For a while now, I've been using the LMoP campaign as a framework for a story that I use as a warm-up and palate cleanser for and from my main work. Figured I'd share some of it here for folks interested in reading fantasy stories in smaller, more digestible bites while still scratching that specific D&D fiction itch. So without further ado, here are the introductory stories of our heroes: Rose (Hexblood Wizard), Sonny (Human Fighter), Verne (Wood Elf Ranger), Peri (Tabaxi Cleric) and Viola (Lightfoot Halfling Rogue). I hope you enjoy!
This journey has proven to be a bit more complicated than I thought it would be. Waterdeep ended up being a bust, and while I'm sure the Eltorchul, Wands and Waymoot Magical Academies are all fine schools, I think I've outgrown the classroom at this point. Not to be one of those mages, but I mastered most of their third-year curriculums before I could walk. Perks of being raised by a witch, I suppose.
On the bright side, in talking to headmaster Krothus of the Waymoot school, we learned of an abjurer who lives in Neverwinter. While I've always had better luck with charms and illusions than wards, it doesn't hurt to stay versatile (and besides, it could be helpful to learn some nondetection magic, in case Brunhilde decides to come looking for me.) It took some convincing to get Sonny to come along, and I suppose I can understand wanting to get back to his family, but who in their right mind would choose some smelly old farm over traveling the world? Thankfully, we got him to see reason, and were soon on our way, but not without some unpleasantness on our way out.
We stopped by the bookstore to check out their selection of grimoires, and Verne caught this grubby little halfling girl stealing books! Verne told the shop keeper that we would “see that she faced justice” but when we got outside, rather than turn the little thief over to the proper authorities, Verne offered her a place in our party! Can you believe that? I had always heard that their long lives gave elves wisdom, but now I'm not so sure. What I do know is, for as long as Viola's around, I'll be keeping a close eye on my spellbook.
As for our other party member, I have no complaints! Peri is an adorable little kitty, and a fascinating creature. I hope to learn more about divine magic through talking with them. Though previous attempts have been a bit…unfocused…I'm determined to keep trying. There's not a spell out there I can't crack!
Anyway, diary, it's getting late and I should probably get some sleep. A good witch needs her rest, after all! While things didn't work out in Waterdeep, I'm excited to see what comes from Neverwinter and beyond. Faerün is such a wonderful place, and I can't wait to see it all!
Sorry it's been a while since I last wrote you. We've been on the open road so dang long this is the first chance I've had to get to a post office. Is everything ok at home? I know the plan was for me to be back in time for Daisy's birthday, but it actually looks like I'll be gone a bit longer. Tell her I said sorry, and be sure to give her the bag of candies I'm sending along with the courier. Things kinda took a turn, so I'm actually writing this from the Lionshield Coster in Neverwinter.
I know we said we'd only be going as far as Waterdeep, and we did go there first- actually made it there in less time than we thought thanks to Mr. Verne's guidance. But when we got to the magic shop Rose talked about, she and the owner got to talking about some big-shot abjurer (whatever the heck that is) in Neverwinter, and she insisted that we go to meet him so she could learn his craft. I wanted to say no, honest, but you and pa taught me never to ignore a friend in need. I couldn't just let her and the others go up north by themselves. You always told me about how dangerous the countryside can be- what if they run into monsters?
Speaking of, there's all kindsa crazy critters out here. Clement and Gil would lose their beans if they saw half of it- giant birds with axes for faces, talking frog men, suits of armor that move without anyone in ‘em? Real spooky stuff. So far no gnolls, thankfully. After my run-in with our ‘cellar guest’ I've had my fill of the nasty things.
Anyway, sorry for taking so long to get back. We linked up with this dwarvish fella the other day, and he hired us to move some supplies down to Phandalin, but I promise, once that's done I'll be right back home to help with planting time. This adventuring business is fun and all, but I won't forget where I belong.
I write this journal in the hopes that I can capture the essence of my adventures so that I can relay them when next we meet. While you may find it strange that one could forget the wonders of a journey such as this, you must understand that after nearly three centuries of life, my perspective on what makes an important detail is slightly skewed. And as I am no natural storyteller, it falls to me in the present to record the goings-on so that I may share them accurately in the future.
You'll be pleased to know that I will not be undergoing this journey alone. Through a series of happenstances, I find myself with four young charges, each with stories of their own.
Rose, a witch traveling the world in search of magical secrets. Her appetite for knowledge is as all-consuming as the brightest flame.
Sonny, a warrior from Goldenfields leaving home for the first time. Ardent and steadfast as the earth he used to farm.
Peri, a tabaxi gifted with divine power. Yet despite the responsibility such a gift entails, they are as carefree as a summer breeze.
Viola, a thief who grew up on the streets of Waterdeep. Hers is a turbulent journey, ever-changing as the tides.
Our travels brought us to the city of Neverwinter, where we met a dwarf by the name of Gundren Rockseeker. Gundren claimed that he and his brothers had discovered an opportunity in Phandalin, and that he wished to set up shop there. He hired our party to transport a wagon of provisions along the High Road to the Triboar Trail, heading southeast. Though he wasn't very forthcoming about what this opportunity was, he assured us it was ‘something big’ and offered us ten gold pieces each for safely transporting his supplies to Barthen's Provisions, a trading post in Phandalin. Gundren set out ahead of us on horseback, accompanied by a warrior named Sildar Hallwinter. He claimed that he needed to arrive early to ‘take care of business’ once again refusing to elaborate on what that business was.
After securing the provisions we headed south from Neverwinter along the High Road. In the several days of travel, I got to know more about my young charges. Their names and basic histories, of course, but I find that those only give half the measure of a person. It's in the expressions and subtle behaviors that you truly begin to understand someone- something that I, with my elven senses, am well-equipped to perceive. Like Rose, with her notebook, constantly jotting down or sketching what she sees, ever-curious and delighted by new experiences. Or Sonny's glances across the wagon, ensuring that everyone is still safe, but lingering ever-so-slightly on Rose, with an expression that tragically overlooks Viola, who gazes at him in much the same way. And then of course there's Peri, for whom my sharp eyes and ears are not only useful, but indeed a necessity, as their curiosity has proven to be much less constructive than Rose's (thankfully nothing of value has been destroyed…yet.)
As we make our final push eastward down the Triboar Trail, I end this entry with excitement for what's to come. I eagerly await the moment I am able to share my tale with you, and I pray to Mielikki, mistress of the woods, that your rest is a peaceful one.
The elf told me we'd find treasure on this trip, but so far it's just been long, stupid cart rides and meetings with boring old wizards.
Guess I can't complain too much. Food in my belly and a roof over my head is better than starving in an alley back in Waterdeep. But still, the people I'm traveling with are driving me nuts.
The cat keeps fiddling with things in the cart and breaking them, and the elf does nothing to stop him. When he brought me into this team, I figured he must be in charge, but he doesn't do anything to corral anyone. He just sits there with this far-out look on his face while everything goes to sod around him. If Rockseeker docks our pay for broken goods I'm not giving up my share, that's for sure.
The girl is the worst. Always shooting me these side-eye glances across the cart and clutching her stupid book bag. Why would I want her ratty old books or her bag full of garbage anyway? Besides, what kind of weirdo keeps bundles of charcoal, incense, herbs and flower petals with them on the road? Creepy witch.
Sonny is ok, I guess. He's…nice.
Once we get to Phandalin, we better find some treasure or something, or I might bail on this stupid trip.
Spring along the Sword Coast is a marvelous thing. The breeze blows sweet with the scent of flowers, the air is rich with bird song, and colorful wagons roll down the road, following the promise of wealth and adventure.
On the 15th of Tarsakh, one such wagon trundled down the road bearing a motley crew of adventurers. At the helm was Sonny, a tall blond-haired youth who beckoned the horses on in a gentle tone. Immediately behind him in the wagon was Rose, a girl with magenta robes who thoughtfully twirled her hair while poring over a leather-bound tome. At the back of the wagon were Peri and Viola, a tabaxi and halfling respectively, who were both silently fuming from the argument they'd just had. Meanwhile Verne, a wizened wood elf, sat between the two of them, taking a much-needed rest after mediating said argument.
The party was heading south on the orders of Gundren Rockseeker, a dwarf that they had met in the city of Neverwinter. They were unsure who or what the goods in the wagon were for, as Gundren had been rather secretive when discussing their contract. He simply stated that he and his brothers had found “something big” and offered the party ten gold pieces each for escorting his supplies safely to Barthen's Provisions- a trading post in the rough-and-tumble settlement of Phandalin, a couple days’ travel southeast of Neverwinter. Gundren himself had set out ahead on horseback, along with a warrior escort named Sildar Hallwinter, claiming he needed to arrive early to “take care of business.”
The party had spent the last few days following the High Road south from Neverwinter, and had just recently veered east along the Triboar Trail. So far, they hadn't encountered any trouble, but knew that the countryside could be dangerous, especially for a supply wagon. Bandits and outlaws had been known to lurk along the trail, so they were on the lookout for anything suspicious.
A few hours after they'd made their turn, the party reached a stretch where the woods pressed close to the trail, with a steep embankment and dense thickets on either side. It was there that Sonny spotted two dun-colored lumps lying about fifty feet ahead of the wagon. He called back to Verne, whose elven senses were better equipped to observe the situation. Verne climbed forward, and after a moment informed the group that the two forms were dead horses, and that he planned to go investigate. The elf lighted down to the ground and strode over to the horses, taking care to scan the clearing for any sign of the ones responsible.
Upon closer inspection, Verne found that each of the bodies had several black-feathered arrows sticking out of it. The saddlebags had been looted and nearby on the ground was an empty leather map case. The elf gently picked up the case and turned it over in his hands, finding the emblem of the Rockseeker clan emblazoned on the side. He was about to turn and inform his fellows, when all of a sudden he heard a rustle in the thicket to his left. His muscles tensed and he slowly put his hand up towards the wagon, holding up four fingers and gesturing sharply toward the forest with his head.
In an instant, a twang rang out in the clearing and Verne dropped quickly to the ground, narrowly avoiding two arrows as they whizzed over his head. The elf scrambled to draw his bow as four goblins emerged from the brush, two on each side of the road. The party, seeing their ally in danger, sprang into action.
First was Rose, who stood up and pulled a blue satin bag and a blackthorn wand from her hip. She reached into the bag, pulled out a handful of rose petals and began to recite an incantation as the petals swirled in the air. With a flick of her wrist and a flash of arcane energy, two of the goblins slumped to the ground.
Next came Sonny, who pulled hard on the reins and commanded the horses, who had begun to buck in the chaos, to calm down. Impressively, the horses heeded the young warrior and were still, providing him enough time to leap from the wagon and run to Verne’s side, where he planted himself, shield drawn, between his elven ally and the remaining goblins.
With Sonny providing defensive cover, Verne jumped to his feet and quickly fired an arrow, which embedded itself into the chest of one of their assailants, felling it in one shot.
The final goblin, seeing how easily its allies had been dispatched, made the wise decision to retreat and live another day. However, a flash of radiant light from Peri and the slashing of Viola's twin blades cut those notions (and the goblin) to ribbons.
When the dust settled, the party gathered itself and took stock of the situation. On one hand, none of them had been harmed, which was certainly a good thing. But on the other, it appeared that their benefactor and his escort hadn't been so lucky.
“Well that's just great,” Viola whined. “I guess we can forget about getting paid.”
“Who cares about that?” Peri cried. “The Bearded One is in trouble! We have to help him!”
“I'm with Peri,” said Sonny. “We can't just sit on our hands while a friend is in need.”
“‘Friend’ feels like a bit much, considering we met the man three days ago.” Viola mumbled. “But alright, say we do go on a rescue mission. Where do we start? I don't think these guys are feeling very talkative.” She gestured with her toe at the dismembered goblins at her feet.
“Thankfully,” Rose drawled, “not all of us go around butchering intelligent creatures.” She gestured to the two goblins that she had downed which, upon closer inspection, were simply asleep, one of them snoring loudly.
“Ok, princess,” Viola sneered, “the next time someone starts shooting at us, I'll be sure to sing them a lullaby, too.”
Rose rolled her eyes and ignored the comment, instead asking, “I don't suppose any of you have something to tie them up with?”
Sonny eagerly stepped forward, pulling a thick cord of rope from his pack. “I've got it, Rose. Just sit tight and I'll have ‘em hog-tied in no time.”
Viola scoffed and folded her arms. “‘I've got it Rose’.” she mumbled. “I swear, it's like watching a dog beg for scraps.” The halfling turned away, accidentally meeting the silent, knowing gaze of Verne. After a brief moment, the young thief turned her eyes downward.
Once the goblins had been secured, Rose released the enchantment on them and they began to struggle like mad to get free. Verne held up a hand and then said something in the Goblin tongue that made the two stop struggling. He appeared to ask them a question, and the two of them nodded. “Now,” the elf continued, this time in Common, “We have several questions for you, and it would be in your best interest to answer them truthfully. We do not wish to hurt you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Viola snarled. The halfling plucked a dagger from her left boot and tossed it into the ground, mere inches away from where the goblins sat. The goblins began to shake as Verne, unfazed, said, “Well, I suppose most of us do not wish to hurt you.”
With that display of intimidation, the goblins agreed to tell the party everything they knew. Gundren and Sildar had been captured a little over a day ago by a goblin hunting party and taken back to their leader, Klarg. Klarg answered to King Grol, chief of the Cragmaw tribe, who dwelled in Cragmaw Castle, which lie about twenty miles northeast of the Cragmaw hideout in Neverwinter Wood.
According to the goblins, Klarg had received a message from King Grol a few days ago saying that somebody named the Black Spider was paying the Cragmaws to find the dwarf Gundren Rockseeker, capture him, and send him and anything he was carrying back to King Grol. Klarg followed his orders, and had Gundren ambushed and taken along with his personal effects, including a map. Gundren and the map had been delivered to King Grol as instructed, while the dwarf's human companion was being held in the “eating cave.”
“Eating Cave?” Sonny cried. “Y'all eat people?!”
“No!” The goblins cried, disgusted. “Would never eat humans! Probly taste terrible! We eat normal food like fish. Sometimes rabbits!”
“Then why are you keeping Sildar in your ‘eating cave’?” Rose asked.
“That where we have most goblins at a time.” One of the goblins replied. “Many goblin keep watch while they snack.”
“But not on human.” The other goblin snarled and stuck its tongue out at Sonny.
