SgtShellback
Explorer
I've been really impressed and entertained with my players' session reports, so I thought I'd paste 'em over here for others to enjoy.
If you haven't played or read the Phandelver campaign, beware--spoilers ahead.
The cast:
Theren: Half-elven warlock
Belanor: Elf ranger
Quincy: Human barbarian
Steve: Dragonborn bard
Garn: Human druid
Oswald and Oggie: Human hirelings (porters to help carry gear and loot)
Session 1 - Ambush on the Triboar Trail
(this session was short as character creation had taken most of the session time)
The party was hired by Gundren Rockseeker, a dwarf, to escort a wagonload of supplies to Phandalin, with a reward of 10gp promised to each caravan guard.
Along the way, the party found two dead horses on the road. They stopped to investigate and were ambushed by four goblins. They fought through the ambush, quickly dispatching all four goblin archers. The horses were suspected to be those of Gundren and his escort Sildar, but the party could not be sure.
They decided to take a short rest and continue to Phandelin.
Session 2: The Search for Gundrin
The party stood on the Triboar trail debating what to do next.
“We need to follow this trail! Surely these steeds belonged to Gundrin and Sildar!” Belanor argued, pointing to the dead horses. “We mustn’t waste any more time.”
“Yes, but we were hired to take the wagonload of supplies to Phandelin, not to go hunting goblins,” said Steve, heaving the last of the goblin corpses onto the pile.
Belanor, retrieving an arrow, answered, “And just who will pay us, if Gundrin Rockseeker didn’t make it to Phandelin?”
The party stood on the road for a moment, each member lost in thought. It wasn’t an easy choice. Steve broke the silence. “Let’s put it to a vote, then. All in favor of continuing to Phandelin, say ‘Aye’…”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
Belanor shook her head, but relented. “To Phandelin it is, then.”
It was nearly midnight when the party finally arrived in the town of Phandelin. Tired from battle and the long day’s journey, the group trudged into the town square. The only noise was the heaving breathing of the oxen and the intermittent squeaking of the wagon’s wheels. Lights could be seen behind the occasional window, but the town seemed mostly to be asleep.
Several of the party members breathed a sigh of relief when they caught sight of the Stonehill Inn. It was clearly still open, and that meant a hot meal, a warm bed, and cold ale. Quincy patted the oxen. “You go in. I’ll stay outside and keep watch on the wagon.”
Garn, Steve, Belanor, and Theren had no problem with that arrangement. They walked inside, greeted by silence and wary stares from the locals. A few miners, a few herdsman, a few farmers—this sure wasn’t Neverwinter. But it was warm, and they could smell fresh bread. The group sat down at one of the many empty tables.
“Well, well! You must be new in town! What can I get for you?” The young barmaid placed a wooden plate on the table. It held half a loaf of bread and a large chunk of soft white cheese. She seemed genuinely pleased to see new faces.
“We’ll take a round of ales.” Theren answered.
“Sure, sure. No problem there,” she smiled, “What brings you to Phandelin?”
“We’re making a delivery.”
“Oh? What kind of delivery?”
“A delivery.”
“…I see.” The barmaid seemed deflated. “I’ll be back with your drinks in a moment.”
Garn waited for her to leave, then leaned in to whisper, “Theren, she seems to like you. Maybe you should go talk to her… see if she knows where Barthen’s is.”
Theren sighed. He was tired, and in no mood to chat up a barmaid, but he wanted to get paid. “Yes, I suppose that’s a good idea.” He got up and walked over to the bar and started making conversation.
A few minutes passed, and the party, still waiting for their ales, walked over to the bar to join Theren and the barmaid. “Gentlemen, Belanor, this is Elsa. She’s been telling me about some of the locals—a group calling themselves the Redbrands. They seem like a bunch of bandits and brigands.”
Belanor sneered. “No good thugs preying on the weak….”
Theren quickly changed the subject. “But she also told me where we could find Barthen’s Provisions. It’s right up the road. We probably passed it on the way in.”
“Old Barthen is probably in bed, though—you lot should get rooms and find him in the morning.” Elsa said.
“We’ve got a delivery to make. We’re not sleeping until it’s done.” Steve answered.
The party slammed their drinks and went back outside, sharing what they’d learned with Quincy as they walked back up the road toward Barthen’s Provisions.
Barthen’s Provisions was a large 2-story wooden building. If Barthen lived here, he was either away or asleep. There was no light coming from inside.
“Maybe we should come back in the morning,” said Quincy, “when he’s awake.”
“Nonsense,” said Garn, pounding his fist into the heavy oaken door. “This’ll wake him up.”
He was right. One of the second-story windows lit up and opened, revealing a thin, balding man with a shaggy beard, probably in his fifties. He wore a grey nightgown and cap, and held a candle. He leaned out the window and shouted, “Who the hell is knocking at this ungodly hour? What do you want? We’re closed!”
“Get down here and open the door, old man!” Theren shouted, “We’ve got Gundren’s delivery here for you!”
A worried look flashed across Barthen’s face and he disappeared from the window, forgetting even to close it, so much in a hurry he was. A moment later, the group heard the sound of a heavy lock turning and the door swung open. “Get inside, and be quick.” Barthen waved them in, still in his robe, his skinny bowed legs and bare feet showing.
Once inside, Barthen lit several lamps. The store was full of supplies: Sacks of flour and grain, pickaxes and shovels, rope, wheelbarrels, hammers—you name it. It seemed he did a booming business in mining supplies.
“We’ve got your supplies. Where’s Gundrin?” said Steve.
“I wish I knew. He was due to arrive here two days ago, but I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him. I fear something terrible has happened…”
Belanor nearly jumped. “I told you we should’ve tracked those goblins! He’s probably dead by now!”
Barthen went pale. “Dead? Goblins? What are you talking about?”
Belanor told him what’d happened that morning. She explained how the horses had been killed by goblin arrows, and that the group had been ambushed, and that someone had been dragged away.
The news only made Barthen worse. He steadied himself against the store counter, then sat on a low stool. “Then my good friend Gundren has fallen… or at best, he’s been taken prisoner by those horrid goblins!” He sat in silence for a moment, staring at the worn wooden floor. “Well, that’s no concern of yours. You lot have delivered his goods, as promised. I’ll cover his debt to you. What was it he owed?”
Before anyone could answer, Belanor blurted, “He promised us 100 gold each.” Her eyes signalled to the rest of the group to stay quiet and see if he believed her.
He didn’t. “If I recall, the price was 10 gold each.” He backed away from the group, putting more of the counter between he and them. “I’ll pay 50 gold to you and not a copper more. I don’t want any trouble.”
Just then, a voice from the stairs. “Master Barthen, is there any trouble?” It was a young man, maybe 20 years old. “We heard conversation down here. Who are these people?”
“No trouble, lad. I was just paying these folks the money they’re owed. 50 gold, right?”
The party nodded, some ashamedly, some disappointedly. “Yes, 50 gold…” they muttered.
The next morning, the party sat eating breakfast at the inn, having found lodging there the night before. They discussed next steps. Should they look into this Redbrand problem? Maybe the town would pay to rid themselves of these brigands. Or should they seek the town master and see if he’d hire them to rescue Gundrin?
“Well, well—speak of the devil, and he shall make himself seen,” said Quincy, nodding in the direction of the doorway, where Barthen was walking in. He was accompanied by a portly middle-aged man dressed in fine velvet clothing, though it was heavily worn and mended. “I suppose he could pass for a town master in this backwater.”
Quincy was correct. “Gentlemen, lady, this is Townmaster Harbin Wester. He’s acting governor for Phandelin, and we have a proposal for you.”
“We’re listening.” said Steve, toothpicking his fangs, leaning back in his chair, and kicking his boots onto the table.
The Townmaster stuttered, clearly nervous. “I-I’m willing to pay you gentlemen—and lady!—to look into Gundrin’s disappearance. F-F-Fifty gold, to be precise. Yes, fifty gold, to bring him back alive.”
“And what if he’s dead?” asked Theren.
