Nerdy Gamers - D&D session 3

20 December 2020

Our third session of Dungeons and Dragons over videocall, following immediately on from where the adventurers finished the previous encounter during which they had triumphed over an enormous Bugbear, possibly their most challenging opponent to date. They have discovered that the goblins have been ambushing supply caravans on the road to Phandalin and now need to find a way out of this cave system, while searching for Gundren Rockseeker and his human companion who seem to have been taken captive and brought here during an ambush on the road...

⏪ Previous - Session 2

The party

·         Kisandra Starlight – Half-Elf Sorceress (Heather)

·         Barendil Dawnwood – Elf Ranger (Robert)

·         Guillerme don d’Lyonne – Human Paladin (Martin)

·         Friar Buck Norris – Human Cleric (Silas)

·         Nobby Nobbs – Human (probably) Rogue (Tom) 

The party - Kisandra, Friar Buck, 
Guillerme, Nobby Nobbs & Barendil

The adventurers stood over the broken body of Klarg, Bugbear Chieftain, with his pet wolf and goblin minions, dead, nearby. They were surrounded by the stolen provisions and supplies that had been taken in ambushes on the roads to and from Phandalin. Behind them, the stone chimney led back down to the wolf den (filled with wolf corpses and Friar Buck’s shame), while ahead rough-hewn stone steps proceeded down into further darkness. It was clear that, if they were to recover the stolen supplies, the adventurers would have to venture forth to find an alternative exit from these caves.

Clearing the Caves

Descending the stone steps, Friar Buck and Guillerme led the party into a cavern containing two large pools of water, crudely dammed with stones and timber. Buck held aloft his hammer, having magically infused the weapon with light – a beacon of hope in the darkness. The glow from the hammer illuminated the grinning, tusked faces of two Bugbears, while three goblins skulked behind them knocking their bows. Neither Bugbear was as hulking as Klarg, but they held their weapons no less menacingly.

Guillerme charged at the beasts, his glaive held above his head, as goblin arrows flew past him and targeted his companions to his rear. Two missed their mark but the third thudded harshly into Kisandra’s thigh, causing the half-elf to cry out in pain.

Following Guillerme’s example, Buck likewise charged at the Bugbears. Murmuring prayers to Kord, the cleric swung his glowing hammer in a glorious arc, circling round to eventually swing upwards and connect with the goblinoid’s jaw in a smashing uppercut, causing the beast to stagger backwards. Ignoring the goblin arrows and swirling melee in front of him, Barendil loosed an arrow straight into a goblin archer’s eye, killing it outright, while casually reaching for another arrow from his quiver.

Nobby Nobbs, meanwhile, eschewed his normal position towards the rear of the battle by charging in to help Guillerme and Buck, seeing an opportunity to slash his shortsword at a Bugbear’s back. After a faltering start, Guillerme finally started to figure out how to really swing his glaive properly and sliced the monster in front of him thrice, back and forth across its chest, killing the beast. As his opponent fell, the paladin took a goblin arrow to the knee for his trouble, causing him to cry out in pain.

The second Bugbear was subjected to a ferocious assault by Friar Buck as he continued to swing his glowing warhammer like a dance partner, bringing it spinning back in a figure of eight and smashing into the monster’s jaw. As the hammer connected, the Bugbear was lifted off its feet and the light seemed to flash like a strobe to make it appear that the Bugbear was frozen in mid-air for a moment before it landed heavily on the floor. Raising itself from the prone position, the Bugbear was vulnerable to the glowing warhammer, arcing back again as Buck took the opportunity to continue his attack by smashing the creature on the temple, staggering it. Nobby and Guillerme weren’t able to make the most of the chance offered by the Bugbear’s situation as Buck was too busy knocking it around, but once he stopped to draw breath Nobby was finally able to sneak in behind the beast and slash at it with his sword. The rogue took great delight in slicing its buttocks, giggling with glee as the creature slumped forwards onto its knees and died in a most undignified manner.

Rolling his eyes at the giggling rogue, Barendil fired another arrow into the throat of another goblin, skewering it, while Guillerme ran forwards and dispatched the final greenskin with a swift hack of his glaive.