“I-I'm sorry,” Sonny stammered, “I didn't mean-”
Verne held up a silencing hand and gave Sonny a pointed but gentle look. “I apologize for my friend's insult. We are grateful for your help today, and in honor of our agreement, I will see that you are not harmed.” The elf plucked Viola's dagger from the dirt and held it momentarily before him, the goblins eyes growing wide as they stared at the gleaming blade. Then, with one swift motion, Verne cut through the rope and took a step back as the goblins scrambled over one another and fled into the forest.
Viola started to move after them, but Verne caught the young halfling and stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder. “What're you doing?” She snarled. “They're getting away!”
“Yes, they are.” Verne replied, handing the dagger back to its owner. “As we agreed they'd be able to.”
“As you agreed to.” Viola growled.
“You wish to kill them, then?” Verne asked. “Why would that be?”
“They shot at us with arrows!” Viola cried. “That isn't reason enough for you?”
“As I recall,” the elf replied calmly, “our attackers shot at me. And yet I bear no grudge against them. Why, I wonder, do you?”
“Oh, never mind.” Viola grumbled, thrusting her dagger back in its holster. “With all the time you spent lecturing, they're probably long gone by now. So now what? They told us where Cragmaw Castle is, but not the hideout where they're keeping Hallwinter.”
“That much, I can discern for myself.” The elf said as he strode over to where the goblins had initially broken through the brush. Hidden behind the thicket on the north side of the trail was a path that stretched far into the wood, heading northwest. Verne pointed out several sets of footprints and two deep tracks in the dirt, denoting about a dozen goblins, as well as two human-sized bodies that had been hauled away from the ambush site.
Noting the trail, the party decided to steer the wagon away from the road and tie off the horses while they followed the hidden path on foot. Verne took point, with Viola close behind, Rose in the middle, then Peri and Sonny at the rear.
About ten minutes into their trek, this marching order proved advantageous, as Verne's heightened senses alerted him to the traps that the goblins had set. The first being a snare trap that Viola quickly disabled and pocketed for later use, and the second being a pit trap, which had been cleverly disguised with branches and leaves, but not cleverly enough for a seasoned ranger. Once the party had successfully navigated the trail, they came upon a break in the forest overlooking a rolling hillside and a narrow river. Near the base of the hill, Verne noticed two goblins lazily standing guard on the other side of the river, clearly marking the entrance to the Cragmaw hideout.
With their query in sight, the goal was clear. To infiltrate the goblin hideout, rescue Sildar Hallwinter, and retrieve the goods that had been stolen by the Cragmaws. But for now: it was time to plan.
Lost Mine of Phandelver is the official Starter Kit adventure with a good balance of combat, exploration, and social interaction. It's one of the the most played adventures of all time and a common touchstone for many players. Its best hooks are for characters motivated by personal prospects, uncovering lore, or helping the citizens of Phandalin. It runs levels 1-5. Its main story will likely take a couple months of sessions [or your own best estimate], possibly more, partially dependent on the side quests you pursue. https://100001****/
Obscured by the brush of the forest, Verne observed the scene across the stream and reported his findings to the rest of the party, who stood a few paces back. He could see that the mouth of the cave was fairly large, easily able to fit two people standing abreast, though the stream flowing out of it would make doing so difficult. On either side of the stream were dense briar thickets, which obscured much of the far side from the elf's view, but upon further inspection were revealed to cover a dry path that fed into the cave. Within one briar thicket was a small, hollowed out area that formed a blind from which two goblin sentries stood watch. Wooden planks had been laid to flatten out the briars and provided room for the two goblins to lie hidden and watch the area- something they were thankfully not doing very attentively.
Once the scene had been thoroughly surveilled, the party decided that Verne and Viola, the two stealthiest members of the group, should sneak up and dispatch the sentries so that the others could pass through undetected. Peri, Rose and Sonny watched as their two dexterous companions crossed over to the briar thickets. Verne, ever the seasoned ranger, squatted low and crept slowly along the ground, his green cloak offering ample camouflage against the foliage. Viola, by contrast, darted quickly into position- her light steps and silent approach as natural to her as breathing. The two soon came upon the goblins: Viola immediately next to the blind and Verne some paces back. With a quiet nod of assent the two readied their weapons. They would only have one chance at this- they had to make it count.
Viola struck first, slashing at the nearest goblin with her twin short swords. With the element of surprise on her side, she cut down her foe with ease. Surprised, the other goblin jumped up, possibly to run into the cave to warn his compatriots, but he never got the chance. With a flash of movement and the twang of a bowstring, the goblin soon joined his fallen comrade. With the guards dispatched, Verne waved the rest of the party over, and they reconvened at the mouth of the cave.
Just inside the cave mouth, uneven stone steps led up to a small, dank chamber on the east side of the passage. The cave narrowed to a steep fissure at the far end, where the air was heavy with the stench of animals. Savage snarls and the sounds of rattling chains denoted three wolves that were chained up just inside the opening. Each wolf’s chain led to an iron rod driven into the base of a stalagmite. Upon seeing the party, the wolves lunged, loosening the iron rods that bound them.
Peri scrambled backwards, the young tabaxi shaking from head to toe. “They have d-dogs here?” they stammered, hiding as best they could behind Sonny.
“I’d hardly call them ‘dogs’,” Rose sniffed. “Though I suppose they do share a common ancestor.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Viola chimed in, smirking at the Cleric’s obvious terror. “I think they might make good guard dogs. Maybe we should take them with us?”
“No, no, no!” Peri yowled as they shook their head and covered their ears.
“Viola, cut it out.” Sonny sighed. “Look, the longer we stand here, the more riled they're gonna get. So let’s get a move on already.”
The other three nodded and began to press on into the tunnel, but Verne didn’t move a muscle. “Verne?” Sonny asked. “Everything alright-” the fighter stopped, in shock. Throughout their travels, Verne had been a stoic companion, approaching all situations with measured calm and reason. That was why it was so alarming for Sonny to find a look of abject fury across the elf's face. Suddenly, Verne strode forward into the chamber, ignoring the protests of his traveling companions.
The wolves snapped at the elf, who stood just beyond the length of the chains. Verne held up one of his hands toward the wolves, while the other fished around for something in his pack. He plucked out three packets of trail rations and extended them toward the wolves, who by degrees, stopped their snarling. The rest of the party watched with bated breath as the ranger extended his offering. The largest of the wolves leaned forward, and Verne extended the food closer to her. Apparently satisfied, the wolf began to eat the food from the ranger's hand, and the other two quickly followed. Verne gently stroked behind the ears of the wolves as he set to work delicately undoing the fastenings of their collars.
Once his work was done, Verne slowly stood up and drew another portion of trail rations from his pack. The wolves quickly stepped toward the ranger, but he held up his hand once more and the beasts heeded. Moving slowly, Verne walked back to the others, never taking his eyes off the wolves, who followed at a similar pace. Sonny held out his arm to shield the others behind him, but made no move to draw his weapon. The young fighter simply kept his eyes on Verne, trusting that the elf wouldn’t put them in harm's way. After a tense moment, Verne tossed the trail rations to the mouth of the cave and gestured for the wolves to follow, and without a moment's hesitation, they bounded over to the food, gobbled it up and ran to freedom.
Once the wolves had disappeared into the thicket, Verne turned to his companions and said, “I apologize, friends. Perhaps that was foolish of me, but I could not stand idle while innocent creatures were in need.”
“I’d hardly call those things ‘innocent’.” Peri mumbled.
If Verne had heard the tabaxi’s comment, he made no outward sign of it. He simply gathered his pack and pressed further into the cave, with the others quickly following.
The main passage from the cave mouth climbed steeply upward, the stream plunging and splashing down its west side. As they pressed onward, the light dimmed until the path was completely cloaked in shadow. In the dim light, they could faintly make out a side passage that led west across the other side of the stream, but that passage was just as dark as the one ahead of them.
“I can’t see a lick down that way.” Sonny sighed. “Anybody got a torch?”
Peri perked up and lifted their mace. “Who needs a torch, when you’ve the light of the Dawnfather?” The mace suddenly shone with a bright blue light that illuminated the whole cavern.
“Put that out, dummy!” Viola hissed. “You want all the goblins to know we’re here?”
Peri’s smile fell, but Rose stepped forward. “Don’t yell at him!” she scolded. “At least he’s trying to come up with solutions. Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but humans and halflings can’t see in the dark. What other choice do we have?”
Viola opened her mouth to reply, but Verne stepped between them with both hands raised, “Enough,” he said, “all of you. Viola, I understand that caution is important, but as we are in unfamiliar territory with creatures that can see far better in the dark than we can, it would serve us well to have a light source. That being said, I agree that it would be best to not announce our presence prematurely. Peri, is there a way in which you can dim the light, or put it out as needed, should we hear enemies approach?”
Peri nodded, and as quickly as the light had come on, it was snuffed.
“Excellent.” Verne said. “Here is what I suggest as a compromise. As I have no trouble seeing in darkness, I can scout ahead while Peri follows with the light. Should I find any trouble, I will signal to you to snuff the light and hide. Is that acceptable?”
“No way.” Sonny stated. “I won’t have you put yourself in harm's way like that. What if something happens and we can’t get to you in time to help?”
“Your concern is touching,” Verne smiled, “but I’ll not be far, and I assure you that at the first hint of danger I will rush back to your side. On that you have my word.”
“We trust you, Verne.” Rose said, silencing Sonny with a stern look.
The elf nodded with a smile before striding off into the darkness. The remaining party members grouped tightly together before Peri’s mace lit up once more, illuminating the path forward.
The passage continued up beyond another set of uneven steps ahead, bending eastward as it went. A waterfall sounded out from a larger cavern further down. In the shadows of the ceiling to the north, they could just make out the dim shape of a rickety wooden bridge crossing over the passage ahead. Another passage intersected that one, twenty feet above the floor. The party looked around the cave, searching anxiously for any signs of goblins hiding in the shadows, but thankfully found none. And with no signal from Verne, the party maintained their pace. A few minutes later however, they felt a faint rumble and heard a roar that seemed to be growing louder with each passing second. Verne came sprinting around the bend of the passage shouting for everyone to press tight against the wall before a surge of water came cascading through the cave.
Heeding Verne's warning, Rose, Sonny and Viola managed to grab handholds on the wall to anchor themselves in place and avoid being swept away, but poor Peri hadn't been so lucky. The cleric was caught full force in the chest and with a desperate yowl was sucked under the water. Without a moment's hesitation, Sonny released his hold on the stone and dove after them.
Sonny was by no means a great swimmer. Goldenfields was, after all, a farming town without the luxury of beaches or lakefronts. However, he remembered well the lessons he'd learned on fishing trips to the Dessarin River with his father and brothers, and employed those skills now in his rescue effort. The stream had carried the poor tabaxi nearly to the mouth of the cave, where they scrambled to keep their head above the water, weighed down by waterlogged armor. Sonny quickly waded over, lifted Peri from the water and placed them gently on the dry path beside the stream.
Peri gasped for breath amidst choked sobs, their mace lying uselessly on the ground, having long-since lost its light.
“You alright, pal?” Sonny asked nervously.
“N-no!” Peri cried. “This place is too scary. There's dogs and water and Viola is so mean!” The young tabaxi burst into tears, burying their face in their paws.
Sonny knelt down and placed his hand on the young cleric's shoulder. “Try not to take what Viola says too personal.” He said. “She's got a rough way of speaking, but she means well. Y’know, she’s probably just as scared as you are. I think maybe she just doesn't know how to say it.”
“But why does she always go after me?” Peri whined. “She doesn't yell at you, or Rose or Verne.”
“Well yeah, we weren't the ones who tracked flour all over the cart.” Sonny laughed. “But if you want, I can talk to her about easing up on you. As for the rest of it, think about it this way: you've already faced the wolves and the stream, and you survived. You're a tough'n, Peri, and there's nothing these goblins can throw at you that you can't handle.”
Peri perked up at the fighter's words. “You really think so?”
“Definitely.” Sonny stood up and held out his hand. “Now let's head back to the others, huh? They might need our help.”
Peri took the fighters hand and stood, picking up their mace as they padded down the path. With a quick prayer and a flourish of their paw, the mace took up its light once more, and the two adventurers walked down the passage to rejoin their party.
Once Peri and Sonny returned, Verne gave them each a once over to make sure they weren’t injured, then informed them of the new plan. Given that the flood was likely not a natural occurrence, and instead a defense mechanism triggered by the goblins, they could no longer rely on the element of surprise. And as they had no way of knowing how many goblins resided in the Cragmaw hideout, they would need to remain on high alert. The party drew their weapons and readied themselves for battle as they walked slowly down the passage.
They crept along until they came across another cavern, which was half filled by two pools, one of which was now empty. A narrow waterfall high in the eastern wall fed the pool, which drained into the western end of the chamber to form the stream that flowed out of the cave mouth below. Low fieldstone walls served as dams to hold the water in, and a wide exit stood to the south, while two smaller passages led west. The sound of the waterfall echoed through the cavern, making it difficult to hear. Standing at the center of the cavern were four goblins, all with shortbows at the ready. In a split second, the two parties sprung into action.
Viola moved first, running to the center of the room and drawing both blades with dizzying speed. Her first stroke easily felled one of the goblins, with the second finding its mark in another, but not cutting nearly as deep.
Rose quickly followed, aiming her staff and reciting a word of power before a fire bolt shot forth, badly singing the goblin Viola had previously injured.
Sonny ran forward, interposing himself between Viola and the other two goblins before slashing at one of them with his sword, but missing his target.
The injured goblin, shrieking with fury and pain, leaped back from its assailants before firing a shot at Viola, which embedded itself deep into the rogue’s belly. Viola staggered, but managed to maintain her footing.
Verne, seeing how fraught the situation was, wasted no time in firing off an arrow of his own, easily dispatching the archer that had wounded the young halfling.
Peri, seeing an ally injured, whipped out their holy symbol and uttered a word of divine power. With a pulse of golden light, Viola's wound began to knit itself together, pushing the arrow out and closing with hardly a sign that there had been a wound there at all. The tabaxi then bounded forward, smashing the still-glowing mace into the head of one of the goblins, dropping it instantly.
The last goblin, seeing its allies dispatched so easily, turned and scrambled for the southern exit. Though Sonny and Peri each tried their best to catch the goblin as he escaped, the creature proved too nimble, and quickly disappeared into the shadows beyond.
“Damn!” Viola cursed. She squinted through the darkness, but to no avail. The goblin was simply gone.
“What do we do now?” Peri asked. “Even I can't see where he went.”
“Well,” Verne mused, “we could give chase, but he likely ran in that direction because there were reinforcements there. And we've no guarantee that we'll have numbers on our side.”
