Solo LMoP - 15. Wave Echo Cave - Part 1

The time has come to enter Wave Echo cave. First, I want to tell you a bit about my history with this module. Feel free to skip, if you want to get to the game. 

I started playing Dungeons and Dragons about four years ago, when my wife and I saw that the local game store hosted a game that we could enter. We did and had so much fun we approached the DM and asked him if he wanted to run a game for us and a couple of friends. He did, and we player Lost Mines of Phandelver, with a few homebrew additions. When the pandemic hit, we had been on our way to Wave Echo Cave. Shortly thereafter a falling out between the DM and my happened and I left the group. They have not returned to playing since. 

By then I had been DMing myself as well and wanted to run an additional little campaign to ease the lockdown so I recruited some crazy actor-friends of mine and started on LMoP. We are still playing this game, over 60 session now and it has grown into a full homebrew campaign with lots of roleplay. But...they never went to Wave Echo Cave. 

About a year ago I tried solo-playing the adventure but my party was TPK-ed at Venomfang and I did not have the motivation to build a new one. 

So...this is the first time, since I started this module as a player four year ago that I actually make it to the last dungeon. Well...that's one less item on the old bucket list. And now, lets get on with the game. 

📕The entrance tunnel leads into a large cavern supported by a natural pillar of rock and containing three stalagmites. In the western part of the cave, behind the column of rock, are three bedrolls and a heap of ordinary supplies - sacks of flour, bags of salt, casks of salted meat, lanterns, flasks of lamp oil, pickaxes, shovels and other gear. Amid the supplies you see the body of a dwarf miner, dead for at least a week. 
The northeastern section of the cavern has collapsed, forming a ten-foot-wide, twenty-foot-deep pit. A sturdy hemp rope is tied off around a nearby stalagmite and dangles down the side of the pit, at the bottom of which is a rough-hewn tunnel heading northwest and east. 

Brandr has cast Light on his shield, because three members of the party lack Darkvision. From Gundren's descripition the group can assume that the dead dwarf is no one else than Tharden Rockseeker, Gundrens brother. There is no sign of Nundro anywhere here so the group - one by one and using the rope - descend into the pit. 

🎲1d6 for direction (even number: northwest; odd number: east): 2 (northwest)

📕This area consists of numerous intersecting passages, The ceilings here are only six feet hight and several of the passages end in partially excavated rock faces. 

🎲1d10 to determing an enemies location: 3 => Enemy placed at predetermined location 3

Exploring the tunnels: At each intersection, I'll roll 1d6, determining the direction as follows: 
- On a three way intersection, 1-3 equals left and 4-6 equals right. 
- On a four way intersection, 1-2 equals left, 3-4 equals the middle path, 5-6 equals right
After 10 rolls within the tunnels I roll to see if there is a random encounter.

Exploring, out of the tunnel the group comes upon an East-West intersection:
🎲5 => E, then N because the tunnel ends, party reaches a N/E intersection
🎲1 => N, after a few steps there is a E/W-intersection
🎲5 => E, after a few steps there is a N-E-intersection
🎲4 => E, after a few steps a tunnel branches off to the South
🎲4 => S, to an E/W-intersection
🎲3 => W, past a dead end to a N/S-intersection
🎲2 => N, to a door on the East Side of the tunnel

🎲Stealth Check, -2: 5 (failure against everyone's passive perception, the lowest being the fighters and Quillathe with 13)

The group, as they reach the door see how a large, amorphous shape starts moving slowly towards them from a tunnel up ahead Northwards.

🎲Perception Check Harbek +4 (DC 10): 24 (success)

Harbek hears crunching from behind the door, the party gets into position and tries to deal with their gelatinous attacker first. 

Download full Battle report, including maps and rolls here

The strange, ooze-like substance crawls closer. Drusa swings her axe at it but only manages to split it into two halves that attack her, one of them injuring her. But a few second later the jellies are reduced to a puddle of slime by the group. 

Wiping the sludge from their blades the group opens the door they found here, weapons prepared.

📕Old stone bunks in orderly rows line the walls of this chamber, and a corroded iron brazier full of old coals stands near the middle of the room. The bones of a half dozen dwarves and orcs lie strewn about, clad in scraps of armor. Three gray, hunched figures squat among the remains, pawing at the scraps and gnawing at the bones. 

Download full Battle report, including maps and rolls here

The creatures rush at the door and claw at Harbek and Drusa, injuring both of them. But as Brandr raises his shield with the holy symbol of Tempus on it, two of the ghouls turn around and flee and the last one is quickly dispatched by Harbek and Haunui. The group stands prepared as growling and snarling fills the corridors, getting louder and louder. 
"Should we run?", asks Quillathe but Haunui shakes his head. 
"They already know we're here, we can defend this place, lets not get cornered somewhere else. Both Drusa and him stand at one door, prepared for the attack. 

Download full Battle report, including maps and rolls here

There are eight of the undead monsters advancing from two sides through the corridors. They appear to have some intelligence and are even able to understand basic tactics. Their long, grimy claws rake at the adventurers and everyone that is hit feels the taint that they carry trying to get a grip on them. One by one the Ghouls are slain but the last one manages to paralyze Harbek with its filth and take a sizeable chunk out of his arm. It tries to flee with its food but a ray of icy energy from Quillathe takes it down. Drusa feeds the dwarf a healing potion and he is revived. 

Harbek, grasping at the symbol of his god sends a quick prayer to the stones below him and his wounds heal. The group is somewhat depleted, but with Harbek restored they feel that they can press on for a bit more or until they find a save location to rest. Having come from the door that leads back into the maze of mining tunnels they now choose the Southern door which seems to lead into a less confusing network. 

🎲Direction check, 1d6 (1-3: East, 4-6: South): 4 (South)

📕Many tunnels intersect at this natural, thirty-foot-high cavern. The walls are carved with simple reliefs showing dwarf and gnome miners hart at work. Below them, nearly two dozen skeletons in rusted scraps of armor are scattered across the cavern floor. Some are dwarf skeletons, while others are orc remains. Half a dozen large brass lanterns stand in niches or on ledges around the cavern, but none are lit. 

🎲Luck check to see if anyone checks the ceiling, 1d20 (DC 15): 1 (no luck)

Fluttering from above in the dark expanses of the cavern betrays the presence of small critters. It is natural for caves like this to house bats, so no one thinks twice about entering the cave, especially since the body of a ghoul seems to be lying dead on the floor, peaking curiosity. The creature had fled from the first fight at the Miners Barracks, why is it dead now. The group however gets no chance to investigate it as the fluttering becomes louder and many small shapes drop from the ceiling. Nine Stirges attack, hungry for more blood than the Ghoul could provide. 

Download full Battle Report, including maps and rolls here

The tiny monsters are disgusting and for a moment frightening because of their quantity. But they soon prove to be no more than a minor nuisance and are quickly dealt with. 

🎲History Check Harbek +4 (Stonecunning): 20 

Harbek, looking at the walls and the carvings in this cavern informs the party that this cave must have been very close to the original entrance to the mine. They talk amongst themselves for a while to decide in what direction they should head now. 

🎲Direction Check, 1d6 (1-3: East, 4-6: South): 1 (East)

📕Dense carpets of weird fungi cover large sections of the floor in this cavern. The growth includes puffballs a foot across, weird shelf fungus growing on stalagmites, and large stalks and caps a good five feet tall. Some of the puffballs glow with an eerie green phosphorescence. 

