Glasstaff shouted for the Redbrands to attack the intruders as he cast misty step to teleport away from Hinnerk and run through the bronze double doors. Tunwéya got line of sight and grazed the wizard with an arrow while Hinnerk danced across the pit trap and caught Glasstaff in his net. Leofric demanded Glasstaff surrender. Knowing he’d been beaten, the wizard called for his guards to stand down.

Xanthe took the crystalline staff and Leofric confiscated the wizard’s bag which he recognised as a Bag of Holding. They took Glasstaff to the cistern to interrogate him and as he sat down on its ledge a note fell from his robes. The note said:

Lord Albrek,

My spies in Neverwinter tell me that strangers are due to arrive in Phandalin. They could be working for the dwarves.

Capture them if you can, kill them if you must, but don’t allow them to upset our plans. See that any dwarven maps in their possession are delivered to me with haste.

I’m counting on you, Iarno. Don’t disappoint me.

It was signed with a black spider symbol.

Iarno/Glasstaff told them that:

• The Black Spider is a drow (dark elf).
• The Black Spider sent three bugbears to help Iarno/Glasstaff keep the population of Phandalin under control, but the Redbrands not needed to use them.
• The Black Spider has found Wave Echo Cave but has not yet found the Forge of Spells. Dwarves and gnomes of the Phandelver’s Pact used the magical forge to fashion powerful magic items.
• Iarno/Glasstaff believes he is important enough to the Black Spider for her to rescue him.
• A Nothic lives in the crevasse in the hideout. It was here when the Redbrands arrived and is attracted to magical auras. The Nothic was a lookout for the gang and in return Glasstaff gave it the odd corpse to feed on.

The party freed the prisoners and discovered they were the family of the murdered woodcutter, Niris and her two children. They were reluctant to go with the party, thinking the party were also members of the gang but eventually followed. The party decided to take Glasstaff to Daran Edermath’s cottage and keep him there while spreading the word that he was their prisoner, in the hope that the Black Spider would get wind of this and send someone to rescue him. They decided to spread the word that he would be put on trial in three days.

The group returned to town and Niris and her family returned to their house. Leofric gave her some gold, while the 20gp, 87sp and 202cp in Tunwéya’s bag felt heavier than normal. The group snuck through the town undetected. Leofric, Xanthe and Og kept watch in the cramped cottage while Darry, Hinnerk and Tunwéya returned to the tavern. During their watch Glasstaff explained the properties of his staff to Xanthe and also described the contents of the bag of holding to Leofric.

When the party met up in the morning Leofric shared out the contents of the bag, giving Hinnerk two scrolls. He couldn’t understand the arcane runes on the parchment and looked on enviously at the Dragon Slayer Longsword that Leofric had claimed.