“But if that's where the rest of the goblins are,” Sonny offered, “it could be where they're keeping Gundren and Sildar.”
“I don't think so.” Rose replied. “Goblins usually keep their “prizes” in a hoard room, far from the barracks to avoid any temptation of thievery (which, frankly, rarely works.) If that one's plan was to get reinforcements, then we'll likely find our friends that way.”
She pointed down the western path, which led across the rickety bridge they'd seen earlier.
“It appears we have a choice to make.” Verne folded his arms. “And I suggest we make it soon, before someone else decides for us. Do we go down the southern path to follow the goblin, or down the western path to try and find the treasure room?”
“My vote is for the western path.” Rose stated, matter-of-factly.
“I’m inclined to agree with you.” Verne replied.
“And what, we just let the goblin go?” Viola hissed. “Those little bastards shot me!”
“Which is why I’d think you’d want to approach with caution.” Rose drawled. “Or are you in a hurry to be shot again?”
Viola grumbled under her breath, but didn’t answer.
“I dunno about this, Rose,” Sonny interjected. “No disrespect, but we know for sure where the goblin went. This treasure hoard is just a hunch.”
“It’s not just a hunch!” the witch huffed. “I’ve done my research. I know how goblin dens operate, and I guarantee that they have a treasure hoard down that path.”
Sonny raised his hands in defeat. “Alright, I believe you,” he said. “We can head that way and see what we find. I just don’t feel great about going in blind.”
“Then we proceed with caution.” Verne replied, fitting an arrow to his bow. “We stay close together and proceed as a unit. Understood?”
The others nodded and fell into their marching order. Verne took point, with Rose right behind, Peri in the middle followed by Viola and Sonny at the rear. As they walked along the stony path, Viola leaned forward toward Peri.
“Hey.” she whispered. “About earlier. Thanks, y’know?”
Peri beamed. “Of course!” they chirped. “Anything for a frie-”
“Keep your voice down,” Viola hissed. “We’re still in a goblin cave, remember?”
Peri’s ears turned down. “Right, sorry.” The cleric turned back to the front in silence, still elated at having made progress. A sentiment shared by Sonny, whose grin didn’t go unnoticed by Viola.
“What are you looking at, hayseed?” The thief grumbled.
“Nothin’ at all,” the fighter smirked.
Viola’s head snapped back to the front, her face flushed.
The party eventually came to the bridge which, despite its precarious appearance, was fairly easy to cross, even for the heavier members of the group.
Following the passage, they eventually came to a large cave divided by a ten-foot-high escarpment. A steep natural staircase led from the lower portion to the upper ledge. The air was hazy with the smoke of a cooking fire, and pungent from the smell of poorly cured hides and unwashed goblins.
In the lower part of the cave, near the passage entrance, five goblins tended a large pot hanging over the cooking fire. They appeared to be arguing loudly over what ingredients to add to the pot, occasionally lashing out at each other with fists and elbows. Verne stepped closer, hoping to take them by surprise, but before he could loose an arrow, a scratchy voice yelled, “Oi, what’s this then?”
The elf turned to find a particularly fat goblin sidling up to the edge of the escarpment. The other goblins, hearing his cry, looked up from their work to find the party at the entrance of the cave. In a panic, they threw down their cooking implements and scrambled to find weapons. The party braced themselves for battle, before the leader of the goblins called out again. “Now hold on a tic!” he plopped down on the edge of the escarpment, his stubby legs dangling over the edge. “Before ye do anything stupid, tell me: who are ye and why’ve ye come into our home?”
The party looked at each other in surprise. They’d yet to encounter a goblin that didn’t attack first and ask questions later.
“I am Verne, of the Ardeep Forest.” Verne replied, stepping forward. “We come seeking friends of ours. A dwarf and a human. Have you seen them?”
“Name’s Yeemick. And I might’ve seen ‘em.” The goblin sneered. He hopped up, trotted over to the far side of the wall and came back dragging a slumped figure bound in ropes. The goblin grabbed the figure by the hair and lifted its head to reveal the severely beaten face of Sildar Halwinter. “This one of ‘em?”
Sonny stepped forward, but Verne held out his arm. “Yes,” the elf replied. “Sildar is one of the friends we seek. But what of the other?”
“Y’mean the dwarf?” Yeemick stroked his chin in feigned contemplation. “Ah, well that one I’m not so sure about. May have to jog my memory a bit, eh?”
“What do you want?” Viola growled, her hands tense around the blades at her hip.
“I s’ppose what any good goblin wants.” he replied. “A million gold pieces and a castle to keep it in. But lookin’ at you lot, I don’t think you have that spare, eh? So p’raps you help in a diff’rent way.”
“Again,” Viola snarled. “What. Do. You. Want?”
“Ah, touchy, that one is.” the goblin laughed. “Fair enough. I want control of the cave. Strictly speakin’ I’m not the leader of this outfit. That special honor belongs to Klarg- big brutish fella. Runs us into the ground, he does. Sends us out on raids just so we can find a silly little map and a fistful of copper. A waste, if you ask me.”
“So what do you want us to do about it?” Sonny asked.
“Well I don’t have to spell it out for you, do I?” Yeemick asked, annoyed. “I want you to go to the treasure room, cut off his sodding head and deliver it to me. That’s what you adventurer types are all about, right?”
“And if we do this, you’ll let Sildar go?” Verne asked.
“You have my word,” he replied.
“And you’ll tell us where Gundren is, too?” Sonny added.
“If I can remember, of course.” the goblin grinned, flashing a set of mossy green teeth. “Memory ain’t what it used to be in my old age.”
Verne frowned, then said. “I’m afraid we’ll have to decline your offer. In my life, I’ve known goblins to be many things, but ‘trustworthy’ isn’t one of them.”
Yeemick snarled, “Suit yerself then. Get ‘em boys!” And with that rallying cry, the goblins rushed forward, blades drawn.
Quick as a flash, Viola grabbed her swords and slashed out at one of the goblins, who avoided one of her blades, but got caught on the backswing of another.
In retaliation, it lunged forward with a blade of its own, but couldn’t find its mark with the nimble halfling, who dodged effortlessly to the side.
Three more goblins advanced, one swiping ineffectually at Peri, another failing to pierce Sonny’s armor and the third making a beeline for Verne. Ordinarily, an attack such as this would be no problem for the seasoned ranger, but with both hands occupied by his bow, he was unprepared, and let out a cry of pain as the goblin’s scimitar pierced his side.
Peri, seeing this unfold, drew their holy symbol with one paw and their mace in another. With a quick prayer, they mended the wound of their ally while simultaneously smacking their opponent with their mace.
The final of the floor goblins charged at Rose, who easily parried its sword stroke with a swing of her staff, responding in kind with a burst of flame.
Wounded and in close-quarters, Verne dropped his bow, instead opting for the dagger he kept stowed on his side. Moving with speed and precision, the elf pierced the leathers of his goblin assailant, drawing blood.
Hearing the labored breath of his companion, Sonny turned over his shoulder toward Verne, missing his target entirely as he did. “You alright, Verne?” he asked, nervously.
“For all our sakes, my friend,” the elf gasped, “please focus on yourself.”
Yeemick, seeing this, smirked as he knocked an arrow into his shortbow. With a sickening twang, he loosed his shot, which found its mark in Verne’s chest.
There was a moment of tense silence, and time in the cave seemed to slow. The members of the party watched in horror as their beloved friend and mentor fell to his knees.
Viola, with eyes ablaze with fury, lashed out with her blades, effortlessly cutting down the goblin before her.
Sonny, stepping between Verne and the goblins, let loose a war cry as three of them concentrated their attacks on him. He parried two of the strikes and shrugged off the third, before slamming his shield into the face of his attacker.
Peri, whose eyes were clouded with tears, swung their mace feebly toward the laughing faces of the goblin attackers.
And Rose, in a rare moment of shock, stood frozen as the goblin she’d easily parried before took advantage of her shock with a slash of its scimitar. Thankfully for the young witch, she wasn’t one to remain startled for long. In her fury, she drew her wand, and with a flourish of her wrist, let loose three darts of pink light, which each homed in on a goblin, bursting on impact and dispatching them in a flash of arcane energy.
Verne lifted his head. Though the elf clung to life by the fingernails, he was not one to let his allies down. With a shaking breath, he thrust his dagger from underneath Sonny’s arm, finding purchase in the neck of one of the goblins. But the momentum of the strike quashed the elf’s tedious balance, and he pitched forward to the ground.
Yeemick, realizing that the tide was turning, grabbed Sildar, and held him above the edge of the escarpment. “That’s enough!” he yelled, and all in the cavern went still. “Let me make something clear to you lot. I have the power here. Not you. You either do what I say, or the human gets it. Now drop your weapons.”
Rose, Sonny, Peri and Viola all turned to Verne, who staggered to his feet, but nodded, his eyes never leaving the escarpment. The party dropped their weapons and took a step back.
“Thank you for that. Ya bleedin’ idiots.” The goblin cackled as he threw Sildar’s unconscious form off the escarpment and quickly grabbed his shortbow from the ground.
Unfortunately for him, the party was far faster than he had anticipated.
Viola snatched up her short swords, making quick work of the final goblin on the ground.
Peri bounded over to Sildar in an attempt to heal the warrior’s wounds. But upon seeing the battered, broken form of their fallen friend, the tabaxi froze. Tears welled in their eyes once more, as they were faced with the now-familiar fear of death.
Rose snatched her staff and Verne his bow from the ground. They each took a moment to line up their shots before firing off a burst of flame and a single arrow, each finding their mark and dispatching the cretinous villain atop the escarpment.
With the threat of the goblins neutralized for now, attention shifted to Sildar. Peri stooped over his body, desperately choking back sobs as they attempted to patch his wounds. Seeing his friend struggle, Sonny ran over and placed a firm hand on the tabaxi’s shoulder.
“Hey pal,” the fighter said, sternly. “I appreciate the effort, but it doesn’t look like you’re getting very far. Mind if I step in?”
Peri’s eyes widened, but they nodded, shifting to the side to give the warrior space. After a brief once-over, Sonny quickly reset and bound Sildar’s leg, forming a makeshift tourniquet from Sildar’s own clothes. He then used various bandages and supplies across the various packs of the party members to stem the blood flow and cover the wounds. After a few minutes’ work, Sonny was done. And though it was faint, the party could hear Sildar breathing.
When Sonny was done, he stepped back and took a deep breath. He turned to find the rest of the party staring.
“What?” he asked, embarrassed.
“That was impressive, Sonny.” Verne said.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Rose asked. “Can you teach me?”
“Uh, sure.” Sonny replied. “Growing up on the farm we had to deal with lots of injuries- the animals, the workers, my brothers and sisters. I must've fixed dozens of broken legs (though this is my first human one, I guess) and stopping bleeding's no hassle either so long as you know what you're doing.”
“Yeah,” Peri offered. “Good job, Sonny.” The cleric looked at the ground, their ears tucked down in shame. They had stopped crying, but they looked absolutely miserable.
“Perhaps we should take a rest.” Verne suggested. “Once Sildar regains consciousness, we can ask him about Gundren's whereabouts and what to do next.”
Everyone nodded and the party sat down for a much-needed respite.
Sounds super exciting, I like the mix of your characters, there is a lot of potential for interesting dynamics in it. Looking forward to reading more of the story!
As the party regained their strength, Peri tended to Verne’s wound. Thankfully, the arrow hadn’t pierced Verne’s heart, jutting instead from the elf's right breast, near the armpit. As the head was narrow, the cleric was able to simply pull the arrow from the wound and quickly stem the bleeding with pressure before cleaning it with antiseptic and covering it with a bandage.
“Excellent work,” Verne grunted. “You make a fine surgeon, Peri.”
Peri smiled, but it was small and obviously forced. They were not the only one in dour spirits.
Sonny, who stood ten feet away, kept his eyes on the tunnel, his brow furrowed and his hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword, clearly expecting another attack.
Rose, by contrast, had her head buried in a book, feverishly turning the pages and occasionally muttering to herself, “I could have sworn…I’m never wrong about these things…”
Viola leaned against the wall, her face obscured beneath a drawn hood, but her stance stiff and rigid.
Deciding he needed to say something, Verne stood up, walked to the center of the cavern and said, “Listen to me. All of you.” The party turned to face the elf, their expressions taciturn.
“Things have not gone our way since entering this dungeon.” the ranger said. “We’ve been battered, bruised and washed away. I won’t deny that it has been difficult, nor will I claim that the road gets easier. But here in the heart of the goblins stronghold we cannot lose hope.”
“But Verne, you were hurt-” Peri started, but the elf silenced them with a raised hand.
“As someone who has lived a very long time, pain is but part of the journey.” Verne replied. “Doubly so for adventurers. We must not dwell on our failures, but instead on the successes along the way. We have saved a friend of ours, and have the path ahead of us to do so again. I ask that you stand by me as we see this quest through to the end. Should we reach Phandalin, and you wish to part ways after that, I do not blame you, though I would sorely miss your company. All I ask is that you fight on now.”
“Who can argue with a rousing speech like that?” A gruff voice groaned from the floor as Sildar awakened, rolling up to a seated position.
The party descended on the veteran, asking questions all at once. The big man waved them down, his movements stiff from his injuries.
“Please, not all at once,” the warrior coughed. “I can’t understand you when you mob me like that.”
When the party had settled down, Sildar told them all that had happened since they’d parted ways back in Neverwinter.
Evidently, Gundren had asked Sildar to provide escort to Phandalin so he could meet up with the other two Rockseeker brothers, Tharden and Nundro, who had recently located an entrance to the long-lost Wave Echo Cave. Incidentally, Sildar had been meaning to go to Phandalin anyway, as his former ally, Iarno Albrek, a wizard and fellow agent of the Lord’s Alliance, had disappeared shortly after arriving in Phandalin.
On the road, once they’d made it to the Triboar Trail, they were waylaid by Klarg and his goblin band who had been ordered by someone called the Black Spider to capture the dwarf and steal the map to the cave. Sildar believed that Klarg had sent the map and Gundren to the chief of the Cragmaws over at their stronghold, Cragmaw Castle. He didn’t know where the castle was, but figured someone in Phandalin might know, given the proximity.
After telling them what he knew, Sildar shakily rose to his feet, much to the chagrin of Peri and Sonny. “Back off, the both of you!” he scolded. “I’m not some feeble old man for you to fuss over. I’m a warrior- a rider of the Waterdeep Griffon Cavalry and protector of the Lord’s Alliance. And by my eye, there are some goblins that need vanquishing.” The man stepped over to one of the fallen goblins and picked up a shortsword.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Verne smiled.
