Session 3

General Summary

Last session began with the party gathered in the common room of the Stonehill Inn. After briefly discussing your options, you decided to visit Morgran Silveraxe, a local dwarf who evidently survived some sort of attack at Shadestone Mine. Disheveled and sleep-deprived, Morgran invited you into his home and told you what little he remembered about the incident. He said that he and several other dwarves were working a section of the mine when a large, insect-like creature suddenly burst through the wall, knocking him to the ground. He described the ensuing chaos as the miners rushed to escape, as well as the disorienting feeling that overcame him when he turned and locked eyes with the creature.
After learning what you could from Morgran, you visited the Miner’s Exchange and spoke with Halia Thornton, a brusque human woman who had been looking to hire someone to deal with the creature. Halia said that the attack at Shadestone Mine had effectively shut down the dig site, negatively impacting her profits. Following some impressive negotiation by Wellington, Halia agreed to pay you 25 Gold each if you brought back evidence that the creature was dead.
You then left town and traveled a few miles south, eventually arriving at the entrance of Shadestone Mine. You proceeded to explore the mine’s interior, first finding a few valuables locked inside a desk drawer. You then entered a large chamber littered with loose stone and abandoned mining equipment. Parts of the stone floor and walls were streaked with blood, and a large cicada-like shell rested on the floor at the far end of the room. As you examined the shell more closely, a giant centipede reared up from the inside. Fea quickly grabbed the creature and summoned a lethal burst of electricity. The centipede’s lifeless body then slumped over the edge of the shell.
There was a brief moment of relative calm before Albero suddenly felt something looming behind him. He slowly turned and found himself face-to-face with an eight-foot-tall creature with a hard, chitinous body, clawed hands, long, serrated mandibles, and two large, gleaming, compound eyes. The creature stared down at Albero, who managed to resist the creature’s attempt to confuse him and then retreated to the opposite side of the chamber. The creature lumbered forward, lashing out at Althea and glaring at Badger, who suddenly became disoriented and stumbled across the room. Shards of ice and crossbow bolts slammed into the creature’s back as it pursued Albero down another passageway, catching him in its mandibles and knocking him unconscious. Having regained his senses, Badger quickly turned and cast grease underneath the monstrosity, which then tumbled to ground as Althea hurled a ball of flame in its direction. The grease ignited, engulfing the creature in fire as it lumbered back to its feet. Fea then charged forward, grabbed the creature by its mandibles, and channeled a surge of electricity through its hulking form. The creature shuddered and fell dead onto the stone floor.
Badger then hurried to Albero to revive him. Meanwhile, Fea and Wellington decapitated the creature, intending to bring the head to Halia as evidence of its demise. Gathering this grisly trophy, as well as an abandoned cart of ore, you left Shadestone Mine and began to head back toward Phandalin.

Report Date

17 Nov 2019