Solo LMoP - 14. Homebrewing with the elements we have

 So, now our group has finished most of the module. We still have the green dragon and the final dungeon. But, our group, being five adventurers, is only level 3 now and I want them at least to be level 4 before entering Wave Echo Cave. Let's have a look at the elements and issues we have at the moment. 

XP: To get all of the party to level 4 they would need a total of 2700 XP. 

Opponents:
- Glasstaff is still on the run and that is certainly a threat I want to finish before wave echo cave.
- Vyerith, the doppelganger is still in Phandalin. She stayed behind with the goal to find out more about the mine. She needs to be dealt with as well
- The party has never encountered the Black Spider directly. The module does not make it so, but after finding messages about and from him everywhere it might be nice to have an encounter with him before the final fight. 

The Black Spider himself offers 450XP, but he won't be defeated now, at least I do not plan for that. 
Glasstaff and Vyerith however could team up for a total of 900 XP as well. In itself that is a manageable fight, but rather simple. So far the Spider has worked with bandits and goblinoids, with a few exceptions. So it might be nice to split the fight in two. 

So, there are two possible fights that we can run here. 

Glasstaff, backed up by 5 of his Redbrand Ruffians (which he recruited from a bandit tribe nearby) for a total of 700XP

Vyerith and possible 2 Goblins which would be just barely a deadly encounter. It's a lot but preferable to a dragon. However, a doppelganger is an ambush-monster and I would prefer Vyerith to have a bit of plotting and possibly a small dungeon just for herself. 

Another enemy the group never did fight was the owlbear, which is a fearsome foe by itself. And then there was the Grick that was very much anti-climactic. 

So, how about these encounters: 
Glasstaff + 5 Redbrands: 700XP
2 Grick: 900XP 
An Owlbear: 700 XP
And finally Vyerith as the endboss: another 700 XP
Total: 3000 XP, enough to bring everyone to level 4 in time for the final dungeon. 

Of course, I do not want to just reproduce the same monsters over and over again, so I will change the owlbear into something else with the same stats. I already found a nice picture of what I want it to look like. Now I need to make a map and string this story together. 

Two days later I have created an entire small sub-adventure that I'll playtest myself now. 

Download the adventure as I have prepared it here.

The sun is already low in the sky when the group reaches the Triboar Trail, travels for a few minutes to the West and finally takes a left turn to head to Phandalin on the smaller woodland path. They chat amongst themselves, looking forward to a decent meal at the inn after eight days on the road living from rations. 

🎲Determine marching order, 1d100 each: Drusa (31), Haunui (85), Harbek (11), Quillathe (52), Brandr (8)
Brandr is leading at the moment and his Passive Perception is 14, that beats the DC to notice the trap. 

Brandr stops and points to a thin wire that has been strung over the trail. Looking up the party notices a big net spread out between the treetops. As he points to it a figure steps into the road, wearing a familiar red cape. 
"Well, well.", Glasstaff says "We meet again. Kill them!", he shouts out as several ruffians step out of the underbrush and attack.

Download the full battle report, including all rolls and maps here. 

For a moment it seems that the battle will be over quickly as Haunui releases two arrows and hits the wizard. But then he disappears and the Redbrands rush in. It is a hard fight. Glasstaffs men are quick and handle their swords with a fierce determination, striking true many times. They position themselves well and spread out over the fighters and the group is forced to expand a lot of magic and ability to finally kill them off. Glasstaff attacks from the underbrush, using trees for cover and throwing magic missiles at the party. Quillathe tries to do the same but with an arcane shield her opponent manages to block her spell. He does retreat however, slowly. In a final blast of force he manages to knock Drusa unconscious before Haunui's arrow hits him square in the chest and pierces his heart. 

As silence falls around them the party searches the bodies. Spread out among the ruffians and Glasstaff they find a total of 76 gold and 41 silver which they divide amongst themselves. There is also a potion that they don't recognize. There is also the staff which Quillathe takes over. After spending the time to ritually identify the spell Quillathe tells the group that it is a potion of invisibility and hands it off to Haunui. Harbek in the meantimes spends a little more time to heal Drusa and Brandr. Then, the party heads down the road and about an hour alter they arrive in Phandalin. 