The adventurers seemed to be working together like a well-oiled machine, settling into their battlefield roles. Kisandra drank deeply of one of the healing draughts they had found in the previous chamber while Friar Buck knelt to give thanks to Kord for blessing their weapons.

Fresh from dispatching the hulking Bugbear,
Klarg, the adventurers run into two more
Bugbears and some Goblin Archers

Friar Buck leads the charge against the Bugbears

Barendil walked forwards to inspect the pools in front of them, divining clearly that this was a rudimentary, though probably highly effective, trap laid by the goblins. The dams could be easily breached to allow one or both of the pools to release their contents down the winding stream, flushing intruders from the cave. Fortunately for the companions, they had not raised the alarm within the cave to cause such a response, and now the goblins responsible for bursting the dams were dead.

Looking around the chamber, the adventurers could see one path leading away alongside the stream as it curved east and then south, while a second exit could be seen further south on the western wall of the cave, directly to the left of where the adventurers stood. They decided to explore this way.

Despite the quiet protests of some of the group at how conspicuous he was, Friar Buck strode off purposefully along this corridor, whistling a cheery pious tune and holding his still-glowing warhammer aloft to light the way. The rest of the party followed in single file behind as the path gradually rose upwards, until Buck could discern the edge of a rickety wooden bridge at the edge of his radius of illumination. As he looked on, an arrow suddenly flew towards him – but the same glow that gave away his position to the goblin sentry also dazzled the greenskin and so the arrow went wide.

Barendil yelled to the group “DOWN!”, and as they all crouched down in the rock dust, he loosed an arrow towards the goblin. However, this also went wide, his darkvision being likewise damaged by the glow from the hammer. Before the group could stand again, the goblin began lining up another shot, but as he spread his legs to brace himself, he lost his footing and fell the 20 feet down off the bridge, dashing his brains on the rocks below.

Leaning over the ledge to look down upon the unfortunate, dead, goblin, Friar Buck began to walk forwards onto the bridge. Before he got more than a few steps forwards, Barendil called out again, halting the cleric and suggesting that they extinguish the light as it made them a target for any remaining enemies in the cave system. The elf suggested that himself (with his excellent darkvision and occasionally brilliant stealth abilities) and Nobby (with his inconspicuous nature and quiet, shuffling gait) move forwards to scout the terrain. Nobby was happy to have been included in the elf’s plans so wholeheartedly agreed, and Kisandra saw the keen good sense in the suggestion. She didn’t agree with Barendil simply because of her elvish heritage, she felt it was the most logical action. Buck Norris, however, appeared to be too enthused by the patronage of his god after the last encounter they had and, with Guillerme’s backing, he determined to continue leading the party on to bring the light of Kord to every corner of the dungeon. He even handed out pamphlets praising Kord to the rest of the party. The bold cleric continued to stride forwards with the glowing hammer raised even higher, chanting a song whilst he went. Barendil sighed, but refused to argue with the human further.

A captive freed

After passing a small side passage that led down to the left from the path they were on, Buck’s glowing hammer illuminated another cavern; this one containing 6 goblins (one of which wore a large pointy red hat) and a dishevelled human in chains. The goblins had all clearly left their positions round a cooking fire when they saw the glow and heard the chanting coming down the corridor, and were standing on guard between the party and the prisoner.

His glowing warhammer held high, Buck leads
the way into another goblin-infested cavern

The adventurers moved to attack the goblins. Barendil stuck the goblin with the red hat with an arrow, glancing his arm and making him yelp in surprise. The spear-armed goblins moved forwards whilst the goblin archers tried to shoot the party, their arrows going wide. 

As the spear-armed goblins moved forwards, the red-hatted greenskin turned and scuttled back towards the prisoner. He roughly grabbed the man’s hair and pressed a jagged knife to his throat.

“Truce or this human be deaded!” the goblin yelled in the Common tongue with his squeaky yet malicious voice.

The party didn’t know what to say. They debate with one another for some time, almost forgetting the threat of the advancing goblins. Getting impatient, the one in the red hat pressed the knife harder and a line of blood started to run down the man’s neck.

“Now, tell me, truce or dies!” he screeched.

Taking charge of the situation and realising that this human was likely the companion of Gundren Rockseeker, so they wanted to keep him alive, Kisandra called back in a soothing voice, “What do you want?”

