Looks like the Dec 3rd & 17th sessions will indeed be Parts 1 and 2 of “Into the Belly of the Beast” by Jeff C. Stevens, so we’ll be taking a brief departure from the AL mods for the month of December.
I’ll also be using this one-shot to address some loose ends from our Lost Mines of Phandelver campaign. Some quick background info:
- In our campaign, there was a planewalking Harper wizard named Reidoth (this character is a druid hermit in the adventure as written, but I changed him). Years ago, Black Wizma and her elder brother were his apprentices. Wizma’s brother was impetuous and couldn’t wait to wield magic beyond his training. He convinced Wizma to steal one of Reidoth’s spellbooks and they cast a powerful summoning spell without Reidoth’s knowledge. This ritual brought the green dragon Venomfang to Faerun; Wizma and her brother had created their warding circle incorrectly and Venomfang murdered the brother before escaping into the Sword Coast.
- Reidoth took the blame for the incident because he knew that Wizma couldn’t endure prison. She carried the guilt of the loss for years.
- Unbeknownst to Wizma, Reidoth was eventually able to escape from prison. He did not blame Wizma for what happened since she had been just a child. He dedicated his life to tracking down Venomfang and trying to prevent the dragon from doing further harm. He did not contact Wizma, for her own protection (since he was a fugitive and engaged in a very dangerous enterprise).
- In the meantime, Venomfang destroyed the town of Thundertree (which happened to be Tordeck’s home town; his family had owned a brewery there). She built her nest there and soon her presence corrupted the ruined town and surrounding area.
- Reidoth tracked Venomfang to Thundertree. Unable to defeat her directly, he kept tabs on her activities and warned travelers to stay away from the area.
- By coincidence, the party eventually arrived at Thundertree while tracking down leads to find Cragmaw Castle. Reidoth and Wizma were reunited. He revealed the truth about his activities, Venomfang, and Thundertree, but warned the party that the dragon was too powerful a foe for them at that time. They heeded this warning but vowed to deal with the dragon one day. Reidoth promised to continue his vigil and send word if the dragon moved to a new location.
- Into the Belly of the Beast features a black dragon as the climactic foe. I will replace this dragon with Venomfang.
At the start of our next session, Wizma will receive this message from Reidoth:
Dear Pink Wizma,
I write in haste with urgent news. While you and your companions completed your diplomatic mission to Gralm the Ettin, HSING and Azam learned from contacts in Vuerthyl of a book of ancient rune magic hidden in the Marsh of Chelimber. This book may be vital to the defense of Parnast against Bad Fruul.
Unfortunately, I believe that HSING’s report to me was overheard by one of the Dragon Cultists here in Thundertree. The spy quickly shared this intelligence with Venomfang, and she took to the skies immediately. I fear she seeks this ancient book for herself.
HSING trailed the dragon at a safe distance, and she crossed the desert and descended into the Marsh of Chelimber not far from Parnast.
I must remain here. I have been hesitant to confront the cultists directly, but I now see that this was a grave error. I will see to it that these evil men tell noone else of the book.
You and your friends must face the dragon. I enclose a map of the Marsh of Chelimber. It is old and out of date, but it’s the only clue we have that points to the cave that holds the book.
Slay Venomfang if you can. Avenge your brother if your are able. But at all costs, recover the book.
Reidoth
So I'm taking Jeff's one-shot and overlaying a few custom elements:
- Adding book of rune magic, a plot-important item from DDAL05-07 (which I'm not running).
- Replacing black dragon with recurring villain green dragon introduced in LMoP. If Venomfang is killed, Wizma will get an extra Harper renown point
- In DDAL05-06, there is an Emerald Enclave assignment (recover a sample of razorvine from the swamp). Millie will get this assignment for the one-shot (which, like DDAL05-06, also happens to feature a hag). The razorvine will be placed near the hag's cabin.