At Phandalin the group heads straight for the Stonehill Inn to ask for Gundren and Sildar. Sildar is nearby at the townmasters hall, waiting for Gundren as well, who has gone out on the walk he takes daily, looking to see if he can find his brothers. 

The group decides to make a quick round through town to report on their activities and finished missions. 

- Daran Edermath is pleased with the report about Old Owl Well and relieved that at least the undead have a master that does not seem to have ill intents. He will however listen closely to news from that direction. He has nothing to reward the characters with, but offers both Drusa and Haunui places in the Order of the Gauntlet which they will both consider for a while. 

- Linene Greywind has by now retrieved her wares from the Cragmaw Hideout and pays the party 50 gold as a reward. 
- Sister Garaele thanks the party for the information they have gotten for her from the banshee and offers them three potions of healing - the group now has 10 of them, 2 for each.
- When they return to Sildar he also pays them the promised 100 gold for clearing out the orcs from Wyvern Tor and after a meal - Gundren still has not returned the party goes to bed, tired from the day. 

The next morning they head to the shops first to spend some coin, refill their rations, Haunui's Arrows.
Haunui and Brandr buy breastplates and Drusa and Harbek get themselves sets of splint mail. There is little of use to buy for Quillathe here so she keeps her money for the moment being, enjoying her staff. 

When the group returns the Sildar they learn that Gundren has not returned last night and by now they also have learned that Vyerith has not been seen in a couple of days. The group asks around and hears that Gundren was last seen talking with some hooded person at the inn last afternoon. Elmar Barthens tells them he has seen Gundren this morning, when he came in to buy some rope, but he seemed distant and did not really respond a lot to Elmar. A farmer tells them he saw Gundren heading Southward into the surrounding wilderness. Nothing is in the South except more ruins of the original town of Phandalin. 

The party finds this very strange and decide to try and find Gundren. They head Southwards and try to find Gundren's tracks. 

🎲Investigation Check Quillathe, +5, adv (helped by the party)(DC 12): 18 (success)

🎲Survival Check Haunui, +3, adv (helped by Quillathe who uses her charm to gain proficiency in Survival as well) (DC 12): 17 (success)

The tracks lead them to a particular building. 

Only a few foundation walls remain of what must at one point have been some domicile or workshop. Thorny bushes cover most of the ruin. Inside the walls a part of the floor has collapsed and a dark hole of about eight foot in diameter leads vertically down into the earth.

The party quickly climbs over the walls and makes a way through the bushes to the hole where they use Haunui's rope to climb down into a subterranean tunnel. 

Through the hole in the ceiling only little light reaches down here. A bare tunnel with rough stone walls starts here and leads Eastward, curving around to the North.

In this party only Quillathe and Harbek have darkvision and the tunnel entrance is very dark. So Brandr, who does not rely on weapons a lot will take a torch and light the way. 

The space widens as you enter a dark cavern. Fallen pieces of rocks cover the floor and thick, grey cobwebs the size of sails sway softly in the breeze like curtains in the wind. A tunnel in the opposite wall is entirely blocked off by thick nets.

🎲Stealth Check denizen of first cave, +1: 5 (not beating anyone's passive perception)

Given the fact that the group carries a light, the inhabitant immediately attacks. 

A strange clicking sound from a dark corner alerts you as you enter the cavern. A moment later a large beast consisting of bleak, chitinous plates rushes at you on six thick, segmented legs while the two front ones lash at you, adorned with sharp ridges like the blades of jagged scythes.

Download full Battle report with all rolls and maps here

The battle is surprisingly short. As Drusa rushes in for the confrontation, Harbek lays a divine shield upon her. The spider's attacks miss and suddenly Brandr emits a bright light that hits the creature square in the abdomen, evaporation a chunk of its body so that with a well landed axe-blow and a final arrow it is quickly dispatched.

