Neverwinter City

Neverwinter is abuzz early Spring with rumors of the possibility that there has been a significant prospecting discovery nearby.

Ilbra of House Ironhaven has given her niece Embra her first important commission: verify the location of Wave Echo Cave Mine, facilitate its re-opening, and handle its transport and trade.  Embra has met with Gundren Rockseeker, who claims to know the mine’s location and has traveled ahead to the frontier town of Phandalin, a new town established in the ruins of the old town that was destroyed centuries ago by an orcish invasion.  Phandalin is under the protection of a Paladin of some note named Sildar Hallwinter.

Gundren and Sildar have left out a day ago and Embra is to follow Gundren with the rest of the supplies needed to set up operations.  She posts a bill at the guildhall for a teamster to drive the oxcart and adventurers to protect the cargo and the following answer her call:

  • Karendil, a half-elf from Sembia who is a mage by training.  Karendil, a follower of Waukeen, is a freelancer with ties to the merchant’s guild and has been brought in to the family business.
  • Jory is a veteran mercenary who hails from a family who were once from Thundertree until they were driven out by a volcanic eruption 20-25 years ago.
  • Davron Skal is a devout cleric of Tempus who seeks to rise in his order by living and expressing his faith in the material world.
  • Steve, a wood elf druid from a long line of druids who enjoys the company of woodland creatures equally as he does humans.  Steve’s nearby home has become infested with goblins and he wishes to root them out and destroy them.
  • Shiv, a high elf rogue who shunned the hierarchy of her family and fled to the city.

[title size=”4″ content_align=”left” style_type=”single solid” sep_color=”” class=”” id=””]Day 1[/fusion_title]

Forest

Neverwinter Wood

The group gathers to leaves out of Neverwinter along the High Road south towards the crossroads to the Triboar Trail.  Embra leads a brief prayer to Waukeen and Shiv gets up and leaves.  The morning journey goes uneventfully and Steve forages fresh herbs and vegetables for lunch, which Halstead cooks into a broth for the group.  Shiv eats from her own pack separate from the others.  Karendil regales the group with the history of the area, namely the story of Phandelver Mine and Wave Echo Cave which have been lost for centuries.  The mine yielded precious gems but what made it most valuable was a unique property that allowed it to create magical items very easily.  A coalition of dwarves, gnomes, and humans controlled the mine for centuries before the mine was lost to orc invasions.  During Karendil’s story Embra shares her homebrew with the group and they break camp to continue on; the rest of the day proceeds uneventfully and they stop at the crossroads to Triboar Trail.

As they set up camp Jory scouts ahead and discovers some active tracks a little off the road.   He returns to report to the camp and they settle in for the evening.  During her watch Shiv hears and sees two orcs scouting the area and she awakens Embra, who has her wake the others up.  The group splits and attempts to flank and outmaneuver the orcs, but they hear Jory moving loudly through the woods.  The group launches a withering attack and slay both orcs and they note that the bodies have been traveling a long distance.  Embra awards Shiv with 5gp from her own purse and the group burns the bodies.

[title size=”4″ content_align=”left” style_type=”single solid” sep_color=”” class=”” id=””]Day 2[/fusion_title]

The next morning the group sets out on the Triboar Trail and half a day into their travel Jory returns to report two dead horses lying in the middle of the trail.  Jory describes the black feathered arrows to Steve, who recognizes them as goblin make.  The group adopts what will become it’s traditional sneak formation, with Shiv and Steve walking ahead on opposite sides of the road, the fighters in the center, and Karendil bringing up the rear.  Jory approaches the horses and sees the bags have been looted and a map case is empty.  The corpses have been dead since yesterday.  Embra realizes that the horses belong to Gundren and Sildar and has time to utter a curse before they are ambushed by a squad of goblins.  The group skirmishes hard with their assailants and dispatches them with Jory receiving the only significant damage.

[title size=”5″ content_align=”left” style_type=”none” sep_color=”” class=”” id=””]Cragmaw Hideout[/fusion_title]

Steve discovers a bolt hole in the brush for ambushes and a trail leading NW into the woods that reveals the passage of many goblin tracks over time.  He also sees signs of two large bodies have been dragged along the trail recently.  The group leaves the retainers along with the wagon and follow the trail.  About fifteen minutes along the path the group discovers a pit trap and Shiv spies a clearing up ahead.  She moves to the edge of the clearing and sees a cave leading into the hillside and a small stream flowing out of the cave, and a dense thicket blocks all but a small opening to the cave.  Steve sees an opening in the brush near the mouth of the cave and Embra tells him and Shiv to check the cave for their dead and that if they don’t signal or come back in 10 minutes the others are entering the cave after them.

Cragmaw+Hideout+2700+x+1882

Steve and Shiv enter the cave and see two squabbling goblins who are idly standing watch over the clearing and they hear the echoing sound of a waterfall.  They attack and kill both goblins (Shiv throws her rapier and impales and kills one) and slip into the cave, where they see three wolves chained to the cave wall.  Steve casts Speak With Animals and learns that the wolves were captured by the goblins and that two things Not-Goblin were brought in and one of them is still here.  The group organizes at the mouth of the cave and enters with weapons drawn.  They enter a wide cavern with a goblin guarding a bridge high above, whom Shiv shoots twice and kills; afterwards they climb the bridge.

