Solo LMoP - 09. Finishing off the Redbrands

I return to my adventure at the point that the party has gathered South of Phandalin around the dead body of their compatriot Egart. They talk about what to do with him and what to do next. 

Let's first deal with the mechanical part before we go into the storytelling. 
For killing the three Redbrands the party gets a total of 300XP that is divided among the remaining four members and we divide Egarts money among the survivors. Haunui takes his Thieves tools, but no one is proficient with it. The rest of Egarts Gear they leave on him as they take his body back to town. Haunui regains 4 of the arrows he shot. They don't know much about him, except that he must have had some history in Phandalin, especially since the leader of the Redbrands seemed to know him. 

That is a good incentive for them to return to the hideout and deal with the rest of the Redbrands. They want to question one of them about their possible knowledge about Egart and how he came to know the wizard with the glass staff. They also need to tell Halia about Glasstaffs flight. Having no idea if the wizard will be coming back or not, they decide to not take any chances and only rest briefly. 

🍖 A short rest is had during which Quillathe uses her arcane Recovery to regain a spellslot. 

The party retraces their steps to the ruin atop the hill. Here they re-enter the basement where they find the corpses of the Redbrands still undisturbed. There is some coin on them (12 gold, 15 electrum and 28 silver)and two gems that are taken by Harbek. Behind the door they came from is a small side chamber that was used as barracks. A few red cloaks are lying around here. 

Now, there are two options here: They can retrace their steps to get back to Glasstaff's quarters to find some information, or they could try the other door in the basement. 
Quillathe would want the information first and the others would not have a strong preference, but especially Harbek would be hesitant to cross the crevasse again if not necessary, since they lost their negotiator with the creature that lives there. So the group would agree to try the other door, hoping to find another way to the same goal. 

They head through the doors and find themselves in a corridor. 

Thick dust covers the flagstones of this somber hallway. The walls are decorated with faux columns every ten feet, and the double doors at the west end of the hall are sheathed in copper plate, now green with age. A relief carving of a mournful angel graces the doors.

There is something to find here, but only if the party actively looks for it. Since I know that it's there it, does not seem fair to decide they do search for it, so I will roll a luck check.

🎲Luck, 1d20 (1-10: bad luck, 11-20: Good luck): 2 => bad luck
🎲Determine first character to trigger trap, 1d4 (1: Drusa, 2: Haunui, 3: Harbek, 4: Quillathe): 4 => Quillathe

Her time in the temple has made Quillathe susceptible for religious imagery and she quickly steps forward to examine the carving on the door. But halfway down the hallway a loud snapping sound rings through the space and the floor under her feet breaks away.

🎲Dexterity Save +2 (DC 15): 3 (failure)
🎲Damage, 2d6 bludgeoning: 10

Quillathe falls forward and, hitting her head on the wall of the pit crashes down 20 feet before smashing into the stone floor below, groaning in pain. 
The other party members need to skirt around the pit to help Quillathe climb out of it from the other side. 

🎲Dexterity Check Harbek -1 (DC 10): 1 (failure)
            =>🎲Dexterity Saving Throw -1 (DC 15): 13 (failure)
                        =>🎲damage, 2d6: 5
🎲Dexterity Check Drusa -1 (DC 10): 5 (failure)
            =>🎲Dexterity Saving Throw -1 (DC 15): 5 (failure)
                        =>🎲damage, 2d6: 3 
🎲Dexterity Check Haunui +3 (DC 10): 20 (success)

As Quillathe falls Harbeks hand shoots out to grab her, but he loses his footing too. Instinctually he grabs hold of something, the something being Drusa's arm. Like tumbling stones, the three people fall into the pit. It's a mess of tangled limbs and bruises when Haunui carefully, slowly lets down his rope to them to pull them out.

🎲Harbek Cure Wounds => Quillathe, 1d8+6: 11 healing received=> Full HP
100XP are divided among them for surviving the trap 

Now at this point the only way of healing they have left is a singular healing potion and a possible Channel Divinity from Harbek. Things are getting tight. Carefully, they push open the door to the next room. 

Three large stone sarcophagi stand within this dusty crypt, and propped up against each sarcophagus is a human skeleton clad in bits of rusty mail. False columns along the walls are carved in the image of spreading oak trees. The double doors in the southeast corner are sheathed in tarnished copper plate.

🎲Determine marching order, 1d20 each: Drusa (17), Haunui (15), Harbek (17), Quillathe (13)

As they are halfway through the room the three skeletons suddenly animate and draw rusted weapons to attack. 

Download full Battle Report

The shambling bone-men are easily dispatched. Drusa cuts one of them down with her axe and Harbek grabs his holy symbol and utters a prayer. Suddenly the other two skeletons turn and run away from him. One of them dashes past Quillathe and falls head-over-heels into the pit where it smashes to pieces. The last one flees through a door into a hallway on the North side of the crypt. Drusa chases him and takes a nasty stab from the creature before arrows and spells from the others that sail over her head reduce it to a pile of splintered bones. 

150XP are divided among the adventurers and Drusa, who took the most hits takes a platinum signet ring from one of the coffins.

There are two possible exits from this room, the door at the end of the Northern corridor, which is locked and the other door leading Eastwards. After having stumbled consecutively into a pit trap and a trio of animating undead the group is careful now. They push open the door carefully with the handle of Drusa's axe and from inside a male voice with a strong Northern accent calls out: "Careful! Behind the door!"
A second voice shouts back from just around the corner of said door: "Fuck you, asshole! You'll die next."

Download Full Battle Report

The sound of a dolorous bell echoes through the next room and the group pushes in, hacking away at the two Redbrand Ruffians that had been waiting with drawn swords try to ambush them. Haunui falls under their strikes, but a figure pushes up against some metal bars, that part the room and mutters a word of divine magic. Haunui's eyes open again, and he rises to his feet. Together they manage to kill off one of the thugs and as Harbek shouts out: "Surrender and you might still live!", the other Redbrand, bleeding profusely from a slash he took from Drusa's axe, drops his sword.

As the man surrenders, he is quickly bound. 
"Thank you, stranger.", mutters Haunui, tracing the quickly healing wounds and addressing the blond, pale-skinned man who is locked into a cage in the Northern part of this room. There is another cage on the opposite side and now that the fight is over a woman in her thirties shuffles out of the shadow in the back, followed by two young children. 

The people here get very quickly acquainted while a few things happen. Harbek drags the bound and disarmed thug into the crypt to interrogate him. The frightened prisoner tells Harbek all he knows, mainly that their leader is a wizard called Glasstaff and that recently the Redbrands have enjoyed the patronage of someone called 'The Black Spider', who has sent bugbears as extra muscle. The Redbrands have been intimidating the local populous and driven off adventureres under the Spider's command. 

In the meantime, Haunui tries to get the locks open with Egarts Lockpicks: 
🎲Lockpick check +3 (DC 10): 6 (fail)
🎲Second try +3 (DC 12): 12 (success)
🎲Lockpick check +3 (DC 10): 20 (success)

After some initial trouble with the lock, Haunui manages to get both cages open. The woman introduces herself as Mirna Drendar, a townswoman from Phandalin. Her husband opposed the Redbrands and was killed. She and her two children were taken captive the night after. She explains that she does not know anything of value about her captors, but Haunui suddenly walks towards her. "Mirna?", he asks and the two of them are overjoyed to recognize each other from their early childhood. Both were born in Thundertree, where Mirna's family ran a small apothecary. After the eruption of Mount Hotenow and the ash-plague that befell the town and forced the villagers to flee and scatter in all direction they never saw each other again. 
Mirna tells Haunui abuit an heirloom of hers that must still be in the apothecary, offering that up as a reward for the rescue of her and her children. The group thanks her but Haunui tells her that he plans to deliberate Thundertree one day and hopes that she will return with him to the town once he has managed to do so, to help rebuild it. A small, awkward moment long Mirna doubts his intentions, but she is struck with grief and exhaustion and begs the group to help her get out of the hideout. 