The diminutive greenskin replied, “Yeemik want be boss, Klarg is boss but he stinking Bugbear, Yeemik be boss for goblins”

“And how does that happen?” Kisandra asked, taking from context that Yeemik was the goblin in the red hat, which must have distinguished him as some sort of leader amongst these creatures.

“Youse kill Klarg, me be the boss,” said the goblin simply.

“Oh, we’ve killed Klarg already!” the half-elf cried in triumph, but it is clear the goblin doesn’t believe them. He tells them he wants Klarg’s head as proof, so Barendil agreed to go to and retrieve it while the rest of the party remained to keep an eye on the goblins and ensure Yeemik kept his word. On the way back to the supply-filled cavern, he investigated the side passage they passed earlier and found that it joined up with the tunnels he had previously scouted – it seemed that they had explored all that the cave system had to offer.

On returning to the cavern, Barendil threw the massive Bugbear’s head at Yeemik’s feet, causing the goblin to squeal with joy. He unchained the human captive, roughly pushing him towards the adventurers. As the obviously weakened man staggered forward, he called out in a faltering voice, “Don’t trust the goblins…”

Almost on cue, the spear-goblins closed ranks in front of the released prisoner and crossed their spears as Yeemik called out a ransom demand. “500 gold,” he said with a cruel grin.

The adventurers tried to trick him by suggesting they had 500 gold pieces buried nearby that they could get for him, but the greenksin wasn’t buying it and demanded to see the money straight away. Tiring of the goblin’s duplicity, Barendil knocked and shot an arrow at Yeemik, which stuck through the goblin’s red hat as he ducked in surprise. Before they could see what the goblin would do next, the rest of the party surged forward to strike down the evil creatures.  

Nobby threw some ball bearings at the feet of the goblins, causing 5 of the 6 of them to lose their footing and fall to the ground. Following up on this initiative, Guillerme charged to attack one of the goblins as it tried to stand up. His glaive struck with such force that it cleaved through the goblin’s spear, arms, chest and out through its back to bury itself in the ground. Meanwhile, Nobby deftly wove his way through the ball bearings, using his powers of sidling to get next to one of the prone goblins without appearing to have moved at all. He then proceeded to kick the goblin in the balls repeatedly before slitting the creature’s throat, just as the Commander had taught him all those years ago. 

After throwing his ball bearings, causing most of the
goblins to fall down, Nobby sidles up and puts a
swift boot in, just like the Commander taught him to!

Though the spear-goblins were all but out of the fight, the archers managed to stand up and fire two surprisingly accurate arrows at Friar Buck, his warhammer still merrily glowing. The priest was struck twice in the chest and he fell hard, unconscious and bleeding on the ground. Without attention, his wounds could prove fatal.

Having seen his goblins get cut down and now sensing an opportunity to escape while the adventurers were shocked to see one of their number dropped to the ground by goblin arrows, Yeemik turned tail and fled. One of his archers was struck down by an arrow from Barendil while the other realised his boss was legging it, so decided to follow suit. 

Yeemik the Goblin makes his escape with
Barendil in hot pursuit

Barendil, outraged at the possibility this treacherous greenskin might escape, gave chase and tried to shoot his legs out from under him, but the arrow skidded on the ground and the goblin continued to scramble over the rocks and further from the combat. Kisandra attempted to freeze Yeemik’s legs with a Ray of Frost, but succeeded only in covering some of the rocks in the cave in a coating of ice.

As the final spear-goblin was dispatched, Barendil pursued Yeemik and the remaining archer down a tunnel and to the entrance of the goblin lair. Searching around the briars, he found the tracks of the two goblins leading into the forest but in his haste stepped on a large twig with a *SNAP*, which caused birds to fly from the trees into the air. He realised that these greenskins had escaped for now and returned to the rest of the party.

Sildar Hallwinter

Walking back into the cavern, Barendil saw the human prisoner sitting uncomfortably on the floor while Kisandra was administering the second potion of healing to Buck. The priest groggily sat up and rubbed his chest where the two arrows had hit him; the magical draught had stemmed the bleeding but he looked like he would need a good rest before carrying on.

