D&D 5E Combining Shattered Obelisk w/ DoISP Expansions: SPOILERS

[Evaniel]

Hi, all.

Minor spoilers for Shattered Obelisk ahead.

I started a Lost Mines campaign a few weeks ago, combining it with Dragon of Ice Spire Peak. Now that I have Shattered Obelisk, I'd like to run not only that, but also the expansions for DoISP: Storm Lord's Wrath, Sleeping Dragon's Wake, and Divine Contention. My experience with most of the published campaigns has been that the milestone levels feel a bit...rushed to me (YMMV, of course), and so I'd like to slow it down by going to monster XP (along with the level-equivalent of an "Easy" encounter for completing a quest).

Running LMoP alongside DoISP shouldn't be an issue, and I've done blends of the two before. However, SO runs on a ticking clock of sorts, and toward the end of the campaign the PCs leave Phandalin for a few levels to adventure in the Far Realm. I suppose my questions are:

1) How might I lessen the "ticking clock" (Phandalin being infected by the Far Realm) so that the PCs can feel a bit more free to pursue the adventures in the Essentials Kit Expansions (EKE)?
2) How might I adjust things to allow for them to adventure in the Far Realm, wrap up SO, and still have a satisfying adventuring experience in EKE despite likely being a few levels higher than the recommended material?
3) Is the inclusion of the EKE material going to overclutter the main SO storyline? I'd like to have a bit of a sandbox for them to play in and for us to spend real time diving in, but is it too much?

Thanks!

 

[aco175]

The town infection could be slowed by having individuals become infected like a plague. This can be contained as much as you want. Local healers are unable to stop it, then someone is sent to Neverwinter to fetch a bigger healer and now panic is settling in. People have all sorts of possible answers to what is going on. Individuals are kept isolated or sent off to a farm or sorts where the locals will not attack them. Eventually someone important gets infected. Bonus points if it is a NPC the players care about. Then you can bring the other level into the game when the players are willing to take them on.

If they do not bite the hook, then go on one of the other adventures, but keep the plague running to show them what they missed and now it is harder to fix. You could also have one of the bad guys from the other adventures come to the PCs for aid since the bad guys are now being afflicted.