The Redbrands (also known as the Redbrand gang or Redguards) are a notorious gang of ruffians, bandits, and punks who established a reign of terror and harassment over the frontier town of Phandalin. Described by the retired adventurer and blind cleric Deacon as a highly disruptive force, they operated with near impunity due to the incompetence of the townmaster, Harbin Wester, and his solitary guard, Reckon.

Headquarters and Operations

The gang established their primary base of operations beneath the ruins of Tristan Manor. While the manor’s dining room above was mysteriously left to be patrolled by creepy zombies, the Redbrands utilized a secret door in the cellar to access their true hideout. Within this subterranean complex, members of the gang spent their off-duty time playing poker and drinking, while their leader conducted arcane research in a nearby alchemical mage study. Beyond the manor, a makeshift fighting ring used by local ruffians was located in the basement of the Sleeping Giant Inn.

Leadership and Alliances

The Redbrands were led by a wizard known as Glasstaff, who maintained a private laboratory in the cellar complex. To enforce their will and secure their hold on the manor, the gang also employed a formidable Half-Ogre (referred to as an Ogrillon) as brute muscle.

Subsequent investigations and the recovery of correspondence within their hideout revealed that Glasstaff and the Redbrands were not acting entirely of their own volition; they were in league with, or receiving orders from, a mysterious figure known only as “The Spider.”

Downfall

The Redbrands’ grip on Phandalin was broken when a band of adventurers—who eventually took the name The Magnificent Five—infiltrated Tristan Manor. During the infiltration, the noble Gilmore brazenly joined the bandits’ poker game, successfully drinking three of the four players under the table. Meanwhile, the rest of the party scouted the cellar and rescued three captive survivors of the Tristan family, including Myrna Tristan.

When Glasstaff discovered he was locked in his quarters, he called for aid, sparking a chaotic battle. Erewyn managed to shoot the wizard’s staff out of his hand, and alongside Hope and Farwald, dispatched the wizard, though Erewyn was critically injured before being quickly healed by Nalini. Though Gilmore was nearly overwhelmed by the Ogrillon brute, Erevyn (also referred to as Erevan) killed the creature with a well-placed arrow once he was back on his feet. Following the battle, the two drunken bandits who had collapsed in the corner of the cellar were arrested and turned in to the town authorities.

Among the spoils recovered from the smoldering ruins of the Redbrand lab were Glasstaff’s signature staff, a Bag of Holding, a historical tome titled “The Rise and Fall of the Pact of Phandelver” by Elminster Aumar, and incriminating correspondence from “The Spider.” In gratitude for their rescue, Myrna Tristan bequeathed Tristan Manor to the party to serve as their house and shelter. Farwald later liquidated half of the left-over gear found in the basement to purchase scrolls from Deacon.