To do so, the Drendars must somehow cross the pit in the next hallway and with the experiences the party has made they do not even try to skirt past it. Using ropes and pitons they climb down into the pit and back out on the other side to get the family of commoners to safety. 

Then finally there is the man in the other cage who introduces himself as Brandr, a traveling servant of the god Tempus, who - aiming to come and help in Phandalin as much as he can - has been captured by the Redbrands. He is grateful to be free of his bonds and asks the party if he can aid them in finishing off the bandits. He is welcomed by the party but - unarmed for the moment - he has to rely on basic spells. 

For killing off the Redbrands and rescuing the Drendars the party (now back at full strength) is rewarded a total of 300XP

The tied up Redbrand knows nothing about someone named Egart (who had been using a pseudonym among the thugs), but he does remember him when Harbek gives a description of the halfling's physicality. All he knows is that he wasn't very well liked and has fled a few weeks back when it was discovered he was a traitor. He also knows that keys to the locked door (that contains the Armory) are held only by Glasstaff and the leader of the bugbears, who is called Mosk. 
When asked if there is another way to get to the boss's quarters than by crossing through the ravine, the redbrand tells the party about the secret door across from the armory. 

 Haunui will try to pick the lock on the Armory, since Brandr's gear is in there.

🎲Lockpick check +3 (DC 10): 23 (success)

The door opens and the party does not find much of use, except for Brandr's gear that he quickly dons and searches. His money has been taken but he finds his coin-purse in the possession of his jailors. 

Now at this point the party really needs a moment to think. The two fighters are both rather hurt and only Brandr has a possibilty to heal them still, except for the Healing Potion that Quillathe holds and that they want to save for emergencies. But, using the secret doors to get back to Glasstaff's Quarters the party can at least avoid the Nothic for now. 

The party tosses the tied up Redbrand into the slave pens and leaves him there for the time being. 

🎲Dexterity Check Haunui, +3 adv (help): 19 
🎲Dexterity Check Redbrand Ruffian, +2 dis (restrained)(DC 19): 16 => failure to get out of ropes

Passing through a storeroom at the Northern end of the Crevasse Haunui sees a stack of beaver pelts that are probably worth a bit, but he does not bother to take the bulky goods with him. Through the secret hallway they found when pursuing Glasstaff earlier they head into the Wizards private chambers. A chest at the foot of his bed is open, part of its contents taken by the fleeing bandit-leader. His treasure however is still untouched. 
The party divides 130 gold and 180 silver amongst themselves as well as five carnelians (that go to Brandr, "Red seems to be your color", jokes Harbek), two peridots (going to Haunui) and a pearl (that Quillathe takes since it will enable her to cast Identify, when she learns it). On the table they find a letter that is of great interest to them.

Lord Albrek,
My spies in Neverwinter tell me that strangers are due to arrive in Phandalin. They could be working for the dwarves. Capture them if you can, kill them if you must, but don’t allow them to upset our plans. See that any dwarven maps in their possession are delivered to me with haste. I’m counting on you, Iarno. Don’t disappoint me.

This information suddenly links Sildar to the story. Didn't the old knight tell them about his compatriot Iarno Albrek, another member of the Lord's Alliance? Could it be that this Albrek and Glasstaff are the same person?

Thinking this through, taking turns to keep an eye out for any ruffians that might come this way (none are coming, because the ones that are still alive will not disturb their master and are differently occupied), the party takes a short rest in Glasstaff's quarters. 

🎲Hit Die Harbek, 1d8+2: 5 HP healed => full HP, no hit die remaining
🎲Hit Die Drusa, 1d10+2: 7 HP healed => 15/16 HP, 1 Hit Die remaining
🎲Hit Die Haunui, 1d10+2: 11 HP healed => 18/19 HP, 1 Hit Die remaining

None of the characters have any alchemical knowledge to determine if anything in Glasstaff's laboratory is of any value, but Harbek would find a book in Dwarvish, the journal of an adventurer named Urmon, talking about the "Mine of the Phandelver Pact" and the "Forge of Spells", a bound source of magical power inside the mysterious Wave-Echo Cave, channelled into a great forge that could be used to make magical weapons. It was attacked by a force of orcs and evil wizards and the tremors stemming from the battle collapsed many entrances and the location of the mine was lost. From the journal's dating Harbek deduces that all of this happened several hundred years ago. 

This information is interesting to Harbek, who now understands better what his cousin Gundren was looking for. He takes the book with him. Reading about the mine and remembering how happy Gundren was when he came to see him in Neverwinter makes Harbeks blood boil. He reads over the letter that is only signed with a drawing of a spider again and then draws his warhammer. 
"I don't know about you, but I want to finish off these bastards. Let's chop off some more spider-legs."

And as the rest of the party scrambles to follow up he crosses the hall and kicks in the door to the next room, where a group of four roudy, but rather drunk Redbrands look up from their game of dice. 

Download full Battle Report (including all rolls and maps)

Harbek steps up to the first of the ruffians and clocks him in the head. Quickly running to their friend's help the other adventurers rush in. The Redbrands stink of booze and sway on their feet after a night of heavy drinking and gambling. Their strikes are uncoordinated and one of them turns and runs to the South end of the room where he opens a door to a hallway that he storms into, shouting for help. Only a few moments later three muscular bugbears push their way through the room and join in the fray. The narrow intersection where the fighting happens hinders both defenders and attackers so that one of the bugbears and the Redbrand who went for help take the path through the main cave and attack from the side. Drusa and Haunui, who cannot get into an opportune position to attack rush through the wizard's quarters and the secret passageway. However, when they try to cross the crevasse the spiked creature blocks their way. Muttering vile thoughts into Drusa's brain it demands gifts but does not take the ring she offers up. It asks for magic and, hearing the sound of fighting from the hallway Drusa and Haunui attack. The rotting gaze of the creature injures Drusa badly but in the end, it has to flee. 
Meanwhile Quillathe has put a spell on one of the bugbears that can do nothing but laugh loudly, laying on his back while the constant clanging of a giant, invisible bell, echoes everywhere. Brandr, the new member of the group does not bear any arms, but his spells come at a rapid pace and when the first bugbear falls, he walks to the laughing one and places his hands on him. The creatures flesh crackles and dries out as a terrible, necrotic wound spreads from where Brandr touched him. The bugbear scrambles to his feet, swings his weapon against Brandr but turns to flee when the cleric won't budge. The bell rings again and the hairy monster falls dead, blood pooling from every orifice.

Harbek and one of the Redbrand have been trading blows for some time while Quillathe has backed him up with rays of freezing cold energy shot at his opponents while, on the other side, a bugbear had been clumsily throwing javelins at his head. With a final blow he smashes the thug's head while the bugbear flees. After a brief encounter with Drusa, it is quickly killed off as the female fighter runs after the fleeing Nothic. Dropping her axe Drusa draws a javelin and ends the wretched creature's with her throw. Quiet sets in in the tunnels, the hideout cleansed. 

The adventurers take some time to search the new rooms and take what treasure they can find. The most extraordinary thing they find is a magnificent sword that the Nothic had kept in his filthy lair.
🎲History Check Quillathe +3 (DC 15): 10 (failure)

Drusa does not want to part with her Axe so Harbek takes the sword that has a beautiful, silver scabbart and the name 'Talon' enscribed just below the bird-of-prey-shaped hilt.

The total loot the party finds is as follows:

- 75 copper, 248 silver, 22 electrum and 135 gold (divided among the adventurers)
- 2 potions of healing, going to Drusa and Haunui
- a spell scroll of augury, going to Brandr
- 5 malachites, a jeweled eyepatch and a gold earring with a tiny ruby, that go to Drusa to sell
(the party has talked about this and Drusa will try and sell off all the jewels that they don't need for spell components)

After this fight each of the partymembers is granted a total of 290XP which means that everyone except Brandr will level up. 