Barthen was grim. “If he’s dead, just bring back word. And his body, if you can, so we can provide a proper burial.”
The party exchanged looks and raised eyebrows.
Theren turned back to the Townmaster, grinning. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Wester. 50 gold for Gundren, dead or alive. We’ll leave after breakfast.”
---
After a full day’s travel, the party neared the ambush site.
Belanor stopped. “Do you hear that? It sounds like…. chewing?”
“I hear it too. Let’s go have a look.” Steve and Belanor snuck forward, trying to get a look without being seen themselves. Rounding the bend, they were horrified to see a gigantic humanoid munching on one of the dead horses hindquarters.
“I… believe that’s an ogre,” whispered Belanor, creeping forward. She’d barely finished the sentence when Steve stepped on a twig, alerting the ogre to their presence.
“Oi! Why ’ello sa’,” he spat between large bites. “It seems you’d loik to ‘ave the road. At’s no prublem. Jus’ pay me my toll an’ we’ll ’ave no trouble.”
“And what is your toll, exactly?” Steve asked fearlessly.
The giant laughed—it was a disgusting, horrifying guffaw. “Why don’t we jus’ start wit’ everyting you got?" He stood up and dropped his half-eaten horse leg. He was at least ten feet tall. “Or else I moight jus’ stick you wit’ dis javeelin and roast you for dessert!”
Before Steve could respond, Belanor let loose with an arrow, striking the ogre in the chest. Garn snuck forward past the monster’s flank, casting sheleigh on his quarterstaff. Quincy came rushing up the road, hurling his own javelin and striking the ogre in the arm.
The ogre was quickly defeated. After a short rest, the party proceeded up the trail toward’s the goblin’s hideout.
Upon reaching the hideout, the party was attacked by a small group of goblins in hiding. The goblins didn’t last long.
The party entered the goblin’s cave with caution and stumbled across three snarling wolves, chained to a stalagmite. The wolves broke free from their chains and rushed at the adventurers. It was a difficult fight. Theren instilled fear in two of the wolves. Garn moved to charm the remaining wolf, but Belanor, a known beast slayer, had other plans. Soon, all three wolves were dead on the floor. The party had only suffered minor wounds.
In the wolves’ chamber, the party discovered a pile of trash in the corner, and above it, a hole that lead upwards. Belanor went up the hole to check out what was beyond. She came back down to report that there were goblins and a much bigger humanoid up there. “And,” she said “treasure!”
The party agreed that they would not want to take on such burly opponents and would rather get back to the task of finding Gundrin and Sildar. They proceeded farther into the cave, along a small stream.
An arrow came down from the darkness and hit Theren, causing him to flee in fear. Quincy took care of the offending goblin with a javelin. Suddenly, they heard a roar of water, and the stream overflowed, sweeping two people out of the cave. The rest of the party followed hastily. They regrouped outside the mouth of the cave and could hear angry voices coming at them from inside. Everyone stood fast and prepared for the onslaught…
Session 3: Sildar's Recovery
The adventurers took their positions at the mouth of the cave. Quincy climbed up above the cave mouth and prepared an ambush. Without delay, a pile of goblins spilled out of the cave, taking arrows and spells from the awaiting party. The goblins had strength in numbers and quickly overtook the party. The adventures split up, taking and dealing hits from the ensuing goblins. A ravenous wolf came running out of the cave and took a bite at Belanor, who eviscerated it with twin swords.
When everything seemed to be going all right, a mighty roar echoed from the cave, and out came a massive humanoid monster! Quincy took the opportunity to attack from above, and the others fired unceasingly. When the bout was over, everyone had taken a serious beating, but stood victorious.
How would they proceed in such a state, they asked themselves. Fortunately, Garn had healing spells, and the party, still in rough shape, was able to muster the courage to move back in.
They walked up the cavern along the stream to the top, where they scavenged and came up with a treasure chest filled with coins and some unidentified potions. They followed a path across a bridge and came to a dark corridor. As they approached the darkness, a voice called out! It said to proceed only to return the chest of coins, and to leave in peace.
The adventurers discussed their options and decided to take on whatever was hiding in the darkness. They dashed in headfirst, tossing a torch out into the dark cavern, which illuminated five goblins and a captive human. There was no chance of negotiation now. A fight ensued.
Theren took a daring crossbow shot at the head goblin, but alas the bolt hit the man he was holding, who fell to the ground. After a brief hustle and some heroic wall climbing, the party emerged the victors.
The adventures took one living goblin as a prisoner, and brought the poor incapacitated human back from the brink of death. He turned out to be Sildar, Gundren’s bodyguard! Unfortunately, Gundren was nowhere to be found, and the only inkling of his whereabouts Sildar had to offer was a mysterious name: The Black Spider.
The adventurers took their leave of the dirty hideout, and made their way back to Phandolin.
Along the path, Steve headed out into the forest with the goblin. When he returned, the goblin was no longer with him. He said he freed his pet. The rest of the party was skeptical.
When they reached the town, Sildar took them to meet with Townmaster Harbin for their reward. He refused to pay them their dues, claiming that the reward was only to be presented on bringing back Gundrin alive. The party argued their case, but there was no winning. “That man’s a crook” said Sildar.
They rested the night at the Stonehill Inn, and in the morning, Sildar met with them. He wanted them to come with him for an errand.
They crossed town to a sad looking pub, and on the porch out front were six armed men, all wearing red capes: Redbrands. They clearly weren’t friends of Sildar. There was a round of insults and threats, and brawl that would follow was unavoidable.
Session 4: The Red Brands' Hideout
The Redbrands brandished their weapons. Theren quickly made for the trees, keeping his distance. Sildar and Quincy stormed into the crowd head on. After a few exchanges of attacks, Sildar, who was flanked on all sides, went down. But the Red Brands weren’t strong enough to take on everyone. After five were killed, the last one made a run for it, dodging a javelin, but ultimately meeting his fate by a bolt from Theren’s wand. Once again, they had to quickly tend to Sildar to save him from the throes of death.
At this point, a crowd had gathered. Sildar took the opportunity to rally the support of the townspeople.
“Are you sick of the Red Brands taking what is rightfully ours?!”
“Yeah!”
“Are you tired of the Red Brands attacking your homes and businesses?!”
“Yeah!”
“Don’t we want a leader who can take care of these scum, and not a coward like Harbin?!”
“Yeah!”
The crowd cheered enthusiastically, and Townmaster Harbin hobbled over to calm them. But his efforts were in vain. The people had spoken. They booed him and threw rotten fruit at him, and he slinked away in shame.
Sildar became the de facto leader of the town. He asked the adventurers if they would help him to finish off the Red Brands once and for all. Their hideout is an old, abandoned manor up the hill at the edge of town, and they could be attacked there. The party was hesitant. They agreed to take some time to think it over, but for now it seemed too dangerous. They spent the rest of the day going over their options. Some went to gather supplies. Some traveled the town trying to recruit fighters for the assault, but no one was daring enough to join. They decided to go to bed early and make a decision in the morning. They slept at the Stonehill Inn.
In the morning, they went downstairs to get breakfast and wait for Sildar. They were arguing over whether to take on the Red Brands, when a visitor came to their table. It was an old halfling woman who introduced herself as Quilleen. She told them that she recognized them from the fight the day before, and wanted to help them defeat the Red Brands. She told them of a man named Rydath, who lived a few days’ travel from Phandalin, who would be able to help them. And if they needed a place to stay while they were in town, they were welcome in her bard. They thanked her and she walked away.
Given the new information, the adventurers discussed their now more numerous options. Overhearing them, another visitor stopped by their table. It was a woman named Halia Thorton. She gave off a strange vibe, and seemed untrustworthy. She offered them 100 gold pieces to recover a staff for her collection. The staff belongs to the Red Brands’ leader, Glass Staff.
Finally, Sildar showed up. He asked had they decided to take on the Red Brands? The party discussed it for a moment, and agreed that yes, they were up for the challenge. Sildar was pleased beyond words.
