FourRedbrand ruffians are drinkingandplaying
knucklebones when the characters enter.Thegame isn't
far fromturning acrimonious, as mostof them do. The
diceare loaded,andthe ruffianto whichtheybelong is
naturally winning. All fourhavebeen drinking heavily, and
theyare poisoned(seethe appendix in the rulebookfor the
effectsof being poisoned).
The Redbrands immediately recognize characters
wearing scarlet cloaks as impostors. However, fast-
talking characters might stillbe ableto passthemselves
off as "newrecruits," especially if theyofferto jointhe
game. If youdon'tthink the players are doinga greatjob
roleplaying the deception, youcanhavethe character
whois doing most of the talking make a DC10 Charisma
(Deception) checkto foolthe Redbrands.
TREASURE
Thewealth in the roomis all on the table,having beenbet
in the game.(Knocking overthe tableor mixing up all the
enemies' lootis a great wayto distract themfor a short
time.)Thetotalamounts to 75 cp, 55 sp, 22 ep, 15 gp, and
a goldearring set witha tinyruby(30 gp).AWARDING EXPERIENCE POINTS
Divide 400 XP equally among the charactersif the party
defeats the Redbrands in thisroom.
- WIZARD'S WORKSHOP
Faint bubbling anddripping sounds canbe heard through
either doorof thisroom witha successful DC15 Wisdom
(Perception) check.
Thisroom appears to be a wizard'sworkshop. A rat scurries
across the floorand takesrefuge under a largeworktable
set up withalembics, retorts, distillation coils,and other
alchemical devices, all of it stewingand bubbling away.
Bookshelves are crowded withsheaves of parchment and
strange-looking tomes.larno hasleft his rat familiarhere to watchfor intruders.
Therat sharesa telepathic bondwithits master,andit
sends a briefwarning message to larno as soonas it
detects intruders. The rat movesat a speed of 20 feetand
hasAC 10, 1 hit point,and no effectiveattacks. If the rat is
killed, it disappears.
If the charactersleavethe rat unharmed, it followsthem
around as though curious or hungry. It mightevenfeign
affection for a character whofeedsit, though it remains
absolutely loyalto Iarno,
Booksand Notes.larno is trying to masterthe art of
brewing potions andconcocting alchemical mixtures. The
books andnotes scattered around the roomare basictexts
on alchemy. Anycharacter proficient in Arcana cansee
thatlarno's apparatus appears to be set up to brewpotions
of invisibility-notthathe hassucceeded so far.
Among the books is a tomewritten in Dwarvish. The
journal of an adventurer named Urmon, it describes the
history of the LostMineof Phandelver andthe Forgeof
Spells. (Share the informationin the firstandsecond
paragraph of the "Background"section if youhavenot
already done so.)In addition, Urmon records thata magic
mace named Lightbritiger was commissioned by priests
of Lathander,the godof dawn, fromthe rnagesworking
withthe gnomes anddwarves of the Phandelver's Pact.
Themace was lostwhen WaveEcho Caveandits mine
vanished from history. (Characters might findthe macein
part 4, "WaveEcho Cave.")DEVELOPMENTS
Because larno andhis rat familiar share a telepathic bond,
the mage(in area 12) knows the charactersare coming
and hastimeto prepare for them.TREASURE
Most of the materialsin this roomhaveno value, but three
small bottles holdrare reagents: mercury, dragon bile,and
powdered nightshade. These are worth 25 gp eachto an
apothecary or alchemist.- GLASSTAFF'S Q'-U_A_R_T_E_RS
If the charactersapproach thisroom through the secret
passage from area 7, theycansurprise the leaderof the
Redbrands-Iarno "Glasstaff" Albrek. Otherwise, his rat
familiar warns himof anywhoapproach through area 11,
and he fleesbefore the charactersarrive.
The wallsof thisbedchamber are covered withdrapes of
scarlet cloth. The furnishingsinclude a smallwriting desk
withmatching chair, a comfortable-looking bed, and a
wooden chest at the footof the bed.If larno is surprised, addthe followingparagraph:Sitting at the deskis a short,dark-bearded human male in
robes, studying a tome. He wears a princely mantle of ermine.
A beautiful glass staffleansagainst his chair,withineasy
reach.If the rat in area11 warns himthattrouble is approaching,
larno the evilmage grabs his staff of defense(see
appendix A) andthe scrollsin his chest(seethe
"Treasure" section), and fleesthrough the secretdoor
in the northeastcorner of the room.In his haste, larno
leaves behind a letter fromthe BlackSpider (seethe
"Developments" section) andneglects to makesure
the secretdooris closedall the way.Characters gain
advantage on ability checks made to findthe slightlyajar
secret door(see"Advantage andDisadvantage" in the
rulebook). Formore information on secret doors, seethe
"General Features" section (page20).
If he manages to escape,larno fleesto area 1 (through
areas 7 and8) andgrabs the satchelhidden in the cistern
there. If the nothicis stillalive in area8, larnoinstructs it
to waylayanypursuers. If the characterscatch up to him,
larno quaffs the potion of invisibilityin the satcheland
fleesthe hideout. At yourdiscretion, he could reappear
later in the adventure.ROLEPLAYING IARNO
A former member of the Lords'Alliance, larno seized
an opportunity in Phandalin to linehis ownpockets.
Originally tasked withsetting up a constabulary, the mage25
PART2: PHANDALlN