The party also finds and unconscious goblin in one of the rooms. They tie him up and bring both him and the bound Redbrand outside. Hurt and mourning but satisfied with their feats the party descends the hill into Phandalin.

Solo LMoP - 08. New Character (Using XGtE's This is Your Life Tables)

 Last session ended with the death of Egart, our Halfling Rogue. Having been pregenerated for the game by the Starter-Edition he had an interesting connection with the Redbrands that made him exceptionally interesting to play during this chapter. His main motivation for the entire campaign was to have his revenge on Glasstaff. With prior knowledge of the hideout and the Nothic he made it easy for the group to head directly to the leader of the Redbrands and - having a character trait stating that he likes to improvise instead of making a plan - that seemed to be the way to go. Now of course Glasstaff, warned by his rat familiar, left the hideout injured, but not hurt in any major way. I did not even see the need for him to drink a potion of invisibility as the book suggests, since he never dropped below 50% health. With his spells and items he was well equipped for an offensive strategy against a singular opponent or a defensive strategy in case he was swarmed. But, lacking the speed to stay ahead of Egart during the chase, it seemed logical for him to use his Magic Missiles, knowing that they would not miss. 

This actually was the first time I ever ran a chase sequence as stated by the book and I really enjoyed the experience. I will definitely use that in my games again. 

Now, I did like the dynamic of a five-person party and it makes sense for me to roll up a new character. To do that I will use as much randomizing as I can, using the tables provided in Xanathar's Guide to Everything, chapter 1: This is your life and Appendix B: Character Names

Creating a new Character for Lost Mine Of Phandelver (Solo-Run)

🎲Race, 1d100: 39 => Human
🎲Subrace, 1d4 (1-2: Regular Human, 3-4: Variant Human): 3 => Variant Human

🎲Class, 1d100: 22 => Cleric

🎲Name Origin, 1d20 (reroll 18 or higher): 13 =>Norse
🎲Name gender, 1d6 (even=male, odd=female): 4 => male
🎲Name, 1d100: 19 => “Brandr”

🎲Occupation, 1d100: 96 => Soldier

Here we have Brandr, a Human Cleric with the Soldier background.
To determine how his Childhood was, we need his Charisma-modifier, so we need to roll for Stats: 🎲 6 x 4d6 (remove lowest die on each roll) => 9, 10, 17, 12, 10, 9

🎲Parents, 1d100: 46 => Brandr knows who his parents are or were
🎲Birthplace, 1d100: 88 => Among People of a different race
            🎲Race of those people, 1d100, reroll 40 or lower: 70 => Halfling

🎲Siblings, 1d10: 6 =>  🎲1d4+1 => 3 Silblings
            🎲Birth Order, 1x2d6: 4 (older Silbling)
                        🎲Name Gender, 1d6 (even=male, odd=female): 5 => female
                                 🎲Name, 1d100: 18 => Birghild
          🎲Birth Order, 1x2d6: 5 (older Sibling)
                        🎲Name Gender, 1d6 (even=male, odd=female): 6 => male
                                 🎲Name, 1d100: 92 => Sven
            🎲Birth Order, 1x2d6: 8 (younger Sibling)
                        🎲Name Gender, 1d6 (even=male, odd=female): 1 => female
                                 🎲Name, 1d100: 50 => Iona

🎲Family, 1d100: 94 => Mother and Father
🎲Family Lifestyle, 3d6: 14 => Comfortable (+10 to next roll)
🎲Childhood Home, 1d100+10: 27 => No permanent residence; they moved around a lot

🎲Childhood Memories, 3d6+0 (Charisma Modifier): 10 => Brandr had a few close friends and lived an ordinary childhood

Brandr a man with average abilities and high wisdom, coming from a normal family, the third of four children, living a comfortable life while moving around a lot.

Personal Decisions

🎲I became a soldier because (1d6): 6 => Invaders attacked my homeland. It was my duty to take up arms in defense of my people.

🎲I became a cleric because (1d6): 6 =>I realize that my god works through me, and I do as commanded, even though I don’t know why I was chosen to serve.

So when war came, Brandr was drafted to take up arms, and apparently was also commanded by someone in his priesthood. This does sound like a god of duty or war. With his high Wisdom Brandr feels that what he does is right, even though he does not know why.

Coming from a traveling family, this might either mean that his family is in service to a temple all along, traveling about to help where they can or that he had to leave his family to return home to fight against invaders. A lot of this will depend on Brandr’s age and memories, which we’ll roll for now.

Life Events

🎲Age, 1d100: 5 => 20 years or younger (1 Life Event)

🎲Life Event, 1d100: 36 =>Brandr made an enemy of an adventurer.
            🎲Blame, 1d6: 5 (odd) => Brandr is to blame for the rift.
            🎲Adventurer Race, 1d100: 51 => Elf
            🎲Adventurer Class, 1d100: 86 =>Sorcerer
            🎲Name Gender, 1d6 (even=male, odd=female): 3 => female
            🎲Name, 1d100: 12 => Antinua
            🎲Adventurer Alignment, 3d6: 9 =>Neutral
            🎲Adventurer Status, 3d6: 13 => Alive and quite succesful

Assembling a backstory

Now, from all this information we know a few things about Brandr’s life. He is still very young (I tend to use the roll on the d10 when making the roll for age as the exact count of years above the decimal. So that would make Brandr 15 years of age, very young. He has two older siblings and a younger sister, plus his parents who are both still alive but also there has been an invasion in his past and an enemy of an elf Sorcerer. We have an interesting duality of a good live and bad things happening. That he became a cleric because his powers made him realize his god works through him even though he does not understand his calling is logical for someone his age and experience, though a very wise young man like that would perhaps just follow his feelings instead of question a calling. 

When I compare the reason for becoming a cleric (realization and obedience to a divine being) with the reason for becoming a soldier (duty), there is an interesting contrast that I want to use.

A theme in Brandr’s life however seems to be his strife for following up on orders and fulfilling the expectations of others (his country, his god…) so being guilty of a rift with a neutral sorcerer might be because of that dutiful attitude. This make me think that Brandr is/was a good character, either Lawful or Neutral Good, but with strong opinions on duty and honor. Perhaps the rift is because Brandr made a conscious choice to do something that is perhaps not for the best, but it is what is right - possibly even ignoring his own conscience and intuition telling him so. That idea pushes his alignment into the Lawful Good spectrum, at least for the moment when he made that enemy. 

His family however was a family of travelers, though comfortable. That makes me think they are successful merchants, traveling with large caravans that were well-secured, perhaps trading in something that is coveted in many places. His name makes me think he comes from a Northern country, somewhere that is cold. And that idea makes things click into place in my head. Because cold is hard on everyone, not only the good guys. And as I imagine a snowy landscape with mountains, fjords and deep, dark pine forests covered in white powder and glistening ice Brandr's story comes together: 

Brandr was born as the son of wealthy traders from the Ten Towns in Icewind Dale. His
parents were owners of the Tuskhunters Guild, a gathering of rangers, trackers and trappers specializing in the hunt on Mammoths. The meat they brought in fed hundreds of mouths but the most precious part of the beast were the enormous tusks of ivory. This precious material, cut into pieces of art or sold by the ounce was picked up once a year by Brandr and his family. They spend the rest of the year traveling the lengths and breadth of the Swordcoast, selling these goods and making a fortune with it that could not only ensure their livelihood but also the life of many of the villagers back home. When on the road Brandr usually spend a lot of time in conversation with the people they met or listening to the conversations his parents were having. He had a good intuition about other people work and therefore his father liked to have him around when negotiating. More than once it was Brandr who threw his father worried looks that made the merchant back out of a business deal with an untrustworthy individual.
Back home Brandr spend a lot of time near the small shrine of Tempus, listening to the stories of the hardened warriors that had lived through the bitter cold of the arctic tundra and fought bitter wars against Frost Giants or undead Draugr rising up from the eternal ice of their graves.