🎲Nature Check Quillathe +4 (DC 20, no proficiency and unfamiliar terrain): 11 (failure)

🎲Roll for marching order, 1d20 each: Drusa (19), Harbek (7), Haunui (16), Quillathe (1), Brandr (3)

Drusa enters the cave first, when the carpet of fungi that covers most of the floor releases a gas into the air. 
🎲Constitution Save +4 (DC 11): 7 (failure)
🎲damage, 3d6 poison: 12 and Drusa is poisoned for 10 minutes

Coughing and spitting Drusa climbs back out of the mushrooms. "We need to go another way.", she wheezes, spitting up a bit of sludge blood. 

🎲Harbek Cure Wounds, 2nd Level, 2d8+7: 11 HP healed => 23/34

Harbek mutters a few words while grabbing her arm and the wheezing gets a bit less rough. 
"Alright, South it is then.", Harbek mutters and the group returns to the Stirge-cave and head into the Southern corridor that quickly ends at a cavein. Two doors lead left and right. 

🎲Door, 1d4 (even number: West, odd number: East): 3  (East)

 📕This chamber was once an office or storeroom of some kind. A large stone counter bisects the room, set with three dusty, balance scales made of iron. Cubbyholes carved into the north wall are stuffed with dusty paper scraps. Several long-dead corpses - Gnomes and orcs by their look - are sprawled across the floor.

The party looks around and finds a locked iron strongbox. None of them are proficient with Thieves tools, but Quillathe uses a charge of her charm to become so and attempts to open the lock, receiving some Divine Guidance from Harbek. 

🎲Quillathe Thieves Tools check +4 +1d4 (DC 20): 28 (critical success, not that that gives her anything extra)

The box springs open and a small mountain of coins spill out that are divided equally among the adventurers. Since there is nothing else of worth here, they cross the hall and open the door there. 

📕Splintered stone benches and heaps of rubble from a partially collapsed ceiling fill this room. Amid ruined stone bunks and toppled weapon racks are the bones of several dwarves and orcs. 

The party enters the room to search it more closely, as the bones around them stir and come to life once more, picking up rusty weaponry to do battle one final time. 

Download the full battle report including all maps and rolls here. 

The skeletons do not frighten the group initially but soon it shows that the several battles they have fought in the mines already have weakened them. As the bonemen attack with surprising agility and hardiness the spells are depleted and wounds are left untended to. When all is over, Harbek collects his friends in the abandoned storeroom across the hall. They decide to rest here as they are all exhausted. They close the door as well as they can and huddle down to have some food and rest.

After about an hour of regaining their strength, they decide to carefully advance a bit further. Most of them wear armor that enables them to try and move stealthily, except for Harbek who will stay at the back of the group to try and not draw any unwanted attention. They return to the main entrance, ignore the fungal cave to their right and advance to the Barracks where they turn East. The hall turns left to the North and after finding an abandoned storage-room half-way down the passage they enter a great cavern. 

📕Steep escarpments divide this large cavern into three sections - high ledges at either end, and a lower section in the middle. Carved stone stairs climb up to the ledges. Two large tables stand in the middle section, along with a pair of old braziers. A smaller table stands on the eastern ledge. The skeletal remains of dozens of dead warriors - dwarves, gnomes, orcs and ogres - attest to the fireceness of the fighting that took place here long ago. 

Very carefully, Quillathe scouts ahead, being the only one able to see in the dark and not wearing loud, clanky armor. But even after a while of scouting, she finds no sign of life and the group explores the cavern. The smell here and the many gnaw-marks on the skeletons show that the ghouls that attacked them before must have been existing in this place mainly. Two tunnels lead Northwards, one leads back into the mines. 

🎲Exit: 1d6 (1-3: Western, 4-6: Eastern): 3 (Western)

The party head onwards and finds themselves at an turn to the East. In the Western Wall there is a solid looking door.

🎲Perception Check Quillathe +3 (DC 10): 8 (failure)
Quillathe listens at the door, but does not pick up anything. She tries it and it won't budge. It appears to be barricaded from the back. 

🎲Decision check, 1d6 (1-3, try and force the door open, 4-6, move on for now): 4 (move on)

The group decides that whatever is behind it is not worth making a lot of noise to draw attention and moves East into the next room. 

📕A blast furnace and a mechanical bellows powered by a waterwheel dominate this large chamber. The furnace is cold and dark, but heaps of coal are piled nearby, along with carts  full of unrefined ore. The waterwheel sits in a ten-foot-wide channel cut into the floor of the room, but the channel is dry. Passages exit to the west, south, and east. The empty channel exits to the north and east. 
More than a dozen withered corpses are scattered around the room. These slain dwarves and orcs are still wearing the remnants of their armor. Floating above them is a skull engulfed in green flame. 

As soon as the group enters the room that is dimly lit by green flame they hear stirring around them as some of the corpses start to move. 

🎲Stealth Checks (DC 12, need 3 successes to pass): Drusa -1 (19), Harbek -1, dis (2), Haunui +3 (20), Quillathe +2 (16), Brandr +0 (16) => Success

Quietly they back up through the hallway. In a whispered conversation they decide that they are not ready for an encounter with this creature

🎲Arcana-check Quillathe +6 (DC 14):21 (success)

Quillathe tells the party that the creature is very aptly named a Flameskull, a creature that has been created from the remains of a dead wizard by dark sorcerous powers. It pertains some spellcasting ability and with their reduces resources and powers the group are confirmed by this information in their decision to not engage. Instead of that they retreat and decide to try an map out the mines a bit more. 

🎲Roaming Monster Check, 1d20 (encounter on 17 or higher): 13 (no encounter)

They do so and find that the mines have several exit-points. One leads back to the cave where they found Gundrens cousin, another ends at the hallway between the barracks and the old entrance area. One leads directly to the western escarpment in the Great hall and a fourth one leads into a cave where an underground pool glistens in the magical light from Brandr's shield.

📕A still pool fills much of this cavern. The water is dark, revealing little of what might lie within. The shore of the pool consists of a thin layer of broken shells from strange, pale mussels, and a fishy odor hangs in the air. 
A passage leads south from this area, and a set of steps climbs up to the east. A sluggish stream flows out of the cave to the northeast. 

Not wanting to mess with possible submerged monsters, the party slowly retraces their steps back to the old storeroom where they can rest safely.

🎲Roaming Monster Check, 1d20 (encounter on 17 or higher): 7 (no encounter)

In the storeroom they roll some ancient barrels against the door. They eat some rations and make their beds and make a schedule for keeping watch, just in case before bundling up in their sleeping bags and resting, exhausted from the ordeals of the Wave Echo Cave, the strange, rhythmic thrumming, that has accompanied them since entering the mines, lulling them to sleep.

It is time for Brandr to level up as well, having exceeded the needed amount of XP by far. 

🎲HP, 1d8+1: 3 => Max HP 27

Brandr serves a War God but is seldom able to do damage with his weapons. He has been training though and takes a +2 bonus to his strength. Having seen Harbeks way of fighting and regretting that his go-to cantrip makes a lot of noise he will take Sacred Flame as a new way of dealing damage at a distance. 

And now, with the party at full strength, it is time to go into the last part of the adventure. 

Solo LMoP - 14. Homebrewing with the elements we have

 So, now our group has finished most of the module. We still have the green dragon and the final dungeon. But, our group, being five adventurers, is only level 3 now and I want them at least to be level 4 before entering Wave Echo Cave. Let's have a look at the elements and issues we have at the moment. 

XP: To get all of the party to level 4 they would need a total of 2700 XP. 

Opponents:
- Glasstaff is still on the run and that is certainly a threat I want to finish before wave echo cave.
- Vyerith, the doppelganger is still in Phandalin. She stayed behind with the goal to find out more about the mine. She needs to be dealt with as well
- The party has never encountered the Black Spider directly. The module does not make it so, but after finding messages about and from him everywhere it might be nice to have an encounter with him before the final fight. 

