Druids and Dragons...

Gary Barlow is a level 3 Fighter / Battlemaster with the Trip Attack, Lunging Attack, and Precision Attack abilities. He is a godless former sea-dog.

Tommy Tippee became a level 3 Rogue / Thief who can use tools, open locks, and pick pockets as a 'cunning' (extra) action per turn. He likes shiny things and generally killing captured enemies.

They are in company with Janek Lightbringer, a priest of Lathander who is approximately level 5.

We left our heroes in the ruins of Thundertree. It took a while for them to recall exactly why they were there after their rest, however they eventually remembered that they sought Reidoth the Druid. The companions headed to one of the more intact looking farmhouses and found the door to be locked. Tommy uncharacteristically failed to pick it and so it was left to Gary Barlow to use his mighty strength to start pounding down the door.

Reidoth, inside, wasn't happy. A lesson was learnt, and from this point on the heroes tended to knock on doors.

A conversation with Reidoth revealed some of the local goings on; he had indeed adventures with Daren Edermath and Aldith Tresender back in the day. He may have slain a dragon. He happily revealed the location of Cragmaw Castle. He also told the party that a green dragon had moved into the old Tower in Thundertree. The dragon's real name was Veythixamonvu’unt but he was known by local peasants as 'Venomfang'. Reidoth told of cultists who he had seen entering the cellar of an abandoned farmhouse to the East and explained that he believed them to be from The Cult of the Dragon. The heroes made for this base and easily located the concealed trapdoor after asking Reidoth to accompany them.

They knocked, as was the new protocol, and were told to go away. They persisted and Tommy's keen senses heard a muffled muttering of 'Get rid of them!' Which they must have taken as a threat, because no sooner was the cultist out of the trapdoor they attacked, decaptating him. Tommy was slashed across the chest and used his wiles to disengage without provoking further attacks. After killing another cultist, their leader, Favric, came out with his hands above his head to parlay. He wasn't shy about telling the heroes of his assignment to coax Venomfang into the area with tribute however was keen to be allowed to leave with no harm done. The heroes disagreed and simply killed him. Tommy looted a potion of flying from his corpse, and the heroes found 3 diamonds in a coffer in the cellar; Gary took 2 and Tommy 1. Poor Janek seemed to be getting a raw deal.

A Dragon Cultist

Next, some debate. Gary suggested dressing as the cultists and approaching the dragon, but Reidoth cautioned that dragons are intelligent creatures and wouldn't be fooled by simple rouses. They also considered paying tribute, but that would involve giving up the diamonds and the emerald necklace and potentially whatever other treasure they had. They basically elected to just ignore the dragon, and after being warned about it's power by Reidoth and the Cultists, it was hard to argue with the logic. The heroes left Thundertree and left Reidoth to his Druidic pursuits. They decided to head to Wyvern Tor next.

Heading south through Neverwinter wood, they noticed the trail became quieter and Tommy picked up the scent of death drifting in from the East. They elected to follow and came across a small lake, with a wooden cabin and several dead deer dotted around. They did not investigate the dead animals but had they done so it would be clear that they had starved to death. Instead they knocked on the door of the cabin and after hearing a female voice ask for help, cautiously approached.

There they found the beautiful nymph Ellifae, pleading for help because her love Goran the woodcutter was asleep on the bed. Goran was in a deep sleep, emaciated and obviously near death. Ellifae disclosed that she had enchanted the lake with a sleep spell to effectively trap Goran who had resisted her charms, but due to her anguish the spell was so powerful that it had basically become permanent.

(This encounter was adapted from notoriously bad D&D module N2: The Forest Oracle. I actually quite like the concept so ran with it.)

