Murder Hobo Squad: A Lost Mine of Phandelver/Dragon of Icespire Peak & Beyond D&D 5E record (Beware Spoilers!)

DM: We had some mild technical difficulties tonight.  Discord chat kept freezing so we set up a google meeting.  It worked well, but had an unexpected feature: Real time subtitles.  This lead to hilarity and the occasional breakdown in events as we stopped to laugh and make fun of the subtitles.

Reidoth and I had spent the day over text roleplaying through his last week or two at Thundertree as the dragon arrived and their pregame encounters.

The party decided to investigate the Dragon Cultists before approaching the dragon.  They didn’t want any surprises during that fight.  They walked around the outside of town and split up as the headed towards the Cultists.  Thorivor got a sniper perch on a nearby building, Araloth and Bilba hid in some nearby ruins and everyone else hid behind their building while Ramond, Reidoth and Talindra knocked on the front door.  A face appeared through the shutters on the nearby window asking who was there.  They introduced themselves and said they’d just had a chat with the lovely dragon Venomfang and they thought they’d come over and introduce themselves.  The guard said he thought Favric would like that and let them in and showed them down the hall.  He introduced them to Favric relaying what they had said and went back to his post.

A conversation with Favric ensued where the party figured out the Cultists didn’t actually know much about the dragon and hadn’t actually met her yet, although they wanted to meet her and possibly serve her.  The party played friendly and acted like they wanted to protect Venomfang too, even saying they wanted her to move along as there were threats to her nearby.  Reidoth revealed that he knew Venomfang had been attacked by a much larger dragon before heading here and suggested that they would be wiser to seek out and serve that dragon instead.  Talindra uses Suggestion to motivate Favric to go and seek him out.  Favric asked about any leads to track down this dragon and Reidoth pointed them towards a Sage in the Icewind Dale amongst the ten towns called Gelan Brightleaf, saying they had more information. (DM: They’re a member of the Emerald Enclave Reidoth knows about.  He’s setting them up to get captured)  Favric thanked them and said this seemed like the best plan.  The party left and 10 minutes later the cultists walked out and headed off with their bags on the backs.

They party had an unsuccessful search of the building and then swept through the buildings one by one heading west and then north from there without much difficulty.  They ran in to a few Twig Blights and a couple of Giant Spiders but they posed little resistance.  Reidoth pointed them towards the old Herbalists shop they were asking about and they recovered the treasure Mirna Dendrar had offered them as thanks for rescuing her (An emerald necklace hidden under a counter).  After a short rest in Reidoth’s holdout they decided it was time to face the dragon.

They opted for the stealthy approach at first.  Reidoth cast Pass Without Trace and they moved up the winding path or through the woods staying out of site of the tower.  On their way up Talindra sent her familiar up at a great height to see if the Dragon could be spotted in the tower through the hole in the roof while staying out of sight.  The dragon’s presence was confirmed and the Owl was sent away to safety.  As they turned the final corner, exposing themselves to the tower, an unseen voice spoke up from within.

Venomfang: “You have returned.  I see you brought friends.  Am I to assume our deal does not stand?”

Reidoth: “Our deal stands.  However the deal was that once you have returned to heal you would leave.”

V: “I said I would leave when I was healed and ready.  I am not fully healed and I am not ready.”

Re: “You’ve been hunting for yourself well enough.  There are powers taking in interest in your presence and it would be in your best interest to move on.”

V: “I am not ready to go and as you pointed out I am a capable hunter.  Think on that.“  They could hear the sounds of stone scraping on stone from within the tower.

Talindra: “But while you are out hunting you are likely to draw the attention of the other local dragons.  Do you really want to fight Cryovain or Claugiyliamatar?  You should move along to avoid that”

(DM: Talindra tried to cast Suggestion on the dragon, but couldn’t get line of sight from where she stood)

V: “I don’t know this Cryovain and Claugiyliamatar has little interests this far north.  I’ll leave when I’m ready.  I still need to finish healing.”

Ramond: “You would do well to listen to us.  If we have heard of you so have others.  More threats will come.”

Re: “I have not broken your trust.  Have I not healed you              ?  Have I not brought you food when you were unable to hunt?  I am servant of the balance and the balance has tipped.  It is not safe for you here anymore.”

V: “You have taken care of me and that is appreciated.  I have no desire to hurt you, but here you come having brought mercenaries with you.  You bring threat, look at you.  You’ve stormed through this place killing everything.”

Re: “I did say before there were numerous threats in the town.  We did have to make our way through.”

V: “You have the right to defend yourselves, as do I.”

Ra: “So have you chosen the path where we must drive you away?”

V: “This is my home for now and I have no desire to leave.  You’re the ones that come here bearing weapons.  You’re the ones threatening me, all because that old man asks you to.

Talindra took a few careful steps away from the group, worrying about breath weapons.

Re: “You refer to this as your home.  I believe the terms of our deal were that this was in my ward.  I protect it in the service to the gods.  Do you now claim it as your land?”  He cast detect thoughts and only used it to read the surface, not pushing deeper.   He then relayed his findings to Ramond and Talindra telepathically, telling them, “She doesn’t intend to leave.  She is healthier than she appears”

Ra: “You have chosen your path.  We resign ourselves to the gods.  May Tempus smile upon us at the end of this day.” He started walking towards the tower and Araloth stepped out of the bushes around the western side of the tower.

V: “Very well.  You have chosen your path.  Those who leave shall be spared.  Come at me and I will defend myself.”  Then there was more scraping and banging from within and we rolled initiatives.

Bilba and Thorivor ran in to the bushes and readied an arrow for the enemy to appear.  Melandrach ran up to the cottage door as Araloth ran up the side of it and on to its roof and drank his Antitoxin potion (Everyone else drank theirs before heading up this path).  Ramond double moved in through the cottage door and in to the tower and engaged the dragon and cast Shield of Faith.  Talindra ran up to the nearest arrow slit and cast Web through it filling a 20ft cube binding the dragon, but missing the Ramond.  Karson moved up to an arrow slit and turned his sword in to a hawk, which attacked the dragon for him with the full strength of the sword, landing two of three attacks.  Venomfang considered staying put but chose to break free of the webs by flying upwards, taking hits from Ramond and Talon (The sword/hawk).  Forty feet in the air, she dropped two large chunks of masonry she was holding in Ramond’s general direction.  He got out of the way of one, but the other hit him.  As she rose up through the roof Bilba and Throivor unleashed their readied arrows, but the tower provided too much concealment at this angle.  Reidoth moved up and peeking over Karson’s shoulder through the arrow slits and past all the web, he was able to cast Haste on to Ramond.  As the wave of energy rushed through his system Ramond (DM: and his player) were overjoyed and let out a cry of delight.

Bilba shot at but missed the dragon, but Thorivor made up for this, landing three of his four Action Surge hits.  Melandrach ran through the cottage dropping his staff and drew his bow, landing two arrows before retreating back inside.  Araloth ran up the side of the tower and stood on the remaining walls and ledges.  He watched Ramond below run back through the cottage and draw his wand and unleash eight Magic Missiles in to the Dragon and then fire a Guiding Bolt at it.  Talindra walked east and cast Web at the Dragon in the air before backing up a bit.  Karson moved past her and shot Venomfang with his longbow.  Venomfang flew east through the web unhindered as it fell to the floor.  “Very well, keep your tower, but you’re paying a price.”  She then unleashed her poisonous breath over Karson and Talindra.  Karson fell unconscious and Talindra was left weakened.  Venomfang then continued flying east and lower to the ground, trying to get cover from a nearby building.  Reidoth quickly ran to heal Karson back to consciousness while Araloth walked down in to the tower and began the looting.

Bilba and Thorivor landed two more arrows in to her hide as Melandrach and Ramond gave chase.  Melandrach dropped his bow and scooped up his staff and ran full pelt towards the dragon.  He ran 40 feet up to the dense bushes, spent Ki to dash and long jumped over 20 foot of bushes before running his remaining 20 feet to end up just over 10 feet from the dragon.  He fired two Radiant Sunbolts in to the dragon, almost downing her.  Right behind him Ramond did similar.  He Channelled Divinity to make himself a hasted Peerless Athlete and jumped over thirty feet of bushes and was actually able to run past Melandrach and get toe to toe with Venomfang.  He swung his greatsword with all his momentum, but missed.  He landed his second attack and Divinely Smote the dragon with all he had.  He scramed out, “This is the path you chose!” and ran the greatsword through her neck.  Radiant light from the smite burst forth and the sounds of armies clashing could be heard.  The dragons momentum carried it forwards and she crashed in to the ground, tumbled and lay motionless and dead.