Knowing how dangerous and numerous the Red Brands were, the party went to gather information for a stealthy entry. First, Garn spoke with some creatures familiar with the area. A bird told him everything it knew, but it wasn’t very helpful. The next strategy was to scope out the hideout in person. They went up to the base of the hill, under cover of the woods. Garn transformed into a mouse and scurried up the hill. He found the main entrance, but was ultimately stopped by a door, which he couldn’t pass in his mouse form. He returned to the bottom of the hill to make his report.
With barely any tactical advantage, the party decided to just go in through the front door. They went up the hill, and the door wasn’t locked, so they entered.
They entered at the top of a set of stairs leading down into a small room. There were barrels of food along the walls. Scanning the walls, someone came across a secret door. They lined up behind it and opened it… and three Red Brands came at them from across the room! In just a few seconds, the Red Brands were annihilated. The adventurers looted their bodies and proceeded through the secret door.
They walked down a corridor, single file. At the end of it, it opened up into a cavern with a deep chasm in the middle, and it was too dark for the humans to see.
They inched along through the darkness. One by one, everyone felt a pressing in their minds and heard a voice in their head. It told them about their darkest secrets. “I’m so hungry” it said. From across the chasm, a terrifying little creature showed its face. “I’m so hungry!” Someone tossed it a bit of food, and it gobbled it up quickly. “I know about Glass Staff… I’m so very hungry!”
Their interest piqued, some of the party returned to the first room to get a barrel of apples, which they hurled over the chasm. The little monster gobbled up the food right away. Then everyone felt the force in their mind again, and had a sudden understanding of the layout of the manor, like a map. And in a corner of that map, a sense that Glass Staff was there.
They made their way to the door that led down to his room…
Session 5: Glass Staff
Steve opened the secret door, with Theren following behind. They went down the illuminated stairway to a second secret door. Steve opened the door into a lavishly decorated bedroom. Standing on the other side was a human man with a shimmering crystal staff — Glass Staff! He spied the intruder and immediately dashed out though a door on the other side of the room. Steve chased after him.
The party reacted quickly and dispersed to block any exit passages where Glass Staff might escape. Then they moved in for the fight. Trying out the second bridge over the chasm, Garn had a stroke of bad luck, and it collapsed beneath him, sending him falling into the pit below. In a tiny alcove at the end of the gully, he spotted a chest. He looted it, grabbing two potions and a silvery, elaborate sword, and then climbed out of the pit back into the halls. Steve and Theren caught up to Glass Staff as he opened the door to a room. Inside were four Red Brands playing cards. They immediately took up their weapons and came at Steve, who retaliated by blasting the whole line of them with his fire breath. The inferno wrapped around Glass Staff, but a shimmering aura seemed to keep the flames from harming him.
At this point, Belanor and Quincy had taken to the final hallway, which would allow them to close in on Glass Staff from behind. As they rounded the last corner, a door behind them burst open and three burly bugbears came at them. They skirmished in the doorway.
As Theren and Steve were battling the Red Brands, Glass Staff made a break for it. A magical silvery smoke enveloped him. He disappeared, reappearing out in the cavern, where he was met by Garn — who was now a ferocious bear! Garn attacked with bites and claws. Glass Staff was protected again by the aura around him. He scrambled back down the stairway to his room to escape. At this point, the Red Brands were finished. Steve looped around and caught Glass Staff from behind. He tackled him, trying to pin him down. Glass Staff struggled and released a burst of magic missiles, which knocked Steve down, incapacitating him. Garn, the bear, retaliated with more fierce blows, attacking until Glass Staff’s aura of protection dissipated, leaving him exposed to the sharp claws. Theren swooped in from behind to help. Glass Staff was overwhelmed. He dropped to his knees and begged for mercy. Garn knocked him out, turned back to a human, and ran back to heal Steve.
Meanwhile, the bugbears were putting up one hell of a fight. Belanor and Quincy were handling it well, but they were relieved to be joined by the others, who came to aid them after taking out Glass Staff. They finished off the bugbears together. In the corner of the room of the bugbears, there was a small, terrified goblin cowering in the corner.
Theren went back to check on Glass Staff. He found the otherworldly creature crouched over the body, gripping it tightly. “Leave Glass Staff!” said Theren. “We’re all in this together.” The creature ignored him. It projected to everyone’s mind an image of it devouring Glass Staff’s body. Steve, who had regained consciousness, came into the room. He had no patience for the creature and attacked it with a javelin. The creature scrambled, but everyone came at it so fast that it was quickly killed. An uncomfortable silence ensued.
Now that the battle was over, the party tied up the still unconscious Glass Staff, and began to explore the hideout for information and loot. They found hundreds of coins some precious looking items and jewels. On Glass Staff’s desk, there was a letter, which told the reader to capture a group of travelers from Neverwinter, who are likely working for the dwarves. The letter addressed the reader as Iarno! At the bottom of the letter, in place of a signature, was an image of a black spider. The adventurers questioned the goblin for information. He was very scared and not too helpful.
They continued to explore the manor, and came across an armory, where Quincy stocked up on various weapons. Next to the armory they found a dark crypt. Theren peeked in to see that there were three sarcophagi, each containing a resting skeleton. It looked eerie, so they turned to the goblin for help. The goblin told them that the skeletons were dangerous, but they only attacked people they didn’t recognize. The party found some red cloaks in the armory and put them on so that they would look like Red Brands. Theren and Quincy entered the crypt, and the skeletons rose from their slumber, eyeing the visitors. But they didn’t move otherwise. The red cloaks seemed to do the trick.
Through the crypt, there was a door, which led to another room. Theren opened the door to the room. It contained two prison cells. In one were two women, and in the other was a little boy. Between the cells, there were two Red Brands, taunting the prisoners. Quincy intimidated the guards, and the rest of the party followed in, looking menacing. This was enough show of power that the Red Brands dropped their weapons to surrender. Belanor didn’t care about their surrender, and she attacked them unprovoked, killing one and incapacitating the other. They searched the guards and found keys, which unlocked the cells. The prisoners were a farmer’s family from Phandalin, a mother and her two children. They were overjoyed to be freed, and they promised a reward for their safe return home.
With the freed prisoners, the cowardly goblin, the Red Brand guard, and Glass Staff in tow, the party exited the manor and returned to Phandelin.
When the townspeople saw them, they rejoiced. Sildar heard the commotion and made his way to see them. When he saw Glass Staff, slung over Quincy’s shoulder, he was thrilled. However, when he got a bit closer, he recognized the face. Seeing that Glass Staff was actually Iarno, Sildar was visibly angry and disappointed. He called the town guard to take Iarno away to prison. He would stand trial when he came to. The party showed Sildar the letter from the Black Spider. He took it and said it would be useful evidence.
After the commotion died down, Steve announced that he wanted to take the goblin and the Red Brand prisoner into the woods. Quincy was suspicious, so he went in after him. Steve released the goblin and told him to spread stories of his (Steve’s) greatness. The goblin ran off. Next, Steve cut the ropes off the human prisoner. On seeing this, Quincy grabbed the prisoner and wouldn’t let him go.
“This man needs to stand trial for his crimes!” he shouted.
“No, he didn’t do anything! I’m going to free him!” said Steve, who grabbed the prisoner from the other side. Quincy threw a punch that knocked out Steve, who was still weakened from the fight in the manor. Quincy dragged them both back to the rest of the party. There was a moment of confusion for the others. Then, they took the prisoner to town hall to be jailed and to stand trial.
Iarno was to be questioned shortly.
Session 6: An Unlikely Castle Raid
The party interrogated Glass Staff, but was not satisfied with the information he was willing to divulge. Threats and bargaining led to a deal where Sildar would ensure Iarno would not be hanged, and in return he would tell them everything he knew about the Black Spider — which, it turned out, was not very much. The only useful information was that the Black Spider was a dark elf who is searching for Wave Echo Cave, where the Forge of Spells is rumored to be hidden.
The adventurers went around town to find more information. The first stop was at the halfling Quilleen’s farmhouse. Again, she told them that they should pursue the man Rydath for help.
