Thanks to social media, movies, MTG etc. my kids have discovered (to my great amusement since I loved playing it together with things like MTG myself ages ago) D&D as well. As they wanted to learn to play D&D, I've started the Dragon of IceSpire Peak campaign with them to gradually introduce them to the game and let them grow into it. They are both 9 and 11 and play together with another one of their friends and probably in a few weeks some others might join as well since they absolutely love it (Eat that Playstation... :D ;) ). Now, it is my first time ever as a DM and having played myself as a PC has been ages ago. I am planning to recap the entire story they play (and as they play it) in a book so when finished they have their own fantasy book which they bottom-line created themselves in regards to events, evolution etc. which made them even more enthusiastic.
Below is how it went so far after 4 evenings and I guess we'll be playing at least for another 10 to 18 evenings before finishing it depending on how wildly we deviate from the main storyline. I'm gradually trying to kick it up a bit in difficulty and change the storyline as well. I'd be looking forward for some advice and feedback in regards to how the narrative is going as well in regards to how it evolves (keeping in mind the age of the players).
Thanks in advance!
Ps. Never mind the typos etc, I didn't correct everything yet as I'm doing it on the fly when I have some spare minutes to write down what I remember from the last play-evening.
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Intro
Driven from lands farther north by more powerful dragons, a young white dragon named Cryovain has descended upon the Sword Mountains, claiming the snow-capped range as its domain. Typical of its kind, Cryovain is dim-witted and cruel. The dragon patrols the skies around Icespire Peak, surveying its territory while hunting for food and easy treasure. With each passing day, the dragon's domain grows as it ranges farther across the land, preying on anything it can catch with its claws or freeze to death with its icy breath. Sightings of the dragon are becoming more common, as are its attacks.
A crumbling fortress on the northeast spur of Icespire Peak serves as the dragon's lair. Cryovain seized the icy fortress from a tribe of savage orcs, killing the orc war chief and forcing the tribe's survivors to flee into the foothills and forests. Enraged by the death of their war chief, the orcs have called upon ancient allies—evil, shapechanging, half-orc spellcasters who bless and advise them. These half-orcs worship Talos, an evil god of storms, and many dwell in the dark depths of Neverwinter Wood. In stormy weather, they gather on remote hilltops to summon Gorthok the Thunder Boar, a primal entity that serves Talos. Like the god it serves, Gorthok delights in destruction. In search of their revenge for the death of their warlord as well as the theft of their lands, word has it that they seem to gather troops in order to start taking over lands they can get hold off and claim as their own in order to grow in numbers in a secure place and take care of the dragon at a later stage. What would happen with the actual inhabitants in that case is easy to predict. It may take a while, but it is most certain that legions of orcs and half-orcs will commence to dwell into the region between Neverwinter Woods and the mountains in order to pillage and claim lands to build their new stronghold.
Our adventurers have been sent out by the council of Neverwinter to travel to Phandelin and assess the situation, help the village while present and report back with all the info in regards to the situation they can gather while Neverwinter prepares to send a solid contingent of soldiers and delegates of the council to protect the village and region.
Part 1.
Evening 1
Once the party arrived at the village after quite a long journey, they find the village in good spirits and with the usual activity you may encounter in any other village you may come across. The tension, however, caused by current affairs can be sensed when talking to the people in town.
Having introduced themselves to the village-major, they explore the town in order to get acquainted with the people, local stores etc. as well as to gather any information they can find useful for their endeavor. Everyone who finds useful information can share it with all villagers on the bulletin-board at town square as it is nearly impossible for the major to keep all information up to date for every one as the situation is subject to change nearly on a daily bases.
Alvekraft, Raknar and Fandom check the board after a chat with the major and notice there are quite some people still in remote areas in need of help to be informed about the current situation or to be urged to seek refuge in the village and leave their home or business until times become peaceful and safe again. The 2 shield dwarf prospectors Dazlyn and Norbus seem to be in the direst situation at the moment they conclude by reading the news on the board being in a remote ancient mine in the mountains in a completely desolate and remote area making them extremely vulnerable for attacks by orcs on scavenge patrols or the white dragon scouting to cause havoc. The major is please they are willing to undertake the journey to warn both dwarves and to urge them to return to the village.
With no time to linger too long considering the urgency they rapidly collect as much intelligence as possible in regards to the situation in the lands and areas around the village and commence their journey to the ancient mines in the south.
They will have around 15 to 20 miles to travel southwest through lands which are relatively easy to traverse though while approaching the mountains and getting closer to the excavation site the environment becomes increasingly rougher ad rockier slowing them down. In order to reach and enter the excavation site in full day-light, they decide to make camp and rest for the evening and night.
After a goodnight sleep, they continue their journey to the excavation site and commence their search for the entrance. Following a canyon surrounded by steep 30 to 40 feet high cliffs covered with vegetation that managed to settle and grow on the rocky steep flanks of the cliffs, they walk into two enormous stone walls of which the left one still shows traces of hinges which have broken off and the remains of a gigantic stone door are spread across the canyon floor. Clearly, they found the excavation site and carefully enter the area behind what used to be a solid and strong fortification. With the rocky walls towering on both sides of the gorge and gradually taking away sunlight, they discover the remains of what used to be a tiny village of some 5 to 6 small housings after which a new fortification rose up in front of them which was constructed some 20 feet in front of the entrance of what seemed to be the actual entrance of the excavation into the mountain.
Darkness loomed from the entrance of the excavation and the further you would try to look into the gaping black hole, the darker it got…except a dim moving dark yellowish light in the distance created by some scattered torches. Slowly and carefully approaching the entrance they heard firm footsteps a chitter chatter in dwarfish dialect. Stunned for a second to see strangers at the gates of the area they were working in, stunned but not scared…these were dwarves after all, they asked the party of three who they were, what their business was and foremost what an elf was doing in an ancient dwarven place.
Having explained the situation and the message of urgency they had to pass on to the duo to return to the village as soon as possible considering the situation in the region both had to overthink a bit.
They have been spending a tremendous amount of time outside of the excavation to explore and clear out the location in search of anything of value, be it in coin or emotionally considering their heritage and were not even half way through on the inside. As they indicate to be unwilling to leave without have the excavation explored and mapped as it would certainly be scavenged by hordes of orcs who will befoul the heritage of their ancestors, the adventurers agree to help them in order to speed up the process, secure whatever they may find and get back to safety together to the village of Phaladin.
The central hall, an open space stretching some 60 feet by 60 feet with 4 pillars close to the outer corners of the vast room appears to have an acidic yellow blob which was hiding away in the cracks of the rocky ceiling. The party of five needs to put some efforts in place in order to defeat the ever splitting monster but eventually manages to nearly destroy it after which the remains vanished into he cracks of the caves to escape. Some nasty wounds caused by the acid attacks had to be endured in particular by the 2 dwarves though both wanted to absolutely continue considering the legend of a huge emerald stone to be hidden somewhere in the complex.
Eventually they find an entrance to what seems to be a hidden room through a collapsed wall where indeed a huge gemstone. And indeed, to the right side of the room the gemstone as big as an orc’s head is resting in the hands of a big dwarven-statue. When trying to remove it however the room starts to tremor and shake to their surprise after which the gemstone explodes into smithereens with a massive blast having gemstone shrapnel flying all through the room hurting the 5 in the room and injuring all of them but in particular Alvekraft who took a vast amount of shrapnel and being knocked out. With some effort they manage to get out of the room and recover the elf as well after which they manage to take rest for the remainder of the late afternoon and the night to recover and assess the wounds of Alvekraft in the morning.
The day after, they determine the wounds to be rather severe and Alvekraft still to be unconscious and the injuries of both Dazlyn and Norbus are too much of a risk to remain at the site for another day of exploration for hidden doors and they decide to commence their travel to Phaladin. They made an improvised stretcher in order to be able to safely secure Alvekraft on it and be able to comfortably transport her back to town.
When packed and ready, they commence their journey. However, not even nearly passing the huge old gate they hear footsteps and orcish mumbling. As they might walk into a troop of orcs, they hide the stretcher with Alvekraft and just when having done so, a platoon of 6 orcs stepped around the corner immediately taking note of them. Going into attacking posture instantly, the orcs clearly had only 1 thing in mind; no rhetoric’s or talks but plainly charge and destroy.
Dazlyn and Norbus however didn’t allow the clock to tick away a full second and in full rage, amplified for their utter hate for orcs as well as the notion that these beasts would most like desecrate the tombs of their forefathers they flanked with speed unseen for dwarfs the platoonleader from left and right with a loud battle-cry, jumped right up and with brute force planted their pickaxes right into the back of the massive orc, on one side in the neck and in the back of the shoulder on the other. As soon on impact they both let themselves drop to the ground with their full weight pulling the orc down with force while blood is gushing on both wounds from back and front having the monster gasp for air and roar in agony. Dropping to the ground as a bag of sand, the other orcs are stunned for a minute in total surprise seeing their leader drop to the ground after which the two dragonborn head for the attack on their turn throwing a spear at one of the orcs on the left side which gets pierce from chest up to his throat leaving him defenseless and a heavy crossbow bolt flashing into his head making it crack and pop due to the short distance and high power of the bow.
Snapping out of bafflement, one of the orcs falls out of the formation slaying down with his sword onto one of the dwarfs engaged in removing his pickaxe from the slain orc-leader, hitting him with quite a blow making Dazlyn tumble and fall backwards. Raknar, moves into position to throw his spear at the attacking orc hitting him high in the chest making the orc break the spear in half in a futile attempt to remove it but only managing to end up with half of the spear still in his chest.