The group stoked the goblin’s cooking fire and decided it was safe enough to eat and rest now that the goblins had all been killed or driven from their lair. They offered some food to the human they had saved, who told them his name was Sildar Hallwinter and that he was indeed Gundren Rockseeker’s companion. They had been taken captive in the ambush on the road to Phandalin, but Gundren had been taken elsewhere while Sildar was chained up in this goblin-infested pit. Sildar confirmed the story of the Lost Mine of Phandelver that the dwarfs had recounted back in Chestnut Hollow, telling the adventurers that Gundren had a map to the entrance – a map that had unfortunately been taken, along with the dwarf and all of Sildar’s adventuring equipment, to Cragmaw Castle. Sildar was aware that Klarg had been acting on orders sent from Cragmaw Castle, though the man didn’t know where the castle was located. He had heard something about a ‘Black Spider’ who seemed to be directing things, but who or what that was he couldn’t say.

Sildar revealed that he was a senior agent of the Lord’s Alliance, a group of allied political powers concerned with mutual security and prosperity. Guillerme excitedly said that he was a member of the order also, shaking the warrior’s hand enthusiastically. In addition to aiding Gundren and his two brothers, Tharden and Nundro, in their quest to reopen Phandelver Mine, Sildar is charged by the Lord’s Alliance with restoring order to the region. His contact in Phandalin is a wizard by the name of Iarno Alreck, who travelled to the town some months earlier but is yet to report back to their superiors.

Before falling into a deep sleep, Sildar recounts the tale of the rich mine of Phandelver and the importance of Wave Echo Cave, where a wondrous foundry called the Forge of Spells had been created through the alliance of gnome and dwarf artisans with human wizards, for the purpose of channelling powerful magic into creating potent enchanted artifacts. This had occurred centuries before, bringing peace and prosperity to the region. This peace was shattered by a roving band of orcs and mercenary wizards who attacked Wave Echo Cave in an attempt to seize its riches. Much of the cavern was reportedly destroyed in the ensuing battle, with few making it out alive. The location of the entrance was lost. Sildar’s hope is that, should the Rockseeker brothers be successful, then the prosperity of the mine may reintroduce peace to the region for the benefit of all. 

Phandalin

The next day, the adventurers took as much of the supplies from Klarg’s stash as they could carry to the horse and cart, which were still waiting at the side of the road. They decided not to make multiple trips to fill the wagon and take it all, instead making a note of the location to pass on to those in Phandalin who could come back and recover the rest of it.

As the wagon rolled along the road and to the outskirts of Phandalin, the adventurers could see the town ahead of them – some forty or fifty buildings, mostly simple log constructions, some resting on older stone foundations. A number of crumbling stone walls and fallen blocks surround the newer buildings, indicating that this town was larger in centuries past. Most of the newer buildings are set by the side of the muddy main road, which climbs towards a large, ruined, manor house at the eastern edge of the town. The party could see children playing on the green, while people went about their normal business. Some raised their eyes to look at the cart, laden with crates and the heavily armed party, but they swiftly returned to their errands. Sildar told the group that he was going to find lodgings at the local Stonehill Inn, on the edge of the village green. The rest of the party decided to first return the supplies before meeting their new acquaintance later.

They first visited the Lionshield Coster, easily identified by the blue lion sigil hanging above the door which matches the markings on some of the crates they recovered. Linene Graywind welcomed them to her trading post, looking warily at the armed adventurers until they explained that they had returned stolen supplies to her. Coming outside to look at the cart, she does indeed identify some of the crates as belonging to her – adding that the others had likely come from Barthen’s Provisions. She offered 25 gold pieces for the supplies in the wagon. Guillerme informed her that there is more located in a goblin den to the southwest; Linene is pleased by the news but disappointed that they didn’t bring everything with them when there seemed to be more space in the cart. She is even less impressed by Guillerme’s mercenary attitude when he won’t reveal the location of the supplies without further payment – reluctantly, she handed over an additional 15 gold. As she called for her workers to come and unload the crates, she told the adventurers to feel free to come back any time if they need to purchase any weapons or armour, and she would always give them a fair price. She said that they seemed like they might be able to help the town – not only had they been subjected to banditry on the road, but the Redbrand Ruffians had been causing trouble for businesses within the town. She wouldn’t do business with anyone allied with the Redbrands, and hoped that someone would teach them a lesson. She advised the adventurers to avoid the Sleeping Giant taproom, which sat on the road leading up towards the manor house.  