Next, they visited Halia Thorton, the so called Collector. She still wanted to buy Iarno’s staff (no deal was made). Belanor showed her the bejeweled frog from the goblin’s hideout to see if there was any interest. She suggested they visit the shrine in the center of town to make the sale.
At the shrine, they found Sister Grail, a priestess. She happily bought the frog, and also encouraged the adventurers make monetary gifts for her deity. They talked for a while, and she mentioned that she is interested in visiting a banshee who is rumored to answer any question in exchange for a unique offering. She asked the adventurers if they would go for her, offer a silver comb (which she gave them) and ask for a special spell book owned by the legendary priest Boh-Gentle. In return for this errand, she would prepare them three potions of healing. The party decided it would be worth their time, so they headed out of town towards the banshee’s cave. They brought along the porters Oswald and his cousin Oggy to help lighten their load.
One day later on the trail, they were suddenly attacked by a group of hobgoblins. They were not much trouble, and were quickly defeated. One was taken as captive. A little coercion later, and he disclosed that he worked for a goblin king in a nearby castle, where they happen to have a dwarf prisoner — who, the party suspected, was probably Gundrin. The hobgoblin prisoner agreed to guide them to the castle.
They got to the castle just as the sun was setting. They planned to scout out the area and figure out how to make a quiet entrance. Belanor snuck up to the front of the castle, but due to some bad luck, she was exceptionally noisy and was spotted immediately.
Their cover blown, the party stormed the castle in full force. Many goblins and hobgoblins were slain, and the party held their own. The porters were left to their own in the woods and got attacked, and sadly Oswald met a cruel fate. Oggy was injured but survived.
The party pulled around the side of the castle, crushing enemies left and right. They cleared out a whole area, but there was still another half of the castle unexplored. They began to fan out and carefully explore the remaining rooms…
Session 7: Gundrin's Rescue
The castle was eerily quiet. The party made their way into a large room with some sort of altar at the end. All of a sudden, a monster dropped from above! It was a huge snake-like monster with tentacles coming out from around its mouth. It lashed out at Garn, but he kept it at bay. The adventurers attacked it with their weapons, but it seemed to be resistant to their physical attacks. Nevertheless, it was outnumbered and overwhelmed by the flurry of attacks, and was felled. A few goblins popped out from behind the curtains at the other end of the room. Steve and Belanor chased them into the next room, taking one out. The other one approached an altar, muttered some incantations, and drank a chalice of blood. It appeared that it was summoning something. Belanor swiftly gored the little goblin.
Quincy and Theren moved into the next room where they came across three hobgoblins. Theren terrified them with his Fey Presence, causing one to flee. The others stuck around to fight. There was a drawn out melee, two against two.
While Quincy and Theren had their hands full, Garn spotted a bugbear and a wolf run by in the hall. The bugbear had a small humanoid slung over his shoulder. Could it be Gundrin? Garn went out the other side of the room and around another hall to cut off the bugbear. But he wasn’t fast enough. The bugbear and the wolf ran out of the castle towards the woods. Before they slipped out of site, Garn cast a spell, superheating bugbear’s metal morningstar, which burned the bugbear, who then dropped it. Garn transformed into a bear and dashed after them. Steve and Belanor, just catching up, joined the chase.
Theren and Quincy were still battling the hobgoblins, who had turned out to be very strong fighters. Theren took a few hard hits and was looking pretty bad. He retaliated with his sword, killing one. At that moment, there was a shrieking roar from another room. The last hobgoblin fled in fear. The door beside them burst open and a huge bear-like creature with an owl’s face rushed out. It chased down the fleeing hobgoblin, pounced on it, and immediately began to devour it. Quincy and Theren didn’t hesitate for a moment. They ran off to catch up to the others.
By now, Garn was starting to gain on the bugbear. Suddenly, the bugbear turned around and said “Stop right there!” He held a javelin to his prisoner’s neck. “Come any closer and I’ll run this
er through!” The wolf beside him bared its teeth and growled. In this moment, they were able to get a good look a the little humanoid. It was Gundrin, the dwarf! “Drop the dwarf!” said Belanor. They stood in tension. The bugbear looked very agitated, but he didn’t falter. He knew that he had the advantage. He introduced himself as Grol, and he told them he would release his hostage, but there was a condition. The others would have to return to the castle and retrieve a bag from his room that contained some things he wanted. They had one minute to complete this task. (Would that even be possible?!) They went over their options for a moment, but it didn’t seem like there was anything they could do. And by now, Grol’s javelin was drawing blood from Gundrin’s throat.
To disrupt the tension, Theren used magic to whisper in the Grol’s ear. He was startled and looked behind him, giving the party a moment to get him by surprise. Garn leapt towards Grol, transformed back to a human, and put his hands on Gundrin, healing him with magic. Steve lunged forward and took hold of the javelin. He got a good hold on it, and was able to pull it away from Gundrin, but Grol didn’t release it. Theren took a shot at the bugbear’s hand to disarm him, but was not enough. The bugbear had a mighty grip on his weapon. During all the commotion, Gundrin was able to squirm out of Grol’s arms. He hit the ground, and started rolling away to safety. With the hostage out of the way, a battle ensued. They surrounded Grol, and there was a melee. The wolf was the first to go. Theren finished it off with an Eldritch Blast. The bugbear went into a rage and broke free from the melee, enduring three attacks from the adventurers as he passed them. He threw his javelin at Theren but missed. Steve cast dissonant whispers on Grol, and he went down. There was a brief moment of silence.
“My map!” shouted Gundrin in a panic. They cut his ropes, and he led them back to the castle. They followed him into a room, where there was a table and a bed. Gundrin dived under the bed to search for something. He came out a few seconds later with a look of disappointment on his face. “Damn it! That elf took it!”
Gundrin yelled and cursed for a little while, but then settled down a bit. He told a long story about Wave Echo Cave, how he and his brother Bill found it and made a map of how to get back there. They were going to mine the cave and get rich. But now the map was gone.
After the tale, Garn suddenly remembered something. “Wait! What about Oggie?!” As if by command, Oggie stumbled through the door and collapsed before them. Garn healed him.
They talked about the elf that stole the map. Gundrin said he couldn’t remember her name, but it was something like “Viera”. He really despised her.
They explored the deserted castle to look for loot. They found a chest with some coins, a couple unidentified scrolls, and some potions. They also found a small weapons room with some interesting looking weapons. One was a silvery sword with “SH” and the crest of Neverwinter inscribed on it. They suspected this was Sildar’s sword, and grabbed it so they could return it to him. They also found Sildar’s old bloody armor, which they took.
Everyone was pretty beat up and tired by now, so they decided to spend the night in the castle to rest before heading back. Garn and Belanor went outside to forage for food. They found the remains of a fight. It looked as if the owlbear had wreaked havoc. They found tracks leading away from the castle, and on the ground by them were three sacks. Each sack contained a severed elf head. They brought them back to the castle to show to Gundrin. He told them he didn’t recognize the faces; and besides, they were severed heads, which was disgusting. They disposed of the sacks and rested for the night.
In the morning, Belanor examined the tracks outside. Being that she was an excellent ranger, she had no problem detecting that they were elven. She led the rest of the party along the route. The tracks met up with the Triboar Trail, and they lost them. Garn and Quincy talked to some animals in case they had noticed the elves pass by. A raccoon told Quincy that it had seen the elves go toward the hills south of Phandalin. The party decided to head to Phandalin so that they could resupply and prepare to pursue the elves.
In Phandalin, Quincy and Garn went off with Oggie to help him bury his cousin.
Everyone else went to find Sildar. Gundrin and Sildar reunited. Gundrin did not hesitate to show his disapproval of Sildar’s body guarding abilities. But they talked it out and shared a round of drinks, and they were happy to see each other again. The adventurers returned Sildar’s sword and other belongings to him. He told them that the sword was very meaningful to him and he could never repay them.
Gundrin wanted to spend a few minutes discussing a business proposition. He told the party that if they recaptured the cave from the elves for him, he would give them a 10% share of the mine’s yield. Everyone agreed to the terms, and they decided to set out for Wave Echo Cave in the morning. For the rest of the night, they enjoyed great company and too much ale.
