Session 12: Face-to-face with the Black Spider... and a fireball

The heroes, victorious after slaying the pack of foul Ghouls, were battered and weary from their many wounds. They barricaded themselves in the old Barrack's room and recuperated from their wounds.  They resumed their exploration and discovered an old Smelter room North of the Great Cavern where they battled the ghouls previously. When they entered the room they found several old corpses clad in chain-mail and a floating, flaming skull that warned the party that they "..may not pass by order of Vickana the Blue". Blumpkin urged the party to slay the undead beast, but Pog and Stevil felt discretion was in order and convinced the party to try to find an alternative way around the room.

They explored more of the caverns to the West and passed by a dark pool in the ground (who knows what mysteries lie in its waters?) and opened a door to a barracks full of six Bugbears wearing the emblem of the Black Spider. Pog became enraged at the sight of the monstrous Bugbears and charged into the room, protecting the rest of the party. Three bug-bears charged at Pog with their morning-stars, while the remaining hurled their javelins at the barbarian. Pog side-stepped most of their blows, although he nearly got brained by a morning star that injured him. In retaliation Pog killed two of the beasts in a single swing of his sword. The party swarmed over the remaining Bugbears and quickly defeated them, capturing a badly injured Bugbear, who warned them of a "scary monster" in the Northeast section of the mine. 

The party rested for an hour and headed further North. They discovered more Black Spider forces comprised of a Drow elf (Vhalak) and four Bugbears. The foes engaged the party, and killed two of the Bugbears and badly wounded Vhalak, who the party suspected was really a Doppelganger. Vhalak yelled for reinforcements, and from an adjoining room, Nezznar, the Black Spider leader, and several Giant Spiders charged at the party from their exposed flank. 

The party feared they would be overwhelmed and fled down the hall and regrouped into a better defensive position to take on the small horde of monsters. In response Nezznar cast darkness over the party and sent in his spiders, who can fight in darkness. The heroes retreated again to the Bugbear barracks and barricaded the door. They devised a plan to retreat through the room with the Flaming Skull with the hope that Nezznar's forces would follow and be attacked by the skull.

The party executed the plan – including feeding the zombies the helpless bugbear prisoner to distract them -- and they ran East into the Flame Skull room while Silde tried to open the Western door to the Black Spider. However, Nezznar's forces had barricaded the door to the room to try to force the party to fight the skull as well, so the party's plan was thwarted and Silde fled like the wind through the Eastern door. 

While the party fled East the Flaming Skull launched a fiery ball of destruction that exploded into the party's midst. The party was badly hurt with Goh being knocked unconscious by the great concussive force, while Stevil only managed to stay on his feat with his unyielding endurance. After the fireball the zombies moved to engage the party. They blocked the door to the barracks, trapping Goh and Stevil in the barracks. Stevil slammed the door shut and revived Goh with his healing magic. The party is now split in two facing off against two potential enemies with Goh and Stevil trapped and at risk of being overwhelmed by enemies.

Session 11: Wave Echo Cavern

As soon as the adventurers entered the smoking ruins of Phandalin, Stevil tracked down sister Garaele who was the village's best (and only) herbalist. With the help of Kord via Stevil's Guidance spell, sister Garaele brewed a potion that cured Stevil of his malediction.  While in town the heroes agreed that they needed to stop the Black Spider from finding the forge of spells in Wave Echo Cavern. However, before they set out to the mine, Stevil visited Nars and convinced him (barely) to stay in the village and avoid getting into more trouble.

The heroes set out for the mine and arrived later that evening at a cave that descended into the mining complex. In the cavern they found an unidentified body of a Dwarf who had died approximately 1-week ago and was equipped with boots of Striding and Springing that was taken by Pog.  The team dropped down into the mine and headed East. They soon came upon the wreckage of an old battle with dozens of Orc and Skeleton skeletons scattered across the floor. While they were investigating, the team was surprised by a flock of hungry, vicious Stirges, who descended in the party's midst intent on feasting on their blood. After a desperate struggle the party defeated them, although many of the heroes were half dead from blood loss.

