We D&D.
Lost Mine of Phandelver Session #7 Horse Power.
Myrium the Blessed (played by Sandy) Female Human Cleric of Lathander Lvl 3
Shagga, Son of Dorf (played by Rob) Male Half-Orc Paladin of Kord Lvl 3
Gaukus Grom (played by Pete) Male Dragonborn Sorcerer Lvl 3
Elvis Pickersgilly (played by Jackie) Male Forest Gnome Rogue Lvl 3
Warning- this was a long session.
The adventurers move on early in the morning, leaving Old Owl Well behind them- through the hills, crags and tall grasses in which anything could hide. The journey soon becomes a search- they are looking for Wyvern Tor, a high scarp which is purportedly the lair of the orc gang that has been raiding mine camps in the Phandalin area.
Elvis (gnome rogue) spots smoke late on in the afternoon, an hour or so later and the adventurers close in on a lone orc guard dozing next to a cave mouth- the rumours were right.
The gnome gets as close as he dares, unheard and unseen, and then attempts to assassinate the foul brute, his first ever assassination attempt- Elvis misses his target (Jackie rolls ‘2’ & ‘3’ with advantage).
Gaukus (dragonborn sorcerer) scrambles and slams three Magic Missiles in to the orc who roars and then jumps to his feet, attempting to flee in to the cavern- and making a lot of noise in the attempt. Myrium (human cleric) and Shagga (half-orc paladin) rush to cut it off- both however fail to connect with their wild swings.
Gaukus’ second wave of Magic Missiles takes the creature down just as it dives in to the gloom of the cavern- however seconds later there’s an answering call from within. Shagga precis the situation “…they come.”
The adventurers move in to the cavern, effectively blocking the only entrance/exit (they hope)- Shagga to the fore, a massive orc dashes out of a passage ahead and buries its greataxe in to the half-orc paladin. A second orc joins the fray- “Hold the line”, Myrium screams and Blesses her companions, a moment later her Spiritual Weapon, a glowing mace, appears and thumps one of the orcs.
Shagga cuts the wounded orc down, as a third orc rushes out of the dark and flails wildly at Gaukus, Elvis appears out of the shadows and stabs his rapier in to the beast- it dies, and then for good measure he throws a dagger in to the side of the last orc standing.
A javelin spears out of the darkness and thunks in to Shagga’s chest- that hurt (a Critical Hit and the half-orc paladin is now very heavily wounded). Another javelin sails high and wide.
Myrium is quickly to Shagga, she Cures his Wounds, the paladin continues to fight while muttering a prayer of his own- Shield of Faith. The two javelin flinging orcs grab out their greataxes and join the melee.
Gaukus launches a Shatter spell, which causes the cavern to shudder and shake, one of the orcs is killed outright, the other two left wounded, but only slightly. Elvis suddenly appears again, scampers out of the shadows and cuts another orc down.
Then, at last, Brughor the Axe (the furious chief of this gang), and Gog the Ogre make themselves known- the pair come rushing from different passages, and straight in to the fracas.
Elvis, at the last moment, tumbles and evades the Ogre’s massive club.
Myrium’s Spiritual Weapon smashes the last of the orc rabble down- there’s just Brughor and Gog left standing, the priestess Cures Shagga again. The paladin of Kord, employing his Hunter’s Quarry, cuts Brughor.
Gaukus unleashes a Thunderwave- the effect is terrible, a large section of the cavern ceiling collapses- three of the four adventurers have to sway and dodge falling rocks (and miraculously do so)- Brughor and Gog are less agile, the pair suffer additional wounds (Brughor is hurting bad) and are pushed back by the blast.
DM Interlude- just to say in game this was a staggeringly good fight with the players screaming with delight and frustration in equal measure as it unfolded. I went to town with some of the descriptions- think action movie.
Elvis spins out a dagger, the blade sinks in to Brughor’s chest- burrowing in to the orc chief’s heart- dead.
Gog roars and swings, the only way out of this mess is through the adventurers, Shagga however deflects the Ogre’s titanic blow. Myrium hits with her mace, and then again with her Spiritual Weapon, while Shagga uses a Divine Smite to tear in to the beast- Gog is roaring in pain and fury.
Gaukus’ icy Breath Weapon sets the Ogre’s teeth to chattering, Elvis dashes in and stabs the huge humanoid repeatedly, and yet still the beast is not finished- it’s greatclub nearly flattens Shagga, the half-orc only just clings on to consciousness (down to 3 hit points).
