Session 9: Crisis in Cragmaw

The battered heroes snuck out of Cragmaw Castle with their prisoner, Glasstaff, to their makeshift camp. After Pog put Glasstaff to the question they learned the Black Spider is a Dark Elf and looking for the Forge of Spells in Wave Echo Cavern. Stevil, angry at Glasstaff for trying to incinerate the party in the previous battle, nearly killed the wizard with a mailed fist to the face. The team then sent the unconscious Glasstaff back to Phandalin to face justice by the Lord’s Alliance along with Nars and Goh.

After resting Pog and Silde tried to sneak into the castle the next morning, but Pog was discovered by Targor Bloodsword and his squad of Hobgoblins and Wolves. Pog attempted to talk his way out of combat but Targor was intent on bloodshed and charged at Pog.  The party rushed to defend Pog and the heroes soon had the upper hand in the battle, but then Targor retreated to Krol’s chamber and warned the king of the party’s assault. The team were in pursuit and Stevil cast Shatter into the chamber, killing several Hobgoblins. However, he also killed their own employer, Gundren Rockseeker, who was lying unconscious in the room.

Vyerith, a comely Dark Elf and agent of the Black Spider, fled the room to rally the castle defenders while King Krol and his wolf, Snarl, made a last stand against the party. The team easily defeated the pair and discovered a map of Wave Echo Cavern. Unbeknownst to the heroes a large number of castle defenders were converging on their location as they were looting the room.  Vyerith, feeling like she had the upper hand, parleyed with the party and offered free passage in exchange for the map. Blumpkin responded by firing a Piercing Arrow at her while her forces retorted with a volley of their own arrows. Sildar blocked the arrows with his shield before he slammed the door to the chamber shut, giving the party a few previous moments to devise a plan.

The heroes realized they were surrounded by a superior force with no way to escape. However, Pog realized they could climb out to the roof of the castle via a ruined hole in the tower roof. He used his climbing tools and rope to ascend and helped the rest of the team escape the room to the roof.  The heroes could have easily escaped the castle with the location of Wave Echo Cavern secured and avoided fighting, but undaunted by the magnitude of the threat they faced and intent on wiping out the evil threat in the castle, they heroically dropped into their enemies midst via an opening in the roof.

Immediately the party took several damaging blows from their enemies, who had surrounded them from three different sides. Blumpkin was nearly knocked unconscious when his elven-hating foes focused their wrath on him, but he stayed on his feet and fired an Explosive Arrow, which did minimal damage. Silde was a whirlwind of destruction, and killed two enemies in one turn, while Sildar defended him with his shield. Pog held the line and dropped caltrops to the South, which blocked the party from being flanked, while Stevil cast shatter to soften up the enemies.

The future of the party was looking grim with Silde and Blumpkin on the verge of going down while Stevil, Pog, and Sildar struggled to hold their enemies back. Blumpin tried to reposition and moved West into a Dark Hall, but he unknowingly stumbled into the lair of a Grick, a fearsome tentacle monster. The last thing the party needed was to face a deadly foe while fighting a horde of other enemies and the heroes thought they were doomed but they valiantly fought on. Blumpkin, who was already badly wounded, was repeatedly assaulted by the beast and was on the verge of death multiple times, but Stevil was able to keep him alive with his healing magic. Blumpkin could have disengaged but he stood his ground with his trusty Rapier and tights to engage the beast while the party focused on whittling down Vyerith’s forces.

After a protacted battle the party managed to defeat the castle defenders, and then charged into the Dark Hall to help Blumpkin defeat the Grick. After the battle the exhausted party, surrounded by dead bodies and wreckage from the batle, saw that Vyerith was not a Drow but rather a Doppelganger.

Session 8: Glasstaff revealed

Having secured Cragmaw Cavern, our heroes rested to recuperate from their wounds. They traveled back to Phandalin the next morning to return the supplies, but when they arrived they saw that most of it had been burnt to the ground. In the ruins of the townhall they saw the bodies of Sildar, Harbin, Linene, and Barthen, who had been impaled with a warning message from the Black Spider nailed through Harbin’s head. Donton, growing impatient and concerned for his own safety, left the party and began his Journey to Neverwinter.

