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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gregor" data-source="post: 1314360" data-attributes="member: 11751">Hey everyone,Would you great RPG minds like to help me out designing an encounter for my players?  Sure you do!  Since I am a noob DM I like to pick the brains of others to see what dastardly deeds they have swimming around in their heads – Piratecat usually scares me with his suggestions … but in a good way <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Here is the scoop thus far:  The game is being run in FR and centred in Mistledale.  The players have been pretty good defenders of the capital of Ashabenford against the hit and run tactics of the surface drow living in the massive neighbouring forest of Cormanthor, Gnoll tribes, Moonsea raiders etc. They just completed a diplomatic mission to the nation of Cormyr to request for military assistance to defend the besieged town.  Upon returning to Ashabenford about 14 days later (with about 50 Cormyrian soldiers) they found the town had come under attack.  Their favourite inn was smouldering, outlying farms and local shops were damaged and the bodies of Ashabenford militia and gnolls littered the countryside.  Upon finding the high councillor of the town (their employer) the party learned how a large gnoll force poured out of the forest in the middle of the night and attacked the town.  Simultaneously, a force of drow raiders rained flaming arrows upon the town, setting the thatched roofs of many buildings alight.  Drow wizards also flew over the town and pelted the human defenders with fireballs and lightning bolts.  The gnolls were led by a black knight riding atop a nightmare (basically a blackguard) who strategically retreated.  His intent was to cause damage to the town and to spread fear.  Thus far, the PCs have only encountered random gnoll tribes in the woods who were in no way affiliated with the drow (in fact they usually warred with the drow) so to learn that they attacked “with” the drow seems strange.  Moreover, who this black knight is and how he managed to unite so many gnolls is also a mystery.  However, one of the party members believes this black knight to be the man who killed his father and stole his sword as a trophy – a man he has been hunting his entire life.  The high councillor has asked the PCs to infiltrate the gnoll camp and eliminate this black knight.  His theory is that without a recognizable leader, the united gnoll tribes will scatter.  The high councillor believes that the gnolls have occupied an old stone keep some miles into the forest (and roughly 25 miles from Ashabenford) called Galath’s Roost (former keep of a bandit king named Galath) as he has received word from his scouts that verify this.  With winter coming within days (the dalelands have severe winters….think southern Ontario Canada….its -28 today <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /> ) the high councillor believes the black knight will sit tight and gather supplies and resources to launch a major invasion in the spring – as the weather and terrain make a winter assault impossible.  The only lead the PCs have is to inspect an ancient group of burial mounds.  Old rumours spoke of Galath, the bandit king, using cellars deep under the burial mounds as temporary storage sites for stolen goods.  He would then use his underground tunnels to run the goods to his keep some 5-6 miles away.The party is as follows:Dwarf Fighter 6 (working towards dwarven defender)Human Barbarian 5 (the one hunting the black knight)Wood Elf Ranger 6 (archer)Human Rogue 6The PCs have journeyed down into the burial mounds and have found the rumoured secret passage that apparently leads towards the keep.  However, they have a 5-6 mile journey through a rough cut passage and I would like to throw a neat un-related encounter at them.  It can be combat or non-combat.  Maybe like an underground monastery or a deep druid’s fungus grove…whatever!  Share your thoughts and suggestions for something to toss at them!!!Sorry for the long and grammatically disappointing post.  Cheers,</blockquote>

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