Wave Echo Cave
After a night at the inn, Jorsola arrives delivering an order of ‘Barrelbands’. She says she’s upset that we didn’t tell her we were in town. We head north, camping on the trail through an uneventful evening. The next day we are ambushed by seven Cragmaw goblins while on the trail to Phandalin.
We arrive in Phandalin on the 18th, and decide to spend the night at the inn. Sildar comes into the tavern to have a pint looking a bit disturbed by the interrogation of Vyerith. He tells us that he was just trying to throw us off by luring us into Thundertree, hoping that something would eat us. He says that Black Spider can cast and can fight and that Black Spider only took his personal guard to Wave Echo Cave. Sildar is waiting for the next patrol to send Vyerith on his way. He also says that he’s expecting someone new in the Miner’s Exchange in a week or so. About the tavern we hear rumors of a mine to the northeast that may strike gold.
On the 19th, we leave the cart at the manor and head to Wave Echo Cave. We make it to the valley and meet with Gundrand where he leads us to his camp. He reports that the cave has been quiet. There have been large quantities of goblins; groups of 20 to 50 in size. Two days ago there was a large commotion with sounds of fighting. The next day he investigated and found lots of dead goblins with slashing and arrow wounds, but nothing else amongst the dead.
We camp the night, relieving Gundrand of his watch. The next day we convince Gundrand to watch the entrance to make sure nothing surprises us and to wait for his brothers. Entering the cave we can hear a light wave crashing noise. In the antechamber, we find a corpse of a dwarf with sticky webbing and blunt force trauma. We message Gundrand and he rushed in identifying Thurden on whom I cast gentle repose.
We delve deeper into the cave, usually following the left passage way. In pool of water we find a skeleton with two platinum rings and a wand of magic missiles. Find a room with five bugbears which we defeat. Eventually enter a room with a dwarven statue and a camp of six or so bedrolls, two bugbears, four spiders, and a drow…Black Spider.
We fight and win, looting 15p 205g, 9 gems worth 10g, an electrum ale mug worth 100g (which I take), and an iron key with the head of an anvil. We find notes of Black Spider’s progress through the cave. The right pathway at the entrance leads towards a maze. There is a room nearby with a door, a possible place for a prisoner. Straight to the east is a large cavern with a river in a crevasse with a split; to the left a water sea, to the right a furnace with an open area marked in red. There are unexplored areas beyond the furnace and sea.
We backtrack to the bugbear room and take a short rest.