Dropping The Hammer at Cragmaw Castle

 Frontier Forays Session 4

The ruins of Cragmaw Castle, deep in Neverwinter Wood
Image by JAMESRPGART

[6 min read]

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE DRAGON OF ICESPIRE PEAK AND THE LOST MINE OF PHANDELVER

Fresh after clearing the Redbrand hideout in the cellars of the Tresendar Manor, there is little chance for rest for the group as their patron, Sildar Hallwinter makes his way over to meet them. Sildar is shocked to discover that Glasstaff, the leader of the Redbrands, is none other than Lord Iarno Albrek. Iarno was the emissary of the Lord's Alliance sent to Phandalin several months ago to bring peace to the town, and when he didn't check in with progress, Sildar went to investigate.

9. The interrogation of Glasstaff

The smug, and very punchable, face of Lord Iarno 'Glasstaff' Albrek
Image by Artastrophe

Storming out of the makeshift prison in the cellars after losing his cool, Sildar leaves the party to interrogate Glasstaff. Using a classic good cop (Alucard) bad cop (Terach) routine with deception, persuasion, intimidation all in play, the party discovers some secrets:

• Glasstaff admits to being Iarno, sent to civilise Phandalin but taking 'security' to the extreme
• Gundren’s map is with King Grol of the Cragmaw tribe, after being tasked with finding it by the Black Spider
• Glasstaff works for this Black Spider, who is a member of the Zhentarim 

Unfortunately Glasstaff would not reveal any more about the Black Spider or the whereabouts of Cragmaw Castle. Thankfully for the party Droop the goblin, and former ally of the Redbrands, knows that it is in the southern part of Neverwinter Wood and offers to take them there.

10. Butterskull Ranch

But Wiggity has some disturbing news. Whilst out tracking the movement of the Many Arrows orcs, he stumbles across a ranch up in flames. With many orcs roaming around causing wanton destruction, Wiggity thinks it prudent to return to Phandalin and alert the Townmaster, Sildar and the rest of the party. He learns this is Butterskull Ranch, the town's main dairy producer, and supply of its famous butter had dried up recently. Alfonse Kalzhoun, retired Sherriff of Triboar and the ranch's owner, is likely dead, but Sildar agrees that the party should investigate the site on the way to Cragmaw Castle.

The idyllic farmlands of Butterskull Ranch are aflame, and orcs are living in the farmhouse
Image by Wizards of the Coast

The party comes across some livestock, two horses and a dairy cow, close to the ranch. Terach, having started following the Path of the Totem Warrior, was able to converse with said livestock using speak with animals and learned that the orc-folk were still there, and the smell of death permeated the grounds. Terach still has some way to go on his bedside manner, scaring the horses as he approached. The cow named Petunia, however, liked the cut of his jib.

Dawn breaks as the party approaches, and seeing some orcs roaming outside, the party tries stealth as a tactic. They only get as far as the orchard before being spotted. Two of the Many Arrows orcs charge and one, after alerting the other orcs in the farmhouse, sets up to take very precise shots from his longbow in the back. 

Ultimately the three orcs are vanquished from a combination of Wiggity in his brown bear form, a newly cautious Terach with longsword and shield, and a stealthy Alucard brandishing his sneak attack to effect. But the farmhouse was alert, and with their blood up, the party walks right into an ambush on both sides of the building. Wiggity has to use a second wild shape but takes out three orcs on his own, while Terach draws many serious great axe blows, buying Alucard time to put the other remaining orcs out of their misery with a combination of hideous laughter and some hefty sneak attacks.

Big Al could go back to farming
Image by Anastasia Sergienko

The owner of the ranch, Alfonse 'Big Al' Khalzoun is liberated from the cellar and grateful to the party, although saddened at the state of his farm and the loss of his ranch hands. His gratitude grants them the magical spectacles of his dead loved one, Bella, though these glasses had already been 'liberated' from the orcs earlier. He also speaks of his capture and torture-filled interrogation at the hands of the Many Arrows tribe. 

"Them orcs kept askin' me about Phandalin and the like. Defenses, leadership, number of fightin' men and the kinds of details I don't rightly know. Seems they wanted them answers before their boss went and showed up. I ain't seen no boss yet."

Is it a boar? Is it a man? Is it a half-orc come to question Terach's life choices?
Image by Wizards of the Coast

These words are prophetic as, while the party escorts Big Al to retrieve his livestock and travel to Phandalin to find new workers, Terach notices a boar watching them unnaturally from the fields. Transforming in front of their eyes, the half-orc shapechanger addresses Terach directly in Orcish, imploring him to embrace his stronger heritage and find answers at the Tower of Storms, off the nearby Sword Coast. Terach answers him with a thrown javelin, but gives up trying to chase down his mysterious suitor who reverts to the speedy boar form to escape.

While the group did question whether Big Al's Bella was woman, cow, or a beautiful, slim man from Triboar, they felt good about sending him safely back to Phandalin, and then take a long rest in the farmhouse before heading on to the next objective.

11. The assault on Cragmaw Castle

The party arrives at the castle at midnight, and through the rainy, gloomy clearing they see the crumbling towers grin back at them ominously like half-rotten ogre teeth. Circumnavigating the structure they can only find two ways in - the southern iron door which thwarts their attempt to open it quietly, and the main entrance which seems observed by arrow slits. 

Despite having means of disguise, means of transforming into small animals for scouting, or a goblin ally that might speak on their behalf, the party enters through the front door. Said goblin ally, Droop, finds himself mistrusted and left to guard the horses (with the promise of 10 gold pieces no less) whilst the party takes this direct, no-nonsense approach. And thus, the party moniker of The Hammer is tentatively floated by Terach, who is incredibly well-suited to such tactics.

What ensues is a series of pitched battles as the party explores - Terach raging, Wiggity hanging from the ceiling in giant spider form, and Alucard opening doors and ahem...  discovering traps. They dispatch the well-armed and well-trained hobgoblins that stand up to them, even as the goblin inhabitants take stock of the situation and flee to the south. In fact, surprisingly the party witnesses the goblins, and a strange snake-like monstrosity that seems to be their pet, actually attack and kill a hobgoblin who was dutifully heading into the castle to warn others. It is in the heat of battle, goblins amassing in the next room, that they pause, regard each other and brace themselves for what is to come next...

The party pauses briefly to take stock as goblins amass deeper in the castle
Map by Wizards of the Coast

Well, what does come next?

Having to leave the session there, without another scheduled, necessitates a cliff-hanger of sorts.

What treachery has befallen the hobgoblins at the hands of their allies?

How many goblins could be grouping in the dark, central area of castle, and what do they want from the situation?

Will Gundren's map still be there once the party has dropped The Hammer on every, single, one, of the inhabitants?

And can Terach stay in a rage the entire time?

Find out, next time, in Frontier Forays, featuring Phandalin's Finest, The Hammer of the Lord's Alliance...