“You can’t seriously be thinking of going after the leader?” Rose said. “In your condition, defeating a bugbear would be impossible, let alone with a horde of goblins at its back. It’s suicide!”
“You underestimate us, and yourself.” Verne replied. The elf walked up and placed a gentle hand on the witch’s shoulder. “Besides, I doubt that Klarg has many forces remaining as it stands.”
“How do you figure?” Sonny asked.
“It’s as Rose said,” Verne replied, “goblins separate their barracks as far as they can from their treasure hoard. This is the westernmost point of the cave, and we see no treasure, simply lodging and rations.” The elf gestured broadly to the cave they now stood in.
“So the other end of the cave must be where the treasure is held.” Viola offered.
“And if this place is the barracks for the whole outfit…” Sonny looked around the cave, noting the sparse number of beds.
“Then there must be only four goblins left, not including Klarg, who probably sleeps with the treasure hoard.” Rose said, pointing to a section in her tome.
“Giving us the numbers advantage.” Verne said. “Here is what I suggest: we storm the treasure hoard, pressing our advantage from a distance. And should the tide turn in the goblins favor, we flee via the return tunnels.”
“I’m in.” Viola proclaimed. “Gotta pay those suckers back for the hole in my belly.”
“As eloquent as that was,” Rose sniffed, “I’m going, too. They might have some spell scrolls lumped in with the treasure.”
“It can’t be helped.” Sonny sighed. “If y’all are going, so am I. How about it, Peri?”
The party turned to the tabaxi, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the proceedings.
“I don’t know…” they said, ears tucked down.
“C’mon, Fuzzface.” Viola said as she reached toward the cleric. “We need you.”
Peri smiled, clasped the outstretched hand and said, “Okay. Let’s do this.”
And with that, the party gathered their weapons and plunged once more into the tunnel.
After their rest, the party crossed the rickety bridge back into the cavern with the twin pools. They were about to turn down the southern tunnel to the treasure hoard, when Verne signaled for them to turn back north, holding a finger to his lips. The others furrowed their brows, but followed the elf's direction without a sound. Once they were clear of the cavern, the elf explained, “I’ve just remembered something from earlier. When I entered the chamber that held the wolves from earlier, I noticed a steep fissure leading to an opening in the wall. Perhaps this is mere speculation, but I would wager that opening leads to the treasure hoard.”
“I did think it strange that the wolves didn’t seem to be guarding anything,” Rose mused.
“Sneaking around back definitely beats walking into a possible trap.” Viola said. “Lead the way.”
Verne nodded and the party looped back the way they’d come, eventually returning to the cavern with the now loose chains and a gravel fissure that led up to a narrow chimney. After a brief discussion, it was determined that Viola and Verne would climb up first, taking the goblins unawares and providing cover while the others climbed up after them in the confusion.
Verne quickly and silently climbed to the top of the chimney with ease, but Viola, who was far too short to reach, required the assistance of Sonny to reach the proper handholds. Despite this minor setback, the two stealthy operatives successfully made it to the opening into the treasure hoard.
Within the cave, sacks and crates of looted provisions were piled up in the south end, behind which they saw the goblins hiding, eyes trained on the northern entrance that the party had almost entered through. Far nearer, behind some stalagmites, stood the hulking form of a bugbear, along with a mangy wolf, whose tongue lolled as it swayed side to side. Viola looked over at Verne, unsure if the ranger would agree to fight with the animal present, but the elf nodded solemnly, as if sensing her silent question. In the middle of the cavern, the coals of a large fire smoldered. So far, Viola and Verne had not been noticed.
Viola crept up to the wolf, swords drawn, and slashed in a wide arc, hampering the wolf with the first stroke before silencing it with the second.
Verne quickly followed with a shot of his arrow, but Klarg, alerted by the yip of his beloved pet, dodged to the side as the arrow shattered against the stalagmite.
“Who dares defy Klarg?” the bugbear yelled, slamming a heavy fist against his chest.
Rather than answer, Viola charged forward, aiming to give the goblins chief the same treatment she’d given the wolf, but the halfling found the bugbear to be far heartier than she’d thought. Klarg effortlessly dodged her first strike and though the second hit its mark, did little to phase the raging bugbear.
In response to the commotion, one of the goblins on the south end of the chamber, snatched up a short bow and fired an arrow, thankfully missing either combatant.
Verne fired another shot, this time imbuing his arrow with a mote of primal energy that glowed bright green as it arced through the air, embedding itself in the bugbears shoulder.
From the bottom of the chimney, Rose managed to grab a handhold and climb to the top. Panting from the effort, Rose recited a quick incantation, locking eyes with Klarg before placing a hex on the bugbear to hamper his dexterity.
Peri quickly followed, effortlessly scampering up the incline before letting loose a burst of sacred flame that narrowly missed the goblin firing arrows at them.
Klarg, furious at the surprise assault, swung a heavy morningstar at Viola, who ducked beneath the blow with ease, further enraging the furry foe.
Sonny climbed up after the others, but found that with Rose, Peri and Verne all standing together at the opening, there was little room to do anything else.
The remaining goblins drew their bows and began to fire at those grouped up in the entrance, missing Peri, nicking Rose, and hitting Verne, who collapsed, clutching his chest as the previous wound reopened.
Viola continued her assault on Klarg, but the bugbear, having now experienced four of the halfling’s attacks, learned her pattern and avoided both strikes and shoved her out past the stalagmite, giving one of his allies a free shot, which pierced into the rogues back.
In response, Rose shot a fire bolt at the bugbear, but narrowly missed.
Verne struggled to regain his footing, but found the pain in his chest to be too great as he lay gasping for air.
Peri fired another burst of sacred flame, this time blasting the goblin that had shot Viola.
Klarg, seeking to press his advantage, continued his assault on Viola, barely missing the halflings head with his deadly morningstar.
Sonny, charging forward from the chimney pass, swung at the bugbear, who parried the young warrior's blow. “You’ll have to try harder than that to best Klarg, boy.” he sneered.
The goblins fired another round of arrows, this time striking Peri between the plates of their scale male. The tabaxi yowled in pain, but didn’t falter, eyes trained on their foes.
Maneuvering around Sonny, Viola tried to find openings in Klarg’s defenses, but with each stroke the bugbear seemed to be getting faster, and the party was quickly losing the upper hand. With a gasp, Viola felt a sharp pang in his her side as another arrow found its mark. With gritted teeth, the rogue tightened her grip on both blades, barely clinging to consciousness.
Verne, seeing the scene before him, snarled as he pulled himself desperately to his feet, a loose grip maintained on his bow.
Emboldened by the spirits of her allies, Rose lifted her wand and fired another fire bolt at Klarg, and combined with the dark magics of the hex doing their work, the bugbear finally went down in a burst of flame.
Following that momentum, Peri charged into the cavern, drawing their mace and smashing it into the head of one of the goblins felling them instantly while Sonny followed with a sword stroke of his own that cleaved another in two.
Seeing their fellows dispatched with such ease, the remaining goblins scampered for the exit, ducking under sword and mace alike, but not nimbly enough to avoid the blades of Viola, who cut one down as they passed and hampered the other who tripped, giving Sonny all the window he needed to close the gap and finish the job.
The party huffed, exhausted from the day's efforts but victorious.
Searching the chamber, they found most of the supplies to be marked by the blue lion symbolizing the Lionshield Coster, a merchant company with posts all across Faerun, including one in Phandalin. Additionally, they found a treasure chest hidden amongst the furs that held 600 cp, 110 sp, two potions of healing and a jade statuette of a frog with tiny golden orbs for eyes. The party agreed to split the coin evenly, dispersing the potions between Verne and Viola, who had suffered the most injury of the group, and deciding to sell the frog once they got to Phandalin and split whatever coin they got for it accordingly.
“What a waste,” Rose sighed. “All that trouble and not a single measly spell scroll.”
“You could always buy one,” Viola chimed in, her hands jostling the coins in the chest. “Look at all this! Have you ever seen so much in one place?” The halfling tossed two handfuls in the air, quickly catching them and dropping them back into the chest, watching each silver disc as it clinked back in place.
“Viola, please,” Verne laughed. “I understand your excitement, but we still have a job to do. Need I remind you that our employer is still missing?”
The halfling stuck out her tongue, but closed the chest (after grabbing two of the coins, which did not escape Verne’s notice, though the elf said nothing.)
“Speaking of,” Sonny interjected. “What’s the plan? We sorta know where Cragmaw Castle is thanks to those goblins we met on the trail, but we don't know what's waiting there, or if Gundren’s even alive.”
“I suppose not,” Verne replied, “but for now we should press on to Phandalin, deliver our goods as requested and then start asking the townsfolk what they know about the castle. That will be our first step.”
The party offered no argument, and working carefully, they managed to transport the bulky goods down the chimney they’d entered from, across the stream and back to the cart in the forest. The remaining ride to Phandalin was a quiet one. Some nursed their wounds, while others dreamed of the journey ahead- whether with fear, excitement, or both, they did not know. But one thing was certain, they would face whatever came together.
After a week on the road we've finally arrived in Phandalin, and to say we're exhausted would be an understatement. After that ghastly business in the Cragmaw hideout I've had quite enough of dungeons for a while, so hopefully we have ample time to rest.
Phandalin is unfortunately without a magic shop, so I won't be able to copy any spells into my grimoire. But through my own research I have uncovered the correct material, somatic and verbal components for two new spells: false life and feather fall. Admittedly, these acquisitions were born out of necessity. After seeing Verne felled by arrows, and Sildar dropped off a cliff it made me realize that my collection lacked some important utility. Now (hopefully) I can proceed to the next adventure a bit more safely.
In the meantime, I plan to take full advantage of the facilities here in Phandalin, namely: a soft bed and a hot bath. Hopefully the others take productive use of these as well (Sonny especially- the addition of goblin blood on top of the lingering farm smell has been overpowering to say the least.)
Hey, little brother. How are things back home? In ma's letter she said everything was fine, but I know she doesn't like to let on when things get rough. If there's anything you need, just let me know and I'll come running. I promise.
I wish you could see some of the things we get into out here. One of our friends was taken by some evil goblins and we had to fight our way through their lair to save him! Like something out of Old Man Thielann's stories, huh? Tell ya the truth, I'm kinda sad that I'll be saying goodbye to these folks soon, but don't worry. I know where I belong.
Speaking of, spring’s getting on and since I'm not back yet, make sure you guys are pitching in and helping ma and pa with the corn and barley. Make sure to mind the animals, too- they're family, after all.
Love,
Sonny
P. S.
This might be weird asking advice from your younger sibling and all, but you've always had better luck on the social side of things. For the past day and a half it seems like the others are avoiding me for some reason, and I've got no idea why. Do you know what I could've done, and how to fix it? I'd hate to part on bad terms. Let me know.
I thank the Wildmother that I am able to write this letter. Our journey took a dangerous turn, and were it not for my allies, I likely would have lost my life. And though I do miss you dearly, I believe I have quite a bit more to see and do before our reunion.
As I wrote in my last letter, we were on our way to Phandalin to deliver a cart of goods on behalf of Gundren Rockseeker. When we turned off the High Road and got onto the Triboar Trail, we found two felled horses belonging to our patron and were quickly assaulted by a troupe of goblins. We dispatched the enemy and uncovered the path to their lair, which we surmised was where they'd taken Gundren and his guard, Sildar.
We followed the path and fought our way through the goblin hideout, avoiding many traps (and unfortunately for Peri, falling into others) but were successfully able to locate Sildar, who was being held prisoner by the goblins.
The goblins second-in-command, Yeemick, was a dishonorable beast who wanted us to kill his leader, Klarg, so he could assume control. When we refused, his men attacked us, and though the fight turned dire, we emerged victorious. Thanks to the medical skill of Peri (and, surprisingly, Sonny) we all escaped the incident relatively unharmed.
We then decided to dispatch the leader of the band of goblins. Per Sildar's information, Klarg and the other goblins were acting under the orders of a shadowy figure known as The Black Spider. And after the dismantling of his forces, he would likely come back with far greater numbers and descend on Phandalin. In order to avoid that outcome, we had to strike first.
Utilizing stealth, Viola and I mounted a surprise attack with the others following soon after. We quickly gained momentum, but the bugbear proved a cunning foe, and adapted quickly to our attacks. In the discord of it all, I was struck by an arrow and removed from the fight. But thankfully my young compeers banded together and won the day.
I hope that in reading this you do not think me a brute or a monster. Please know that I take no joy in the killing of other living beings. But my long life has given me perspective, and I've come to learn that there are often times when we must do things we find distasteful for the sake of those who cannot protect themselves.
After the battle, I was unfortunately of little help in transporting the goods. The bulk of the work was accomplished by Sonny, whose prodigious strength was an incredible asset. His exertions did, however, have the side effect of producing a rather unpleasant body odor. I do not wish to sound ungrateful, but as a man gifted with fairly potent senses it was…startling. It harkens me back to the days when your grandfather was young, and Rosalie and I had to teach him to bathe properly. A fond memory- pungent though it may be.
We will soon be entering Phandalin proper, and I must retire for now. My body aches and my wounds must mend. But I promise I shall have more adventures to share with you in the coming days.
With love everlasting,
Verne
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For a while now, I've been using the LMoP campaign as a framework for a story that I use as a warm-up and palate cleanser for and from my main work. Figured I'd share some of it here for folks interested in reading fantasy stories in smaller, more digestible bites while still scratching that specific D&D fiction itch. So without further ado, here are the introductory stories of our heroes: Rose (Hexblood Wizard), Sonny (Human Fighter), Verne (Wood Elf Ranger), Peri (Tabaxi Cleric) and Viola (Lightfoot Halfling Rogue). I hope you enjoy!
LMoP - Chapter 0: The Road to Phandalin (Rose)
15 Tarsakh 1491 DR
Prepared Spells
Disguise Self
Magic Missile
Shield
Sleep
Component Pouch
1/4lb charcoal
5 sticks incense
1 pkg herbs
15 rose petals
Dear Diary,
This journey has proven to be a bit more complicated than I thought it would be. Waterdeep ended up being a bust, and while I'm sure the Eltorchul, Wands and Waymoot Magical Academies are all fine schools, I think I've outgrown the classroom at this point. Not to be one of those mages, but I mastered most of their third-year curriculums before I could walk. Perks of being raised by a witch, I suppose.
