Weekly Gaming Summary #37: (11/14/2020)

A Thank You For Playing today's Dungeons & Dragons 5 th Edition game of Halloween 11/14/2020 - From 10:00 am EDT, until 1:00 pm EDT, and our 46 th Gaming Session, goes out to:   Barbarian (Berserker) – Minotaur – Armanuk Keenhorn - Pheonix Monk – Elf – Farren Nidanas - Bahrrenn Drakke Paladin Knight – Half Elf - Genry - Hermit8 Ranger – High Elf – Willie Belson –  Buddy-D Rogue – High Elf - Roqar -  Roxxifarius Wizard – Human - Dolores - Klona   Whom Could Not Make It Today!   Cleric – Hill Dwarf - Galdor Brawnanvil – No Attached Player Now Fighter (Echo Knight) – Xar’Tharkas – Half Orc – Christian W.     Game Summary for Saturday (11/14/2020):   Opening Scene: Day 20 : June 19th; 5:00 pm   Things start when Roqar is asking Toblin Stonehill the innkeeper about the farm that is for sale and he tells her it’s going for 120 gold pieces and that Harbin Wester the townmaster is the one to see if she wants to buy it.   Pip Stonehill, Toblin’s son, tells the adventurers about an old haunted lighthouse on the Neverwinter coast west of Phandalin saying, “It’s haunted you know! Ships are drawn to it’s gleaming tower, like moths to a flame and are doomed to crash upon the rocks below it! Those wrecks must be filled with treasure!”   Willie offer to chip in on buying the farm for Roqar  with the 65 gold pieces he has. Roqar thanks Willie.   Roqar, tells the group they should go explore the lighthouse. Toblin says, “Yes, it would be interesting to see if the place is actually haunted!”   Wondering where they could keep some of their found items in a safe place, Toblin says, Elmar Barthen may be able to store them for a fee.   Wondering what brough Falcon the Hunter here with Corwin the caretaker and Pell the stablehand, Falcon tells the adventurers that the hunters lodge was attacked again, after they had left for the old woodland manse. This time it was Anchorites lead by a huge boar, the size of an elephant, with electricity shooting from it’s four tusks! Not having enough people around to defend the lodge, they fled to Phandalin, with Falcon’s gray stallion, Baatorius and a couple other horses.   Falcon, (real name Gustaf Stellern), tells the adventurers that it seems that the Anchorites and orcs are trying to chase everyone not in league with them out of the Neverwinter woods. He tells them he has heard rumors from the nobles that visit the lodge, of strange magics pervading the woods, confounding navigators and obscuring the ancient ruins of bygone kingdoms, lost in it’s depths. Falcon, cites this as likely the reason that the Cragmaw goblins’ main base can’t be found. Falcon also mentions that he belives the druid Reidoth, who lives up in Thundertree twenty some miles east of Neverwinter City, might be able to help as he knows the woods like the back of his hand. Roqar, jokes that they could have a big pig roast as a house warming party! Falcon suggest that they spy on the hunters’ lodge to see if the attackers lead them to another base somewhere and ask if they cleared out the woodland manse. He warns that any animal could be an anchorite in disquise. Rogar, mentions that they cleared out what was there but that the Anchorites and Orcs could return. Toblin, mentions the old lighthouse is 35 miles west of Phandalin and that if they left at dawn they should reach the lighthouse by nightfall. The party decides to go there then Roqar heads to see Harbin Wester at the town hall, while Farren Nidanas, heads over to the blacksmith Thargren Ironforge’s shop to buy 10 darts for 50 copper pieces from him. Dolores, heads up to Barthen’s provisions to have a look around. At town hall, Harbin answers the door by talking through it, without opening it, as has been his norm since the reports of the green and white dragons and now the elephant-sized boar, spread in town. Roqar tells Harbin that she wants to buy the farmhouse as Sildar Hallwinter