Dwarven excavation

Frontier Forays Session 2

Image by Jack Eaves

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE DRAGON OF ICESPIRE PEAK 

[7 min read]

Over the last month we had two opportunities to play my drop-in campaign, Frontier Forays. One mini-session for an hour before our regular campaign started, and one full blown session with an extra player, bringing the party to three heroes. This continues the scene count from the first session, and all notes can be found here.

2.5 The Sleeping Giant

After having heard so much about the Redbrand Ruffians' nefarious stand over tactics from the townsfolk, and learning that they like to quench their thirsts at the Sleeping Giant tavern, Terach and Wick decided to pay them a visit there. 

The four Ruffians, playing darts near the entrance of the ramshackle tavern, sized them up and thought they could take them.

One of the thugs spits on the ground. “Well, well,” he snarls. “Here’s a couple of little puppies. What do you want, puppies? Come here to bark at us?

The largest of the ruffians, an expert brawler, attempted to grapple the raging Terach but found him outmatched by the half-orc's athleticism. Wick's judicious uses of the Sleep spell reduced their numbers during the fight, even after a foolish sympathiser in the crowd ran out to wake them up!

The combat ended when the brawler took a hostage. Carp, a young halfling with a patchy teenage moustache, got more than he bargained for when he sneaked in to get a drink with the edgy Sleeping Giant crowd, being used as pawn once the battle turned against the Ruffians. Ultimately he was freed by Wick's telekinetic shove pulling him out of the brawler's arms, who then fled given he had lost his leverage. Carp slunk out of the tavern sheepishly.

When the remaining Ruffians woke from their magical slumber, they found Terach and Wick nonchalantly grabbing a drink from the usually surly but now very grateful dwarf owner, Grista, and decided they also needed to flee. Thus, a strong message was sent to the Rebrand Ruffians - you're not welcome in Phandalin...

Terach and Wick chilling with a drink after forcing the ruffians to flee

3. New day, new quests

The party's patron, Sildar, has taken on quests from the Townmaster of Phandalin

The party's patron and representative of the Lord's Alliance, Sildar Hallwinter, has the goal of helping get Phandalin back on its feet as a prosperous mining town and force for stability in the region. To that end, Sildar commissioned the adventurers to take up the quests from the Townmaster that involve warning key townsfolk of the threat of the white dragon seen in the area, and have them return to the safety of Phandalin.

It is in Sildar's makeshift office, the largest room of the Stonehill Inn, that the party meets Wiggity. The newest adventurer-for-hire is a venerable and very short-of-stature man with possible gnomish origins, brought to them by none other than Gundren Rockseeker. The dwarf met Wiggity out in the wilds around the town, whilst looking for signs to find his map, and was alarmed at the gnome's reports of orc bands roaming closer and closer to the town. Wiggity was convinced to come back and meet Sildar and share what he had observed, and then found himself embroiled in the group's goal of helping the town.

Seeing as though Adabra, the town's mid-wife and herbalist with her mill at Umbrage Hill, was on route to where the dwarven prospectors were seen in the mountains, the party set off there first to warn her.

4. Umbrage Hill

Built on the slope of Umbrage Hill is an old stone windmill surrounded by an iron fence. A large winged monster with a spiky tail is trying to knock down the windmill’s front door. A woman appears in a second-floor window, waves at you, and yells, “A little help?!”

The party found a ferocious creature trying to break into the mill, so they slew it

A party of action, our heroes came to the lady's aid and used all their powers to slay the monster (unbeknownst to them, a manticore). Picture a raging barbarian with a greatsword, a druid wild-shaped into a large brown bear, and a shadowy figure wielding eldritch blast and rapier to good effect, cornering the beast. Once it knew its doom was upon it, it tried to take to the air and fly away, but the thunderous secondary damage of Booming Blade prevented the escape.

Adabra, took some convincing to leave her mill and the cairns of her ancestors nearby, but was ultimately escorted to town to re-establish her practice at the Shrine of Luck. The party now has access to discounted healing potions, 40gp each.

5. Dwarven Excavation

Back at Phandalin, the party debated taking a long rest before heading into the mountains to warn the dwarvish prospectors. Could they wait that long given the sighting of a white dragon in the area? Surely the safety of good folk was paramount to the mission? Since druid Wild Shape and warlock spell slots return on a short rest, Terach the barbarian (whose rages replenish on a long rest), was outvoted. A decision that would prove challenging for him later on. 

High up in the Sword Mountains, the party found Dazlyn Grayshard and Norbus Ironrune, dwarvish business partners, camped outside a ruined temple to the evil dwarf god of greed, Abbathor. Their prospecting mission had halted due to an orc scout wandering past them into the temple and meeting an unknown demise. Not being warriors themselves, thankfully some adventurers showed up who, after duly warning them of the dragon threat, could be convinced to clear out the temple for the lowly sum of 60% of the treasure found.

Image, and source of much party frustration, courtesy of Wizards of the Coast

An ochre jelly had other ideas. Not having had the chance to fully digest the wandering orc, who was a least successful in slashing it into two before getting crushed by the pseudopod, the ochre halves ambushed the party as they ventured deeper into the temple. Hilarity, and a lot of closing doors to block off the ooze, ensued. The party prevailed, but it was touch and go for the heroes, especially Terach who could not rely on the damage resistance of barbarian rage, but thankfully had the half-orc's Relentless Endurance to bring him back from the brink. Wiggity, taking a break from his bear form, found that a giant spider was an excellent way to move across ceilings and through tight spaces, and was ultimately essential in dealing with the amorphous monster.

After vanquishing the ooze, the party was able to explore the remainder of the temple safely.  They excavated a collapsed tunnel in shifts, allowing their barbarian, the most physically capable of digging through rock with his bare hands, a long rest, before successfully entering the secret treasure room of the God of Greed. 

Delicately dealing with a trapped statue, and expertly finding a secret compartment, the party finally got paid. They even pocketed a few extra gems out of sight of Dazlyn and Norbus, which is only fair since they took on all the risk. And given that Dazlyn had forgotten to close one of the doors as he was trailing behind, allowing the ooze to corner them again, think of it as extra danger money...

The party encountered Many Arrows on the way out

Finally, the party emerged into the canyon at dawn, with a spring in their steps and valuables in their pockets, having discharged their duty to Phandalin and profited along the way. Alas, a group of orcs also arrived on the scene, looking for their scout. Too much bad blood with orcs existed in the party for a peaceful parley, and the heroes took a captive with them on the ride back to Phandalin after having slayed the rest. The orc revealed that his tribe, Many Arrows, were in search of a new home after being displaced by the white dragon. In thanks for the information, Terach allowed the captive a warrior's death, defeating him in a one-on-one duel. It was a short fight, for the captive had only one hit point. The party then continued on to Phandalin to drop Dazlyn and Norbus off at the Miner's Exchange and then debrief with Sildar. His trust in them was not misplaced...