On the bright side, in talking to headmaster Krothus of the Waymoot school, we learned of an abjurer who lives in Neverwinter. While I've always had better luck with charms and illusions than wards, it doesn't hurt to stay versatile (and besides, it could be helpful to learn some nondetection magic, in case Brunhilde decides to come looking for me.) It took some convincing to get Sonny to come along, and I suppose I can understand wanting to get back to his family, but who in their right mind would choose some smelly old farm over traveling the world? Thankfully, we got him to see reason, and were soon on our way, but not without some unpleasantness on our way out.
We stopped by the bookstore to check out their selection of grimoires, and Verne caught this grubby little halfling girl stealing books! Verne told the shop keeper that we would “see that she faced justice” but when we got outside, rather than turn the little thief over to the proper authorities, Verne offered her a place in our party! Can you believe that? I had always heard that their long lives gave elves wisdom, but now I'm not so sure. What I do know is, for as long as Viola's around, I'll be keeping a close eye on my spellbook.
As for our other party member, I have no complaints! Peri is an adorable little kitty, and a fascinating creature. I hope to learn more about divine magic through talking with them. Though previous attempts have been a bit…unfocused…I'm determined to keep trying. There's not a spell out there I can't crack!
Anyway, diary, it's getting late and I should probably get some sleep. A good witch needs her rest, after all! While things didn't work out in Waterdeep, I'm excited to see what comes from Neverwinter and beyond. Faerün is such a wonderful place, and I can't wait to see it all!
Until next time,
Rose
LMoP - Chapter 0: The Road to Phandalin (Sonny)
Hey Ma,
Sorry it's been a while since I last wrote you. We've been on the open road so dang long this is the first chance I've had to get to a post office. Is everything ok at home? I know the plan was for me to be back in time for Daisy's birthday, but it actually looks like I'll be gone a bit longer. Tell her I said sorry, and be sure to give her the bag of candies I'm sending along with the courier. Things kinda took a turn, so I'm actually writing this from the Lionshield Coster in Neverwinter.
I know we said we'd only be going as far as Waterdeep, and we did go there first- actually made it there in less time than we thought thanks to Mr. Verne's guidance. But when we got to the magic shop Rose talked about, she and the owner got to talking about some big-shot abjurer (whatever the heck that is) in Neverwinter, and she insisted that we go to meet him so she could learn his craft. I wanted to say no, honest, but you and pa taught me never to ignore a friend in need. I couldn't just let her and the others go up north by themselves. You always told me about how dangerous the countryside can be- what if they run into monsters?
Speaking of, there's all kindsa crazy critters out here. Clement and Gil would lose their beans if they saw half of it- giant birds with axes for faces, talking frog men, suits of armor that move without anyone in ‘em? Real spooky stuff. So far no gnolls, thankfully. After my run-in with our ‘cellar guest’ I've had my fill of the nasty things.
Anyway, sorry for taking so long to get back. We linked up with this dwarvish fella the other day, and he hired us to move some supplies down to Phandalin, but I promise, once that's done I'll be right back home to help with planting time. This adventuring business is fun and all, but I won't forget where I belong.
Love,
Sonny
LMoP - Chapter 0: The Road to Phandalin (Verne)
My Dearest Anais,
I write this journal in the hopes that I can capture the essence of my adventures so that I can relay them when next we meet. While you may find it strange that one could forget the wonders of a journey such as this, you must understand that after nearly three centuries of life, my perspective on what makes an important detail is slightly skewed. And as I am no natural storyteller, it falls to me in the present to record the goings-on so that I may share them accurately in the future.
You'll be pleased to know that I will not be undergoing this journey alone. Through a series of happenstances, I find myself with four young charges, each with stories of their own.
Rose, a witch traveling the world in search of magical secrets. Her appetite for knowledge is as all-consuming as the brightest flame.
Sonny, a warrior from Goldenfields leaving home for the first time. Ardent and steadfast as the earth he used to farm.
Peri, a tabaxi gifted with divine power. Yet despite the responsibility such a gift entails, they are as carefree as a summer breeze.
Viola, a thief who grew up on the streets of Waterdeep. Hers is a turbulent journey, ever-changing as the tides.
Our travels brought us to the city of Neverwinter, where we met a dwarf by the name of Gundren Rockseeker. Gundren claimed that he and his brothers had discovered an opportunity in Phandalin, and that he wished to set up shop there. He hired our party to transport a wagon of provisions along the High Road to the Triboar Trail, heading southeast. Though he wasn't very forthcoming about what this opportunity was, he assured us it was ‘something big’ and offered us ten gold pieces each for safely transporting his supplies to Barthen's Provisions, a trading post in Phandalin. Gundren set out ahead of us on horseback, accompanied by a warrior named Sildar Hallwinter. He claimed that he needed to arrive early to ‘take care of business’ once again refusing to elaborate on what that business was.
After securing the provisions we headed south from Neverwinter along the High Road. In the several days of travel, I got to know more about my young charges. Their names and basic histories, of course, but I find that those only give half the measure of a person. It's in the expressions and subtle behaviors that you truly begin to understand someone- something that I, with my elven senses, am well-equipped to perceive. Like Rose, with her notebook, constantly jotting down or sketching what she sees, ever-curious and delighted by new experiences. Or Sonny's glances across the wagon, ensuring that everyone is still safe, but lingering ever-so-slightly on Rose, with an expression that tragically overlooks Viola, who gazes at him in much the same way. And then of course there's Peri, for whom my sharp eyes and ears are not only useful, but indeed a necessity, as their curiosity has proven to be much less constructive than Rose's (thankfully nothing of value has been destroyed…yet.)
As we make our final push eastward down the Triboar Trail, I end this entry with excitement for what's to come. I eagerly await the moment I am able to share my tale with you, and I pray to Mielikki, mistress of the woods, that your rest is a peaceful one.
With love everlasting,
Verne
LMoP - Chapter 0: The Road to Phandalin (Peri)
15 Tarsakh
Prayer
“I gratefully thank You, O Morning Lord, for restoring the sun to heavens above.
Abundant is your faithfulness.”
Thanks
Thank you for giving me the chance to spread your teachings.
Thank you for raising the sun each morning to light my path.
Thank you for sending the bird that flew into the cart. It was very tasty.
Blessings
I pray for blessings for my allies, who keep me company on the road.
I pray that the red one can find some new magic spells. She seemed sad when she didn't get any in Waterdeep.
I pray for good health for the yellow one's family. He talks about them a lot.
I pray for guidance for the green one. So he can lead us where we need to go.
And I'll pray for the purple one too, I guess. Even though she's really mean.
Closing
Thank you Lathander, Inspiration’s Dawn, for all you do. For the warmth and light you wash over us. Till the next dawn comes.
Amen.
LMoP - Chapter 0: The Road to Phandalin (Viola)
Currently on the road to Phandalin.
The elf told me we'd find treasure on this trip, but so far it's just been long, stupid cart rides and meetings with boring old wizards.
Guess I can't complain too much. Food in my belly and a roof over my head is better than starving in an alley back in Waterdeep. But still, the people I'm traveling with are driving me nuts.
The cat keeps fiddling with things in the cart and breaking them, and the elf does nothing to stop him. When he brought me into this team, I figured he must be in charge, but he doesn't do anything to corral anyone. He just sits there with this far-out look on his face while everything goes to sod around him. If Rockseeker docks our pay for broken goods I'm not giving up my share, that's for sure.
The girl is the worst. Always shooting me these side-eye glances across the cart and clutching her stupid book bag. Why would I want her ratty old books or her bag full of garbage anyway? Besides, what kind of weirdo keeps bundles of charcoal, incense, herbs and flower petals with them on the road? Creepy witch.
Sonny is ok, I guess. He's…nice.
Once we get to Phandalin, we better find some treasure or something, or I might bail on this stupid trip.
- V
Chapter 1: Goblin Ambush
Spring along the Sword Coast is a marvelous thing. The breeze blows sweet with the scent of flowers, the air is rich with bird song, and colorful wagons roll down the road, following the promise of wealth and adventure.
On the 15th of Tarsakh, one such wagon trundled down the road bearing a motley crew of adventurers. At the helm was Sonny, a tall blond-haired youth who beckoned the horses on in a gentle tone. Immediately behind him in the wagon was Rose, a girl with magenta robes who thoughtfully twirled her hair while poring over a leather-bound tome. At the back of the wagon were Peri and Viola, a tabaxi and halfling respectively, who were both silently fuming from the argument they'd just had. Meanwhile Verne, a wizened wood elf, sat between the two of them, taking a much-needed rest after mediating said argument.
The party was heading south on the orders of Gundren Rockseeker, a dwarf that they had met in the city of Neverwinter. They were unsure who or what the goods in the wagon were for, as Gundren had been rather secretive when discussing their contract. He simply stated that he and his brothers had found “something big” and offered the party ten gold pieces each for escorting his supplies safely to Barthen's Provisions- a trading post in the rough-and-tumble settlement of Phandalin, a couple days’ travel southeast of Neverwinter. Gundren himself had set out ahead on horseback, along with a warrior escort named Sildar Hallwinter, claiming he needed to arrive early to “take care of business.”
The party had spent the last few days following the High Road south from Neverwinter, and had just recently veered east along the Triboar Trail. So far, they hadn't encountered any trouble, but knew that the countryside could be dangerous, especially for a supply wagon. Bandits and outlaws had been known to lurk along the trail, so they were on the lookout for anything suspicious.
A few hours after they'd made their turn, the party reached a stretch where the woods pressed close to the trail, with a steep embankment and dense thickets on either side. It was there that Sonny spotted two dun-colored lumps lying about fifty feet ahead of the wagon. He called back to Verne, whose elven senses were better equipped to observe the situation. Verne climbed forward, and after a moment informed the group that the two forms were dead horses, and that he planned to go investigate. The elf lighted down to the ground and strode over to the horses, taking care to scan the clearing for any sign of the ones responsible.
Upon closer inspection, Verne found that each of the bodies had several black-feathered arrows sticking out of it. The saddlebags had been looted and nearby on the ground was an empty leather map case. The elf gently picked up the case and turned it over in his hands, finding the emblem of the Rockseeker clan emblazoned on the side. He was about to turn and inform his fellows, when all of a sudden he heard a rustle in the thicket to his left. His muscles tensed and he slowly put his hand up towards the wagon, holding up four fingers and gesturing sharply toward the forest with his head.
In an instant, a twang rang out in the clearing and Verne dropped quickly to the ground, narrowly avoiding two arrows as they whizzed over his head. The elf scrambled to draw his bow as four goblins emerged from the brush, two on each side of the road. The party, seeing their ally in danger, sprang into action.
First was Rose, who stood up and pulled a blue satin bag and a blackthorn wand from her hip. She reached into the bag, pulled out a handful of rose petals and began to recite an incantation as the petals swirled in the air. With a flick of her wrist and a flash of arcane energy, two of the goblins slumped to the ground.
Next came Sonny, who pulled hard on the reins and commanded the horses, who had begun to buck in the chaos, to calm down. Impressively, the horses heeded the young warrior and were still, providing him enough time to leap from the wagon and run to Verne’s side, where he planted himself, shield drawn, between his elven ally and the remaining goblins.
With Sonny providing defensive cover, Verne jumped to his feet and quickly fired an arrow, which embedded itself into the chest of one of their assailants, felling it in one shot.
The final goblin, seeing how easily its allies had been dispatched, made the wise decision to retreat and live another day. However, a flash of radiant light from Peri and the slashing of Viola's twin blades cut those notions (and the goblin) to ribbons.
When the dust settled, the party gathered itself and took stock of the situation. On one hand, none of them had been harmed, which was certainly a good thing. But on the other, it appeared that their benefactor and his escort hadn't been so lucky.
“Well that's just great,” Viola whined. “I guess we can forget about getting paid.”
“Who cares about that?” Peri cried. “The Bearded One is in trouble! We have to help him!”
“I'm with Peri,” said Sonny. “We can't just sit on our hands while a friend is in need.”
“‘Friend’ feels like a bit much, considering we met the man three days ago.” Viola mumbled. “But alright, say we do go on a rescue mission. Where do we start? I don't think these guys are feeling very talkative.” She gestured with her toe at the dismembered goblins at her feet.
“Thankfully,” Rose drawled, “not all of us go around butchering intelligent creatures.” She gestured to the two goblins that she had downed which, upon closer inspection, were simply asleep, one of them snoring loudly.
“Ok, princess,” Viola sneered, “the next time someone starts shooting at us, I'll be sure to sing them a lullaby, too.”
Rose rolled her eyes and ignored the comment, instead asking, “I don't suppose any of you have something to tie them up with?”
Sonny eagerly stepped forward, pulling a thick cord of rope from his pack. “I've got it, Rose. Just sit tight and I'll have ‘em hog-tied in no time.”
Viola scoffed and folded her arms. “‘I've got it Rose’.” she mumbled. “I swear, it's like watching a dog beg for scraps.” The halfling turned away, accidentally meeting the silent, knowing gaze of Verne. After a brief moment, the young thief turned her eyes downward.
Once the goblins had been secured, Rose released the enchantment on them and they began to struggle like mad to get free. Verne held up a hand and then said something in the Goblin tongue that made the two stop struggling. He appeared to ask them a question, and the two of them nodded. “Now,” the elf continued, this time in Common, “We have several questions for you, and it would be in your best interest to answer them truthfully. We do not wish to hurt you.”
“Speak for yourself,” Viola snarled. The halfling plucked a dagger from her left boot and tossed it into the ground, mere inches away from where the goblins sat. The goblins began to shake as Verne, unfazed, said, “Well, I suppose most of us do not wish to hurt you.”
With that display of intimidation, the goblins agreed to tell the party everything they knew. Gundren and Sildar had been captured a little over a day ago by a goblin hunting party and taken back to their leader, Klarg. Klarg answered to King Grol, chief of the Cragmaw tribe, who dwelled in Cragmaw Castle, which lie about twenty miles northeast of the Cragmaw hideout in Neverwinter Wood.
According to the goblins, Klarg had received a message from King Grol a few days ago saying that somebody named the Black Spider was paying the Cragmaws to find the dwarf Gundren Rockseeker, capture him, and send him and anything he was carrying back to King Grol. Klarg followed his orders, and had Gundren ambushed and taken along with his personal effects, including a map. Gundren and the map had been delivered to King Grol as instructed, while the dwarf's human companion was being held in the “eating cave.”
“Eating Cave?” Sonny cried. “Y'all eat people?!”
“No!” The goblins cried, disgusted. “Would never eat humans! Probly taste terrible! We eat normal food like fish. Sometimes rabbits!”
“Then why are you keeping Sildar in your ‘eating cave’?” Rose asked.