With the dragon dead the party joined Araloth in the looting as they got the breath back and discussed what dragon parts could be useful.  Along with cash and gems they found a scroll of misty step, and a scroll of lightning bolt.  Beneath the coins is a rusty old woodcutting axe of dwarven manufacture. Runes in Dwarvish on the axe head read, “Hew”.  Talindra ritually identified the axe:

Hew is a +1 battleaxe that deals maximum damage when the wielder hits a plant creature or an object made of wood. The axe’s creator was a dwarf smith who feuded with the dryads of a forest where he cut firewood.

DM: It was gone midnight, everyone was happy and laughing.  We called the game, discussed things and chuckled and went to our beds.

This has been a worthy experiment.  I definitely need to buff Cryvain and some other stuff from what the module suggests.  Eight players really skew the challenge needed.

The party cleared out the last two buildings, which contained Zombies coated in ash.  When struck they unleashed a small cloud of ash, causing those nearby to cough and choke for a short while.  They posed little challenge though and it was short work.  They pile dup the zombie bodies after and burnt them to ensure they couldn’t come back.  While that was going on they butchered the dragon and took any parts they thought might have value or be of use.  They skinned the scales, took the wing membranes, recovered the poison gland (and filled two vials with poison for use later), extracted the liver, but made a mess of the heart.  They pulled out all the teeth and claws, and then decided to just take the whole head anyway as it had been decapitated.  Melandrach decided he might try to make some weapons from the leg bones (Chat on paired batons, or making a nun chuck) so they extracted two good sized bones from each leg.  When they were done Reidoth used Move Earth to bury the remains, and then do the same with the zombies once the fire was done.

When they were done the brought the wagon in to town and loaded it up and then set off for a few hours before camping for the night.  While sat around the campfire Talindra spoke to Reidoth and asked him if he knew anything about the Cult of Talos.  He told them about their experiences and revealed that she’d been given a vision of lighting destroying the Shrine of Tymora in Phandalin.  Reidoth revealed he was familiar with the cult in general, but not locally.  His community had previously been attacked by cultists a long time ago and barely survived.  This vision could be a warning.  Reidoth and Talindra are concerned.  Reidoth also thanked Talindra for finding a non-violent way of dealing with the cultists at Thundertree.  As dinner was being eaten after, Talindra was going through her backpack and her face dropped and she ran off, upset, in to the woods.  Reidoth followed, trying to stay out of site.  When she stopped, he watched her cry a little while burying a small rat.  Reidoth decided to give her some privacy and returned to camp and Talindra followed shortly after.

The next morning they set out for Neverwinter, and arrived late in the afternoon.  They booked rooms at an inn and set out to do a little trading.  Araloth went out alone with a handful of damaged claws, teeth and loose scales to have a chat with a private contact.  Talindra led the rest of the party to a shop she’d previously sold some old spellbooks to.  The Component Companion is a magical supplies shop in the nicer part of town selling spell components, arcane, alchemical and herbalist supplies, and a selection a mage friendly weapons and garments (often more decorative than practical).  Behind the counter is a male gnome dressed in blue and purple robes that Talindra recognises and greets as Sliknap Bimbleskoot.  They ask about buying some powdered rubies for components and get what they need.  They pick up a couple of flasks of Holy Water, and Talindra asks about scrolls of Tensors Floating Disk, Water breathing and Leomunds Tiny Hut.  Reidoth points out that he can cast Water Breathing so Talindra only buys the other two scrolls.

They then ask about how much he’d pay for various dragon parts.  They offer up most of everything, except the scales, wings, and 3 leg bones.  He appraises everything individually (DM: and I pull values out of thin air.  Who knows what any of that stuff is worth or if it even has use?) and they decide to think on it overnight.  When they pull money out of their smelly bag of holding and he recoils at the stench they suggest he’d have less smell to contend with if he offered them a better price on the parts and took that instead.  He says if they want to exchange then he’ll up his offer a bit (DM: about 20% extra), but they aren’t interested.  They buy their wares and head back to the inn.  Talindra says she has something to take care of and goes elsewhere.  Being much more familiar with the back alleys and the city in general she arrives back at the inn only a little after the others, and shortly after Araloth returned.

DM: Its then we ended things.  It was getting late, and I needed to handle Araloth’s side trek in private.  The group is planning to spend a little time doing their own thing before getting back to tracking down Cryovain around Phandalin.  I’ve asked them to send me a list of their immediate plans and I’ve already spent 2-3 hours today responding and planning stuff.  I expect to be doing this on and off across the week and then we can process the results next session.  Hopefully I’ll have enough time to figure out what they want, what I think is reasonable, and how to deal with that in that time.  This will be interesting.  I’ll be DMing without any kind of module as backup.  Not sure I’ve ever really done this for more than a scene or two before.  Watch me crash and burn and take the campaign with me!

Welcome to the Downtimeisode where everyone does whatever they want with no module to hold their hands.  The safety is off on this one folks!  Send help!

Over dinner, the party discussed their plans for the next few days.  Some wanted to head back to Phandalin and some had business in town.  Talindra had taken a few requests for magic items to create and asked the group if she should focus her time on Sending Stones, Pearls of Power, or Cloaks of Protection.  The group agreed that while they all would be good, the cloak would never not be useful to everyone.  Reidoth cast Continual Flame on Ramond’s pommel and a coin for Bilba.  Over breakfast the next day he also cast it on a dragons tooth for Melandrach.  After breakfast, they all went their separate ways.

Karson and Thorivor hung out at the bar, waiting for Reidoth and Talindra so they could head back to town together.  Thorivor pulled out a notebook and started assembling his ideas towards crafting a set of magic bracers to aid his archery.  Araloth said he had run in to an old friend and he’d be gone for maybe a week helping them out with something.  He’d catch up with them later, either here or in Phandalin.

Melandrach asked around for craftsmen and found someone to turn one dragon’s wing in to a cloak for him, and a jeweller to affix his flaming dragon tooth to a silver chain.  When he wears it he now has flames rising up under his chin.  He also found a weapon smith to turn three dragon bones in to an iron capped three section chain staff that can also be used as a regular staff.  He then spent the remainder of the day and the next day wondering around the temples asking if anyone knew anything about an ancient elven temple in the Mere of Dead Men.  Nobody really did, but while in the temple of Denier (Lesser god of art) he saw an old painting.  This painting was of five trees that grew together to form one vast tree above head height.  This matched one of the markers to find his temple, as described in the journal pages they recovered from the mine recently.  He figured that if he took it to the Mere he could line up the mountains in the background and the sun and shadows and find where it was painted.  He asked the priest, who said it was called “The Midday Meeting of the Council of Elders”, but he could not take it.  He was advised to check art galleries and bookshops to see if he could find a copy.  He then spent the next seven days checking everywhere he could think of, before successfully picking up an old copy.  Whatever time is left he plans on continuing teaching himself Herbalism from a manual he found a while back.

Reidoth went to speak to speak to his contact in the Emerald Enclave and report recent events and his plans and concerns.  Realising he had spent many months in the wilderness and was catching some attention in the streets, he also stopped off for a wash, shave, and haircut.  He then returned to the inn to wait for the others heading to Phandalin.

Talindra returned to the Component Companion and sold off the unwanted dragon parts and then returned to the inn to transcribe the scrolls in to her spellbook.  When her lunch was served she was also handed a short note that someone had dropped off for her.  After reading it and finishing her meal she touched up her disguise and left the inn.  She ducked down some back alleys and knocked on a door and Andrakas Zherichar, a Blue Tiefling male answered. “Darri, wasn’t it?  I’m sorry I couldn’t find your friend.  Perhaps you should come in?”  She entered and he offered Darri Talindra’s favourite brew, which she declined.  They had a short chat.  In the guise of Darri, Talindra had asked him the night before to get an offer of employment to a street urchin halfing girl called Miri Zithak.  He’d been unable to track her down, but had uncovered something concerning.  No one had seen her for a few weeks, and the last time she was seen, she was being chased by a band of local small time pickpockets calling themselves The Reavers.  Her friend Talindra was also being chased and she hasn’t been seen since either.  It appears the Reavers caught up to Miri, but Andrakas gets the impression that Talidra may have gotten away.  (DM: heavy wink to the camera.  Talindra refused to break her characters character) Talindra slipped him 5gp and thanked him for his help, before requesting that this stay between them.  She then returned to the inn, and messaged Bilba on the sending stones to come back for a chat.

On the second day, Karson, Reidoth, Thorivor and Talindra began the three day walk back to Phandalin.  Talindra vanished off to the mine to continue her work, and now has a homemade Rod of the Pact +1, and knows how to enchant Cloaks of Protection, +1.  Thorivor lost himself in research and now knows how to make Bracers of Archery.  Karson and Reidoth went off in to the woods together to seek out any further activity from Cultists of Talos for the remainder of this downtime.

