From the Tales of Ser Killian
Spoiler alert - This is my account of the published D&D adventure, Dragon of Icespire Peak. Turn back if you wish to play this adventure for yourself.
When last we met Ser Killian and his party, Squire Haiden, Brother Winston, and Gruff, they had just defeated a manticore. After their victory, they returned to Phandalin to recuperate from their battle.
After a few days, Killian announces to the party, "'Tis time for another quest. To the Townmaster!"
Once again, the surly townmaster merely directs them to the Job Board. Killian decides to take on a mission to warn two prospectors excavating an ancient dwarven ruin in the nearby hills.
About Dwarves
The excavation lay about a day's hike from Phandalin. Fortunately, they did not encounter any dangers.
As they journeyed, Brother Winston regaled them with tales of the dwarves. While rare in the current day, they were more plentiful in the past and constructed some magnificent structures. Some say that there were Fey while others say they were a race of humans cursed by Daeus. Regardless, they are very secretive and distrust humans.
As mentioned previously, I'm changing the campaign background from standard D&D. The demi-humans are going to be rare, and not necessarily friendly to humans.
The Heroes Meet the Prospectors
Near the end of the day, they approach the site of the excavation. Traversing a canyon (E1), the come to a stone wall with an open gate. Killian halloes, but there is no response.
They enter a courtyard and approach the entrance of a temple. Grotesque statues adorn the facade.
"Clearly nothing good about his place." declares Brother Winston.
"Indeed," Killian agrees, "but we must complete our mission."
They spy a pair of dusty prospectors, eating a meal beside a fire and warily eying the entrance to the Temple.
"Hello, friends," calls Killian. "We bring you tidings, and a warning."
One of the prospectors, named Dazlyn, invites the party to join them. His partner, Norbus, seems unsure.
The Prospectors Have a Quest
Killian passes along the warning about the dragon. The pair are thankful, but feel safe enough.
"We have are plenty of places for us to hide from dragons," Dazlyn explains, as he points to the stone ruins. "Our bigger concern is what is in the temple."
"Is it evil?" Killian asks with a bit too much enthusiasm. He explains that he is on a quest to destroy evil.
"Not evil per se, but dangerous to human life." Dazlyn responds. He proceeds to tell the party about the gelatinous blobs that inhabit the temple.
"Never fear!" Killian proclaims, "We will put an end to this threat to life." He picks up his sword and shield, and heads for the temple door.
"Master, wait!" Squire Haiden pleads. Killian halts, and turns to face his squire.
"M'lord, we should wait until the morn. The sun is setting, and evil will be most powerful in the dark."
"Fie on that, squire. I don't fear to face evil at its most... evil."
"But we can spend the night praying to Daeus for success."
"An excellent idea," agrees Winston.
"Besides," say Haiden, "in the morn it shall be easier to see the enemy and prevent them from escaping."
And so Killian agrees to wait until morning.
Jellies in the Temple
After a repast the next morning, the party ventures through an entrance corridor (E4) into the temple (E5). Hanging from the ceiling above the altar, they spy a blob.
Killian's slash strikes deep, splitting the creature in two. Immediately, the two halves merge back together!
"Ack, this sword is useless!"
"Try stabbing!" Haiden suggests, as his spear pierces deep into the blob.
The blob's pseudopods lash out, knocking Killian back. Winston and Haiden rush forward, striking the creature. It stops moving.
"Whew, not so bad." say Killian.
Suddenly, Gruff screams. They turn. He is practically enveloped by another blob.
Haiden grabs him and pulls him free. Winston clubs the creature until it moves no more.
Gruff is badly wounded, his flesh burned as if he were doused in acid.
Winston gets down on his knees next to Gruff and begins to pray over him. Within moments, the burns recede and Gruff recovers.
Exploring the Temple
Our heroes explore the rest of the temple. In a corridor (E7), they find another blob. They kill it easily. Note: A critical hit finished it off.
In one room (E10), they find a skeleton with a silver pendant. Winston recognizes the symbol as the mark of Erlik, lord of death. Killian rips to pendant from the skeleton and crushes it with his bare hands. He tosses the destroyed pendant away. Gruff, however, surreptitiously retrieves it.
"Silver is silver," he thinks to himself.
A Little Disagreement with the Prospectors
Finally, the party comes to a corridor that is collapsed. Unable to explore any further, they return to the prospectors. Killian trumpets their triumph.
"But ye did not get past the cave-in," Norbus points out, "so ye did not clean out the entire ruin. Ye did not live up to the deal."
Killian is livid, "You don't expect us to dig?!"
Dazlyn intervenes and settles things down. He proposes that he and Norbus dig out the corridor, then the party could "cleanse" the rest of the temple. This mollifies Killian, who agrees.
"Of course, we could cleanse it even quicker if we had help." Dazlyn suggests. And with that, Killian volunteers the party to help with the digging.
The Statue of Erlik
After a couple of days of digging, they break through. The corridor leads to a shrine (E11). There, they see a statue with a large, bright green gem. The prospectors' eyes gleam with triumph.
Winston's reaction is far different. "Erlik!" He cries and makes the sign of Daeus to ward off evil.
Killian strides forth, grabs the statue, and smashes it to the floor. It breaks into pieces. The gem disintegrates into dust.
Norbus is livid. "Why did you do that!"
Killian turns, and glares at him. In a fearsome tone, he proclaims. "I am pledged to destroy evil. Do you wish to stop me?"
Norbus is cowed.
Bandits Attack
With the temple clean, Dazlyn thanks the group for their help, and offers payment in the form of some supplies, a few silver pieces, and two shiny stones.
Just as the party exits the gates of the settlement (E2), 4 armed humans stop them.
"We'll be takin' yer valuables, yerr armor, and yer weapons. Drop them nicely and ye'll not be hurt."
"Miscreants!" Killian yells as he draws his sword. "Repent, or suffer judgement!"
The bandits sneer and charge.
Grubb manages to shoot one dead.
Wielding a great axe, another smashes Killian. Our hero staggers back, wounded, but his armor saves him from grievous harm. The bandit is about to finish Killian off when a rock smashes into the outlaw's head. He falls dead.
With two of their number down, the remaining bandits flee.
Killian turns and sees the prospectors atop the wall, rocks in hand.
"I owe you a debt of thanks." Killian says to them. "If you ever need my services, you have it."
With that, they return to Phandalin with no more incidents.
The party also had to deal with an attack from a greater cat beast, but they managed to pull through.
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