As the autumn sun descends over the towers and turrets of Neverwinter, light and music spill from the taproom of the Winged Wyvern inn. Six adventurers enter separately, not knowing that their fates will soon be entwined...
In an upstairs room, a portly dwarven gentleman sits behind a table spread with maps and notes. He starts as you enter, and hastily stuffs the maps away in a leather scroll case before smiling and waving you all into the room.
"Greetings! I know most of you, at least by reputation! My brothers left word before they set out for Phandalin. My name is Gundren Rockseeker, and I am hoping you will all be persuaded to join me in an expedition. But where are my manners? Please, introduce yourselves!"
The dwarf smooths his black beard and busies himself pouring wine into a set of glasses.
A medium height Tiefling man makes himself at home, finding a chair with a wineglass to get comfortable in. He has purple skin, green eyes, and short black hair, with two long, low black horns springing out of it, curling around the sides of his head. He’s wearing a long, leather coat unbuttoned, with green cloth sewn onto it for color. Underneath is a very nice looking white cotton v neck shirt and brown leather pants with shiny black leather shoes. He drops a pack on the floor next to him, and looks fondly at the wine.
A stout halfling with light tan skin walked into the bar, he was about 3 feet and 5 inches looked fairly built. He sported raven black hair that was kept short and groomed with the token mutton chops on his face and deep green eyes. He wore well kept chain mail with a tabard over it and leather belt. He had a shield and longsword stowed on his back. His tabard bore the symbol of the Order of Samular, A Shield shaped as a flame, with a red and orange flame field and a longsword in the shield. His shield bore the the holy emblem of Tyr, A shield with a blue field and weights balanced on a warhammer with a red ribbon wrapped on it.
Vinras walked to the table with Dwarf and Tiefling and bowed to the table, “Vinras Reedfellow. At your service.” He would take a seat with a smile.
A tall woman stepped out of the shadows and slipped into a chair, her well oiled ranger's leather barely making any noise as she moved. She pulled back her forest green hood and long ringlets of coppery hair spilled out. "And Irena Greenstep at yours." She replied, her quiet voice spiced with a warm Dalelands accent.
A bit overwhelmed by the bustle of Neverwinter, Nicola makes her way to the address given by Gundren's brother Tharden as the sun is going down. She wants to be sure her next job prospect is in place before she retires for the night in a new city.
"Hello, Gundren, everyone, pleased to meet you." Nicola makes a gesture of general greeting around the room as she enters. She's a strongly-built human woman with long brown hair and dark eyes, slightly taller than average, a simple traveling cloak covering standard stiff leathers, a small wooden shield and pack on her back and a mace at her waist.
"My name is Nicola Leguin, I'm a traveling cleric of Lathander from the Dessarin Valley. The gods...well, they've seen fit to lead me far from my home and my church. Perhaps one day I'll settle into a community life once again. But that's neither here nor there. In the meantime, I've just finished a caravan job for your brother Tharden up from Waterdeep," she nods at Gundren. "And I would love to help with your expedition. I'm looking forward to working with you all."
Debolsia enters the tavern with large strides for the 4"2' dwarf. She seems very eager about something and her eyes light up when she spots Gundren. "Ello there! Name's Debolsia. I am an anthropologist... well not by trade. A people person, actually. And you all seem to be decent enough people. Nundro said you have a quite the expedition planned and needed a bit of muscle. Well I don't have a lot of that, but I can keep you safe if things get a bit rough with wild animals or someone trying to thieve your findings. Only thing I ask is you let me have a chance to reason with any bandits before we dispatch them. I find they often have interesting stories if you have the time to listen to them. Sure, most of the stories are lies, but they're fun none the less!"
She looks over the others gathered here. Debolsia is sporting her traveling clothes which mostly consist of pair of dark slacks that seem to offer function over form and a long sleeved blouse designed to keep her well covered from the dirt and dust of the road. She's got a pack on her back like she thought the group would be leaving straight to the expedition from the bar and you wouldn't be wrong with that assumption.
She sits the pack down against the table as she tries to find a spot near Gundren. "What can you tell me of Phandalin. I like to know the people of the place I travel. It's sort of my thing." The dwarf seems confident in herself but doesn't do a good job of respecting people's space. It's clear she's not the most socially aware person you'd expect of someone calling themselves an anthropologist.
