The Adventure Begins
The adventure begins in the mining town of
Phandalin. There, the characters receive quests and can choose which ones to pursue.
Adventure Background
Driven from lands farther north by more powerful
dragons, a
young white dragon named Cryovain has descended upon the
Sword Mountains, claiming the snow-capped range as its domain. Typical of its kind, Cryovain is dim-witted and cruel. The dragon patrols the skies around
Icespire Hold, surveying its territory while hunting for food and easy treasure. With each passing day, the dragon’s domain grows as it ranges farther across the land, preying on anything it can catch with its claws or freeze to death with its icy breath. Sightings of the dragon are becoming more common, as are its attacks.
Icespire Hold is a crumbling fortress on the northeast spur of the highest mountain in the Sword Mountains. Cryovain seized the icy fortress from a tribe of savage
orcs, killing the
orc war chief and forcing the tribe’s survivors to flee into the foothills and forests. Enraged by the death of their war chief, the orcs have called upon ancient allies - evil, shapechanging,
half-orc spellcasters who bless and advise them. These half-orcs worship
Talos, an evil god of storms, and many dwell in the dark depths of
Neverwinter Wood. In stormy weather, they gather on remote hilltops to summon
Gorthok the Thunder Boar, a primal entity that serves Talos. Like the god it serves, Gorthok delights in destruction.
The orcs aren’t the only creatures thrown into upheaval by Cryovain’s sudden arrival. A
manticore driven from its mountaintop nest by the roaming white dragon has migrated to the foothills and begun terrorizing folk living on the outskirts of the mining town of
Phandalin. Other monsters in the region have been similarly displaced.
Exploring Phandalin
The characters might wish to explore key establishments within
Phandalin. If the characters talk to people around town, they are told a tale. Roll a d6 and consult the table below to determine which tale the characters hear, or pick one the characters haven’t heard yet.
d6 | Tale |
1 | “Once again, the orcs have come down from the mountains to prey on the lowlands! If Neverwinter doesn’t send help soon, the orcs will overrun Phandalin and destroy everything we’ve worked so hard to rebuild.” |
2 | “Northeast of Phandalin, five miles south of the Triboar Trail, there’s a ruined temple where it’s said great wealth and gold is hidden.” |
3 | “Strange magic pervades Neverwinter Wood, confounding navigators and obscuring the ancient ruins of bygone kingdoms lost in its depths.” |
4 | “Falcon’s Hunting Lodge is the only safe haven in Neverwinter Wood. It lies deep in the forest along a river’s edge, and wealthy nobles venture there to hunt while under Falcon’s protection. Falcon is a retired veteran of many wars, and it’s said he’ll offer free room and board to anyone who brings him a bottle of wine.” |
5 | “West of Phandalin, on the coast, is an old stone lighthouse. Ships are drawn to this gleaming tower like moths to a flame, and are doomed to crash upon its rocks. Their wrecks must be filled with treasure!” |
6 | “Some folk claim to have seen a dragon flying through the high clouds. At that distance, it’s hard to gauge the creature’s size, but some say it’s as big as an elephant and has gleaming white scales.” |
Phandalin Quests
The job board outside the townmaster’s hall is where adventurers can learn about quests. The players can choose which quest to complete first, second, third, and so on. If the players don’t like a particular quest, they are under no obligation to complete it. However, completing quests helps the characters become more powerful.
Harbin Wester, Quest Giver
All the notices on the job board are written by Harbin Wester,
Phandalin’s duly appointed townmaster. Reports of a
white dragon in the area have turned him into a veritable shut-in, and he rarely goes outside his office except to get food and post new notices calling for adventurers.
Characters who knock on Harbin’s office door hear his voice on the other side say, “If you’re a
dragon, know that I’m far too thin and bony to make a good meal!” No matter what the adventurers do to allay his fears, Harbin refuses to open the door, preferring to talk through it. Other residents who trouble Harbin with complaints receive similar treatment.