It was during an extremely harsh winter that Brandr and his family returned to the Ten Towns and found that the village of Good Mead was taken over by a tribe of goblins lead by some human sorcerer. The inhabitants of Good Mead had fled to other settlements but were planning to assemble a militia to retake their home. Brandr begged to join, feeling the strong urge to come along that he did not entirely understand. He felt a strong urge to fight in this battle and his father allowed him to be a part of the militia. Together they attacked the invaders and quickly cut their way through their numbers. Brandr, wielding a long spear felt the rush of the battle wash over him even though something felt off, as if he was missing the point of the calling that led him here. Most Goblins fled from him, others only offered feeble resistance but his father and the other experienced warriors shouted for blood and Brandr followed their commands, killing many of the small creatures.

The battle was won in less than an hour and the last of the invaders had holed themselves up in the old shrine. The fighters did not want to beat down the door, fearful of angering the foehammer. Brandr did know of a low window that granted entrance to the basement of the cellar beneath the shrine. He, being the youngest of the militia was the only one old enough to enter through the window. He snuck through the basement into the main prayer room, prepared to fight his way to the door but what he found was a handful of half-starved, frostbitten goblins shivering in fear and woman in fur-lined robes bitterly insulting him and the ‘murderers’ he brought. This woman, an elf from the snow-covered winter woods had found this tribe of goblins that were being decimated by the bitter cold and had marched them straight into this town, expecting to negotiate a price for shelter and food. But instead the townsfolk had fled from them and now returned to bring more death. A fire of righteous fury burned in her eyes and Brandr understood how badly he had chosen when he went against his feelings and killed just because he was ordered to do so. It had seemed the right thing to do, even if his emotions had told him differently. Guilt-ridden he opened the front doors and convinced the mob not to hurt anyone else. He managed to negotiate a temporary truce but when negotiations between the deeply hurt elf woman – who introduced herself as Antinua – and the villagers went sour he once again took his fathers side and voted for the sorceress and her goblins to leave the town. He would never forget the look of hatred and disappointment in her eyes as they led the shambling group of survivors into the wilderness.

The next day Brandr stole provisions and warm furs and followed them but he only found the goblins. They had died in the snow, not far from the town. Some of them had frozen but others had been killed by a blade to the heart. They seem to have gone without resistance, accepting this quick death instead of starvations and hypothermia. The elf-woman was no where to be found.

For weeks on end Brandr spent his days in the shrine, filled with self-loathing and regrets,
praying to the statue of Tempus for an answer. One night he had fallen asleep, half-kneeling at the foot of the foehammer’s effigy when a voice called to him in his dream: “Go, pick up your spear and find another fight. A worthy fight, a fight that means something. Go, take your arms and shield yourself with wisdom and insight, and find worthy foes to battle in a way that brings honor to you. Restore yourself with deeds of righteousness and bravery, fight for a worthy cause. Protect those that cannot defend themselves. Your way is clear.”
When he woke up he found that his spear had fallen and was pointing at the door of the shrine. And when he picked it up and walked through the door he found the first sun of spring shining into his eyes. He said his goodbyes to the village when his family left for the South but only accompanied them for a while. They traveled around the Spine of the World to Luskan and Neverwinter. Here he heard about the small town of Phandalin, where civilization was starting anew in the ruins of an old settlement, surrounded by wilderness and dangers.
When his family travelled South towards Waterdeep he said his goodbyes and headed East on the Triboar Trail, heading for this town where he hopefully would be able to restore his honor. A symbol of Tempus that he had taken from the temple around his neck he hoped to find what the voice in his dreams had told him to seek.

This backstory makes him an interesting character to add to the party, and with Tempus as his God he will be a War-domain cleric. And this is how a character is born.

I really like working with these random tables, because it forces me to think creatively. Life is strange in many ways and having to combine these different, sometimes almost contradictive pieces of information into a logical story that leads to the adventure is a challenge that gives me great joy. 

Now all that's left to do for now is to fill out the rest of the character sheet. 

Racial Feats
A variant human offers us two +1 boni to put into any attribute we see fit. I went for Dexterity and Wisdom. Since he was born among halflings - I immagine him having a halfling Godmother, perhaps Qeline Alderleaf - I'll choose halfling as his second language.  Now there is only the feat to choose. I doubted a bit about using the Shield Master feat, since I like the idea of a shield imbued with divine blessing but in the end Tempus is a more offensive god and given the fact that Brandr has a very high Wisdom an no physical capabilities that would enable him to hit his opponents with weapons very well I went with War Caster in the end, which utilizes his higher spellcasting ability better instead of weapon attacks. 

Background
Besides proficiency in Athletics and Intimidation I get to choose a game proficiency and of course I choose the playing cards to fit in with the party. He has a badge made of a bit of wood with dried snowberries that is a memorial for all former militia members and a necklace with wolf-teeth that he took as a reminder from one of the dead goblins and that he wears around his wrist. 
I choose his traits as logically as possible: 
Personality Trait: I’m haunted by memories of war. I can’t get the images of violence out of my mind.
Ideal: Independence. When people follow orders blindly, they embrace a kind of tyranny. 
Bond: I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
Flaw: I made a terrible mistake in battle that cost many lives—and I would do anything to
keep that mistake secret.

Class
First order of business with a Cleric is to choose the divine domain. As said, Brandr will be a War Domain Cleric, following Tempus, the God of war. Adding to the Background Proficiencies I take the Insight and Medicine Proficiency for him. I take a spear instead of a light crossbow since he will rely on spells anyway and the spear is in his background.

For cantrips we need good offensive cantrips so we'll go for both Toll the Dead and Word of Radiance, since Brandr is a front line cleric. (which is so far also true for Harbek and hasn't turned out very well for the dwarf)

🎲HP for Lvl 2, 1d8+1 (reroll 1): 9 => Total of 18 HP

As an addition to that we'll take the Light Cantrip, since Brandr does not seem self-secure enough to go for Guidance (which on a mechanical level would have had my preference). 

The war domain gives us access to the following spells at lvl 1: Divine Favor and Shield of Faith and while that second one will come in handy, Divine Favor works on weapon attacks and Brandr will not often make those. So I replace Divine Favor with Heroism.

Looking at the features we get, only War Priest seems more or less worthless, since Brandr will not be making many Weapon attacks. I am therefore tempted to allow him to use that feat on Cantrips as well (but the damage of a second cantrip will always be the damage it would do at lvl 1).

And there we have it, Brandr is finished and ready for adventure. On the next blog I'll explore options for him to enter the story. 

Download full Level 2 Character Sheet

Solo LMoP - 07. Redbrand Hideout

 After a night of rest at the Stonehill Tavern (5 silver for each) the party gets up early in the morning and heads to the farm of Qeline Alderleaf, led by Egart who follows the description he got from Carp to continue into the woods to the East. There they find a hidden cave entrance. It is dark, but there is a light shining from the end of it. Sneaking as well as they can, they make their way inside. 

🎲Stealth Checks: Egart, +7 (12), Harbek, -1 disadvantage (8), Drusa, -1, disadvantage (8), Haunui, +3 (12), Quillathe, +2 (17) (Group check successful) 

The group follows the passage for about 100ft before it funnels into a wider cavern.
A cold breeze fills this large natural cavern, carrying with it the faint scent of decaying flesh. A crevasse divides the cavern and is flanked by two rough stone columns that support the twenty-foot-high ceiling. Two arched wooden bridges span the chasm.

Having - as a group - rolled just high enough to beat the inhabitants passive perception the group notices a small, strange creature sitting at the edge of the chasm, its back spiked and a single, softly glowing green eye staring into the mists that fill it. 