Bilba had decided to use this time in town to relax and had gone off to a casino.  When she got the call she returned and Talindra asked for her help in finding out what had happened.  (We are gonna see the sending stones used a lot this session.  It’s interesting.  Even when someone has their camera off you can still actually hear them counting to the 25 word limit on their fingers while they talk).  Talindra explained that she had a friend who was missing and was last seen being chased by a gang based in the docks.  He gave her Miri’s name, and showed an illusion of what she looks like, and asked her to look in to this for her.  He said they were chasing her because they didn’t like her pickpocketing on their turf but she had refused to work for them.  (With this sudden unexpected workload dumped on an unprepared player I skipped to someone else for a little to give her a chance to plan)

Ramond headed off to find a temple to Tempus and quickly found there wasn’t one in the city, but there was a shrine a few miles South East of town, called the Shrine of Swords.  He mounted up and headed out and eventually stumbled upon a building shaped like a giant gauntlet stood on its finger tips.  The entrance was between the thumb and forefinger.  The building was constructed out of a metal mesh made from spears and polearms and coated in shields and sections of armour.  Two guards stood in the doorway wearing the symbol of Tempus and a priest could be seen near an altar inside, under the palm.  Ramond greeted the guards and approached the priest, who introduced himself as Rauthat Jhuth Straug (Rauthat is a rank within the church.  It’s one of the higher ranks).  Ramond said he’d been adventuring in the area and would like to spend some time here reaffirming his faith and providing religious service for the shrine.  He wanted to prove himself worthy to be considered for membership with the Order of the Steel Fang, should there be a local chapter.

He was invited in to the shrine and advised that those looking to enter and benefit from their services traditionally donate a weapon to the shrine.  Ramond pulled out a warhammer and offered that up.  Rauthat Straug placed this upon the altar and an illusion formed over it displaying its last battle against some undead.  Rauthat Straug praised Ramond’s technique, then took the weapon and added it to a nearby rack.  He then asked what Ramond had done that would earn him consideration for membership in the Order.  Ramond briefly listed his achievements, mentioning most of their adventures so far, including taking his Greatsword from an enemy whose life he had spared.  When Ramond was done, the priest asked to look at the sword.  He placed it on the alter and got a replay of the battles at Thundertree, especially against the dragon.  When the illusion faded, he picked up the sword and told Ramond that his deeds were great and he was certainly a mighty warrior.  However, it takes more than strength and ability to join the Steel Fangs.  It also takes bravery.  Venomfang had been a powerful foe, but he had been greatly outclassed by Ramond and his allies.  Ramond needed to go out and face a foe that scares him, who could defeat him.  Fight this foe on honorable battle and then return with their blood still on his weapon.  Only then he would be considered for membership.

Ramond thanked him for this opportunity, and requested to be of service to the shrine.  He was asked to clean and sharpen all the weapons and armour here.  He looked around and there were many.  He spent the next two days with a whetstone, a bottle of Brasso, and a selection of dusters and shammies.  When he was done he proudly approached the priest, who said he meant ALL the weapons and around and gestured to the building itself and handed Ramond a safety harness. (DM: all in, this was 10 days scrubbing, which Ramond was portrayed as loving.  He also stank of metal polish the whole week.  He seemed to enjoy messing about hanging from the ceiling and spent a little while pretending to fly before getting back to work).

Bilba decided she was going to head back to the casino for a few days and try and win big to see whose attention that might draw, either pickpockets who might be Reavers, or the Pit boss who might think she’s scamming them.  She won on the first day, but things didn’t go her way for the next few days.  On the sixth day she decided to try a little sleight of hand to boost her odds.  She has a magic bow that allows her to gain advantage on one dex check a day.  I gave her the opportunity to pick which dice she rolled.  Either take the better dice and try and win, or take the worse dice and try and get caught cheating.  She got a 10 and a 22 and took a moment to think and opted to have the dealer see the extra card she had up her sleeve for a moment, rather than try for the winnings.  The dealer called over a bouncer and explained what had happened and he escorted her to a back room.  She was made to wait for a moment before they were called in.  The man behind the desk asked for an explanation and Bilba said she was looking for an introduction to the Thieves Guild and this seemed like a good way to get the attention of someone who may have contacts.  There was a discussion and he asked for every penny back she had won, which she offered up before he became more insistent.  He wrote an address on a piece of paper and folded it in half.  He slid it across the desk, but kept his hand on it.  He said she was never to return to his casino ever again.  She agreed, took the paper and left.

Bilba followed the directions to a back alley and knocked on the door.  A slit opened and she explained that she’d been given their location by a mutual friend and showed the piece of paper.  The guard grudgingly opened the door and told her she would be watched closely.  She found herself in a repurposed dark warehouse holding a pop up community. A black market, some bars, some games of chance, all being run from temporary structures within.  She spent some time mingling and getting to know the set up.  She introduced herself to the Thieves Guild and found out what she needed to do to pay her respects and not get lynched by them and become a member.  She asked about doing a job for them so she could prove herself, and got a place on a robbery the next day.  A well to do house in town.  A simple mission we just skipped to the end of and she made back a little of the money she had lost at the casino.  She then milled about the guild and its bar, and started asking if anyone knew anything about Miri.  Unfortunately no one seemed to recognise her description. (DM: I was trying to work with her, but she rolled really badly on Investigation)

That evening Araloth arrived back at the inn and met up with Melandrach, Bilba and Ramond.  There was a long and frustrating (DM: Frustrating in character.  Fun for the players though) conversation about money and profit and who gets what magic items, and what happens if people sell their items.  Also a chat about trust and openness.  (DM: Interesting, but I didn’t take full notes on it all).  Generally, Araloth just being his usual skinflint penny pinching self.

Next morning, Bilba returned to the guild and tried a different approach.  She tried to vanish in to the background of the bar, not draw attention to herself, and nurse a drink all day, listening in to conversations around her.  She heard about a group of petty thieves and pickpockets operating around the docks.  They’re not really part of the thieves guild, but pay them just enough respect and profit share to not have the Guild come down hard on them.  They call themselves The Reavers, and they’ve recently escalated to kidnapping people and there’s some concern that the guild will be associated with this behaviour.  That’s all she could catch before they drifted too far to hear.

She returned to their Inn and used the sending stones to update Talindra and ask if she knows anything about The Reavers.  Talindra revealed she knew they are led by a half elf called Gadrille Refverdt.  They operate from the docks and think they are better than just a gang of pickpockets.  Talindra then fired up her Sending Stone to continue.  She didn’t know if they were connected to any other gangs in town.  They don’t like other pickpockets working at the docks.  Bilba shared her information with the others over breakfast in the morning.  Araloth suggested they head to the docks and investigate.  Melandrach suggested staging a fake pickpocketing of him there to try and draw the Reavers attention.  Ramond suggested using that as a backup plan, but going and looking for anyone pickpocketing they could question first.

Araloth and Bilba headed to the docks and nonchalantly watched life go by, looking for pickpockets.  They saw a little boy go running down the street, being chased by a girl.  She bumped in to a man unloading the morning catch, who dropped a couple of fish.  She lifted something from his pocket, called out, “sorry mister!” and continued chasing the boy.  They both vanished around the corner of a building laughing and shouting at each other. The crept up on them and watched from a distance as they shared the few copper they had gained.  Bilba and Araloth chose not to intervene and watched them from a distance for a while longer, looking out for other more interesting targets.  The kid repeated variations on the same trick a few more times, and around lunchtime they headed to a tavern called The Cauldron.  They chose to follow them in and saw them handing over coppers at the bar, ordering the cheapest meal on the menu.  Once the kids had sat down at a secluded table, they approached the bar, ordered meals and rinks, and ordered better food for the kids.  They asked the barman not to reveal who had proved the food, unless the kids were insistent.  When he served the kids they saw an exchange between them and eventually the barman pointed their way.  They gave the kids a wave and got a nervous smile in exchange.  Everyone ate up, and when the kids got up to leave Bilba got their attention and beckoned them over.  They had a chat and found out the Reavers used to dominate this area, and used to use this inn as something of a base of operations, but they’re all gone now.  About a week ago they just left.  No one’s seen them since.  They used to scare the kids, but now they’re gone they can operate in the docks.  Araloth offered to get them an introduction with the Thieves Guild so they could have some training and protection, but the kids insisted they just wanted to be left alone and they wouldn’t steal enough to get the Guilds attention, just enough to eat and live.  They let the kids go and stayed in the bar for a while, watching the barman, and people come and go.