“That where we have most goblins at a time.” One of the goblins replied. “Many goblin keep watch while they snack.”
“But not on human.” The other goblin snarled and stuck its tongue out at Sonny.
“I-I'm sorry,” Sonny stammered, “I didn't mean-”
Verne held up a silencing hand and gave Sonny a pointed but gentle look. “I apologize for my friend's insult. We are grateful for your help today, and in honor of our agreement, I will see that you are not harmed.” The elf plucked Viola's dagger from the dirt and held it momentarily before him, the goblins eyes growing wide as they stared at the gleaming blade. Then, with one swift motion, Verne cut through the rope and took a step back as the goblins scrambled over one another and fled into the forest.
Viola started to move after them, but Verne caught the young halfling and stopped her with a firm hand on her shoulder. “What're you doing?” She snarled. “They're getting away!”
“Yes, they are.” Verne replied, handing the dagger back to its owner. “As we agreed they'd be able to.”
“As you agreed to.” Viola growled.
“You wish to kill them, then?” Verne asked. “Why would that be?”
“They shot at us with arrows!” Viola cried. “That isn't reason enough for you?”
“As I recall,” the elf replied calmly, “our attackers shot at me. And yet I bear no grudge against them. Why, I wonder, do you?”
“Oh, never mind.” Viola grumbled, thrusting her dagger back in its holster. “With all the time you spent lecturing, they're probably long gone by now. So now what? They told us where Cragmaw Castle is, but not the hideout where they're keeping Hallwinter.”
“That much, I can discern for myself.” The elf said as he strode over to where the goblins had initially broken through the brush. Hidden behind the thicket on the north side of the trail was a path that stretched far into the wood, heading northwest. Verne pointed out several sets of footprints and two deep tracks in the dirt, denoting about a dozen goblins, as well as two human-sized bodies that had been hauled away from the ambush site.
Noting the trail, the party decided to steer the wagon away from the road and tie off the horses while they followed the hidden path on foot. Verne took point, with Viola close behind, Rose in the middle, then Peri and Sonny at the rear.
About ten minutes into their trek, this marching order proved advantageous, as Verne's heightened senses alerted him to the traps that the goblins had set. The first being a snare trap that Viola quickly disabled and pocketed for later use, and the second being a pit trap, which had been cleverly disguised with branches and leaves, but not cleverly enough for a seasoned ranger. Once the party had successfully navigated the trail, they came upon a break in the forest overlooking a rolling hillside and a narrow river. Near the base of the hill, Verne noticed two goblins lazily standing guard on the other side of the river, clearly marking the entrance to the Cragmaw hideout.
With their query in sight, the goal was clear. To infiltrate the goblin hideout, rescue Sildar Hallwinter, and retrieve the goods that had been stolen by the Cragmaws. But for now: it was time to plan.
Lost Mine of Phandelver is the official Starter Kit adventure with a good balance of combat, exploration, and social interaction. It's one of the the most played adventures of all time and a common touchstone for many players. Its best hooks are for characters motivated by personal prospects, uncovering lore, or helping the citizens of Phandalin. It runs levels 1-5. Its main story will likely take a couple months of sessions [or your own best estimate], possibly more, partially dependent on the side quests you pursue. https://100001****/
Chapter 2.1: The Cave Mouth
Obscured by the brush of the forest, Verne observed the scene across the stream and reported his findings to the rest of the party, who stood a few paces back. He could see that the mouth of the cave was fairly large, easily able to fit two people standing abreast, though the stream flowing out of it would make doing so difficult. On either side of the stream were dense briar thickets, which obscured much of the far side from the elf's view, but upon further inspection were revealed to cover a dry path that fed into the cave. Within one briar thicket was a small, hollowed out area that formed a blind from which two goblin sentries stood watch. Wooden planks had been laid to flatten out the briars and provided room for the two goblins to lie hidden and watch the area- something they were thankfully not doing very attentively.
Once the scene had been thoroughly surveilled, the party decided that Verne and Viola, the two stealthiest members of the group, should sneak up and dispatch the sentries so that the others could pass through undetected. Peri, Rose and Sonny watched as their two dexterous companions crossed over to the briar thickets. Verne, ever the seasoned ranger, squatted low and crept slowly along the ground, his green cloak offering ample camouflage against the foliage. Viola, by contrast, darted quickly into position- her light steps and silent approach as natural to her as breathing. The two soon came upon the goblins: Viola immediately next to the blind and Verne some paces back. With a quiet nod of assent the two readied their weapons. They would only have one chance at this- they had to make it count.
Viola struck first, slashing at the nearest goblin with her twin short swords. With the element of surprise on her side, she cut down her foe with ease. Surprised, the other goblin jumped up, possibly to run into the cave to warn his compatriots, but he never got the chance. With a flash of movement and the twang of a bowstring, the goblin soon joined his fallen comrade. With the guards dispatched, Verne waved the rest of the party over, and they reconvened at the mouth of the cave.
Why is the green dragon at thundertree so strong
Chapter 2.2: The Kennel
Just inside the cave mouth, uneven stone steps led up to a small, dank chamber on the east side of the passage. The cave narrowed to a steep fissure at the far end, where the air was heavy with the stench of animals. Savage snarls and the sounds of rattling chains denoted three wolves that were chained up just inside the opening. Each wolf’s chain led to an iron rod driven into the base of a stalagmite. Upon seeing the party, the wolves lunged, loosening the iron rods that bound them.
Peri scrambled backwards, the young tabaxi shaking from head to toe. “They have d-dogs here?” they stammered, hiding as best they could behind Sonny.
“I’d hardly call them ‘dogs’,” Rose sniffed. “Though I suppose they do share a common ancestor.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Viola chimed in, smirking at the Cleric’s obvious terror. “I think they might make good guard dogs. Maybe we should take them with us?”
“No, no, no!” Peri yowled as they shook their head and covered their ears.
“Viola, cut it out.” Sonny sighed. “Look, the longer we stand here, the more riled they're gonna get. So let’s get a move on already.”
The other three nodded and began to press on into the tunnel, but Verne didn’t move a muscle. “Verne?” Sonny asked. “Everything alright-” the fighter stopped, in shock. Throughout their travels, Verne had been a stoic companion, approaching all situations with measured calm and reason. That was why it was so alarming for Sonny to find a look of abject fury across the elf's face. Suddenly, Verne strode forward into the chamber, ignoring the protests of his traveling companions.
The wolves snapped at the elf, who stood just beyond the length of the chains. Verne held up one of his hands toward the wolves, while the other fished around for something in his pack. He plucked out three packets of trail rations and extended them toward the wolves, who by degrees, stopped their snarling. The rest of the party watched with bated breath as the ranger extended his offering. The largest of the wolves leaned forward, and Verne extended the food closer to her. Apparently satisfied, the wolf began to eat the food from the ranger's hand, and the other two quickly followed. Verne gently stroked behind the ears of the wolves as he set to work delicately undoing the fastenings of their collars.
Once his work was done, Verne slowly stood up and drew another portion of trail rations from his pack. The wolves quickly stepped toward the ranger, but he held up his hand once more and the beasts heeded. Moving slowly, Verne walked back to the others, never taking his eyes off the wolves, who followed at a similar pace. Sonny held out his arm to shield the others behind him, but made no move to draw his weapon. The young fighter simply kept his eyes on Verne, trusting that the elf wouldn’t put them in harm's way. After a tense moment, Verne tossed the trail rations to the mouth of the cave and gestured for the wolves to follow, and without a moment's hesitation, they bounded over to the food, gobbled it up and ran to freedom.
Once the wolves had disappeared into the thicket, Verne turned to his companions and said, “I apologize, friends. Perhaps that was foolish of me, but I could not stand idle while innocent creatures were in need.”
“I’d hardly call those things ‘innocent’.” Peri mumbled.
If Verne had heard the tabaxi’s comment, he made no outward sign of it. He simply gathered his pack and pressed further into the cave, with the others quickly following.
Chapter 2.3: Flood!
The main passage from the cave mouth climbed steeply upward, the stream plunging and splashing down its west side. As they pressed onward, the light dimmed until the path was completely cloaked in shadow. In the dim light, they could faintly make out a side passage that led west across the other side of the stream, but that passage was just as dark as the one ahead of them.
“I can’t see a lick down that way.” Sonny sighed. “Anybody got a torch?”
Peri perked up and lifted their mace. “Who needs a torch, when you’ve the light of the Dawnfather?” The mace suddenly shone with a bright blue light that illuminated the whole cavern.
“Put that out, dummy!” Viola hissed. “You want all the goblins to know we’re here?”
Peri’s smile fell, but Rose stepped forward. “Don’t yell at him!” she scolded. “At least he’s trying to come up with solutions. Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but humans and halflings can’t see in the dark. What other choice do we have?”
Viola opened her mouth to reply, but Verne stepped between them with both hands raised, “Enough,” he said, “all of you. Viola, I understand that caution is important, but as we are in unfamiliar territory with creatures that can see far better in the dark than we can, it would serve us well to have a light source. That being said, I agree that it would be best to not announce our presence prematurely. Peri, is there a way in which you can dim the light, or put it out as needed, should we hear enemies approach?”
Peri nodded, and as quickly as the light had come on, it was snuffed.
“Excellent.” Verne said. “Here is what I suggest as a compromise. As I have no trouble seeing in darkness, I can scout ahead while Peri follows with the light. Should I find any trouble, I will signal to you to snuff the light and hide. Is that acceptable?”
“No way.” Sonny stated. “I won’t have you put yourself in harm's way like that. What if something happens and we can’t get to you in time to help?”
“Your concern is touching,” Verne smiled, “but I’ll not be far, and I assure you that at the first hint of danger I will rush back to your side. On that you have my word.”
“We trust you, Verne.” Rose said, silencing Sonny with a stern look.
The elf nodded with a smile before striding off into the darkness. The remaining party members grouped tightly together before Peri’s mace lit up once more, illuminating the path forward.
The passage continued up beyond another set of uneven steps ahead, bending eastward as it went. A waterfall sounded out from a larger cavern further down. In the shadows of the ceiling to the north, they could just make out the dim shape of a rickety wooden bridge crossing over the passage ahead. Another passage intersected that one, twenty feet above the floor. The party looked around the cave, searching anxiously for any signs of goblins hiding in the shadows, but thankfully found none. And with no signal from Verne, the party maintained their pace. A few minutes later however, they felt a faint rumble and heard a roar that seemed to be growing louder with each passing second. Verne came sprinting around the bend of the passage shouting for everyone to press tight against the wall before a surge of water came cascading through the cave.
Heeding Verne's warning, Rose, Sonny and Viola managed to grab handholds on the wall to anchor themselves in place and avoid being swept away, but poor Peri hadn't been so lucky. The cleric was caught full force in the chest and with a desperate yowl was sucked under the water. Without a moment's hesitation, Sonny released his hold on the stone and dove after them.
Sonny was by no means a great swimmer. Goldenfields was, after all, a farming town without the luxury of beaches or lakefronts. However, he remembered well the lessons he'd learned on fishing trips to the Dessarin River with his father and brothers, and employed those skills now in his rescue effort. The stream had carried the poor tabaxi nearly to the mouth of the cave, where they scrambled to keep their head above the water, weighed down by waterlogged armor. Sonny quickly waded over, lifted Peri from the water and placed them gently on the dry path beside the stream.
Peri gasped for breath amidst choked sobs, their mace lying uselessly on the ground, having long-since lost its light.
“You alright, pal?” Sonny asked nervously.
“N-no!” Peri cried. “This place is too scary. There's dogs and water and Viola is so mean!” The young tabaxi burst into tears, burying their face in their paws.
Sonny knelt down and placed his hand on the young cleric's shoulder. “Try not to take what Viola says too personal.” He said. “She's got a rough way of speaking, but she means well. Y’know, she’s probably just as scared as you are. I think maybe she just doesn't know how to say it.”
“But why does she always go after me?” Peri whined. “She doesn't yell at you, or Rose or Verne.”
“Well yeah, we weren't the ones who tracked flour all over the cart.” Sonny laughed. “But if you want, I can talk to her about easing up on you. As for the rest of it, think about it this way: you've already faced the wolves and the stream, and you survived. You're a tough'n, Peri, and there's nothing these goblins can throw at you that you can't handle.”
Peri perked up at the fighter's words. “You really think so?”
“Definitely.” Sonny stood up and held out his hand. “Now let's head back to the others, huh? They might need our help.”
Peri took the fighters hand and stood, picking up their mace as they padded down the path. With a quick prayer and a flourish of their paw, the mace took up its light once more, and the two adventurers walked down the passage to rejoin their party.
Chapter 2.4: Twin Pools Cavern
Once Peri and Sonny returned, Verne gave them each a once over to make sure they weren’t injured, then informed them of the new plan. Given that the flood was likely not a natural occurrence, and instead a defense mechanism triggered by the goblins, they could no longer rely on the element of surprise. And as they had no way of knowing how many goblins resided in the Cragmaw hideout, they would need to remain on high alert. The party drew their weapons and readied themselves for battle as they walked slowly down the passage.
They crept along until they came across another cavern, which was half filled by two pools, one of which was now empty. A narrow waterfall high in the eastern wall fed the pool, which drained into the western end of the chamber to form the stream that flowed out of the cave mouth below. Low fieldstone walls served as dams to hold the water in, and a wide exit stood to the south, while two smaller passages led west. The sound of the waterfall echoed through the cavern, making it difficult to hear. Standing at the center of the cavern were four goblins, all with shortbows at the ready. In a split second, the two parties sprung into action.
Viola moved first, running to the center of the room and drawing both blades with dizzying speed. Her first stroke easily felled one of the goblins, with the second finding its mark in another, but not cutting nearly as deep.
Rose quickly followed, aiming her staff and reciting a word of power before a fire bolt shot forth, badly singing the goblin Viola had previously injured.
Sonny ran forward, interposing himself between Viola and the other two goblins before slashing at one of them with his sword, but missing his target.
The injured goblin, shrieking with fury and pain, leaped back from its assailants before firing a shot at Viola, which embedded itself deep into the rogue’s belly. Viola staggered, but managed to maintain her footing.
Verne, seeing how fraught the situation was, wasted no time in firing off an arrow of his own, easily dispatching the archer that had wounded the young halfling.
Peri, seeing an ally injured, whipped out their holy symbol and uttered a word of divine power. With a pulse of golden light, Viola's wound began to knit itself together, pushing the arrow out and closing with hardly a sign that there had been a wound there at all. The tabaxi then bounded forward, smashing the still-glowing mace into the head of one of the goblins, dropping it instantly.