Gary and Tommy woke Goran with the aid of Janek's ability to dispel magic. He was understandably angry at Ellifae for almost killing him. He said he could not love the nymph as he only loved his wife, who had perished in Thundertree, and he only wanted a quiet life in the woods. He asked the heroes to get rid of Ellifae, however being very upset at all this she began to make a rather low growling noise. Gary, anticipating the worst, ran her through with his sword in particularly grousome fashion (a critical hit) however, the nymph clung on and with her superior grace, still managed to win the initiative. She immediately unsupprressed her unearthly beauty, and all in the room failed their saves. Everyone, including Goran on the bed, was now blind. Ellifae used this opportunity to flee into the woods. The party didn't know it, but this potentially saved their lives as Ellifae's next move would have been to fully reveal her true form and potentially kill anyone having a look.

Luckily, Janek's favour with Lathander allowed him to restore everyone's sight after a good few hours were spent resting in the cabin. They left Goran some rations to help him recover and in gratitude he told Tommy the location of an enchanted short bow under his bed beneath the floor. This is a +1 short bow with a simple enchantment which allows one arrow per day to be lit up as if by a 'Light' spell (20ft). The bow has an elven rune emblazoned on it which none of the party can read. Goran warned the heroes that he had heard goblins talking of 'Man and half' which he assumed referred to Tommy and Gary, and bade them a safe journey.

Tommy considered pickpocketing the half-dead woodcutter, but was convinced otherwise by Gary; who I suppose is good after all.

They continued on to Wyvern Tor, to where they had promised to accompany Janek, and took a day longer to find the Orc encampment than expected. The encampment itself was inside a wide cave in a cliff side, guarded by a lone sentry outside who Tommy hit in the neck with his new bow. The wretch couldn't cry for help before Gary finished him with a javelin. Tommy cautiously peered into the cave and noticed a few Orcs appearing at rest. All out assault was the favoured method, however an Ogre from the back of the cave who had somehow gone unnoticed by Tommy came charging at Gary and clubbed him about the head a few times, requiring Janek to step in and heal. A group effort toppled the Ogre and a search of the cave yielded some coins and not much else; Janek still missed out on a share, but said nothing.

An 'orrid ogre

As they left the cave, the heroes found a flyer with a crude drawing of their faces on it. 'These ones' it said, and was stamped with the sigil of the Black Spider.

The session ended there, with Cragmaw Castle was the next destination, perhaps via Phandalin for the  Wyvern Tor reward.

The heroes will start next session at Level 4!

The Road to Thundertree

This time, the heroes advanced to Level 3. The session was a bit shorter than the others, with a lot less prep. I'm also going to link to certain 'game world' things in the forgotten realms Wiki.

Gary Barlow became a level 3 Fighter and chose to be a Battlemaster. He took the Trip Attack, Lunging Attack, and Precision Attack abilities.

Tommy Tippee became a level 3 Rogue with the Thief archetype. He can now use tools, open locks, and pick pockets as a 'cunning' (extra) action per turn.

Both are now 'Cloaks' of the Lord's Alliance, a title which they were awarded by Sildar, who has established himself as the effective sheriff of Phandalin. A brief guide to the most prominent factions can be viewed here.

This session, the adventurers were rudely awoken by Quelline Alderleaf. Everyone knows that the heroes slaughtered the Redbrands by now, and she wanted to know if her son Tobin was among the dead. Gary assured her that he wasn't, and she left in a huff.

The heroes spent some time selling their loot from the Redbrand hideout before visiting Daren Edermath, ex-adventurer again, to ask about Cragmaw Castle. Daren didn't know but suggested an old adventuring companion, Reidoth, a druid who now lives in Thundertree, might know. He also cautioned the adventurers about a Dragon that laired in the ruined town. Daren was pressed on his previous adventurers and revealed that Aldith Tresander was one of his former adventuring companions who retired to Tresander Manor on his earnings, and that the party's wizard, Janeth, had probably degenerated into the Nothic they encountered in the cellar. Daren gave the party more applies and they set off for Thundertree without much delay. They elected to go East then North, rather than back through Neverwinter, thinking the city might be too distracting.