Over breakfast the next monring they discussed events with the others and asked Ramond to come with them to intimidate the barman for more information.  They assumed he bust have been working with the Reavers.  They were also contacted by Talindra via Sending Stones.  Talindra had had a job offer for the group to escort supplies from Phandalin to a loggers camp in Neverwinter Wood.  It needed to head out in a few days’ time so everyone should start heading to town if they want the work.  Ramond put on all his weapons and armour, but left off any emblems of Tempus and they returned to The Cauldron.  He approached the barman and acted loud, big, and scary (DM: and aced an intimidation roll) and the barman kinda crumbled.  He revealed that he didn’t work for the Reavers.  He just runs the bar and a long while ago they just turned up and made it their place.  They bullied the staff and scared off the other patrons.  He knew they were bad news and made it a point to stay as uninvolved as he could be.  He heard nothing and asked no questions, all trying to stay safe.  He confirmed what the kids had said and just wanted to be left alone to get on with his life now the Reavers weren’t ruining it.  Disappointed, Ramond turned around and saw someone collecting plates from tables.  He pointed at them and, already talking loudly, called out, “You!  What do you know!”  The server almost dropped all the plates they were carrying, and tried to avoid eye contact and vanish out back to the kitchens, but Ramond blocked their path.  He got more of the same information out of the server, but they did reveal that their attitudes had changed recently.  They seemed more focused, like they were working towards something.  They also said they’d long had a suspicion there was more to them than just thievery.  Terrified, Ramond eventually let them go.  They vanished out back and just dumped all the plates loudly in to the sink.  Ramond gave the barman one gold to cover any broken crockery and they left.  Ramond returned to the shrine to finish his final (10^th) day of polishing and sharpening.

It was near midnight so we called it there.  I was really hoping to get them out of Neverwinter before the session ended, but people needed to sleep.  I really thought that they’d be done with downtime within an hour, two at most.  This was 4+ hours and we’re still not done and most of it was made up on the fly as we reacted to each other, even if I did already know what’s what plotwise.  It was intimidating, but I think we all had fun.  There was definitely lots of laughter.

Before leaving town Melandrach asked Araloth to use his contacts to sell along his Staff of Defence.  The spells in it were not getting used and he wanted to have a Cloak of Protection made and get a magic weapon that enhanced his offensive power.  They agreed to sell it now for 4,000gp, rather than auction it and probably get more, but have to wait for the money.  The party finished up their business in Neverwinter and early on the 11^th day there (Conveniently the 11^th Flamerule, 1491), and they headed back towards Phandalin, arriving late on the 13^th.  They headed towards the Manor for a rest only to discover they had gained a water feature outside.  Reidoth and Karson had recently returned from scouting around Neverwinter Wood and Reidoth had spent the last few days magically sculpting a pond as a shrine to his god, Eldath.  They went inside and met up, but there was no sign of Talindra or Thorivor, who were still at the Mine.  They spent the next couple of days relaxing, while waiting for them to return.

A little before lunch on the 15^th Flamerule, Talindra and Thorivor entered the Manor.  The group had a long chat about what they’d been up to.  Talindra revealed she could now make cloaks of protection, given time and money.  The dragon wings would be the basis for two.  She had also finished work on a Rod of the Pact, +1, which she had been working on for a long time now.  Thorivor had completed Glasstaff’s research in to crafting Potions of Invisibility.  He’d also gone through the library at the mine trying to research how to make Bracers of Archery.  While completing that research (Which needs components they don’t yet know how to get) he had found the recipe for Greater Potions of Healing so he could also make them, given time.

They headed over to burthens Provisions to start the mission.  He loaded two large crates on to their wagon, and handed them an inventory which needed to be signed by Tibor Westor, the Townmasters half-brother, and returned for payment.  They followed the road around Neverwinter Wood while deciding if they wanted to go straight there, or swing by Falcon’s Hunting Lodge.  Rumour has it he will put up anyone, so long as they bring a quality bottle of wine.  They followed the road east, avoiding entering the woods at first, then cut north directly towards the Lodge, eventually coming across a fortified compound standing in a clearing on the east side of a narrow river. A ten-foot high log palisade surrounded the compound, whose main building was a two -story stone-and-wood affair with a high-pitched roof, gables, window shutters, and a stone chimney. Attached to the main building was a blocky tower of grey stone, its high roof lined with battlements. Other structures included a two-story stable house and a gatehouse whose flat roof was enclosed by iron railings. A stone bridge spanned the river, ending before an oaken door set into the gatehouse’s outer wall. Mounted next to the door was a bell with a short rope hanging from its clapper.

They spread out on the near side of the bridge and Araloth crossed it and rang the bell.  A few minutes later the door was opened by an older gentleman dressed in an apron.  Araloth greeted him and asked for the Falcon.  The man asked if they were from Neverwinter looking to be taken out on a hunting expedition.  Araloth said they were delivering some supplies and were hoping to stay here for the night, and maybe share some stories.  He flashed an expensive bottle of wine, which he didn’t part with.  The man introduced himself as Corwin and welcomed them in.  He showed them to the guest quarters, a basic, large dormitory and said he would inform the master that he has guests.  He would call them for dinner in the main building in around an hour and a half.  When asked, Reidoth explained he is a vegetarian.  Corwin wandered off and left them to get settled in.

A while later Corwin retuned and led them over to a large dining room in the main building.  There was a large oak dining table surrounded by many high backed chairs.  A set of stairs to one side led up to a balcony encircling the room.  As their eyes rose up they noticed a series of trophies looking down on the room.  There were many heads mounted on plaques; deer, board, some larger game, and quite a few orc heads.  They spoke amongst themselves about this until Falcon entered.  He was wearing a fur-lined cloak over his studded leather armour. He stood 6 feet, 6 inches tall, and had black hair and broad shoulders. His eyes were as blue, cold, and sharp as ice, and he sported a neatly trimmed beard. Falcon moved with the casual confidence of one who fears nothing.

He greeted his guests and welcomed them to his home.  Arlaoth stepped forward and offered up his bottle.  Falcon called out for glasses and Corwin returned with a tray with glasses and more wine, which Falcon served up and shared around as everyone got comfy.  Shortly afterwards Corwin returned with a roast for everyone.  Reidoths meal was sufficient but uninspiring.  Mainly just roasted vegetables, probably roasted in the juices of the boar, but Reidoth chose not to pursue that line of thought.  Falcon enquired if they were looking to do some hunting.  Talindra explained they were on a delivery run from Phandalin, but they had also heard about Orcs in the woods causing trouble and might be looking to deal with them, if Falcon knows anything about that.  She gestured up towards the trophies.  Falcon explained that there always been a small tribe of Orcs around.  They’ve always been a blight he’d rather be without, but more recently they’ve allied themselves with some half orcs and some spellcasters / sorcerers and they’ve become a much bigger problem.  They seem more motivated and much more active.  He’s been doing his part to keep their numbers down.  He really doesn’t like Orcs at all.  They’ve also got these stick creatures that seem to do their bidding.  They seem to be based out of an old house south and east of here.  He’s been doing his part to thin the herd.  He asks the party to head out to the house and kill them all.  If they do, he’ll give them some Boots of Elvenkind.  The party agreed and debated what to do next.  They decided taking the package in to battle was not a smart play, so said they’d complete the delivery first.  Falcon understood and said he’d keep killing off any he could in the meantime.

They enjoyed their meals and went back to their room.  The next morning they headed towards the loggers camp.  A couple of hours in to their journey as they entered a small clearing they could head something moving with speed through the bushes ahead.  They stopped and spread out a little, and a boar ran out ahead, and stopped, staring straight at them like a deer caught in the headlights.  A growing buzzing could be heard behind it.  Everyone waited to see what would happen next, except for Reidoth who cast Speak with Animals and Talindra who sent her owl ahead to scout.  Reidoth stepped forward and as a series of grunts and snorts, tried to tell the board that they are friendly.  The boar looked at him and backed up a smidge, but when the buzzing drew closer it moved away from them, towards the tree line to one side.  Four Stirges became visible from within the tree line, heading towards the Boar.

The party made short work of the Stirges, including the eight more that followed right behind.  Reidith continued trying to talk to the boar, who had defended himself badly, while trying to get away.  With the threat dead, Reidoth said that they’d saved the boar and he was free to go, and enquired about any other threats they should know about.  The boar explained that the woods are a dangerous place.  There’s a scary man to the east who likes to kill creatures.  There’s a green dragon to the west.  Reidoth told him the dragon is gone, but other lesser threats remain.  The boar explained there are stick creatures about.  The boar asked what they are up to.  Reidoth said they are passing through the woods and would not hunt him.  He asked where they were going.  Reidoth insisted they were just passing through.  The boar asked if he could go, and Reidoth watched him back off and leave with caution and suspicion.  Reidoth shared his information, and the party headed back on their path.

