Baergar finds no loot on the vanquished air cultists beyond some bird-shaped steel hats that he saves for Zephyros. The bodies go over the side of the flying hat castle, and the cultists’ giant vultures dive after the falling bodies.
After an eight hour nap, Mel, Adrik, Harry, Baergar, and Grund wake much stronger. Especially Grund. Zephyros descends from the upper levels and explains that he was unconscious after chatting with the planar advisory committee who advised him to mistrust the air cultists. That advice, though affirming, is eight hours and sixty seconds late.
Zephyros gives the party a tour of his flying hat castle. The highest level is where he keeps his four unnamed pet griffons. The castle’s arrival over Goldenfields interrupts Grund’s gastronomic beer-battered proposal for the crated, milk-fed griffons. As a parting gesture, Zephyros re-gifts the bag of air cult fairy dust to Harry while Mel discusses Oreos with Grund.
Zephyros deposits the party in vast fields of gold at the gates of the walled city of Goldenfields. The town has no distance markers but seems a mile or two wide. They make their way toward the prominent temple of Chauntea, goddess of agriculture, where they are greeted by abbot Ellardin Darovik.
Darovik invites them into the abbey, making excuses for the two resident black bears, Darlow and Tilbee. Grund can’t help but notice the town is lightly guarded. Darovik, gratified that Grund would happen to mention that plot point, has been similarly chided by local parishioner Zi Liang for the lack of a standing army. There has never been any need for a strong defensive force and therefore won’t be any time soon. With that foreshadowing complete, Harry inquires about any recently visiting noblemen, perhaps one with a shady steward? Darovik suggests checking the Goldengulp north of here. Grund inquires for lodgings and libations. Darovik suggests Northfurrow’s End, also north of here and fortuitously run by Miros Xelbrin.
The party makes its way north past orderly rows of elaborately decorated longhouses to the three story inn, Northfurrow’s End. A beast of a man greets them from behind the checkin counter. Grund confirms the man is proprietor Miros Xelbrin and gently but firmly conveys the good news / bad news / good news: here is Rillix, his family’s pet tressym, rescued after his parents were brutally crushed by boulders while honorably defending Nightstone from attacking giants, and are there five adjacent rooms available at the inn for paying customers? Miros accepts the tressym, the news, and the 5 gp for the rooms.
Complimentary first brews are served in the common room. Grund slides the server a gold piece to keep the suds flowing. Harry brings a drink to the ornate librarian wearing a medallion of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors and reading a book of advanced spellcasting. Naxene Drathkala does little to conceal her displeasure at being assigned to supervise the harvest at Goldenfields. If Goldenfields fails then Waterdeep fails, but nothing has ever gone wrong in Goldenfields and therefore nothing could ever go wrong. Harry inquires about any noble passers-through at the inn lately, perhaps one with a shady steward at the inn lately? Why yes, they left not long ago.
The party turns in for an uneventful evening in Goldenfields where nothing ever goes wrong.
Frantic yelling by staggering halfling Oren Yogilvy interrupts a good night’s sleep. Ogres, bugbears, and goblins are discovered moving through the town and the surrounding fields. The party leaps to arms. Grund sprints out of the inn judge-first and greases a goblin. Baergar follows along, sneaking attacks around Grund while carefully keeping Grund between him and harm. Harry and Naxene try to out out-wizard each other obliterating the greenskins with fireballs and bolts of lightning and fire. Dextrous stranger Shalvus Martholio backs up Mel’s warhammering with his quarterstaffing. Adrik flanks out with his handaxe to stop goblins from getting around behind them to the inn. Miros defends his inn and shelters lightweight halfling Oren. Miles away, on the other side of town, a huge plant named Lifferlas and local militant Zi Liang smash through nearby goblins.
None of the town’s defenders get too badly injured in the fight, although Grund gets the judge jammed into an ogre rib cage right before Harry and Naxene explode it in flaming guts. Grund takes the opportunity to taunt the ogre’s many surviving nearby friends by hoisting the flaming gut soaked mordenkrad aloft along with some choice insults. Mel breaks her warhammer and proceeds to crack open a goblin with the broken-off handle. Lifferlas breaks a limb smashing goblins. Unlike Mel’s warhammer, Lifferlas’s limbs grow on trees.
The town proper is cleared of invaders, but the fields are still crawling with the pilfering beasties threatening the Sword Coast’s food security, not to mention Naxene’s next employee evaluation.