Adventure Log

The campaign began on the 29th of Elesius/High Sun (the 3rd month of Summer, equivalent of August) in the year ??? in the city of Neverwinter.

Elesius/High Sun 29th

Mission from Gundren

  • Adventure began in the city of Neverwinter where a dwarf named Gundren Rockseeker asked the party to take a wagon-load of provisions to the rough-and-tumble settlement of Phandalin to the southeast (along the Triboar Trail). Gundren was clearly excited and more than a little secretive about his reasons for the trip, saying only that he and his brothers had found "something big", and that he'd pay the PCs 10 gold pieces each for escorting his supplies to Barthen's Provisions, a trading post in Phandalin. (Gundren left before the pary on a pony with a mounted noble warrior named Sildar Hallwinter. Gundren was gong ahead to "take care of business".)
  • Travelled south along The High Road.

Elesius/High Sun 30th

  • Continued south along The High Road.

Eleint/The Fading 1st (1st month of Autumn)

Ambush on the Triboar Trail

  • Turned on to the Triboar Trail. Not far along, came across the dead horses of Gundren and Sildar.
  • Followed goblin tracks to a small group making camp. Killed 5 goblins and questioned the last 2 before releasing them. Found out that Gundren and Sildar had been taken to nearby cave.

Goblin Water Cave

  • Went to cave with fast stream flowing from it. Disposed of the 2 goblin guards, but upon entering, the inhabitants were alerted by barking wolves in the first cavern. The goblins released a flowing water trap to flush the PCs from the cave.
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  • Went on to clear out the cave, including killing a bugbear. They rescued Sildar, but apparently Gundren had been taken to Cragmaw Castle in the Neverwinter Wood. The live goblins had no idea where this castle was, so the PCs returned to the wagon they had left by the road near the dead horses.

Eleint/The Fading 2nd

Arrival in Phandalin

  • Arrived in Phandalin. Dropped Gundren's supplies at Barthen's Provisions.
  • Sildar thanked the group, then left to speak to the town leader.

Fisticuffs with the Red Cloaks

  • Heard rumours about the Red Cloaks having the town in a worry, so the party went up to The Sleeping Giant taphouse to confront them. After a fight the party sent the Red Cloaks packing (after knocking a couple out).
  • The surly Grista (female dwarf) that ran The Sleeping Giant was not happy that the PCs had chased off her paying customers, but when they were clearly going to spend more money here, she changed her tune and the PCs even spent the night in her common room.
  • After the fight, a halfling family approached Osborne and their son, Carp, told Osborne of a secret tunnel under the hill on which the old town manor sits. Apparently, Red Cloaks had been using it.
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Eleint/The Fading 3rd

Redcloak Hideout under the Manor

  • Searched and found the tunnel under the manor hill.
  • Tunnel lead to Red Cloak hideout. PCs defeated more Red Cloak bandits, but there wer also some bugbears in there, and a strange one-eyed creature in a crevice. The Red Cloaks were eliminated as a threat to the town.
  • A feast was held for the PCs and townmaster Harbin Wester honoured their efforts.

Eleint/The Fading 4th

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East Along Triboar Trail

  • Decided to follow a lead about raiding orcs along the Triboar Trail. Apparently they were camped near Wyvern Tor. Travelled along Triboar Trail. Saw some bugbears run into Neverwinter Wood.
  • Entered the valley that leads to Wyvern Tor.

Old Owl Well & Red Wizard

  • Near nightfall, spotted the ruined tower (the Old Owl Well). Saw a lit tent in the courtyard, but when approached zombies shambled from the tower and attacked.
  • The red wizard Hamun Kost emerged from the tent and demanded the PCs stop killing his servants. After some negotiations the two parties sorted the situation out and the party was able to camp nearby. Kost gave the party information about where the orcs were, but he also asked the PCs that if ever they come across the banshee Agatha, he would pay dearly if the PCs asked her, "who built the tower at the Old Owl Well?" and returned to him with the answer.

