are you," he said, switching to common.
"My name is Reidroth and I am the Warden of these Forests," he said, his chest swelling with pride. "I am the law in these lands and those laws are the ones set by nature herself. Not some militant police militia from Sigil," he said and pointed a knobby finger at Kaeru.
"I'm going to let you down but if you go off one more time about inter-planar regulations I swear, by the bark I'll toss you outside and let the blights have ye," he said. "Do we understand each other?" he asked. Kaeru's eyes narrowed but he slowly nodded after a long moment. With another wave from Reidroth's hands the vines released Kaeru and slinked back into the walls of the building.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"Toblen said there were things happening here. Things which needed someone to look in to," Yarrik replied.
"And you figured you were the best ones for the job then?" he asked. Olo shrugged.
"That's what we do? Have you not heard about the Battle of Krogar Grul?" he asked.
"Aye, I've heard of it. I'll have you know Xolkug was quite content in the mountains until someone started whispering in his ear about a new power in Phandalin. Someone to challenge his unofficial governance of the area - you wouldn't happen to know anything about that would ye?" he barked. Everyone looked down at their feet, sheepishly avoiding the withering gaze of the druid.
"So now you bring yer'selves to Thundertree. Where I had everything well in hand. And then yer friends show up and start slinging blizzards in the middle of the streets?"
"We didn't bring Alderoc here. He was here on his own accord," Yarrik said defiantly. Reidroth stood, a wild look in his eyes and crossed the short distance between him and Yarrik. He looked him up and down, eyes stopped at the amulet around his neck. He slowly reached up and touched the amulet, just before Yarrik batted his hand away.
"Fey-touched," he whispered in the Fey tongue. "You're working for her," he said.
"That's my business," Yarrik said and moved backwards.
"Well you made it my business when you started killing Winter Warlocks on my doorstep," he said. "There will be a retaliation for that - mark my words. There is now an imbalance in the courts. No matter how small. There must be balance," he said shaking his head.
"Why was he even here then - oh no nevermind. Last thing I want is to get involved in some starstruck battle between the damned Fey Courts. No way, not again," he said.
"If I may, we didn't bring him here he-" Olo began.
"You may not," Reidroth yelled. "You may not have brought him here but you've certainly made up for it in other ways," he said, eyes darting to Olo's pack. Reidroth stepped closer to Olo so he was only an inch away from the elf.
"I know what you carry. I can hear her voice," he said quiet enough so only Olo could hear him. Olo blushed and slunk backwards, hand atop his satchel. Reidroth began to pace back and forth and talking to himself.