If the characters ask him about a quest, Harbin sets them on the right track, offering payment upon their return. When the time comes to pay up, he slips the payment under the door one gold coin at a time.
Starting Quests
When the characters first visit the job board, there are three quests posted.
Dwarven Excavation Quest. “
Dwarf prospectors found ancient dwarven ruins in the mountains southwest of here, and have been working an archaeological dig seeking treasure and relics. They need to be warned that a
white dragon has moved into the area. Take the warning to them, then return to Townmaster Harbin Wester to collect a reward of 50 gp.”
Gnomengarde Quest. “A clan of reclusive
rock gnomes resides in a small network of caves in the mountains to the southeast. The
gnomes of Gnomengarde are known for their magical inventions, and they might have something with which to defeat the
dragon. Get whatever you can from them. If you bring back something useful and don’t want to keep it for yourselves, Townmaster Harbin Wester will pay you 50 gp for it.”
Umbrage Hill Quest. “The local midwife - an acolyte of
Chauntea named Adabra Gwynn - lives by herself in a stone windmill on the side of a hill west of
Phandalin. With
dragon sightings becoming more common, it’s not safe for her to be alone. Urge Adabra to return to Phandalin. Once she’s safe, visit Townmaster Harbin Wester to claim a reward of 25 gp.”
Follow-Up Quests
After the characters complete two starting quests, the following three quests are added to the job board.
Butterskull Ranch Quest. “
Orcs have attacked
Butterskull Ranch along the Triboar Trail! Travel there with haste, assess the damage, and help any way you can. Ranch owner Alfonse “Big Al” Kalazorn is a retired sheriff who can reward you for your efforts. If he’s dead, return to Townmaster Harbin Wester with proof of Kalazorn’s demise to receive a reward of 100 gp.”
Loggers’ Camp Quest. “Deep in
Neverwinter Wood, along the river that flows west toward
Neverwinter, is a logging camp. Every two months,
Phandalin delivers fresh supplies to the camp, which is run by the half-brother of Phandalin’s townmaster, Harbin Wester. Barthen, the local provisioner, has prepared a new delivery. He needs someone to bear the supplies safely to the camp. Return to Harbin Wester with a notice of delivery signed by his half-brother, Tibor Wester, to claim your reward of 100 gp.”
Mountain’s Toe Gold Mine Quest. “The
Mountain’s Toe Gold Mine lies fifteen miles northeast of
Phandalin. The new overseer,
Don-Jon Raskin, just made the trip from
Neverwinter to Phandalin and needs to be escorted to the mine. There’s no telling what dangers lie between here and there. Once you deliver Raskin safe and sound, return to Townmaster Harbin Wester to collect a reward of 100 gp.”
More Follow-Up Quests
After the characters complete two follow-up quests, another three follow-up quests are added to the job board.
Axeholm Quest. “Within a mountain fifteen miles south of
Phandalin stands the ancient
dwarven fortress of Axeholm, which has been sealed for years. If a
dragon attack is imminent, the people of Phandalin might need to evacuate and take refuge in Axeholm. To that end, someone needs to open the fortress and make it safe for habitation. Once you accomplish these tasks, return to Townmaster Wester to collect a reward of 250 gp.”
Dragon Barrow Quest. “The
dragon that besets us is not the first to threaten this region. Between here and
Neverwinter lies the barrow mound of a warrior whose magical dragon-slaying sword helped fell a
green dragon terrorizing the High Road a century ago. Rumor has it the sword is buried there too. Retrieve it, and let the sword be its own reward!”
Woodland Manse Quest. “The
orcs have fallen under the sway of evil spellcasters in
Neverwinter Wood, and have been sighted in growing numbers near
Falcon’s Hunting Lodge. The spellcasters dwell in a ruined manse.
Falcon needs someone to make a preemptive strike against it. Destroy the evil in the manse, then expect him to reward you.”
