Thought I’d start talking about the D&D sessions that I’ve been taking part in. It also explains why I have posted more than usual about MtG. This post took a while to write.
Our group of noobs to D&D, returning after a long break players, and experienced D&D players has been meeting since the Summer. My notes have the date of the first session being 10th July. Because of this mix with the majority being in the new and returning camp, we have gone with the the adventure the Lost Mine of Phandelver from the D&D Starter Set as our first campaign but using our own characters not the supplied ones. Oh and yes it is D&D 5th Edition that we are using.
I’ve not been recording the D&D plays in the game plays tracking app I use. Which I may change. Luckily I have the dates noted in my notebook that I use. But I’m still unsure about whether I should be tracking the sessions within the app.
Our party of adventurers is made up of Grull a really tall brutish violent chap (William), Ace “thinks he’s stealthy” (Justin), a gnome paladin (Jacob), Sarmyar the elf (Jess), Nick Smith a clumsy druid (Nathanial) and Dram a halfling wizard (myself). Overseeing this motley crew, and acting as the voice of a higher power is our DM Edmund.
The Story So Far…
Our story started in the sprawling metropolis Neverwinter, where our rag tag group of adventurers first meet, and get hired to escort a wagon to Phandalin by a dwarf called Gundren. On the way we get jumped by some goblins in the woods. After successfully fending them off (read kill and forcibly interrogate a survivor) we head off into the woods along a trail that leads us to the hideout of the goblin attackers.
We end up killing a couple of goblin guards, before entering the hideout through what can best be described as a wolf kennel. Being the animal lovers that we were, the wolves were freed from captivity.
After feeling good about our humane deed of the day, we ended up in a cave room with surprise surprise goblins in. During the combat our Druid managed to knock Dram unconscious while trying to kick a dead corpse! Yeah I know what you are thinking why the heck would he do that? We still don’t know to this day. To ease his guilt the Druid gave Dram 5 gold coins. Which mysteriously disappeared, sorry correction, let’s use the correct terminology here, a thievin’ git stole while we rested up after the battle. However I’m rushing ahead of myself here. Having defeated the goblins, looted their bodies, we had found and freed Gundren’s hired muscle Sildar.
With Sildar providing extra muscle we work our way through the caves taking by surprise (I think) 3 goblins. We then surprisingly for us also launch a second surprise attack on the goblin leader Klarg the bugbear, his pet wolf and a couple of goblins. It was in this battle that Dram used his magic missile for the first time. Somehow no matter which way I read that it doesn’t stop sounding filthy to me.
After the now usual looting of anything that can’t fend off the probing hands of our band of adventurers, we made our way to Phandalin. Before we could get out of the woods those ungrateful wolves attacked us, forcing us to forget that we were founding members of the Forgotten Realms PETA.
Naturally after all this fighting we were cream crackered, and needed a rest. During our sleep I don’t know what we had all been eating and drinking, but we all woke up somehow feeling different, more powerful.
In Phandalin we made for the tavern, rested some more. Went and did some wheeling and dealing (got a cool silver dagger, and fancy spellbook), collected monies owed to us. Listened to local gossip. It’s here we found out about some local ruffians called the Redbrands, and their leader Glasstaff. That an Iarno Albert has gone missing and something about a wizard. Dram was very curious about the wizard, any chance to learn new spells. New spells that could go in his new and expensive spell book that he’s just bought.
On our way to investigate a local manor we bumped into a group of the Redbrands outside a tavern. Naturally diplomacy failed, oh wait we didn’t try. So we ended up fighting them. It was here that we found out our Druid could transform into a wolf!
We ended up in tunnels and rooms under an abandoned manor. It was here that Ace proved he was a master of disguise by putting on a red sash. Which turned out to be a brilliant idea. Mainly because these skeletons we bumped into ignored him and attacked the rest of us without a red sash on! It was here that Dram demonstrated what a great spell Thunder Wave was. It also might have attracted the attention of any hostiles in the area because it is not a silent spell, the clues in it’s name. But Dram did manage to do some grave robbing and find a rather neat platinum ring in a coffin.
Ace and Grull afterwards freed some prisoners of the Redbrands. After a bit more stumbling around we did combat with this one eyed creature that had been corrupted by magic. Sadly there wasn’t anything for Dram to add to his collection of magical knowledge. With no time to recover from the encounter, we ended up fighting some more Redbrands that had 3 bugbears gate crash the end of the party!