A couple of hours later they found the logging camp spread along the south shore of the river, where a dozen tents were arranged on a sandy beach. Near a dock stood a cabin with logs stacked under an awning. Older cabins close by had been torn down to leave only stone chimneys and foundations. A grim silence hung over the camp, and they could see no one around.  Something felt very wrong.  Ramond held back to guard the wagon and the others slowly spread out and approached the closest group of tents.  As they drew near the ground began to shake and two giant bug creatures burst forth and vomited acid over Karson and Melandrach.  A third bug joined the fight soon after.  The party fought hard, but the bugs did a lot of damage before they could get events under control.  Melandrach got badly wounded and got trapped under a heavy bug corpse briefly.  Karson got grappled and dragged partially underground before his opponent died.  The group retreated to a safe distance to take a short rest before continuing to investigate.  Reidoth checked the pathway for footprints.  While the party had made a mess of things, he did find one or two to suggest someone had left camp recently.

They returned to the southern camp and cautiously looked around the closest tents and checked the campfire. The fire was cold, and the tents showed evidence of acid damage.  Looking inside suggested that if anyone had left they had not stopped to pack.  Melandrach and Karson ventured towards the northern tents, where Melandrach could make out evidence of a struggle, and drag marks in the ground that stopped in areas of freshly dug ground.  His investigation was cut short when three more bugs ripped out of the ground back at the other tents and attacked Araloth, Reidoth and Bilba.  Talindra quickly cast Hypnotic Pattern on them making this fight a cakewalk, even after a fourth joined in and almost dragged Araloth underground.

It was getting late and we’d lost two players, and a third couldn’t join this week so we called it there.  Will the party figure out what happened here?  Will someone get dragged underground never to be seen again?  Will this be a series of single encounters followed by short rests?  Tune in next week.  Same bug time.  Same bug channel.

With the second wave of giant bugs dead the party took a moment to get their breath back and discuss things.  They looked around themselves and decided that if there were any survivors here, they would be in the only building standing.  Reidoth and Melandrach lead the way, with the rest of the party following behind, close enough to react but far enough back to avoid any surprises.

They cut through the ruins in the middle of the camp on their way.  Reidoth had a cursory look around.  Evidence of rotten wood where the walls had been suggested this wooden building had decayed and the remains had been cleared away, leaving only a damaged fireplace and chimney behind, possibly as the basis for a rebuild.  He also noted that the ground seemed harder under foot and was probably stone.  He told the others they were probably safer here as a result.

Reidoth and Melandrach lead the party further west towards the log cabin, but Talindra stopped at the ruined fireplace to have a better look to see if she could understand what had happened to the building or if it was being rebuilt.  Something in the fireplace caught her attention and she shifted a few stones and found something.  A bundle of sticks tied together that looked too fresh for their surroundings.  She dug them out and pulled them free and gave them a closer look.  They looked like little man made stick figures.  She called the others back to investigate as she untied them.  Thirteen figures in total, all covered in some dried up thick red-brown liquid and inscribed with a tiny lightning bolt symbol.  Ramond asked for a closer look and concluded that this was a magic totem and its purpose is to bring ill fortune to all near it.  It wasn’t a magic item, but it held magic.  It anchored a spell in place.  He reasoned that destroying it should end its magic and began snapping the twigs and throwing them on the floor, where Talindra used her magic to burn them.  Everyone held their breath for a moment as they waited for something bad to happen, but all stayed eerily quiet.

They carefully made their way over to the only building.  Reidoth heard nothing at the door so entered.  The large room was lined with all manner of logging tools and equipment, and a door could be seen to the north.  As the party moved up he pressed his ear to the door and heard something pressed up against it move away from it as he did.  Meladrach tried to speak to them and ask if they’re OK.  They found out this was Tibor Wester, the camp foreman and the person they are making the delivery to.  He is scared and alone and has been barricaded in this room for a couple of days.  He eventually let them in and they had a full chat.  A couple of days ago these giant bugs just attacked the camp out of nowhere.  They burst out of the ground and dragged unsuspecting people below.  Tibor ran for his life and hid and doesn’t know what happened after.  He hadn’t seen anyone new around camp.  They didn’t have any enemies that he could think of.  Brian, a logger, had said he’d seen an orc a week or two back, but so what?  Orcs are everywhere and live in the area.  Nothing came of it.  The druid asked if they were replanting as fast as they were logging, and Tibor said no.  There’s no profit in that.  Reidoth pointed out that forest creatures and those who defend nature would not like that and might be looking to stop the logging.  There’s profit in survival and he should think about that.  They mentioned the stick figures and suggested that followers of Talos may have done this as their way of protecting nature.  Talos is a god of nature, after all, even if he has an extreme attitude towards it.  Tibor asked them if the stick figures were magic and the cause of all this and confirmed that they believed they had ended the spell.  He asked them to escort him safely back to town and they agreed to, once they’d ensured there was no further danger here.  He locked himself back in the cabin as they wandered around camp and encountered no further danger.

The party took Tibor back to Falcon’s lodge for the night, arriving a while after sundown.  Corwin let them in and said Falcon was happy for them to use the guest quarters while they’re dealing with the Orc problem and they could look after Tibor while they did this.  He brought them some leftovers a little while later.  They next morning they left from the south east entrance and headed towards the Woodland Manse where the Orcs had been gathering.

After a four hour hike through the woods, the trees began to thin and they came upon a foggy clearing, in the midst of which stood a crumbling two story manse all but hidden beneath thorny ivy. The large house was set atop a six-foot-high stone foundation, and the main entrance had a balcony above it. Pumpkins grew wild in patches around the manse, with several wild boars feeding among them. The boars snorted with contempt when anyone drew near.

As the party drifted slowly towards the door, which had a board head scratched in to it, Reidoth decided to cast Detect Thoughts and approached the nearest boar.  The boar was hungry and was looking for nibbles amongst the pumpkin patch.  It could remember having found a tasty truffle a week ago and was hopeful of finding another.  Satisfied that this was just an ordinary boar he turned to the party and shared this with them and went to join them.  Talindra pointed out that a devious person might hide fake boars amongst real ones.  Just because one is real that doesn’t mean they all are.  Reidoth turned back and approached another boar.  As he got closer to the first it ran off in to the trees.  This second boars surface thoughts were a little different, “Boar.  Boar.  I’m a boar looking for food.  I hope there’s something tasty.  What are they looking at?  Are they looking at me?”

Reidoth used his latent telepathy to inform the others, one by one, that this is not a real boar and something was up.  As he was doing this, the boar decided to investigate a pumpkin patch a little further away, putting the building between it and half the party, while trying to act innocent.  The party readied weapons and initiative was rolled. (DM: They also had a chat I’m not entirely sure was in or out of character discussing their plan of attack.  Either way, they all agreed on what they were about to do.  What’s rule 1 of D&D?  Don’t split the party.  What did they decide to do?)

Bilba unleashed an arrow into the suspect boar (DM: Critting for 46 points of damage), hitting it hard enough to kill a real boar, but it refused to die.  It let out a screeching roar.  Karson opened the front door and ran through the building, passing through four rooms and having a distant glance in to a fifth.  The first two rooms were empty, save for a set of stairs leading up.  The third room was a flagstoned courtyard that has a pillared arcade to the east. Seven windows on the upper level overlooked the courtyard, in the middle of which was a five foot wide stone well with thick vines erupting from it.  He concluded this did not look good.  Guttural snorts and yells erupting from the upper southeast corner of the manse signalled the presence of Orcs nearby.

He ran across the courtyard to the opposite doorway.  While the building was well enough lit by windows and holes, this room was plunged in dim light, making it hard to see well within.  However a group of twig blights inside blocked his entrance.  He quickly backed up in to the entrance lobby.  Ramond dashed through the building and past Karson in to the courtyard and cast Shield of Faith.  Talindra followed up behind, ending up in the foyer. Back outside, Thorivor put two arrows in to the suspect boar, which cried out and died.  As he hit the floor his form changed in to that of a Half-Orc.

The boars outside all began making their way towards the screeching.  As one approached Reidoth he Produced Flame at it, singeing it.  Thorivor got attacked by another and Bilba was engaged by one more.

(DM: That’s the end of round 1.  For those playing along at home we now have 2 fights on the go at the same time.  Inside we have Talindra, Ramond, Karson and Melandrach facing Twig Blights.  Outside we have Bilba, Thorivor, Reidoth and Araloth facing Boars and not-boars.  The party have definitely split themselves.  What could possibly go wrong?  Oh if they could see the hidden tokens I can see)

Melandrach went in to the courtyard and began Radiant Sunbolting Twig Blights, killing two before backing up.  Bilba drew hew sword and injured her boar.  Araloth ran over and finished it off.  Karson advanced up to beside the Twig Blights doorway and readied an attack.  Ramond stepped through that doorway and took in his surroundings, lit up by the flames from his sword. What used to be some sort of laboratory lay in ruins, its furnishings broken and heaped against the walls. In the middle of the room, painted on the floor with mud, was a ten-foot-wide symbol depicting three lightning bolts joined at their tips.  Where the lightning bolts converged, a Half-Orc wearing hide armour was performing an eerie dance while consuming the entrails of a dead possum. Surrounding the Half-Orc were several small twig figures, watching on.  Ramond shouted out that there’s load of Twig Blights and a ritual that must be stopped.  He then cast Command on the Half-Orc, ordering it to approach.