With Brandr's torch the group burns the webs in the North tunnel and quickly advance

The descending tunnel leads you into another cave, larger than the last one. The ceiling is higher here and the cave seems to have been cleared some time ago with most of the fallen rocks collected in piles. Tunnels opening up to the left an right of where you entered lead back Southwards. Against the far wall you can make out the remains of an seemingly abandoned campsite. A humanoid figure lies motionless in front of it.

"Gundren", calls Drusa.

A dark elf clad in black leather armor and robes emerges from the dark. A black staff with a carved spider on top he smirks at you. “We meet at last. It took me a lot of time and effort to lure you here so that I can deal with you… you don’t look like you’ll be worth it.” He makes a clicking sound with his tongue and from the tunnels behind you a similar sound is heard as two large, snakelike creatures with beaks and tentacles crawl into the cavern, hungrily snapping in your direction.

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The fight is bloody but short. The two Grick snap at the adventurers but their tentacled beaks do not manage to grab onto much for most of the time and they are quickly defeated when from the back of the hall suddenly the drow rushes and attacks, not with magic but with fists, dealing heavy blows to Brandr. But Quillathe makes the dark elf roll on the floor with laughter for a moment before Brandr, Drusa and Haunui are all upon him as Harbek runs to his cousin. Strange enough, as the group sees the Spider fall its body changes and warps into a nondescript blueish grey form with no real facial features.

🎲History Check Quillathe +3 (DC 13): 5 (failure)

None of them know what this creatures is, but Gundren is now awake and coughs as he is release from his binds. He tells the group that the Spider had met with a stranger creature here that could take the form of another. The monster had taken Gundrens from, dresses in his clothes and left the cave before.

🎲Stealth Check Real Spider, +3 (DC 14), adv (invisible): 15 (success)

The group quickly searches the lair but finds nothing of value besides a single ring of silver and amber they take from the dried out husk of one of the Scythe Spider's victims. They bring Gundren to the surface and make their way to the tavern where one of them runs to fetch Sildar. Together they talk. The Spider now has taken the map that Gundren had, but the Dwarf has memorized the route to the cave. He explains it to them and asks them to stop the Spider and find his cousins Nundro and Tharden. He has little gold, but he promises them a 25 gold cash reward each and a 10 percent share of the mine's wealth. The characters, sick and tire of the Black Spider, gladly agree. They decide to gear up for the trip to the mine and make their way there today. They rest briefly and depart in an Eastwards direction.

🎲Roll for encounter during the day, 1d20 (encounter on 17-20): 12 (no encounter)
🎲Roll for encounter during the night, 1d20 (encounter on 17-20): 9 (no encounter)

In the evening they reach the entrance of the mine, hidden in a fold of the Sword Mountains. They camp here and rest for the night, planning to enter the mine the next morning. 

All members of the party, except for Brandr reach level 4 this night.

Drusa:
The de facto leader of this group, Drusa has been relying heavily on her Greataxe, using her maneuvers to protect and strike true. 
🎲HP, 1d10+2 (reroll 1): 9 => Total of  34 HP
Since she is mainly relying on her weapons so far, she'll take an ability score increase of her Strength to 18. 
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything also suggests letting Fighters change maneuvers at this point. Drusa has never used her Commanding Presence and will therefore switch it out for the Riposte Maneuver. 

Haunui:

The Archer has so far benefited little from his subclass, only seldomly managing to roll 19 or higher. He hits often due to his fighting style though and has great versatility with his long ranger attack and his Hunting Sword, often using Flanking Maneuvers to get into an advantageous position.
🎲HP, 1d10+2 (reroll 1): 6 => Total of 37 HP
To give Haunui more opportunities to shine than only when he rolls high enoug, he'll take the Mobile feat, adding to his speed and making him able to quickly move away after attacking so that he can change to his bow if needed. 

Harbek
The Cleric has come back from being a front-liner and has focused a lot more on healing and the occasional crowd-control but using his warhammer where needed. 
🎲HP, 1d8+2 (reroll 1): 7 => Total of 37 HP
He learns an additional Cantrip and takes the Guidance cantrip for that. 
He will take an ability score increase to boost his Wisdom to 18, increasing the amount of healing he can do. 