Stevil and Goh revitalized the team with their healing magic, and the heroes continued to explore the mine. In a nearby guard room they ran across more skeletons -- remnants of the battle that consumed Wave Echo Cavern 500 years previously. These skeletons had slowly been absorbing the magic of the cavern and quickly reanimated themselves when they were disturbed and hurled themselves at the party. It takes more than skeletons to stop our heroes and the monsters were soon defeated, although Goh was badly hurt from a particularly vicious orc skeleton that hit him with a lucky strike, although Stevil pulverized the skeleton into dust with his maul.

In an adjoining room the party found an old lock box, but despite the team’s best effort it resisted all efforts to open it. The party was feeling worn down at this point and took a quick rest to heal their wounds before they ventured further into the mine. They soon entered a cavern full of mysterious fungi to the East, but when the team attempted to traverse the room a foul gas was released by the fungi that drove them back. The team next headed North in an old barracks where three ghouls were gnawing on old bones and attacked the party. The ghouls were no match for the heroes and were dispatched, although Goh was paralyzed by one of the fiendish creatures that he antagonized. However, the team killed the creature before it could begin snacking on Goh’s flesh. After the battle the team didn’t find anything of worth in the room, and Silde, the monk, lamented the lack of treasure they were receiving.

The team continued their exploration and headed west through a network of passageways. Goh, always eager to explore, ran ahead of the group and was nearly surprised by a large Ochre Jelly that dropped from the ceiling. The team rushed in to destroy the abomination. During the battle Stevil split the ooze in half with his sword, creating two identical (but smaller) copies of the beast, but the the party quickly defeated it after switching to piercing weapons.

After the battle the team noticed a Ghoul up north on the top of some stairs and launched a volley of arrows, badly wounding it, but it ran away. The heroes charged up the stairs realizing there were numerous Ghouls nearby that needed killing, but the Ghouls ran down a side passage and tried to surprise the party from behind. However, the heroes were too clever and discovered their trick and a great battle enveloped on the staircase.

Pog and Sildar held the front line while the party launched arrows at the Ghouls. Stevil unleashed the power of Kord and cast Shatter, which killed many of the monsters. Silde rushed into the gap and took down a Ghoul with a flurry of flows, but he became too eager and charged the last two Ghouls who were anticipating his attack and viciously mauled the monk, nearly killing him. The team rushed in after him and brought down the last two ghouls while Stevil revived Silde.

Session 10: TERPS

The heroes, bloodied from slaying waves of Cragmaw Castle defenders, began searching the castle to clear it of evil and relieve the former inhabitants of their ill-gotten booty. They encountered a group of Goblin acolytes in a chapel that had been corrupted and transformed into an unholy shrine to their dark god Lhupo. The terrified Goblins begged for their lives after witnessing the destruction of so many of their brethren earlier and were allowed to flee the castle by the merciful heroes.

The party continued their search and found Sildar's stolen equipment -- which included a sword of considerable sentimental value -- and then found a second group of goblins, who were attempting to flee the castle after the party annihilated most of their comrades. The heroes -- after some debate -- showed them mercy allowed them to flee the castle unmolested.   Soon after Pog was leading the party through a dark hall when he triggered a trap that caused the ceiling to collapse on him. He nimbly jumped aside to avoid being badly hurt and wondered if he was perhaps too merciful to the Goblins earlier.

The team nearly completed clearing out the castle when they entered the Southeast Tower. It was the home of a ferocious, hungry Owlbear the goblins had been attempting (unsuccessfully) to tame. It charged the party, intent on eating their flesh, but the heroes easily overwhelmed it, slaying it with no injuries.  While searching the tower the party found a decomposed, partially eaten corpse covered with mushrooms and a potentially magical eyeball that caught the party's attention. Pog -- no surgeon -- removed the eye with his sword and a cloud of white spores burst from the mushrooms covering most of the party. Unperturbed, the party continued their search and found a chest full of gold, scrolls, and a potion.


The team, having cleared the castle, traveled back to Phandalin. While en-route they identified their treasures -- which included a very valuable Staff of Defense. However, by the time they reached Phandalin Stevil had became extremely ill with a evil malady that left him exhausted with fungi sprouting from his body. He was able to identify the disease as Terva Elven Rot Plague Syndrome (TERPS).

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 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.