Eleint/The Fading 5th

Wyvern Tor and Orc Fight

  • Set out to search around Wyvern Tor. In the morning they discovered a cave mouth guarded by orcs. In the ensuing fight, an ogre joined in, as did more orcs from the cave. The orcs had a prisoner hog-tied too. Aust helped the prisoner (Dalamar Longstrider - now a player character), escape and he joined in the fight.
  • Zala went down early, Ottis faced off against the ogre, orc leader and other orcs and things were looking grim before the team rallied and defeated all enemies, baring one orc that ran off.
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  • A search of the cave revealed lots of sleeping furs and a small chest with some loot, (including, oddly, 3 vials of perfume).
  • Returned to the Old Owl Well. Hamun Kost was still there. During the night the party moved in to try and shelter from the pouring rain against the crumbling walls of the compound. Group were quite unprepared for camping out and several characters were fatigued.
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Eleint/The Fading 6th

  • Mild day, rain had cleared.
  • Traveled along the wide valley back to the Triboar Trail. Whilst preparing a camp, a nest of stirges attacked, but were quickly dispatched, though Dalamar was feeling a little 'drained' afterwards.
  • Later that night (during the middle watch), the group was attacked by hobgoblins with wolves. The wolves savaged Aelar as he awoke and the leader seemed to want Waervun more than the others, but tripped over and dropped his sword when he went at Waervun. The commander recovered and called in his allies, who had been shooting arrows into the fray. The leader went down and the other hobgoblins tried to flee. None were successful. On the leader, Osborne found a letter that clearly talked about the PC party. There was an extra reward for Waevrun it seemed.

Eleint/The Fading 7th

Back In Phandalin

  • Traveled the roads back to Phandalin; arrived late arvo.
  • Spoke to Elmar Barthen (of Barthen's Provisions) and decided to take charge of Gundren's ox wagon again, after hearing that the other two dwarves (Nundro and Tharden) had not come to town to claim it. Added some more bedrolls to the wagon's supplies.
  • Met with Sildar at the Stonehill Inn. Stayed at the inn in comfort.

Eleint/The Fading 8th

  • Thick fog in the morning. Very calm and cool day.
  • Went to the halfling Alderleaf farm. The mother, Quelline, told the PCs of a druid that would know the location of Cragmaw Castle. This druid, Reidoth, was in Phandalin recently and left to explore the ruins of Thundertree (a town ruined by the Mount Hotenow eruption… and home of Waervun's family when he was young).
  • Little Carp Alderleaf had his bag packed, ready to join the PCs, but of course he was left behind.

Off To Thundertree - West of the Neverwinter Wood

  • Found the trail from the crossroads (of Phandalin and Triboar Trail) and headed across the grassy terrain. Reached edge of //Neverwinter Wood/ in the afternoon and continued to skirt the woods.
  • Made camp and were interupted in the night by a pair of ogres seeking the party's salted pork. Zala and Aust headed the ogres off in the woods, hurting the male enough to make him turn and run away. The female then followed.

Eleint/The Fading 9th

  • Another cool day with an onshore breeze that brought light rain in the morning. The party continued to follow the western edge of Neverwinter Wood.

Eleint/The Fading 10th

  • Light onshore breeze again. Several showers of rain.
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  • Gradually the trail became an old, overgrown lane, winding between dilapidated buildings choked in vines and brush. Reached the ruins of Thundertree mid-morning and were greeted by a wooden sign nailed to a post that read, "DANGER! Plant monsters AND zombies! Turn back now!"
  • In the middle of the old settlement, rose a steep hill, upon which sat a stone tower with a partially collapsed roof. The dirt trail hugged the bottom of the hill and wound through the ruined buildings at the hill's base. The place seemed eerily silent.
  • As the PCs approached the first buildings the oxen stopped, snorted and refused to go further.
  • Ottis led some members over to a building that appeared to have been repaired. Just as he was about to charge the door down, it opened and a gaunt, white-haired human in brown robes stuck his head out yelling that there was no need to smash his door down.
  • As soon as the old man appeared, the rest of the group, waiting at the wagon, were set upon by what the old man called twig blights. The bushes around them seemed to come alive and and small, animated, humanoid-shaped bushes attacked them.
  • The old man warned the group not to make too much noise, stating there were much more dangerous things around here than twig blights.
  • As the last of the blights was dealt with 2 giant spiders emerged over the ruins in the trees above. One dropped a web on Aelar, but after a firebolt and an arrow, both spiders retreated through the trees.
  • On advice from the druid, Delamar and Ottis took the cart and oxen back over the hill and down the forest trail, away from the town, as apparently there is a green dragon lairing in the ruined tower on the hill in the center of the ruined town.
  • Reidoth the Druid warmed to the group once they stated they wanted to rid the goblins from Cragmaw Castle. Reidoth was a member of the Emerald Enclave, a group (of mostly druids) dedicated to eradicating such menaces from the Neverwinter Wood. The party refused an offer to confront the dragon, but received directions to Cragmaw Castle. There is an old fey gate in the southeast wood - they are to look for two large white trees joined in an arch.
  • Travelled south along the western edge of Neverwinter Wood and camped around 12 miles south of Thundertree.

