Phandelver-Fox Campaign History

"My friends, I have been studying some of the items we have encountered on our recent delves, and giving them deep consideration." The paladin has some cloak clasps of illithid manufacture laid before him on the table — the ones you found on a dead drow in one of your forays beyond Shallowtown.

He doesn't handle them, but instead manipulates them with a table fork. "I had a couple of experts at the Seekers chapterhouse in Helix examine these, and they believe the clasps permit some form of long-range communication between those who wear them."

"I wouldn't touch them, were I you," he cautions. "They carry an evil taint. The Seekers found no obvious curse, but such a bane can be hidden oft times." The paladin clears his throat, twitches his whiskers in thought. "Then there are these fishy-smelling purplish potions." He guestures to four vials on the table. "The Seekers identified them as carrying a domination effect, a dweomer that saps the imbiber's willpower, making the drinker pliable, easily suggestable. Clearly, there could be no wholesome purpose for such a concoction."

The mousefolk paladin unrolls the scroll that the Phandalin Four found on the same corpse that was carrying the potions and the cloak clasps. He reads aloud from the scroll: "Use the purple potions to keep the captives docile. And increase the Takings if at all possible. We need a lot more fuel. Continue to source captives from Helix, Phandalin, Slaytonthorpe, Threshhold, and Eastdale. Also, see if they can make the next batch of potions smell and taste better."

Whiteheart allows the scroll to curl up again as he drops it onto the tabletop. "So, we have people getting kidnapped from all the local villages and towns surrounding your farm. And we have all this evidence," — he gestures to the scroll, cloak clasps, and potions — "showing that we're on the trail of whoever is responsible."

"I am ordered my my superior, Prelate Mordicar Justhand, to launch a full-blown investigtion. I am authorized to hire help. It will be very dangerous. Death is possible, perhaps even likely.

I am able to offer five royals daily, backed by the full faith of the Church of Saint Ygg, all material expenses paid, and a five-hundred royal sign-on bonus per individual. Do you know anyone who might be interested?"

***

The party also has a +2 suit of drow leather armor that they might fetch as much as 5,500 royals for, if they took the trouble to find a buyer in Threshold or Sizemordicus.

Six months have gone by since last we followed the daring escapades of our heroes, and my how your dragons have grown! From the size of kittens, they have grown to the size of ponies. The Phandalin Three left five days ago to delve into the Barrowmaze. They have not been heard from since then, and the plan was to return to Helix no later than the fourth day.

Whiteheart and Thraxis are beginning to become alarmed, and have discussed seeking Aury and Mattie's help in searching for the Phandalin Three.

Luckily, the dragons Saphira, Vrakthis, and Xaiko have a magical connection to the Phandalin Three and are able to track them. The three young drakes, still learning the Common speech but already fluent in Draconic, have been discussing among themselves leaving the farm on a quest to find and rescue their owners.

In the last twenty-four hours, with the magical aid of the Seekers Brotherhood and Feyre's crystal ball, our three adolescent dragons have discovered that the Phandalin Three have been captured by Chargammon, a powerful black dragon who lives in a great cavern beneath the Barrowmaze.

The trio of young red drakes tracks their captured owners to the lair of the black dragon Chargammon in the Barrowmoor. Although they do not defeat the dragon, they manage to rescue Lanky, Feyre, and Celaena. Returning home to the farm, the drakes maintain their humanoid shapes. Saphira takes the alias Sapphire; Vrakthis takes Levina; Xaiko takes Xavier.

When last we left our intrepid heroes of Phandalin, they were investigating how the adult red dragon recently found them as they were on their way to the city of Threshold. Was it magically tracking them? Did someone betray them to the dragon — Thraxis, perhaps?

Whiteheart had carefully watched the Seeker, Thraxis Corvale, as Lanky questioned him. The paladin indicated to his fellow heroes that the dragonborn was being truthful. How then, did the dragon find you? You have now returned to your farm, and a couple of days have gone by when Thraxis arrives for a visit and to check in your young dragons.

"Hey," Thraxis says, "I believe I now know how the red dragon found you recently. I have researched this with another specialist among my brethren at the Seekers' Chapterhouse.

We have discovered that a local Cult of the Dragon had been courting that particular dragon. I brought in our wizard, Magen Eisenthrast, and he was able to determine that this local band of cultists have been scrying you four! Have you had a recent run-in with dragon-cult members?"