informs that he is here with her, also mentioning the farmhouse. At the sound of sildar’s voice, Harbin, unlocks several locks he had put on the door and lets them inside. Harbin mentions that yes the farm is for sale and that she did not have to pay all 120 gp of it all at once. At the mention that Roqar has the 120 gp up front, Harbin’s eyes go wide with surprise and accepts the payment. They then sign copies of the deed to the farm and Harbin gives her a signed copy, while he files away another copy. Meanwhile, Dolores is browsing through the windows of Barthen’s Provisions shop, when Elmar tries to get her attention but she is deep in thought and does not pay attention. Elmar figures she’s just browsing and let’s her be. Dolores, eventually enters the shop and looks at Elmar a few good seconds before talking. Dolores, ask Elmar if he has anyone here that specializes in magical items and he tells her neither he or anyone in the shop would be of help or anyone in Phandalin for that matter. Dolores shows Elmar the wooden staff found in the mantelpiece compartment at the woodland manse, she informs him that the item did indeed detect as magic, and because she lacks a component to use an Identify spell upon it, she was hoping someone at the shop could help in doing so. Elmar tells her Reidoth up in thundertree could perhaps ID the staff. Dolores then looks around for anything that could be used for spell components or even blank books to use for spells. The shop does have various produce, herbs and spices from local and suburban farms but no blank books. After Roqar leaves the Town Hall with Sildar and the deed and keys to the farm. They look at the job posting board out front to see what is available: Mountain Toe Goldmine Job: “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.” Axeholm Job: “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 Job: “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 dragon slayer sword is buried there too. Retrieve it, and let the sword be its own reward!” They then head for the farm and the rest of the adventures also stay at the farm over night, with Roqar’s fancy cast iron tub in place. At dawn they leave for the lighthouse, traveling west down the Triboar trial to where it meets the High road which stretches north to Neverwinter and farther south as well. They cross the High road and into the coastal area near the light house where they then camp over night and wait until dawn the next day to explore the lighthouse. They see an eerie green light pulses from the beacon, shining westward out to sea. With each green pulse of light you hear the thump of a slow-beating heart! In the morning, along the coast line this is what is seen: 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. The narrow causeway has stairs that descend down towards the beach where it then rest from 5 to 20 feet above the beach. A lone giant crab is visible just to the north. Farren and Willie do not find any trap when going down the steps. Willie and Farren were able to sneak quietly down the stairs while Roqar could not, so she does some somersaults down the stairs! When they get near to the lowest part of the causeway it appears the giant crab sees the party and moves south towards the causeway, waving it’s claws wildly,  looking like it is trying to attack, flailing it’s claws at Armanuk! Armanuk says, “I was going to let you be, but seems you wish to meet defeat. Then so be it, Ha Ha!” The giant crab speaks! It says, “Wait! Wait! Before you go up there! I must warn you! I was trying to stop you!” The party is bewildered that the sea creature can even speak! The Giant crab goes on the tell the adventurers, that there are evil harpies around and they nest atop a rocky outcropping.  It explains that it is able to speak because it was fortunate enough to have met a sea elf named Miraal, who imbued it with the ability of speech and intelligence.