A bloody savage battle unfolded and the party engaged the orcs with determination as there was no other way out of the settlement and canyon than the passage blocked by the troop of orcs. Having severely hit by one of Raknar’s arrows, Fandom slay one of the orcs with several massive blows of his sword while another one was beheaded by Raknar. The fight raged on and with all orcs eliminated being by brute force or finished off by a fireball having the last of them squashed into the wall of the canyon and being left as a orcish bonfire they took a bit of time to get back to their senses to commence the journey back to Phandalin.
Carrying Alvekraft on a stretcher since she did not recover yet from her wounds inflicted by the exploding gemstone they arrive after a long and tiresome journey to Phandalin.
Part 2. Gnomes, Wings Fandom…
Still to recap
Part 3. Butterskull Farm
Evening 3
Committed to continue to aid the village of Phandalin, the 3 adventuring friends start their preparations for the rather long travel to the Butterskull Barn, some 7 miles to the north east of the abandoned town of Conyberry. A survivor of the barn which was raided by a troop of orcs managed to escape the attack end made his way down to the town of Phandalin to source for help in order to aid the landlord and owner of the property Kalazorn (or Big Al as he goes by in the town) and the remaining workers at the farm. The aid barely made it to the village having to travers nearly 60 miles back on foot without supplies, wounded and the uncertainty of being followed or not. Dazlyn and Norbus on the other hand made the decision by advise of the village's druid to travel to Neverwinter in order to receive proper treatment for their wounds inflicted during their stay and escape from the mines.
The dire situation of Big Al and the rest was more than obvious hence our heroes didn’t have to overthink too long to start the necessary preparations to undertake a rescue mission. Well…that and the 120 gold coins they would receive as a reward in case of success which seemed for the two Dragonborns of the party of higher importance as it seemed.
At the early dawn of what would become a sun laden day, the commenced their long voyage towards Butterskull Barn via the Triboar trail which swung all the way to the north-east through plains covered by long grass and small rock formations up to Conyberry and beyond. It was a relatively easy travel considering it would be flat and over a heavily used road. Being out in the open for pretty much the entire travel with little opportunities for covers with the exception of some scattered rock formations here and there and some bocage, they were visible from well beyond 10 miles out for scouts or anyone with a keen eye or sight and even more for those residing on the mountain flanks towards the south. But at the same time, there were little to no opportunities to be tricked into an ambush which combined with he fact that they could use a fast pace to travel was a risk fair enough to take.
Although lucky to see a magma bear from some distance, the first day was uneventful and they progressed quite well and rapidly. The second day started out as sun laden as the first day ended, and it seemed that the long and winding road up to the barn-site could become quite enjoyable. While the sun continued to warm the plains and the sunrays lay a bright carpet over the lands and our travelers, shadows suddenly covered them which was odd considering they haven’t seen a cloud since when they had left the day before. But as soon as the sun disappeared, as rapidly it came back. And disappeared…and came back…disappeared…and came back…and which each few seconds the alternation went faster and faster and faster and became accompanied with a gust of wind which came and went at the same intensifying sequence…faster and faster. Knowing this could impossibly be clouds, they started to look around and get prepared by reaching for their arms and get ready for whatever what was going on…Alvekraft got her shield and dagger ready, Raknar charged his bow and Fandom got his spear in readiness…but nothing was to be seen around them…unless…it came from above…And as soon as they realized whatever came at them was coming from above they felt a chilling cold and saw the young white dragon dropping like a spear from the sky crashing right into them with a hideous and vile grin. Just in time and not a second too early they dove aside rapidly while the dragon crashed right into the dusty gravel road at high-speed making the ground shake at impact and debris splash all around leaving everyone shaken on the ground in a massive cloud of dust while pebbles and small rocks flew all around. In a split second and before they could even realize what happened, the dragon pushed towards the sky again with a bone-chilling shriek and hovered over them while they were trying to come to senses and grasp the situation as the dragon grinned and said nothing more but "haaaaa…breakfast" in elder draconic. Diving into his second attack, Alvekraft sturdy plunged her shield into the ground while Fandom dove right under a tiny rock formation though it was little to nothing to stop the dragon from getting into a lethal position. He crashed into the formation, beak forward and open showing its mighty razor sharp teeth while snapping at Fandom at the shoulder causing a nasty and dangerous shoulder-wound. Clearly amused he turned in a split second towards Raknar and swinging out with his claws with force causing havoc on his chest a nearly driving him straight into the ground. Both dragonborn were dazed on the ground stunned by the severe wounds caused by the dragon in a split-second. "Weak"…the shiny white dragon mumbled which was clearly still young of age. "Weak…and fresh…", he mumbled again with the same malevolent grin on his beak while he turned to the elf which remained to his left in defensive stance behind her shield. While start to approach her, Alvekraft rapidly cocked her crossbow, aimed and let a shot fly which hit the dragon straight into the corner of his left eye which clearly caught him by surprise and caused him in anger to push off to the sky without proper control of his steering and he flew away south screeching and moaning loudly.
The 3 adventurers realized they were immensely lucky and close to being slayed if it weren’t for the bullseye hit of Alvenkraft. Hiding way in one of the rock formations scattered close-by they sought refuge and a place to recover and sleep during the night as well as to be certain another attack would not be for the immediate near future.
On the third day the party resumed their travel albeit slower due to the pain caused by the dragon attack as well as being more vigilant and hence not allowing them to proceed too hastily. On the approach of Conyberry, they decide to go round the abandoned town to avoid unnecessary contact with who or whatever may have taken refuge in the deserted town to have a safer lead into the lands surrounding the farm. It's then they decide to approach carefully and stealthy and close in onto the farm from the south flank of the farm which towered some 40 to 50 feet higher up. Midway the flank, they found a perfect spot in the woods covering the flanks with excellent sight over the farmlands but at the same time being well covered by the trees and foliage certain not to give away their location. Plumes of black smoke rising from rubble of what appears to have been a barn and a forge indicate the attack was aggressive and destructive. In particular as they seem to notice 4 or 5 bodies littered along the narrow dirt road which extends from the farm to the meadows that stretch on the west-side of the farm. The main building seems relatively untouched. Fandom and Raknar decide to sneak via the cornfields towards the farm building in order to scout the situation and see if they can find clues or even the landlord. While doing so Alvekraft remained on the high-grounds well-hidden to provide overwatch and signal to the two dragonborn what she sees in order to allow them a safe approach towards the buildings. From afar, she hand signals having seen 2 orcs between the barn and forge as well as another 4 close to the farmhouse on the right.
The approach goes well, until suddenly Alvekraft notices the orcs on the westside of the farm to seemingly go into a state of panic after which she is able to see a massive silvery-white create dropping at high speed like an arrow into the duo of orcs with both massive claws stretched forward, gripping them in a deadly hold with the orcs screaming in agony while he rips one of them with his razorlike teeth a throwing the other one with force from high up in the sky onto the ground causing immediate dead for the latter allowing him to maneuver into position for another dive-attack run onto the farm. Alvekraft rapidly and intensely signals the events to the two dragonborn who remain silent and stiff as a rock on the ground in the cornfields in order not to be discovered by either the dragon or any of the orcs. From the farmhouse, another 3 orcs appear seemingly trying to get in an attacking position while they noticed the dragon dropping at high speed onto them for another attack. While Cryovan continues its ravaging killing spree on the orcs causing havoc and death with clear vile amusement in the process as the orcs are ripped apart and thrown through the sky while attempting to escape from the dragon's wrath. His breath of cold and ice freezing one of the pillagers who thought to be close to escape through the meadows in the east ended all hope of the orc aggressively while being shattered to pieces during another dive-attack. All that time, Fandom and Raknar remain stiff silent hidden in the cornfield trying to remain undetected while four orcs who tried to retreat down to the south-east start to unknowingly close in at them rather rapidly.
While Alvekraft continues to remain out of sight and trying to signal all the changes and movements of the battle below towards the 2 dragonborn, she notices something carefully moving away from the backside of the farm down in her direction towards the flank of the hill. Clearly not being an orc and rather being human as it seems, she keeps an eye on it while trying to continue to scout for her two friends in the valley who's situation became more dire by the minute.
As Cryovan circles one more time to get into position for another strike, one of the orcs bumped into the 2 adventurers in the field to its massive surprise which is matched with equal surprise of them. Having no other choice now to give up their stealthy position both dragonborns rapidly attack the orc with their daggers and spear bringing it to its knees with gushing wounds in neck and abdomen making him drop in a mixture of anger, fear and surprise no longer being a threat.
As they try to keep a low posture however, they feel a bone-chilling cold creep over them while the sun seemingly disappears and while looking skyward they see the silverwhite and sparkling skin of the dragon woosh over them at high speed while the dragon takes note of them by astonishment. "YOU…!", they here him skreek while crashing into the 3 remaining orcs, who closed in on them in the field not too far of them, while crushing them with his claws and tails making a high speed climb to get a clear spot of Raknar and Fandom who now are seemingly at the complete mercy of the dragon who is hoovering high in the sky above them while squueshing one of the orcs in his claws he held on to.
The individual, which in the meantime sneaked away towards Alvekraft's position on the flanks bumped into her spot where it turned out it was Big Al who made use of the mayhem and bloodshed to try to escape from the farm. Explaining Alvekraft that 5 of his workers were killed by the orcs and he was made prisoner by the orcs, he managed to escape in the confusion and panic that was created by the dragon. Immensely happy to find out that the 3 adventurers were sent to scout and rescue them if possible, they both witnessed however that both dragonborn were now in a critical position of which there was no escape as the dragon started to inhale and lay a stinging beam of ice and cold onto the 2 resulting most likely in immediate death. Like an eagle diving on it's prey, he dropped once more at high speed onto both of them and while nearly crashing into them, Big All strung his sling which he managed to recover during his escape and shot a steel ball at the dragon which hit him right on the head with a hard bang causing the dragon the lose control of flight and making an aggressive turn back up in the sky. The hit which would easily have slain a large creature clearly caused the dragon to daze off confused screeching and roaring while disappearing tot he north.