🎲HP for the Nothic, 6d8+18: (39)
🎲Arcana-roll Quillathe to determine what they are seeing (DC12), +5: 8 (failure) 

None of the party members knows - through their background - what this creatures is. Now one of the most interesting questions that will definitely impact the game is whether or not Egart knows about this creature and what it does here. To determine that, the most honest thing is to roll a luck check (1-10: bad luck, 11-20: good luck). 

🎲Luck Check Egart: 20 (very good luck)

Egart turns to the rest of the party: "I know creatures like this, let me try something."
Quietly Egart moves forward to the ravine, inching up to the weird creature. "Hey, buddy.", he whispers and the green eye turns to him. A silent conversation is had. The party looks on as their rogue and the bizare creature stare at each other. 

🎲Persuasion Egart, +3 (DC 10): 9 (failure) - The Nothic will not help them for food alone

After that Egart opens his pack and takes out strips of dried meat that he pushes towards the Nothic. The creature grabs it and the staring continues while it slowly chews on a bit of jerky. (-2 rations)

🎲Persuasion Egart, +3 (DC 12): 18 (success)

After about a minute Egart returns to the group and they see the small creature climb into the crevasse where it disappears in the faint mist. Egart whispers to the party: "We might need to deal with him later, but he'll let us continue for now. The bosses' quarters are at the end of this cavern."
"What went on there?", asks Harbek, concern in his voice. "And how do you know all of that?"
"Just a conversation, don't worry about it. He told me where to go.", says the halfling as he marches onward towards the far end of the cavern. 

🎲Deception Check Egart +5: 16
🎲Insight Check Harbek +3: 16 (success for Egart, who rolls the active check)

For now Egart manages to convince Harbek of his story, though the dwarf has started to doubt his companion's motives and actions. Egart dealing with such a creature is useful, but he does not like at all that he is being kept in the dark about what transpired. 

Leading the party to the end of the cave Egart heads into the hallway on the left that ends after about 30ft at a blank wall with doors on both sides. Egart listens closely at both of them. 

🎲Perception Northern door, +0 (DC 15): 12 (failure)
🎲Perception Southern door, +0 (DC 10): 10 (success)

Hearing the sound of people playing a game of dice behind the Southern door and nothing behind the other, Egart opens the Northern door quietly and looks inside. He finds himself in a wizard's laboratory. The flavor text reads as follows: 

This room appears to be a wizard’s workshop. A rat scurries across the floor and takes refuge under a large worktable set up with alembics, retorts, distillation coils, and other alchemical devices, all of it stewing and bubbling away. Bookshelves are crowded with sheaves of parchment and strange-looking tomes.

Since the room is empty, Egart waves his compatriots to follow him as the rat quickly scurries off to find a save hiding spot. As they enter one by one, the more perceptive of them hear the sound of grinding stone and quick footsteps coming from behind a door in the North-Eastern corner of the room. Rushing after the sound, the party opens the door and finds themselves in a bedroom draped with scarlet cloth. 

Now, the book states clearly that characters entering have advantage to find the hidden exit, but searching the room does take time. I'll allow each character in turn to make a perception check with advantage, but each failed check gives the fleeing leader of the Redbrands another round to make his escape. 

🎲Perception Drusa, +3, adv (DC 15): 9 (fail)
🎲Perception Harbek, +3, adv (DC 15): 23 (success)

Harbek, seeing a secret door in the Eastern wall slightly ajar points it out and shouts: "After him...her...whomever!"

The party takes up pursuit. Haunui is the first through the door and, rushing into a storeroom that opens into the main crevasse he sees no other exit and runs along the Eastern embankment. The others follow closely while Egart rushes past the bearded warrior, blade drawn. He sprints into a corridor on the far South side, opposite the entrance the group came through originally. A soft cackling echoes through the cavern as the others run after him, armor clanging, blindly following his lead for now. 

Finally Egart comes through the corridor and sees himself face to face with a man in a red coat, wielding a staff that appears to be made of glass. The room they are in has a large cistern filling a big part of it and the man just got up and holds a dripping wet satchel in his hand that he apparently just retreived from the water. 

"You!", the man says as Egart enters, rushes past him and cuts off the way, just as Haunui enters the room through the corridor. 

Download full Battle and Chase Report, including all the rolls and maps

The wizard, that Egart has immediately recognized as Glasstaff, vanishes and reappears at the top of a banister on the East side of the room before turning his back and running into a hallway there. Egart rushes after him. Running up a set of stairs he finds himself in the open air, coming out of a dilapidated shed next to an even more dilapidated manor just as the wizard flees around the corner of the ruin. 

In the damp cellar a door smashes open and three ruffians enter, stirred by the sudden noise. They are quickly dealt with, even though Drusa takes a few serious blows before the last of the Redbrands here is dispatched. Egart's companions than take up the chase. 

Up top the red-robed wizard is in full flight, turning only once to send a few arcane missiles at Egart, that make the rogue stumble back and hide for a moment, giving Glasstaff a bit of a head start. 

However, he is fleeing down a road and through open terrain, avoiding the town. This gives Egart and Haunui the chance to fire their arrows at him. But, wielding his glass staff and using it to conjure up an arcane shield the fleeing man manages to deflect most of the projectiles. Egart sheathes his bow and continues the chase on foot. The two men rush over the open terrain and disappear into the hills to the North. Haunui sends a few more arrows after them, but then joins up with the rest of the party in the pursuit of their halfling companion. 

Egart follows the wizard over hills, jumps over a patch of razor-sharp brambles and draws his sword. "You're mine now, Glasstaff!", he shouts as he gains ground. But then his quarry stops and turns, red-faced and panting. 
"You always were far to quick to act, Egart!", he says as three more arcane missiles form in his hand and shoot towards his pursuer. A terrible blow to the chest and a purple light are the last thing Egart sees, before the void takes him. 

About half a minute later Quillathe arrives, followed closely by the others. She finds Egart lying face down in the grass that is still wet from the morning dew. They feel his breath, listen for a heartbeat. But it is useless. Egart is dead. 

Egart
Lightfoot Halfling Rogue, Level 2
Cause of Death: Magic Missile, cast by Glasstaff

Solo LMoP - 06. Redbrand Ruffians (Level 2)

Now up until this point all the personal imput I had into this party was roleplay and combat decisions. For most of our party this still stays the same, since they don't get any subclasses yet. But Quillathe does get to choose her Arcane Tradition. 

Drusa (Lvl 2 Character Sheet)
🎲Hit Points, 1d10+2 (reroll 1): 4 => total of 16 HP
- new Feature: Action Surge

Haunui (Lvl 2 Character Sheet)
🎲Hit Points, 1d10+2 (reroll 1): 7 => total of 19 HP
- new Feature: Action Surge

Egart (Lvl 2 Character Sheet)
🎲Hit Points, 1d8+1 (reroll 1): 9 => total of 18 HP
- new Feature: Cunning Action

Harbek (Lvl 2 Character Sheet)
🎲Hit Points, 1d8+3 (reroll 1): 11 => total of 22 HP
- new Feature: Channel Divinity: Turn Undead
- new Feature: Channel Divinity: Preserve Life

Quillathe (Lvl 2 Character Sheet)
🎲Hit Points, 1d6+2 (reroll 1): 5 => total of 14 HP

Nou Quillathe has had a few interesting moments that might impact her choice for a specific school of magic. Her first great success was the Sleep-spell that took out two goblins and made sure the party could enter the den without a problem. She did a Burning Hands- spell that took out two wolves and killed a goblin with ray of frost. But together with Harbek she did send Klargh running, saving the party a big fight with a downed healer. 

So, given her knack for manipulation, Quillathe will choose the School of Enchantment. 
- new Feature: Enchantment Savant
- new Feature: Hypnotic Gaze
🎆new Spells: Hideous Laughter and Thunderwave

The night brings rest and healing and the following morning our adventurer take their supplies and leave the cave behind, strolling back towards Phandalin. Traveling at a normal pace they arrive at the town in the afternoon and head straight to the Inn to see if Sildar has made any advancements. The knight tells them that he has been asking around but has not managed to find any news of Iarno Albrek. He does however pay them the promise 50 goldpieces he has managed to procure from the townmaster. 