Thraxis takes a deep breath, preparing to share more information that has come to light. "I've discovered a connection between these local dragon cultists and the bloody Drow!"

Thraxis sighs, hangs his head, then looks up grimly. "So ... we reached out and worked with the Order of the Gauntlet and the Argent Twilight, pooling our knowledge and resources.

What we have is a conspiracy between one or more evil Underdark races and — on the Surface — these scum dragon cultists and some giants.

We Seekers feel strongly that what happened to you, both as your journeyed to Threshold and earlier, when you dealt with the green dragon north of Phandalin, is one of a network of connected events occurring over the region. We even have some indicators that the cultists have been making trips to the Barrowmaze..."

Whiteheart speaks up. "You're telling us that there is a large-scale collaboration among evil forces both on the Surface and in the Underdark..." He shakes his head almost in disbelief. "I wonder if this has anything to do with the recent kidnappings." He turns to Feyre, Celaena, and Lanky. "Should we show Thraxis the potions and brooches we found on the corpse in the cave-fisher cavern?"

As your ninth tabletop play session begins, it is three days following the attack by the red dragon as your were journeying toward the big city of Threshold.

Sadly, after hours of labor harvesting valuables from the defeated red dragon, you found the acid-eaten, stomach-churned form of Chucky. The doll has thus far been unresponsive, despite Whiteheart using his Lay On Hands ability.

The scales you laboriously harvested from the dragon's corpse are loaded into your wagon. Lanky estimates they'll bring between twenty- and twenty-five thousand chroma if you can find the right buyer in Threshold — perhaps a wizard or alchemist.

Feyre has been able to obtain a dozen vials of the dragon's blood, a substance she can put to many uses, not least of which is the further enchanting of your magic items. Already, using the complementary laboratory adjoining the inn where you are staying — the Brooknash Coster Inn — the elven enchantress has used breathily recited elven words in combination with rare silver-dust, phlogiston, residuum, and the last of the hydra blood to strengthen the enchantment upon Celaena's two-handed sword.

But the elven enchantress has not neglected her own equipment, and her fine shirt of mithril is now magically enhanced, fitting her even better and conferring an armor class that would make most other arcanists green with envy.

Feyre has also modified her copper wand so that she has the option to expend two charges simultaneously, doubling the wand's damage potential. However, this is not without risk, as doing so yields a one in six chance that the wand explodes into a fireball.

Celaena has gained insight into a powerful Heroic Deed known as Stinging Second Attack, an ability that makes her considerably more dangerous as a warrior. Her Blitz and Brace abilities give her added flexibility, both offensively and defensively.

Lanky has gained more levels as a Dungeoneer. His Steely Gaze ability promises to turn the tide of future battles, and he has developed almost superhuman ambush powers, as reflected by his Improved Ambuscade heroic deed. His Flanking Strike ability promises to dish out improved combat damage, and bigger wounds when he Circles and Backstabs.

You have sold the elven rapier to a collector Feyre knows through her Argent Twilight contacts, an affiliation that nets the elf a 1,000 GP personal bonus as a token of thanks from that organization.

The party has leveled up, twice, from level 5, to 6, and then to 7. Your character sheets have been updated. Your Dungeon Master has texted you the link to your online character sheets, so that you can easily click links to look up spells or heroic abilities.

You are in the largest population center in this part of the world — Threshold, a city of 25,000 souls. As our play session begins, the four of you are breakfasting at the Brooknash Coster Inn. Whiteheart is much saddened by the death of Chucky, but that is the risk you run when you lead the life of an adventuring hero.

The Phandalin Four prepare to go deeper and harder into the Underdark. Read the following to the PCs...

You sit on the porch of your cozy farmstead two-story house on the western outskirts of Phandalin, sipping hot cocoa as you visit with Breanna Badmouth and Thraxis Corvale. You're enjoying this mild afternoon as it fades into evening. The thicker than normal corn husks in the planted fields of your farm tell you that winter is coming. So do the sightings of ants marching in a straight line. Even back in the early Fall, the many heavy fogs presaged a harsh winter.

Today marks the seventh day since the dragons hatched. Saphira, Vrakthis, and Xaiko the Destroyer of Life are carefully penned up in the barn loft, where Breanna and Thraxis have installed thick metal sheeting to protect the beams and boards from young drakes' nascent fiery breath.