Coming back to their senses a bit, rapidly scanning their surroundings, and picking up their weapons, they rapidly made way back to the scouting position of Alvekraft who energetically signalled both to return to the vantage point as fast as possible. The orcs were to be of little to no concern as all but one was slaughtered by the white dragon where the last one escaped in total and blind panic eastwards in the direction of the mountains.
Still relatively worn out of the battle, the pack helps the mourning farmer to burry his 5 friends and coworkers to give them a proper farewell before the voyage back.
Returning their journey back to Phandalin, they manage to recover Big Al's price-cow along the way after which thy return to the village without too much hassle. Big Al, immensely happy and grateful he is for having been saved and recovering his top of the cattle as well he cannot believe to receive Alvekraft's part of the reward in orde to have at least some coin to be able to see how to start off again in the village. Grateful as he was, he promised Alvekraft she would always be able to count on him if necessary and in that event may always reach out for him for whatever cause he could help out. On top, he insists the party takes the mythryl chainmail he offered them in gratitude. Too large for Alvekraft, the two dragonborn take a gamble with dice to see who may claim it which Fandom wins.
Part 4. Loggers Camp
Evening 4
Worn out due to the last expedition, the adventurers take a long rest for an approximate of a week in Phandalin. After several days to strengthen themselves and get back on track they start planning their next endeavor while having lunch at the Stonehill Inn which started to become crowder by the week it seems. The three envoys are relatively loud and in a somewhat cocky mood, in particular the two dragonborns which draws the attention of several visitors at the inn and one elf in particular. Samara, an elf which arrived a few days ago in town, joins them at their table having overheard their intentions to go out of the town to travel the lands around the village. She explains to be the niece of Amara, the daughter of an elf-noble who’s brother has gone missing for several months now without any trace. She has gone as other members of the family on a search for Spunky or to find out if there might be some information to be found that may give some hints or ideas where they’d have to search. Knowing the dangers which have been progressively making travel through the region extremely dangerous, she would be grateful if she could accompany the party of three on their quest so she could in a safer manner explore along the road to scavenge information or hints in relation to the disappearance. As additional help is always welcome they found out during the last few weeks, they welcome her to the party. After a lot of discussion and a lengthy quarrel they decide to secure the supplies for the loggers camp some 50 miles north of the village on the banks of the Neverwinter River. Supplies have been delayed by nearly two weeks due to circumstances and it’s become more and more critical to manage to get food supplies out to the site.
Visiting the weapon’s store they replenish their supplies of potions, food and purchase new weapons as some got worn out or even destroyed during the last battle. After some final checks, they make way to Barthen’s Provisions where Barthen has prepare a cart-wagon with 2 large crates of supplies for the camp.
With the two dragonborns being the largest of the four, the 2 take care of the cart while the two elves flank the chariot in order to have some protection on both sides. Without too much further ado they left the village from the north and made their way towards the Neverwinter Woods of which the edge was some 20 to 25 mile further north of the village after crossing what would mostly be plains and some scattered smaller woods.
Traversing the planes, they encounter 2 orcs who seem to have been lost and who take a run when they take note of the party to the dismay of the two dragonborn who were not too shy for a fight. Closing in on the forest and having passed some traders along the way passing through to Phaladin they reach the edge of the Neverwinter woods on day two. They decide to go through the woods opposed to traveling alongside the edge to reach the banks of the river, with quite some discussion and quarreling amongst them in regards to which route to take.
The route through the woods would slow them down for sure but they assumed the distance would make up for the reduced tempo. The trackway they found was not too wide and as it hadn't been used too frequently it wasn’t the most comfortable and easy route, in particular with the cart and bumping into villagers heading for the Triboar trail who had their cart stuck in mud blocking the road. As the villagers clearly posed no threat, and the cart was blocking their progress, they helped to get the cart back onto the road so they could proceed. But as it was impossible to pass each other with the cards as the track wasn’t wide enough, they were in a little impasse now. Deciding to find a way to lift their cart over the villager’s cart, one of the villagers couldn’t hold back anymore to hold back his astonishment in regards to how daft the plan of the party was. While spelling out loud enough in a sarcastic manner if they REALLY had no better plan than the lunatic plan to lift the carts, Samara came to wits and indicated it might be easier to just load the goods from both carts to the other and proceed with eachothers carts swapped.
The morning after the clumsy encounter they make their way in opposite directions after the villagers thanked them having been able to spend the night with them in the woods to stay safe.
As the woods becomes denser and darker due to the high threes taking away sunlight, they take note of the scent of something burning and what seems to be roasted flesh. They realize there is a campfire nearby and indeed, Samara notices through the bush and dense vegetation what seems to be a small campsite with 4 individuals some 30 to 40 meters out to their left side of the trail. Instantly, they are being noticed by the campers who turn out to be a patrol of hobgoblins who clearly aren’t too happy with being discovered and immediately rush into battle formation to attack them. While two archers remain centered at their camp location, the two others rush to the opposite flanks for the attack on the party. The middle section of the 2 archers let they crossbows fire their bolts nearly immediately with one of the bolts flying into the chariot with a loud bang at high speed and the other causing a nasty piercing wound in the left lower leg of Raknar. While they commence to reload, the other two charge violently onto the flanks where Fandom and Samara are being attacked by swords causing damage. Having made ready, Alvekraft lets her crossbow rip and hits one of both archers right in the eye making him fall violently on his back being out of the fight. Samara jumps on to the cartwheel to take a leep and drive her sword into the torso of the hobgoblin right next to her. Due to the sheer force of the sword sliding into the shoulder down the spine of the stunned creature and exiting from his back. Due to the smack down and weight of the elve diving down, the hobgoblin got pierced and stuck due to the sword driving right into the ground having the unfortunate goblin staked to the ground unable to move albeit violently trying to get loose in agony. In the meantime Fandom and Raknar are engaged on the opposite side in a fierce fight in which with a determined strike Raknar with a forceful slay wacks of the right arm of the goblin scout while Fandom stings him with his sword from the side. Enraged Fandom and Raknar switch their attention to the hobgoblin stuck to the ground where Raknar violently slays him hard on the neck nearly decapitating him and being finished off by Fandom with the final blow.
Clearly surprised and dazed by the violent response, the remaining archer starts falling back screaming out to the heavily wounded companion to retreat rapidly while keeping aim with his crossbow on the fighters and both vanishing in anger into the thick of the woods.
Rushed by the adrenaline of the fight, they search the two bodies of the neutralized hobgoblins for loot discovering a small violin, a small ragdoll (what the heck?), some wooden coins remarkably alike silver coins but clearly fake as well as a little amount of genuine silver coins and a little jackpot being a small leather bag with gemstones and jewelry which they estimated to be worth around 300 gold coins which wasn’t a little find. Uncertain if the two who escaped would be the remains of a scouting group sent ahead by a larger troop, they take their weapons, move the cart into a covered place and they hide for the night to prevent for being discovered and attacked during the night by returning troops on the search for them. As Samara doesn’t seem to be in any need of sleep, she keeps guard-duty all night. The party however has little sleep and are ill rested due to the constant noise heard in the woods.
At the dusk of day they hastily get ready to continue their journey to the logger’s camp which they finally reach in the late afternoon without any further remarkable encounters or danger. The sound of the bulking river slowly took the upper hand over the sounds of birds and other fauna from the woods, but other than that the camp appeared to be extremely, not to say eery, silent without any movement or activity at all in the camp. At the center of the camp remains of an old lodge could be seen with nothing more than some rubble of stones and half a chimney. To the right, two circles of tents were installed with a bonfire spot in the middle of each. To the left, a slope of around 10 to 15 feet rose up with 2 lodge ruins. At the foot of the incline, a larger intact lodge could be seen surrounded by green and lush grass whereas the campsite was established on sandy soil.
Uneasy by the sight of what seems to be an empty camp since they had to deliver important supplies they start to investigate the camp to find signs of life and find out what was going on.
The camp clearly shows signs of a lot of activity which makes the desolation even weirder. Closing in on the first circle of tents they notice that the bonfires have been lit probably the day before but apart from some tins to drink coffee from there is little else to be spotted.
Wanting to enter the first tent however, they notice the dirt and pebbles on the ground around them move after which they hear a rumbling sound becoming louder and louder with the ground shaking heavier and heavier until suddenly in their midst the ground rapidly comes up and an Ankheg flashes out of the ground in a fountain of dirt and stones. Being a bit dazed and blinded still due to the switch from the constant darkness to sunlight the monster wildly throws his claws around while loudly screeching. While snapping around the creature by sheer luck grabs Samara by the shoulder and throws her over the party to the other side leaving a nasty bite-wound. Fandom reacts rapidly trying to throw a fireball but due to the mayhem and haste misses it completely setting 2 tents in the encampment ablaze. The skirmish goes fast paced and the monster wildly goes about with his claws smacking and slashing into the three. Fandom manages to lay a flash of necrotic damage on the creature having his left side infected and do serious crippling damage after which Samara and Raknar kill it off with their swords.