Quillathe
The Wizard has been focussing more on trying to manipulate her opponents, but has been lacking ability to deal decent damage, having to rely on cantrips and her magic missiles spell for this. 
🎲HP, 1d6+2 (reroll 1): 6 => Total of 24 HP
She'll take a boost to her Intelligence, increasing her Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Modifier. 
She'll learn the Mind Sliver Cantrip that should go nicely with her manipulation magic.
She'll also learn Cromatic Orb, to give her an alternate option to Magic Missile and Crown of Madness to turn enemies into temporary tools. 

And so, the next morning the party enters the hidden cave entrance and descends into the depths of the Wave Echo Cave. 

Solo LMoP - 13. The Spider's Web

 I accidently deleted most of this post without being able to restore it. I will therefor need to quickly summarize what happened after the fight at Cragmaw Castle:
While still resting the group was attacked by a returning warband of Hobgoblins, accompanied by the prisoners the party let go. 

Download full Battle Report with all rolls and maps 

The battle was not too demanding and Quillathe got to use her Hypnotic gaze for the first time. 
After the fight the party rested, with Brandr leveling up to level 3. Quillathe, having successfully restored the shrine received a divine charm as a reward that will enable her to cast the "Borrowed Knowledge"-Spell three times without using a spell slot. The party also set the Owlbear free that was locked up in one of the towers and managed to stay out of its way as it headed for freedom.
The group returned to Phandalin without any problems and were paid by Sildar Hallwinter for their heroic deeds. Gundren, being weakened by his captivity needed some more rest before heading on to the cave and since all of them have other goals for the moment they decided on the following: 
They'll take a trip Eastwards to Wyvern Tor to check out if there are any orcs there still and drive them off or kill them (for Sildar and the town), then continue to Old Owl Well, a tower that Daran Edermath pointed them towards because of possible undead activity there. After a visit to Conyberry to ask a banshee a question for Sister Garaele the party will head back Westwards, possibly through Neverwinter wood and head to Thundertree for Haunui who wants to try and free that forsaken town. After that they will return to Phandalin to check back in with Sildar and their other quest givers. 

After an uneventful journey the party arrived at Wyvern Tor but did not manage to creep up unnoticed on the Orcs. And here we take back the Narrative. 

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Rushing out of the cave, alarmed by the scout out front there comes a group of Orcs, swinging large axes and accompanied by the hulking shape of an ogre. The fight is fierce, but the group has the benefit of distance so that they can finish off several of the orcs before they get to them. A well placed spell of Quillathe's puts the ogre out of action as it rolls on the floor, laughing hysterically for a while and after the Orcs' leader has been killed, the rest try to make a run for it but are quickly cut down. 

Each of the characters is awarded 250 XP for the fight as well as some perfume and coin that is divided equally amongst them. They spend a short rest here. 
Quillathe uses her Arcane Recovery to regain 2 1st-level spell slots, Harbek uses his Channel Divinity: Preserve Life to heal everyone back up to full HP.

The party then - it is still morning - uses a few hours to trek Northwards through the hills towards Old Owl Well, where they arrive in the afternoon. 

As you crest a low ridge, you spy the crumbling ruins of an old watchtower standing amid the rugged hills. The place is so old that the walls are only mounds of rubble enclosing a courtyard of sorts, adjacent to the broken stump of an old tower. A colorful tent has been set up in the middle of the courtyard, but no one is in sight.

As they come nearer, they smell the stench of dead and undead creatures start shambling out of the tower. But as they draw weapons a man in red robes exits the tent and inquires about their intentions. With no one serving any gods that strongly oppose undeath the group agrees to talk. The Necromancer introduces himself as Hamun Kost. He does not share much about his reasons to be here but when he finds out that the group has dispatched the Orcs to the South he tells them that he is doing research here and means no ill, as long as he is left alone. The group and he have no reason to fight each other and with the reason for the undead explained they leave Northwards in the direction of Conyberry.

40XP are awarded for each character. 

The group needs to camp out in the hills a few miles South of Conyberry when night falls. 

🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 16, no encounter
🎲Arcana Check Quillathe, +5 to see how much she knows about Banshee's (DC 14): 6 (nothing)

The following morning they travel to Conyberry.

🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 2, no encounter

At Conyberry, the party searches for a while until they find a trail leading them into Neverwinter Woods where, in a strange, woven domicile they encounter the Banshee Agatha. She is creepy and not very friendly, but with the silver comb that Sister Garaele has given them the party can easily win the Banshee over. She tells them what she knows about Bowgentle's spellbook before disappearing. There is no reason for this encounter to happen any differently than this. 

40 XP are awarded for each character again. 

After this somewhat anticlimactic day the group decides to head towards the ruins of Thundertree, traveling through the Neverwinter Wood. They head in a generally North-Western direction and camp for the night. 

🎲Encounter Check for the night, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 12, no encounter
🎲Encounter Check for the day, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 2, no encounter
🎲Encounter Check for the night, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 2, no encounter
🎲Encounter Check for the day, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 11, no encounter
🎲Encounter Check for the night, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 13, no encounter

Two days the group travels through the Neverwinter Wood, and for all the stories of its dangers, they are unimpeded by wandering monsters. It is the morning of the third day when they arrive at the outskirts of Thundertree.

The group is advancing on Thundertree from a generally South-Eastern direction. There are multiple possible entry points into the ruins of the village: 
🎲Entry point, 1d6 (1: North-East, 2: East, 3 or 4: South-East, 5: South, 6: South-West): 1 (North-East)

Having met the Neverwinter River and having camped there during the night the party follows the broad, green stream as it flows towards the West and after about an hour's travel they see the first shapes of building emerge from the underbrush. Before them lie the ruins of Thundertree. 

Gradually, the trail becomes an old, overgrown lane winding between dilapidated buildings choked in vines and brush. Ahead of you, in the middle of the settlement, rises a steep hill, upon which stands a stone tower with a partially collapsed roof and an adjoining cottage. A dirt road hugs the base of the hill and wends its way between old stone houses, many of which are roofless ruins with interiors open to the weather. Other buildings appear more or less intact. The whole place is eerily silent.

Rather close to the river stand the former barracks, the first building they encounter. 

The barracks appears to have weathered the years better than most buildings in town. Its rooftop features a simple battlement, and arrow-slit windows confirm that it was built to serve as a small keep in times of emergency.

Haunui has only faint memories of the place, but when they turn around the corner they find themselves on the former village square. 

On the east side of town, the lane opens up to form a small square. Several ruined buildings surround the south side of the square, but a larger, intact structure to the north looks like a barracks. One lane leads southeast, another heads southwest around the hill in the middle of the town, and a third way meanders north. In the middle of the square, leaning to one side ever so slightly, is a weathered wooden statue of a warrior clutching a spear and shield.

🎲History Check Haunui, +2, adv (born in this town)(DC15): 16 (success)

Almost intuitively Haunui's lips form the name "Palien" when he sees the weathered statue, then he walks over to the barracks.
"I don't know what awaits us in this town, but this here seems like a good place to start, it's sturdy and might serve well as a location for a base camp of sorts.", he suggests. But when he tries to open the door, it does not budge immediately. It is swollen with the moisture of many years and needs some convincing. 

🎲Strength Check Haunui +2 (DC 10): 7 (failure)

Somewhat ashamed Haunui steps back. "A little help here?" he asks, and tries again, backed up by Drusa: 

🎲Strength Check Drusa +3, adv (help from Haunui) (DC 10): 15 (success)

The door bursts open and for a moment Drusa and Haunui see only the darkness of the interior of the old barracks, then a shape on the floor stirs and rises up. 

"These are the undead!", shouts Haunui, drawing his Sword. "Be gone from my home, vile creatures!"
And he rushes inside to fight the zombies that shamble to their feet. 

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The undead resist the party's attempts to slay them for a while, but they are more an annoyance then a threat for my weathered adventurers. They emit strange bursts of ash when they enter combat that makes the eyes water, but it was not a big bother to anyone. 