Thorivor dropped his bow and drew his Rapier, and moved to flank.  He killed his boar and moved back towards his bow.  Reidoth Misty Stepped away from his boar back to behind Araloth and threw more produced flame at it.  From within the building, Talindra turned around and Eldritch Blasted to death a boar as it ran by outside.  She then moved in to the courtyard.  The Twig Blights advanced around Ramond, who was blocking the door. Three attacked but he blocked them all.  The Half Orc behind them stopped what he was doing and cast a spell.  Lighting briefly crackled over him and faded.  The boars moved up and attacked, hurting Araloth.  One ran in to the bushes, transformed in to a Half-orc and Lightning Bolted Araloth and Bilba.

Melandrach moved to behind Ramond and Sunbolted two Twig Blights.  He stepped in to the newly vacant space and threw out two punches killing a third Blight.  Bilba sheathed her sword, stepped back, and shot the Half-Orc in the bushes.  Araloth killed the two boars engaging him. Before heading towards the entrance.  Karson stepped over Mel’s dead blights and let his new axe, Hew, taste Twig Blight, killing two, and a third with Talon in his offhand.  Another door in the courtyard 10 foot from the blights swung open and a group of Orcs began rushing out.  Talindra found herself surrounded (DM: Underwear was audibly soiled IRL at this point).  Two made attacks, but luck was on Talindra’s side.  One hit Ramond though.  Ramond smote that Orc, who barely survived the strike, but died to Ramonds second.  Outside, Thorivor sunk four arrows in to that Half-orc, finally killing it, before advancing towards the building.  Reidoth followed him and threw some more flame at the nearby boar.  He soaked the damage, suggesting he was not really a boar.  He also Healing Worded Araloth, who needed the help.

Back inside, Talindra cast Hypnotic Pattern on the Orcs and Twig Blights.  She tried to angle it as best she could, but caught Ramond in the effect.  Most of the enemy were left in a daze.  Unfortunately, so was Ramond.  Talindra stepped away and an orc swung but missed her.  She then moved in to the Blight room and cast shillelagh on her staff.  The Twig Blights moved up towards the party, attacking who they could, but did no damage.  The Half-Orc behind them ran away through a door and vanished.  One of the boars turned in to a Half-orc and threw a lightning bolt through Araloth and Bilba and headed towards the doors, as the last remaining boar engaged Araloth.

Melandrach drew his longsword and killed two more Blights.  He called out, “Backing up!”, and retreated towards the foyer, engaging the unfazed orc in the courtyard.  Bilba (2hP!) moved to beside the healer and killed the last boar beside Araloth.  Araloth chased after the outside Half-Orc, swinging and missing twice.  Karson killed two more Blights and backed up in to the courtyard.  Most of the Orcs were dazed, but two were awake.  One swung at but missed Melandrach.  The other at the back shook his nearby friend awake.  Thorivor moved closer to the building and put two arrows in to the Half-Orc outside.  Reidoth cast his Aura of Vitality and then used it to heal Bilba.  Talindra called her familiar down from the roof to shake Ramond awake.  She then stepped in to the Blight room and cast Shatter, killing the last of the Twig Blights, before retreating.  From above the courtyard they could hear someone banging on a window and shouting out, “Wake up you lazy Vine Blights and defend this place!”  The outside Half-Orc stepped between Araloth and Thorivor and cast Thunderwave, pushing Araloth back and almost killing him, but only hurting Thorivor.  Then, from out of the well the mutant vine was growing from, two new creatures appeared.  Man shaped figures made of vines.  They stepped up to Melandrach and attacked, but he dodged both their blows.

It was gone midnight and two of our players had already gone to bed.  This wasn’t gonna end quickly, so we’ve called it there.  We will be down at least 3 players next week and I’m not having a TPK with that many missing so we are taking the week off.  The party is still split.  Four are outside.  Inside, three could escape, but Ramond is mostly boxed in.  Thankfully, most enemies are still dazed by Hypnotic Pattern.  It’s the main reason anyone is still alive.

Melandrach killed the only undazed orc and punched a nearby Vine Blight, while outside Bilba killed the final shapeshifter and ran in to the house.  In a pumpkin patch Araloth took a moment to get his Second Wind and then followed Bilba.  Karson moved to flank a Vine Blight and beat it almost to death while the two Orcs at the back tried to shake their friends awake.  Ramond murdered one of the Orcs and shouted out for everyone to back up through toe door and retreated towards it.  Thorivor stepped inside and killed an Orc at the back with two arrows.  Reidoth ran inside and healed Araloth while Talindra used her Rod of the Pact to recharge a spell slot.  The two vine blights sunk their fists in to the floor and a mess of vines and roots grew out around them, turning the ground in to rough terrain and Restraining Melandrach, Araloth and Talindra.

Not distracted by the roots binding him, Melandrach finished off one of the Blights and damaged the other.  Bilba sunk an arrow in to it too, nearly killing it.  Araloth tore the vines and roots from his body and baked up towards the entrance, walking along the walls and ceiling.  Karson moved deeper in to the room to flank and kill the Vine Blight.  Two Orcs moved out of the southern room to flank and attack Karson, but missed.  Ramond moved up then smote and killed one of these Orcs before stepping back.  Re shouted again for everyone to back up.  Thorivor put two arrows in to the other Orc, dropping it while Reidoth Healed Bilba.  Talindra sent her familiar to watch to back of the house for anyone escaping and then used the staff to cast Web, covering the floor and sinking down in to the well for 20 feet, where the vine blights had come from.  An upstairs window on the south west corner of the courtyard opened and a Half Orc appeared.  He thrust his hands forward as Talindra reacted to Counterspell and nothing happened.

While Melandrach struggled unsuccessfully against the roots grappling him, Bilba killed the nearest dazed Orc.  Araloth ran along the walls in to the room, avoiding the roots and the webbing, and attacked an orc at the back, who resisted the webbing, returning the attack, before backing out of the webbing through the doorway.  Karson looked up at the window and unleashes his sword Talon as a hawk to attack him.  Ramond moved around and tore the roots away from Melandrach before stepping back to the door and shouting through it, “You three go flush out the Priest from upstairs!”  Thorivor tipped him the nod and ran up the stairs but the upper steps collapsed under him.  He fell and landed on some crude spikes.  He picked himself up and walked out from under and looked in to the room to the east, which was covered in graffiti painted in blood of boars chasing stick men.  There were also 8 basic stick figure dolls around the room.  Individually they looked pretty crude, but collectively they looked familiar.  One was holding a stick in two hands, another was holding a stick cycle, and a third had a small stick bow.  They seemed to be representative of the party.  He spun around and fired his heat seeking arrow to finish off the Orc fighting Araloth.  Reidoth healed Thorivor, and then went up the stairs, carefully stepping over the new hole.  An open set of doors at the east end drew his attention and he cautiously advanced towards the.  He peeked through the doors and could see the Half Orc looking through a window in to the courtyard.  Reidoth backed towards the stairs a bit and called out, “He’s up here!”  Talindra cast Sacred Flame at the target in the window, who attacked and killed Talon before retreating south through the double doors.

Melandrach and Bilba ran up the stairs and followed Reidoth’s pointing to give chase after the Priest. (DM: It was at this point they started discussing taking the house for themselves and fixing it up.  This conversation continued for the rest of the session) Araloth ran along the walls and climbed in through the window the priest had tried to cast through.  He ran in to the room to the south and attacked the Priest.  Karson freed Talindra from the roots while Ramond backed up through the door, braced for attack and shouted for Karson and Talindra to get behind him.  Thorivor stood behind Ramond and readied a reactionary shot with his bow.  Reidoth charged in to the room with the Priest and healed Araloth, while downstairs Talindra Eldritch blasted an Orc to death.  The Priest backed up behind Araloth and unleashed a Thunderwave at him, pushing him back.

Melandrach ran behind the Priest and attacked him, while Bilba ran behind Reidoth and shot the Priest.  Araloth flanked the Priest with Melandrach and attacked him.  Karson backed up behind Ramond and cast Aid on Ramond, Thorivor and himself.  Thorivor killed one more Orc with his bow and injured the other, while upstairs Reidoth healed Araloth again, before “Commanding” the Priest to Grovel.  Talindra finished off the last Orc with an Eldritch Blast.  The priest stepped towards the hole in the floor, cast Thunderwave at Araloth and Melandrach, pushing Araloth away.  He then jumped down the hole, taking a free strike from Melandrach, and landing on his bum.  He picked himself up and tried to step out of line of site of those in the courtyard.