In the aftermath of the fight and weary taking in account having no clue what happened in the camp and being attacked out of the blue, they decide it might be safer to take refuge up the slope close to the remnants of the two buildings which seemed to have been there as the rocky soil may prevent any of these monsters to flash out of the ground as it did on the sandy flanks as happened just now. The fact that dusk started to kick in, they were certain that would be the best idea. When carefully moving up the slope, they noticed that the logger-cabine seemed to be well closed with the windows barricaded. They would leave that for the day to come.
The morning after they wake up with quite the head-ache and although nog having been awake they seemed to have slept pretty poorly. A bit daze to notice and realize after a few minutes that Samara is nowhere to be seen at the campsite. Here and there there seems to be tracks in the field as if there has been some struggle a marks leading all the way up to the small pier where one of the boats that were attached to it was gone. Dazed still they were confused and wondered what happened here, at the same time aware that this place was far from the safest place to continue to linger at. They decide to check the camp to see if they find the elf and in the meantime investigate the cabin. While descending carefully from the slope, they notice Alvekraft scanning the camp from the entry-road. She left a day later from the village to come after them to help out. Thanks to some traders and a bunch of refugees traveling to Phandalin, with one person who wondered why she was looking for a ragtag bunch of goofball dragonborns and an elf, she was pointed in the right direction.
The camp remained early quiet apart from the sound of the river and the birds and other fauna in the surrounding forest. Having no clue how to proceed from hereon, they decide to check out the cabin to see if they are able to find someone or something that could lead to discovering what happened. Careful and cautious they approach the cabin of which the massive wooden door has been firmly shut. Trying to breach the door by force leads only to painful blue shoulders and sprained ankles. These loggers know how to make doors, that much is certain…Since brute force seems to help little to nothing, they decide to try to freeze the entire door and shatter it which seemed to be a great idea. The wood of the door starts to shrink and alter when being hit by the extreme low frost including the lock which due to the alteration comes lose and breaks. Well…that’s that they reckon and while they come in they hear shouts from behind the wooden door located to their right. Stop that! They’ll be back before you know it and I have had it with them.
The voice behind the door turned out to be Tibor who had locked himself up in the outer right room of the cabin in fear of the continuous attacks they had endured by Ankhegs which turned up from one day to the next all of the sudden causing havoc and massacre in the camp. Tibor begged for help to get out of this location and return to the town of Phaladin but to be immensely careful since they found out that heavy stomping or movement on surfaces or soil seemed to draw the attention of the ankhegs and have them come up to attack. These beasts indeed react to the vibrations they sense underground to allocate prey. The two young dragonborn seemed to care little about all the fauna & flora related jibber jabber and moved rather determined and swiftly to the blocked door to get Tibor out and to get out of the logger’s camp collectively with haste. As they reached the door, the wooden floor behind them started to shake and crack and with the massive sound of wood cracking, breaking and shattering an ankheg crashed through the floor into the room. As the room was relatively dim due to the blocked windows, the monster didn’t need much time to get accustomed to the switch from the dark underground into the open and lashed out at the two dragonborn who were directly in sight. His claws flashed right next to them, inflicting some minor wounds but hitting the wall next to the door quite violently, cracking one of the wooden layers causing a hole in the wall. Alvekraft could catch a glimpse of Tibor who was frozen still and pale as snow of fear hiding in the room behind a table. The three young stout-hearted started to attack the monster trying to slay it which caused it to trying to escape as it was now getting hit from 3 sides and despite being able to deal damage with nasty bites and jabs the attacks in return forced it to retreat and it disappeared right in front of the wooden building into the ground with loud screeches.
Having been wounded all three of them, one a tat more serious than the other, they took care of their wounds, got Tibor out of the room and with careful movement decided to get out of the camp as fast as possible though taking in account the dangers if moving too firmly.
In safe distance of the camp, Tibor expressed his utter gratitude as he appeared to be the lone survivor of the ankheg plague which he explained to have started after a quarrel they got into with anchorites of Thalos, half-orc shamans who worshiped Thalos, demanding the loggers to leave what they considered their territory and holy grounds. As Tibor considered the woods they selected to lumber and transport wood to Neverwinter never having been indicated as territory to anyone in any form, manifest of claim or agreement he waved off any objection made by the half-orcs much to their anger and amounting fury. After a lengthy quarrel, the half-orc delegation left cursing and shouting in half-orc of which they understood little but gave little attention to. Later during the evening, they caught one of the half-orcs in the cabin which was erected in the middle of the camp who hastily ran off at that point. Nothing appeared to have been stolen so they didn’t make much of it. A day or two after these events, the mayhem started resulting in the near destruction of the camp and the massacration of nearly the entire team at the site. The orcs clearly had a hand in this though it remained unclear how or what. What was clear however was that the safest thing to do now was to return and report the events as quick as possible via Phaladin to Neverwinter as the supply of necessary lumber to repair damage caused by a large fire in the city will come to a halt, and any fleet of keelboats would be certain to come under attack as soon they set foot at shore.
Without too much further ado, they moved away from the camp having taken the cart with supplies back with them so it wouldn’t go to waste (and the fact that Tibor was quite attentive as well of the monetary value of it all) and to report the events to the village as well as to have the necessary done to get the information to Neverwinter. At a safe distance of the camp they sought a spot to camp overnight and take care of their wounds.
Proceeding to the village the day after they unfortunately were ambushed by two orcs who had a well chosen spot selected on the trail. It wasn't clear if they had been related to the half-orc shamans in any way or had been in wait as a reconnaissance party of the orc Tribe to pillage travelers for valuables (or important information being passed between cities, settlements and Neverwinter) on the trail which seemed to become more and more frequently used since the events in the region and the dangers associated with travel through the open plains with the white dragon roaming the skies.
They were taken by surprise and the attack inflicted serious damage by heavy bolts fired by the orcs with what must have been heavy crossbows. Tibor swiftly jumped underneath the cart and was of little help in any shape or form. The three however defended themselves fiercely and managed to get both the orcs in a position where they had to engage in close-combat in which they managed to slay one of them being finished off by Raknar and Alvekraft who took him down with a well placed shot from her crossbow after having been critically hit by Raknar’s sword and the other being pierced by Fandom driving his longsword with force into the orc’s head by which he got violently piked into an old three he was adjacent to.
Grabbing Tibor from underneath the cart and throwing him in catatonic shape in between the supplies they rapidly commenced their travel to the town with haste after scavenging as much loot as they could from the two bodies where they collected some valuables, a bag of unknown seeds and a weird looking object which looked as a sort of worshiping or commemorative emblem with ruby stones, runes representing a web and a spider shape in the middle of it. Whatever it was, those stones seemed valuable so off it went into the bags.
The party was lucky to continue the remainder of the travel without any encounters of conflict except with some merchants passing through from one village to the other and some harmless beasts and animals.
Having returned his half-brother alive and well made Harbin the townmaster more than content, but the fact that the logger’s camp was now shut down leading to a lagged wood supply to Neverwinter for supplies to repair the damages caused by the large fire as well as the fact that unaware crafters would arrive on the shore at risk of being attacked and massacred caused high levels of concern with Harbin and the city council. The stall of good earnings in the form of gold coins out of Neverwinter for the high-quality lumber was very likely of highest concern to Harbin although he seemed to be relatively well in hiding it.
As the keelboats might be returning to the logger’s camp in a few days having offloaded their recent cargo in Neverwinter, haste was of the essence in reporting the news as quick as possible to the logger’s trading office as well as to the city council to allow to arrange the necessary protection for the camp be it in the form of an independent militia or a platoon detachment of the city’s army. There were no messenger in the village at the moment though some might return from Triboar or Yartar together with merchants though when was very uncertain. It could be in a few days, it could be in a few weeks. As there was no time to waste on this matter considering the urgency and the lives at stake Alvekraft and Fandom decided to return to Neverwinter at first light to report on the events to the council in Neverwinter. Raknar would remain in the village just in case there might be other events unfolding locally.
The townmaster had arrangements made to have horses ready for them which were used exclusively by the volunteers of the town’s Phaladin’s Guards. He plead to be careful with them as they were highly trained military horses (read: expensive) and it would be a shame if something happened to them (read: Harbin expected payments in case of…). Harbin had all the traits of an excellent politician; the apparent care for and interest in the people of the town, an opportunistic populistic approach to any situation he could personally benefit from and the haughty and snotty behaviorism of a wealthy nobleman when he left his attention drop trying to uphold the image of the first.
Money makes the world go round…for sure when those coins ended up in Harbin’s pockets.
Part 5: The Ride to Neverwinter
Evening 5
At the break of dawn, the 2 envoys from Neverwinter started their ride back to Neverwinter to report on current affairs with haste. The weather was far from shabby as the month of Mirtul was well half-way and the rays of sun warmed the plains gently. Stacked with provisions sufficient for the new ride, Alvekraft was more than pleased having scored a brand new flail at the armory in Phandalin of which the chains were softly rattling inside its leather holder on the saddle alongside the other necessary items for the trip.
Opting for the fastest and safest route, they decided to take the Triboar trail towards the west-coast and then head north. As they rode towards the High-Road trail in the west, several eagles could be seen floating high in the sky circling on the thermal waves high up with little regard for the two horsemen although it appeared that they were scouting the region from high up. Waving and shouting at them gave little reaction in return confirming they seemingly were keeping an eye on something or reconnoitering the vast plains. They continued their ride towards the t-section of the trail to continue towards the north. As they noticed movement to their right some twenty meters off the trail to the right, they decided to slow down in case there might be an ambush in wait for them and since they were still some 40 to 50 kilometers away from the intersection with the small trail heading back into the east towards Helm’s hold, the opportunities to establish ambushes without being interrupted by patrols from Neverwinter Militia’s or Helm’s Hold Hundred by whomever with malicious intend were sufficiently at disposal.
--- To be continued...