Leveling Up
Characters advance in level by completing quests. Regardless of the number of characters in the party, the rate of advancement is as follows:
- Characters gain a level each time they complete a starting quest, until they reach 3rd level. Once they are 3rd level or higher, completing a starting quest has no effect on their level.
- Characters gain a level each time they complete two follow-up quests.
- Characters gain a level if they slay Cryovain the white dragon.
Where's the White Dragon?
Cryovain the
young white dragon is a roaming threat that can be encountered almost anywhere. Each time the characters arrive at a location or prepare to leave that location, roll a d20 and consult the table below to determine Cryovain’s current whereabouts. Make your first roll on the table when the adventurers leave Phandalin for the first time.
When the
dragon visits a location that is not its lair, it surveys the location from the sky, beyond the reach of ranged weapon attacks. If it spots nothing it can eat, it flies off after circling the location for a minute or two. If it spots something tasty, such as a mule, a horse, or a character, the dragon swoops down and attacks it. Once the dragon kills something, it grabs the carcass and flies off with it. Whatever it takes is then eaten within the hour.
If Cryovain loses more than 10 hit points in battle, the dragon disengages from combat and retreats to its lair at
Icespire Hold, remaining there until it finishes a long rest and regains all its hit points. Only at Icespire Hold does the dragon fight to the death.
Axeholm
The journey to
Axeholm takes the characters across grassy lowlands that skirt the rocky foothills of the
Sword Mountains. The trek passes without incident, though cool winds and rain blowing in from the
Sword Coast make the trip far from pleasant.
When the adventurers arrive at Axeholm, read the following boxed text aloud:
Thrust out from the base of a dark gray mountain is the entrance to the dwarven fortress - a dark, fifteen-foot-wide passageway flanked by forty-foot-high bulwarks of smooth, seamless stone. An iron portcullis covered with rust blocks the entrance. Arrow slits carved into the bulwarks are dark, revealing no hint of occupation. |
Quest Goals
To complete the Axeholm Quest, adventurers must kill or drive out all the monsters in the fortress.
Butterskull Ranch
The fastest and safest way to
Butterskull Ranch is to follow the Triboar Trail. If the characters travel along the Triboar Trail, they first encounter horses and then Petunia the
cow.
The characters first spot three unsaddled
riding horses grazing near an old well. Anyone who succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check sees that the horses are branded with the letters BAK (for Big Al Kalazorn). A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check can approach a horse without startling it, and can even ride it.
Between the horses and the ranch, the characters spot Petunia the
cow in a field a few hundred feet off the Triboar Trail. Petunia wears a cowbell around her neck. Characters who approach her spot a brand on her hindquarters: the letters BAK. Petunia has a calm, unflappable demeanor. If treated well, she follows her new benefactors everywhere.
When the adventurers come within sight of the ranch, read the following boxed text aloud:
Butterskull Ranch occupies a large plot of land on the north side of the Triboar Trail, nestled between two hills. Beyond a ramshackle wooden fence stand cornfields, an apple orchard, gardens, and pasture land. A path breaks off from the trail to lead to a two-story farmhouse next to a pond. West of the farmhouse are the charred remains of a barn and smithy that have been burned to the ground. |
Quest Goals
To complete the Butterskull Ranch Quest, adventurers must rescue Alfonse Kalazorn and either convince him to return to
Phandalin or rid his ranch of
orcs. Alfonse also wants help finding his prized
cow, promising a splendid reward in exchange.
Circle of Thunder
Characters traveling to the
Circle of Thunder encounter a tree trap in
Neverwinter Wood. The characters come upon a sixty-foot-wide forest clearing, in the middle of which is a forty-foot-tall pine tree ravaged by fire long ago, its limbs burned off.
Ten twig dolls are bound to the charred tree, all within easy reach. A
detect magic spell reveals an aura of transmutation magic emanating from the tree and the ground in a 60-foot radius around it.