Despite his horrific wounds, Sildar called out to the party. He extolled them to complete his quest and handed over his ring that opens a vault in his ancestral family castle.  Stevil and Goh used their medical training and magic respectively to deimpale and heal Sildar – an almost impossible task – but they were successful. Sildar, grateful for his life and the return of his ring, recounted the tale of his capture by Glasstaff and the subsequent pillaging of the village out of revenge by the Black Spider.

The band heard the screams of Trilena Stonehill next to Tresendar Manor and charged in to rescue her. They engaged a Goblinoid raiding party about to murder her and break into the basement.  Silde was singled out by the raiding party and was quickly beaten unconscious, but Stevil revived him before he was killed. Blumpkin soon used his Arcane Shot to cause mayhem for the monsters, who were soon destroyed with the help of the heroes. 

The party freed the townsfolk, who had taken refuge in the basement. They soon learned that Glasstaff headed North hours ago and that Nars Dendrar, infused with the resolve of Kord and intent on getting justice, left in pursuit . The party rushed after Nars and Glasstaff, using Goh’s tracking ability to follow, but they were weary from their long march from Cragmaw Cavern and some of them became exhausted – particularly Silde – but they soldiered on. They soon arrived at Cragmaw Castle, but Goh was discovered by Goblins when he came too close to the front gate. However, he was able to flee and the weary party – having lost the element of surprise – rested for the night. The next day they discovered a concealed, side entrance into the castle and ventured inside.

They soon found a pair of Hobgoblins guarding a trap door to a small dungeon and killed them before they could send an alert. Suspecting Nars might have been captured they entered the dungeon and soon found him in one of the cells. He told the party that Glasstaff was in the adjoining room and torturing Toblen Stonehill on a rack.  The brave adventurers confronted Glasstaff and his Goblinoid allies in the torture room, but the diabolical Glasstaff cast a Fireball that smashed into the heroes with a shockwave that reverberated throughout the entire castle – seriously wounding everyone in the party and nearly incinerating Silde. However, Glasstaff also killed his own allies and the party quickly knocked Glasstaff unconscious before he could cause additional mayhem.

Session 7: Entering the Bone Zone

The weary heroes ventured into the altar of the forgotten tomb and saw an undead abomination of bones and rotten flesh shaped like a tree. Beside it was a freakish four-armed skeleton that charged the party while the tree hurled an arrow of bone dripping necrotic fluid that nearly impaled Pog.

Armed Skeleton

The group took cover while Goh and Blumpkin fired arrows at the tree, but its carapace resisted the blows. Pog protected his companions and together they destroyed the skeleton, but the tree vomited up new foes to wear down the heroes. Stevil discovered the tree was susceptible to light, and with the help of the team, who distracted it, cast Guiding Bolt and Sacred flame, which badly hurt the monster. However, Stevil was nearly knocked out of the fight after he got hit twice with the deadly projectiles, but he stayed on his feet with Relentless Endurance and finished off the tree with Sacred Flame.

  

The adventurers deduced from the reliefs that the monster was the mutated remnants of a sorcerer that had been animated by an evil, black diamond of demonic origin. After consulting Kord via an Augury scroll, the heroes smashed the gem and cleansed Phandalin of an evil that would have soon overwhelmed the town. The party harvested several necrotic arrows, shards of the black diamond, and a Periapt of Wound Closure that was worn by Stevil.

On the way to the inn the team picked up Donton and discovered that the townsfolk were in good spirits with the destruction of the gem. Qelline Alderleaf then told the band about undead at Old Owl Well and that Reidoth of Thundertree, a druid, may know the location of Wave Echo Cavern.  The heroes, intent on clearing the surrounding wilds of evil and returning the lost supplies to the Lionshield Coster, ventured back into Cragmaw Cavern. They attempted to negotiate for the supplies with Gnarlgrimm, the new leader of the cavern, but Gnarlgrimm refused and a battle ensued.