The 5'3'' halfling's piercing blue eye flited nervously from person to person. Her clothes were extremely simple and well worn, and her feet were wrapped in bandages. Her hair was cut in a boyish style, and was uneven, as if she had done it herself. She seemed skittish, ready to dash out of the room at the slightest sign of danger. A rapier hung at her side and she had a dagger strapped to each leg. A bow and quiver full of arrows were slung over her shoulder and she held a pack of her belongings close to her. She tasted the wine, grimacing at the taste, and pushed the glass gently away from her. "H-Hi...." she stuttered out nervously. "I'm Elizabeth."
"Gundren, Amshoon, Vinras, Irena, Nicola, and Elizabeth," Debolsia mouths trying to say the names hoping it will help her remember them. "Looks like a sturdy lot. Are there any more coming or is this everyone?
Vinras looks about the group and nods in agreement with the Dwarf, "Indeed, seems to be a good lot of people of here." He smiles and bows his head to person present, "It is a pleasure to meet you all."
"Well met, Sildar! Name's Debolsia. Looking forward to working with you on this expedition. I must say, you look like you can handle yourself. Is it really that dangerous in Phandalin to be needed all of us lot too? Never been there but looking forward to learning about it and the people that live there."
“Certainly!” says Gundren. “Now, to business! We- that is, my brothers and I- believe we have discovered the location of” and here the dwarf leans in and whispers” the lost mines of Phandelver!”
“Good question young Elizabeth! Well the stories go that many hundreds of years ago, the town if Phandalin was a thriving and prosperous place, mainly due to the rich mines in the foothills. In addition to the considerable mineral wealth of the mines, the caverns contained a nexus of powerful magics, known as the forge of spells. There, wizards and artificers created wondrous magical items and treasures.”
The dwarf pauses to take a sip of the wine before continuing.
“However, the good times in Phandalin could not last. The town and the cave were overtaken by a powerful army of orcs. In the ensuing battle, much of the mine and forge were lost.
Now as you might imagine, there could be riches beyond believing down there- riches that we intend to keep!”
“This is of course where you all come in! Keep us alive until we can all get stinking rich!”
Gundren leans back in his chair, looking pleased with himself.
Sildar grabs the papers and begins to unfold them.
”Standard contract, one month expedition- and if we actually find the forge, promises you will keep the location to those present plus Nundro and Tharden.”
A smile spreads across Debolsia's lips. She'd been right to trust her gut and listen to the man's call for help in the tavern. This may end up being a once in a lifetime event and she would witness it firsthand. She listens intently as the dwarf proceeds with the sales pitch. There would be so much to learn and discover on this expedition that Debolsia makes a special reminder to pickup a journal to track the journey and its findings.
"Do the orcs remain in Phandelver or did they pillage the poor town and leave once its resources were gone? Heard stories of their pillaging ways but never met one face-to-face."
Debolsia's mind races with all the wonders they could discover especially those of the magical variety. She then begins to wonder how much she could fit in her pack if she needed to haul treasures out of a mine.
Amshoon takes a generous sip of wine and looks at Gundren. "I'll be happy for your good fortune, Gundren. How can I - and these others, I assume - be of service?"
“Good questions all- to answer you Debolsia, the orcs destroyed the town many years ago. People have only begun settling there again in recent years. It’s on the edge of the wilds, so thats part of why we need protection.
As for inside Irena? No idea what to expect. That’s why we need the extra explorers.
And the town itself can get a little rough, Amshoon, so the extra bodies certainly wouldn’t hurt.”
Vinras nodded listening to the pitch from dwarf, “Seems reasonable, as far as any items one might in the mines, are these for those who find them to hold on to as reward? Or is our payment only in currency?” He would read over the contract to see if it was answered in it at all.
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As the autumn sun descends over the towers and turrets of Neverwinter, light and music spill from the taproom of the Winged Wyvern inn. Six adventurers enter separately, not knowing that their fates will soon be entwined...
In an upstairs room, a portly dwarven gentleman sits behind a table spread with maps and notes. He starts as you enter, and hastily stuffs the maps away in a leather scroll case before smiling and waving you all into the room.
"Greetings! I know most of you, at least by reputation! My brothers left word before they set out for Phandalin. My name is Gundren Rockseeker, and I am hoping you will all be persuaded to join me in an expedition. But where are my manners? Please, introduce yourselves!"