Eleint/The Fading 11th

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  • Mild, cloudy day with light wind.
  • Just after dawn 2 flying snakes swooped in on Dundragon. Whilst others procrastinated, Zala danced in and removed the heads from both flying snakes with her rapier.
  • Reached the bend in the forest. Before heading eastward, the party camped.

Eleint/The Fading 12th

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  • Mild, cloudy day with light wind.
  • Travelled east along southern edge of Neverwinter Wood for just over an hour when they found the birch tree 'gate' with a trail leading deeper into the forest.
  • Almost 3 hours into the forest the reached the ruins of Cragmaw Castle. It consisted of seven crumbling towers of different sizes and heights, and the upper stories were all in various states of collapse. The party backed off and found a grove to leave the oxen and cart, then returned to the ruined keep.
  • Ignored the two short flight if stairs leading to a terrace outside the main entrance, and instead followed tracks to a smaller enclosed doorway. Before making the doorway, 3 goblins shot at them with bows through a large portion of the nearest collapsed tower. The PCs ascended the rubble and dealt with the goblins.
  • From their vantage point the PCs could see in to a large mess hall where 4 more goblins were being yelled at by a larger one with a blood-stained apron. Arrows quickly downed the shouting leader and the rest were dealt with as the party moved into the castle. Ottis was especially devastating with his greataxe, decorating the interior of the castle with goblins.
  • Zala exited via a door to the entry hall triggering a trap where the roof collapsed, knocking her out and sending a cloud of dust into the entry hall, where other PCs had entered and were battling more goblins. Another 2 goblins emerged from a door and shot at Zala at their feet, then even larger goblinoids (hobgoblins) came out of a door at the far end of the hallway and made their way through the dust cloud to engage the PCs in melee (1 of the hobgoblins tripped over Zala on his way through the cloud).
  • As the party successfully dealt with the rest of the goblinoids, Zala bled out. After debate as to whether to leave and bury her, the party decided on placing her body in one of the guard rooms and pushing on. They took the door to the east out of the dining area, and explored the central, ruined part of the keep.
  • After hearing voices, including one speaking in elven, and wolf howl, the party was set upon by hobgoblins and a wolf. They emerged from two different doors and attacked, but the party dispatched the lot of them. Waervun went down in the fight, but was healed by Dundragon.
  • After the battle, they pushed on through a door into the large north eastern tower of the keep. In the large room beyond was King Grol a bugbear with a large knife and a limp dwarf in his grasp; the dwarf the group was looking for, Gundren Rockseer.
  • Using magic, Thoradin made the bugbear drop Gundren. Ottis went in for the kill, but was stopped by a blue guard drake that emerged from under the table. After Thoradin entered he was attacked from behind by a female dark elf wielding two curved blades.
  • Before King Grol and his guard drake were killed, Thoradin and Ottis were killed and the dark elf ran away with a map that seemed to be of importance and the basis of negotiations before the party interrupted. At least before Thoradin died,he got to save his cousin, Gundren.
  • Left Cragmaw Castle with the rescued Gundren and the bodies of fallen comrades.
  • Travelled to the edge of the forest, where a couple of ogres intent on eating the group's oxen were beaten off (one was killed).
  • Pushed on through the night and reached Phandalin around 10pm at night.
  • Met up with mayor, priest and Sildar. Sildar had recruited 3 new adventurers to the cause. (3 new PCs joined the group).
  • Gundren was keen to find his brothers (especially now the map was in the hands of an enemy) so after arranging for the bodies of the fallen to be preserved by the priest, everyone went to bed early.

Elient/The Fading 13th

  • Low cloud cover and blanket of grey clouds.
  • Despite the rain and the terrain, Gundren got the group to the cave entrance late in the afternoon.
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  • Inside the main cave, found the dwarves' campsite, and the dead body of Tharden Rockseeker. (No sign of Nunden). After crying over his lost brother, Gundren offered his brother's magical boots to the group (Osbourne took them).
  • Gundren and Sildar remained at entrance to guard oxen and cart and bury Tharden.
  • PCs cut through the mines to find a cavern with fresh running water.
  • Not far from the pool, in passages carved smoother than the mines, the PCs opened a low stone door to surprise 5 bugbears standing around a brazier, preparing weapons, as if getting ready to move out. The bugbears were dispatched with little difficulty.
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