The party searches the barracks but finds nothing of use. The building however seems to have weathered the erosion of time well enough. They collect the corpses of the ash zombies and, not wanting to leave them out in plain sight they take them to the next buildings that have largely collapsed where they stack them up. 

🎲1d10 / 2 to see who get's the wrong ruin first (1: Drusa, 2: Haunui, 3: Harbek, 4: Quillathe, 5: Brandr): 3 => Harbek
🎲Stealth Check +5: 5 => failure to surprise Harbek.  
🎲4x 1d100 (rounded up) to see how far away the others are: Drusa (50), Haunui (90), Quillathe (75), Brandr (85)

As Harbek throws down one of the destroyed zombies into the ruins of another house he suddenly hears rustling in the dried out bushes around him and calls out to his friends, just before he is jumped by many tiny creatures that look like they were made out of thin twigs and anger. 

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It is a short battle in which the small blight scratch up Harbek rather badly before they are all quickly dispatched. The group returns to the barracks to decide what to do now. Haunui wants to explore more, knowing that Mirna's family's Herbalist shop is nearby and wanting to explore a bit more. 

🎲Stealth Check +1 (DC 14): 5 (failure)

As the group is talking they hear noise outside again and rush to a window just to see a man quickly rushing away Southwards in the direction where they just fought the blights. The group is suspicious and keeps an eye out but when the man does not return they leave it be for the moment, deciding to head to Mirna's shop where after a quick search they do indeed discover the necklace with a beautiful emerald pendant. Haunui pockets it for now, explaining that he intends to return it to her, since they have plenty of money as is. 

From the herbalist's shop the group can clearly see the tower as well as the huge spider-webs covering a part of the road below it. There also is a building to the South-West, a former smithy that looks largely intact as well as the building in the South-East where the man fled to, apparently an old farm-house. These are three possible locations they could explore next. 

🎲1d6 / 2 (1: Spiderwebs, 2: Smithy, 3: Farmhouse): 3 => Farmhouse
🎲Cure Wounds on self, Harbek, 1d8+6: 14 (back to full health)

The characters approach the house and knock on the door. Eventually the door is opened an inch,

reluctantly by a man in dark robes. He asks what the characters want and Haunui introduces himself as. He tells the man that he grew up in Thundertree and has now returned to free it from the zombies and make it suitable for human inhibition again. 
🎲Persuasion Check Haunui -1 (DC 15 for some success, DC 20 for total success): 12 (failure)
The man who has opened the door does not seem conviced and tells Haunui to shove off before slamming the door. The group, not having a reason to think these people anything else but rude settlers with some dark past leave it be for the moment. If Thundertree is freed they can still try and talk to these ruffians about how to continue now. 

The group heads to the old Smithy, that is the nearest building. The door is swollen and barred as well, so Drusa and Haunui try to force it open together. 

🎲Strength Check Drusa, +3, adv (assisted check)(DC 10): 21 (success)

The door splinters and falls inward. Two slumped shapes inside this abandoned smithy slowly rise to their feet and attack. 

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The battle is short and within seconds the Zombies are destroyed. Harbek and Brandr, who breathed in the choking Ash that evaporated from the monsters' bodies are coughing for a while but manage to pull themselves together with no lasting harm done as it seems. The Smithy itself is intact, but there is nothing of use for our party here and they leave quickly. 

🎲NPC Stealth Check +1 (DC 14): 14 (success) => not noticed by the party

The group moves Northwards to investigate and if possible remove the large webs. 

🎲Monster Stealth Check +7: 24
🎲Perception Checks Haunui +3 (9) and Brandr +4 (13)

The group does not see any creature that might have left those webs behind and decide to investigate. There are multiple ways they can do this, ranging from stupid to smart. None of the characters is proficient in Nature. 

🎲Quillathe Intelligence Check to make a plan +3, adv (assisted check), (10 for some success, 15 for more success, 20 for complete success): 11 =>some success

As the group talks about how to go about removing these webs, they decide not to touch them directly since they might be sticky. Instead of that, they pick up large branches and try and poke apart the webs. 
As they do so, a skittering becomes audible and two monstrously large spiders emerge from inside the building, attacking the group. 