"No, no, no. It's all wrong now. First the zombies come back. Then I lose control of the shepherds and now than damned dragon has taken up in the castle-" he muttered.
"So there is a dragon," Kaeru asked.
"Aye, Venomfang. Real nasty beast just took up in there," he said. "Ever since he arrived he's be disruptin' the order of it all. The Zombies came back - the shepherds...changed into those cursed blights." Reindroth said. He removed his skull cap and ran a hand through his thick hair.
"If he's causing problems then why don't you remove him. You seem quite...err...capable," Aethulain asked.
"I would if I could - but I can't," Reidroth said.
"Why not?" asked Kaeru.
"He's with the Enclave," Yarrik said suddenly as the realization washed over him. "It's a wild creature - he can't harm it."
"Even if it's killing everything else around it and causing a surge of necromancy?" Olo asked.
"He said it himself: I am the law in these lands and those laws are the ones set by nature herself. It's the natural order - no matter how wrong it is," he said.
"It's a bit more complicated than that," Reidroth said and slumped into his chair. "But more or less he's right," he added when he saw everyone staring at him expectantly.
"This was a quiet place. A natural place before. And then those folk in black masks and cloaks showed up at the old castle...oh what's it called...Cragmaw," he said.
"Cragmaw?" Olo asked. "You know what's going on in the castle?"
"I keep away from that place. A nasty bugbear has crowned himself King. But aye there's been some sightings of...others in the area. What's it to you?" he asked.
"Our proprietor, Gundren Rockseeker, was captured by someone called the Black Spider. We believe he's in Cragmaw Castle," Yarrik said.
"Well something is goin' on there and I do recall some of my birds telling they saw a dwarf taken in there a few weeks back," Reidroth said casually. Aethulian gasped and Yarrik nodded.
"He's alive then," Aethulian added. "Means we can still get paid."
"And find the entrance to Wave Echo Cave. If it's even real," Yarrik added. The mention of the cave caught Reidroth's attention and he stopped pacing.
"You're looking for the Mines of Phandelver then," he said, tapping a finger against his lips.
"You know where the entrance is? Can you show us?" Aethulian asked and he looked to the others expectantly. "We may not even need the dwarf."
"We're not going to let him die in there," Yarrik argued.
"I wasn't saying we'd leave him...just maybe go after we'd explored the mines. Just to secure any valuables before this Black Spider character made off with them." Aethulian countered.
"It doesn't matter what you think. I'm not taking anyone anywhere so long as Thundertree remains in its current state. And the way I see it - you owe me. That Alderoc fellow would have blasted you all to dust were it not for me," he said and jabbed a finger towards the group.
"What would you have us do?" Olo asked.
"For starters. You can help me kill those cursed zombies. They're not hard to kill, just a good wack on the head but there's a lot of em. I'll work on a ritual to keep the dead bastards back in the ground," he said. The group looked to one another with shrugs and then nodded in agreement.
"Second, you can help me root out that dragon. I don't care if you kill it or scare it off. But Venomfang has to go," he added.
"Won't the Enclave have issue with that?" Yarrik asked.
"You let me deal with the Enclave. You focus on Venomfang."
"I suspect there will be some kind of compensation?" Aethulian chimed in. Reidroth turned to stare at him in an incredulous look on his face.
"How far you have fallen from the ways of the Tel-quessir," he said. "Reduced to petty begging now?" Aethulian averted his gaze.
"Take a look around you. Does it look like I have any coin to give you. Venomfang is young but he's still a dragon. I'm sure he's sitting on a fat pile of coins or gems which you can sate your greed upon," he said with a dismissive wave. "It's yours - I have no use for it." Reidroth turned to a small table at the back of the room and began to collect small vials, pots, and poultices from them.
"Go on then - clear out the zombies while I conduct my ritual." he said with a wave. The group turned and moved out of the small house.
"That was...odd," Yarrik said. Olo nodded in agreement and scanned the town for movement.
"It doesn't add up yet though," Olo replied.
"What?"
"Alderoc. If he didn't know you were coming here. Than what was he doing here in the first place?" he said. Yarrik nodded glumly and instinctively reached up to clasp the amulet around his neck, the pulsing warmth of the metal a small comfort to him.
"Off to kill the dead then?" Aethulian said, knocking an arrow onto his bow.
"I guess so," Kaeru added and they headed off into the ruins in search of their prey.




Crystal Leaf

When Reidoth visits Thundertree, this is where he makes camp.

Flavor Text:
This small house appears to be in better condition than the ruined and dilapidated structures nearby. The doors are reinforced with heavy iron bands, and thick shutters protect the windows.


Reidoth is a gaunt, white-bearded human who doesn’t use two words when one word will do. Though he receives very few visitors, he is reasonably hospitable.

Reidoth is adept at staying away from the ash zombies that overrun the village, as well as avoiding the area’s mutated plants. He knows that dangerous spiders lurk in the ruins at the base of the hill, and he suspects that someone is hiding out on the eastern side of town—he’s seen “folk in black masks and cloaks” (the cultists) skulking around. However, he is currently most concerned by the fact that a green dragon has moved into the tower (Area 7) since the last time he was here. He warns the characters of all these threats, and suggests that they leave Thundertree before they get themselves killed.

Developments

If the characters ask about Cragmaw Castle, Reidoth gladly provides directions. He is a member of the Emerald Enclave, a widespread group of wilderness survivalists who preserve the natural order while rooting out troublesome threats. The enclave works to restore and preserve the natural order by keeping the elemental forces of the world in check, preventing civilization and the wilderness from destroying one another, and helping others survive the perils of the wilds. The goblins are a threat to the delicate balance.

If the characters ask Reidoth about Wave Echo Cave, he will not divulge its location but will offer to guide the party there in exchange for a favor: he wants them to chase off the dragon in area 7. If they succeed, Reidoth will honor his part of the agreement but will not accompany the party inside the mine.

If the characters attack him for any reason, Reidoth transforms into a gray squirrel and scurries out of the cottage through a crack in the wall. He vanishes into the woods, then waits for the hostile characters to leave. His watch post contains nothing of value.

Joining the Emerald Enclave

If the party helps Reidoth by chasing off Venomfang, the druid privately approaches certain members of the group and urges them to join the Emerald Enclave. He speaks with those who exemplify the ideal of protecting the natural order. If a character agrees, Reidoth gives the individual the title of Springwarden.