The group raced across the creek to do battle, taking potshots at one of the archers, who caught one of Pog’s javelins with his throat. The party was then nearly swept away by a deluge from a raging torrent trap unleashed by the Goblins, but they escaped unscathed.  The party planned an ambush of their foes but Donton gave his warcry, “Donton Clindald!” and charged into the oncoming Goblins, but was ineffective. The team charged after him and became jammed in the tunnel, which trapped Goh between three foes who had been blessed by dark magic. Goh fought heroically and was nearly killed, but Stevil smote their enemies with the power of Kord, instantly killing a rabid Wolf and Hobgoblin, and badly injured a Goblin and Gnarlgrimm.  With Gnarlgrimm’s main vanguard destroyed his remaining forces were easily defeated, with the last threat, a Goblin ritualist, being cleaved in two by Pog to end the battle.

A lone surviving goblin, who cowardly hid during the battle, surrendered and told the party the location of Cragmaw Castle in exchange for his life.

Session 6: Bring out your dead

Nars Dendrar

The weary heroes rested at Stonehill Inn and confirmed with Sildar that Iarno was Glasstaff. Sildar thanked the team and rushed South to intercept Iarno, telling the heroes he’d return soon.  The team then told Nars that his father, Thel, was murdered by the Redbrands and agreed to retrieve his body. Stevil preached the word of Kord to Nars, who seemed  highly receptive.

The band headed back to the hideout and heard sinister whispering noises emanating from the Crevasse and feared an evil had been awakened by the previous day’s carnage that would reanimate the dead. They burned the bodies and looted everything that wasn’t nailed down – including the head of the Nothic -- and brought Thel's remains to Sister Garaele for a proper burial. 

Sister Garaele thanked the party and asked for help finding the location of a spellbook that is known by Agatha, a banshee, who is located Northeast near the ruins of Conyberry.  The team tried to collect the reward for defeating Glasstaff from Halia, but she said the terms hadn’t been satisfied. However, Pog convinced her to part with half after he voiced his displeasure. 

The heroes, intent on exterminating the evil presence in the hideout, acquired excavation tools and began digging into the crevasse. They broke through a stone wall when suddenly undead hands reached up and pulled Pog into the tomb below. The rest of the team jumped fearlessly into the depths after their friend while Donton watched from above. 

While the band battled the ravenous zombies, Goh was surrounded and took multiple blows, gravely injuring him. He redeployed to a seemingly safe area, but it was inches away from a deadly locking pit infested with undead that would have lead to his certain doom.  After defeating the zombies and looting the Southern sarcophagi, the team opened a door to the North that contained a horrifying nightmare creature known as a Tentaghoul. The foul-smelling abomination screamed and rushed straight at the party lashing Pog with his tentacles. The impact would have killed most men, but Pog heroically stayed on his feet and fought a desperate battle of survival with the rest of the party and helped block the creature from entering the central chamber.

Tentaghoul

During the melee, Silde attempted to reposition but was sent crashing face first into the floor by a tentacle strike that left him unconscious and near death . Stevil took a mighty blow but stayed in the fight attacking the beast with his sword and divine magic. Our heroes, wounded but determined, slowly wore down the monster until Blumpkin finished it off with an arrow through its head.  Undaunted by their near-death experience the party opened a suspicious sarcophagus in the Tentaghoul room and found a zombie encased in valuable Mithral Chain Mail. The tough creature initially resisted the team’s assault, but soon it was dispatched and Blumpkin donned it’s armor.

Session 5: On the trail of Glasstaff

After entering the cavern Blumpkin left the party to loot the storeroom while the rest of the team discovered a foul Nothic lurking nearby. The team negotiated with it by feeding it the bodies of the recently defeated Redbrands and travelled deeper into the hideout.

They burst into a Barracks with three Bugbears, who were tormenting Gloop, a Goblin. A melee ensued as Silde unleashed a flurry of blows against a Bugbear, but he was nearly killed by a morning star blow to the head. Pog raged and waded into the room and absorbed repeated blows while Goh shot arrow after arrow into the monsters. Stevil invoked the power of Kord and brought Silde back from near death and charged into the fray. The party was bloodied but ultimately victorious and learned the general location of Cragmaw Castle from Gloop before the party released him.