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Hey all,
Thanks to social media, movies, MTG etc. my kids have discovered (to my great amusement since I loved playing it together with things like MTG myself ages ago) D&D as well. As they wanted to learn to play D&D, I've started the Dragon of IceSpire Peak campaign with them to gradually introduce them to the game and let them grow into it. They are both 9 and 11 and play together with another one of their friends and probably in a few weeks some others might join as well since they absolutely love it (Eat that Playstation... :D ;) ). Now, it is my first time ever as a DM and having played myself as a PC has been ages ago. I am planning to recap the entire story they play (and as they play it) in a book so when finished they have their own fantasy book which they bottom-line created themselves in regards to events, evolution etc. which made them even more enthusiastic.
Below is how it went so far after 4 evenings and I guess we'll be playing at least for another 10 to 18 evenings before finishing it depending on how wildly we deviate from the main storyline. I'm gradually trying to kick it up a bit in difficulty and change the storyline as well. I'd be looking forward for some advice and feedback in regards to how the narrative is going as well in regards to how it evolves (keeping in mind the age of the players).
Thanks in advance!
Ps. Never mind the typos etc, I didn't correct everything yet as I'm doing it on the fly when I have some spare minutes to write down what I remember from the last play-evening.
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Intro
Driven from lands farther north by more powerful dragons, a young white dragon named Cryovain has descended upon the Sword Mountains, claiming the snow-capped range as its domain. Typical of its kind, Cryovain is dim-witted and cruel. The dragon patrols the skies around Icespire Peak, surveying its territory while hunting for food and easy treasure. With each passing day, the dragon's domain grows as it ranges farther across the land, preying on anything it can catch with its claws or freeze to death with its icy breath. Sightings of the dragon are becoming more common, as are its attacks.
A crumbling fortress on the northeast spur of Icespire Peak serves as the dragon's lair. Cryovain seized the icy fortress from a tribe of savage orcs, killing the orc war chief and forcing the tribe's survivors to flee into the foothills and forests. Enraged by the death of their war chief, the orcs have called upon ancient allies—evil, shapechanging, half-orc spellcasters who bless and advise them. These half-orcs worship Talos, an evil god of storms, and many dwell in the dark depths of Neverwinter Wood. In stormy weather, they gather on remote hilltops to summon Gorthok the Thunder Boar, a primal entity that serves Talos. Like the god it serves, Gorthok delights in destruction. In search of their revenge for the death of their warlord as well as the theft of their lands, word has it that they seem to gather troops in order to start taking over lands they can get hold off and claim as their own in order to grow in numbers in a secure place and take care of the dragon at a later stage. What would happen with the actual inhabitants in that case is easy to predict. It may take a while, but it is most certain that legions of orcs and half-orcs will commence to dwell into the region between Neverwinter Woods and the mountains in order to pillage and claim lands to build their new stronghold.
Our adventurers have been sent out by the council of Neverwinter to travel to Phandelin and assess the situation, help the village while present and report back with all the info in regards to the situation they can gather while Neverwinter prepares to send a solid contingent of soldiers and delegates of the council to protect the village and region.
Part 1.
Evening 1
Once the party arrived at the village after quite a long journey, they find the village in good spirits and with the usual activity you may encounter in any other village you may come across. The tension, however, caused by current affairs can be sensed when talking to the people in town.
Having introduced themselves to the village-major, they explore the town in order to get acquainted with the people, local stores etc. as well as to gather any information they can find useful for their endeavor. Everyone who finds useful information can share it with all villagers on the bulletin-board at town square as it is nearly impossible for the major to keep all information up to date for every one as the situation is subject to change nearly on a daily bases.
Alvekraft, Raknar and Fandom check the board after a chat with the major and notice there are quite some people still in remote areas in need of help to be informed about the current situation or to be urged to seek refuge in the village and leave their home or business until times become peaceful and safe again. The 2 shield dwarf prospectors Dazlyn and Norbus seem to be in the direst situation at the moment they conclude by reading the news on the board being in a remote ancient mine in the mountains in a completely desolate and remote area making them extremely vulnerable for attacks by orcs on scavenge patrols or the white dragon scouting to cause havoc. The major is please they are willing to undertake the journey to warn both dwarves and to urge them to return to the village.
With no time to linger too long considering the urgency they rapidly collect as much intelligence as possible in regards to the situation in the lands and areas around the village and commence their journey to the ancient mines in the south.
They will have around 15 to 20 miles to travel southwest through lands which are relatively easy to traverse though while approaching the mountains and getting closer to the excavation site the environment becomes increasingly rougher ad rockier slowing them down. In order to reach and enter the excavation site in full day-light, they decide to make camp and rest for the evening and night.
After a goodnight sleep, they continue their journey to the excavation site and commence their search for the entrance. Following a canyon surrounded by steep 30 to 40 feet high cliffs covered with vegetation that managed to settle and grow on the rocky steep flanks of the cliffs, they walk into two enormous stone walls of which the left one still shows traces of hinges which have broken off and the remains of a gigantic stone door are spread across the canyon floor. Clearly, they found the excavation site and carefully enter the area behind what used to be a solid and strong fortification. With the rocky walls towering on both sides of the gorge and gradually taking away sunlight, they discover the remains of what used to be a tiny village of some 5 to 6 small housings after which a new fortification rose up in front of them which was constructed some 20 feet in front of the entrance of what seemed to be the actual entrance of the excavation into the mountain.
Darkness loomed from the entrance of the excavation and the further you would try to look into the gaping black hole, the darker it got…except a dim moving dark yellowish light in the distance created by some scattered torches. Slowly and carefully approaching the entrance they heard firm footsteps a chitter chatter in dwarfish dialect. Stunned for a second to see strangers at the gates of the area they were working in, stunned but not scared…these were dwarves after all, they asked the party of three who they were, what their business was and foremost what an elf was doing in an ancient dwarven place.
Having explained the situation and the message of urgency they had to pass on to the duo to return to the village as soon as possible considering the situation in the region both had to overthink a bit.
They have been spending a tremendous amount of time outside of the excavation to explore and clear out the location in search of anything of value, be it in coin or emotionally considering their heritage and were not even half way through on the inside. As they indicate to be unwilling to leave without have the excavation explored and mapped as it would certainly be scavenged by hordes of orcs who will befoul the heritage of their ancestors, the adventurers agree to help them in order to speed up the process, secure whatever they may find and get back to safety together to the village of Phaladin.
The central hall, an open space stretching some 60 feet by 60 feet with 4 pillars close to the outer corners of the vast room appears to have an acidic yellow blob which was hiding away in the cracks of the rocky ceiling. The party of five needs to put some efforts in place in order to defeat the ever splitting monster but eventually manages to nearly destroy it after which the remains vanished into he cracks of the caves to escape. Some nasty wounds caused by the acid attacks had to be endured in particular by the 2 dwarves though both wanted to absolutely continue considering the legend of a huge emerald stone to be hidden somewhere in the complex.
Eventually they find an entrance to what seems to be a hidden room through a collapsed wall where indeed a huge gemstone. And indeed, to the right side of the room the gemstone as big as an orc’s head is resting in the hands of a big dwarven-statue. When trying to remove it however the room starts to tremor and shake to their surprise after which the gemstone explodes into smithereens with a massive blast having gemstone shrapnel flying all through the room hurting the 5 in the room and injuring all of them but in particular Alvekraft who took a vast amount of shrapnel and being knocked out. With some effort they manage to get out of the room and recover the elf as well after which they manage to take rest for the remainder of the late afternoon and the night to recover and assess the wounds of Alvekraft in the morning.
The day after, they determine the wounds to be rather severe and Alvekraft still to be unconscious and the injuries of both Dazlyn and Norbus are too much of a risk to remain at the site for another day of exploration for hidden doors and they decide to commence their travel to Phaladin. They made an improvised stretcher in order to be able to safely secure Alvekraft on it and be able to comfortably transport her back to town.
When packed and ready, they commence their journey. However, not even nearly passing the huge old gate they hear footsteps and orcish mumbling. As they might walk into a troop of orcs, they hide the stretcher with Alvekraft and just when having done so, a platoon of 6 orcs stepped around the corner immediately taking note of them. Going into attacking posture instantly, the orcs clearly had only 1 thing in mind; no rhetoric’s or talks but plainly charge and destroy.
Dazlyn and Norbus however didn’t allow the clock to tick away a full second and in full rage, amplified for their utter hate for orcs as well as the notion that these beasts would most like desecrate the tombs of their forefathers they flanked with speed unseen for dwarfs the platoonleader from left and right with a loud battle-cry, jumped right up and with brute force planted their pickaxes right into the back of the massive orc, on one side in the neck and in the back of the shoulder on the other. As soon on impact they both let themselves drop to the ground with their full weight pulling the orc down with force while blood is gushing on both wounds from back and front having the monster gasp for air and roar in agony. Dropping to the ground as a bag of sand, the other orcs are stunned for a minute in total surprise seeing their leader drop to the ground after which the two dragonborn head for the attack on their turn throwing a spear at one of the orcs on the left side which gets pierce from chest up to his throat leaving him defenseless and a heavy crossbow bolt flashing into his head making it crack and pop due to the short distance and high power of the bow.
Snapping out of bafflement, one of the orcs falls out of the formation slaying down with his sword onto one of the dwarfs engaged in removing his pickaxe from the slain orc-leader, hitting him with quite a blow making Dazlyn tumble and fall backwards. Raknar, moves into position to throw his spear at the attacking orc hitting him high in the chest making the orc break the spear in half in a futile attempt to remove it but only managing to end up with half of the spear still in his chest.
