Frontier Forays - countdown to war

This dung is getting real

Image by Mantic Games

[12 min read] 

Frontier Forays, my drop-in D&D 5E campaign mash up of Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire peak has been on hiatus for a while, with the exception of a couple of two player short sessions to advance the story. With one or two potential sessions coming up, I wanted to recap what has happened and get everyone up to speed for what might come next...

Campaign so far

NOTE: SPOILERS FOR LOST MINE OF PHANDELVER AND DRAGON OF ICESPIRE PEAK

Frontier Forays, Featuring Phandalin's Finest, is a grand, sweeping saga that follows four powerful heroes as they traverse Faerûn in the pursuit of the noblest of goals - the protection of freedom and all that is good in the realms...

Oh wait, let's rephrase that just a little... 

Frontier Forays, Featuring Phandalin's Finest, follows three disaffected adventurers and one small, forgetful, gnome-like old man, looking to find purpose and belonging in the wild lands of the Sword Coast interior. 

Their wanderings took them to the rugged frontier town of Phandalin, where settlers had returned recently to rebuild the long abandoned settlement, in the hopes of finding gold and platinum in the nearby Sword mountains. The town had even attracted the attention of the Lord’s Alliance, whose representative Sildar Hallwinter saw an opportunity to bring light and civilization to the frontier and add to the prosperity of the alliance's members. 

Putting the rough into ruffians - the Redbrands had Phandalin in their grip
Image by Wizards of the Coast

What started as a simple enough ousting of the local ruffians at the behest of Sildar, turned into a full-blown Zhentarim conspiracy to find the legendary Forge of Spells in the ancient mines of the area. Nezznar the Black Spider had not only recruited Glasstaff and the Redbrand Ruffians, but the Cragmaw tribe of goblinoids and some insidious doppelgangers rallied to his cause. 

Needless to say, The Black Spider was thwarted at every turn by Phandalin's Finest: clearing the old Tresendar manor where the Redbrands were hiding; setting the goblins against the hobgoblins to thin out the tribe at Cragmaw Castle; and defeating Nezznar himself in Wave Echo Cave before recovering the Forge of Spells and restoring the Lost Mine of Phandelver to operational status (and reaping the benefit of a tithe from future proceeds).

The Black Spider was found wanting by Phandalin's Finest in Wave Echo Cave
Image by Wizards of the Coast

During these forays out in the frontier, the increasingly powerful adventurers started making new enemies. It started with an innocuous encounter of Many Arrows orcs, drifting out of the mountains looking for shelter in an abandoned dwarven temple already inhabited by ochre jellies. Then more of these orcs were spotted raiding Butterskull Ranch, where after freeing the lonely old farmer, big Al, the party met a curious half-orc shaman that morphed into a boar and fled after Terach violently rejected its offer to join his brotherhood. 

These half-orcs were later found to be Anchorites of Talos, god of Destruction, representing the dangerous side of nature. The powers of these followers showed evil's versatility by manifesting as thunder and lightning at the Tower of Storms, as dark, corrupted nature in Thundertree Ruins, and as treacherous mimicry in Gnomengarde.

But it was during a mission deep in the Neverwinter Wood to restore contact to the brother of Phandalin's Townmaster, that the true threat in the region was uncovered. Rumours and uncertain sightings of a dragon in the region persisted until Cryovain, a large adult dragon of white hue, decided to pay the party a visit.

Perched lazily in front of the characters as they were preparing to leave the forest, Cryovain, in his arrogance, revealed he was behind the orcs and ogres amassing around the Triboar trail and that Phandalin would be reduced to rubble. Politely declining his offer to join the half-orcs as lieutenants (evil is ever pragmatic), the party shows enough brass (or... stupidity?) to drive off the albino blue dragon (yes, he exhaled lightning at them), wounding his pride and ensuring his future enmity. 

Angering a dragon is generally a career limiting move
Image by Wizards of the Coast

Armed with this knowledge, the emboldened adventurers went on to Neverwinter to research a strange symbol they found on an Anchorite's map, as well as commit more resources from the Lord's Alliance to the protection of Phandalin. All was not well in the city however, with Lord Protector Everember acting more like a defacto king and executing Lord’s Alliance figures for treason. Coupled with this tyranny was a growing refugee presence - barbarians from Icewind Dale sweating in their furs with concern on their faces and talk of no daylight even in the middle of summer, and multiple sightings of ancient white dragons roosting in the mountains.