The Black Spider himself offers 450XP, but he won't be defeated now, at least I do not plan for that. 
Glasstaff and Vyerith however could team up for a total of 900 XP as well. In itself that is a manageable fight, but rather simple. So far the Spider has worked with bandits and goblinoids, with a few exceptions. So it might be nice to split the fight in two. 

So, there are two possible fights that we can run here. 

Glasstaff, backed up by 5 of his Redbrand Ruffians (which he recruited from a bandit tribe nearby) for a total of 700XP

Vyerith and possible 2 Goblins which would be just barely a deadly encounter. It's a lot but preferable to a dragon. However, a doppelganger is an ambush-monster and I would prefer Vyerith to have a bit of plotting and possibly a small dungeon just for herself. 

Another enemy the group never did fight was the owlbear, which is a fearsome foe by itself. And then there was the Grick that was very much anti-climactic. 

So, how about these encounters: 
Glasstaff + 5 Redbrands: 700XP
2 Grick: 900XP 
An Owlbear: 700 XP
And finally Vyerith as the endboss: another 700 XP
Total: 3000 XP, enough to bring everyone to level 4 in time for the final dungeon. 

Of course, I do not want to just reproduce the same monsters over and over again, so I will change the owlbear into something else with the same stats. I already found a nice picture of what I want it to look like. Now I need to make a map and string this story together. 

Two days later I have created an entire small sub-adventure that I'll playtest myself now. 

Download the adventure as I have prepared it here.

The sun is already low in the sky when the group reaches the Triboar Trail, travels for a few minutes to the West and finally takes a left turn to head to Phandalin on the smaller woodland path. They chat amongst themselves, looking forward to a decent meal at the inn after eight days on the road living from rations. 

🎲Determine marching order, 1d100 each: Drusa (31), Haunui (85), Harbek (11), Quillathe (52), Brandr (8)
Brandr is leading at the moment and his Passive Perception is 14, that beats the DC to notice the trap. 

Brandr stops and points to a thin wire that has been strung over the trail. Looking up the party notices a big net spread out between the treetops. As he points to it a figure steps into the road, wearing a familiar red cape. 
"Well, well.", Glasstaff says "We meet again. Kill them!", he shouts out as several ruffians step out of the underbrush and attack.

Download the full battle report, including all rolls and maps here. 

For a moment it seems that the battle will be over quickly as Haunui releases two arrows and hits the wizard. But then he disappears and the Redbrands rush in. It is a hard fight. Glasstaffs men are quick and handle their swords with a fierce determination, striking true many times. They position themselves well and spread out over the fighters and the group is forced to expand a lot of magic and ability to finally kill them off. Glasstaff attacks from the underbrush, using trees for cover and throwing magic missiles at the party. Quillathe tries to do the same but with an arcane shield her opponent manages to block her spell. He does retreat however, slowly. In a final blast of force he manages to knock Drusa unconscious before Haunui's arrow hits him square in the chest and pierces his heart. 

As silence falls around them the party searches the bodies. Spread out among the ruffians and Glasstaff they find a total of 76 gold and 41 silver which they divide amongst themselves. There is also a potion that they don't recognize. There is also the staff which Quillathe takes over. After spending the time to ritually identify the spell Quillathe tells the group that it is a potion of invisibility and hands it off to Haunui. Harbek in the meantimes spends a little more time to heal Drusa and Brandr. Then, the party heads down the road and about an hour alter they arrive in Phandalin. 

At Phandalin the group heads straight for the Stonehill Inn to ask for Gundren and Sildar. Sildar is nearby at the townmasters hall, waiting for Gundren as well, who has gone out on the walk he takes daily, looking to see if he can find his brothers. 

The group decides to make a quick round through town to report on their activities and finished missions. 

- Daran Edermath is pleased with the report about Old Owl Well and relieved that at least the undead have a master that does not seem to have ill intents. He will however listen closely to news from that direction. He has nothing to reward the characters with, but offers both Drusa and Haunui places in the Order of the Gauntlet which they will both consider for a while. 

- Linene Greywind has by now retrieved her wares from the Cragmaw Hideout and pays the party 50 gold as a reward. 
- Sister Garaele thanks the party for the information they have gotten for her from the banshee and offers them three potions of healing - the group now has 10 of them, 2 for each.
- When they return to Sildar he also pays them the promised 100 gold for clearing out the orcs from Wyvern Tor and after a meal - Gundren still has not returned the party goes to bed, tired from the day. 

The next morning they head to the shops first to spend some coin, refill their rations, Haunui's Arrows.
Haunui and Brandr buy breastplates and Drusa and Harbek get themselves sets of splint mail. There is little of use to buy for Quillathe here so she keeps her money for the moment being, enjoying her staff. 

When the group returns the Sildar they learn that Gundren has not returned last night and by now they also have learned that Vyerith has not been seen in a couple of days. The group asks around and hears that Gundren was last seen talking with some hooded person at the inn last afternoon. Elmar Barthens tells them he has seen Gundren this morning, when he came in to buy some rope, but he seemed distant and did not really respond a lot to Elmar. A farmer tells them he saw Gundren heading Southward into the surrounding wilderness. Nothing is in the South except more ruins of the original town of Phandalin. 

The party finds this very strange and decide to try and find Gundren. They head Southwards and try to find Gundren's tracks. 

🎲Investigation Check Quillathe, +5, adv (helped by the party)(DC 12): 18 (success)

🎲Survival Check Haunui, +3, adv (helped by Quillathe who uses her charm to gain proficiency in Survival as well) (DC 12): 17 (success)

The tracks lead them to a particular building. 

Only a few foundation walls remain of what must at one point have been some domicile or workshop. Thorny bushes cover most of the ruin. Inside the walls a part of the floor has collapsed and a dark hole of about eight foot in diameter leads vertically down into the earth.

The party quickly climbs over the walls and makes a way through the bushes to the hole where they use Haunui's rope to climb down into a subterranean tunnel. 

Through the hole in the ceiling only little light reaches down here. A bare tunnel with rough stone walls starts here and leads Eastward, curving around to the North.

In this party only Quillathe and Harbek have darkvision and the tunnel entrance is very dark. So Brandr, who does not rely on weapons a lot will take a torch and light the way. 

The space widens as you enter a dark cavern. Fallen pieces of rocks cover the floor and thick, grey cobwebs the size of sails sway softly in the breeze like curtains in the wind. A tunnel in the opposite wall is entirely blocked off by thick nets.

🎲Stealth Check denizen of first cave, +1: 5 (not beating anyone's passive perception)

Given the fact that the group carries a light, the inhabitant immediately attacks. 

A strange clicking sound from a dark corner alerts you as you enter the cavern. A moment later a large beast consisting of bleak, chitinous plates rushes at you on six thick, segmented legs while the two front ones lash at you, adorned with sharp ridges like the blades of jagged scythes.

Download full Battle report with all rolls and maps here

The battle is surprisingly short. As Drusa rushes in for the confrontation, Harbek lays a divine shield upon her. The spider's attacks miss and suddenly Brandr emits a bright light that hits the creature square in the abdomen, evaporation a chunk of its body so that with a well landed axe-blow and a final arrow it is quickly dispatched.

With Brandr's torch the group burns the webs in the North tunnel and quickly advance

The descending tunnel leads you into another cave, larger than the last one. The ceiling is higher here and the cave seems to have been cleared some time ago with most of the fallen rocks collected in piles. Tunnels opening up to the left an right of where you entered lead back Southwards. Against the far wall you can make out the remains of an seemingly abandoned campsite. A humanoid figure lies motionless in front of it.

"Gundren", calls Drusa.