If you haven't played or read the Phandelver campaign, beware--spoilers ahead.
The cast:
Theren: Half-elven warlock
Belanor: Elf ranger
Quincy: Human barbarian
Steve: Dragonborn bard
Garn: Human druid
Oswald and Oggie: Human hirelings (porters to help carry gear and loot)
Session 1 - Ambush on the Triboar Trail
(this session was short as character creation had taken most of the session time)
The party was hired by Gundren Rockseeker, a dwarf, to escort a wagonload of supplies to Phandalin, with a reward of 10gp promised to each caravan guard.
Along the way, the party found two dead horses on the road. They stopped to investigate and were ambushed by four goblins. They fought through the ambush, quickly dispatching all four goblin archers. The horses were suspected to be those of Gundren and his escort Sildar, but the party could not be sure.
They decided to take a short rest and continue to Phandelin.
Session 2: The Search for Gundrin
The party stood on the Triboar trail debating what to do next.
“We need to follow this trail! Surely these steeds belonged to Gundrin and Sildar!” Belanor argued, pointing to the dead horses. “We mustn’t waste any more time.”
“Yes, but we were hired to take the wagonload of supplies to Phandelin, not to go hunting goblins,” said Steve, heaving the last of the goblin corpses onto the pile.
Belanor, retrieving an arrow, answered, “And just who will pay us, if Gundrin Rockseeker didn’t make it to Phandelin?”
The party stood on the road for a moment, each member lost in thought. It wasn’t an easy choice. Steve broke the silence. “Let’s put it to a vote, then. All in favor of continuing to Phandelin, say ‘Aye’…”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
“Aye.”
Belanor shook her head, but relented. “To Phandelin it is, then.”
It was nearly midnight when the party finally arrived in the town of Phandelin. Tired from battle and the long day’s journey, the group trudged into the town square. The only noise was the heaving breathing of the oxen and the intermittent squeaking of the wagon’s wheels. Lights could be seen behind the occasional window, but the town seemed mostly to be asleep.
Several of the party members breathed a sigh of relief when they caught sight of the Stonehill Inn. It was clearly still open, and that meant a hot meal, a warm bed, and cold ale. Quincy patted the oxen. “You go in. I’ll stay outside and keep watch on the wagon.”
Garn, Steve, Belanor, and Theren had no problem with that arrangement. They walked inside, greeted by silence and wary stares from the locals. A few miners, a few herdsman, a few farmers—this sure wasn’t Neverwinter. But it was warm, and they could smell fresh bread. The group sat down at one of the many empty tables.
“Well, well! You must be new in town! What can I get for you?” The young barmaid placed a wooden plate on the table. It held half a loaf of bread and a large chunk of soft white cheese. She seemed genuinely pleased to see new faces.
“We’ll take a round of ales.” Theren answered.
“Sure, sure. No problem there,” she smiled, “What brings you to Phandelin?”
“We’re making a delivery.”
“Oh? What kind of delivery?”
“A delivery.”
“…I see.” The barmaid seemed deflated. “I’ll be back with your drinks in a moment.”
Garn waited for her to leave, then leaned in to whisper, “Theren, she seems to like you. Maybe you should go talk to her… see if she knows where Barthen’s is.”
Theren sighed. He was tired, and in no mood to chat up a barmaid, but he wanted to get paid. “Yes, I suppose that’s a good idea.” He got up and walked over to the bar and started making conversation.
A few minutes passed, and the party, still waiting for their ales, walked over to the bar to join Theren and the barmaid. “Gentlemen, Belanor, this is Elsa. She’s been telling me about some of the locals—a group calling themselves the Redbrands. They seem like a bunch of bandits and brigands.”
Belanor sneered. “No good thugs preying on the weak….”
Theren quickly changed the subject. “But she also told me where we could find Barthen’s Provisions. It’s right up the road. We probably passed it on the way in.”
“Old Barthen is probably in bed, though—you lot should get rooms and find him in the morning.” Elsa said.
“We’ve got a delivery to make. We’re not sleeping until it’s done.” Steve answered.
The party slammed their drinks and went back outside, sharing what they’d learned with Quincy as they walked back up the road toward Barthen’s Provisions.
Barthen’s Provisions was a large 2-story wooden building. If Barthen lived here, he was either away or asleep. There was no light coming from inside.
“Maybe we should come back in the morning,” said Quincy, “when he’s awake.”
“Nonsense,” said Garn, pounding his fist into the heavy oaken door. “This’ll wake him up.”
He was right. One of the second-story windows lit up and opened, revealing a thin, balding man with a shaggy beard, probably in his fifties. He wore a grey nightgown and cap, and held a candle. He leaned out the window and shouted, “Who the hell is knocking at this ungodly hour? What do you want? We’re closed!”
“Get down here and open the door, old man!” Theren shouted, “We’ve got Gundren’s delivery here for you!”
A worried look flashed across Barthen’s face and he disappeared from the window, forgetting even to close it, so much in a hurry he was. A moment later, the group heard the sound of a heavy lock turning and the door swung open. “Get inside, and be quick.” Barthen waved them in, still in his robe, his skinny bowed legs and bare feet showing.
Once inside, Barthen lit several lamps. The store was full of supplies: Sacks of flour and grain, pickaxes and shovels, rope, wheelbarrels, hammers—you name it. It seemed he did a booming business in mining supplies.
“We’ve got your supplies. Where’s Gundrin?” said Steve.
“I wish I knew. He was due to arrive here two days ago, but I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him. I fear something terrible has happened…”
Belanor nearly jumped. “I told you we should’ve tracked those goblins! He’s probably dead by now!”
Barthen went pale. “Dead? Goblins? What are you talking about?”
Belanor told him what’d happened that morning. She explained how the horses had been killed by goblin arrows, and that the group had been ambushed, and that someone had been dragged away.
The news only made Barthen worse. He steadied himself against the store counter, then sat on a low stool. “Then my good friend Gundren has fallen… or at best, he’s been taken prisoner by those horrid goblins!” He sat in silence for a moment, staring at the worn wooden floor. “Well, that’s no concern of yours. You lot have delivered his goods, as promised. I’ll cover his debt to you. What was it he owed?”
Before anyone could answer, Belanor blurted, “He promised us 100 gold each.” Her eyes signalled to the rest of the group to stay quiet and see if he believed her.
He didn’t. “If I recall, the price was 10 gold each.” He backed away from the group, putting more of the counter between he and them. “I’ll pay 50 gold to you and not a copper more. I don’t want any trouble.”
Just then, a voice from the stairs. “Master Barthen, is there any trouble?” It was a young man, maybe 20 years old. “We heard conversation down here. Who are these people?”
“No trouble, lad. I was just paying these folks the money they’re owed. 50 gold, right?”
The party nodded, some ashamedly, some disappointedly. “Yes, 50 gold…” they muttered.
The next morning, the party sat eating breakfast at the inn, having found lodging there the night before. They discussed next steps. Should they look into this Redbrand problem? Maybe the town would pay to rid themselves of these brigands. Or should they seek the town master and see if he’d hire them to rescue Gundrin?
“Well, well—speak of the devil, and he shall make himself seen,” said Quincy, nodding in the direction of the doorway, where Barthen was walking in. He was accompanied by a portly middle-aged man dressed in fine velvet clothing, though it was heavily worn and mended. “I suppose he could pass for a town master in this backwater.”
Quincy was correct. “Gentlemen, lady, this is Townmaster Harbin Wester. He’s acting governor for Phandelin, and we have a proposal for you.”
“We’re listening.” said Steve, toothpicking his fangs, leaning back in his chair, and kicking his boots onto the table.
The Townmaster stuttered, clearly nervous. “I-I’m willing to pay you gentlemen—and lady!—to look into Gundrin’s disappearance. F-F-Fifty gold, to be precise. Yes, fifty gold, to bring him back alive.”
“And what if he’s dead?” asked Theren.
Barthen was grim. “If he’s dead, just bring back word. And his body, if you can, so we can provide a proper burial.”