Finally our heroes journeyed back to their beleaguered home, Phandalin, armed with knowledge and resources to bolster the town.

Preparations in Phandalin 

Before talk of war, Phandalin's Finest had grown fond of the townspeople, and in the case of Mirna the woodcarver's widow, more than just fond. Likewise, the local folk regard our adventurers, Alucard, Terach, Wick, and Wiggity, as heroes of the region. From funding the renovation of Grista's Sleeping Giant Tavern, to bringing back the town's midwife, Adabra (who insists that Wiggity is a trending new baby name), and returning Carp, the wayward potty-mouthed teen halfling back to the loving arms of his mother, the impact on Phandalin's happiness and prosperity was palpable.

Happier times in Phandalin
Image by Wizards of the Coast

That was, until Cryovain's forces started encroaching closer and closer to the town itself. By controlling the Triboar Trail the orcs cut off trade from the east. They reduced the food supply by torching the fields of Butterskull Ranch. And they installed themselves in close proximity to Phandalin by taking the windmill to the south and installing ogre bolt launchers with excellent range (as discovered by Terach and Wick on their way to the Sword mountains). This increased threat has caused some townsfolk to flee north to Neverwinter or south to Waterdeep, but pioneers are generally a hardy folk, and most want to hold on to what they have built.

Thus, the normally peaceful town has seen great industry from its inhabitants, under the experienced administration of Sildar, to feed and defend the town:

• Under Big Al the farmer and the druid Reidoth aided by Wiggity, the harvest is maturing fast, but food still needs to be rationed
• The town has spiked wooden barricades and sandbags around it, with the barrel crabs retrieved by Terach and Wick from Gnomengard moving materials around efficiently
• Tresendar Manor’s ground floor has been converted into a large barracks as an emergency retreat
• Auto crossbows have been setup in the roads into town, ballistae near the manor
• The Forge of Spells has been restored, with Zanzibar overseeing production of magical weapons and Alucard helping to smuggle them back into town
• There are 15 Lord's Alliance men-at-arms, and a militia of 15 townsfolk, with Lindsay the battlemaster fighter overseeing their training
• And finally, after Terach's urging, a group of Tiger tribe barbarians from Icewind Dale have arrived as refugees from Neverwinter, 10 fighting men and women under Ragnar's leadership

With all hands to the deck, Sildar called upon Terach and Wick, the original brothers-in-arms from Neverwinter, to gather more intelligence on the enemy. And so they set off with speed to visit the location on the map they recovered from an Anchorite, sending them east to an abandoned temple to Savras, god of Divination.

Revelations at the Shrine of Savras

An abandoned temple of Savras was being used as a rally point for Cryovain's forces
Image by ManInACan using Talespire

Dawn is breaking when Terach and Wick arrive at the Shrine of Savras, but there are still shadows covering the the ruined compound. However, in the distance behind the shrine they sees dozens of fires and scores of dark shapes gathered around them. The unmistakable presence of a large Many Arrows banner atop the belfry implies something of a rallying point.

Skirting the vision of the lone orc in the only functioning watchtower, Terach and Wick find a gap in the wall to survey the scene, noting orcs and ogres gathered in the courtyard. Their stealth not a patch on Alucard's, they must use guile and distraction to find their way into the shrine, noting the giant bell of gold in the belfry and a curious altar of stone with a humanoid eye carved into it.

Wick, and then Terach, proceed to touch the Altar of Fate, receiving a vision from Savras, god of Divination. Wick's mind eye flies up and around the temple, seeing the gathering army clearly heading to the shrine with siege towers in tow, then climbing higher until summiting the tallest peak in the Sword Mountains where a fortress scorched by lightning perches amongst sheer cliffs. Terach's vision ranges far and wide over the frontier, from the Tower of Storms to the Neverwinter Wood, before settling in to a nearby room in the shrine to eavesdrop on a conversation happening between two half-orc Anchorites. He learned that:

• Cryovain had three half-orc lieutenants, but with Moesko dead it leaves a power gap
• Grannoc, one of the other lieutenants, is plotting treachery against the third, Yargath
• General concerns from the troops that hill giants are gaining power in the north east

While acquiring these revelations, the dynamic duo were inevitably discovered, having to beat a hasty retreat by carving through the Anchorites and their troops and making a run for it. But not before they picked up a map, with some potential clues as to the orcs' targets in the region.