Myrium’s Spiritual Weapon scuds in and thumps Gog again, while the Blessed Cures Shagga once more. The half-orc slices furiously, severing one of the Ogre’s legs- Gog roars, totters, and then falls.
Shagga poses by the dead massive humanoid, like he’s expecting one of his compatriots to capture the moment in charcoal or paint. He’d love that.
DM Interlude- actually what Rob (who plays Shagga) said was something like- “that would be a great selfie”, he’s in his mid to late 40’s- he’s the (cool?) teenager of our group.
And then rest.
A while later the adventurers explore the remainder of the cavern, there’s money and several vials that turn out (disappointingly) to contain perfume, all hidden away in a large unlocked chest in the farthest chamber.
The adventurers however are done for the night, time to get some rest- they guide their mounts (eventually- Shagga has to forcibly persuade two of the beasts of burden) in to the cavern and corral them there, and then set watch in the entrance.
Alas the Random Encounters Table has other ideas, only an hour in to their quiet time a whole swarm of bats boils out of a dark chimney towards the rear of the stunted cave complex- the adventurers come awake in the midst of the fury, the bats are making their way to the surface for their nightly feed.
The moment is made worse when half-a-dozen stirges swoop in to the cavern, looking to feed on the bats, the bloodsucking avians however spy much larger prey- the Blessed Avengers.
Gaukus is savaged, or else bled- and left heavily wounded as two of the creatures alight upon him and begin to drink their fill. The dragonborn sorcerer makes great use of his Magic Missiles- each missile bursts one of the bloody flying buggers. Elvis manages to shoot another down, while the remainder are destroyed moments later by another salvo of Gaukus’ Magic Missiles.
The fight is short and bloody, Shagga is lightly wounded, while Gaukus is barely able to stand (reduced to 3 hit points).
The adventurers spend a while healing, and watching and waiting, before finally settling down once again for the night, and with no more disturbances.
The next day they head back out in to the light, the plan is to take a wander through the hills at the foot of the Sword Mountains, this is where the miners from Phandalin come to dig, or at least those that are brave enough to camp so far away from the safety of the town. Perhaps they can find the Rockseeker’s camp, the adventurers however realise that their chances are slim- they are literally looking for a hole in the ground.
The first day out of Wyvern Tor they encounter nothing- and nobody, there’s not a soul to be seen, an abundance of natural flora and fauna, but no miners and no hidden camps.
The group are despondent, the adventurers have discovered nothing on their journeys so far to help them to find Gundren Rockseeker.
To break up the boredom the DM, with a little help from the Random Encounters Table, decides to liven things up, and so.
On Shagga’s watch, just after midnight a trio of stirges decide to investigate the adventurer’s camp, the half-orc paladin is dozing, he sees nothing. Nothing that is until Gaukus starts screaming- there are two of the bloodsuckers leeching the dragonborn (one with a Critical Hit). A second or two later and Elvis is yelping in pain too- he is also being bled.
One salvo of Magic Missiles later and the three stirges are toast. Gaukus is not happy, although soon after apologetic for his harsh words to Shagga, Elvis is less amenable- and much more sweary. There is dissention in the ranks- which calls for a team talk from Myrium, after the horses are checked over for bloodsuckers.
The new plan is- continue through the hills to Phandalin, interview the people of the town again- perhaps they have missed something, and then head back to the goblin lair- there may have been another clue there. Myrium (& Sildar) didn’t get much of a chance to look around.
The rest of the night passes without incident.
A day and a half later and the adventurers are back in Phandalin, the only encounters on the rest of the journey are with miners and mining camps, however no-one they talk to has seen or heard of the Rockseekers for the best part of a month.
And so… Phandalin, first stop to check in with the various folk that set them their recently completed tasks.
Daran Edermath, the ex-adventurer (and Order of the Gauntlet member), listens intently to the adventurer’s version of events at Old Owl Well, he has nothing but praise for their actions- one less Red Wizard in the world is a step in the right direction as far as he is concerned. Same goes for the clutch of zombies they put to the sword. Alas Daran has no new clues to the bigger mystery- the location of Gundren Rockseeker.
Next stop is Sister Garaele, priestess of Tymora (and Harper member), who is delighted with the information that Agatha, the banshee, has provided- she passes over three Healing Potions for distribution. Further questioning with regard to Cragmaw Castle and the whereabouts of Gundren Rockseeker alas proves to be fruitless- the priestess knows nothing about the goblin’s location. She does however have a message to pass on- Mirna, the widow of the town’s carpenter- recently rescued by the adventurers from the Redbrands, has asked to see them- to thank them personally. The widow is staying with Qelline Alderleaf, a helpful halfling farmer; the adventurers noncommittedly murmur their thanks, they’ll try to make time to see her.