Close examination of a twig doll reveals something wrapped inside it. By breaking a doll apart, characters can see that it contains a still-beating
pig’s heart. Any damage to a heart kills it and causes the dead tree’s roots to magically animate and erupt from the ground.
When the constricting roots erupt, each creature standing in the clearing must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d4 bludgeoning damage and be restrained. The creature takes this damage again at the start of each of its turns until it escapes. A creature can use an action to free itself or another creature within its reach with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check, or by dealing 5 or more slashing damage against a root with a single melee weapon attack. The roots have AC 13 and immunity to all damage except slashing.
Characters coming from the
Woodland Manse approach the Circle of Thunder from the south. Describe the location to the players as follows:
Ominous storm clouds gather in the sky as you approach a ninety-foot-tall hill with trees spreading across its slopes. Atop the hill is a large ring of standing stones. Two ghastly figures dance within this henge, surrounded by a number of smaller capering creatures. |
Dragon Barrow
The barrow is amid the rolling hills and grasslands between the High Road and
Neverwinter Wood. A cold wind blowing in from the coast assails them for most of the trip, bringing occasional rain.
After being driven from his home in Neverwinter Wood by marauding
orcs, Xanth the
centaur has taken refuge in the hills around the barrow. When he spots the characters, Xanth approaches peacefully and shares the following warnings:
- “Strange witchlights hover over Dragon Barrow at night. The hill is haunted by the restless spirits of the dead.”
- “Neverwinter Wood has become overrun with orcs in league with half-orc spellcasters. Deep in the forest, atop a cave-riddled hill, is a circle of standing stones where the evil half-orcs perform their dark rites.”
Xanth avoids
Dragon Barrow and would like to see the evil
half-orc spellcasters of Neverwinter Wood driven off or killed. He offers to guide characters to the
Circle of Thunder if they wish to take on the half-orcs there, and is willing to wait until the characters are done exploring the barrow. The Circle of Thunder is roughly 40 miles away, deep within the forest.
When the adventurers come within sight of the barrow, read the following boxed text aloud:
A thirty-foot-high hill rises ahead of you, its top too flat to be a natural occurrence. Jutting from the grassy hilltop is a row of ten-foot-tall, bone-white rocks that arc toward the stormy sky like outstretched talons. |
Quest Goals
To complete the Dragon Barrow Quest, the adventurers must retrieve Lady Alagondar’s
dragon slayer longsword which, according to legend, was buried with her.
Dwarven Excavation
The
Dwarven Excavation lies at the eastern end of a canyon (area E1). When the characters reach area E1 on the map, read the following boxed text aloud:
The canyon’s rocky walls rise to a height of eighty feet. At the end of the canyon, a twenty-foot-high wall of black stone has a broken gate carved into it, with one stone door hanging precariously by a hinge and the other door missing. Beyond this open gate, in the shadow of a great mountain to the east, lies a ruined settlement. All is quiet. |
If the characters announce their arrival, Dazlyn and Norbus come forth to greet them. Otherwise, the characters encounter the
dwarves in area E3.
Quest Goals
To complete the Dwarven Excavation Quest, the adventurers need only to warn Dazlyn and Norbus of the
white dragon. The grateful
dwarves then tempt the adventurers with a quest of their own, offering their pair of
sending stones as a reward if the characters rid the temple of the monsters within. If they stay long enough to help Dazlyn and Norbus, the characters encounter
orcs before they leave.
When Orcs Attack
Four
orcs arrive at area E1 as the characters conclude their business with the
dwarves. Driven from their territory by Cryovain, the orcs are looking for a new lair and fight to the death.