X marks... the spot? A map recovered from half-orc Anchorites
Image by Wizards of the Coast

Highlights from the session:

• Wick using minor illusion to distract the ogres while they crept past into the shrine
• Wick facing off against two half-orc Anchorites alone for a round while waiting for Terach to snap out of his vision
• Terach busting through the wall with a shoulder barge to create an escape route from orcs and ogres only to provoke an ettin into chasing them
• Terach finishing off the pursuing ettin with a judo flip

Corruption at the Woodland Manse

Well, this looks like a nice home in the middle of the forest, not creepy at all
Image by Morvald Press | Jeff Todd

After getting some distance from the Shrine of Savras and taking a little respite, Terach and Wick ponder their next move. Their best guess is that the amassing army is eight days march from Phandalin, accelerating the need to shore up the town's defenses even further. They use their sending stone to get word of the impending invasion to Sildar, then consider investigating one of the green marks on the map en route back to Phandalin. A minor detour, with almost fatal consequences.

Deep in Neverwinter Wood, the pair come across a large manse all but covered in thorny ivy, and surrounded by boars grazing in pumpkin patches. Rather wary of boars, Terach and Wick again seek a means of ingress without provoking any. Climbing up the poison ivy they make it to the second floor, exploring at least one room before all hell breaks loose.

Drawing upon all their reserves, the raging barbarian and the warlock of dubious heritage manage to overcome an entire household of orcs, Anchorites and strange twig creatures animated by dark nature magic. Grannoc, lieutenant of Cryovain, emerges from downstairs in garments made from vines and a hole where his heart once was. Like Moesko, he wields powers of Talos beyond the other half-orcs, and almost proves overmatched against our two heroes. Almost. 

[DM note - it was looking like a total party kill multiple times, notwithstanding some quick thinking and very lucky dice rolls in a desperate situation.]

Finding Grannoc's heart lodged in an evil gulthias tree, they destroy it and search his quarters. On the wall is a crude drawing of a white dragon, the Talos holy symbol being crossed out. They infer that Grannoc thought the half-orcs manipulated by the dragon, and that he should lead them in place of Yargath. Grannoc was planning to attack a nearby target, but there are two on the map.

As more Anchorites in boar form entered the manse from outside, the rushed adventurers manage to hastily scrawl a message in blood to the half-orc anchorites telling them to send an emissary to Phandalin. They back out of the woodland manse gracefully, before pausing to catch a breath in a  beautiful glade with only the sounds of the deep forest to sooth them.

Highlights from the session:

• The absolute paranoia that every boar in the pumpkin patch was a powerful Anchorite
• Trying, and failing, several times to climb the vines to the second storey
• Finding (and destroying) the four small twig figures resting on the mantelpiece, whose tribal magic caused the players poor luck in their attempted break and enter upstairs
• A fight against tiny stirges causing the noise that brought all the inhabitants on them
• The characters using every last resource at their disposal to get through the tough encounter

What's next?

A storm is brewing, perhaps Talos is displeased?
Image sourced from Playground

Terach and Wick finds themselves a long way from Phandalin, low on health, as a storm from the north east breaks the calm of their clearing. They know that Grannoc wanted to attack something nearby, and that Yargath the leader is also in the area. Maybe the enemy of their enemy is their friend? And perhaps dealing with Cryovain's third and last lieutenant would hamper his war effort? But they are in no state to press on. 

Thankfully Sildar Hallwinter, representative of the Lord's Alliance! had enough foresight to send aid days before it was needed. Armed with a second pair of sending stones, and Wiggity's trademark forest survival instincts, the other half of Phandalin's Finest soon locate their brothers resting in the glade. In a terrible failure to read the room, Alucard greets them with shark face, and Wiggity greets them by name, Wok and Terrick. And so, with Phandalin's Finest finally reunited, the countdown to war has commenced!