In a warehouse in Neverwinter:
It was a cool late summer's morning when they first met in Gundren Rockseeker's warehouse, near the docks in Neverwinter. Every adventure starts somewhere - and this one started there.
Firstly, there was Gronn the dwarf, short of stature, but brimming with wisdom and experience from 70 years of living in the wilderness. Gundren Rockseeker was a clan-mate, his cousin to be precise, and had asked for his help transporting a wagonload of goods to the nearby frontier town of Phandalin. Gronn was more used to the wild woods than the wild streets and he was keen to leave. If he could leave Neverwinter and help a family-member, then it was a win-win situation for him.
Wolf was a tall, powerful young human, flush with excitement, his nerves were almost too much for him to contain. Only 18 years old, he wore an old chainmail hauberk which had seen better days. There were gaps in his armour, but he wore it with great pride. On his back was a huge greatsword, almost a foot longer than Gronn, the youngster wielded it effortlessly and it was in immaculate condition.
The third, and last to arrive, was Ellenross, or El, a lithe, clean-cut human who looked bored from the moment he stalked through the door. He was dressed like any number of ruffians you might see on the streets of Neverwinter, but there was something about him that made it feel like it wasn't natural. He played the part well though, and there was a brooding menace about him.
Gundren introduced his cousin to the two humans. Wolf was introduced as the son of an employee who had tangled with a pirate captain and needed to get some space between him and the city, while El was only introduced as an acquaintance, as someone who was no stranger to trouble and also needed to lie low in the styx for a while.
Gundren left almost immediately, accompanied by the veteran warrior, Sildar Hallwinter. The pair trotted off, eager to make it to Phandalin.
As he left, he shouted his final instructions over his shoulder, "I'll meet you there, boys! Drop off my good at Barthen's Provisions, collect your payment and wait for me to make contact! I'm gonna.....we're gonna be rich!"
Wolf, overcome by the excitement of the moment, approached Gronn and warmly shook his hand. "Any good with a cock?", he blurted, immediately going red in the face. "I mean cookpot!", he quickly corrected himself and stood, head hung low, cheeks bright red in embarassment. Gronn grunted in amusement and climbed up to the driver's seat of the wagon (funniest moment of the game by quite some distance) Wolf sat next to him, and El sat at the back, watching the world he knew fade away behind them.
The trio left straight away, swapping small-talk and stories on the wagon and around the campfire. It soon became apparent that all three were skilled in different ways, and they found their company never grated. The chore became a worthwhile journey among friends. Until the third morning.
Not long into the day, they rounded a corner where the road was on one side a small escarpment, and on the other, a short slope leading up to a heavily wooded area. Ahead were two large mounds in the middle of the road. Eagle eyes realised it was a pony and a horse, slain in the road and left..as a sign, perhaps? Or a trap?
The three warily moved forward and stopped when they realised these were the mounts belonging to Gundren and Sildar! Just as Gronn was about to rush forward and investigate, from the trees on the right dashed forward two skinny green goblins, yip-yip-yipping their warcries and waving their scimitars over their heads. An arrow followed and brushed past Wolf's head! Gronn was almost overcome in a moment of surprise, but both Wolf and El rushed forward to defend their companion, the former slicing one in half, the latter sliding his rapier through the eyeball of the other.
El and Gronn dived into the woods and quickly found the other, who found himself on the receiving end of Gronn magical club, a shillelagh. With one wicked blow, the green-skinned menace was crushed. Before returning to Wolf, who was guarding the wagon, the pair realised they were being watched by a fourth goblin! They tried to sneak up on him, but were spotted and set off in pursuit! El caught the goblin after he tripped on a tree root (crit fail in an opposed athletics check!) and, despite his size and strength advantage, was dismayed to find his grip on the slippery goblin wasn't strong enough (crit success by the goblin on an opposed Strength check!). The goblin squirmed from his grasp, booted him in the plums from behind and scampered from the clearing while El clutched at his groin in agony. Gronn shook his head wearily when he came across El clambering to his feet, in obvious pain.
They hid their wagon in the woods and set off on a trail they found of what appeared to be a dozen goblins, at times dragging two bodies through the woods. El carefully lead the group through the woods, easily noticing a snare trap, and then deftly avoiding falling into a pit on the pathway! Not long after, El caught sight of the same goblin, once again observing from the trees! The pursuit this time was not going to be in such doubt. El pinned the goblin to the floor with his rapier, and the trio tied him up for questioning.
Some time later, after a frustrating time spent interrogating the goblin, they realised that up ahead was Cragmaw Hideout, and Gundren and Sildar had been taken there. El dropped their captive in the pit trap and was dismayed to hear a loud snap when the goblin hit the floor. "Perhaps that wasn't the best option," he muttered under his breath.
Approaching the Hideout, the heroes were surprised by two goblins ambushing them from the trees to one side...(it's not like that happened before) but they were quickly dispatched.