Falcon's Hunting Lodge
The following description assumes that the characters approach the lodge from the west side of the river:
A thin fog surrounds a fortified compound standing in a clearing on the east side of a narrow river. A ten-foot-high log palisade surrounds the compound, whose main building is a two-story stone-and-wood affair with a high-pitched roof, gables, window shutters, and a stone chimney. Attached to the main building is a blocky tower of gray stone, its high roof lined with battlements. Other structures include a two-story stable house and a gatehouse whose flat roof is enclosed by iron railings. A stone bridge spans the river, ending before an oaken door set into the gatehouse’s outer wall. Mounted next to the door is a bell with a short rope hanging from its clapper. |
If the characters announce their arrival by ringing the
bell or yelling over the walls, Corwin makes his way over to assess them from the gatehouse, slides back the heavy wooden bar securing the outside door, and lets them in. If the characters have horses or pack animals, Corwin has Pell look after them while he shows the characters to the guest house (area F3) to store their gear. He then leads them to the dining and trophy hall (area F11) before fetching
Falcon, who is usually in his quarters at area F13.
Given the chance, Falcon shares the following useful information with the characters:
- “I’ve seen more orcs in the woods of late. Ugly brutes.”
- “The orcs appear to be in league with the evil half-orcs that dwell southeast of here. These half-orcs are often seen in the company of little stick creatures known to creep about these woods. All in all, a nasty lot.”
- “The half-orcs dwell in a ruined stone manse overgrown with vines, roughly ten miles from here. Tales say that the manse was built by a scholar who studied the elven ruins scattered throughout these woods.”
Woodland Manse Quest
If the characters are eligible to undertake the Woodland Manse Quest,
Falcon offers a pair of
boots of elvenkind as a reward for completing it.
Falcon politely declines any offer to join the characters on a quest, stating that he must remain at the lodge in case nobles from
Neverwinter come looking for his services.
Gnomengarde
A stream leads the characters to a pool fed by a waterfall that tumbles down the mountainside. Describe
Gnomengarde’s location to the players as follows:
You follow a stream uphill to the base of the mountain, where waterfall erosion has carved out a natural concavity. The roaring waterfall creates a cloud of mist as it plunges into a shallow pool of water, within which rise two small islands covered with two-foot-tall red, green, and purple mushrooms. Several cave openings overlook the pool from rocky ledges twenty to thirty feet above. The mountain blocks any sunlight from reaching this place. |
Quest Goals
To complete the Gnomengarde Quest, the characters must obtain at least one magic item from the
gnomes. Of the items they can secure, only the
hat of wizardry interests Townmaster Harbin Wester, who offers to buy it for 50 gp even though he knows no one who can attune to it. However, the gnomes won’t hand over any magic items until the characters speak to Fibblestib and Dabbledob in area G11.
Gnome-Made Magic Items
If the characters rescue Gnerkli and end Korboz’s madness, the grateful
gnomes give them a
clockwork amulet and
pole of collapsing (from area G13). The characters also receive gifts from the king and queen: a
hat of wizardry and 50 gp.
Mystery Monster
After speaking to Korboz and learning about the presence of a shapechanging monster, the characters’ primary goal should be to find and slay the creature. When it attacked Korboz, it looked like a 10-foot-square rug in the throne room (area G14), but it has since moved elsewhere and changed its appearance.
If pressed, the
rock gnomes help the characters find the
mimic by poking objects with nonmagical wands to see if they fight back. The gnomes aren’t adventurers, however, and they flee at the first sign of danger (real or imagined).
Icespire Hold
Icespire Hold is so tucked away in the mountains that few people know of its existence, let alone anything about its history or current state. Characters might learn of it after experiencing a vision at the
Shrine of Savras, or they might search for it on their own.
If the characters are ready to confront the
dragon but need help finding its lair, [GOD] sends a vision to [CHARACTER] to be on the lookout for [HIS/HER] blessing in the form of a mysterious, cloaked man. After a long rest, this man will arrive in town on a
riding horse to gather supplies for his companions. The man’s name is Dobin Noreth (NE male
Tethyrian human veteran), a member of the Stone-Cold Reavers. Both he and the horse know the way to the dragon’s lair, having come from there. Dobin’s steed is a retired, well-behaved racehorse named Four-Leaf Clover.