A bloody savage battle unfolded and the party engaged the orcs with determination as there was no other way out of the settlement and canyon than the passage blocked by the troop of orcs. Having severely hit by one of Raknar’s arrows, Fandom slay one of the orcs with several massive blows of his sword while another one was beheaded by Raknar. The fight raged on and with all orcs eliminated being by brute force or finished off by a fireball having the last of them squashed into the wall of the canyon and being left as a orcish bonfire they took a bit of time to get back to their senses to commence the journey back to Phandalin.
Carrying Alvekraft on a stretcher since she did not recover yet from her wounds inflicted by the exploding gemstone they arrive after a long and tiresome journey to Phandalin.
Part 2. Gnomes, Wings Fandom…
Still to recap
Part 3. Butterskull Farm
Evening 3
Committed to continue to aid the village of Phandalin, the 3 adventuring friends start their preparations for the rather long travel to the Butterskull Barn, some 7 miles to the north east of the abandoned town of Conyberry. A survivor of the barn which was raided by a troop of orcs managed to escape the attack end made his way down to the town of Phandalin to source for help in order to aid the landlord and owner of the property Kalazorn (or Big Al as he goes by in the town) and the remaining workers at the farm. The aid barely made it to the village having to travers nearly 60 miles back on foot without supplies, wounded and the uncertainty of being followed or not. Dazlyn and Norbus on the other hand made the decision by advise of the village's druid to travel to Neverwinter in order to receive proper treatment for their wounds inflicted during their stay and escape from the mines.
The dire situation of Big Al and the rest was more than obvious hence our heroes didn’t have to overthink too long to start the necessary preparations to undertake a rescue mission. Well…that and the 120 gold coins they would receive as a reward in case of success which seemed for the two Dragonborns of the party of higher importance as it seemed.
At the early dawn of what would become a sun laden day, the commenced their long voyage towards Butterskull Barn via the Triboar trail which swung all the way to the north-east through plains covered by long grass and small rock formations up to Conyberry and beyond. It was a relatively easy travel considering it would be flat and over a heavily used road. Being out in the open for pretty much the entire travel with little opportunities for covers with the exception of some scattered rock formations here and there and some bocage, they were visible from well beyond 10 miles out for scouts or anyone with a keen eye or sight and even more for those residing on the mountain flanks towards the south. But at the same time, there were little to no opportunities to be tricked into an ambush which combined with he fact that they could use a fast pace to travel was a risk fair enough to take.
Although lucky to see a magma bear from some distance, the first day was uneventful and they progressed quite well and rapidly. The second day started out as sun laden as the first day ended, and it seemed that the long and winding road up to the barn-site could become quite enjoyable. While the sun continued to warm the plains and the sunrays lay a bright carpet over the lands and our travelers, shadows suddenly covered them which was odd considering they haven’t seen a cloud since when they had left the day before. But as soon as the sun disappeared, as rapidly it came back. And disappeared…and came back…disappeared…and came back…and which each few seconds the alternation went faster and faster and faster and became accompanied with a gust of wind which came and went at the same intensifying sequence…faster and faster. Knowing this could impossibly be clouds, they started to look around and get prepared by reaching for their arms and get ready for whatever what was going on…Alvekraft got her shield and dagger ready, Raknar charged his bow and Fandom got his spear in readiness…but nothing was to be seen around them…unless…it came from above…And as soon as they realized whatever came at them was coming from above they felt a chilling cold and saw the young white dragon dropping like a spear from the sky crashing right into them with a hideous and vile grin. Just in time and not a second too early they dove aside rapidly while the dragon crashed right into the dusty gravel road at high-speed making the ground shake at impact and debris splash all around leaving everyone shaken on the ground in a massive cloud of dust while pebbles and small rocks flew all around. In a split second and before they could even realize what happened, the dragon pushed towards the sky again with a bone-chilling shriek and hovered over them while they were trying to come to senses and grasp the situation as the dragon grinned and said nothing more but "haaaaa…breakfast" in elder draconic. Diving into his second attack, Alvekraft sturdy plunged her shield into the ground while Fandom dove right under a tiny rock formation though it was little to nothing to stop the dragon from getting into a lethal position. He crashed into the formation, beak forward and open showing its mighty razor sharp teeth while snapping at Fandom at the shoulder causing a nasty and dangerous shoulder-wound. Clearly amused he turned in a split second towards Raknar and swinging out with his claws with force causing havoc on his chest a nearly driving him straight into the ground. Both dragonborn were dazed on the ground stunned by the severe wounds caused by the dragon in a split-second. "Weak"…the shiny white dragon mumbled which was clearly still young of age. "Weak…and fresh…", he mumbled again with the same malevolent grin on his beak while he turned to the elf which remained to his left in defensive stance behind her shield. While start to approach her, Alvekraft rapidly cocked her crossbow, aimed and let a shot fly which hit the dragon straight into the corner of his left eye which clearly caught him by surprise and caused him in anger to push off to the sky without proper control of his steering and he flew away south screeching and moaning loudly.
The 3 adventurers realized they were immensely lucky and close to being slayed if it weren’t for the bullseye hit of Alvenkraft. Hiding way in one of the rock formations scattered close-by they sought refuge and a place to recover and sleep during the night as well as to be certain another attack would not be for the immediate near future.
On the third day the party resumed their travel albeit slower due to the pain caused by the dragon attack as well as being more vigilant and hence not allowing them to proceed too hastily. On the approach of Conyberry, they decide to go round the abandoned town to avoid unnecessary contact with who or whatever may have taken refuge in the deserted town to have a safer lead into the lands surrounding the farm. It's then they decide to approach carefully and stealthy and close in onto the farm from the south flank of the farm which towered some 40 to 50 feet higher up. Midway the flank, they found a perfect spot in the woods covering the flanks with excellent sight over the farmlands but at the same time being well covered by the trees and foliage certain not to give away their location. Plumes of black smoke rising from rubble of what appears to have been a barn and a forge indicate the attack was aggressive and destructive. In particular as they seem to notice 4 or 5 bodies littered along the narrow dirt road which extends from the farm to the meadows that stretch on the west-side of the farm. The main building seems relatively untouched. Fandom and Raknar decide to sneak via the cornfields towards the farm building in order to scout the situation and see if they can find clues or even the landlord. While doing so Alvekraft remained on the high-grounds well-hidden to provide overwatch and signal to the two dragonborn what she sees in order to allow them a safe approach towards the buildings. From afar, she hand signals having seen 2 orcs between the barn and forge as well as another 4 close to the farmhouse on the right.
The approach goes well, until suddenly Alvekraft notices the orcs on the westside of the farm to seemingly go into a state of panic after which she is able to see a massive silvery-white create dropping at high speed like an arrow into the duo of orcs with both massive claws stretched forward, gripping them in a deadly hold with the orcs screaming in agony while he rips one of them with his razorlike teeth a throwing the other one with force from high up in the sky onto the ground causing immediate dead for the latter allowing him to maneuver into position for another dive-attack run onto the farm. Alvekraft rapidly and intensely signals the events to the two dragonborn who remain silent and stiff as a rock on the ground in the cornfields in order not to be discovered by either the dragon or any of the orcs. From the farmhouse, another 3 orcs appear seemingly trying to get in an attacking position while they noticed the dragon dropping at high speed onto them for another attack. While Cryovan continues its ravaging killing spree on the orcs causing havoc and death with clear vile amusement in the process as the orcs are ripped apart and thrown through the sky while attempting to escape from the dragon's wrath. His breath of cold and ice freezing one of the pillagers who thought to be close to escape through the meadows in the east ended all hope of the orc aggressively while being shattered to pieces during another dive-attack. All that time, Fandom and Raknar remain stiff silent hidden in the cornfield trying to remain undetected while four orcs who tried to retreat down to the south-east start to unknowingly close in at them rather rapidly.
While Alvekraft continues to remain out of sight and trying to signal all the changes and movements of the battle below towards the 2 dragonborn, she notices something carefully moving away from the backside of the farm down in her direction towards the flank of the hill. Clearly not being an orc and rather being human as it seems, she keeps an eye on it while trying to continue to scout for her two friends in the valley who's situation became more dire by the minute.
As Cryovan circles one more time to get into position for another strike, one of the orcs bumped into the 2 adventurers in the field to its massive surprise which is matched with equal surprise of them. Having no other choice now to give up their stealthy position both dragonborns rapidly attack the orc with their daggers and spear bringing it to its knees with gushing wounds in neck and abdomen making him drop in a mixture of anger, fear and surprise no longer being a threat.
As they try to keep a low posture however, they feel a bone-chilling cold creep over them while the sun seemingly disappears and while looking skyward they see the silverwhite and sparkling skin of the dragon woosh over them at high speed while the dragon takes note of them by astonishment. "YOU…!", they here him skreek while crashing into the 3 remaining orcs, who closed in on them in the field not too far of them, while crushing them with his claws and tails making a high speed climb to get a clear spot of Raknar and Fandom who now are seemingly at the complete mercy of the dragon who is hoovering high in the sky above them while squueshing one of the orcs in his claws he held on to.
The individual, which in the meantime sneaked away towards Alvekraft's position on the flanks bumped into her spot where it turned out it was Big Al who made use of the mayhem and bloodshed to try to escape from the farm. Explaining Alvekraft that 5 of his workers were killed by the orcs and he was made prisoner by the orcs, he managed to escape in the confusion and panic that was created by the dragon. Immensely happy to find out that the 3 adventurers were sent to scout and rescue them if possible, they both witnessed however that both dragonborn were now in a critical position of which there was no escape as the dragon started to inhale and lay a stinging beam of ice and cold onto the 2 resulting most likely in immediate death. Like an eagle diving on it's prey, he dropped once more at high speed onto both of them and while nearly crashing into them, Big All strung his sling which he managed to recover during his escape and shot a steel ball at the dragon which hit him right on the head with a hard bang causing the dragon the lose control of flight and making an aggressive turn back up in the sky. The hit which would easily have slain a large creature clearly caused the dragon to daze off confused screeching and roaring while disappearing tot he north.