When Roqar says, “That explains why the many ships crashing”. The giant crab initially thought she was referring to her so she mentions that five shipwrecks along the rocks at the bottom of the lighthouse were not caused by her. That if that is what they came looking for, then beware as there are sharks in the waters, that one to really fear is one named Daggermaw, because she’ll bite your head off and take pleasure in it! When Willie asks for the best way to kill the harpies, she says, if they have weapons that should work! Roqar says, “So it is not a curse, it’s a death trap”. The giant crab goes on to say that Miraal has departed this plane, however her soul haunts a cave nearby. The crab wants the party to help it with Miraal, if they do so she would fetch any treasure from one of the wrecks.” The party agrees to help and they head up the stairs that now start to go out over the ocean and into a small cave. Rough-hewn steps climb a 7-foot-high tunnel that passes all the way through a 30-foot-tall natural pillar of rock. A damp, 8-foot-high cave encrusted with lichen is connected to this tunnel. Roqar begins to search the cave when a ghostly form manifest itself! It is of an elf with gills, webbed hands and webbed feet. It wears spectral garments that sway as though the undead is floating underwater! The banshee’s visage is enough to frighten the majority of the party aside of Dolores whom made her wisdom save! Miraal ask Dolores why they had come to the lighthouse. Dolores says they wonder the reason Miraal  haunts  the cave and tells her the giant crab is outside. Miraal says it is because of the evil that dwells here, that the Anchorites of Talas come to perform rituals as harpies draw ships to their doom! She tells them she came with the giant crab to deal with Moesko the Anchorite but was killed right here in the cave. She tells them that she will not leave the lighthouse until she sees that justice is done and evil no longer lurks here. She also mentions that the harpies helped the Anchorites bypass the cave thus way she could not do anything because she can’t leave the cave far from where her body once was. Dolores offers to help rid of them, believing that they are up to no good in the lighthouse. Some of the other members of the party shakes off their fright now, Armanuk and Galdor. Dolores goes back outside to ask the giant crab if she would come and help. She says she will come when she sees the party by the sunken ships.  Once Miraal visage disappears the rest of the party come through and they all continue up the causeway which meanders up in zigzag fashion up the rocky cliff where the lighthouse sits atop of. When the party gets to about halfway up they begin to hear hauntingly beautiful singing. This is a charm by the harpies and when Armanuk, and Willie, fail their wisdom save they are directed to simply walk right off the causeway, where they then tumble down the Cliffside and right into the ocean below! Combat with the harpies who now are seen flying down towards the two in the water, begins with Armanuk and Willie at a disadvantage! Combat Round #01! Armanuk, hits Harpy #03 with the great axe for 18 slashing damage! Galdor casts the Bless spell upon Armanuk, Falcon and Willie giving the a 1d4 to add to attacks or saving throws. Willie hits Harpy #01 with the magical +1 Talon long sword for 9 slashing damage! Farren, throws a dart at Harpy #02, hitting for 8 piercing damage! Falcon, fires an arrow with his long bow at Harpy #02 hitting for 9 piercing damage, sending it crashing into the water! Sildar, fires his long bow, hitting Harpy #03 for 4 piercing damage! Roqar attempts to climb up the cliff side. Dolores, casts 3 magic missiles, all at Harpy #03 for 4+2+2 force damage on a Harpy! Harpy #03, missed Armanuk with her claws! Harpy #01, claws Willie for 4 damage!   Round #02 of combat! Armanuk, missed Harpy #03 with his great axe! Galdor, tosses a javelin at Harpy #03, bit it goes wide as it dodges the shaft! Willie, hits Harpy #01 with the Talon long sword for 14 slashing damage! Farren, tosses a dart at Harpy #03, hitting for 10 damage! Falcon, fires his long bow, hitting Harpy #03 for 27 piercing damage, sending it crashing into the water! Roqar, climbs the cliff to the top and sees: At the top of the stairs, a rocky plateau spreads out some 80 feet above the water. Wooden doors have rusty iron hinges and handles, as well as decorative lightning bolts carved into them Dolores, cast a Fire Bolt cantrip at Harpy #01 but missed! Harpy #01, missed trying to claw at Willie!   Round #03 of Combat! Galdor, throws his 2 nd javelin at Harpy #01 but missed! Willie, hits Harpy #01 with the Talon long sword for 10 slashing damage, defeating the creature! End of Combat! Farren, lost 2 darts and Galdor, lost 2 javelins in the water.   And this ends the gaming session for the day, until next time!   It is now June  21 st (first day of summer) at 6:30 am.   The Adventurers’ Experience Points Earned This Session: Harpies (3):  3 * 200 = 600 XP   600 / 6 =  100 XP each ----------   Grand Total Experience Points:   Everyone is at 4,870.67 XP  Level 5 reached at 6,500 XP!   Loot Found: None this session   Number of Sessions for current Adventure Module: 46 th Session for “Lost Mines of Phandelver / Dragon of Icespire Peak” 11/14/2020 [1st Session start was 08/15/2019]