Listen, do you smell something?

Last time on The Lost Mines of Phandalin!
Our heroes, after being hired by the dwarf Gundren Rockseeker, headed to Phandalin to deliver the supply wagon.  On the way they were ambushed by goblins and found Gundren and his companions horses slain, with drag marks on a trail heading north.  The group split up, Hollis and Heramp deciding to watch the now hidden supply wagon while the rest tried to find their employer.  After hitting several traps along the path, the group finally made it to the goblin's hideout.  They met a sizeable guard force, hiding in some thickets across the stream.  With some quick action from Lance and Gloin, the goblins were dispatched and Prime provided first aid to his wounded companions before sliding into the stream like an alligator.

Lance was rummaging through the goblins gear looking for some silver pieces.  In the back corner of the thicket he came across two unconscious men, a dwarf and a human.  He shouted for Prime to come over and take a look.  Prime wove some of his restorative magic upon them, resulting in both newcomers jolting awake.  They introduced themselves to the group as Tardack the Beautiful and Nathaniel.  The dwarf Tardack is "Beautiful" in his eyes, stylizing with fashion sense to be a bit rough and shamanistic, but in the most over the top way.  They find their gear nearby, and explain to the group that they had been traveling south on the Triboar Trail when they were jumped by the goblins.  Tardack was tortured by the goblins, constantly being asked about a map but he had no clue what they were talking about.  It would seem that this duo had the misfortune of matching the similar description of Gundren and his Human warrior companion.

Meanwhile back at the wagon, the recovering duo are surprised once again, but this time is by another halfling.  He introduces himself to them as Brother Theo, acolyte of Oghma and personal historian of Hollis Mcavoy.  He explains that he wishes to end the dearth of written stories of the halfling people and has chosen the great hero Hollis to be his first great work.  Hollis is taken aback at the suddenness but quickly recovers realizing what this could mean.  After discussing things, Hollis leads his two companions off to catch up with the group so as to display fine battle prowess for his new personal scribe.

The curious elf, Bryn Liadon, continues poking her head into the cave and when going around the first bend is suddenly lashed at by three wolves.  They are chained to a stone column, however, and are unable to reach her.  She shouts out to the group, and Prime comes running in with a slain goblin in his arms, tossing it at the wolves, giggling "Eat!".  The wolves sniff at it but turn back at the intruders, lunging at their chains, loosening the stakes holding them.  Prime tries to calm them by talking goblin to them, while one of the dwarves attempt to swipe at them while distracted.  Neither attempt works.  Bryn tries to command them to sit, in the goblin tongue, but wolves finally pull loose and attack them.  The wolves get a couple bites off in the narrow doorway.  Eager for battle, Nathaniel rushes past Bryn shoving her off the ledge and into the stream which carries her out of the cave.  Between Brunor's warhammer, Nathanial's claymore, and Tardack's maul the wolves were slain in short work.

Tardack moved further into the wolf den finding mostly goblin and wolf refuse.  Back in the far corner however, he spotted a good deal of rubble and upon looking up found a natural chimney.  He suggested Lance try to climb it and see what was up there.  Lance tried but only got half way up before falling down.  Embarrassed, he quickly shot back up into the hole to prove he could do this task.  He managed to climb to the top where he found himself on a little platform of stone with sloping sides hiding the rest of the room where he heard some voices talking but he couldn't make out what was being said..  He lowered the rope and pulled up Bruner, Prime, and Nathaniel.

Having ran out of room, Lance looked over the edge to find a quiet room and a wolf growling inches from his face.  He quickly launched himself and his swords at the wolf, missing it and rolling into an alcove.  "You dare invade my home?! To me minions!" Klarg the Bugbear shouted as he saw his pet wolf dive into an alcove with a woodelf.  Goblins rushed into the room firing bows at the surprising invaders.  Klarg tried to smash Prime and Nathanial with a huge spiked club but Nathanial was able to deflect the blow with his claymore.  Bruneor let lose a barrage of magic missiles at Klarg, and again.  Prime leaped up out of the hole, catching a goblin arrow in his mouth, snapping it, and then leaped to bite the arm of Klarg who was trying to swat away the magic missiles that were stinging his flesh.

Tardack kept trying to climb up the rope to get the shouting he could hear but couldn't seem to make it up the chimney, falling again and again.  Finally, Bryn put down her book and offered him a brace to step up and get a good grip.  That was all he needed to scramble up the rope.  Just then Hollis and crew walked into the cave to see a skinned, decapitated wolf and 2 wolves with their heads smashed in.  Taking in the situation he and Heramp climbed up the passage, but only after a couple falls of their own and following help from Theo and Bryn.