Coming back to their senses a bit, rapidly scanning their surroundings, and picking up their weapons, they rapidly made way back to the scouting position of Alvekraft who energetically signalled both to return to the vantage point as fast as possible. The orcs were to be of little to no concern as all but one was slaughtered by the white dragon where the last one escaped in total and blind panic eastwards in the direction of the mountains.
Still relatively worn out of the battle, the pack helps the mourning farmer to burry his 5 friends and coworkers to give them a proper farewell before the voyage back.
Returning their journey back to Phandalin, they manage to recover Big Al's price-cow along the way after which thy return to the village without too much hassle. Big Al, immensely happy and grateful he is for having been saved and recovering his top of the cattle as well he cannot believe to receive Alvekraft's part of the reward in orde to have at least some coin to be able to see how to start off again in the village. Grateful as he was, he promised Alvekraft she would always be able to count on him if necessary and in that event may always reach out for him for whatever cause he could help out. On top, he insists the party takes the mythryl chainmail he offered them in gratitude. Too large for Alvekraft, the two dragonborn take a gamble with dice to see who may claim it which Fandom wins.
Part 4. Loggers Camp
Evening 4
Worn out due to the last expedition, the adventurers take a long rest for an approximate of a week in Phandalin. After several days to strengthen themselves and get back on track they start planning their next endeavor while having lunch at the Stonehill Inn which started to become crowder by the week it seems. The three envoys are relatively loud and in a somewhat cocky mood, in particular the two dragonborns which draws the attention of several visitors at the inn and one elf in particular. Samara, an elf which arrived a few days ago in town, joins them at their table having overheard their intentions to go out of the town to travel the lands around the village. She explains to be the niece of Amara, the daughter of an elf-noble who’s brother has gone missing for several months now without any trace. She has gone as other members of the family on a search for Spunky or to find out if there might be some information to be found that may give some hints or ideas where they’d have to search. Knowing the dangers which have been progressively making travel through the region extremely dangerous, she would be grateful if she could accompany the party of three on their quest so she could in a safer manner explore along the road to scavenge information or hints in relation to the disappearance. As additional help is always welcome they found out during the last few weeks, they welcome her to the party. After a lot of discussion and a lengthy quarrel they decide to secure the supplies for the loggers camp some 50 miles north of the village on the banks of the Neverwinter River. Supplies have been delayed by nearly two weeks due to circumstances and it’s become more and more critical to manage to get food supplies out to the site.
Visiting the weapon’s store they replenish their supplies of potions, food and purchase new weapons as some got worn out or even destroyed during the last battle. After some final checks, they make way to Barthen’s Provisions where Barthen has prepare a cart-wagon with 2 large crates of supplies for the camp.
With the two dragonborns being the largest of the four, the 2 take care of the cart while the two elves flank the chariot in order to have some protection on both sides. Without too much further ado they left the village from the north and made their way towards the Neverwinter Woods of which the edge was some 20 to 25 mile further north of the village after crossing what would mostly be plains and some scattered smaller woods.
Traversing the planes, they encounter 2 orcs who seem to have been lost and who take a run when they take note of the party to the dismay of the two dragonborn who were not too shy for a fight. Closing in on the forest and having passed some traders along the way passing through to Phaladin they reach the edge of the Neverwinter woods on day two. They decide to go through the woods opposed to traveling alongside the edge to reach the banks of the river, with quite some discussion and quarreling amongst them in regards to which route to take.
The route through the woods would slow them down for sure but they assumed the distance would make up for the reduced tempo. The trackway they found was not too wide and as it hadn't been used too frequently it wasn’t the most comfortable and easy route, in particular with the cart and bumping into villagers heading for the Triboar trail who had their cart stuck in mud blocking the road. As the villagers clearly posed no threat, and the cart was blocking their progress, they helped to get the cart back onto the road so they could proceed. But as it was impossible to pass each other with the cards as the track wasn’t wide enough, they were in a little impasse now. Deciding to find a way to lift their cart over the villager’s cart, one of the villagers couldn’t hold back anymore to hold back his astonishment in regards to how daft the plan of the party was. While spelling out loud enough in a sarcastic manner if they REALLY had no better plan than the lunatic plan to lift the carts, Samara came to wits and indicated it might be easier to just load the goods from both carts to the other and proceed with eachothers carts swapped.
The morning after the clumsy encounter they make their way in opposite directions after the villagers thanked them having been able to spend the night with them in the woods to stay safe.
As the woods becomes denser and darker due to the high threes taking away sunlight, they take note of the scent of something burning and what seems to be roasted flesh. They realize there is a campfire nearby and indeed, Samara notices through the bush and dense vegetation what seems to be a small campsite with 4 individuals some 30 to 40 meters out to their left side of the trail. Instantly, they are being noticed by the campers who turn out to be a patrol of hobgoblins who clearly aren’t too happy with being discovered and immediately rush into battle formation to attack them. While two archers remain centered at their camp location, the two others rush to the opposite flanks for the attack on the party. The middle section of the 2 archers let they crossbows fire their bolts nearly immediately with one of the bolts flying into the chariot with a loud bang at high speed and the other causing a nasty piercing wound in the left lower leg of Raknar. While they commence to reload, the other two charge violently onto the flanks where Fandom and Samara are being attacked by swords causing damage. Having made ready, Alvekraft lets her crossbow rip and hits one of both archers right in the eye making him fall violently on his back being out of the fight. Samara jumps on to the cartwheel to take a leep and drive her sword into the torso of the hobgoblin right next to her. Due to the sheer force of the sword sliding into the shoulder down the spine of the stunned creature and exiting from his back. Due to the smack down and weight of the elve diving down, the hobgoblin got pierced and stuck due to the sword driving right into the ground having the unfortunate goblin staked to the ground unable to move albeit violently trying to get loose in agony. In the meantime Fandom and Raknar are engaged on the opposite side in a fierce fight in which with a determined strike Raknar with a forceful slay wacks of the right arm of the goblin scout while Fandom stings him with his sword from the side. Enraged Fandom and Raknar switch their attention to the hobgoblin stuck to the ground where Raknar violently slays him hard on the neck nearly decapitating him and being finished off by Fandom with the final blow.
Clearly surprised and dazed by the violent response, the remaining archer starts falling back screaming out to the heavily wounded companion to retreat rapidly while keeping aim with his crossbow on the fighters and both vanishing in anger into the thick of the woods.
Rushed by the adrenaline of the fight, they search the two bodies of the neutralized hobgoblins for loot discovering a small violin, a small ragdoll (what the heck?), some wooden coins remarkably alike silver coins but clearly fake as well as a little amount of genuine silver coins and a little jackpot being a small leather bag with gemstones and jewelry which they estimated to be worth around 300 gold coins which wasn’t a little find. Uncertain if the two who escaped would be the remains of a scouting group sent ahead by a larger troop, they take their weapons, move the cart into a covered place and they hide for the night to prevent for being discovered and attacked during the night by returning troops on the search for them. As Samara doesn’t seem to be in any need of sleep, she keeps guard-duty all night. The party however has little sleep and are ill rested due to the constant noise heard in the woods.
At the dusk of day they hastily get ready to continue their journey to the logger’s camp which they finally reach in the late afternoon without any further remarkable encounters or danger. The sound of the bulking river slowly took the upper hand over the sounds of birds and other fauna from the woods, but other than that the camp appeared to be extremely, not to say eery, silent without any movement or activity at all in the camp. At the center of the camp remains of an old lodge could be seen with nothing more than some rubble of stones and half a chimney. To the right, two circles of tents were installed with a bonfire spot in the middle of each. To the left, a slope of around 10 to 15 feet rose up with 2 lodge ruins. At the foot of the incline, a larger intact lodge could be seen surrounded by green and lush grass whereas the campsite was established on sandy soil.
Uneasy by the sight of what seems to be an empty camp since they had to deliver important supplies they start to investigate the camp to find signs of life and find out what was going on.
The camp clearly shows signs of a lot of activity which makes the desolation even weirder. Closing in on the first circle of tents they notice that the bonfires have been lit probably the day before but apart from some tins to drink coffee from there is little else to be spotted.
Wanting to enter the first tent however, they notice the dirt and pebbles on the ground around them move after which they hear a rumbling sound becoming louder and louder with the ground shaking heavier and heavier until suddenly in their midst the ground rapidly comes up and an Ankheg flashes out of the ground in a fountain of dirt and stones. Being a bit dazed and blinded still due to the switch from the constant darkness to sunlight the monster wildly throws his claws around while loudly screeching. While snapping around the creature by sheer luck grabs Samara by the shoulder and throws her over the party to the other side leaving a nasty bite-wound. Fandom reacts rapidly trying to throw a fireball but due to the mayhem and haste misses it completely setting 2 tents in the encampment ablaze. The skirmish goes fast paced and the monster wildly goes about with his claws smacking and slashing into the three. Fandom manages to lay a flash of necrotic damage on the creature having his left side infected and do serious crippling damage after which Samara and Raknar kill it off with their swords.