Whilst on the road, Tommy picked up a trail and successfully determined it belonged to a male human possibly wearing heavy armour. They elected to catch up with the figure and found it to be;
Janek Lightbringer, priest of Lathander.

Janek explained that he had travelled from Neverwinter to pursue coin and glory for his temple, and had accepted a contract to investigate Orc sightings at Wyvern Tor from Hardin, the town spokesperson in Phandalin. He agreed to split the 100gp reward three ways and the heroes were happy for the company.

They travelled for some time, at one point finding a rock which appeared to have the face of a man. Very careful examination revealed it to be just a rock. Janek found it amusing that the heroes were so preoccupied, and this led to a brief discussion about the Gods. Janek was surprised to find that Gary declared himself to be one of the Faithless, who in Faerun are destined to become fused with a great wall which guards the City of Judgement in the afterlife. Each to their own.

The group passed through the ruined village of Conyberry, and found nothing of interest. They elected to go North to Thundertree and Janek agreed with this decision so long as they returned to Wyvern Tor later.

Beyond Thundertree, the heroes came across the lair of a Banshee, who demanded an offering of something beautiful as it was so long since she had been made a fuss of. Tommy and Gary briefly considered attacking before Janek advised caution, as the Banshee could potentially kill them with her scream. They thought better of it, and Gary offered up one of the Tresander signet rings. This was rejected as too crude given the human craftsmanship. Tommy succeeeded on his diplomacy check however and offered up the jade frog with gold eyes from the goblin caves, which the Banshee accepted and placed in her personal treasure chest. Being ancient, she offered the answer to one question. The heroes modestly asked how to defeat the dragon in Thundertree and she answered that not all dragons are so ancient, and younger ones could be driven away instead. Was this a missed opportunity to ask about Gundren, Cragmaw Castle, Wave Echo Cave, or the identity of the Black Spider? Maybe! But it was pragmatic.

An Ash Zombie

A twig blight

Tommy wisely decided not to raid the Banshee's chest and they continued North to Thundertree, where so far they have been attacked by Twig Blights who seriously injured Janek, and some Ash Zombies, who were tough but slow enough to hack to pieces methodically. Janek's spells have so far proved useful to the party. They also successfully recovered the necklace promised to them by Mirna after they rescued her.

...and we stopped there for a brief rest in the ruined Inn.



Mistakes;
-It was a massive mistake on my part to run a session with essentially no preparation. It bogged things down and I began to get some of my threads mixed up.
-Babysitting and DMing don't go hand in hand.

Future;
-I think now the party is starting to face more complex threats (multiple combatants, different size categories) it might work better if we track things using markers or tokens on a 1'x1' grid.

To Phandalin

This session, the characters both advanced to Level 2, and we learnt a bit of background about them.

Gary Barlow F2 - a former sailor who has a problem with foul language, finds it hard to stop drinking once he starts, and will never forget his first ship. He also sees himself as a predator with other ships on the sea as his prey.
Maybe he was in the Navy and took his job very seriously? Maybe he's not as Good as he makes out to be?

Tommy Tippee R2 - Tommy wants to become the greatest thief who ever lived. He is very greedy and slow to trust.
Tommy is appropriately still shrouded in some mystery. His alignment is Neutral.

How Tommy met Gary is still unknown.

So, neither are archetypal heroes but will be referred to as such.

Our heroes arrived in Phandalin, and deposit their cart full of goods at Barthen's Provisions. Barthen laments Gundren's disappearance. He tells Tommy and Gary about Gundren's brothers Nundro and Tharden who are out camping and expected to return any day now. After this exchange the pair made for the Stonewall Inn on Sildar Hallwinter's suggestion.

Slidar took a room and went to bed, intending to go to the town hall in the morning to enquire after Iarno Albrek, the Lords' Alliance's envoy to the area who he expects may know more about the situation with Gundren. Our heroes enjoyed the hospitality of the barmaid Elsa before retiring to their rooms in lieu of speaking to the locals at the bar.