A dark elf clad in black leather armor and robes emerges from the dark. A black staff with a carved spider on top he smirks at you. “We meet at last. It took me a lot of time and effort to lure you here so that I can deal with you… you don’t look like you’ll be worth it.” He makes a clicking sound with his tongue and from the tunnels behind you a similar sound is heard as two large, snakelike creatures with beaks and tentacles crawl into the cavern, hungrily snapping in your direction.

Download full Battle report with all rolls and maps here

The fight is bloody but short. The two Grick snap at the adventurers but their tentacled beaks do not manage to grab onto much for most of the time and they are quickly defeated when from the back of the hall suddenly the drow rushes and attacks, not with magic but with fists, dealing heavy blows to Brandr. But Quillathe makes the dark elf roll on the floor with laughter for a moment before Brandr, Drusa and Haunui are all upon him as Harbek runs to his cousin. Strange enough, as the group sees the Spider fall its body changes and warps into a nondescript blueish grey form with no real facial features.

🎲History Check Quillathe +3 (DC 13): 5 (failure)

None of them know what this creatures is, but Gundren is now awake and coughs as he is release from his binds. He tells the group that the Spider had met with a stranger creature here that could take the form of another. The monster had taken Gundrens from, dresses in his clothes and left the cave before.

🎲Stealth Check Real Spider, +3 (DC 14), adv (invisible): 15 (success)

The group quickly searches the lair but finds nothing of value besides a single ring of silver and amber they take from the dried out husk of one of the Scythe Spider's victims. They bring Gundren to the surface and make their way to the tavern where one of them runs to fetch Sildar. Together they talk. The Spider now has taken the map that Gundren had, but the Dwarf has memorized the route to the cave. He explains it to them and asks them to stop the Spider and find his cousins Nundro and Tharden. He has little gold, but he promises them a 25 gold cash reward each and a 10 percent share of the mine's wealth. The characters, sick and tire of the Black Spider, gladly agree. They decide to gear up for the trip to the mine and make their way there today. They rest briefly and depart in an Eastwards direction.

🎲Roll for encounter during the day, 1d20 (encounter on 17-20): 12 (no encounter)
🎲Roll for encounter during the night, 1d20 (encounter on 17-20): 9 (no encounter)

In the evening they reach the entrance of the mine, hidden in a fold of the Sword Mountains. They camp here and rest for the night, planning to enter the mine the next morning. 

All members of the party, except for Brandr reach level 4 this night.

Drusa:
The de facto leader of this group, Drusa has been relying heavily on her Greataxe, using her maneuvers to protect and strike true. 
🎲HP, 1d10+2 (reroll 1): 9 => Total of  34 HP
Since she is mainly relying on her weapons so far, she'll take an ability score increase of her Strength to 18. 
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything also suggests letting Fighters change maneuvers at this point. Drusa has never used her Commanding Presence and will therefore switch it out for the Riposte Maneuver. 

Haunui:

The Archer has so far benefited little from his subclass, only seldomly managing to roll 19 or higher. He hits often due to his fighting style though and has great versatility with his long ranger attack and his Hunting Sword, often using Flanking Maneuvers to get into an advantageous position.
🎲HP, 1d10+2 (reroll 1): 6 => Total of 37 HP
To give Haunui more opportunities to shine than only when he rolls high enoug, he'll take the Mobile feat, adding to his speed and making him able to quickly move away after attacking so that he can change to his bow if needed. 

Harbek
The Cleric has come back from being a front-liner and has focused a lot more on healing and the occasional crowd-control but using his warhammer where needed. 
🎲HP, 1d8+2 (reroll 1): 7 => Total of 37 HP
He learns an additional Cantrip and takes the Guidance cantrip for that. 
He will take an ability score increase to boost his Wisdom to 18, increasing the amount of healing he can do. 

Quillathe
The Wizard has been focussing more on trying to manipulate her opponents, but has been lacking ability to deal decent damage, having to rely on cantrips and her magic missiles spell for this. 
🎲HP, 1d6+2 (reroll 1): 6 => Total of 24 HP
She'll take a boost to her Intelligence, increasing her Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Modifier. 
She'll learn the Mind Sliver Cantrip that should go nicely with her manipulation magic.
She'll also learn Cromatic Orb, to give her an alternate option to Magic Missile and Crown of Madness to turn enemies into temporary tools. 

And so, the next morning the party enters the hidden cave entrance and descends into the depths of the Wave Echo Cave. 

Solo LMoP - 13. The Spider's Web

 I accidently deleted most of this post without being able to restore it. I will therefor need to quickly summarize what happened after the fight at Cragmaw Castle:
While still resting the group was attacked by a returning warband of Hobgoblins, accompanied by the prisoners the party let go. 

Download full Battle Report with all rolls and maps 

The battle was not too demanding and Quillathe got to use her Hypnotic gaze for the first time. 
After the fight the party rested, with Brandr leveling up to level 3. Quillathe, having successfully restored the shrine received a divine charm as a reward that will enable her to cast the "Borrowed Knowledge"-Spell three times without using a spell slot. The party also set the Owlbear free that was locked up in one of the towers and managed to stay out of its way as it headed for freedom.
The group returned to Phandalin without any problems and were paid by Sildar Hallwinter for their heroic deeds. Gundren, being weakened by his captivity needed some more rest before heading on to the cave and since all of them have other goals for the moment they decided on the following: 
They'll take a trip Eastwards to Wyvern Tor to check out if there are any orcs there still and drive them off or kill them (for Sildar and the town), then continue to Old Owl Well, a tower that Daran Edermath pointed them towards because of possible undead activity there. After a visit to Conyberry to ask a banshee a question for Sister Garaele the party will head back Westwards, possibly through Neverwinter wood and head to Thundertree for Haunui who wants to try and free that forsaken town. After that they will return to Phandalin to check back in with Sildar and their other quest givers. 

After an uneventful journey the party arrived at Wyvern Tor but did not manage to creep up unnoticed on the Orcs. And here we take back the Narrative. 

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Rushing out of the cave, alarmed by the scout out front there comes a group of Orcs, swinging large axes and accompanied by the hulking shape of an ogre. The fight is fierce, but the group has the benefit of distance so that they can finish off several of the orcs before they get to them. A well placed spell of Quillathe's puts the ogre out of action as it rolls on the floor, laughing hysterically for a while and after the Orcs' leader has been killed, the rest try to make a run for it but are quickly cut down. 

Each of the characters is awarded 250 XP for the fight as well as some perfume and coin that is divided equally amongst them. They spend a short rest here. 
Quillathe uses her Arcane Recovery to regain 2 1st-level spell slots, Harbek uses his Channel Divinity: Preserve Life to heal everyone back up to full HP.

The party then - it is still morning - uses a few hours to trek Northwards through the hills towards Old Owl Well, where they arrive in the afternoon. 

As you crest a low ridge, you spy the crumbling ruins of an old watchtower standing amid the rugged hills. The place is so old that the walls are only mounds of rubble enclosing a courtyard of sorts, adjacent to the broken stump of an old tower. A colorful tent has been set up in the middle of the courtyard, but no one is in sight.

As they come nearer, they smell the stench of dead and undead creatures start shambling out of the tower. But as they draw weapons a man in red robes exits the tent and inquires about their intentions. With no one serving any gods that strongly oppose undeath the group agrees to talk. The Necromancer introduces himself as Hamun Kost. He does not share much about his reasons to be here but when he finds out that the group has dispatched the Orcs to the South he tells them that he is doing research here and means no ill, as long as he is left alone. The group and he have no reason to fight each other and with the reason for the undead explained they leave Northwards in the direction of Conyberry.

40XP are awarded for each character. 

The group needs to camp out in the hills a few miles South of Conyberry when night falls. 

🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 16, no encounter
🎲Arcana Check Quillathe, +5 to see how much she knows about Banshee's (DC 14): 6 (nothing)

The following morning they travel to Conyberry.

🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 2, no encounter

At Conyberry, the party searches for a while until they find a trail leading them into Neverwinter Woods where, in a strange, woven domicile they encounter the Banshee Agatha. She is creepy and not very friendly, but with the silver comb that Sister Garaele has given them the party can easily win the Banshee over. She tells them what she knows about Bowgentle's spellbook before disappearing. There is no reason for this encounter to happen any differently than this. 

40 XP are awarded for each character again. 

After this somewhat anticlimactic day the group decides to head towards the ruins of Thundertree, traveling through the Neverwinter Wood. They head in a generally North-Western direction and camp for the night. 

🎲Encounter Check for the night, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 12, no encounter
🎲Encounter Check for the day, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 2, no encounter
🎲Encounter Check for the night, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 2, no encounter
🎲Encounter Check for the day, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 11, no encounter
🎲Encounter Check for the night, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 13, no encounter

Two days the group travels through the Neverwinter Wood, and for all the stories of its dangers, they are unimpeded by wandering monsters. It is the morning of the third day when they arrive at the outskirts of Thundertree.

The group is advancing on Thundertree from a generally South-Eastern direction. There are multiple possible entry points into the ruins of the village: 
🎲Entry point, 1d6 (1: North-East, 2: East, 3 or 4: South-East, 5: South, 6: South-West): 1 (North-East)

Having met the Neverwinter River and having camped there during the night the party follows the broad, green stream as it flows towards the West and after about an hour's travel they see the first shapes of building emerge from the underbrush. Before them lie the ruins of Thundertree. 

Gradually, the trail becomes an old, overgrown lane winding between dilapidated buildings choked in vines and brush. Ahead of you, in the middle of the settlement, rises a steep hill, upon which stands a stone tower with a partially collapsed roof and an adjoining cottage. A dirt road hugs the base of the hill and wends its way between old stone houses, many of which are roofless ruins with interiors open to the weather. Other buildings appear more or less intact. The whole place is eerily silent.

Rather close to the river stand the former barracks, the first building they encounter. 

The barracks appears to have weathered the years better than most buildings in town. Its rooftop features a simple battlement, and arrow-slit windows confirm that it was built to serve as a small keep in times of emergency.

Haunui has only faint memories of the place, but when they turn around the corner they find themselves on the former village square. 

On the east side of town, the lane opens up to form a small square. Several ruined buildings surround the south side of the square, but a larger, intact structure to the north looks like a barracks. One lane leads southeast, another heads southwest around the hill in the middle of the town, and a third way meanders north. In the middle of the square, leaning to one side ever so slightly, is a weathered wooden statue of a warrior clutching a spear and shield.

🎲History Check Haunui, +2, adv (born in this town)(DC15): 16 (success)

Almost intuitively Haunui's lips form the name "Palien" when he sees the weathered statue, then he walks over to the barracks.
"I don't know what awaits us in this town, but this here seems like a good place to start, it's sturdy and might serve well as a location for a base camp of sorts.", he suggests. But when he tries to open the door, it does not budge immediately. It is swollen with the moisture of many years and needs some convincing. 

🎲Strength Check Haunui +2 (DC 10): 7 (failure)

Somewhat ashamed Haunui steps back. "A little help here?" he asks, and tries again, backed up by Drusa: 

🎲Strength Check Drusa +3, adv (help from Haunui) (DC 10): 15 (success)

The door bursts open and for a moment Drusa and Haunui see only the darkness of the interior of the old barracks, then a shape on the floor stirs and rises up. 

"These are the undead!", shouts Haunui, drawing his Sword. "Be gone from my home, vile creatures!"
And he rushes inside to fight the zombies that shamble to their feet. 

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The undead resist the party's attempts to slay them for a while, but they are more an annoyance then a threat for my weathered adventurers. They emit strange bursts of ash when they enter combat that makes the eyes water, but it was not a big bother to anyone. 

The party searches the barracks but finds nothing of use. The building however seems to have weathered the erosion of time well enough. They collect the corpses of the ash zombies and, not wanting to leave them out in plain sight they take them to the next buildings that have largely collapsed where they stack them up. 

🎲1d10 / 2 to see who get's the wrong ruin first (1: Drusa, 2: Haunui, 3: Harbek, 4: Quillathe, 5: Brandr): 3 => Harbek
🎲Stealth Check +5: 5 => failure to surprise Harbek.  
🎲4x 1d100 (rounded up) to see how far away the others are: Drusa (50), Haunui (90), Quillathe (75), Brandr (85)

As Harbek throws down one of the destroyed zombies into the ruins of another house he suddenly hears rustling in the dried out bushes around him and calls out to his friends, just before he is jumped by many tiny creatures that look like they were made out of thin twigs and anger. 

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It is a short battle in which the small blight scratch up Harbek rather badly before they are all quickly dispatched. The group returns to the barracks to decide what to do now. Haunui wants to explore more, knowing that Mirna's family's Herbalist shop is nearby and wanting to explore a bit more. 

🎲Stealth Check +1 (DC 14): 5 (failure)

As the group is talking they hear noise outside again and rush to a window just to see a man quickly rushing away Southwards in the direction where they just fought the blights. The group is suspicious and keeps an eye out but when the man does not return they leave it be for the moment, deciding to head to Mirna's shop where after a quick search they do indeed discover the necklace with a beautiful emerald pendant. Haunui pockets it for now, explaining that he intends to return it to her, since they have plenty of money as is. 

From the herbalist's shop the group can clearly see the tower as well as the huge spider-webs covering a part of the road below it. There also is a building to the South-West, a former smithy that looks largely intact as well as the building in the South-East where the man fled to, apparently an old farm-house. These are three possible locations they could explore next. 

🎲1d6 / 2 (1: Spiderwebs, 2: Smithy, 3: Farmhouse): 3 => Farmhouse
🎲Cure Wounds on self, Harbek, 1d8+6: 14 (back to full health)

The characters approach the house and knock on the door. Eventually the door is opened an inch,

reluctantly by a man in dark robes. He asks what the characters want and Haunui introduces himself as. He tells the man that he grew up in Thundertree and has now returned to free it from the zombies and make it suitable for human inhibition again. 
🎲Persuasion Check Haunui -1 (DC 15 for some success, DC 20 for total success): 12 (failure)
The man who has opened the door does not seem conviced and tells Haunui to shove off before slamming the door. The group, not having a reason to think these people anything else but rude settlers with some dark past leave it be for the moment. If Thundertree is freed they can still try and talk to these ruffians about how to continue now. 

The group heads to the old Smithy, that is the nearest building. The door is swollen and barred as well, so Drusa and Haunui try to force it open together. 

🎲Strength Check Drusa, +3, adv (assisted check)(DC 10): 21 (success)

The door splinters and falls inward. Two slumped shapes inside this abandoned smithy slowly rise to their feet and attack. 

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The battle is short and within seconds the Zombies are destroyed. Harbek and Brandr, who breathed in the choking Ash that evaporated from the monsters' bodies are coughing for a while but manage to pull themselves together with no lasting harm done as it seems. The Smithy itself is intact, but there is nothing of use for our party here and they leave quickly. 

🎲NPC Stealth Check +1 (DC 14): 14 (success) => not noticed by the party

The group moves Northwards to investigate and if possible remove the large webs. 

🎲Monster Stealth Check +7: 24
🎲Perception Checks Haunui +3 (9) and Brandr +4 (13)

The group does not see any creature that might have left those webs behind and decide to investigate. There are multiple ways they can do this, ranging from stupid to smart. None of the characters is proficient in Nature. 