They entered the cave and found themselves in a kennel of sorts. Two large wolves reared up at them, stretching their chains to the limit. Gronn quickly offered them some tidbits and before long they were like old friends, allowing the companions to pass unheeded, where they found a rough natural chimney leading up into the darkness.
They quickly climbed it (uneventfully) and found themselves watching a huge creature (a bugbear) with a wolf pet, warming himself by the fire - pausing only to verbally abuse a cowardly goblin who came to tell him of the dead sentries. As the goblin left, the party prepared to ambush the massive beast, but El stumbled, dragging his arrowhead across a rock, alerting Klarg (the bugbear!) to their position. He leapt to the attack! "I'll make a throne from your bones!" he cried. "It will be a small throne" screamed Gronn as he charged forward.
Gronn swept his club up into Klarg's ribs, just as El sent an arrow into his shoulder. Wolf faced off against the wolf and could only watch helplessly as Klarg left Gronn unconscious with one mighty blow from his morningstar. Before Klarg could crush the dwarf, El dived forward and thrust his rapier through Klarg's heart, killing him (he maxxed his damage and brought the bugbear to zero exactly!). Klarg died, face to face with a snoring dwarf. Wolf quickly finished the wolf. The party found some treasure and continued their search of the cave system.
The three stout adventurers moved from one room to another, dispatching a small number of green morons on the way, before they walked into what they were later to find out was Yeemik's HQ - the chief Goblin. As the party squared off against nearly half a dozen goblins, Yeemik played his trump card... standing above the party on a ledge ten foot up, Yeemik held a knife to the throat of a battered and bruised Sildar Hallwinter. Even from here, the heroes could see that Sildar was in a bad way; near naked, cut scores of times, missing fingers, teeth and an ear, he had even been hamstrung. The parley did not last long before rage (and a sneaky goblin shoving his shiv into El's back!) drove the trio forward into a brief and bloody battle - and despite Sildar dropping from the cliff and almost bleeding to death - Yeemik and his crew soon lay dead.
They roused Sildar. He told them how Gundren had been taken the Cragmaw Castle, how someone called the Black Spider was responsible for it all and that Gundren and his two brothers had found the legendary Wave Echo Cave, high in the mountains - and that the goblins had taken his map as well. Their resolve set, the party agreed to escort Sildar to Phandalin and plan their next step: to recover the map, save Gundren and teach the Black Spider to mind his own business!
Starring:
Gronn, a grizzled dwarven druid (1st level), played by Brett
Wolf, a young human fighter (1st level), played by Lorne
Ellenross, a slick human rogue (1st level), played by Hilton
DM Comments: This was our first ever 5e session and it went really well - offering role-playing and combat in perfectly acceptable quantities.
DM Comments: This was our first ever 5e session and it went really well - offering role-playing and combat in perfectly acceptable quantities.
Firstly, there was Gronn the dwarf, short of stature, but brimming with wisdom and experience from 70 years of living in the wilderness. Gundren Rockseeker was a clan-mate, his cousin to be precise, and had asked for his help transporting a wagonload of goods to the nearby frontier town of Phandalin. Gronn was more used to the wild woods than the wild streets and he was keen to leave. If he could leave Neverwinter and help a family-member, then it was a win-win situation for him.
Wolf was a tall, powerful young human, flush with excitement, his nerves were almost too much for him to contain. Only 18 years old, he wore an old chainmail hauberk which had seen better days. There were gaps in his armour, but he wore it with great pride. On his back was a huge greatsword, almost a foot longer than Gronn, the youngster wielded it effortlessly and it was in immaculate condition.
The third, and last to arrive, was Ellenross, or El, a lithe, clean-cut human who looked bored from the moment he stalked through the door. He was dressed like any number of ruffians you might see on the streets of Neverwinter, but there was something about him that made it feel like it wasn't natural. He played the part well though, and there was a brooding menace about him.
Gundren introduced his cousin to the two humans. Wolf was introduced as the son of an employee who had tangled with a pirate captain and needed to get some space between him and the city, while El was only introduced as an acquaintance, as someone who was no stranger to trouble and also needed to lie low in the styx for a while.
Gundren left almost immediately, accompanied by the veteran warrior, Sildar Hallwinter. The pair trotted off, eager to make it to Phandalin.
As he left, he shouted his final instructions over his shoulder, "I'll meet you there, boys! Drop off my good at Barthen's Provisions, collect your payment and wait for me to make contact! I'm gonna.....we're gonna be rich!"
Wolf, overcome by the excitement of the moment, approached Gronn and warmly shook his hand. "Any good with a cock?", he blurted, immediately going red in the face. "I mean cookpot!", he quickly corrected himself and stood, head hung low, cheeks bright red in embarassment. Gronn grunted in amusement and climbed up to the driver's seat of the wagon (funniest moment of the game by quite some distance) Wolf sat next to him, and El sat at the back, watching the world he knew fade away behind them.