After the mega battle, those bugbears were not easy to defeat, Grull made a new friend. This new friend was a goblin! We blocked ourselves in a room that looked like living quarters for the Redbrands, and got a much needed rest.
Fully rested we continued exploring the underground complex. Which lead us to what looked like a wizards laboratory. Searching the room Dram found 3 small vials. In a connecting room that could only be described as a bedroom was a journal that looked like it was written in dwarfish. ‘Who reads or even more important writes in dwarfish these days?” thought Dram.
We made our way back round to the chamber we fought that one eyed creature in, where the others managed to capture the mysterious wizard. Who while captive gave me 2 scrolls, and I think Ace gave me his glass staff. It was Glasstaff the wizard! Guess we know how he got that name. Sadly my comrades failed to tie Glasstaff’s feet, so he managed to escape, casting some sort of invisibility spell.
With that little embarrassing failure casting what other wise was a successful mini adventure, we made our way back into town.
At the inn Dram rented a room for 100 days so Dram had a safe place to use as a base for his magical research. Oh and not have to carry loads of heavy stuff like the journal and spell books.
Our stay in town was spent replenishing stuff, Dram selling these ruby earrings he’d found, and getting a diamond to use with a spell (the ring came in handy offsetting that cost). Grull and Ace committed everyone to going off and killing some orcs. Apparently we would be getting into the property renovation business if successful!
Dram had found some time to study the vials, scrolls and staff while the others drank and were merry! Dram had lucked out. The Glasstaff was a staff of defence/protection, that would be handy. But the scrolls were supper useful. One was a charm person spell (that he copied straight into his spellbook) and a fireball spell (sadly a tad too powerful to go in his book).
It was time to head off on this mission we’d been committed to.
After a couple days walking our party reached Wyvern Tor, home of the orcs we had been hired to get rid of. It would have been sooner if we’d not been led off course a little by Ace.
There was an orc guard outside the orc camp. The big folks tried being sneaky and take the guard out quietly. Which they did, kinda. A badly burnt orc (don’t ask) ran off into the cavern, Ace blindly ran in after him.
And that’s where we join the action.
Last Weeks Session…
“Ace came running out of that cavern pretty quick, I wonder what he saw?”, Dram poked his head round the corner and looked in. “That’s interesting” was Dram’s response to seeing 6 orcs and a blooming big ogre inside the cavern. “It looks like it would like a chromatic orb”.
The chromatic orb seemed to have upset the ogre, who rushed up just short of Dram and roared in his face. One of the orcs ran up and joined him, swinging and missing Dram. Dram moved back and cast a witch bolt at the ogre. It hit, but sadly the ogre lunged forward and knocked Dram to the floor, and out of the ensuing battle.
Dram woke up with the ogre dead at his side, and a bloodied mouthed wolf standing over the corpse. ‘Bloody typical”, thought Dram, “I do all the hard work, and someone else comes along to get the glory”.
Dram rejoined the action by casting a witch bolt at an orc. That once again one of the big people finished off.
That gnome paladin did an impressive single blow kill on an orc before succumbing to a blow himself. Whatever happened to the gnome while he was out Dram had no idea. But whatever it was it had driven him over the edge. After the last orc was dispatched he went round cutting ears off the corpses as trophies.
Ace went looting and found some more vials. Throwing caution to the wind, he swigged one of them. It turned out he has the most flowery breathe of us all now, he’d just drank perfume!
Our journey back to Phandalin was pretty uneventful. Apart from Sarmyar and Nick abandoning their watch and coming back with a panther they’d found trapped.
Back at Phandalin Dram retired to his room to grab a couple hours of resting in comfort.
The next day our party collected its reward for killing the orcs. Apparently that dark gnome wasn’t as dark as Dram had thought. It appears that a necklace of dead orc ears is good proof that the job had been completed successfully. Who knew? Well apart from this gnome?
As a group we visit this sister for information, between her and Sarmyar we find out that the dwarven journal Dram had talked about a lost mine and a mighty magical weapon. Three of the party paid the sister to make some healing potions for them.
Our adventurers were left about to set off in search of some banshee to get the banshees help for the sister.
FOOTNOTE: By the time I finished writing this post I had decided to record the D&D sessions. Just thought I’d mention it, you know in case anyone was remotely interested.