🎲Quillathe Intelligence Check to make a plan +3, adv (assisted check), (10 for some success, 15 for more success, 20 for complete success): 11 =>some success

As the group talks about how to go about removing these webs, they decide not to touch them directly since they might be sticky. Instead of that, they pick up large branches and try and poke apart the webs. 
As they do so, a skittering becomes audible and two monstrously large spiders emerge from inside the building, attacking the group. 

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The to enormous beasts spit webbing at the party but Drusa stands in front of everyone, takes two venomous bites and slays one of them with a single blow of her axe while the rest of the group pelts the other creature with spells and projectiles until it tries to run and is brought down by Quillathe and her magic missiles. 

The group slowly and carefully cuts away the remaining webs and makes its way into the building. Here they find, entangled in more webs the dried out husk of the spider's last victim. The group lays the dead elf to rest and take the gold and potion he carried. 
After the burial the group reconvenes at the barracks and takes a short rest. 

With that out of the way the group debates whether to have a look at the tower or not. It is the highest vantage point they could get and probably a better base than the barracks. They head towards the tower, but as they start to climb the path up to the tower a grey squirrel emerges from the bushes and turns into the druid Reidoth. He warns them that a green dragon has taken over the tower, a fearsome beast that is not to be underestimated. 
Reidoth ushes the group along the road to the South-Western part of town where he informs them about the state of the town. There are ash-zombies locked up in the sturdier buildings that he has not yet dealt with and the overgrown ruins are infested with Twig Blights. He is overjoyed when he hears of Haunui's plans to return the town to its former state. Reidoth does not know what the people in the Eastern part of town plan but they have been lurking around the dragon's tower. Reidoth would very much like to see the town freed of the monster, but he doubts if the group will be able to slay her. 

Now this is a moment where some consideration is needed. Slaying a dragon at 3rd level is nearly impossible, and even reducing it to 1/2 health as the adventure states you should is a very unlikely situation. The group however might consider trying to do this if they have backup, so they will possibly talk with the dragon cultists or ask Reidoth to back them up. There is no statblock for him and the statblock for a standard druid offers neither offensive nor healing spells which is why I deem it rather useless here. Also, a green dragons breath will reduce each of our characters to 0 HP in an instant with no healing that will be the death blow. 

Reasoning from the characters point of view I also don't think they would think themselves capable of defeating a dragon, especially since Reidoth does describe its capabilities. Haunui is the one with the most motivation to clear out the town, but it is not necessarily something he needs to do today. He'd rather come back another day once he has become stronger and live instead of fighting now and dying before achieving his end-goal. 

The group returns to Reidoths house and talks about the situation. They decide on two things: They will clear out the zombies and blights today and then head to the people in the farmhouse and talk about the dragon, trying and gaging what their point of view is and if they would back them up. 

So from Reidoths house they head to the location he has described to clear out the pests that infest Thundertree. First, they leave his house to clear out the twig blights that infest the cottages North and East of it.

Blighted Cottages, Download full Battle Report here

The Brown Horse, Download full Battle Report here

Blighted Farmhouse, Download full Battle Report here

Clearing out the three location proves no challenge at all. The group is a bit scratched up but have easily managed to defeat over a dozen of the little plant monsters and four shambling ash zombies in the former inn. There is nothing of value for them so they decide to spend the night at the Barracks to rest up. They talk about their plans and eventually it is Brandr who takes a spell scroll from his backpack and starts to read it out loud. For a moment his eyes flash bright orange and then he turns to the group and says calmly: "I serve a god of war and combat, a god who wants me to use my powers for battle and heroism, to defeat the dark creatures that roam this world."
"So?", asks Harbek. 
"He says, we should not go and try to confront the dragon.", states Brandr, as the Augury-Scroll crumples in his hands. 

That settles it. The next morning the group packs their things, ask Reidoth to keep an eye out for both the dragons and the people in the farmhouse and leave, promising to return as soon as they can. Deciding that they do not want to let Gundren wait any longer, that they want to report about their finished quests and that Thundertree is save enough for the moment - if you don't count the dragon - they depart in a Southern direction along the edge of the Neverwinter Woods. 

🎲Encounter Check for the day, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 15 (no encounter)
🎲Encounter Check for the night, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 5 (no encounter)
🎲Encounter Check for the day, 1d20 (Encounter or 17 or higher): 5 (no encounter)

As the sun sets on the second day, after an eventless journey the group returns to Phandalin, where they have left Gundren, Sildar and - unbeknownst to everyone - a doppelganger. 

Solo LMoP - 12. The Battle for Cragmaw Castle

Knowing that it is probably just a matter of a few minutes at most before the inhabitants of the castle are all on alert and coming after them, the group rushes in a circular movement around the Northern side of the castle and - weapons drawn - attack from the front, prepared for open battle. 

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As soon as the party storms onto the balcony in front of the ruin they are greeted by a hail of arrows from slits in the two towers flanking the crumpled gate. Inside they find an outstretched hall with many doors. Goblins and Hobgoblins push through them, firing arrows and poking with their swords at the bellies of the adventurers. More and more join the fray as they are alarmed and for some time all the group can do is keep them at bay. Quillathe fires several Sleep-spells into the adjacent rooms, controlling the influx of goblinoids. Brandr and Harbek keep their comrades standing while sending spells at the enemies. In the end it is Haunui who gets through the defenses of his opponents and kills the first Goblin with a jab of his new hunting sword and the killing begins. One by one the enemies fall but more are coming in. A monstrous, tentacled snake-creature, a Grick, crawls through a door in the eastern part of the room but triggers a cave-in that crushes part of its body and makes it easier to be dispatched before it could do any harm. Quillathe falls under the hail of arrows but is quickly revived by Haunui and Harbek and together they finally manage to gain victory. Most of the goblinoids lay slain but they disarm and tie up three of them that are still under the influence of a sleep-spell. They push gags in their mouths and retreat into one of the smaller chambers, panting and bleeding. Harbek asks them to keep their ears open while he sinks down on his knees and prays to Marthammor Duin in gratitude for their survival and pleading for his help
🎲Prayer of Healing, 2d8+7: 9 (unbelievable...) HP healed to everyone.

With my knowledge as a DM I know that not all monsters in Cragmaw Castle have been slain. The ones remaining will however need to investigate first. I'll roll to see in what room they'll see the adventurers. 

🎲Roll for room, 1d12 (skipping 1 and 10 on the map): 3 => Archer post 
🎲Stealth Check opponent +6: 9 (failure against everyone's passive perception)

As the group is picking up their arms to investigate the castle, they hear metal shifting in the hallway and as they quickly open the door they see a large, furry figure hunched over the corpse of one of the hobgoblins, spying into the main entrance. It's a huge, grey-furred bugbear, whose eyes quickly shift from the dead, glancing over the tied up goblinoids and finally fixating on the adventurers. He roars in frustration and anger and tries to get away from the group that has slain his entire tribe. 

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The group chases the fleeing Bugbear through the castle to a door where he makes his stand, supported by a snarling pet wolf. Soon he bleeds from many wounds when he is hit from behind and sinks to his knees as a woman in simple, but refined clothes smashes a st0ol on his head. The blow cracks his skull and the party quickly disposes of his wolf as well, while the woman, whose face and arms are covered in bruises, backs up against the wall, panting. 

The group pushes into the room and Harbek shouts out: "Gundren!" as he runs over to a slumped figure in the corner. Drusa immediately turns to the woman and informs if she is alright. As soon as they are convinced that Gundren lives, the others (except for Harbek) join in the conversation. 