Melandrach dove down the hole and performed an effortless super hero landing, before attacking the Priest with his Longsword.  His second blow caught the bottom of his armour, lifting it.  The tip of his blade cut his stomach and he seemed fine at first, but then the wound opened and spilled his guts on the floor.  He collapsed a moment later, dead.  Melandrach then ran out the other door in to the courtyard.  Every known enemy was dead, but there were still sounds of struggling from down in the well where the Vine blights had come out of.  The party were cautious of this and spent the next few rounds with most of them watching the well and dealing with the last 3 Blights as they came out.  Thorivor set fire the web which burned away slowly for three turns before Talindra dismissed it.  While this was going on Araloth explored upstairs and disturbed a Stirge nest.  He ran away from them, straight down the stairs and told the others.  Karson went up to investigate and got swarmed.  Six of the eleven Stirges latched on to him and drained most of his blood.  A few people went up and cleared off what they could, and Ramond used his Wand of Magic Missiles to put two shots in to each of the remaining three on Karson.

When there were no more evident threats they took their time exploring the house and looting the bodies.  Ramond burned all the Blight bodies and dragged all the other corpses outside.  The Priest had a fragment of a leather map with the Manse and Falcons Hunting lodge marked on it, along with a third new location: The Circle of Thunder, a little to the north.  In a large bedroom upstairs they found a secret compartment in the mantelpiece which contained a Staff.  There was also a secret door to a small chamber containing a cloak and a magically locked chest.  Reidoth dispelled it and they found a rod inside.  A Detect Magic spell revealed all three items to be magical.  While Talindra sat on the bed to identify them Karson and Reidoth went back to the courtyard to deal with the tree growing out of the well.  As they hacked and burnt at it, it began to leak what looked like blood, instead of sap.  They chopped down what they could, but it had roots deep in the well.  They considered spending the night here, but opted to take a short rest and then head back to Falcons Lodge for the night.

Magic items:

Cloak of Billowing, given to Araloth

Staff of Birdcalls, given to Reidoth

Immovable Rod, given to Bilba

We ended the session as the party pulls up outside Falcon’s lodge at about 6-7pm, but it was midnight IRL so we called it there.  Somehow, nobody died.

Rain crept in as the party headed back from the woodland manse.  When Falcon’s lodge was within sight they relaxed a little, until they saw Falcon come running out of the northern treeline.  He stopped, took a look at them, and shouted, “We got incoming!  There’s a dragon behind me!”  He turned around and fired two arrows in to the darkness.  Then from out of the trees ran Cryovain, chasing him!

Thorivor took a few steps forward and fired his bow four times, but only hit once with a Grasping Arrow, causing brambles to grow around his legs.  Ramond walked forward, used his Pearl of power, cast Shield of Faith on himself and called out, “Spread out!  Don’t give him an easy target!”  Reidoth walked forward and cast haste on Ramond.  Falcon fired two more shots at the dragon, and backed up further, as Karson stepped up and fired three shots at Cryovain.  Cryovain took flight towards Falcon, taking Grapsing Arrow damage, and unleashed his Frightful Presence frightening Melandrach, Falcon, Talindra, Thorivor and Bilba.  He then slashed and bit at Falcon, hurting him badly.  Bilba steadied her nerves and her bow and put an arrow in to him, as Talindra Hexed him (Disadvantage to Strength), and Eldritch Blasted it before backing up behind the palisades.  Araloth ran forwards towards the compound and threw a Javelin, but it fell short.

Melandrach unleashed a series of Radiant Sunbolts at the dragon from his hiding position behind the tower as Thorivor fired two more shots at Cryovain.  The Hasted Ramond ran behind the dragon and Smote it with his sword.  The dragon flapped its wings, driving air downwards with force, knocking both Ramond and Falcon prone and knocking Falcon unconscious.  Cryovain then flew back towards the trees.  Reidoth moved towards Falcon and cast a Healing Word in to him.  Flacon picked himself up and shot at the dragon again, before backing up a little.  Karsons arrows went wide of Cryovain who tried to break free of the Grasping Vines which were hurting him for every move, but he failed.  He then flew back and up further away from the group.  (DM: At this point with the dragon being 70-80 foot above the ground all the ranged characters started doing trig before declaring their actions)  Bilba sunk an arrow in to him, and Talindra remained hiding behind the far walls, too scared to come out.  Araloth ran up the side of the tower and called his Javelin back to his hand.

Ramond hit the dragon with a Guiding Bolt and then ran past it.  (DM: He did maths.  Turns out that with all the effects in play Ramond can currently outrun the flying dragon every turn!)  Reidoth got his sling out and made a disappointing shot.  Falcon and Karson took more shots too.  The dragon then flew low over the forest at full speed, using the trees to break line of sight.  This didn’t stop Thorivor who fired a Seeking arrow in to him, and the vines from his Grasping Shot continued to bite in to the dragon.  Ramond gave chase through the wood keeping pace for the next seven turns.  The dragon flew north and then took a wide turn, east then south, around the Lodge.  As Ramond’s Haste wore off he pulled himself up a nearby tree with ease and watched the dragon fly South until he faded from view.  He then climbed down and returned to the party.

Reidoth healed Falcon a little more and Karson handed him 30 Goodberries.  They then all had a chat about what had happened.  Falcon said he had been out hunting and the dragon had just swooped down and attacked him.  He’d got lucky and avoided his icy breath and ran for home while taking pot shots.  He’d seen the dragon out hunting a couple of times before over recent weeks, but had always been safe.  The party thought about the last time they’d chased him off.  Then and now, he had retreated in the direction of the Sword Mountains.  Falcon agreed that their snowy peaks would make a suitable home for a White Dragon.  He would want somewhere cold, and his presence would only make conditions worse.  A white dragon would warp nature around its lair, eventually spreading extreme cold and ice for miles around it.  The party decided that wandering aimlessly through the mountains looking for a lair is an option, but a very poor one.  They should continue to see if they can find more information before heading out, and do more to prepare.  Too many of them fell afoul of Cryvain’s Frightful Presence, and his breath weapon scares them.

Falcon thanked them again for saving his life and invited them inside for dinner and lodgings.  Over dinner they discussed events at the Manse and he encouraged them to clear out any further Orcs or Talosans at the Circle of Thunder.  He said it was an ancient stone circle built by druids or something centuries ago.  It was a place of worship to nature, or a nature god or something, but had been unused for a very long time.  He didn’t really have anything further to offer them as a reward, but said they are forever welcome to stop by for room and board whenever they are nearby.  When he went to get them the reward for their time at the Manse they discussed who would get the Boots of Elvenkind and decided the Paladin had a weakness in this area so he should get them.  Falcon returned and offered them the boots, and also threw in a small pouch of coin as an extra thank you.  Around this point they noticed that Thorivor, Melandrach and Araloth were not looking good.  Reidoth and Falcon checked them out and they had swollen and itchy insect bites.  Falcon said he’s seen this before.  The bugs and vermin in the woods carry an infection called Afkitus.  Most of the time people are immune, but every now and then it gets through their defences.  They’re in for a rough night and won’t be much use for anything until they’ve had at least a good night’s rest, perhaps more. (DM: Their players were missing and they’ve said in the past that we are uncomfortable risking PC lives when their players aren’t around so it’s an IC reason not to include them in what I know is coming up next).  Everyone left the dining hall and crossed the courtyard back to the guest quarters.  The rain outside had gotten worse and thunder could be heard in the distance.  They got a good night’s sleep, although fever and illness clearly got the better of those infected.

In the early hours of the morning Reidoth and Bilba were woken up by a sound they realised wasn’t part of the storm, which was now directly overhead.  There was a bell ringing.  Someone was sounding an alarm.  They ran round and woke the others, although the sick were unresponsive.  If they did get them to wake they were clearly delusional, responding to things no one else could see.  As people pulled themselves out of bed, Reidoth went outside in to the rain.  Falcon was on top of the eastern tower and shouted down to him that he could see something big moving through the woods heading their way.  They had five, perhaps ten minutes before it arrived.  People grabbed their armour and ran up the tower to look as they got equipped.  By the movement in the trees it appeared that a large force accompanied by something large was moving with purpose towards the lodge.  They quickly formulated a plan and got in to position.  Talindra, Bilba, Falcon, and Reidoth and Talindras owl Familiars at the top of the tower, with everyone else in the courtyard, ready to deal with anyone who breeches the palisades.  As the force drew near the treeline they could make out the occasional blue-white flash, and then a blue-white glow started to emerge as the treeline itself began to tremble.

DM: It was approaching 11pm and I pointed out this was not going to be a quick fight.  Some of us were OK with going on, but people needed sleep so we called it.  We will hopefully have some of the missing people back next week in time to deal with this new threat.