En route to the dragon’s lair, the characters happen upon a frozen
ogre as they make their way across the cold, windblown foothills of the
Sword Mountains.
The
white dragon killed the ogre with its cold breath. The ogre’s corpse was too big to carry off, so the dragon left it. A character who examines the scene closely and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check can ascertain that the ogre was killed within the past 24 hours. The cold of the foothills has kept the ice from thawing.
Frozen in the ice with the ogre is a hefty
sack, but it can’t be reached or searched until the characters chip or melt away the ice that covers it. The sack contains a rusty
dwarven helm, two halves of a splintered wooden
shield, a tumbleweed, a crumpled-up cowboy hat, a sackcloth doll in desperate need of restitching, and three
potions of healing.
As the characters approach Icespire Hold, read the following boxed text aloud to the players to set the scene:
Clouds partly obscure a stone fortress situated atop the icy spur of a jagged, snow-covered mountain so enormous as to be visible from Phandalin on a clear day. The mountain dwarfs the fortress, which consists of two separate structures joined together by a stone bridge. A narrow, winding path corkscrews up the mountainside to the smaller of the two structures, and appears to be the only safe way to reach it by land. It’s an unwelcome path, but not as unwelcome as the cold, howling wind that buffets you. |
Loggers' Camp
If the characters follow the river from
Falcon’s Hunting Lodge, they arrive from the east. If they come straight from
Phandalin, they approach from the south. When they arrive, read the following boxed text aloud:
The logging camp spreads along the south shore of the river, where a dozen tents are arranged on a sandy beach. Near a dock stands a cabin with logs stacked under an awning. Older cabins close by have been torn down to leave only stone chimneys and foundations. A grim silence hangs over the camp, and you see no one around. |
Quest Goals
To complete the Loggers’ Camp Quest, the adventurers must deliver supplies to the camp and have Tibor Wester sign for them. Tibor’s signature assures Harbin Wester that the supplies reached their intended destination.
Preparations
The characters need to pick up the supplies for the loggers’ camp before setting out. Harbin Wester has made the necessary arrangements with Barthen’s Provisions in
Phandalin. When the characters arrive to pick up the supplies, read the following boxed text aloud:
Barthen tells you that his clerks have filled two crates with supplies as he hands you a sheet of parchment, upon which is written an inventory of the crates’ contents: foodstuffs such as dried meat, blocks of cheese, and loaves of bread, as well as bottles of Luiren's Best stout and flasks of oil. The two heavy crates are loaded onto a two-wheeled cart pulled by an ox. “The ox’s name is Vincent,” says Barthen. “I’ll expect to see him and the cart returned, thanks.” |
The
ox is a reliable beast. Each full
crate holds enough provisions to sustain twelve people for a month, including 300 bottles of
Luiren's Best.
If the characters tell Barthen that they intend to visit
Falcon’s Hunting Lodge on the way, Barthen suggests they buy a bottle of wine and give it to
Falcon as a gift.
Mountain's Toe Gold Mine
When the party gets within five miles of the mine, they encounter some dead six
orcs. The orcs were killed by Cryovain the
white dragon. They are clad in
hide armor, and their
greataxes and
javelins litter the ground around them. Any character who examines the corpses and succeeds on a DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check can determine that extreme cold killed the orcs about three days ago. If the players can’t piece together what happened,
Don-Jon Raskin says, “Looks like a white dragon saved us from some trouble.”
The characters arrive at the west entrance to the mine, which you can describe as follows:
Hidden among bushes, a tunnel burrows into the foot of a soaring, snow-capped mountain. Above the mouth of the tunnel is a wooden plank with the words “Mountain’s Toe” carved into it in Common. |
Don-Jon doesn’t have a map of the mine and has never visited it before, so he knows nothing about its layout.