If that weren't enough, Topsy has finally completed birthing her litter. This happened in three strained periods of pushing over a six hour span five days ago. So, you have three seven-day old dragons and half a dozen five-day old lizards. Thraxis assures you that you'll want to sell off most (if not all) of the baby lizards before the drakes get big enough to hunt their own food.

Your recent trip to Shallowtown resulted in your personal enrichment, in the form of gold, magic items, or both. Feyre ascquired five new spells: lightning bolt, hold portal, knock, fireball and zone of glacial cold. Feyre can now cast two 1st level spells daily, two 2nd level spells, and a single 3rd level spell — and that's before dipping into her Risk Dice pool for extra castings.

Celaena is kitted out with a massive, magical two-handed sword that hangs in a scabbard across her back, while at her hips are a matched pair of obsidian spider-bane short swords. A magical knife is sheathed in a custom leather holster alongside the inner side of her left boot. In her backpack, Celaena has a large pouch of white fungus which she'll use to coax future favors from her sahuagin friend at Lake Sammeister.

Lanky is resplendent in blue dragonscale armor, with a magical buckler on his left forearm and the cape of the mountebank on his back. Tied to his belt are a pair of small sacks containing firestones, and a Belt of Toughness adorns his waist. Carefully kept in a belt pouch is a Death Hex, handy but also morally questionable.

In this game session, the PCs routed a group of cultists north of Phandalin. They found the cultists in the hills, at a ruins that once held a Narfellian outpost. The party discovered that these were Cult of the Dragon cultists. They slew four cultists, believing that two were absent from the area. And, the PCs were attacked by and slew a young green dragon.

Apparently, the cultists had been courting an alliance with this green dragon, possibly bringing it sacrifices of bodies and magic items, as well as treasure. If so, the PCs did not find this — except for a chest buried in the garden found to contain bars of silver totaling more than 400 GP value. In an amphitheater shaped cavern, which seemed to have been the green dragon's lair, an elven life vine sprang forth before their very eyes, growing to cover the cave's wall and roof. Feyre believed this to have happened in response to the powerfully enchanted elven rapier she took from the cultists' belongings.

The Phandalin Four elected to make the roughly sixty-five miles northeastward to the city of Threshold. While very exposed on this overland journey, the party is found by the mother of the three dragons whose eggs they had stolen days earlier.

How this adult red dragon found them is unknown. The dragon gave the PCs two choices: lead her to the eggs, or die. In tense dialogue that followed, the dragon unwisely vowed not to use its breath weapon, should combat erupt. Lanky had cleverly played upon the dragon's hubris to achieve this concession. In the ensuing battle, Chucky the Warlock is swallowed whole by the dragon. The PCs eventually emerged victorious, after dealing 275 HP of damage.

Finally reaching their destination of Threshold, Feyre managed to locate a collector of elven artifacts in the employ of the Argent Twilight and sold the rapier for a sum of 46,000 GP. The party converted the spent treasure into XP, bumping each of them to Level 7.

In their seventh table-top game session, the Phandlin Three — technically now the Phandalin Four, as Whiteheart Stiffwhiskers is now joining them in their exploits — traveled from Phandalin, heading south to Kirkilston, where Celaena revealed to her companions the underwater entrance to tunnels leading to Shallowtown.

In the process of traveling to Shallowtown, the party was attacked by a roper, and Celaena was freed only seconds before it would have drawn her into its hideous maw.

In the Upperdark trade-meet cavern, Celaena was able to purchase a mate to her obsidian short-sword, and the matched set gained the quality Spider-Bane (+1d6 damage to spiders and spider-adjacent monsters).

Feyre enriched herself by several hundred royals, and Lanky purchased a Death Hex Voodoo doll, two bags of firestones, and a suit of magical leather armor covered in blue dragon scales and providing both a +1 enhancement bonus to Armor Class and Lightning Resistance 10.

The party members attained Level 05. Celaena's hit points increased from a max of 30 to a maximum of 36. Feyre's HP increased from 23 to 27. Lanky's HP increased from 22 to 29 (gained 2 from taking a level in Dungeoneer, and raised Con to 13/15, giving another 5 from Con bonus).