For now however they have people to interview- next stop is the Town Hall, to see the mayor Harbin Wester (& Sildar, who is by now encamped there). Harbin rewards the adventurers- with money and thanks, and also apologies for not making a better fist of the Redbrand problem. There follows lots more chatter- with Harbin, with Sildar and then with the Redbrand prisoners in the cells beneath the Town Hall.
The result of it all is… nada. Nothing.
Not a clue, the sum total of their knowledge is- Gundren was captured (with Sildar) by Klarg’s goblins, with help from some hobgoblins- the same hobgoblins took Gundren to… where exactly? Best guess is to the lair of King Grol, a place called Cragmaw Castle- probably in the Neverwinter Woods, which is a massive place. It is also possible that Gundren was taken directly to the Black Spider who is located… unknown. If Gundren wasn’t taken directly to the Black Spider it is likely that King Grol has since sold the dwarf to the drow.
The rest of the day is spent chasing shadows, by the end of it the adventurers have agreed to head back to the goblin lair that Myrium (& Sildar) so narrowly escaped- to search for clues and the merchant goods of the Lionshield Coster here in Phandalin. It seems a shipment of theirs was hijacked on the Triboar Trail only a few months past. The guys will also recover the bodies (or what’s left of them) of the three adventurers that fell there- Flint, Nimbus & Shah Mah’ha.
It’s not much of a plan but it will have to do.
The players are stuck- they’re really scratching their heads here.
The adventurers also make the time to call in on the people and places that they loaned their mounts from- they have taken to riding (rather than walking) places. They negotiate prices for their new rides- and once paid for fit them out with saddles et al. They then, inevitably, name them (although Gaukus has to be repeatedly cajoled in to doing so). Shagga rides ‘HP’ (Horse Power), Myrium rides ‘Dawn’s Glory’, Gaukus rides ‘Grom-Taib’ (Draconic translates as ‘Grom’s ride’) and Elvis’ (Shetland) Pony is ‘Dobbers’. The players, for some reason, insisted this information appear in their story.
Note it requires a twenty minute break and much chatter to name the horses, this is by far the most important event to take place this session. Bloody players.
Much later Elvis sneaks out of the Stonehill Tavern and goes to visit his boss Halia- he gets her up to date with events, Elvis is told in no uncertain terms that his task is to find Gundren, and then Wave Echo Cave- screw the Black Spider the Black Network wants a piece of the action. This, Halia informs the gnome, could be the making of him…
Note the Black Network, the Zhentarim (in my campaigns), are the equivalent of the present-day Mafia (as depicted in cheesy films) of our world.
The next morning and the adventurers are about to depart when Sister Garaele pays them a visit- she’s here to remind them to stop off at the Alderleaf Farm, and talk to poor Mirna. Somewhat reluctantly the adventurers decide to get this done now.
There follows a good twenty to thirty minutes of thank you’s and tears, at which point the adventurers declare that they really have to get on… Mirna has however one more request for them, it seems her family moved to Phandalin from a village called Thundertree- they had to leave in a hurry, after a minor undead invasion. In their haste the family’s great treasure was left behind, a beautiful necklace- buried beneath the hearthstone of their herb shop, if only the adventurers would recover it. More tears follow, it is clear that while Mirna has plenty of friends she now has no husband, and no money- and two children to raise.
Myrium understands, Shagga understands, Gaukus understands- all three swear that they will see it done, just not right now…
Elvis doesn’t understand, therefore Elvis explains- letting a few secrets out of the bag in the process, the gnome snappily recounts the adventurers situation- the loss of Gundren (& his brothers), and the possibility that a drow (perhaps lots of drow) are searching for (or may have already found) a cavern in which there is a forge that can be used to make terrible magic items. Furthermore, this is all happening right on Phandalin’s doorstep, very likely.
Myrium and Gaukus (mainly) try to get Elvis to shut up- but the gnome is very eager to have his say, his final statement neatly sums up the situation, “we have to find Cragmaw Castle, find Gundren ‘bloody’ Rockseeker, and then find Wave Echo Cave… your poxy necklace is at the bottom of the list.”