Continuing their errands, the party drove the cart to the north of the town and returned the rest of the supplies to Barthen’s Provisions, receiving 10 gold for their trouble. Elmar Barthen, a balding man of around 50, is the proprietor of this store which sells all sorts of adventuring items. He has a kindly face and talks with the adventurers about the Lost Mine, letting them know that he has been supplying Gundren’s two brothers with food and equipment since they set up their camp in the wilderness just outside the town. He hasn’t seen them in a tenday, so he expects them to be visiting soon to resupply. Barthen was saddened to hear of Gundren’s capture by the goblins, as he considers the dwarf a friend. Like Linene Graywind, Barthen has been harried by the Redbrands and hoped for someone to enact justice against the ruffians. Enquiring where the group acquired their transportation, Barthen told them that he would be happy to send the horse and cart back to White Willow Farm if they wished, as he had supplies to send there anyway. Now that they had cleared the goblins from the road, he could be more confident in his deliveries arriving unmolested. 

Finally the party headed to the Stonehill Inn, a comfortable establishment with a large common room filled with locals, nursing mugs of ale or cider and eying the party with interest.  The landlord, Toblen Stonehill, is originally from the town of Triboar to the east. He had come to Phandalin to prospect but realised that his talents lay more in running an inn than mining. He is worried for his wife and children (who are also in the common room) because of the trouble being stirred up by the Redbrands. The townmaster, Harbin Wester, has not done enough to deal with the threat in Toblen’s opinion, but he doesn’t want to make a lot of noise about it in case it leads to a retaliation by the Redbrands against his family.   

After purchasing some ale and making provisions for their lodgings, the adventurers decide to find out what rumours or information can be gleaned from the locals in the tavern. Friar Buck approaches a farmer, Narth, and miner, Lanar, who are sitting together. With a genial smile, he drains his mug of ale and asks if a poor priest can share in their jug with them. They pour him a small measure of ale and he sits down with thanks. Narth tells the cleric about Sister Garaele at the Shrine of Luck, who recently left home for a few days and returned wounded and exhausted. The Shrine of Luck is located over the road from the inn. Lanar gloomily added that, if the Redbrands didn’t get them, then the orc raiders that had been spotted on the Triboar Trail (which heads out of the town to the north) probably would.

Elsa, the gossipy barmaid, pushed past Barendil and Kisandra, exclaiming “Oooo, I like your clothes dearies, you look like real adventurers! You know, Daran Edermath the orchard keeper, he used to be an adventurer so he did,” before she bustled off to collect more empty mugs.

Guillerme decided to try and talk to a man in the corner with well-made clothes, though instead of the noble that the paladin was expecting it turned out that Freda was a weaver. He told the paladin that the only business in the town that seems to have escaped the unwanted attention of the Redbrands is the Phandalin Miner’s Exchange. Freda doesn’t know many details, but he suspects they don’t want trouble with Halia Thornton who runs the Exchange.

Having talked to all the locals they wished to, the sun was dipping low outside but the adventurers figured they could investigate what had happened to Sister Garaele, considering her Shrine of Luck was so close to the inn. They wandered into the temple, which was little more than a collection of stones taken from the nearby ruined buildings, but clearly well looked after and dedicated to Tymora, goddess of luck and good fortune. Sister Garaele, a young and scholarly elf nursing a few minor injuries, welcomed the group to the temple. She gets along with Barendil, the two elves conversing with each other convivially. Garaele says that she has been tasked with a delicate task that she hasn’t manage to complete yet, and should the group help her she can reward them with 3 potions of healing. The task is to discover the location of a powerful spell book that belonged to a legendary mage named Bowgentle. She believes that a banshee named Agatha knows the location of this book, and may be persuaded to share the information should her vanity be flattered enough. The Sister handed over a jewelled silver comb that could be used as a bargain for the banshee’s information. She tells the adventurers that the banshee’s lair is located near the village of Coneyberry, along the Triboar Trail to the east. 