In the aftermath of the fight and weary taking in account having no clue what happened in the camp and being attacked out of the blue, they decide it might be safer to take refuge up the slope close to the remnants of the two buildings which seemed to have been there as the rocky soil may prevent any of these monsters to flash out of the ground as it did on the sandy flanks as happened just now. The fact that dusk started to kick in, they were certain that would be the best idea. When carefully moving up the slope, they noticed that the logger-cabine seemed to be well closed with the windows barricaded. They would leave that for the day to come.
The morning after they wake up with quite the head-ache and although nog having been awake they seemed to have slept pretty poorly. A bit daze to notice and realize after a few minutes that Samara is nowhere to be seen at the campsite. Here and there there seems to be tracks in the field as if there has been some struggle a marks leading all the way up to the small pier where one of the boats that were attached to it was gone. Dazed still they were confused and wondered what happened here, at the same time aware that this place was far from the safest place to continue to linger at. They decide to check the camp to see if they find the elf and in the meantime investigate the cabin. While descending carefully from the slope, they notice Alvekraft scanning the camp from the entry-road. She left a day later from the village to come after them to help out. Thanks to some traders and a bunch of refugees traveling to Phandalin, with one person who wondered why she was looking for a ragtag bunch of goofball dragonborns and an elf, she was pointed in the right direction.
The camp remained early quiet apart from the sound of the river and the birds and other fauna in the surrounding forest. Having no clue how to proceed from hereon, they decide to check out the cabin to see if they are able to find someone or something that could lead to discovering what happened. Careful and cautious they approach the cabin of which the massive wooden door has been firmly shut. Trying to breach the door by force leads only to painful blue shoulders and sprained ankles. These loggers know how to make doors, that much is certain…Since brute force seems to help little to nothing, they decide to try to freeze the entire door and shatter it which seemed to be a great idea. The wood of the door starts to shrink and alter when being hit by the extreme low frost including the lock which due to the alteration comes lose and breaks. Well…that’s that they reckon and while they come in they hear shouts from behind the wooden door located to their right. Stop that! They’ll be back before you know it and I have had it with them.
The voice behind the door turned out to be Tibor who had locked himself up in the outer right room of the cabin in fear of the continuous attacks they had endured by Ankhegs which turned up from one day to the next all of the sudden causing havoc and massacre in the camp. Tibor begged for help to get out of this location and return to the town of Phaladin but to be immensely careful since they found out that heavy stomping or movement on surfaces or soil seemed to draw the attention of the ankhegs and have them come up to attack. These beasts indeed react to the vibrations they sense underground to allocate prey. The two young dragonborn seemed to care little about all the fauna & flora related jibber jabber and moved rather determined and swiftly to the blocked door to get Tibor out and to get out of the logger’s camp collectively with haste. As they reached the door, the wooden floor behind them started to shake and crack and with the massive sound of wood cracking, breaking and shattering an ankheg crashed through the floor into the room. As the room was relatively dim due to the blocked windows, the monster didn’t need much time to get accustomed to the switch from the dark underground into the open and lashed out at the two dragonborn who were directly in sight. His claws flashed right next to them, inflicting some minor wounds but hitting the wall next to the door quite violently, cracking one of the wooden layers causing a hole in the wall. Alvekraft could catch a glimpse of Tibor who was frozen still and pale as snow of fear hiding in the room behind a table. The three young stout-hearted started to attack the monster trying to slay it which caused it to trying to escape as it was now getting hit from 3 sides and despite being able to deal damage with nasty bites and jabs the attacks in return forced it to retreat and it disappeared right in front of the wooden building into the ground with loud screeches.
Having been wounded all three of them, one a tat more serious than the other, they took care of their wounds, got Tibor out of the room and with careful movement decided to get out of the camp as fast as possible though taking in account the dangers if moving too firmly.
In safe distance of the camp, Tibor expressed his utter gratitude as he appeared to be the lone survivor of the ankheg plague which he explained to have started after a quarrel they got into with anchorites of Thalos, half-orc shamans who worshiped Thalos, demanding the loggers to leave what they considered their territory and holy grounds. As Tibor considered the woods they selected to lumber and transport wood to Neverwinter never having been indicated as territory to anyone in any form, manifest of claim or agreement he waved off any objection made by the half-orcs much to their anger and amounting fury. After a lengthy quarrel, the half-orc delegation left cursing and shouting in half-orc of which they understood little but gave little attention to. Later during the evening, they caught one of the half-orcs in the cabin which was erected in the middle of the camp who hastily ran off at that point. Nothing appeared to have been stolen so they didn’t make much of it. A day or two after these events, the mayhem started resulting in the near destruction of the camp and the massacration of nearly the entire team at the site. The orcs clearly had a hand in this though it remained unclear how or what. What was clear however was that the safest thing to do now was to return and report the events as quick as possible via Phaladin to Neverwinter as the supply of necessary lumber to repair damage caused by a large fire in the city will come to a halt, and any fleet of keelboats would be certain to come under attack as soon they set foot at shore.
Without too much further ado, they moved away from the camp having taken the cart with supplies back with them so it wouldn’t go to waste (and the fact that Tibor was quite attentive as well of the monetary value of it all) and to report the events to the village as well as to have the necessary done to get the information to Neverwinter. At a safe distance of the camp they sought a spot to camp overnight and take care of their wounds.
Proceeding to the village the day after they unfortunately were ambushed by two orcs who had a well chosen spot selected on the trail. It wasn't clear if they had been related to the half-orc shamans in any way or had been in wait as a reconnaissance party of the orc Tribe to pillage travelers for valuables (or important information being passed between cities, settlements and Neverwinter) on the trail which seemed to become more and more frequently used since the events in the region and the dangers associated with travel through the open plains with the white dragon roaming the skies.
They were taken by surprise and the attack inflicted serious damage by heavy bolts fired by the orcs with what must have been heavy crossbows. Tibor swiftly jumped underneath the cart and was of little help in any shape or form. The three however defended themselves fiercely and managed to get both the orcs in a position where they had to engage in close-combat in which they managed to slay one of them being finished off by Raknar and Alvekraft who took him down with a well placed shot from her crossbow after having been critically hit by Raknar’s sword and the other being pierced by Fandom driving his longsword with force into the orc’s head by which he got violently piked into an old three he was adjacent to.
Grabbing Tibor from underneath the cart and throwing him in catatonic shape in between the supplies they rapidly commenced their travel to the town with haste after scavenging as much loot as they could from the two bodies where they collected some valuables, a bag of unknown seeds and a weird looking object which looked as a sort of worshiping or commemorative emblem with ruby stones, runes representing a web and a spider shape in the middle of it. Whatever it was, those stones seemed valuable so off it went into the bags.
The party was lucky to continue the remainder of the travel without any encounters of conflict except with some merchants passing through from one village to the other and some harmless beasts and animals.
Having returned his half-brother alive and well made Harbin the townmaster more than content, but the fact that the logger’s camp was now shut down leading to a lagged wood supply to Neverwinter for supplies to repair the damages caused by the large fire as well as the fact that unaware crafters would arrive on the shore at risk of being attacked and massacred caused high levels of concern with Harbin and the city council. The stall of good earnings in the form of gold coins out of Neverwinter for the high-quality lumber was very likely of highest concern to Harbin although he seemed to be relatively well in hiding it.
As the keelboats might be returning to the logger’s camp in a few days having offloaded their recent cargo in Neverwinter, haste was of the essence in reporting the news as quick as possible to the logger’s trading office as well as to the city council to allow to arrange the necessary protection for the camp be it in the form of an independent militia or a platoon detachment of the city’s army. There were no messenger in the village at the moment though some might return from Triboar or Yartar together with merchants though when was very uncertain. It could be in a few days, it could be in a few weeks. As there was no time to waste on this matter considering the urgency and the lives at stake Alvekraft and Fandom decided to return to Neverwinter at first light to report on the events to the council in Neverwinter. Raknar would remain in the village just in case there might be other events unfolding locally.
The townmaster had arrangements made to have horses ready for them which were used exclusively by the volunteers of the town’s Phaladin’s Guards. He plead to be careful with them as they were highly trained military horses (read: expensive) and it would be a shame if something happened to them (read: Harbin expected payments in case of…). Harbin had all the traits of an excellent politician; the apparent care for and interest in the people of the town, an opportunistic populistic approach to any situation he could personally benefit from and the haughty and snotty behaviorism of a wealthy nobleman when he left his attention drop trying to uphold the image of the first.
Money makes the world go round…for sure when those coins ended up in Harbin’s pockets.
Part 5: The Ride to Neverwinter
Evening 5
At the break of dawn, the 2 envoys from Neverwinter started their ride back to Neverwinter to report on current affairs with haste. The weather was far from shabby as the month of Mirtul was well half-way and the rays of sun warmed the plains gently. Stacked with provisions sufficient for the new ride, Alvekraft was more than pleased having scored a brand new flail at the armory in Phandalin of which the chains were softly rattling inside its leather holder on the saddle alongside the other necessary items for the trip.
Opting for the fastest and safest route, they decided to take the Triboar trail towards the west-coast and then head north. As they rode towards the High-Road trail in the west, several eagles could be seen floating high in the sky circling on the thermal waves high up with little regard for the two horsemen although it appeared that they were scouting the region from high up. Waving and shouting at them gave little reaction in return confirming they seemingly were keeping an eye on something or reconnoitering the vast plains. They continued their ride towards the t-section of the trail to continue towards the north. As they noticed movement to their right some twenty meters off the trail to the right, they decided to slow down in case there might be an ambush in wait for them and since they were still some 40 to 50 kilometers away from the intersection with the small trail heading back into the east towards Helm’s hold, the opportunities to establish ambushes without being interrupted by patrols from Neverwinter Militia’s or Helm’s Hold Hundred by whomever with malicious intend were sufficiently at disposal.
--- To be continued...