The party exchanged looks and raised eyebrows.
Theren turned back to the Townmaster, grinning. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Wester. 50 gold for Gundren, dead or alive. We’ll leave after breakfast.”
---
After a full day’s travel, the party neared the ambush site.
Belanor stopped. “Do you hear that? It sounds like…. chewing?”
“I hear it too. Let’s go have a look.” Steve and Belanor snuck forward, trying to get a look without being seen themselves. Rounding the bend, they were horrified to see a gigantic humanoid munching on one of the dead horses hindquarters.
“I… believe that’s an ogre,” whispered Belanor, creeping forward. She’d barely finished the sentence when Steve stepped on a twig, alerting the ogre to their presence.
“Oi! Why ’ello sa’,” he spat between large bites. “It seems you’d loik to ‘ave the road. At’s no prublem. Jus’ pay me my toll an’ we’ll ’ave no trouble.”
“And what is your toll, exactly?” Steve asked fearlessly.
The giant laughed—it was a disgusting, horrifying guffaw. “Why don’t we jus’ start wit’ everyting you got?" He stood up and dropped his half-eaten horse leg. He was at least ten feet tall. “Or else I moight jus’ stick you wit’ dis javeelin and roast you for dessert!”
Before Steve could respond, Belanor let loose with an arrow, striking the ogre in the chest. Garn snuck forward past the monster’s flank, casting sheleigh on his quarterstaff. Quincy came rushing up the road, hurling his own javelin and striking the ogre in the arm.
The ogre was quickly defeated. After a short rest, the party proceeded up the trail toward’s the goblin’s hideout.
Upon reaching the hideout, the party was attacked by a small group of goblins in hiding. The goblins didn’t last long.
The party entered the goblin’s cave with caution and stumbled across three snarling wolves, chained to a stalagmite. The wolves broke free from their chains and rushed at the adventurers. It was a difficult fight. Theren instilled fear in two of the wolves. Garn moved to charm the remaining wolf, but Belanor, a known beast slayer, had other plans. Soon, all three wolves were dead on the floor. The party had only suffered minor wounds.
In the wolves’ chamber, the party discovered a pile of trash in the corner, and above it, a hole that lead upwards. Belanor went up the hole to check out what was beyond. She came back down to report that there were goblins and a much bigger humanoid up there. “And,” she said “treasure!”
The party agreed that they would not want to take on such burly opponents and would rather get back to the task of finding Gundrin and Sildar. They proceeded farther into the cave, along a small stream.
An arrow came down from the darkness and hit Theren, causing him to flee in fear. Quincy took care of the offending goblin with a javelin. Suddenly, they heard a roar of water, and the stream overflowed, sweeping two people out of the cave. The rest of the party followed hastily. They regrouped outside the mouth of the cave and could hear angry voices coming at them from inside. Everyone stood fast and prepared for the onslaught…
Session 3: Sildar's Recovery
The adventurers took their positions at the mouth of the cave. Quincy climbed up above the cave mouth and prepared an ambush. Without delay, a pile of goblins spilled out of the cave, taking arrows and spells from the awaiting party. The goblins had strength in numbers and quickly overtook the party. The adventures split up, taking and dealing hits from the ensuing goblins. A ravenous wolf came running out of the cave and took a bite at Belanor, who eviscerated it with twin swords.
When everything seemed to be going all right, a mighty roar echoed from the cave, and out came a massive humanoid monster! Quincy took the opportunity to attack from above, and the others fired unceasingly. When the bout was over, everyone had taken a serious beating, but stood victorious.
How would they proceed in such a state, they asked themselves. Fortunately, Garn had healing spells, and the party, still in rough shape, was able to muster the courage to move back in.
They walked up the cavern along the stream to the top, where they scavenged and came up with a treasure chest filled with coins and some unidentified potions. They followed a path across a bridge and came to a dark corridor. As they approached the darkness, a voice called out! It said to proceed only to return the chest of coins, and to leave in peace.
The adventurers discussed their options and decided to take on whatever was hiding in the darkness. They dashed in headfirst, tossing a torch out into the dark cavern, which illuminated five goblins and a captive human. There was no chance of negotiation now. A fight ensued.
Theren took a daring crossbow shot at the head goblin, but alas the bolt hit the man he was holding, who fell to the ground. After a brief hustle and some heroic wall climbing, the party emerged the victors.
The adventures took one living goblin as a prisoner, and brought the poor incapacitated human back from the brink of death. He turned out to be Sildar, Gundren’s bodyguard! Unfortunately, Gundren was nowhere to be found, and the only inkling of his whereabouts Sildar had to offer was a mysterious name: The Black Spider.
The adventurers took their leave of the dirty hideout, and made their way back to Phandolin.
Along the path, Steve headed out into the forest with the goblin. When he returned, the goblin was no longer with him. He said he freed his pet. The rest of the party was skeptical.
When they reached the town, Sildar took them to meet with Townmaster Harbin for their reward. He refused to pay them their dues, claiming that the reward was only to be presented on bringing back Gundrin alive. The party argued their case, but there was no winning. “That man’s a crook” said Sildar.
They rested the night at the Stonehill Inn, and in the morning, Sildar met with them. He wanted them to come with him for an errand.
They crossed town to a sad looking pub, and on the porch out front were six armed men, all wearing red capes: Redbrands. They clearly weren’t friends of Sildar. There was a round of insults and threats, and brawl that would follow was unavoidable.
Session 4: The Red Brands' Hideout
The Redbrands brandished their weapons. Theren quickly made for the trees, keeping his distance. Sildar and Quincy stormed into the crowd head on. After a few exchanges of attacks, Sildar, who was flanked on all sides, went down. But the Red Brands weren’t strong enough to take on everyone. After five were killed, the last one made a run for it, dodging a javelin, but ultimately meeting his fate by a bolt from Theren’s wand. Once again, they had to quickly tend to Sildar to save him from the throes of death.
At this point, a crowd had gathered. Sildar took the opportunity to rally the support of the townspeople.
“Are you sick of the Red Brands taking what is rightfully ours?!”
“Yeah!”
“Are you tired of the Red Brands attacking your homes and businesses?!”
“Yeah!”
“Don’t we want a leader who can take care of these scum, and not a coward like Harbin?!”
“Yeah!”
The crowd cheered enthusiastically, and Townmaster Harbin hobbled over to calm them. But his efforts were in vain. The people had spoken. They booed him and threw rotten fruit at him, and he slinked away in shame.
Sildar became the de facto leader of the town. He asked the adventurers if they would help him to finish off the Red Brands once and for all. Their hideout is an old, abandoned manor up the hill at the edge of town, and they could be attacked there. The party was hesitant. They agreed to take some time to think it over, but for now it seemed too dangerous. They spent the rest of the day going over their options. Some went to gather supplies. Some traveled the town trying to recruit fighters for the assault, but no one was daring enough to join. They decided to go to bed early and make a decision in the morning. They slept at the Stonehill Inn.
In the morning, they went downstairs to get breakfast and wait for Sildar. They were arguing over whether to take on the Red Brands, when a visitor came to their table. It was an old halfling woman who introduced herself as Quilleen. She told them that she recognized them from the fight the day before, and wanted to help them defeat the Red Brands. She told them of a man named Rydath, who lived a few days’ travel from Phandalin, who would be able to help them. And if they needed a place to stay while they were in town, they were welcome in her bard. They thanked her and she walked away.
Given the new information, the adventurers discussed their now more numerous options. Overhearing them, another visitor stopped by their table. It was a woman named Halia Thorton. She gave off a strange vibe, and seemed untrustworthy. She offered them 100 gold pieces to recover a staff for her collection. The staff belongs to the Red Brands’ leader, Glass Staff.
Finally, Sildar showed up. He asked had they decided to take on the Red Brands? The party discussed it for a moment, and agreed that yes, they were up for the challenge. Sildar was pleased beyond words.