Having already become dragonparents before heading for Shallowtown, upon their return the Phandalin Four discovered that Topsy had given birth to a total of seven baby lizards — that would grow up to be six hundred pound cave lizards. The expense of keeping them all fed has not yet made itself felt.

In their sixth table-top game session, the Phandlin Three traveled from Helix back to their farm, located an hour's cart-ride west of Phandalin.

Along the way, they were accosted by a nine-foot tall mutant who was very likely the offspring of an ogress and a hill giant. Defeating the giant and its two orc cronies, they loaded the giant's hundred pound sword into their wagon, hoping to sell it as a curiosity, wall adornment, or over-the-mantle showpiece.

They also recovered one hundred platinum coins from a pouch the giant carried, dividing it into 33-coin allotments among the Phandalin Three and giving Whiteheart Stiffwhiskers a single platinum piece despite his demuring demeanor.

They found it surprising that a giant, a creature surely not in regular commerce with people, would have so much coinage. What's more, in a scroll tube the giant carried a letter stating that the Scroll of Riddles must be found and recovered at any cost. But how would anyone know that they had recovered such a scroll? They'd only done so days ago, in the Barrow Bog, and had told no one.

In addition to the letter contained in the mutant giant's scroll case, there was a treasure map indicating a cave not far from the previously abandoned mine north of Phandalin. They traveled there and noticed on the way there that a group of dwarves had taken possession of the mine. The PCs learned that Clan Battleaxe had claimed the mine — or reclaimed. They stated it was theirs of old.

The party traveled onward to the cave indicated on their treasure map. Digging through a pile of rubble at the back of the cave, they found a humanoid skeleton. Beyond it, a secret door led to deeper tunnels and a throne room. The PCs could only surmise that it might be connected to the mine. After Lanky and Feyre used their skills to open a hidden passage, at the end of which they found and took three red dragon eggs that had been protected by the convincing illusion of an adult dragon.

The Phandlin Three sought advice at the chapterhouse of the Seekers in Helix, and wound up employing Thraxis Corvale, a Seeker who is one-quarter dragonborn, a fact he has kept hidden generally, given the fact that there are those who bear enmity to dragonkind and dragon-adjacent races. Matthias d'Slaytonthorpe knows Thraxis' secret, as do now the Phandalin Three.

The PCs went delving beneath the burnt ruins of Tresendar Manor in Phandalin, discovering a small group of drow in a sublevel that has a connection to the Shallows of the Underdark. There, they confronted Nezznar, who had already killed a couple of kidnapped villagers in the process of some sort of evil ritual that involved four other drow chanting while in a semi-trance state.

The heroes slew the drow chanters and a pair of giant spiders, but Nezznar escaped, after shattering a glass staff that released flame and thick smoke.

Lanky recovered a 3-headed snake whip from a rather weak drow priestess, survived being bitten in the process, and sealed it in a ceramic jug that also contained an ever-burning torch. He named the whip Regina.

In the party discussion following, it became clear that Celaena — in connection with her Trait Arms Merchant +1 — has a history of selling arms to subterranean races in exchange for life-saving medication only available to those able to procure a rare Underdark fungus and correctly process it.

The party returned to Helix, meeting with Whiteheart and Chucky. The paladin offered his services, should the PCs plan to delve into the Shallows in search of Nezznar. Chucky, unfortunately, isn't available due to a warlock convention he's planning on attending.

Synopsis: Having traveled to Helix in the company of the paladin Whiteheart and his sidekick, the Geppettin warlock Chucky, the PCs answered a call for aid by the villagers and tracked down and slew a juvenile three-headed hydra in the marsh. All this while Whiteheart and Chucky provisioned themselves and sought counsel with the Seekers in Helix.

In the marsh, the PCs allied with six braze lizardfolk — one of them a shaman — who were on their way to attempt to slay the same juvenile hydra, a monster they feared was responsible for multiple missing lizardfolk children. Lanky was able to overcome the lizardfolk's initial hostile attitude by using his considerable charm and offering to ally with those swamp natives to destroy the hydra.

This gaming session, Feyre's player learned that the mage has magic resistance of 10% — which increased to 15% when Feyre leveled up and took Enchanter 1. Going from overall level 3 to 4, Feyre's hit points improved from 16 to 19. She obtained a mithril chain shirt from Breldik Blackbeard before leaving Phandalin. Once per day, Feyre may now imbue one weapon or piece of armor with a +1 bonus — above and beyond any usual bonuses possessed by the item. This additional +1 bonus lasts for one full minute (i.e., ten combat rounds).