The Sleeping Giant Taproom

With darkness settling in, the party returned to the Stonehill Inn. Guillerme suggested they play Dragon Chess, but Nobby decided to do some investigation into these Redbrands that they had heard so much about, figuring that the Sleeping Giant taproom would be the place to start looking. He donned his disguise, regular common clothes, and made to move to the door. Guillerme and Buck were already engrossed in their game and decided to leave the rogue to his own devices. Kisandra quietly said she had a bad feeling about it so Barendil agreed to follow in support of Nobby.

Upon arriving at the taproom, the rogue told the elf to stay back and let him enter alone to get the measure of the place. Barendil sunk back into the shadows but didn’t find it as easy hiding in the street as he would in a forest. As Nobby walked into the room, he had a queasy feeling that all was not well. Four rough figures wearing scarlet cloaks sat or stood by the bar and all turned to eyeball him as the door swung closed behind him. A few miscellaneous patrons looked up and quickly away, sensing trouble. Nobby’s disguise didn’t convince the Redbrands, they know that he came from the Stonehill Tavern and had been asking about them. The four ruffians moved forwards menacingly, so Nobby ducked out of the door and into the street.

Though he tried his best to talk to them, eventually Nobby received a fist to the nose for his pains. Barendil leapt in to aid his companions, but the odds were stacked against the pair – two ruffians for each adventurer. The savage beating was almost entirely one-sided, but Nobby managed to ring his watchman’s bell and call out to a nearby street urchin that he needed assistance. The helpful oik ran off to the Inn where the rest of the adventurers were still engrossed in their game of chess, though they quickly leapt out of their chairs when they heard about the commotion down the road.

Both Barendil and Nobby had been knocked unconscious by the ruffians and were being dragged into the taproom just as their three companions came running down the road. Throwing the door open, Guillerme rushed into the gloomy interior and raised his glaive, realising too late that he had misjudged the length of the weapon and getting it lodged in the doorframe behind him. While working to free the blade, he knocked down some tankards hanging on the wall which landed on his head with a clang. Kisandra sidestepped the struggling paladin and circled her hands before her, muttering an incantation and loosing several magic missiles. Three scarlet points of light flew true towards one thug, knocking him one way and another before his body thudded against the bar then fell, unmoving, to the floor. The two thugs holding her companions looked alarmed at one another, but the third gripped his weapons and began to march towards the sorceress before she sent three more magic missiles darting towards him, lifting him off his feet and dropping him on top of his downed compatriot. She stared at the remaining two Redbrands who immediately dropped Nobby and Barendil’s legs, looked at each other then retreated out the back of the pub. They could both be seen out the window, running towards the ruined manor house as fast as they could. 

A rest and a letter

After returning their injured friends to the Stonehill Inn, the group was able to convince Toblen to provide healing supplies when they told him of how Kisandra had eliminated two of the hated Redbrands. They all took to their beds in the inn, apart from Buck who had convinced the farmer, Qelline Alderleaf, to let him sleep in her hayloft so he could save his coins for another mug or three of ale. As he was finishing his last cup, the door to the inn swung inwards and a familiar figure staggered in. It was one of the farmhands from White Willow Farm, who looked exhausted.

“Oh, I am glad to find you sir, so I am!” exclaimed the panting man. “I run all the way ‘ere from the farm, so I did, to give you this letter.”

And with that, the farmhand handed an envelope to Buck and sank into a nearby chair.

The cleric turned the envelope this way and that in his hands, before opening it. As he did so, a dusting of twinkly snow fell into his lap. “Strange,” he thought, “How is that snow not melted?”

Setting the envelope to one side and dusting himself down, Buck unfolded the letter and read the contents. It read:

“My friends. I thank you for helping me in the past, but things at White Willow Farm have become even more strange since you left. Please, if you can, come back with all haste – I need your assistance!”

Friar Buck carefully folded the letter back up and put it in a pouch. He finished the last dregs of his beer and stood to leave, patting the shoulder of the farmer who had fallen asleep in his chair. The cleric left to find his hayloft bed for the night, but knew he and his companions would have much to discuss in the morning – there were many people who desired their help and a number of tasks for them to pursue.

Next - Session 4 ⏩