The trio left straight away, swapping small-talk and stories on the wagon and around the campfire. It soon became apparent that all three were skilled in different ways, and they found their company never grated. The chore became a worthwhile journey among friends. Until the third morning.
Not long into the day, they rounded a corner where the road was on one side a small escarpment, and on the other, a short slope leading up to a heavily wooded area. Ahead were two large mounds in the middle of the road. Eagle eyes realised it was a pony and a horse, slain in the road and left..as a sign, perhaps? Or a trap?
The three warily moved forward and stopped when they realised these were the mounts belonging to Gundren and Sildar! Just as Gronn was about to rush forward and investigate, from the trees on the right dashed forward two skinny green goblins, yip-yip-yipping their warcries and waving their scimitars over their heads. An arrow followed and brushed past Wolf's head! Gronn was almost overcome in a moment of surprise, but both Wolf and El rushed forward to defend their companion, the former slicing one in half, the latter sliding his rapier through the eyeball of the other.
El and Gronn dived into the woods and quickly found the other, who found himself on the receiving end of Gronn magical club, a shillelagh. With one wicked blow, the green-skinned menace was crushed. Before returning to Wolf, who was guarding the wagon, the pair realised they were being watched by a fourth goblin! They tried to sneak up on him, but were spotted and set off in pursuit! El caught the goblin after he tripped on a tree root (crit fail in an opposed athletics check!) and, despite his size and strength advantage, was dismayed to find his grip on the slippery goblin wasn't strong enough (crit success by the goblin on an opposed Strength check!). The goblin squirmed from his grasp, booted him in the plums from behind and scampered from the clearing while El clutched at his groin in agony. Gronn shook his head wearily when he came across El clambering to his feet, in obvious pain.
They hid their wagon in the woods and set off on a trail they found of what appeared to be a dozen goblins, at times dragging two bodies through the woods. El carefully lead the group through the woods, easily noticing a snare trap, and then deftly avoiding falling into a pit on the pathway! Not long after, El caught sight of the same goblin, once again observing from the trees! The pursuit this time was not going to be in such doubt. El pinned the goblin to the floor with his rapier, and the trio tied him up for questioning.
Some time later, after a frustrating time spent interrogating the goblin, they realised that up ahead was Cragmaw Hideout, and Gundren and Sildar had been taken there. El dropped their captive in the pit trap and was dismayed to hear a loud snap when the goblin hit the floor. "Perhaps that wasn't the best option," he muttered under his breath.
Approaching the Hideout, the heroes were surprised by two goblins ambushing them from the trees to one side...(it's not like that happened before) but they were quickly dispatched.
They entered the cave and found themselves in a kennel of sorts. Two large wolves reared up at them, stretching their chains to the limit. Gronn quickly offered them some tidbits and before long they were like old friends, allowing the companions to pass unheeded, where they found a rough natural chimney leading up into the darkness.
They quickly climbed it (uneventfully) and found themselves watching a huge creature (a bugbear) with a wolf pet, warming himself by the fire - pausing only to verbally abuse a cowardly goblin who came to tell him of the dead sentries. As the goblin left, the party prepared to ambush the massive beast, but El stumbled, dragging his arrowhead across a rock, alerting Klarg (the bugbear!) to their position. He leapt to the attack! "I'll make a throne from your bones!" he cried. "It will be a small throne" screamed Gronn as he charged forward.
Gronn swept his club up into Klarg's ribs, just as El sent an arrow into his shoulder. Wolf faced off against the wolf and could only watch helplessly as Klarg left Gronn unconscious with one mighty blow from his morningstar. Before Klarg could crush the dwarf, El dived forward and thrust his rapier through Klarg's heart, killing him (he maxxed his damage and brought the bugbear to zero exactly!). Klarg died, face to face with a snoring dwarf. Wolf quickly finished the wolf. The party found some treasure and continued their search of the cave system.
The three stout adventurers moved from one room to another, dispatching a small number of green morons on the way, before they walked into what they were later to find out was Yeemik's HQ - the chief Goblin. As the party squared off against nearly half a dozen goblins, Yeemik played his trump card... standing above the party on a ledge ten foot up, Yeemik held a knife to the throat of a battered and bruised Sildar Hallwinter. Even from here, the heroes could see that Sildar was in a bad way; near naked, cut scores of times, missing fingers, teeth and an ear, he had even been hamstrung. The parley did not last long before rage (and a sneaky goblin shoving his shiv into El's back!) drove the trio forward into a brief and bloody battle - and despite Sildar dropping from the cliff and almost bleeding to death - Yeemik and his crew soon lay dead.
They roused Sildar. He told them how Gundren had been taken the Cragmaw Castle, how someone called the Black Spider was responsible for it all and that Gundren and his two brothers had found the legendary Wave Echo Cave, high in the mountains - and that the goblins had taken his map as well. Their resolve set, the party agreed to escort Sildar to Phandalin and plan their next step: to recover the map, save Gundren and teach the Black Spider to mind his own business!
No comments:
Post a Comment