The last goblin, seeing its allies dispatched so easily, turned and scrambled for the southern exit. Though Sonny and Peri each tried their best to catch the goblin as he escaped, the creature proved too nimble, and quickly disappeared into the shadows beyond.
“Damn!” Viola cursed. She squinted through the darkness, but to no avail. The goblin was simply gone.
“What do we do now?” Peri asked. “Even I can't see where he went.”
“Well,” Verne mused, “we could give chase, but he likely ran in that direction because there were reinforcements there. And we've no guarantee that we'll have numbers on our side.”
“But if that's where the rest of the goblins are,” Sonny offered, “it could be where they're keeping Gundren and Sildar.”
“I don't think so.” Rose replied. “Goblins usually keep their “prizes” in a hoard room, far from the barracks to avoid any temptation of thievery (which, frankly, rarely works.) If that one's plan was to get reinforcements, then we'll likely find our friends that way.”
She pointed down the western path, which led across the rickety bridge they'd seen earlier.
“It appears we have a choice to make.” Verne folded his arms. “And I suggest we make it soon, before someone else decides for us. Do we go down the southern path to follow the goblin, or down the western path to try and find the treasure room?”
“My vote is for the western path.” Rose stated, matter-of-factly.
“I’m inclined to agree with you.” Verne replied.
“And what, we just let the goblin go?” Viola hissed. “Those little bastards shot me!”
“Which is why I’d think you’d want to approach with caution.” Rose drawled. “Or are you in a hurry to be shot again?”
Viola grumbled under her breath, but didn’t answer.
“I dunno about this, Rose,” Sonny interjected. “No disrespect, but we know for sure where the goblin went. This treasure hoard is just a hunch.”
“It’s not just a hunch!” the witch huffed. “I’ve done my research. I know how goblin dens operate, and I guarantee that they have a treasure hoard down that path.”
Sonny raised his hands in defeat. “Alright, I believe you,” he said. “We can head that way and see what we find. I just don’t feel great about going in blind.”
“Then we proceed with caution.” Verne replied, fitting an arrow to his bow. “We stay close together and proceed as a unit. Understood?”
The others nodded and fell into their marching order. Verne took point, with Rose right behind, Peri in the middle followed by Viola and Sonny at the rear. As they walked along the stony path, Viola leaned forward toward Peri.
“Hey.” she whispered. “About earlier. Thanks, y’know?”
Peri beamed. “Of course!” they chirped. “Anything for a frie-”
“Keep your voice down,” Viola hissed. “We’re still in a goblin cave, remember?”
Peri’s ears turned down. “Right, sorry.” The cleric turned back to the front in silence, still elated at having made progress. A sentiment shared by Sonny, whose grin didn’t go unnoticed by Viola.
“What are you looking at, hayseed?” The thief grumbled.
“Nothin’ at all,” the fighter smirked.
Viola’s head snapped back to the front, her face flushed.
Chapter 2.5: Goblin Den
The party eventually came to the bridge which, despite its precarious appearance, was fairly easy to cross, even for the heavier members of the group.
Following the passage, they eventually came to a large cave divided by a ten-foot-high escarpment. A steep natural staircase led from the lower portion to the upper ledge. The air was hazy with the smoke of a cooking fire, and pungent from the smell of poorly cured hides and unwashed goblins.
In the lower part of the cave, near the passage entrance, five goblins tended a large pot hanging over the cooking fire. They appeared to be arguing loudly over what ingredients to add to the pot, occasionally lashing out at each other with fists and elbows. Verne stepped closer, hoping to take them by surprise, but before he could loose an arrow, a scratchy voice yelled, “Oi, what’s this then?”
The elf turned to find a particularly fat goblin sidling up to the edge of the escarpment. The other goblins, hearing his cry, looked up from their work to find the party at the entrance of the cave. In a panic, they threw down their cooking implements and scrambled to find weapons. The party braced themselves for battle, before the leader of the goblins called out again. “Now hold on a tic!” he plopped down on the edge of the escarpment, his stubby legs dangling over the edge. “Before ye do anything stupid, tell me: who are ye and why’ve ye come into our home?”
The party looked at each other in surprise. They’d yet to encounter a goblin that didn’t attack first and ask questions later.
“I am Verne, of the Ardeep Forest.” Verne replied, stepping forward. “We come seeking friends of ours. A dwarf and a human. Have you seen them?”
“Name’s Yeemick. And I might’ve seen ‘em.” The goblin sneered. He hopped up, trotted over to the far side of the wall and came back dragging a slumped figure bound in ropes. The goblin grabbed the figure by the hair and lifted its head to reveal the severely beaten face of Sildar Halwinter. “This one of ‘em?”
Sonny stepped forward, but Verne held out his arm. “Yes,” the elf replied. “Sildar is one of the friends we seek. But what of the other?”
“Y’mean the dwarf?” Yeemick stroked his chin in feigned contemplation. “Ah, well that one I’m not so sure about. May have to jog my memory a bit, eh?”
“What do you want?” Viola growled, her hands tense around the blades at her hip.
“I s’ppose what any good goblin wants.” he replied. “A million gold pieces and a castle to keep it in. But lookin’ at you lot, I don’t think you have that spare, eh? So p’raps you help in a diff’rent way.”
“Again,” Viola snarled. “What. Do. You. Want?”
“Ah, touchy, that one is.” the goblin laughed. “Fair enough. I want control of the cave. Strictly speakin’ I’m not the leader of this outfit. That special honor belongs to Klarg- big brutish fella. Runs us into the ground, he does. Sends us out on raids just so we can find a silly little map and a fistful of copper. A waste, if you ask me.”
“So what do you want us to do about it?” Sonny asked.
“Well I don’t have to spell it out for you, do I?” Yeemick asked, annoyed. “I want you to go to the treasure room, cut off his sodding head and deliver it to me. That’s what you adventurer types are all about, right?”
“And if we do this, you’ll let Sildar go?” Verne asked.
“You have my word,” he replied.
“And you’ll tell us where Gundren is, too?” Sonny added.
“If I can remember, of course.” the goblin grinned, flashing a set of mossy green teeth. “Memory ain’t what it used to be in my old age.”
Verne frowned, then said. “I’m afraid we’ll have to decline your offer. In my life, I’ve known goblins to be many things, but ‘trustworthy’ isn’t one of them.”
Yeemick snarled, “Suit yerself then. Get ‘em boys!” And with that rallying cry, the goblins rushed forward, blades drawn.
Quick as a flash, Viola grabbed her swords and slashed out at one of the goblins, who avoided one of her blades, but got caught on the backswing of another.
In retaliation, it lunged forward with a blade of its own, but couldn’t find its mark with the nimble halfling, who dodged effortlessly to the side.
Three more goblins advanced, one swiping ineffectually at Peri, another failing to pierce Sonny’s armor and the third making a beeline for Verne. Ordinarily, an attack such as this would be no problem for the seasoned ranger, but with both hands occupied by his bow, he was unprepared, and let out a cry of pain as the goblin’s scimitar pierced his side.
Peri, seeing this unfold, drew their holy symbol with one paw and their mace in another. With a quick prayer, they mended the wound of their ally while simultaneously smacking their opponent with their mace.
The final of the floor goblins charged at Rose, who easily parried its sword stroke with a swing of her staff, responding in kind with a burst of flame.
Wounded and in close-quarters, Verne dropped his bow, instead opting for the dagger he kept stowed on his side. Moving with speed and precision, the elf pierced the leathers of his goblin assailant, drawing blood.
Hearing the labored breath of his companion, Sonny turned over his shoulder toward Verne, missing his target entirely as he did. “You alright, Verne?” he asked, nervously.
“For all our sakes, my friend,” the elf gasped, “please focus on yourself.”
Yeemick, seeing this, smirked as he knocked an arrow into his shortbow. With a sickening twang, he loosed his shot, which found its mark in Verne’s chest.
There was a moment of tense silence, and time in the cave seemed to slow. The members of the party watched in horror as their beloved friend and mentor fell to his knees.
Viola, with eyes ablaze with fury, lashed out with her blades, effortlessly cutting down the goblin before her.
Sonny, stepping between Verne and the goblins, let loose a war cry as three of them concentrated their attacks on him. He parried two of the strikes and shrugged off the third, before slamming his shield into the face of his attacker.
Peri, whose eyes were clouded with tears, swung their mace feebly toward the laughing faces of the goblin attackers.
And Rose, in a rare moment of shock, stood frozen as the goblin she’d easily parried before took advantage of her shock with a slash of its scimitar. Thankfully for the young witch, she wasn’t one to remain startled for long. In her fury, she drew her wand, and with a flourish of her wrist, let loose three darts of pink light, which each homed in on a goblin, bursting on impact and dispatching them in a flash of arcane energy.
Verne lifted his head. Though the elf clung to life by the fingernails, he was not one to let his allies down. With a shaking breath, he thrust his dagger from underneath Sonny’s arm, finding purchase in the neck of one of the goblins. But the momentum of the strike quashed the elf’s tedious balance, and he pitched forward to the ground.
Yeemick, realizing that the tide was turning, grabbed Sildar, and held him above the edge of the escarpment. “That’s enough!” he yelled, and all in the cavern went still. “Let me make something clear to you lot. I have the power here. Not you. You either do what I say, or the human gets it. Now drop your weapons.”
Rose, Sonny, Peri and Viola all turned to Verne, who staggered to his feet, but nodded, his eyes never leaving the escarpment. The party dropped their weapons and took a step back.
“Thank you for that. Ya bleedin’ idiots.” The goblin cackled as he threw Sildar’s unconscious form off the escarpment and quickly grabbed his shortbow from the ground.
Unfortunately for him, the party was far faster than he had anticipated.
Viola snatched up her short swords, making quick work of the final goblin on the ground.
Peri bounded over to Sildar in an attempt to heal the warrior’s wounds. But upon seeing the battered, broken form of their fallen friend, the tabaxi froze. Tears welled in their eyes once more, as they were faced with the now-familiar fear of death.
Rose snatched her staff and Verne his bow from the ground. They each took a moment to line up their shots before firing off a burst of flame and a single arrow, each finding their mark and dispatching the cretinous villain atop the escarpment.
With the threat of the goblins neutralized for now, attention shifted to Sildar. Peri stooped over his body, desperately choking back sobs as they attempted to patch his wounds. Seeing his friend struggle, Sonny ran over and placed a firm hand on the tabaxi’s shoulder.
“Hey pal,” the fighter said, sternly. “I appreciate the effort, but it doesn’t look like you’re getting very far. Mind if I step in?”
Peri’s eyes widened, but they nodded, shifting to the side to give the warrior space. After a brief once-over, Sonny quickly reset and bound Sildar’s leg, forming a makeshift tourniquet from Sildar’s own clothes. He then used various bandages and supplies across the various packs of the party members to stem the blood flow and cover the wounds. After a few minutes’ work, Sonny was done. And though it was faint, the party could hear Sildar breathing.
When Sonny was done, he stepped back and took a deep breath. He turned to find the rest of the party staring.
“What?” he asked, embarrassed.
“That was impressive, Sonny.” Verne said.
“Where did you learn to do that?” Rose asked. “Can you teach me?”
“Uh, sure.” Sonny replied. “Growing up on the farm we had to deal with lots of injuries- the animals, the workers, my brothers and sisters. I must've fixed dozens of broken legs (though this is my first human one, I guess) and stopping bleeding's no hassle either so long as you know what you're doing.”
“Yeah,” Peri offered. “Good job, Sonny.” The cleric looked at the ground, their ears tucked down in shame. They had stopped crying, but they looked absolutely miserable.
“Perhaps we should take a rest.” Verne suggested. “Once Sildar regains consciousness, we can ask him about Gundren's whereabouts and what to do next.”
Everyone nodded and the party sat down for a much-needed respite.
Sounds super exciting, I like the mix of your characters, there is a lot of potential for interesting dynamics in it. Looking forward to reading more of the story!
Tutuapp
Chapter 2.6: A Short Rest
As the party regained their strength, Peri tended to Verne’s wound. Thankfully, the arrow hadn’t pierced Verne’s heart, jutting instead from the elf's right breast, near the armpit. As the head was narrow, the cleric was able to simply pull the arrow from the wound and quickly stem the bleeding with pressure before cleaning it with antiseptic and covering it with a bandage.
“Excellent work,” Verne grunted. “You make a fine surgeon, Peri.”
Peri smiled, but it was small and obviously forced. They were not the only one in dour spirits.
Sonny, who stood ten feet away, kept his eyes on the tunnel, his brow furrowed and his hand tightly gripping the hilt of his sword, clearly expecting another attack.
Rose, by contrast, had her head buried in a book, feverishly turning the pages and occasionally muttering to herself, “I could have sworn…I’m never wrong about these things…”
Viola leaned against the wall, her face obscured beneath a drawn hood, but her stance stiff and rigid.
Deciding he needed to say something, Verne stood up, walked to the center of the cavern and said, “Listen to me. All of you.” The party turned to face the elf, their expressions taciturn.
“Things have not gone our way since entering this dungeon.” the ranger said. “We’ve been battered, bruised and washed away. I won’t deny that it has been difficult, nor will I claim that the road gets easier. But here in the heart of the goblins stronghold we cannot lose hope.”
“But Verne, you were hurt-” Peri started, but the elf silenced them with a raised hand.
“As someone who has lived a very long time, pain is but part of the journey.” Verne replied. “Doubly so for adventurers. We must not dwell on our failures, but instead on the successes along the way. We have saved a friend of ours, and have the path ahead of us to do so again. I ask that you stand by me as we see this quest through to the end. Should we reach Phandalin, and you wish to part ways after that, I do not blame you, though I would sorely miss your company. All I ask is that you fight on now.”
“Who can argue with a rousing speech like that?” A gruff voice groaned from the floor as Sildar awakened, rolling up to a seated position.
The party descended on the veteran, asking questions all at once. The big man waved them down, his movements stiff from his injuries.
“Please, not all at once,” the warrior coughed. “I can’t understand you when you mob me like that.”
When the party had settled down, Sildar told them all that had happened since they’d parted ways back in Neverwinter.
Evidently, Gundren had asked Sildar to provide escort to Phandalin so he could meet up with the other two Rockseeker brothers, Tharden and Nundro, who had recently located an entrance to the long-lost Wave Echo Cave. Incidentally, Sildar had been meaning to go to Phandalin anyway, as his former ally, Iarno Albrek, a wizard and fellow agent of the Lord’s Alliance, had disappeared shortly after arriving in Phandalin.