Klarg meanwhile slammed Prime, who was hanging onto Klarg's arm with his mouth, into the wall, pinning him.  He then brought his his club across and slammed it into Prime, piercing his body in multiple places.  Bruner terrified for his companion yelled a battle cry and slammed his warhammer into the bugbears right knee, shattering it.  Nathaniel ran past them seeking to engage the 5 goblin archers that were filling the air with arrows.  Heramp climbed out of the hole and dispatched the wolf that had pinned Lance.  He then turned and ran, leaping over Bruner, brought down his greatsword at Klarg shearing off his left arm, dropping it in front of Prime who savagely began gnawing at it.  Tardack climbed out of the hole next and brought his maul down on the head of the howling bugbear, ending his howl.  Hollis, Nathaniel, and Lance quickly ended the remaining goblins, but Lance was not able to finish off one scraggler who was able to flee off into the distant caverns.

Taking a quick assessment of the carnage the adventurers pulled up the remaining members and looked through the main cavern.  Along one side were a bunch of boxes and crates with a blue shield and lion on them, filled with all sorts of goods.  Also Hollis found 3 gold teeth on the bugbear.  Bryn found, in a separate pile, some excellently cared for chain mail, longsword, and heavy crossbow all emblazoned with a blue shield and clenched gauntlet.  Bruner didn't detect any magic in them but the group still picked them up and put them in their packs.

In the next room the group stumbled into mostly darkness but the sounds of a waterfall were heard and those with darkvision just saw two large damns that had recently been emptied of water.  Lance crept forward and found another two passages, one heading down and one heading up.  Looking down the lower one he spotted a bridge with three goblins on it, looking out, watching attentively.  He whispered this back to the group and then went up the other passage thinking to surprise the goblins.  Nathaniel and Tardack bustled forward to try to get a look but they were not nearly as careful as Lance and soon found two spears flung at them, one hitting Tardack straight into his side.  Lance then surprised the ones on the bridge and was soon joined by Heramp and Bruner, making short work of the last two with some help from Theo who manged to side step the jostling Tardack and Nathaniel in time to sear one of the goblins in radiant energy.

You take the High Road, and I'll take the... Triboar Trail?

Our unlikely companions headed south out of Neverwinter the next day on the High Road.  Traveling was easy and nothing hindered their wagon and oxen, other than the occasional outbursts from Prime concerning the horrible trees being too close.  Two days worth of travel had the group at the Triboar Trail, the last leg before arriving at Phandalin.  The road became rougher, the countryside rose into hills, and the tree lines moved closer to the road.  

Shortly before noon the road narrowed between some embankments and the woods came even closer to the edge of the road.  Around the next turn the group came upon a pair or horses down in the middle of the road riddled with black arrows.  The battle tested Gloin immediately shouted for a halt and began scouting for an ambush, taking a higher perch on the wagon.  Hollis, seeing as those were the same horses Gundren and Sildar had been riding rushed forward past the still walking and oblivious elvish wizard, writing in her book.

Right as Hollis reached the horses and he saw empty saddle bags and map cases strewn about, he took an arrow into his shoulder.  Gloin finally spotted four goblins in the tree lines on both sides of the road, rushing to the north to engage the attackers.  Bruner calming began waving his hammer and slung a barrage of magical missiles at the first goblin that had fired at Hollis.  The Oghma acolyte took her own arrows in the back from the south side of the road, screaming as she fell to her knees.  She scanned the southern treeline finding her assailant and shot a frosting blast in answer, shattering the goblins head.  Heramp rushed to the southern tree line as well and found a goblin trying to hide behind a small sapling.  Trying to hide, because Heramp's great sword swung out and through both tree and goblin neck.

On the wagon Lance took aim hitting one of the southern goblins but it duck back into the trees before it could hit home.  Gloin had by now jumped down and raced into the northern thicket finding another goblin hiding there and cleaved his skull through.  Prime also ran forward from the protection of the wagon, doing an odd hopping gesture, wrapping both Hollis and the elf wizard in a blue and gold mist, sealing their wounds.  Another goblin suddenly came running from the south across the road, narrowly dancing past a desperate thrust from Hollis, only to be taken out in the back of head by Lance's arrow.

After checking the area for any more goblins, Hollis found a goblin trail that seemed to have recently been used.  Lance suggested they follow it as the horses had only been dead maybe a day and they needed to at least try save their employer.  It was decided then that the group would split up with Hollis and Heramp left to guard the wagon in the bushes while the rest followed the trail.

The trailed turned out to be trapped along the way, snaring Lance once which resulted in a bumped head and pride when the elf wizard used her magic to untie him while he was still hanging 10 feet in the air.  The favor was returned shortly though when Lance spotted some sort of trap on the trail, warning the group.  The elf ignored though, and fell right into a trap hitting her own head and needing Bruner to climb down with her to help her out.  Greatly to the amusement of Bruner, that an elf would need help from a dwarf while in the forest.  