It gets tetchy for a good while, it takes another hour or so to clear up the hurt, at which point- as the adventurers are leaving, still apologising for their gnome companion, that Qelline (the halfling farmer) says matter-of-factly that her friend Reidoth the Brown would certainly know where Cragmaw Castle is, if it is in Neverwinter Woods- he knows the place like the back of his hand.
“Reidoth the what?” Myrium asks.
“Where can we find Reidoth the Brown, and who or what is he?” Gaukus cuts to the chase.
“He’s a druid, he lives in Thundertree. Now don’t come back until you have Mirna’s jewel, that woman has suffered enough”, Qelline adds.
The whooping with joy comes later, the adventurers rush back to the Stonehill Tavern- grab their gear, check in with Sildar to tell the tale, and then hit the road- next stop Thundertree.
All is well with the world.
It’s a long session this one, we played on in to the wee small hours, the players were keen to get to Thundertree, and to meet Reidoth the Brown.
The adventurers, with their newly named mounts, make haste for Thundertree- initially following the track to the Triboar Trail, then north to the limit of Neverwinter Woods, following the forest again to the north. They ride hard and fast, aiming to supplement rest with healing spells for their mounts.
Two days later they are encamped at the edge of the forest no more than ten or twelve miles south of Thundertree, they’ll be there by midday tomorrow- best estimate. Now, however, to rest- all is well with the world.
That is until me and my Random Encounter Table get to work- the wolf pack hits during Elvis’ watch, and again the watchman is found wanting- three of the beasts manage to close in on the adventurers without being noticed by the gnome. It gets bloody very quickly- two of the wolves savage the reclining Elvis, while Gaukus (wouldn’t you know it) almost gets his throat ripped out (with a Critical Hit).
Seconds later and Elvis is on his feet and screaming (mostly for healing), he stabs frantically at the nearest wolf and savages it, Gaukus is the next to his feet- his Shield spell keeping the wolf on him at bay. Shagga’s Divine Smite ends one of the beasts- a fourth wolf joins the fight instantly replacing the fallen beast. Gaukus’ Font of Magic is used to shape his Shatter spell around his allies- the blast sends another wolf down and injures and terrifies the other two canis. Myrium Cures Elvis’ Wounds and then thumps her Spiritual Weapon, a glowing mace-remember, in to one of the wolves, it has suffered enough- it flees.
Gaukus’ Shield fails him, the last wolf bites him and drags him down to the earth (he’s on 2 hit points), Elvis rushes over and continues his maelstrom of rapier and dagger, the gnome cuts the last beast down.
Which is the moment that Shagga hears the noise of his beautiful black stallion- HP, making his last frantic sounds in this world. The half-orc rushes to the mounts and cuts down another wolf with a Divine Smite fuelled attack. Gaukus takes care of the last of the sneaky beasts- after Myrium Cures his Wounds and helps the dragonborn to his feet- it takes four Magic Missiles to end the last wolf.
HP is dead, Dawn’s Glory and Grom-Taib have both been bitten and in trying to escape their stays have further bloodied their mouths. Only Dobbers is unharmed- and unflustered, further inspection reveals the corpse of a seventh wolf, kicked to death it seems by Elvis’ pony.
In the midst of despair, at least for Shagga- the half-orc is not at all happy, Elvis grins and slaps Dobbers flank- “that’s my gal”, the gnome declares- and then backs away as Dobbers kicks violently at the spot the rogue occupied less than a second earlier.
Dobbers is not a “gal”, nor does he belong to anyone- it seems. He (perhaps) suffers the gnome rogue to perch upon him.
Myrium strikes up the Prayer of Healing, as the session- finally, comes to a close.
It seems we’ll get to Thundertree and Reidoth the Brown next time.
We went from despair- the various faction-based side quests- which were fun but served little purpose; to even deeper despair- with no further clues as to the whereabouts of Gundren and Cragmaw Castle; to joy (eventually) with the news that Reidoth the Brown in Thundertree knows the way to Cragmaw Castle. I almost had to insist that the guys go meet with Mirna, they wanted to get off- in short they had stopped asking questions and were certain that they would figure things out for themselves. In truth I would have probably planted some clue in the Cragmaw Goblin’s lair that would have lead them to Thundertree (as I say, probably). That said the side quests, as in other play throughs of this adventure proved to be a bit of a distraction, I still haven’t figured the best way to get these done. Obviously, I could just drop them but I do like getting value for my money by getting the players to experience everything that the module has to offer.
Oh, and Rob (who plays Shagga) was really unhappy that Horse Power, his horse (obviously), got killed.
