Adventure of the Logger's Camp

Part One

From the Tales of Ser Killian

Spoiler Alert - This adventure is based on one of the quests from D&D's Dragon of Icespire Peak. You should not read this post if you wish to play the adventure.

Additional Note - I decided to take a new tack with these adventures. Rather than trying to run through them as written, I'll convert them to random adventures using my latest MicroQuest adventure generator.

The Quest

Once more Harbin Wester, townmaster of Phandalin, has a quest for our heroes. He asks them to deliver supplies to a logging camp deep in Neverwinter Wood.

Ser Killian agrees but Gruff interrupts.

"Beg yer pardon, m'lord, but somethin' just ain't right," he asks as he pores over a map of the region.

"I've done some scoutin' and this seems foolhardy. He's askin' us to traipse through 50 miles of forest with a wagon in tow to deliver supplies. Why don't they jest ship supplies down the river from Neverwinter?"

Harbin looks perplexed. Gruff proposes an alternate plan. Skirt the forest and head toward the river. Find a merchant along the river and buy supplies. Ultimately, this is the plan they adopt.

Game Note - yeah, I thought it is a pretty stupid quest. I can't imagine plowing through the forest with an oxen-pulled cart of supplies.

On the Road

The party skirts the forest, staying far enough away to avoid ambush but close enough to hide among the trees if needed.

About halfway, Gruff's plan is put to the test. They hear a monstrous roar from above. A white dragon is flying overhead!

Akin to Warrior Heroes Adventures in Talomir, I added a travel phase, where wandering monsters might attack. I rolled a Monster on my table, which represents a pretty significant challenge. I figured that the dragon would be appropriate. I confirmed with a random roll, a la the Mythic Game Master Emulator.

"Quick!" Gruff commands. "I don't think it sawr us. Let's hide in the forest!"

They run to the trees. Gruff makes it, then turns back to check on the others. Incredibly, Ser Killian is standing in the open, upon a hillock, shouting curses at the dragon!

Since the party won initiative, I gave them a chance to hide. They needed to pass a stealth test. Killian failed miserably, so I assumed that Killian's urge for glory overwhelmed his good sense.

The dragon swoops down on Killian, maw open and teeth gleaming! At the last moment, Killian dodges, then drives his sword into the dragon's neck. Blood spatters the ground and the beast howls in fury. As it flies by, it knocks Killian to his feet.

Killian hit and wounded the dragon. The dragon hit, but it only shook Killian up a bit.

The dragon climbs back into the sky and circles Killian. The knight is back on his feet, brandishing his bloody sword. The dragon hesitates. It was hoping for easier prey. It turns and flies away.

I figured that the dragon wanted easy prey so I had it roll morale. It failed, so it flies away!

The River

The party makes it to the river and as luck would have it, they come across a merchant's boat plying the waters. They convince the captain to deliver them and supplies to the logging camp. The rest of their trip is uneventful.

I rolled a boon as a random encounter. I interpreted this as them finding a merchant.

Arriving at the Logging Camp

After a relaxing river voyage, they arrive at the camp. They expect to see a beehive of activity, but the camp is deathly quiet.

The merchant drops them off at the dock. They walk into the camp. Not a soul is moving. The buildings are in various states of collapse, as if struck by an earthquake.

Suddenly, the ground begins to shake!

What is going on? Find out next time!

I decided to turn this into a 2-parter!