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The to enormous beasts spit webbing at the party but Drusa stands in front of everyone, takes two venomous bites and slays one of them with a single blow of her axe while the rest of the group pelts the other creature with spells and projectiles until it tries to run and is brought down by Quillathe and her magic missiles. 

The group slowly and carefully cuts away the remaining webs and makes its way into the building. Here they find, entangled in more webs the dried out husk of the spider's last victim. The group lays the dead elf to rest and take the gold and potion he carried. 
After the burial the group reconvenes at the barracks and takes a short rest. 

With that out of the way the group debates whether to have a look at the tower or not. It is the highest vantage point they could get and probably a better base than the barracks. They head towards the tower, but as they start to climb the path up to the tower a grey squirrel emerges from the bushes and turns into the druid Reidoth. He warns them that a green dragon has taken over the tower, a fearsome beast that is not to be underestimated. 
Reidoth ushes the group along the road to the South-Western part of town where he informs them about the state of the town. There are ash-zombies locked up in the sturdier buildings that he has not yet dealt with and the overgrown ruins are infested with Twig Blights. He is overjoyed when he hears of Haunui's plans to return the town to its former state. Reidoth does not know what the people in the Eastern part of town plan but they have been lurking around the dragon's tower. Reidoth would very much like to see the town freed of the monster, but he doubts if the group will be able to slay her. 

Now this is a moment where some consideration is needed. Slaying a dragon at 3rd level is nearly impossible, and even reducing it to 1/2 health as the adventure states you should is a very unlikely situation. The group however might consider trying to do this if they have backup, so they will possibly talk with the dragon cultists or ask Reidoth to back them up. There is no statblock for him and the statblock for a standard druid offers neither offensive nor healing spells which is why I deem it rather useless here. Also, a green dragons breath will reduce each of our characters to 0 HP in an instant with no healing that will be the death blow. 

Reasoning from the characters point of view I also don't think they would think themselves capable of defeating a dragon, especially since Reidoth does describe its capabilities. Haunui is the one with the most motivation to clear out the town, but it is not necessarily something he needs to do today. He'd rather come back another day once he has become stronger and live instead of fighting now and dying before achieving his end-goal. 

The group returns to Reidoths house and talks about the situation. They decide on two things: They will clear out the zombies and blights today and then head to the people in the farmhouse and talk about the dragon, trying and gaging what their point of view is and if they would back them up. 

So from Reidoths house they head to the location he has described to clear out the pests that infest Thundertree. First, they leave his house to clear out the twig blights that infest the cottages North and East of it.

Blighted Cottages, Download full Battle Report here

The Brown Horse, Download full Battle Report here

Blighted Farmhouse, Download full Battle Report here

Clearing out the three location proves no challenge at all. The group is a bit scratched up but have easily managed to defeat over a dozen of the little plant monsters and four shambling ash zombies in the former inn. There is nothing of value for them so they decide to spend the night at the Barracks to rest up. They talk about their plans and eventually it is Brandr who takes a spell scroll from his backpack and starts to read it out loud. For a moment his eyes flash bright orange and then he turns to the group and says calmly: "I serve a god of war and combat, a god who wants me to use my powers for battle and heroism, to defeat the dark creatures that roam this world."
"So?", asks Harbek. 
"He says, we should not go and try to confront the dragon.", states Brandr, as the Augury-Scroll crumples in his hands. 

That settles it. The next morning the group packs their things, ask Reidoth to keep an eye out for both the dragons and the people in the farmhouse and leave, promising to return as soon as they can. Deciding that they do not want to let Gundren wait any longer, that they want to report about their finished quests and that Thundertree is save enough for the moment - if you don't count the dragon - they depart in a Southern direction along the edge of the Neverwinter Woods. 

🎲Encounter Check for the day, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 15 (no encounter)
🎲Encounter Check for the night, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 5 (no encounter)
🎲Encounter Check for the day, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 5 (no encounter)

As the sun sets on the second day, after an eventless journey the group returns to Phandalin, where they have left Gundren, Sildar and - unbeknownst to everyone - a doppelganger.