Our heroes rested before venturing North where they discovered Redbrands playing a game of dice. Stevil summoned a thunderous force that swept across the room hurting the ruffians, but they retaliated nearly killing Stevil, who went down hearing the whispers of Kord in his ear. The team battled while Goh brought Stevil back from the brink with his healing magic. The battered party soon killed the villains, although they were badly hurt and forced to rest again.

The party continued north and found a laboratory where they encountered Glasstaff's rat familiar, who warned Glasstaff before it disappeared in a puff of smoke after Pog attacked it. The team discovered a Dwarvish book that gave the history of Wave Echo Cavern and mentioned a magical mace called Lightbringer that was lost five hundred years ago.

The party entered Glasstaff's quarters where they looted more treasure and discovered a note that affirmed that Glasstaff is likely Iarno Albrek and employed by the Black Spider. Goh found an ajar secret door, which lead to the storeroom with Blumpkin, who saw the wizard running South.  The team pursued but ran into the now hostile Nothic, who attacked Goh, who had eagerly charged forward to hunt Glasstaff. Goh resisted it’s necrotic eye beam while the team surrounded the monster. Silde was nearly eviscerated by it’s deadly claws, but Stevil used his healing magic to bring him back from the verge of death. The heroes then destroyed the aberration and found Talon, a magical longsword, and the half-eaten body of Thel Dendrar at the bottom of the crevasse, which exuded a necromantic aura and is unnaturally cold.

The team, having been delayed by the Nothic and treasure, attempted to pursue Glasstaff, but lost his tracks and were forced to abandon the chase.  The exhausted team headed to the inn for a much deserved rest and discover Yeemik lurking in the  common room. He offered them a deal to clear out the Wyvern Tor Orcs and the new inhabitants of Cragmaw Cavern but the party rejected his shady proposal and rested at the inn.

Session 4: Into the Manor

The victorious party was approached by Halia Thornton who offered 100 gold for defeating the leader of the Redbrands, Glasstaff, who has a Goblin in his hideout under Tesendar Manor who knows the location of Cragmaw Castle. She let the heroes rest in the back room of the Miner Exchange while Goh left to gamble at the inn. While resting, Stevil, who was visited by Kord while unconscious, told the team he'd been given a mission by his god and implored them for help, but his comrades were skeptical and non-committal. The team then went to the Sleeping Giant and drank until a lone Redbrand appeared, but he ran away while the party debated how to chase him.

The heroes scouted the Manor and found a cellar door. They hid and soon three Redbrand's emerged that were easily defeated by the party’s ambush. The team then ventured into the cellar and made a ruckus when Blumpkin started banging open barrels searching for loot. The team barricaded a door to the West and entered a hallway to the North. A trap-door opened under Pog, but he was unhurt after he grabbed (barely) a ledge, and then helped the party navigate over the treacherous pit with a rope. They soon entered a crypt with three inanimate skeletons, but before they could investigate they heard a woman's scream and the sounds of beating from a room next door. They rushed forward but the three skeletons came to life to stop them, although they were easily dispatched by the heroes.

The team burst through the door and found two Redbrands and Thel's missing family who were imprisoned and about to be sold into slavery. The party was shocked when they saw the women had been savagely beaten and chained naked to the floor with a range of depravities inflicted upon them by the Redbrands. They unleashed their righteous fury on the two guards, and easily crushed them. They freed the family and were rewarded with the location of a valuable family heirloom in the ruins of an old store in the village of Thundertree, which was overrun by undead 30-years ago.

The heroes returned to the crypt and found a locked door through a hallway to the north. Pog deftly picked the lock and discovered that it contained a multitude of weapons and ammunition the team used to restock and upgrade their equipment. While they looted the team was discovered by Donton Clinald, who was sent by Tuggie Two-bone from Neverwinter to deliver a message to Pog about an opportunity and escort him back to Neverwinter. Pog refused and Stevil convinced Donton to join the party to keep an eye on Pog until he was ready to leave. The team then passed through a secret door to a storage area connected to a cavernous room with a large crevasse in the center spanned by two small bridges.