The dwarf smooths his black beard and busies himself pouring wine into a set of glasses.
DM- Chronicles of Wildemount Campaign.
A medium height Tiefling man makes himself at home, finding a chair with a wineglass to get comfortable in. He has purple skin, green eyes, and short black hair, with two long, low black horns springing out of it, curling around the sides of his head. He’s wearing a long, leather coat unbuttoned, with green cloth sewn onto it for color. Underneath is a very nice looking white cotton v neck shirt and brown leather pants with shiny black leather shoes. He drops a pack on the floor next to him, and looks fondly at the wine.
“My name is Amshoon, pleased to meet you.”
Paladin - warforged - orange
A stout halfling with light tan skin walked into the bar, he was about 3 feet and 5 inches looked fairly built. He sported raven black hair that was kept short and groomed with the token mutton chops on his face and deep green eyes. He wore well kept chain mail with a tabard over it and leather belt. He had a shield and longsword stowed on his back. His tabard bore the symbol of the Order of Samular, A Shield shaped as a flame, with a red and orange flame field and a longsword in the shield. His shield bore the the holy emblem of Tyr, A shield with a blue field and weights balanced on a warhammer with a red ribbon wrapped on it.
Vinras walked to the table with Dwarf and Tiefling and bowed to the table, “Vinras Reedfellow. At your service.” He would take a seat with a smile.
A tall woman stepped out of the shadows and slipped into a chair, her well oiled ranger's leather barely making any noise as she moved. She pulled back her forest green hood and long ringlets of coppery hair spilled out. "And Irena Greenstep at yours." She replied, her quiet voice spiced with a warm Dalelands accent.
A bit overwhelmed by the bustle of Neverwinter, Nicola makes her way to the address given by Gundren's brother Tharden as the sun is going down. She wants to be sure her next job prospect is in place before she retires for the night in a new city.
"Hello, Gundren, everyone, pleased to meet you." Nicola makes a gesture of general greeting around the room as she enters. She's a strongly-built human woman with long brown hair and dark eyes, slightly taller than average, a simple traveling cloak covering standard stiff leathers, a small wooden shield and pack on her back and a mace at her waist.
"My name is Nicola Leguin, I'm a traveling cleric of Lathander from the Dessarin Valley. The gods...well, they've seen fit to lead me far from my home and my church. Perhaps one day I'll settle into a community life once again. But that's neither here nor there. In the meantime, I've just finished a caravan job for your brother Tharden up from Waterdeep," she nods at Gundren. "And I would love to help with your expedition. I'm looking forward to working with you all."
Debolsia enters the tavern with large strides for the 4"2' dwarf. She seems very eager about something and her eyes light up when she spots Gundren. "Ello there! Name's Debolsia. I am an anthropologist... well not by trade. A people person, actually. And you all seem to be decent enough people. Nundro said you have a quite the expedition planned and needed a bit of muscle. Well I don't have a lot of that, but I can keep you safe if things get a bit rough with wild animals or someone trying to thieve your findings. Only thing I ask is you let me have a chance to reason with any bandits before we dispatch them. I find they often have interesting stories if you have the time to listen to them. Sure, most of the stories are lies, but they're fun none the less!"
She looks over the others gathered here. Debolsia is sporting her traveling clothes which mostly consist of pair of dark slacks that seem to offer function over form and a long sleeved blouse designed to keep her well covered from the dirt and dust of the road. She's got a pack on her back like she thought the group would be leaving straight to the expedition from the bar and you wouldn't be wrong with that assumption.
She sits the pack down against the table as she tries to find a spot near Gundren. "What can you tell me of Phandalin. I like to know the people of the place I travel. It's sort of my thing." The dwarf seems confident in herself but doesn't do a good job of respecting people's space. It's clear she's not the most socially aware person you'd expect of someone calling themselves an anthropologist.
The 5'3'' halfling's piercing blue eye flited nervously from person to person. Her clothes were extremely simple and well worn, and her feet were wrapped in bandages. Her hair was cut in a boyish style, and was uneven, as if she had done it herself. She seemed skittish, ready to dash out of the room at the slightest sign of danger. A rapier hung at her side and she had a dagger strapped to each leg. A bow and quiver full of arrows were slung over her shoulder and she held a pack of her belongings close to her. She tasted the wine, grimacing at the taste, and pushed the glass gently away from her. "H-Hi...." she stuttered out nervously. "I'm Elizabeth."