On the road, once they’d made it to the Triboar Trail, they were waylaid by Klarg and his goblin band who had been ordered by someone called the Black Spider to capture the dwarf and steal the map to the cave. Sildar believed that Klarg had sent the map and Gundren to the chief of the Cragmaws over at their stronghold, Cragmaw Castle. He didn’t know where the castle was, but figured someone in Phandalin might know, given the proximity.
After telling them what he knew, Sildar shakily rose to his feet, much to the chagrin of Peri and Sonny. “Back off, the both of you!” he scolded. “I’m not some feeble old man for you to fuss over. I’m a warrior- a rider of the Waterdeep Griffon Cavalry and protector of the Lord’s Alliance. And by my eye, there are some goblins that need vanquishing.” The man stepped over to one of the fallen goblins and picked up a shortsword.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” Verne smiled.
“You can’t seriously be thinking of going after the leader?” Rose said. “In your condition, defeating a bugbear would be impossible, let alone with a horde of goblins at its back. It’s suicide!”
“You underestimate us, and yourself.” Verne replied. The elf walked up and placed a gentle hand on the witch’s shoulder. “Besides, I doubt that Klarg has many forces remaining as it stands.”
“How do you figure?” Sonny asked.
“It’s as Rose said,” Verne replied, “goblins separate their barracks as far as they can from their treasure hoard. This is the westernmost point of the cave, and we see no treasure, simply lodging and rations.” The elf gestured broadly to the cave they now stood in.
“So the other end of the cave must be where the treasure is held.” Viola offered.
“And if this place is the barracks for the whole outfit…” Sonny looked around the cave, noting the sparse number of beds.
“Then there must be only four goblins left, not including Klarg, who probably sleeps with the treasure hoard.” Rose said, pointing to a section in her tome.
“Giving us the numbers advantage.” Verne said. “Here is what I suggest: we storm the treasure hoard, pressing our advantage from a distance. And should the tide turn in the goblins favor, we flee via the return tunnels.”
“I’m in.” Viola proclaimed. “Gotta pay those suckers back for the hole in my belly.”
“As eloquent as that was,” Rose sniffed, “I’m going, too. They might have some spell scrolls lumped in with the treasure.”
“It can’t be helped.” Sonny sighed. “If y’all are going, so am I. How about it, Peri?”
The party turned to the tabaxi, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the proceedings.
“I don’t know…” they said, ears tucked down.
“C’mon, Fuzzface.” Viola said as she reached toward the cleric. “We need you.”
Peri smiled, clasped the outstretched hand and said, “Okay. Let’s do this.”
And with that, the party gathered their weapons and plunged once more into the tunnel.
Chapter 2.7: Klarg's Cave
After their rest, the party crossed the rickety bridge back into the cavern with the twin pools. They were about to turn down the southern tunnel to the treasure hoard, when Verne signaled for them to turn back north, holding a finger to his lips. The others furrowed their brows, but followed the elf's direction without a sound. Once they were clear of the cavern, the elf explained, “I’ve just remembered something from earlier. When I entered the chamber that held the wolves from earlier, I noticed a steep fissure leading to an opening in the wall. Perhaps this is mere speculation, but I would wager that opening leads to the treasure hoard.”
“I did think it strange that the wolves didn’t seem to be guarding anything,” Rose mused.
“Sneaking around back definitely beats walking into a possible trap.” Viola said. “Lead the way.”
Verne nodded and the party looped back the way they’d come, eventually returning to the cavern with the now loose chains and a gravel fissure that led up to a narrow chimney. After a brief discussion, it was determined that Viola and Verne would climb up first, taking the goblins unawares and providing cover while the others climbed up after them in the confusion.
Verne quickly and silently climbed to the top of the chimney with ease, but Viola, who was far too short to reach, required the assistance of Sonny to reach the proper handholds. Despite this minor setback, the two stealthy operatives successfully made it to the opening into the treasure hoard.
Within the cave, sacks and crates of looted provisions were piled up in the south end, behind which they saw the goblins hiding, eyes trained on the northern entrance that the party had almost entered through. Far nearer, behind some stalagmites, stood the hulking form of a bugbear, along with a mangy wolf, whose tongue lolled as it swayed side to side. Viola looked over at Verne, unsure if the ranger would agree to fight with the animal present, but the elf nodded solemnly, as if sensing her silent question. In the middle of the cavern, the coals of a large fire smoldered. So far, Viola and Verne had not been noticed.
Viola crept up to the wolf, swords drawn, and slashed in a wide arc, hampering the wolf with the first stroke before silencing it with the second.
Verne quickly followed with a shot of his arrow, but Klarg, alerted by the yip of his beloved pet, dodged to the side as the arrow shattered against the stalagmite.
“Who dares defy Klarg?” the bugbear yelled, slamming a heavy fist against his chest.
Rather than answer, Viola charged forward, aiming to give the goblins chief the same treatment she’d given the wolf, but the halfling found the bugbear to be far heartier than she’d thought. Klarg effortlessly dodged her first strike and though the second hit its mark, did little to phase the raging bugbear.
In response to the commotion, one of the goblins on the south end of the chamber, snatched up a short bow and fired an arrow, thankfully missing either combatant.
Verne fired another shot, this time imbuing his arrow with a mote of primal energy that glowed bright green as it arced through the air, embedding itself in the bugbears shoulder.
From the bottom of the chimney, Rose managed to grab a handhold and climb to the top. Panting from the effort, Rose recited a quick incantation, locking eyes with Klarg before placing a hex on the bugbear to hamper his dexterity.
Peri quickly followed, effortlessly scampering up the incline before letting loose a burst of sacred flame that narrowly missed the goblin firing arrows at them.
Klarg, furious at the surprise assault, swung a heavy morningstar at Viola, who ducked beneath the blow with ease, further enraging the furry foe.
Sonny climbed up after the others, but found that with Rose, Peri and Verne all standing together at the opening, there was little room to do anything else.
The remaining goblins drew their bows and began to fire at those grouped up in the entrance, missing Peri, nicking Rose, and hitting Verne, who collapsed, clutching his chest as the previous wound reopened.
Viola continued her assault on Klarg, but the bugbear, having now experienced four of the halfling’s attacks, learned her pattern and avoided both strikes and shoved her out past the stalagmite, giving one of his allies a free shot, which pierced into the rogues back.
In response, Rose shot a fire bolt at the bugbear, but narrowly missed.
Verne struggled to regain his footing, but found the pain in his chest to be too great as he lay gasping for air.
Peri fired another burst of sacred flame, this time blasting the goblin that had shot Viola.
Klarg, seeking to press his advantage, continued his assault on Viola, barely missing the halflings head with his deadly morningstar.
Sonny, charging forward from the chimney pass, swung at the bugbear, who parried the young warrior's blow. “You’ll have to try harder than that to best Klarg, boy.” he sneered.
The goblins fired another round of arrows, this time striking Peri between the plates of their scale male. The tabaxi yowled in pain, but didn’t falter, eyes trained on their foes.
Maneuvering around Sonny, Viola tried to find openings in Klarg’s defenses, but with each stroke the bugbear seemed to be getting faster, and the party was quickly losing the upper hand. With a gasp, Viola felt a sharp pang in his her side as another arrow found its mark. With gritted teeth, the rogue tightened her grip on both blades, barely clinging to consciousness.
Verne, seeing the scene before him, snarled as he pulled himself desperately to his feet, a loose grip maintained on his bow.
Emboldened by the spirits of her allies, Rose lifted her wand and fired another fire bolt at Klarg, and combined with the dark magics of the hex doing their work, the bugbear finally went down in a burst of flame.
Following that momentum, Peri charged into the cavern, drawing their mace and smashing it into the head of one of the goblins felling them instantly while Sonny followed with a sword stroke of his own that cleaved another in two.
Seeing their fellows dispatched with such ease, the remaining goblins scampered for the exit, ducking under sword and mace alike, but not nimbly enough to avoid the blades of Viola, who cut one down as they passed and hampered the other who tripped, giving Sonny all the window he needed to close the gap and finish the job.
The party huffed, exhausted from the day's efforts but victorious.
Searching the chamber, they found most of the supplies to be marked by the blue lion symbolizing the Lionshield Coster, a merchant company with posts all across Faerun, including one in Phandalin. Additionally, they found a treasure chest hidden amongst the furs that held 600 cp, 110 sp, two potions of healing and a jade statuette of a frog with tiny golden orbs for eyes. The party agreed to split the coin evenly, dispersing the potions between Verne and Viola, who had suffered the most injury of the group, and deciding to sell the frog once they got to Phandalin and split whatever coin they got for it accordingly.
“What a waste,” Rose sighed. “All that trouble and not a single measly spell scroll.”
“Ah, don’t worry.” Sonny said. “I’m sure we’ll find one soon.”
“You could always buy one,” Viola chimed in, her hands jostling the coins in the chest. “Look at all this! Have you ever seen so much in one place?” The halfling tossed two handfuls in the air, quickly catching them and dropping them back into the chest, watching each silver disc as it clinked back in place.
“Viola, please,” Verne laughed. “I understand your excitement, but we still have a job to do. Need I remind you that our employer is still missing?”
The halfling stuck out her tongue, but closed the chest (after grabbing two of the coins, which did not escape Verne’s notice, though the elf said nothing.)
“Speaking of,” Sonny interjected. “What’s the plan? We sorta know where Cragmaw Castle is thanks to those goblins we met on the trail, but we don't know what's waiting there, or if Gundren’s even alive.”
“I suppose not,” Verne replied, “but for now we should press on to Phandalin, deliver our goods as requested and then start asking the townsfolk what they know about the castle. That will be our first step.”
The party offered no argument, and working carefully, they managed to transport the bulky goods down the chimney they’d entered from, across the stream and back to the cart in the forest. The remaining ride to Phandalin was a quiet one. Some nursed their wounds, while others dreamed of the journey ahead- whether with fear, excitement, or both, they did not know. But one thing was certain, they would face whatever came together.
LMoP - Interlude: Arrival (Rose)
16 Tarsakh 1491 DR
Prepared Spells
False Life
Feather Fall
Magic Missile
Shield
Sleep
Component Pouch
1/4lb charcoal
5 sticks incense
1 pkg herbs
15 rose petals
1 feather (raven)
50mL dwarvish whiskey
Dear Diary,
After a week on the road we've finally arrived in Phandalin, and to say we're exhausted would be an understatement. After that ghastly business in the Cragmaw hideout I've had quite enough of dungeons for a while, so hopefully we have ample time to rest.
Phandalin is unfortunately without a magic shop, so I won't be able to copy any spells into my grimoire. But through my own research I have uncovered the correct material, somatic and verbal components for two new spells: false life and feather fall. Admittedly, these acquisitions were born out of necessity. After seeing Verne felled by arrows, and Sildar dropped off a cliff it made me realize that my collection lacked some important utility. Now (hopefully) I can proceed to the next adventure a bit more safely.
In the meantime, I plan to take full advantage of the facilities here in Phandalin, namely: a soft bed and a hot bath. Hopefully the others take productive use of these as well (Sonny especially- the addition of goblin blood on top of the lingering farm smell has been overpowering to say the least.)
That's all for now.
Rose
LMoP - Interlude: Arrival (Sonny)
Gil,
Hey, little brother. How are things back home? In ma's letter she said everything was fine, but I know she doesn't like to let on when things get rough. If there's anything you need, just let me know and I'll come running. I promise.
I wish you could see some of the things we get into out here. One of our friends was taken by some evil goblins and we had to fight our way through their lair to save him! Like something out of Old Man Thielann's stories, huh? Tell ya the truth, I'm kinda sad that I'll be saying goodbye to these folks soon, but don't worry. I know where I belong.
Speaking of, spring’s getting on and since I'm not back yet, make sure you guys are pitching in and helping ma and pa with the corn and barley. Make sure to mind the animals, too- they're family, after all.
Love,
Sonny
P. S.
This might be weird asking advice from your younger sibling and all, but you've always had better luck on the social side of things. For the past day and a half it seems like the others are avoiding me for some reason, and I've got no idea why. Do you know what I could've done, and how to fix it? I'd hate to part on bad terms. Let me know.
LMoP - Interlude: Arrival (Verne)
My Dearest Anais,
I thank the Wildmother that I am able to write this letter. Our journey took a dangerous turn, and were it not for my allies, I likely would have lost my life. And though I do miss you dearly, I believe I have quite a bit more to see and do before our reunion.
As I wrote in my last letter, we were on our way to Phandalin to deliver a cart of goods on behalf of Gundren Rockseeker. When we turned off the High Road and got onto the Triboar Trail, we found two felled horses belonging to our patron and were quickly assaulted by a troupe of goblins. We dispatched the enemy and uncovered the path to their lair, which we surmised was where they'd taken Gundren and his guard, Sildar.
We followed the path and fought our way through the goblin hideout, avoiding many traps (and unfortunately for Peri, falling into others) but were successfully able to locate Sildar, who was being held prisoner by the goblins.
The goblins second-in-command, Yeemick, was a dishonorable beast who wanted us to kill his leader, Klarg, so he could assume control. When we refused, his men attacked us, and though the fight turned dire, we emerged victorious. Thanks to the medical skill of Peri (and, surprisingly, Sonny) we all escaped the incident relatively unharmed.
We then decided to dispatch the leader of the band of goblins. Per Sildar's information, Klarg and the other goblins were acting under the orders of a shadowy figure known as The Black Spider. And after the dismantling of his forces, he would likely come back with far greater numbers and descend on Phandalin. In order to avoid that outcome, we had to strike first.
Utilizing stealth, Viola and I mounted a surprise attack with the others following soon after. We quickly gained momentum, but the bugbear proved a cunning foe, and adapted quickly to our attacks. In the discord of it all, I was struck by an arrow and removed from the fight. But thankfully my young compeers banded together and won the day.
I hope that in reading this you do not think me a brute or a monster. Please know that I take no joy in the killing of other living beings. But my long life has given me perspective, and I've come to learn that there are often times when we must do things we find distasteful for the sake of those who cannot protect themselves.
After the battle, I was unfortunately of little help in transporting the goods. The bulk of the work was accomplished by Sonny, whose prodigious strength was an incredible asset. His exertions did, however, have the side effect of producing a rather unpleasant body odor. I do not wish to sound ungrateful, but as a man gifted with fairly potent senses it was…startling. It harkens me back to the days when your grandfather was young, and Rosalie and I had to teach him to bathe properly. A fond memory- pungent though it may be.
We will soon be entering Phandalin proper, and I must retire for now. My body aches and my wounds must mend. But I promise I shall have more adventures to share with you in the coming days.
With love everlasting,
Verne