One last thought on Mirna’s precious heirloom, a gold necklace with a fine emerald pendant worth 250 gp hidden somewhere in the ruins of Thundertree.

Yesterday I proposed the idea that perhaps Mirna uses the heirloom in an attempt to pay for her family’s freedom while in Redbrand captivity. But there’s another practical use for the heirloom in the story.

Mirna’s husband was murdered by the Redbrands, which means she suddenly finds herself a widow with two children in a frontier town that, in her experience, is not a safe community to reside in.

With her husband gone, and Mirna having no trade to support her family with (at least not one listed in the story), she’ll need money. Whether it’s to move away from Phandalin to the safety of a city, or simply to be able to provide for her family for the foreseeable future is anyone’s guess.

If one was to suddenly find their family without a breadwinner, I doubt they’d hand over a precious heirloom crucial to their family’s financial survival – no matter how thankful they were to be rescued from their situation. People need to eat, and with a thrifty lifestyle and some help from the community, 250 gp might sustain a small family for several years. So, I find it implausible that Mirna would basically say “thank you for freeing us. Help yourself to a lost heirloom of my family in Thundertree. Don’t mind us, we’ll be over here starving.”

Freed of their captivity, Mirna needs a plan for her family’s future and decides it’s time to return to her ruined childhood home to regain the precious heirloom. Despite the misgivings of her children, she hires a guide to take her to Thundertree.

Just like in yesterday’s scenario, the same exact thing happens in Thundertree. At the moment the heirloom is unearthed in the ruined apothecary, Venomfang makes his appearance. As they flee in terror, Mirna is separated from her traveling companion (perhaps an associate of Daran Edermath), who flees to the ruined store, inadvertently blundering into the lair of the giant spiders within. He could be the “unfortunate adventurer” cocooned in the Ruined Store entry.

Meanwhile, Mirna is waylaid by twig blights, only to find herself “rescued” by Venomfang, who keeps her as a treasure, along with her beautiful heirloom. Both are items a green dragon would prize for his hoard over something as boring and utilitarian as gold.

Meanwhile, the characters back in Phandalin are approached by Sister Garaele, whom Nilsa and Nars have confided in. It’s been several days, and despite the children begging their mother not to go, she departed for Thundertree a week ago. The children are now beside themselves with worry.

This, along with yesterday’s recommendation using the heirloom as a ransom to free her family gives the party’s trek out to Thundertree more plausibility, nuance, and most importantly, meaning beyond the “thanks for freeing my family. There’s a necklace worth some money out in Thundertree if you want it” hook in the published adventure.

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