The rest of the day our group of adventurers can each follow their own goals for a while. As far as they have any. 

Egart would visit his aunt, Qelline Alderleaf, who works a farm at the edge of town. He'd give her all his silver and copper as he is used to share with her. They would chat a bit and Egart would play a game of cards with his young cousin Carp, Qelline's 10 year old son. He'd learn couple of things: Carp has seen a couple of Redbrands meet with "Big, Ugly Bandits" in the woods near a hidden tunnel he discovered. Egart would warn him about both the Redbrands and the tunnel and tell him to stay away from it - which Qelline echoes. When telling about the map to Wave Echo Cave that they found Qeline would advice Egart to seek out her old friend Reidoth, a druid that currently lives near the ruins of the town Thundertree - a name that Egart would recognize from having overheard Haunui talk about it. Reidoth knows a lot about the land and might be the right person to ask about the mines. 

Meanwhile Harbek would have asked around for Daran Edermath and be directed towards a tidy little cottage beside an apple orchard. Daran Edermath, a retired half-elf adventurer well over a hundred years of age would be rejoiced to welcome the dwarf. He'd tell him more about the Redbrands and their misdeeds in the town. This gang of thugs and their leader need to be taken down a notch. He can't pay the party to do so, but he is glad that Harbek agrees with him on the subject.

Quillathe heads to find the local priestess of Tymora. Sister Garaele however cannot offer any aid to her. By now Quillathe is the one who has knowledge about the Cragmaw clan and the castle. Garaele is very distraught with the activity of the Redbrands, who keep the town under their thumb and wishes there were someone who'd go against them. It's a short visit. Quillathe is not impressed by the other elf woman but has nothing against helping rid the town of some ruffians. 

Haunui heads to the Lionshield Coster that draws his attention due to the blue Lion above the entrance. The Lionshields are a merchant company from Yartar and this outpost is run by a woman called Linene Graywind. She is overjoyed by the news about her stolen wares and says that she will send someone to pick them up. Once she has them safely at the Coster (in a few days), she'll gladly compensate Haunui and his friends for them. 

Drusa would accompany Sildar to the townmasters hall where they would be introduced to the fat, pompous Harbin Wester, a former banker who seems to know little about anything. Instead of answering questions about Iarno Albrek he treats the three visitors as mercenaries, asking if they are willing to kill some orcs for him. Although he offers to help, there is little the group can do here at the moment that is worth their time. Sildar is angry and simply informs Wester that he will take over local government. 

Drusa, who has ambitions of her own of course wants to prove her worth gladly heads out into Phandalin to investigate about those Redbrands, meeting up with Haunui, Harbek and Quillathe in the town square that now seems strangely deserted. Four armed ruffians come strolling towards them. All of them are humans wearing grimy red cloaks, their hands on their weapons as they watch you.

One of the ruffians spits on the ground. “Time for you to move on, strangers. Give us your stuff, and be on your way.”

Harbek grins as he fastens his shield to his arm: "Nah, I don't think we'll do that."

Download Full Battle Report including all rolls and maps

The four ruffians draw their blades and rush in, cutting down Harbek within seconds, just before two of them fall themselves, injured by heavy blows from Drusa and Haunui and finished of by tiny magic missiles fired from Quillathes fingers. Rushing around the corner comes the small frame of Egart who joins the fight from a distance. Quickly only one of the Redbrands is left alive and turns to flee. Harbek, shaking out of his unconsciousness stands up, grasping the holy symbol of Marthammor Duin. He extends his hands and shouts: "Come here!" Commanded by the divine magic, the Redbrand turns and starts walking towards the dwarf, his eyes wide. But at that moment an arrow hits him in the temple, piercing deep into his brain and he drops dead. Egart lowers his bow, shaking and sweating. 

Harbek turns to him and curses. "Why did you do that?", he asks. "We could have interrogated him, find out more about them and their hideout."
"I know about their hideout already. And they would only have lied!", says Egart. 

🎲Deception Egart, +5: 24
🎲Insight Harbek, +3: 5

🎲Individual treasure Redbrand Ruffians, 4x 1d100: 98, 52, 9 and 49
    => 🎲1d6 platinum (3), 8d6 silver (27) and 5d6 copper (16)

Haunui also takes a set of Studded Leather Armor from one of the thugs. Since they all are human, none of their armor would fit Egart.

Now that the fight has ended, Harbek leans heavily against the stone wall that surrounds the small shrine of Tymora on the village square. Commoners come rushing up, checking if the adventurers are alright. Many look grateful but from the window of the townmaster's hall one can see the scared and angry face of Harbin Wester. It is clear that not everyone is glad about this fight. The corpses of the Redbrands however are quickly brought into an empty shed as the group reconvenes in the Stonehill tavern for some rest and food.

(3 silver each)

✔ 400 XP awarded

🍗 Short Rest is had, Action Surges and Second Wind regained, Quillathe uses her Arcane Recovery to regain 1 1st-lvl spellslot
    🎲Hit Dice Harbek 2 x 1d8+2: 5, 8 => 14/22 HP
    🎲Hit Dice Haunui: 1d10+2: 12 => full HP

While talking, the group informs each other about what they have learned in the course of the day. The are transparent, except for Egart, who keeps his previous involvement with the Redbrands a secret. He does however tell that he has heard that the guildmaster of the local Miner's exchange might have some intel on the Redbrands. As the day nears its end the party sticks together to make this last visit. Halia Thornton is very pleased to see them. She seemingly already knows that they have dealt with a few of the thugs and tells them plainly that the Redbrands need to be dealt with. She offers 100 gold coins if the adventurers manage to eliminate Glasstaff, the Redbrand leader. She also confirms that the base for their operation is under the ruin of the old Tresendar manor on the East side of town. 

A bit wiser for the day the party turns in for the night, deciding to try their luck against the Redbrands tomorrow. 

🛌Long Rest is had. 

Solo LMoP - 05. Return to the hideout

 Wounded as our adventurers are they still have at about 7 or 8 hours to travel, but now they at least have Sildar with them who - injured and tired but still strong-willed and very much annoyed by what overcame him - confirms the story the captive goblin has told them. He and Gundren have indeed been taken captive by the goblins and he hasn't seen the dwarf since then. He does however know that the map that Gundren had was a map that held the secret location of a place called the "Wave Echo Cave", where the mines of the Phandelver Pact must be. He hopes to find help for the group in Phandalin. A fellow agent of the Lords Alliance, a wizard named Iarno Albrek is located there and might have some information or aid for them. 

It is late in the evening when the group finally arrives at Phandalin. The flavor text in the book reads as follows: 

The rutted track emerges from a wooded hillside, and you catch your first glimpse of Phandalin. The town consists of forty or fifty simple log buildings, some built on old fieldstone foundations. More old ruins—crumbling stone walls covered in ivy and briars—surround the newer houses and shops, showing how this must have been a much larger town in centuries past. Most of the newer buildings are set on the sides of the cart track, which widens into a muddy main street of sorts as it climbs toward a ruined manor house on a hillside at the east side of town.
Sildar seems much more at ease.
“My friends,” he says, “let us secure lodgings. I’m told the local inn is very quaint.”

Without much argument, being tired and beaten the group brings the oxen up to the inn and procures food and lodging for the night. (for 8 silver each) They receive rooms and after a quick meal they all head to bed, sleeping for the night and finishing a long rest in that way. 