During the night, Tommy tried to do Gary a favour and find him some shoes. He successfully sneaked past Elsa but didn't find any suitable footwear.

Replacing Gary's shoe being the main priority, the heroes headed to Barthen's again and Gary elects to buy the most fancy shoes he has in stock - Oxblood leather boots with silver eyelets. 3gp later and they are on Gary's feet. Tommy also asked about his glass cube, but Barthen was no expert, only suggesting that it might be something a wizard would use.

Asking around town, the heroes learn a few things about the Redbrands, a gang of thugs who have been causing problems for local trade and giving businesses a hard time. They also learn that their leader is a wizard called 'Glasstaff', and that the gang frequent the Sleeping Giant taphouse on the edge of town.

Speaking with farmer Quelline Alderleaf revealed that her son, Tobin, had left home to join the gang. Her other son, 10 year old Carp, said he wanted to join. Gary tried to intimidate the child into never thinking such a thing again and despite his noble intentions, he was so successful that he picked the halfling child up to eye level by the scruff of his neck and caused him to piss himself with fear. Quelline was not impressed and shut her door to the adventurers.

They also visited Daren Eldermath, the orchard keeper, who gave them free apples and some flagons of cider. He was happy to talk about the Rebrands and the trouble they have caused and informed them that he believed their main base was at Tresander Manor on the edge of town.

The heroes also spoke to Sildar again who offered them an official warrant to get rid of the Redbrands as they were the most immediate threat to order in the area. They also collected their reward for saving him from the Cragmaw goblins. In this process, they insulted Harbin, the official town spokesperson by ignoring him in his own town hall. Also interested in eliminating the Redbrands, their leader in particular, was Halia Thornton the head of the local Miner's Exchange.

Tommy and Gary headed for the Sleeping Giant and encountered Redbrand thug Everit Wendell outside. Admiring the 'balls' shown by the two in just walking straight up to the place, he escorted the two inside.

Gary attempted the bold tactic of using his Knowledge - History skill to speak with the Redbrands, perhaps in an attempt to enthral them into not fighting, but it was no good. A rapid exchange ensued in which two Redbrands were quickly dispatched, Tobin Alderleaf was told to run away, Everit lay bleeding to death on the floor. Tommy and Gary dragged Everit outside, and tied him up before giving him one of their healing potions. He woke up angry, and called the heroes bluff to kill him in front of several witnesses. They agreed to let him live in exchange for information and he told them that the password to go through the Tresander crypt was 'Netheril'. Instead of being killed, he was punched unconscious as the heroes donned looted red cloaks and went to the manor.

After a brief search of the ruined manor, Tommy found a secret passage to the basement which led to a room with a cistern. He silently killed two guards inside, who were still asleep on account that the heroes had not been particularly noisy.

The pair neglected to search the cistern and continued into the corridor to the crypt. They failed to spot a pit-trap, and Gary fell but managed to haul himself up into the corridor. Tommy managed to skirt around the edge. The doors to the crypt contained an interesting relief, however Tommy was so preoccupied with searching for traps that Gary did not see whether the motif had any historical significance.

Both entered the crypt and saw three skeletons draped over sarcophagi.

The heroes didn't know it, but the fact they were wearing their red cloaks prevented the bones from reanimating for a tough fight which would have alerted Redbrands in adjacent rooms. The only other way to deactivate them was to speak the password 'Illefarn'. 'Netheril' was a decoy password. It seems that Aldith Tresander, owner of the house, had a preoccupation with Illefarn, an ancient elven empire. Further searches of the mansion above would have revealed this to the heroes but they made a beeline for the hideout instead, and reliefs on the doors and walls of the crypt also referenced this, however it was thankfully moot.