🎲Deception Check Vyerith, +6, adv (Read Thoughts): 21
🎲Insight Check Brandr, +6: 12

🎲Harbek Cure Wounds => Gundren, 1d8+6: 14 => healed to max HP

The woman introduces herself as Vyerith, a woman from Triboar who was traveling towards the High Road when she was ambushed by the Cragmaw Goblins. She claims to be a traveling fighter, specialized in unarmed combat and on her way from town to town, wrestling for coin. She is impressed by the characters' skill in combat and requests that she may join them for a while until she can get to a town. The group tells her that they are based in Phandalin and she expresses her interest to get there. They all agree that they'll take her with them. 

In the meantime, Harbek heals his cousin. Gundren is extremely grateful for his rescue but immediately asks if they have found his map and if Sildar is alright. A relieved smile spreads over his face when he hears the good news about his friend. Vyerith points the group to Groll who, according to her had shoved a piece of parchment into his pocket, before leaving to investigate.  And indeed, they find the map in his possession. The group, joined by Vyerith then continues to search the entire castle for treasure. 

They find: 
- Sildar Hallwinters chain mail and longsword
- a small cask of Dwarven Brandy
- a beautiful quarterstaff engraved with feathers (worth 10g)
- a gold statuette of a sun elf (worth 100g)
- golden ritual implements (worth 330g total), which Quillathe takes for the shrine
- three potions of healing, going to Harbek, Haunui and Vyerith
220 silver-pieces and 160 electrum-pieces, divided among the party, Vyerith takes 30 electrum

The group hears terrible roaring, hooting and scratching in the South-Eastern tower.
🎲Quillathe Nature Check +3 (DC 13, 10+CR): 11 (failure)
Not knowing what waits for them inside the tower, the group decides to investigate carefully. But when they open the door they see a large, angry owlbear that immediately charges for the door. 
🎲Who's first at the door, 1d10÷2 (1: Drusa, 2: Harbek, 3: Haunui, 4: Quillathe, 5: Brandr): 4 => Quillathe
🎲Secondary Nature Check Quillathe, +3 (DC 10): 13 (success)

Quillathe, realizing the creature just wants to get out, having been barred and locked inside a building, jumps aside and calls out to the others to make way. 
The roaring animal pushes its way through the door and, ignoring the party, makes its way out of the castle to freedom. 
🎲Perception Check Brandr +4 (DC 15): 20 (success)
When looking inside the room the party finds a hidden chest containing 90 electrum-pieces, 120 gold-pieces, one more potion of healing and two spell scrolls (Silence and Revivify). 
The money is divided (only among the party), the potion goes to Brandr and the spell scrolls to Quillathe (Silence) and Harbek (Revivify).

Quillathe has taken the relics to a room in the Northern part of the castle where the Goblins have defiled a shrine dedicated to Oghma, Mystra, Lathander and Tymora. She starts cleaning it and putting the relics they found back on the altar. While she does so in quiet contemplation, the rest of the group and Vyerith decide to spend the night in the castle to heal up. They clear out the corpses and throw them outside in the woods for the wild animals to devour, then they make camp in the driest part of the castle. The three captive goblinoids are released into the woods, having been shown the defeat of their tribe. Vyerith, seemingly very tired, quickly falls asleep and the rest of the group rests and bandages their wounds. Quillathe refuses their help gracefully and - when the shrine is cleansed - she sinks on her knees and prays. 

Solo LMoP - 11. The Search for Cragmaw Castle

The next morning the party wakes up and gathers at breakfast in the Stonehill Tavern, where they discuss their agenda. After yesterday they would all agree that their priority should be to try and find Gundren. They have a general idea of where the castle is located since they questioned one of the goblins at the Cragmaw hideout. Chances are that they come upon a patrol of the tribe's goblins when they get near and that might help them pinpoint the exact location. 
Before they leave, Haunui heads to the Lionshield Coster to buy a shield and Harbek heads to Qelines house where he lays copper coins on Egarts eyes and says a prayer that will keep his body from decomposing for the foreseeable future. (Casting Gentle Repose as a ritual) This should give his aunt the time to set up a proper funeral and inquire about his mother. 

Then the party says their goodbyes to Sildar and heads North towards the Triboar Trail.
🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter on 17-20): 4 => No encounter
🎲Weather (3x 1d20 for each condition): Temperature (7: normal), Wind (6: none), Rain (9: none)

It is a pleasant journey as the sun is warm and the travel goes along the road. The group travels about 15 miles along the road and then turns North and head into the hilly grassland that separates them from Neverwinter Wood. They camp not too far from the forests edge. 
🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter on 17-20): 14 => No encounter

The group spends a quiet night of rest (Consuming a ration each) and in the morning they talk about what to do now. The description they had was that the Castle was in Neverwinter woods, roughly 20 miles East from the hideout, but the exact location is a riddle to them so far. But it cannot be very far in, so they will need to head in there and hope that they either find the castle or hit a patrol. 

🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter on 17-20): 15 => No encounter
🎲Weather (3x 1d20 for each condition): Temperature (11: normal), Wind (12: none), Rain (5: none)
🎲Investigation Check Quillathe, +5 (DC 20): 20 (success)

The group heads into Neverwinter Woods, leaving behind the beaten trails and wandering between the ancient trees of this outstretched woodland. The sounds of birdsong from above and now and then the cracking of a branch under their feet surround them in this world of shadow and light. Soft leaves cover the ground under their feet. It is halfway through the day when Quillathe, who has kept her eyes to the ground points out a set of footprints at the edge of a murky pool. The size and form appear to be similar to goblin feet. They have found a trail. Haunui inspects the area and starts to lead the party in an attempt to follow the trail. 
🎲Survival Check Haunui +3 (DC 15, soft, natural floor but it's been dry and the tracks were made by small creatures): 12 (failure)

Haunui tries to follow the tracks but eventually loses them in an area with little moss. As the afternoon is nearing its end the party makes camp for the night. 

🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter on 17-20): 7 => No encounter

The party sleeps somewhat uneasy with the strange sounds of the woods around them but awake the next morning rested. (Consuming a ration each)
🎲Direction they travelled, 1d6 (1: N, 2: NE, 3: SE, 4: S, 5: SW, 6: NW): 6 => Northwest
🎲Weather (3x 1d20 for each condition): Temperature (1: normal), Wind (3: none), Rain (17: light rainfall) 🎲Amount of rain, 1d6x4: 3 => 12 hours of light rain

A soft rain has started falling. In the early morning-hours the tree-tops keep most of it at bay, but as the day continues and the canopy becomes drenched more and more moisture drips down onto the adventurers, slowly soaking into their clothing. 

🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter on 17-20): 10 => No encounter
🎲Investigation Check Quillathe +5 (DC 20): 18 (failure)
🎲Direction they travel in, 1d6 (1: N, 2: NE, 3: SE, 4: S, 5: SW, 6: NW): 4 => South East

Quillathe leads the group back, trying to find the trail they had lost yesterday but at the end of the day the only tracks they run into are their own. Frustrated and tired they bed down for the night.

🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter on 17-20): 20 => 🎲Encounter table, 1d12: 6 (Hobgoblins) => 🎲Amount, 1d4+2: 6
🎲Who is on watch, 1d10/2 (1: Drusa, 2: Haunui, 3: Harbek, 4: Quillathe, 5: Brandr): 4 => Quillathe

🎲Stealth Check attackers, +1, disdavantage because of armor (DC 13): 12 (failure)

In the middle of the night Quillathe suddenly calls out as on her command the campfire burns brighter again: "Wake up, we're under attack!"

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It only takes a few seconds. From the dark there are arrows shooting, released by red-skinned humanoids in heavy armour. The Hobgoblins quickly drop their bows and rush in, swinging longswords, but three of them are sent to sleep by Quillathe and the others are swiftly dealt with. The group leaves one of them alive and searches all of them, finding some coin and a very bad sketch of what apparently is supposed to represent Harbek's face with a note attached: 

25 gold pieces for this one

The party attempts to interrogate the surviving Hobgoblin but the creature keeps its teeth clenched together, only opening its mouth to insult them in Goblin and demand an honourable death. 