🌙Spells prepared Harbek: Command, Healing Word, Guiding Bolt, Sanctuary
🌙Spells prepared Quillathe: Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Shield, Sleep

The following morning the party and Silder reconvene in the common room of the Stonehill Tavern, where they have spent the night. Toblen Stonehill, the innkeep tends to their needs with a hardy breakfast and Silder repeats his request for the group to go and clear out the cave entirely. He will pay them 50 gold if they do so and will spend the day trying to find Iarno Albrek and - if possible - Gundrens brothers. 
It is not hard to convince the party to do as Sildar has requested. Especially Quillathe is very eager to diminish the Cragmaw-clan since they are responsible for desecrating the shrine of Oghma. Harbek wants revenge for the pain that has been inflicted on his cousin. Haunui and Drusa agree that to clear out the cave would be the right thing to do and Egart gladly joins, hoping for more loot to be had. 

They bring the wagon and the oxen to the local store where they are paid 10 gold each and also hear about Tharden and Nundro, Gundrens brothers who must be camping near the town according to Elmar Barthen, the proprietor of Barthen's Provisions. Since we are here anyway, let's check out Elmar's inventory and stock up for our party. 

💰Egart: 1 bag of caltrops, 1 bag of ball bearings and 8 rations
💰Quillathe: 1 healers kit and 10 rations
💰Drusa: 10 rations, 50 ft of hempen rope
💰Harbek: 6 rations
💰Haunui: Healer's kit and 4 rations

Sadly Elmar does not sell any healing potions, but with the healer's kits at least the group won't have a hard time stabilizing fallen comrades anymore. 

There are more locations they would want to visit but there is a bit of urgency for them to rush and deal with the Cragmaw-threat before the goblins receive reïnforcements so those visitis will need to be put on hold for now. 

Traveling back to the hideout, they would actually make it there quicker on foot, traveling at a fast pace they'd make it in under 5 hours. 

Now to do some math: By now the dead goblins would have been detected and there would have been some rearranging in the cave. Klarg would have dispatched a runner to King Groll but not have received any as off yet. He would however have taken care to put another sentry out, probably with the wolves as backup. So that would leave a single Goblin on the lookout near the kennel. But that resentful sentry would not do their utmost best, to keep an eye out, especially as she is being distracted by the hungry wolves. She prefers staying out of sight as much as possible, either loitering around the entrance area or sticking to the back of the kennel cave where she is out of reach from the beasts.

🎲1d2, 1=sentry in the tunnel, 2=sentry in the back: 2

So when our party of adventurers arrive at the cragmaw-hideout they don't see anyone and decide to enter stealthily, Quillathe leading the way and Harbek closing the ranks with a Light-pebble in his hand. 

🎲Stealth (DC 9), Quillathe +2: 1x

Already as the wizard is trying to enter the sound alerts the sentry in the kennels, she whistles loudly to warn the others, runs over and sets loose the wolves.  

Download full Battle Report (including all rolls and maps)

Rushing in quickly the party dispatches of the Sentry and most of the wolves, combining well-aimed arrows with a Burning Hands - spell cast by Quillathe. The last remaining wolf is seriously injured and poses no threat anymore. However, as the adventurers advance through the tunnel a tidal wave of water surprises them and washes most of them out into the clearing. Seeing a goblin spy on them from the bridge, Harbek quickly ushers his comrades up the steep slope that leads to the goblin den. 

The den is still reeking of death and no sign of life comes from there so the group carefully advances through the tunnel until they reach the bridge that spans the passage below. Crossing it they see another tidal wave wash past without doing any harm and quickly advancing they find the remainder of the goblins. Harbek, who has been taking the lead keeps himself up with his healing spells and together they manage to drive the last goblins into a final cave where they hear a booming voice usher commands. 

Here Harbek halts and, magically amplifying his voice he calls out: “Flee, Klarg! Flee now! We have come to collect your bones!”
Quillathe, taking her cue from that rushes up beside him and fills the air with the sound of soft, ominous music. 

A large wolf suddenly jumps out of the darkness ahead and grabs the dwarf by his throat. The beast quickly dies, Egarts arrow lodged in its eye and Haunui rushes forward to quickly stop the bleeding and stabilize Harbek. As Drusa en Egart step forward to face the leader of the goblins, all they hear is scrambling as a large, hairy shape followed by the last two Goblins climbs down a narrow chimney to the kennel and flees from the cave. Klarg and the Cragmaw Goblins here are defeated. 

As the book states I award each character 275XP, which means that they will level up whenever they finish another long rest. 

In Klargs cave the party finds a lot of stolen goods marked with the image of a blue lion, the symbol of the Lionshield coster, a merchant company that also has a trading post in Phandalin.

Klarg has left his treasure chest behind, in which the party find: 
600 copper, 110 silver, two potions of healing and a jade statuette of a frog with tiny golden orbs for eyes (worth 40 gold). The potions go to Quillathe and Egart, since they do not possess any way of healing themselves and Harbek, who has a love of stonework, takes the frog. 

🎲Inidividual loot on the three killed goblins, 3 x 1d100: 17, 29 and 86
🎲3d6 gold and 10d6 copper: 14 gold and 35 copper

Klargs Cave offers some shelter and since Harbek is unconscious for the next (🎲1d4) 2 hours, they get rid of the Goblin corpses, throw them in the den and make camp for the night. 

Solo LMoP - 04. Cragmaw Hideout

Last we left, our group of adventurers, led by a very grumpy Harbek were making their way through the woods along the trail the goblins left, following their tracks. It is after about half an hour, 10 minutes after the pit trap that they reach the edge of the forest and see the following, as stated by the flavor text in the adventure. 

Following the goblins’ trail, you come across a large cave in a hillside five miles from the scene of the ambush. A shallow stream flows out of the cave mouth, which is screened by dense briar thickets. A narrow dry path leads into the cave on the right-hand side of the stream.

Now at this point the characters have found Cragmaw Hideout, through they don't know the name yet. They are each awarded with 75XP.

Now, Harbek would stop his beating around the bush at this point and a silent discussion would ensue whether or not to advance. Of course they will try their luck in the end but this gives me a moment to consider my lone goblin from the first encounter. Having followed the party this far he now has to make a choice: he can either wait and attack them or try and warn his fellow goblins that lay in waiting near the cave entrance. I'll have him do a combination of both, giving off a warning when the characters are halfway through the clearing. The thicket that parts the stream from where the goblins are hidden looks (and is) impenetrable from this side so advancing directly seems the only option. A loud scream begins the fight. Only Quillathe, who speaks Goblin understands it, coming from the woods behind them: "Intruders! Intruders on their way!"

Download Full Battle Report (including rolls and maps)

From the thicket arrows fly but bounce off armor and shields as a group of goblins attacks. Rushing in with weapons drawn the party quickly cuts down two of them while the third rushes off into the cave, wheezing and drawing breath to shout for help. But Quillathe steps forward, blowing into a palm full of rose petals and muttering an arcane word and the breathing of the goblin calms suddenly and he falls onto his face, snoring softly. 

The goblin who ran away however came close enough to one of it's comrades that this second goblin would be within the radius of Quillathes sleep spell. Since she rolled for 22 HP of creatures to be affected and the fleeing goblin had only 9 left, the other one would fall asleep anyway (given that the max HP it could have would be 12). This secondary goblin however was standing atop a bridge that intersects the main tunnel of the cave. So it might be possible that he fell down. I'll roll a luck check for him, which is a straight d20. 1-10 means bad luck, 11-20 is good luck. 

🎲 Luck Check: 18 (good luck)
So the goblin would have fallen onto the bridge and not taken the tumble down into the tunnel. With 1 minute on the sleep spell Quillathe would quickly enter the tunnel, notice the sleeping goblin on the bridge with her darkvision (maybe a piece of rock he used to whet is teeth with tumbles down with a splash) and would quickly pull her own target out of the tunnel into the clearing where he would quickly be tied down by the party and taken back into the bushes to be interrogated. While doing so she would notice the sound of snarling dogs or wolves from a side-cave near the entrance. 