They round the corner and are confronted by three more goblins and immediately set to combat; Steve clubs one with such force that its head snaps off and rolls across the cavern floor.  They continue down stairs and see two goblins at the foot of each side of the passage, whom they attack.  Jory runs into the cavern and sees a wolf and bugbear approaching to join the fray.  He attacks the bugbear and it strikes him hard.  The wolf mauls him and he collapses, mortally wounded, as the fight rages on around him; Shiv rounds the corner and fires an arrow into the wolf.  Davron squares off with the bugbear as Embra, Steve and Karendil fight the goblins.  The bugbear delivers a savage blow to Davron and he falls, wounded.  Karendil kills the wolf with a flurry of magic missles.  Embra attacks and kills the bugbear and points to a goblin who is fleeing and Karendil gives chase and slays him.  The group gathers itself, stabilizes Jory and Davron, and rests for a while.

The continue down the cave passage and come upon a cavern with two goblins cooking over a fire.  Shiv and Steve sneak further into the cavern and discover this is a barracks; they see three more goblins lounging near sleeping rolls and another figure higher up in the cave they cannot clearly see.  The group gets the drop on the goblins and hacks away at them successfully until a voice above shouts out from the darkness: “Stop this!”  They look up to see a stocky goblin holding a semi-conscious man over the escarpment they stand upon.  Embra recognizes the man as Sildar, Gundran’s bodyguard.

“Stop this or I’ll throw him off this cliff!” He growls.

“We’ve come for our own,” Embra replies.  The goblin takes out a knife and holds it to Sildar’s throat.

“Drop your weapons,” the goblin commands.

“Let’s work something out.  We have tons of loot with us; I’m sure that’s what you’re looking for,” Embra answers.

As the two talk Shiv sneaks up the stairs and closer to the goblin, who does not seem amenable to Embra’s negotiations.  Shiv fires a shot that glances off his armor and Davron attempts to spellcast at him but misses.  The goblin shoves Sildar off the escarpment and flees.  Sildar lays dying and as the others give chase to the goblin Karendil runs to Sildar and administers healing potion.  The group surrounds the goblin and cuts him down.

Upon awakening Sildar tells of his ambush and says that a bugbear named Quarg was leading this group of goblins on the orders of someone called Black Spider; he reveals that the Rockseeker brothers have indeed found Wave Echo Cave, but he knows little else of the whereabouts of Gundren or the map.  Sildar says the goblins belong to a larger group who are based in Cragmaw Castle.  Sildar says he is on his way to Phandalin to meet with Iarno Albrek, a fellow member of The Lord’s Alliance who was sent there to establish order.  The group pulls the loot from the cave, meets back up with their train, and travels to Phandalin with Sildar accompanying them.

Body Count
  • 1 bugbear
  • 1 wolf
  • 2 orcs
  • 18 goblins
Acquisitions
  • 1ogp apiece for payment for the job
  • 10gp apiece for reward from Sildar for his rescue
  • 5sp, 8cp from the orcs
  • supplies from Lionshield Coster recaptured from Cragmaw Hideout
  • Cragmaw Hideout: 600cp, 110sp, 2 Healing Potions, jade statuette of frog with tiny golden orbs for eyes
Experience Points
  • 315XP
Highlights
  • That’s Right, We Pray
    Embra: I’m going to lead a brief and small prayer before we set out.  Anyone who honors Waukeen or is otherwise interested is welcome to join.
    Shiv: I’m going to walk away.
    Embra: MAWWIAGE.  TWUE WUV WITH WAUKEEN.  BWESS THIS CONVOY…
    Shiv: Maybe I walk back now.
  • Revenge Of Shitty Cartographer Smurf
    DM: *draws a misshapen blob* — Okay, here’s a map.
    Embra: *laughs* — It’s a scrambled egg!
  • Poo Shy
    Shiv: So my [watch] shift is over now after the battle?  I’m gonna slink a little bit away from the group and—
    Davron: —squeeze one out.
    Embra: *feigns exasperation* It’s in the contract—you guys can do that near the camp, you don’t have to sneak off.
  • Another One?
    DM: *as the group stealthily creeps through the woods* You easily spot this without having to look for it: there’s a snare trap in the path.
    Shiv: Okay, so—I’ll turn back and do this… *makes confusing hand gestures at the group*
    Embra: Uh…you have to take another shit?  You want us to turn our heads and not look?
  • Scooby Tactics
    DM: I think you should split the party up as much as possible.  I think you should go six different directions.
    Karendil: Fuck you!
  • Damagesponge Squarepants!
    Davron’s nickname for Jory
  • Team Motto
    Embra: We’re Waukeenites.  We carry a banner that says “It’s our duty to loot that booty.”
  • Power Nap
    *In the middle of a fight; half the party is at significantly reduced health and Jory lies unconscious*
    Embra: I’m done healing.  I have to rest before I can get Healing back.
    Shiv: Then please rest.
    Embra: Okay.  Zzzzzz…
    Karendil: NOT YET!
  • Custom Spells
    *During the same perilous fight as above*
    Karendil: Fuck me.
    Davron: That one spell you were saving…
    Karendil: That one spell I was saving was Run Away.
  • Debut Of The Group’s Combat Style