Session 3: Roughing up Redbrands

Stevil and Pog wisely didn’t trust Yeemik to honor their agreement and successfully intimidated him into releasing Sildar with a dramatic show of force by hurling Klarg’s head into his cave while blinding the Goblins with magic.

Having completed their objective, our heroes traveled to Phandalin, where they delivered the provisions to Barthen, who asked them to find Gundren and his missing brothers. While the team reprovisioned, they learned of a reward for the return of the supplies in Cragmaw Cavern and an odd tunnel near Alderleaf farm. While at the town hall, the team discovered that Sildar is part of the Lord's Alliance and looking for a missing wizard, Iarno. They are then offered a reward by Sildar and Harbin if they will neutralize the Cragmaw Castle Goblins and Wyvern Tor Orcs respectively.


The group discovered that the townsfolk (who can’t do anything for themselves) were being harassed and extorted by the Redbrands, who recently murdered Thel and likely kidnapped his family. Our noble heroes headed to their hangout to bring them to justice, but enroute they were accosted by four thugs. A brutal, no-quarter melee ensued where Stevil was brought down by a barrage of sword thrusts while Pog was gravely wounded. Sensing defeat Silde unleashed his Ki while Pog flew into a rage, and the two rained death and despair upon the scoundrels and turned the tide of battle with Goh and Blumpkin. As the town watched and the din of battle subsided whispers in the wind could be heard around the stricken priest of Kord. The party, hurt, but not beaten, were victorious.

Session 2: Killing Klarg

Silde left the cavern to protect the wagon while the rest of our heroes made a treacherous ascent into Klarg's lair to assault the ferocious bugbear leader. However, they were forced to abort the plan after Blumpkin lost his footing and nearly plummeted to his doom. Undeterred, the band headed further into the cavern, but a Goblin spotted Pog's torch and unleashed a flood through the caverns. The quick-footed Pog leapt to a stalactite while Goh and Blumpkin ran to higher ground. Stevil wasn’t as lucky and was nearly swept away but he resisted the deluge with his brute strength.

Our heroes climbed a side passage, but Blumpkin tripped again and was sent head-over-heels -- nearly knocking Stevil into the rapids below. Our steadfast adventurers trekked upward and confronted Klarg's sharp-tongued liuetenant, Yeemik, who had been viciously torturing Sildar. After insulting Stevil he agreed to free Sildar in exchange for killing Klarg and let slip that Gundren was taken from the cave. The party agreed to Yeemik's plan -- despite Sildar's warning and plea for help.

The band soon encountered the Goblins who unleashed the earlier torrent, defeating them after Goh lead a daring sneak attack. Blumpkin was nearly spotted by Klarg who was nearby, but Goh pulled him aside before being spotted. The party then attacked and easily defeated Klarg and his minions taking a Goblin prisoner. However a badly wounded Goblin escaped in fear after witnessing Pog cleave his comrade in half. The team headed back to Yeemik having fulfilled their end of the bargain.

Session 1: Wagon Duty

Sildar Hallwinter

Our story began with four brave adventurers and Blumpkin accepting a mission to protect a wagon full of provisions headed to the mining village of Phandalin. They are ambushed by Goblins, who earlier kidnapped their employer, Gundren Rockseeker, and his sellsword, Sildar Hallwinter. The party easily defeated the raiders forcing a captured Goblin to lead them to their hide-out avoiding multiple traps along the path.

The heroes discovered their cavern hide-out and killed a pair of sentries along with their own prisoner, who made an ill-timed escape attempt during the battle. When the party entered the cavern they discovered three wolves chained in a kennel. Goh (aka Vanekas), the Ranger, coordinated a ranged assault but this enraged the beasts who broke their rusty chains, savagely mauling Blumpkin before they were brought down in a surprisingly tough battle.