Defiling the sarcophagi revealed the bones of a family and a platinum signet ring on each. Tommy took one, and Gary two.

The pair moved on to some cells where a pair of Redbrands were tormenting two prisoners; Thel Dendrar the Woodcarver's wife and family. The Redbrands were killed the prisoners freed. Mirna, Thel's wife, told the heroes the location of an emerald necklace in her family's abandoned shop in the ruined village of Thundertree.

Gary and Tommy both took a crossbow each from the Redbrand armoury before moving through a secret door, found by Tommy, leading into a large cavern with a 30ft chasm running through it, crossed by a bridge to the North and South. The heroes took the North bridge when a voice began to speak telepathically to Tommy. Undeterred, the thief lowered himself down on a rope tied to Gary, to explore the bottom of the chasm. There was a corpse down here (unbenknown to the heroes, it was Thel the Woodcarver, who had been gifted to the beast to secure a truce) and also an unlocked chest. Tommy opened the chest and stuffed his pockets with treasure, and took a fine sword called 'Talon' in a silver-detailed scabbard which Gary recognised as belonging to famous adventurer Aldith Tresender.

Tommy ignored the voice in his head and was assaulted by the creature responsible, who clawed at him in the back. He was rapidly hoisted back to the bridge by Gary, who got in front of him and took some serious damage from the rotting gaze of the creature which he recognised as a Nothic - a beast created when a wizard pursues dangerous eldritch secrets beyond it's ken. The Nothic also has the ability to peer into a person's mind and learn a secret about them. It learnt that Tommy once did something terrible on a burglary job, and that Gary has a drinking problem.

The Nothic was slain, but not without Gary's fantastic boots becoming slightly stained, and the heroes continued throughout the hideout. They interrupted some thugs playing a game of dice, and Gary managed to win some of their money before the heroes both charged in and killed them anyway. They continued through the dungeon to an alchemical laboratory, where they pocketed a Dwarven journal which they couldn't read, and learnt potions of invisibility were being brewed here.

Tommy also succeeded at capturing a rat; he pocketed the rodent rather than killing it. This, unfortunately, was a mistake. The rat was Glasstaff's familiar, and this alerted the wizard to the fact that something was amiss. He was only in the adjacent room but managed to escape before the heroes burst in. They searched the room and found a note from the Black Spider confirming that the missing wizard Iarno and Glasstaff were one and the same. They obtained some more treasures and some alchemical reagents from the room before trying to find Iarno, but to no avail. They finally searched the cistern and discovered the empty waterproof satchel inside which would have contained Iarno's 'getaway' kit should he be discovered. The only remaining room was guarded by two bugbears tormenting a lone goblin, who the heroes interrogated then let go. This goblin informed them about Iarno's familiar and Tommy unceremoniously killed it as a result. Gary looted a bejewelled eyepatch from one of the bugbears.

They then returned left the manor by way of a passage into the woods ouside Phandalin, and headed back to see Sildar, who offered the heroes positions in the Lord's Alliance. Gary was keen, Tommy more reluctant, but in any case they are now local heroes and recognisable in Phandalin. Barthen is happy to give them discount on their next purchases. Halia is non too happy that Glasstaff isn't confirmed dead, as that's what she actually wanted. The heroes retired to Stonehill Inn for the night, deliberately ignoring Elsa.

Gains;
-Gary now has a +1 longsword 'Talon' and some distinctive boots. Tommy has a lot of coin and gems.
-They are both recognised in Phandalin and on the whole the population appreciate the destruction oft he Redbrands.
-The heroes gleaned some information about the band of adventurers connected to the area - one of whom was Deren, and one of whom was Aldith Tresander.
-They also learnt that Iarno was in the employ of the Black Spider.

Mistakes;
-Rules-wise, I think we did ok.
-Hindsight is a wonderful thing in D&D but there is no real 'wrong' way to do things, it just makes for different results.