Knowing how dangerous and numerous the Red Brands were, the party went to gather information for a stealthy entry. First, Garn spoke with some creatures familiar with the area. A bird told him everything it knew, but it wasn’t very helpful. The next strategy was to scope out the hideout in person. They went up to the base of the hill, under cover of the woods. Garn transformed into a mouse and scurried up the hill. He found the main entrance, but was ultimately stopped by a door, which he couldn’t pass in his mouse form. He returned to the bottom of the hill to make his report.
With barely any tactical advantage, the party decided to just go in through the front door. They went up the hill, and the door wasn’t locked, so they entered.
They entered at the top of a set of stairs leading down into a small room. There were barrels of food along the walls. Scanning the walls, someone came across a secret door. They lined up behind it and opened it… and three Red Brands came at them from across the room! In just a few seconds, the Red Brands were annihilated. The adventurers looted their bodies and proceeded through the secret door.
They walked down a corridor, single file. At the end of it, it opened up into a cavern with a deep chasm in the middle, and it was too dark for the humans to see.
They inched along through the darkness. One by one, everyone felt a pressing in their minds and heard a voice in their head. It told them about their darkest secrets. “I’m so hungry” it said. From across the chasm, a terrifying little creature showed its face. “I’m so hungry!” Someone tossed it a bit of food, and it gobbled it up quickly. “I know about Glass Staff… I’m so very hungry!”
Their interest piqued, some of the party returned to the first room to get a barrel of apples, which they hurled over the chasm. The little monster gobbled up the food right away. Then everyone felt the force in their mind again, and had a sudden understanding of the layout of the manor, like a map. And in a corner of that map, a sense that Glass Staff was there.
They made their way to the door that led down to his room…
Session 5: Glass Staff
Steve opened the secret door, with Theren following behind. They went down the illuminated stairway to a second secret door. Steve opened the door into a lavishly decorated bedroom. Standing on the other side was a human man with a shimmering crystal staff — Glass Staff! He spied the intruder and immediately dashed out though a door on the other side of the room. Steve chased after him.
The party reacted quickly and dispersed to block any exit passages where Glass Staff might escape. Then they moved in for the fight. Trying out the second bridge over the chasm, Garn had a stroke of bad luck, and it collapsed beneath him, sending him falling into the pit below. In a tiny alcove at the end of the gully, he spotted a chest. He looted it, grabbing two potions and a silvery, elaborate sword, and then climbed out of the pit back into the halls. Steve and Theren caught up to Glass Staff as he opened the door to a room. Inside were four Red Brands playing cards. They immediately took up their weapons and came at Steve, who retaliated by blasting the whole line of them with his fire breath. The inferno wrapped around Glass Staff, but a shimmering aura seemed to keep the flames from harming him.
At this point, Belanor and Quincy had taken to the final hallway, which would allow them to close in on Glass Staff from behind. As they rounded the last corner, a door behind them burst open and three burly bugbears came at them. They skirmished in the doorway.
As Theren and Steve were battling the Red Brands, Glass Staff made a break for it. A magical silvery smoke enveloped him. He disappeared, reappearing out in the cavern, where he was met by Garn — who was now a ferocious bear! Garn attacked with bites and claws. Glass Staff was protected again by the aura around him. He scrambled back down the stairway to his room to escape. At this point, the Red Brands were finished. Steve looped around and caught Glass Staff from behind. He tackled him, trying to pin him down. Glass Staff struggled and released a burst of magic missiles, which knocked Steve down, incapacitating him. Garn, the bear, retaliated with more fierce blows, attacking until Glass Staff’s aura of protection dissipated, leaving him exposed to the sharp claws. Theren swooped in from behind to help. Glass Staff was overwhelmed. He dropped to his knees and begged for mercy. Garn knocked him out, turned back to a human, and ran back to heal Steve.
Meanwhile, the bugbears were putting up one hell of a fight. Belanor and Quincy were handling it well, but they were relieved to be joined by the others, who came to aid them after taking out Glass Staff. They finished off the bugbears together. In the corner of the room of the bugbears, there was a small, terrified goblin cowering in the corner.
Theren went back to check on Glass Staff. He found the otherworldly creature crouched over the body, gripping it tightly. “Leave Glass Staff!” said Theren. “We’re all in this together.” The creature ignored him. It projected to everyone’s mind an image of it devouring Glass Staff’s body. Steve, who had regained consciousness, came into the room. He had no patience for the creature and attacked it with a javelin. The creature scrambled, but everyone came at it so fast that it was quickly killed. An uncomfortable silence ensued.
Now that the battle was over, the party tied up the still unconscious Glass Staff, and began to explore the hideout for information and loot. They found hundreds of coins some precious looking items and jewels. On Glass Staff’s desk, there was a letter, which told the reader to capture a group of travelers from Neverwinter, who are likely working for the dwarves. The letter addressed the reader as Iarno! At the bottom of the letter, in place of a signature, was an image of a black spider. The adventurers questioned the goblin for information. He was very scared and not too helpful.
They continued to explore the manor, and came across an armory, where Quincy stocked up on various weapons. Next to the armory they found a dark crypt. Theren peeked in to see that there were three sarcophagi, each containing a resting skeleton. It looked eerie, so they turned to the goblin for help. The goblin told them that the skeletons were dangerous, but they only attacked people they didn’t recognize. The party found some red cloaks in the armory and put them on so that they would look like Red Brands. Theren and Quincy entered the crypt, and the skeletons rose from their slumber, eyeing the visitors. But they didn’t move otherwise. The red cloaks seemed to do the trick.
Through the crypt, there was a door, which led to another room. Theren opened the door to the room. It contained two prison cells. In one were two women, and in the other was a little boy. Between the cells, there were two Red Brands, taunting the prisoners. Quincy intimidated the guards, and the rest of the party followed in, looking menacing. This was enough show of power that the Red Brands dropped their weapons to surrender. Belanor didn’t care about their surrender, and she attacked them unprovoked, killing one and incapacitating the other. They searched the guards and found keys, which unlocked the cells. The prisoners were a farmer’s family from Phandalin, a mother and her two children. They were overjoyed to be freed, and they promised a reward for their safe return home.
With the freed prisoners, the cowardly goblin, the Red Brand guard, and Glass Staff in tow, the party exited the manor and returned to Phandelin.
When the townspeople saw them, they rejoiced. Sildar heard the commotion and made his way to see them. When he saw Glass Staff, slung over Quincy’s shoulder, he was thrilled. However, when he got a bit closer, he recognized the face. Seeing that Glass Staff was actually Iarno, Sildar was visibly angry and disappointed. He called the town guard to take Iarno away to prison. He would stand trial when he came to. The party showed Sildar the letter from the Black Spider. He took it and said it would be useful evidence.
After the commotion died down, Steve announced that he wanted to take the goblin and the Red Brand prisoner into the woods. Quincy was suspicious, so he went in after him. Steve released the goblin and told him to spread stories of his (Steve’s) greatness. The goblin ran off. Next, Steve cut the ropes off the human prisoner. On seeing this, Quincy grabbed the prisoner and wouldn’t let him go.
“This man needs to stand trial for his crimes!” he shouted.
“No, he didn’t do anything! I’m going to free him!” said Steve, who grabbed the prisoner from the other side. Quincy threw a punch that knocked out Steve, who was still weakened from the fight in the manor. Quincy dragged them both back to the rest of the party. There was a moment of confusion for the others. Then, they took the prisoner to town hall to be jailed and to stand trial.
Iarno was to be questioned shortly.
Session 6: An Unlikely Castle Raid
The party interrogated Glass Staff, but was not satisfied with the information he was willing to divulge. Threats and bargaining led to a deal where Sildar would ensure Iarno would not be hanged, and in return he would tell them everything he knew about the Black Spider — which, it turned out, was not very much. The only useful information was that the Black Spider was a dark elf who is searching for Wave Echo Cave, where the Forge of Spells is rumored to be hidden.
The adventurers went around town to find more information. The first stop was at the halfling Quilleen’s farmhouse. Again, she told them that they should pursue the man Rydath for help.
Next, they visited Halia Thorton, the so called Collector. She still wanted to buy Iarno’s staff (no deal was made). Belanor showed her the bejeweled frog from the goblin’s hideout to see if there was any interest. She suggested they visit the shrine in the center of town to make the sale.