🎲Intimidation Harbek +3, advantage because of situation and aid (DC 10): 17 (success)

The terrified goblin tells the adventurers everything he knows. The party learn from him that Sildar and Gundren were waylaid by the Cragmaw-Goblins as ordered by their chief, a bugbear called King Groll who presides in the Cragmaw Castle. Quillathe would immediately inquire about it's location and learn that it is roughly 20 miles to the East in Neverwinter Wood. Gundren and a map that was found in his position have been delivered to Groll, while this part of the tribe is holding Sildar captive in the eating cave. Their local leader is another bugbear called Klarg. Also, the goblin mentions someone called 'The Black Spider', who seems to be involved in the proceedings around Gundren and his capture. The wolves are chained up near the entrance, they are Klargs pets. 

All of this is a lot of information, and the party will have to decide what to do with the Goblin, that is sniffeling an begging for his life. The party does know however that he might run away to warn King Groll if they let him live so they'll tie him up as good as they can and leave him at the edge of the forest to be taken to Phandalin where they hope to imprison him if possible (though Egart would prefer just to slit his throat). 

Unsure if this plan works out, we'll roll for the party's attempts to tie the goblin up and give him one attempt to wiggle out of his binds.

🎲Sleight of Hand, Egart +5, with advantage because of help: 16
🎲Dexterity Check, Goblin +2, with disadvantage because of restrained condition: 14 (fail) 

Finally I'll roll for individual loot again.

🎲3 x 1d100: 39, 44 and 26
🎲8d6 silver and 5d6 copper: 25 silver and 19 copper, divided as equally as possible.

With their quarry safely stored near the trail the adventurers move onwards to the dark entrance of the cave. Now the situation is this: They know that the eating cave, where Sildar is being kept is to the left of the entrance. But they also know that there is a sentry on the bridge (Quillate's spell would have faded by now). Also, it is dark inside and only Quillathe and Harbek have Darkvision. So either they need to take out the sentry before he can raise the alarm or they need to sneak in without any light, trying to make as little noise as possible. The other option would be using magic but Harbek does not have any spells prepared that would be useful in this particular situation. 
Quillathe might try Sleep again, which would probably work but that would render her incapable of casting any more spells until a short rest was had. However, failing in subduing the goblin would lead to more problems, so she will sacrifice her last spellslot for another sleep spell. 
To get to the goblin Quillathe will need to sneak past the side-cave containing the wolves again, and since they might come into play, let's get them some HP.

🎲HP Wolves, 2d8+2: 12, 11 and 10
🎲HP Goblin Sentry, 2d6: 7

Now, about the wolves. The flavor text reads as follows: 
Just inside the cave mouth, a few uneven stone steps lead up to a small, dank chamber on the east side
of the passage. The cave narrows to a steep fissure at the far end, and is filled with the stench of animals. Savage snarls and the sounds of rattling chains greet your ears where three wolves are chained up just inside the opening. Each wolf’s chain leads to an iron rod driven into the base of a stalagmite.

Now, the wolves only play a bigger part if a character comes into sight, which is not the plan for the moment.
The main passage from the cave mouth climbs steeply upward, the stream plunging and splashing down its west side. In the shadows, a side passage leads west across the other side of the stream. In the shadows of the ceiling to the north, you can just make out the dim shape of a rickety bridge of wood and rope crossing over the passage ahead of you. Another passage intersects this one, twenty feet above the floor.

Quillathe will sneak by and try to get to the goblin. 
🎲Stealth Quillathe, +2 (DC 9): 17 (success)
🎲Sleep, 5d8: 29
🎲Luck Check Goblin: 1
So Quillathe sneaks up quietly through the tunnel, blows a swirl of rose petals towards the bridge and the goblin softly drifts to sleep... before tumbling down and smashing into the lower tunnel 
🎲Fall Damage, 2d6: 11 

That kills the goblin outright, which is another way of solving the problem, to be honest... 

Now Harbek picks up a small pebble from the stream bed, covers it almost entirely with his fist and casts Light on it. He uses his fingers to control the amount of light the pebble sheds for the moment and guides the other three adventurers inside. Knowing the location of the eating cave to be to the west they would observe this passage and decide to climb it. With Quillathe keeping an eye out it would be up to Harbek to lead the way. 

Now the Western passage is chocked with rubble and has a ledge halfway through that will give way under a weight bigger than 100 pounds. Now, a dwarf cleric in full chain mail would definitely outweigh that so once Harbek is halfway up the slope, it comes tumbling down. 

🎲Dexterity-save Harbek, -1 (DC 10): 17 (success) 

Luckily Harbek avoids a nasty fall, grumbling something about not wanting another tumble today and climbs up to the passage above with the others following him as quickly as possible. 

Now at the top of this slope there is the entrance into the goblin den, with 6 of them being just inside. There are also fires burning here so there is a source of light which would enable Harbek to not have to keep up the light-spell. But, being this close to the goblins he will still need to try and keep quiet.

🎲Stealth check Harbek, -1 disadvantage (DC 9): 2 (fail)

So Harbek climbs up, his armor rattling and a voice in goblin shouts out something from inside the den after which a long-nosed, warty face pokes around the corner, eyes widening as it screeches a warning and the battle starts. 

Download Full Battle Report, including all rolls and maps

It is a hard fight fought. Having to scramble up the rubble-strewn slope the group finds itself welcomed by a hail of goblin arrows as the small monsters retreat to the back of their den. Drusa, pushing herself in front of her comrades is gravely injured and only saved by Harbeks healing magic the first time only for her and the dwarf both falling a moment later as the group advances on the goblins. Arrows and spells taking one goblin after the other the leader of the band suddenly grabs a bound figure by its hair and shouts: "Truce, or this human dies!". 
It is no one but Sildar Hallwinter, his face swollen by blows, wrapped up in ropes and within in inch of his life. But the old knight spits out a clot of blood and groans: "Don't trust him..."
Quickly rushing in Haunua, Egart and Quillathe manage to kill the last of the goblins, but not before Sildar has taken a sword to the throat. A few panic-filled moments pass as the still standing adventurers struggle to save the dying ones but finally it seems that Sildar, Drusa and Harbek will live, though they are unconscious for the moment. 

🎲1d4: 4 hours of unconsciousness for Harbek, Sildar and Drusa

🎲5d100 for individual loot on the goblins: 52, 30, 19, 24 and 47
            => 🎲8d6 silver and 15d6 copper: 31 silver and 49 copper, distributed as evenly as possible
On top of that Yeemik has 3 gold teeth (each worth 1 gold) and 15 silver. The silver is distributed but Egart pockets the teeth.

Now, with no means of healing the unconscious party members and knowledge of this goblin-bands chief still living and possibly nearby the party would need to resolve to quietly retreating from the cave. Now that the passage between the tunnel and the goblin dan has collapsed it is only rough terrain and with Haunui, Egart and Quillathe working together they manage to get the entirety of their party out of the cave. Since the Goblin Sentry has tumbled to his death I am not even rolling for Stealth here, they just manage to escape, carrying the unconscious members of their party one by one down the passage, then out of the cave, back to the trail and finally back to the cart. The entire process would take them about an hour and a half this time and by the time they come back the still very hurt wizard just sits down and refuses to do any more heavy lifting. 

It is up to Haunui and the halfling rogue to use the oxen to pull the horses out of the way, load the wounded onto the cart and hitch the beasts again. 

Finally, it is about three hours later that the party finally makes their way from the scene of the ambush and heads for Phandalin again. When the four hours have passed and Sildar awakes - along with Drusa and Harbek - he agrees with the choice made, a rest is needed for all of them.

One more thing to resolve: With all that has been happening Egart found a quiet moment to kill of the goblin captive they had left behind. Returning with the robes a bit more blood on his hands he just shrugs at his two companions and after the fight they had they all realize that he did what needed to be done. He does ask the party if they are willing to return tomorrow to clear out the caves and put a stop to the raids.