Link;
Player's Basic Rules
Player's 5th Edition Rules. I linked to the DM's last time in error.

In the beginning...

Two characters were created;

Gary Barlow - a human fighter, former soldier, Chaotic Good alignment. Equipped with chainmail and wielded a pike for most of this adventure.

Tommy Tippee - a halfling rogue, Neutral alignment. Wears a suit of leather armour and uses a short bow and short sword.

The adventurers were both summoned to Neverwinter by their contact, Gundram Rockshaft.
The heroes form a mysterious duo, with little known other than their names. It is unknown how they know Gundram, or whether they met him as a business contact, but nethertheless they agree to take on a simple task of escorting a wagon full of mining supplies to the town of Phandalin on the promise of 10gp payment apiece when they deliver the wagon safety to Barthen's Provisions. Gundram himself sets off immediately on horseback, escorted by a warrior named Sildar Hallwinter.

The heroes take the wagon, driven by Gary on account of his proficiency with land vehicles, south along the road from Neverwinter to Phandalin. The journey is uneventful until they steer east, and on a narrow part of the path flanked by thick forest the wagon is forced to stop on account of two dead horses blocking the road.

Gary dismounts the wagon and Tommy scouts ahead and notices that something is amiss - two goblins lurking in the thickets, short bows in hand, waiting for the heroes to get closer. Tommy looses a single arrow which strikes one of the goblins in the stomach, sending it screeching in agony along a trail to the north. Gary quickly subdues the other goblin and another arrow from Tommy finishes off the straggler.

The heroes notice that the horses have been killed by arrows, presumably from the goblins, and that the saddlebags and a leather map case have been completely looted. They don't make the connection that these are the horses belonging to Gundarm and Sildar, however.

After attempts to drag the horses out of the road using the cart and ropes from the mining supplies ends in disaster when the ropes break and become unusable, the heroes head north along the goblin's trail. Tommy scouts ahead and notices crude traps along the trail. The pair head past a snare and Gary disarms a pit-trap by throwing a long into it first.

A 5 mile walk brings the heroes to the entrance of a cave. They walk across the stream which flows from the mouth of the cave, and the splashing sound alerts two goblin sentries who set upon them with bows. Fortunately, one goblin is quickly killed and his companion, arm almost severed by Gary, throws down his weapons and surrenders. The adventurers interrogate the goblin about the cave, and he indicates there are approximately 6-7 of his kin inside along with their leader, Klarg. They ask the goblin to empty his pockets and Tommy takes a small glass cube; they elect to leave some 'questionable jerky' on their prisoner. Without asking any further relevant questions they let the goblin loose before realising he is heading directly south where the wagon is tethered - Gary easily captures the goblin and elects to send him in a different direction despite Tommy suggesting they should just kill him. He heads off to the East through the dense foliage.

Gary and Tommy enter the cave into a passage which branches to the East into a dank caves, where they find two angry wolves tethered to the floor. The wolves are shot with arrows successfully by Tommy, and less-so by Gary who's lack of dexterity causes him to fumble with a looted goblin short bow. One manages to break free and bite Tommy, before being piked to death by Gary.

The two make a horrendous show of trying to strip the carcasses for their pelts, and they leave the cave by a narrow 30ft shaft to the East. Tommy easily scales the shaft with his acrobatic ability, and Gary follows close with raw athleticism. They scout the area and see a bugbear, Klarg, distracted by a cooking fire in the centre of the cave. Tommy successfully sneaks towards a stack of crates and sacks in the South-Eastern side of the cave, bearing the mark of the Lionshield Cloister, a trading consortium, and finds an unlocked treasure chest containing some healing potions, money, and a small jade frog figurine with golden eyes.