Celaena received a rare boon from her contact in the Order of the Gauntlet — a small, thimble-sized via of residuum. Coating her two-handed sword with this magical substance, she left the blade embedded in the slain juvenile hydra overnight, taking advantage of an old Chaulrassan ritual to forge her blade into a +1 magical weapon.

Feyre learned that the Argent Twilight had paid Breldik a visit and paid for him to fashion Feyre a wand from the red cuprous ore she'd supplied. Feyre was able to begin charging up this item so that she can use it to cast Burning Hands.

Lanky learned that because of the aid he and his companions rendered to the lizardfolk of the marsh, in the form of assisting them in killing the adolescent hydra, they bestowed the title Zekiran'hru on the PCs — Mire Friends.

On the following day, the party traveled with Whiteheart and Chucky to the Barrowmaze. There, they break into a tomb afer Chucky uses his magic to dissolve the four-foot diameter stone plug that camps the tomb. They destroy skeletons and find a last chamber with an altar to Set that is flanked by two everburning torches. They take the torches and a magical shield, which Lanky now wears as a buckler.

Lanky also learned in session #4 that the belt dagger isn't an intelligent weapon; rather, it holds the soul of someone calling himself Zorn Neversettle.

Synopsis: Players were Susan, Grant, and Lauren. They played pregenerated characters Feyre Archeron (Elf MU), Lancaster Fox (Halfling THF), and Celaena Sardothien (Human FGT). These characters have been converted from 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons to the Scarlet Horizons gaming system.

The Dungeon Master taught players the meaning of THAC0 and how to use it when given a foe's Armor Class rating. In session two, the party burned down Tresendar Manor and caused a cave-in at another entrance to subterranean tunnels used by the Redbrands. Believing the bandits trapped and thus defeated, the PCs retired for the evening to the farm they'd purchased from Breanna Badmouth.

Accompanying them to Helix, they jointly staved off the attack of a bulette. Arriving in Helix, they were introduced to Auriochos d'Rosenberg and Matthias d'Slaytonthorpe, members of the Seekers. They were treated to a visit to the Chapterhouse and some of it's incredible museum pieces. Their plan was to spend the night in Helix, then journey to the Barrowmaze the following morning.

Synopsis: Players were Susan, Grant, Lauren, and Christian. They played pregenerated characters Feyre Archeron (Elf MU), Lancaster Fox (Halfling THF), Celaena Sardothien (Human FGT), and a (Hill Dwarf CLE) — no name on the character sheet.

The player-characters (minus the dwarf) were ambushed by six goblins as they were headed from Phandelver to the village of Helix. They made short work of the goblins, discovering a scroll on one of the dead goblins with a letter signed "G" that instructed the goblins to bring prisoners to Cragmaw, a location unknown to the PCs.

Upon reaching Helix, the party obtained healing at the temple of Oghma, purchased some much needed healing potions, and gathered information at the local tavern. The cleric at the local temple seems to have taken a shine to Feyre.

They solicited the help of a dwarven cleric, who led them north out of town, to an old abandoned mine. There, they discovered goblins and orcs apparently in collusion of some sort in service to the mysterious G. Could this be the same G. who signed the letter they had found in a scroll tube on one of the goblins after defeating the ambush earlier in the day?

The party found an underground lake but believed they'd been detected by orcs and goblins there — races that don't typically cooperate with one another. Backtracking, they took a side passage down which they'd earllier seen a lone pack lizard descend. Coming out into a cavern, they discovered mine carts with various valuables. One held coal, another mithril, and another silver.

The party hid when they heard voices approaching. A group of nine goblins and three giant pack lizards made camp and the goblins began cooking. Lancaster, the halfling thief, failed a move silently check and the party went ahead and surprise attacked, slaying all the goblins. One of the pack lizards fled, but the party members managed to exit the mines with the two pack lizards packing a considerable amount of silver, mithril ores, and red cuprous.

The next session should pick up with the party exiting the mine at about one hour until sundown.

Phandelver-Fox Campaign

History

(36.0 cumulative live play hours across 12 play sessions)