Quest Goals
To complete the Mountain’s Toe Gold Mine Quest, the adventurers must escort
Don-Jon Raskin safely to the mine. They’ll find him staying at the Stonehill Inn in
Phandalin. Once he sees that
wererats have infested it, Raskin urges the characters to eradicate the “varmints.” If the characters refuse, Raskin is left to deal with the wererats on his own - and is quickly turned into one.
Shrine of Sara's
An old dirt trail stretches from the Triboar Trail to the shrine, which characters first see from a distance. Read the following boxed text aloud:
A ruin stands in the middle of a vast field north of the rocky foothills of the Sword Mountains. An old stone temple with a belfry jutting from its peaked roof is enclosed by stone walls, many sections of which have collapsed. The trail ends at a crumbling gatehouse, the doors to which were sundered long ago. Three of the four towers that once stood at the corners of the outer walls have collapsed. Only the northeast tower remains, and a guard stands atop it. |
A
detect magic spell on the altar in the shrine reveals an aura of divination magic around it. If Cryovain has been slain, nothing happens when a character touches the altar. Otherwise, anyone touching the altar experiences a vision lasting 1 minute, during which time they are incapacitated. In the vision, the character floats through the roof of the shrine, soars toward
Icespire Hold, and sees the
white dragon asleep on the fortress’s rooftop. A character receives this vision only once. Nothing happens to a character who touches the altar a second time.
Tower of Storms
As the characters travel to the
Tower of Storms, they see a storm brewing out to sea. By the time they reach the 100-foot-high cliffs overlooking the lighthouse and the
Sea of Swords, the thunderstorm has reached the coast.
The characters arrive at low tide, when the causeway leading to the lighthouse is above sea level. Describe the location to the players as follows:
Below the high cliff that hugs the coastline, an outcropping of rock is nearly surrounded by water, with only a narrow causeway connecting it to the beach below. Atop this outcropping is a stone building surmounted by a lighthouse tower. An eerie green light pulses from this beacon, shining westward out to sea. With each green pulse of light, you hear the thump of a slow-beating heart. |
Umbrage Hill
A
manticore driven out of the mountains by Cryovain the
white dragon attacks the windmill shortly before the adventurers arrive. Read the following boxed text to set the scene:
Built on the slope of Umbrage Hill is an old stone windmill surrounded by an iron fence. A large winged monster with a spiky tail is trying to knock down the windmill’s front door. A woman appears in a second-floor window, waves at you, and yells, “A little help?!” |
Characters can fight or negotiate with the manticore, which ceases its attack and flies away if given at least 25 gp in treasure or a few pounds of meat.
Quest Goals
Adabra declines to return to
Phandalin, but the characters can complete the
Umbrage Hill Quest by asking her for a note for Harbin Wester confirming her safety. Adabra also gives her saviors one
potion of healing for dealing with the
manticore.
Woodland Manse
Describe this location to the players by reading the following boxed text aloud:
Following a trail through the woods, you come to a foggy clearing, in the midst of which stands a crumbling two-story manse all but hidden beneath thorny ivy. The large house is set atop a six-foot-high stone foundation, and the main entrance has a balcony above it. Pumpkins grow wild in patches around the manse, with several wild boars feeding among them. The boars snort with contempt as you draw near. |
The trail heading north off the map leads to the
Circle of Thunder. The trail heading west leads to
Falcon's Hunting Lodge.
Quest Goals
To complete the Woodland Manse Quest, the adventurers must eradicate the evil dwelling in and around the manse. Their reward awaits them at
Falcon's Hunting Lodge.
Ending the Adventure
Ideally, the adventure concludes with the defeat of Cryovain the
white dragon, the completion of all the
Phandalin quests, or both. By then, the characters should be 6th level. If he hears that the dragon has been dealt with, Townmaster Harbin Wester leaves his isolation and throws a feast in the heroes’ honor.
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