About another hour down the trail resulted in finding an entrance to a cave.  Gloin not showing much fear simply walked up to the entrance and found two goblins hiding behind the thicket.  Not before, however, other goblins already began firing onto the party.  Everyone ran for cover and to get a better shot at engaging their enemies.  Gloin waded into the battle, while Lance sneaked around the thickets getting shots off surprising the other goblins.  Bruner shattered more goblins into ice, heads and arms exploding.  The nameless elf, however, simply ignored the battle and went into the entrance of the cave.  Just as she entered, another goblin jumped out of the thickets running and dodging past everyone attempting to warn the rest of the cave.  She shot sparks into its face stunning it just long enough for Lance to get a killing shot off.  Prime healed their wounds and lounged in the stream as they decided how to proceed as there wasn't any lights inside the cave.

Meanwhile Hollis and Heramp were having their own troubles with a swarm of stirges that were attacking them.  Between hiding under the wagon and some brute savagery from Heramp, they were able to slay their attackers.  Hollis kept complaining about how long this was all taking, in addition to Heramps misguided blue that ended up taking a good slice into Hollis' shoulder.  They built a fire in the hopes of the smoke would keep away any more attempts of the stirges from attacking while they bandaged their injuries.

Dramatis Personae

In the city of Neverwinter, a dwarf named Gundren Rockseer sought out a group of able-bodied folk to bring a wagonload of provisions to the rough-and-tumble settlement of Phandalin, a couple of days' travel southeast of the city. Gundren was clearly excited and more than a little secretive about his reasons for the trip, saying only that he and his brothers had found "something big," and that he'd pay each of the wagon's protectors ten gold pieces each for escorting his supplies safely to Barthen's Provisions, a trading post in Phandalin. Once they had all been hired, he set out ahead of them immediately on horse, along with a warrior escort named Sildar Hallwinter, claiming he needed to arrive early to "take care of business."

Enter our heroes.

Driving the wagon is the halfling Hollis McCavoy.  A former conscript from the Lord's Alliance army, he is insistent that his heroism among the other commoner conscripts there was only the beginning of what would become legends.  He seems absentminded at times, but at others, particularly if questioned about veracity of his claims, he becomes diamond focused and adamant in conviction.  

 Conversing with Hollis is the wood-elf Lance "Lightning".   For being a wood-elf, he seems fairly well traveled, or at least knowledgeable in many current events.  He seems to want to discuss the banditry in the region with odd frequency.  Unknown to his companions, the true purpose for being with them is not for Gundren's promised 10 gold pieces for safe delivery of goods, but to retrieve his single most precious possession that years of smuggling had allowed him to finally acquire; a dragon egg that has been taken from him.

Riding behind them with the goods is the dwarven warrior Gloin Warseeker.  He is of the same clan as Gundren and was sent there from his previous mercenary assignment to ensure the glory and might of their clan with the help of his mighty axes.  He doesn't speak much to the others as they do not seem to be battle hardened.  Hollis' talk is meaningless to him until he sees the halfling do work on the field of battle.

Walking to left of the wagon is a dwarven slum fighter Heramp.  His iron gauntlets and great sword seem to have been rougher for the wear.  He keeps mumbling to himself and looking about as if he suspects people are watching him.  His hands are busy shuffling a deck of cards that seem magical as they do not take any damage from his large rusty gauntlets.  They were a gift to him from his elvish companion.

An unnamed elvish wizard accompanies Heramp, studiously taking notes, seemingly oblivious to where she is walking.  A symbol of Oghma is on her book and back marking her obviously as an acolyte of his, yet for one who is for knowledge she does keep her name secret.  Any attempts by the others to interact with her are met with obtuse verbal ripostes and denials, leaving the questioner puzzled if they should feel insulted, complimented, or owe a fee.

To the right of the wagon is possibly the most bizarre of pairs, a humanoid lizard shaman who refers to himself as Prime, and a dwarven war wizard Bruner DragonEye "One Eye".  The dwarf seems to be the controlling one of the pair.  Until they left the city, he had Prime manacled at the neck, leading him with a chain.  At the city gate he unlocked him and they have walked together since.  He claims Prime saved his life once and now is in a life-pact with him.  None question him, as a wizard walking around in scale mail, carrying a warhammer, and speaking as if he was your commanding officer, isn't one to be taken to task easily.  Prime babbles, at times having conversations with himself, primarily concerning "changing", "water", and "Pools of Creation."  He seems to be very uneasy concerning any large amounts of vegetation.

5th Edition of Dungeon and Dragons Character Sheets for our Heroes