Tommy shoots an arrow towards Klarg which misses completely, alerting him to his presence. Klarg rushes over but in his rage misses with his giant morning star and smashes some of the crates as he tries to crush the halfling. As this unfolds, Gary rushes at the mangy wolf and begins a clumsy battle, missing with his first swing. The wolf retaliates with a critical hit and rips off one of Gary's boots, leaving him with an unshod foot. Klarg continues to swing clumsily as Tommy lands a devastating blow in his side, causing the bugbear to go down. Tommy takes his morning star as Gary finishes off the wolf by piking it through the head and kicking the body cleanly away. Gary manages to successfully skin the wolf and gains a mangy pelt.

The pair continue North, having now gained the drop on the rest of the goblins in the cave. Two goblins in the next cavern are rapidly killed and another, seeing the spectacle, throws his hands in the air and begs for mercy. They interrogate the goblin and learn the layout of the rest of the cave and that there is a prisoner to the West. The goblin initially lies to the heroes about the layout of the caverns and is clumsily beheaded by Tommy in a horrific display.

Gary charges over to a rope bridge where a lone goblin sentry awaits, watching the stream leading to the main cavern entrance 30ft below. In his enthusiasm and perhaps due to his unshod foot, Gary critically misses with a swing of his pike and severs one of the ropes, causing the bridge to collapse. The goblin is caught unawares and falls head-first onto the rocks below, killing him instantly. Gary manages to hold on using his dexterity and using his athletic skill manages to manoeuvre back on to solid ground.

The pair head towards the eating-cave and negotiate some fragile natural stone stairs. Three goblins in the eating cave are distracted by food preparation, while a larger leader stands above on a low plateau. Tommy uses his bow to sneak attack the leader and lands an arrow squarely in the leader's abdomen, however the slightly better quality of it's armour prevents it from going down. The leader runs into the Eastern corner of the cave whilst the other three, to their demise, rush the heroes and are quickly killed.

The adventurers pursue the leader and find him stood against a prisoner, a near-naked human male who has obviously undergone some torments. They recognise him as Sildar Hallwinter, and the goblin screeches for a truce. The goblin leader introduces himself as Yeemik, and demands that the heroes kill Klarg so he can become leader of the tribe again. Yeemik is rather stupid and doesn't realise that his clan is all but destroyed. The heroes show Klarg's morningstar to the goblin who then demands they heal his wounds. They reluctantly toss him one of their healing potions, which Yeemik quaffs before trying to slink off. Deciding Yeemik should die anyway, Tommy quickly looses and arrow in his direction. The aim is poor, and the arrow clatters off the side of the cave, enraging Yeemik who in his final act, sprints towards Sildar and stabs him in the stomach with his dagger before being killed himself.

The heroes revive Sildar with a healing potion and he is thankful for being rescued. He promises 50p for safe escort back to Phandalin, which is immediately renegotiated as 60gp due to him lacking any upfront payment. The three head out of the cavern and back towards their wagon, as Sildar explains how Gundram and his two brothers have apparently found the location of 'Wave Echo Cave', site of the 'Phandelver Pact' between gnomes, dwarves and humans which granted all access to a mine of great treasures both mundane and magical which is now long-lost. Slidar also explains how he is aware that Gundram, along with his map to the cave, has been taken to the Chief of the Cragmaws at Cragmaw Castle and that this was on the orders of someone called the 'Black Spider'. Slidar doesn't know who or what the Black Spider is, or the location of Cragmaw Castle.

En-route, the group find the corpse of the goblin sentry they set free; apparently ravaged by wolves for the questionable jerky in his pocket.

With Sildar's help, the heroes manage to move the horses and the trail to Phandalin is clear.

Things we did Wrong
-Gary was using a pike, which is a two-handed weapon. We forgot to subtract his shield's bonus from his Armour Class.
-Tommy's sneak attack only applies when he is attacking an enemy against whom he has advantage or against whom he is adjacent AND is currently engaged fighting someone else.
-The characters now have 350XP (not 275 as I thought). This is enough to immediately advance to level 2.

Links
D&D Basic Rules PDF