At the shrine, they found Sister Grail, a priestess. She happily bought the frog, and also encouraged the adventurers make monetary gifts for her deity. They talked for a while, and she mentioned that she is interested in visiting a banshee who is rumored to answer any question in exchange for a unique offering. She asked the adventurers if they would go for her, offer a silver comb (which she gave them) and ask for a special spell book owned by the legendary priest Boh-Gentle. In return for this errand, she would prepare them three potions of healing. The party decided it would be worth their time, so they headed out of town towards the banshee’s cave. They brought along the porters Oswald and his cousin Oggy to help lighten their load.
One day later on the trail, they were suddenly attacked by a group of hobgoblins. They were not much trouble, and were quickly defeated. One was taken as captive. A little coercion later, and he disclosed that he worked for a goblin king in a nearby castle, where they happen to have a dwarf prisoner — who, the party suspected, was probably Gundrin. The hobgoblin prisoner agreed to guide them to the castle.
They got to the castle just as the sun was setting. They planned to scout out the area and figure out how to make a quiet entrance. Belanor snuck up to the front of the castle, but due to some bad luck, she was exceptionally noisy and was spotted immediately.
Their cover blown, the party stormed the castle in full force. Many goblins and hobgoblins were slain, and the party held their own. The porters were left to their own in the woods and got attacked, and sadly Oswald met a cruel fate. Oggy was injured but survived.
The party pulled around the side of the castle, crushing enemies left and right. They cleared out a whole area, but there was still another half of the castle unexplored. They began to fan out and carefully explore the remaining rooms…
Session 7: Gundrin's Rescue
The castle was eerily quiet. The party made their way into a large room with some sort of altar at the end. All of a sudden, a monster dropped from above! It was a huge snake-like monster with tentacles coming out from around its mouth. It lashed out at Garn, but he kept it at bay. The adventurers attacked it with their weapons, but it seemed to be resistant to their physical attacks. Nevertheless, it was outnumbered and overwhelmed by the flurry of attacks, and was felled. A few goblins popped out from behind the curtains at the other end of the room. Steve and Belanor chased them into the next room, taking one out. The other one approached an altar, muttered some incantations, and drank a chalice of blood. It appeared that it was summoning something. Belanor swiftly gored the little goblin.
Quincy and Theren moved into the next room where they came across three hobgoblins. Theren terrified them with his Fey Presence, causing one to flee. The others stuck around to fight. There was a drawn out melee, two against two.
While Quincy and Theren had their hands full, Garn spotted a bugbear and a wolf run by in the hall. The bugbear had a small humanoid slung over his shoulder. Could it be Gundrin? Garn went out the other side of the room and around another hall to cut off the bugbear. But he wasn’t fast enough. The bugbear and the wolf ran out of the castle towards the woods. Before they slipped out of site, Garn cast a spell, superheating bugbear’s metal morningstar, which burned the bugbear, who then dropped it. Garn transformed into a bear and dashed after them. Steve and Belanor, just catching up, joined the chase.
Theren and Quincy were still battling the hobgoblins, who had turned out to be very strong fighters. Theren took a few hard hits and was looking pretty bad. He retaliated with his sword, killing one. At that moment, there was a shrieking roar from another room. The last hobgoblin fled in fear. The door beside them burst open and a huge bear-like creature with an owl’s face rushed out. It chased down the fleeing hobgoblin, pounced on it, and immediately began to devour it. Quincy and Theren didn’t hesitate for a moment. They ran off to catch up to the others.
By now, Garn was starting to gain on the bugbear. Suddenly, the bugbear turned around and said “Stop right there!” He held a javelin to his prisoner’s neck. “Come any closer and I’ll run this
er through!” The wolf beside him bared its teeth and growled. In this moment, they were able to get a good look a the little humanoid. It was Gundrin, the dwarf! “Drop the dwarf!” said Belanor. They stood in tension. The bugbear looked very agitated, but he didn’t falter. He knew that he had the advantage. He introduced himself as Grol, and he told them he would release his hostage, but there was a condition. The others would have to return to the castle and retrieve a bag from his room that contained some things he wanted. They had one minute to complete this task. (Would that even be possible?!) They went over their options for a moment, but it didn’t seem like there was anything they could do. And by now, Grol’s javelin was drawing blood from Gundrin’s throat.To disrupt the tension, Theren used magic to whisper in the Grol’s ear. He was startled and looked behind him, giving the party a moment to get him by surprise. Garn leapt towards Grol, transformed back to a human, and put his hands on Gundrin, healing him with magic. Steve lunged forward and took hold of the javelin. He got a good hold on it, and was able to pull it away from Gundrin, but Grol didn’t release it. Theren took a shot at the bugbear’s hand to disarm him, but was not enough. The bugbear had a mighty grip on his weapon. During all the commotion, Gundrin was able to squirm out of Grol’s arms. He hit the ground, and started rolling away to safety. With the hostage out of the way, a battle ensued. They surrounded Grol, and there was a melee. The wolf was the first to go. Theren finished it off with an Eldritch Blast. The bugbear went into a rage and broke free from the melee, enduring three attacks from the adventurers as he passed them. He threw his javelin at Theren but missed. Steve cast dissonant whispers on Grol, and he went down. There was a brief moment of silence.
“My map!” shouted Gundrin in a panic. They cut his ropes, and he led them back to the castle. They followed him into a room, where there was a table and a bed. Gundrin dived under the bed to search for something. He came out a few seconds later with a look of disappointment on his face. “Damn it! That elf took it!”
Gundrin yelled and cursed for a little while, but then settled down a bit. He told a long story about Wave Echo Cave, how he and his brother Bill found it and made a map of how to get back there. They were going to mine the cave and get rich. But now the map was gone.
After the tale, Garn suddenly remembered something. “Wait! What about Oggie?!” As if by command, Oggie stumbled through the door and collapsed before them. Garn healed him.
They talked about the elf that stole the map. Gundrin said he couldn’t remember her name, but it was something like “Viera”. He really despised her.
They explored the deserted castle to look for loot. They found a chest with some coins, a couple unidentified scrolls, and some potions. They also found a small weapons room with some interesting looking weapons. One was a silvery sword with “SH” and the crest of Neverwinter inscribed on it. They suspected this was Sildar’s sword, and grabbed it so they could return it to him. They also found Sildar’s old bloody armor, which they took.
Everyone was pretty beat up and tired by now, so they decided to spend the night in the castle to rest before heading back. Garn and Belanor went outside to forage for food. They found the remains of a fight. It looked as if the owlbear had wreaked havoc. They found tracks leading away from the castle, and on the ground by them were three sacks. Each sack contained a severed elf head. They brought them back to the castle to show to Gundrin. He told them he didn’t recognize the faces; and besides, they were severed heads, which was disgusting. They disposed of the sacks and rested for the night.
In the morning, Belanor examined the tracks outside. Being that she was an excellent ranger, she had no problem detecting that they were elven. She led the rest of the party along the route. The tracks met up with the Triboar Trail, and they lost them. Garn and Quincy talked to some animals in case they had noticed the elves pass by. A raccoon told Quincy that it had seen the elves go toward the hills south of Phandalin. The party decided to head to Phandalin so that they could resupply and prepare to pursue the elves.
In Phandalin, Quincy and Garn went off with Oggie to help him bury his cousin.
Everyone else went to find Sildar. Gundrin and Sildar reunited. Gundrin did not hesitate to show his disapproval of Sildar’s body guarding abilities. But they talked it out and shared a round of drinks, and they were happy to see each other again. The adventurers returned Sildar’s sword and other belongings to him. He told them that the sword was very meaningful to him and he could never repay them.
Gundrin wanted to spend a few minutes discussing a business proposition. He told the party that if they recaptured the cave from the elves for him, he would give them a 10% share of the mine’s yield. Everyone agreed to the terms, and they decided to set out for Wave Echo Cave in the morning. For the rest of the night, they enjoyed great company and too much ale.