The party talks about how to deal with this and decides to purposefully tie her up in a way that she will be able to escape so that they can follow the footprints in the soggy ground in the morning. 
🎲Deception Check Drusa, +2: 12
🎲Insight Check Hobgoblin, +0: 11 (Drusa succeeds)

The party ties up the creature and tells her that they will decide her fate in the morning before going back to sleep, their weapons at the ready and keeping a guard up all night that does pretend to have a hard time staying awake. The party finishes a long rest and awakes in the morning to find the Hobgoblin gone. (One ration consumed by each of the partymembers)
🎲Direction they travelled, 1d6 (1: N, 2: NE, 3: SE, 4: S, 5: SW, 6: NW): 1 => North
🎲Weather (3x 1d20 for each condition): Temperature (1: normal), Wind (9: none), Rain (3: none)

The party gathers their belongings and decides to follow the tracks that are not too hard to see in the softened forest floor after a day of rain. 
🎲Survival Check Haunui +3 (DC 10): 18 (success)
🎲Encounter Check, 1d20 (Encounter on 17-20): 9 => no encounter

With Haunui in the lead the party follows the tracks Southwards for about two and a half hours until they see clear paths trampled through the underbrush by many armoured feet over a longer period of time. They are nearing the castle, and these must be the paths made by the patrolling groups of goblinoids. 

The party tries to find a quiet place to discuss what happens now. A stealthy approach would be preferable but three of them are wearing loud and noisy armour that will make it hard to get close undetected. They can either go in for a frontal assault or hope that nightfall makes it easier for them to approach undetected. Haunui offers to try and attempt to get closer, but not without the rest of his group waiting within earshot. Quillathe also informs the group that this castle is the location of a shrine to Oghma that she intends to cleanse. She understands that rescuing Gundren is the first priority, but if possible, she wants to try and clear out the Goblins. A peaceful solution will only work for her if the Cragmaws give up the castle, which she believes unlikely.

They advance slowly and carefully as they see crumpled stone walls emerge behind the trees. The castle is more of a ruin than a fortress. 

Given their travels the group advances from the North and slightly East. 

While his friends wait behind a few bushes Haunui tries to get closer as softly as he can. 

🎲Stealth Check Haunui +3 (DC 5, no one is paying attention on this side of the castle): 12 (success)
Haunui creeps closer to the North-Eastern tower and, hearing voices speaking what sounds like Common from inside he leans against the castle wall under one of the arrow slits and attempts to listen in. 
🎲Perception Check Haunui +3 (DC12 for some succes, DC 18 for total success): 10 (failure)
He hears at least two voices but cannot make out much of the conversation. 
🎲Direction Haunui goes from here, 1d6 (even=West, odd=South): 6 (West)
Making brief eye-contact with his compatriots Haunui skirts along the wall and around a big pile of rubble along the Northern side of the ruin. 
🎲Perception Check Haunui +3 (DC15): 5 (failure, he does not notice anything)

Haunui sneaks onward to the next tower, the third one along the Northern Side of Crawgmaw Castle. 
🎲Stealth Check Haunui +3 (DC9): 5 (failure)
As Haunui shirks around the next pile of rubble he dislodges one of the pieces of stone that tumbles down with a lot of noise. 
🎲Dexterity/Initiative Checks Goblins vs Haunui: Haunui +3 (11), Goblin +2 (8) => Haunui moves first. 

Haunui quickly looks around and then jumps behind a bush, kneeling and trying to hide himself from view. 
🎲Stealth Check Haunui +3: 6

🎲Perception Check Goblin, -1: 9 

Now, the goblins quickly climb up to one of the arrow-slits and spy Haunui shuffling away behind the bush. They would not directly attack, but instead raise the alarm. They'd back away from the arrow slit and rush to get help. They cannot go directly to their leader, since he is currently preoccupied and would not take kindly to them disturbing him, but instead they'd go and get help from their congeners in the hope to ambush the man outside. I'll treat this like initiative, with each round allowing a few things to happen. 

First, the goblins decide on what to do and spend one round to do so. 

Haunui in the meantime will try to figure out if he has been seen. 

🎲Stealth Check Goblin, +6: 9
🎲Peception Check Haunui +3: 4 (failure)

So Haunui does not know yet if he has been seen or not. He did not spy the goblin peering out, because it is much darker inside the ruin than outside. 

Now ("second round") some of the Goblins rush through the castle to get help. The one that is remaining behind tries to get a look at Haunui without revealing himself.
🎲Stealth Check Goblin, +6: 7 
🎲Perception Check Haunui, +3: 19 (success)
So now Haunui knows he has been found out, or can at least assume he is. That will however be his action, so he'll move his entire speed away from the tower, trying to get distance between himself and whoever saw him. He stays visible for this moment but tries to give the impression of fleeing. 
🎲Deception Check Haunui -1: 5
🎲Insight Check Goblins -1: 18
Very unconvincingly uttering things like "Oh no, what ever shall I do" and "Good grief, I must flee to get away", Haunui backs into the trees.
Next, the goblin who had gone for backup arrives at his destination and needs to convince a bad tempered cook to spare him some of his assistants for defending the castle:
🎲Persuasion Goblin -1 (DC 10: Moderate success, DC 15: Full success): 16 => Full success
Several Goblins are sent with him to back him up. This does however take a total of two turns while Goblins run and get their weapons. 

In the meantime, Haunui tries to get out of the way and hide in the forest. 
🎲Stealth Haunui +3: 15
🎲Perception Goblins -1: 18

Despite Haunui's best attempts the Goblin observing him still manages to get at least the general direction of where he is traveling. Haunui returns to the group quickly, informing them that he has been seen. They need to think fast and decide what to do, since now the Goblins are probably coming after them. They do not know from where to expect them, so the entire group backs up to get some distance and try to keep quiet. 
🎲Group Stealth Check (DC 9): Haunui, +3 (17), Drusa -1, disadvantage (6), Harbek, -1, dis (14), Brandr +0, disadvantage (12), Quillathe +2 (3, natural 1) 
            => 3 successes, 3 failures (nat 1 counting double), even chances. Average is 10 (rounded down) 
            🎲 Goblin Perception -1 (DC 10): 11 (success)

The group has a head start of approximately 60 ft, backing up towards a small stream that flows close to the castle when a shouting group of Goblins catches up to them. 

Download full battle report, including all rolls and maps

The group of goblins advances as a closed formation, shouting, skreeching and notching 

arrows. But Quillathe releases a spell and the biggest part of the group collapses to the ground, fast asleep. The adventurers rush in and kill most of the creatures while Haunui and Drusa both manage to capture one. They put sharp objects on the creatures' throats and the goblins quickly spill all the beans they have. Apparently, the castle is ruled by a bugbear called King Groll who is the chief of the Cragmaw tooth. At the moment he is in a meeting with a 'dark elf woman' who has been sent by 'the Spider'. 
Drusa pricks the side the Goblins neck a little bit and tells him she'll cut his throat if he doesn't tell her anything interesting or important about his tribes castle.

🎲Intimidation Drusa +2 (DC 10): 16 (success)
The gibbering goblin tells Drusa that there is a hidden pit in the central hall and that the dark hall is guarded by "Lhupo's bitey pet monster". 

Drusa and Haunui tell the Goblins to get away from here as fast as they can or they won't live another day, before releasing them into the woods where they scramble to flee as far away as they can.  

The adventurers, aware that they are probably not going to get inside the castle unseen hope to make their entrance at least somewhat of a suprise and circle around to attack Cragmaw Castle from the front.