"Gundren, Amshoon, Vinras, Irena, Nicola, and Elizabeth," Debolsia mouths trying to say the names hoping it will help her remember them. "Looks like a sturdy lot. Are there any more coming or is this everyone?
Vinras looks about the group and nods in agreement with the Dwarf, "Indeed, seems to be a good lot of people of here." He smiles and bows his head to person present, "It is a pleasure to meet you all."
“All present but one- Sildar! Get in here!” Bellows Gundren happily.
A tall well built human enters the room, carrying a bottle of wine and a sheaf of papers.
He has a bald head, brown eyes and wears a longsword belted at his waist, though no armour in the tavern.
“I’m your partner, not your pageboy.” He says good naturedly as he hands over the pages. “Are these your sellswords?”
DM- Chronicles of Wildemount Campaign.
"Well met, Sildar! Name's Debolsia. Looking forward to working with you on this expedition. I must say, you look like you can handle yourself. Is it really that dangerous in Phandalin to be needed all of us lot too? Never been there but looking forward to learning about it and the people that live there."
“Certainly!” says Gundren. “Now, to business! We- that is, my brothers and I- believe we have discovered the location of” and here the dwarf leans in and whispers” the lost mines of Phandelver!”
DM- Chronicles of Wildemount Campaign.
“Good question young Elizabeth! Well the stories go that many hundreds of years ago, the town if Phandalin was a thriving and prosperous place, mainly due to the rich mines in the foothills. In addition to the considerable mineral wealth of the mines, the caverns contained a nexus of powerful magics, known as the forge of spells. There, wizards and artificers created wondrous magical items and treasures.”
The dwarf pauses to take a sip of the wine before continuing.
“However, the good times in Phandalin could not last. The town and the cave were overtaken by a powerful army of orcs. In the ensuing battle, much of the mine and forge were lost.
Now as you might imagine, there could be riches beyond believing down there- riches that we intend to keep!”
DM- Chronicles of Wildemount Campaign.
“This is of course where you all come in! Keep us alive until we can all get stinking rich!”
Gundren leans back in his chair, looking pleased with himself.
Sildar grabs the papers and begins to unfold them.
”Standard contract, one month expedition- and if we actually find the forge, promises you will keep the location to those present plus Nundro and Tharden.”
DM- Chronicles of Wildemount Campaign.
Irena smiled wryly. "Sounds good, but riches beyond believing often come with matching danger. What do we know about what we'll find down there?"
A smile spreads across Debolsia's lips. She'd been right to trust her gut and listen to the man's call for help in the tavern. This may end up being a once in a lifetime event and she would witness it firsthand. She listens intently as the dwarf proceeds with the sales pitch. There would be so much to learn and discover on this expedition that Debolsia makes a special reminder to pickup a journal to track the journey and its findings.
"Do the orcs remain in Phandelver or did they pillage the poor town and leave once its resources were gone? Heard stories of their pillaging ways but never met one face-to-face."
Debolsia's mind races with all the wonders they could discover especially those of the magical variety. She then begins to wonder how much she could fit in her pack if she needed to haul treasures out of a mine.
Amshoon takes a generous sip of wine and looks at Gundren. "I'll be happy for your good fortune, Gundren. How can I - and these others, I assume - be of service?"
Paladin - warforged - orange
“Good questions all- to answer you Debolsia, the orcs destroyed the town many years ago. People have only begun settling there again in recent years. It’s on the edge of the wilds, so thats part of why we need protection.
As for inside Irena? No idea what to expect. That’s why we need the extra explorers.
And the town itself can get a little rough, Amshoon, so the extra bodies certainly wouldn’t hurt.”
DM- Chronicles of Wildemount Campaign.
"Well, I suppose that's to be expected. When do we leave?" Amshoon kicks his feet up as he looks over the contract before signing.
Paladin - warforged - orange
Vinras nodded listening to the pitch from dwarf, “Seems reasonable, as far as any items one might in the mines, are these for those who find them to hold on to as reward? Or is our payment only in currency?” He would read over the contract to see if it was answered in it at all.