Terror at the Logger's Camp

Part Two of a Ser Killian Adventure

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.

Last Time

Our heroes managed to make it safely to the logger's camp to deliver supplies.

However, the camp is deathly silent. They begin to explore

Out of the Earth

Suddenly, the ground begins to shake. Two small ankhegs pop out.

My encounter tables have different levels of monsters - from minions, to henchmen, and then the boss. So I decided to have different levels of ankhegs - youth, adults, and, well, you'll see.

They surprise Gruff and Winston, but both manage to dodge attacks.

Gruff then shoots one with an arrow. It strikes back and wounds him. Haiden comes to Gruff's aid. Together, they kill one. The other flees.

More Tremors

They approach one of the cabins. It is situated on a rocky hill. It's solid foundation has allowed it to remain standing while the other buildings have collapsed.

But before they get to the cabin, the earth shakes again. This time, three small ankhegs attack!

Gruff drives one off, but another crunches into Haiden's arm. Its acidic saliva burns into his flesh. The rest of the party comes to his rescue. They hack the ankheg to bits. The last one flees.

The Cabin

There is no one in the cabin. But they find a hole in the floor. Inside is a bloody totem.

"Witchcraft!" yells Killian. He tosses the totem in a fireplace and sets it alight.

As it burns, they hear shrieks from outside. Looking out, they see a swarm of ankhegs fleeing from the camp.

Winston opines, "It looks like that totem attracted the ankhegs. Its destruction has panicked them."

Mama Mia

They exit the cabin and discover that not all ankhegs panicked. One monstrous sized ankheg sits in the middle of the camp. As soon as it sees them, it rushes forward.

It spits acid, which sprays Killian and Winston. The liquid burns through their clothing and bubbles their flesh.

The party attacks, but their blades bounce of the creature's hardened chitin. However, one of Gruff's arrows managed to find a chink in the armor and wound the monster.

It lashes out, and strikes Winston. He falls, then rolls down a hill to safety.

Winston should have been killed, but I used a luck point to save him.

The beast turns on Gruff and claws him. He backs away. Killian covers him, then launches an attack. He strikes hard, biting into the ankheg's chitin. Black ichor seeps from its wound. The creature then dives into the ground. They can see its wake as it plows through the earth, rushing into the forest away from the deadly warriors.

Epilogue

Once the ankhegs flee, a figure emerges from the woods. It is Tibor Wester, Harbin's brother. He explains that the loggers fled. He hid in the woods, hoping for relief. He accepts the supplies and sets out to re-staff the camp.

Our heroes return home without incident and receive their reward from Harbin.

THE END.

Game Notes

Converting the scenario into a random quest was far more satisfying than trying to run it like I would for a group of players. I think I'll do the same for the remaining adventures.

Another aspect that made it interesting was having different levels of adversaries. In the module, there are a handful of ankhegs, all of the same level. Having some variety of challenge creates more tension and interest.