We had difficulties this week.  Talindra didn’t have his computer so was on coms but couldn’t see the game or her character sheet and I kept forgetting this.  Everyone had had a busy day and we started an hour late.  We are still figuring out Dynamic Lighting (I think this is our third map using it) and I never know for sure what the players can and can’t see.  I kept forgetting Legendary Actions.  An 8 man party so heavily skews any encounter that Gorthok has 75hp in the module and I had to crank him up to 400hp here and give him new toys.  The map quite often didn’t make sense.  We all made the best of it.

As for the maps below, if it’s greyed out, they shouldn’t be able to see it.  They can only see each other’s HP values, but can see enemy HP bars.  Bilba, Falcon, and Talindra are at the top of the tower, but needed to be hanging over the edge so their tokens could see beyond the walls there.  They are taken from my screen and I can see everything, including each individual light source and all the hidden stuff.

A huge boar with glowing blue-white eyes and lighting crackling all over its body ran out of the woods from the north-east, surrounded by maybe two dozen Orcs, with great axes raised.  As they ran across the clearing they shouted out, “Gorthok!”  From on top of the tower Bilba shot the boar, while Falcon tried to thin the herd.  Talindra cast a Web to try and trap the boar and as many Orcs as she could.  Ramond and Karson moved to flank the northern door and braced for attack.  Ramond telepathically called for Thunderer, his warhorse, to come and aid them.

The sounds of shouting outside woke up Melandrach, who’s fever had broken at last.  He got out of bed, grabbed his longsword and went outside to see what was going on. The Boar continued its charge, ignoring the web, and rammed in to the palisades, ramming a big hole through them.  Karson jumped out of the way of falling timbers, but one caught Ramond around the head, knocking him prone.  Karson and Ramond took their readied attacks on Gorthok as best they could.  As Karson’s blade cut the Boar a spark of lightning jumped off of it has zapped Karson.  Ramond also got shocked in return for his Smite, but his magic armour makes him resistant to lightning damage.  As the timbers fell, Gorthok let out a loud squeal, and Araloth woke up, feeling rough but capable of acting.  He grabbed his sword and shield and headed outside.  Reidoth cast haste on Ramond and then hid around the corner.  Bilba put another arrow in his hide as Ramond picked himself up, cast Shield of Faith on himself, and Smote Gorthok twice, getting zapped each time, while shouting, “The Boar must die!” (DM: I finally remember he has legendary action at this point, but repeatedly forget during this combat.  I’m still new to 5E.) The boar counterattacked Ramond with his hooves, doing bludgeoning and thunder damage.  Karson Marked the boar and then landed a critical hit with his axe, while getting shocked back.  From the top of the tower, Talindra hexed and Eldritch Blasted Gorthok.  The Orcs ran forward and tried to flood the breech, but mostly found their path blocked.  Some followed the path south.  The Orcs that could, attacked Karson and Ramond.  Falcon took shots at the southern Orcs as they ran by.

Melandrach crossed the courtyard and killed two of the Orcs attacking Ramond, and stepped in to the gap, blocking the hole in the fence.  Gorthok reacted to this by continuing his attack on Ramond, but missed with his tusks.  He then used his turn to hot Ramond with his hooves but miss with his tusks.  Reidoth’s owl familiar flew down and conveyed a Cure Wounds to him.  Araloth left the guest quarter, asking what was going on.  Falcon shouted out that the Orcs were circling round to the south.   Araloth ran over and killed the last orc trying to attack Ramond.  He then backed up a bit, still confused by events.  Bilba put another arrow in to Gorthoks hide as Ramond Smote it three times, getting zapped for each.  Gorthok attacked him back with his Lightning Tusks.  Ramond continued to chant out praise to Tempus throughout as he held his ground.  Karson cut the boar twice, getting shocked each time.  Gorthok rose up and trampled Ramond into unconsciousness with his Thunder Hooves as Talindra Blasted the Boar from above.  She then used her magics to heal Ramond back to consciousness as she sent her familiar south to see what those Orcs are up to.  The Orcs around the Boar started helping each other over the Palisades, ready to attack the party from behind.  Falcon shot at the Orcs to the south, killing one.  He shouted out, “They’re at the south gate”.

Melandrach landed two attacks and got shocked twice.  Gorthok reacted by trying to gore Ramond, but missing.  He then trampled Ramond unconscious again and then gored Karson with his tucks.  Reidoth healed Ramond using his owl again as Araloth ran in and stabbed the Boar, getting zapped, before backing up.  Gorthok reacted by failing to trample Karson.  Bilba hit the boar from above again, as Ramond picked himself up and Smote the boar once more.  He called his mount, Thunderer, over to help deal with the Orcs at their backs.  Gorthok kicked Karson in to unconsciousness.    Thunderer charged the nearest Orc and trampled it to the ground and then kicked it to death, before backing away.  Gorthok kicked Ramond again, knocking him out.  Talindra healed Ramond, and threw a web at the Boar and the cluster of Orcs, allowing the old web to expire.  The two Orcs that could, moved up and attacked Melandrach.  One ran over to attack the horse as those outside struggled with the web and tried to scale the walls.  Falcon killed one of the Orcs flanking Melandrach.

Melandrach swung his blade at the Boar, missing twice, but punched and kicked the nearby Orc to death.  Gorthok gored Melandrach to unconsciousness, and ran out of the webbing, stepping over Ramond, Karson, and an Orc, failing to trample Ramond on the way.  Reidoth used his familiar to heal Karson, and advanced towards his fallen friends.  Araloth took a wild swing at Gorthok and held his ground.  Bilba leant over the edge of the tower and put an arrow in to the rump of the Boar.  Ramond stood up, screamed defiance towards the Boar, and hit it with a mighty swing.  He got zapped in return.  Both of them are on their last few hit points.  He swung again, and missed.  His third blow landed, hitting hard enough to kill it, but as the light in its eyes faded, the spark in its soul reignited.  Weak on its legs its eyes were brighter than ever and the lighting arcing over it became erratic.  Ramond survived the return shock.  Karson got up, turned his sword in to a metal bird and set it on the Boar.  It landed an attack, and got shocked in return.  The bird vanished and the sword reappeared in Karson’s hand.  A bolt of lightning hit the boar from above.  There was a bright flash of light, and the Boar vanished, leaving onl a large circle of charred ground where it had been.  He then chased after an Orc to the east.  Thunderer tried to attack one of the Orcs on him, but missed.  Talindra tried to look south, but couldn’t see any of the Orcs, so she Blasted the Orc attacking Melandrach, and also another in the web, killing both.  She sent her familiar to look for the southern Orcs and could see them working their way around the building, bunching up by a door.  One of them was dead with an arrow in it.  From his vantage point by the open door to the dining room, Reidoth saw those Orcs open their door and run through the dining room, heading for the stairs.  Two of the Orcs outside hurt Thunderer while the others struggled with the web.  Falcon killed one of the webbed Orcs with his longbow.

Reidoth moved to see Melandrach and used his familiar to heal him.  He alerted the others to the Orcs inside.  Araloth moved over and attacked one of the Orcs attacking Thunderer, who Bilba then finished off.  Ramond killed the other Orc, drank a healing potion, and then mounted Thunderer.  He then rode around the building in search of Orcs.  As he circled around, Corwin poked his head out of a window over the stables and said the Orcs had gone in the doorway opposite.  Karson went after the two remaining Orcs from the cluster, killing one.   With no viable targets and the courtyard mostly clean, Talindra made her way down the stairs.  She could hear footsteps in the next room, so she remained in the stairway with a readied Eldritch blast.  The Orcs continued their way up the stairs and around the halls mezzanine balcony.  The last Orc outside broke free of the web and then bolted for the trees.  Falcon tried to shoot it, but missed.

End Turn 6

Melandrach ran in to the building and up the stairs and fired two Sunbolts at the trailing Orc, but missed.  Reidoth entered the dining hall, and could see the Orcs running around the balcony level above.  He produced a flame and threw it at one of them.  He shouted to alert the others he’d found more Orcs.  Araloth entered and chased up the stairs.  Bilba made her way down the stairs and on to the landing.  Ramond rode over to the door, dismounted and ran through the door, up the stairs, killed the trailing Orc, pushing him over the edge, and moved on to injure another.  Karson gave chase to the fleeing Orc outside, as Talindra stepped out through the doorway and Eldritch blasted the closest Orc.  The inside Orcs took stock of their situation, considered jumping down, but decided to go down swinging.  Ramond got beaten to unconsciousness again (DM: I really need more ways of saying this), but Talindra was lucky enough to dodge a charge.

End Turn 7

Melandrach Sunbolted both Orcs, killing them both.  Karson finished off the one outside.  Reidoth ran up the stairs and healed Ramond.

DM: It was late and we’d had a long hard fight so we called it and will start here next session