The Dragon of Icespire Peak Campaign Diary - Episode 4 - All That Glitters...

The prep...

So I had prepped for the Dwarven Excavation site portion last week, but we never quite got around to it. I really didn't have all that much to add to the prep. I think the biggest issue I faced was how to handle the exploration of the forgotten temple. A players version of the map for the temple is provided on D&D Beyond. That worked great for the Umbrage Hill adventure, but for this one it had a few issues. This temple is filled with secret doors and hidden passages. All these are clearly shown on the Players version of the map. The only difference between the two versions of the map is that the DM version shows room numbers.

Now I could go old school and have my players draw a map as they explore the temple, but I know that neither of my players are all that interested in that. Another option would be for me to draw the map as they explore. But that will slow down play, and since we are only playing for a couple hours I need to keep the game moving as best I could.

So I went for detailed descriptions of the temple, doing my best to keep things clear for them. This will keep things moving and hopefully won't get them lost. This temple isn't all that big or complicated, so that is good. But there are some later dungeons that have much more complex designs, so I'll have to see how this works out and see if I need to come up with an alternate plan for those larger dungeons.

I also had to collect Inverna's stats in one place. The way the sidekick characters are set up in The Essentials Set book gives you essentially level 1 stats and then a secondary page with new info they get as they level up. I collected this one one page in my notes so I could access it quickly.

I also know I wanted to seed a couple of hints about the dangers within the temple, as well as the stinger at the end of the tail of this adventure... orcs are in the area, and they are coming.

The story...

The session started with the Druid checking on the message she left at the Shrine of Luck. I had Paellia visit in the night and leave the message "rabbit berry 5 days". There was a bit of a debate about what the message meant. They eventually did an insight role and I mentioned that the name rabbit berry seemed to ring a bell (they didn't roll all that well). But the Druid figured out that "rabbit berry" meant the destroyed village of Conyberry, that is to the east of Phandalin. The two had heard about the village from the locals. But there was confusion about what "5 days" meant. They eventually came down to the fact that the druid was going to be in Conyberry for five days and come back. That wasn't what I meant, I was hoping to have them travel to the village in five days and meet Paellia. I'm on the fence with going with their version of the message, or going with my original idea. I might see how their tolerance for frustration is as we move further into the game. As I mentioned this is an easy going after work game. We're here to have fun, not get super frustrated.

Fog on mysterious ruins... no problem!

So the pair met up with Inverna (aka cowboy elf) and started on their journey to the Dwarvin Excavation site. I rolled to see what kind of weather they might run into (thinking that 1 was sunny, 2 was foggy, 3 was rainy and 4 was windy). I rolled a 2 and so fog was spreading across the land. It created a very cool mysterious mood, and while I did have it impact their perception checks, they ended up rolling so well with those (and for most of the session too) that it didn't matter.

Adding weather effects is always a good idea. Makes the world feel a bit more real, but the DM has to remember these effects in play too. So maybe put a note in your prep, or on your DM screen to remind you to adjust rolls if necessary. You can also roll this during prep time if you like. But there is something fun about rolling for weather in front of the characters (or maybe having one of them roll it). There is also an alternative set of tables for weather on page 109 of the Dungonmaster's Guide, if you want to get official about it.

Next it was time to roll for the Dragon! Sure enough about three hours out of Phandalin the dragon could be heard roaring behind them in the fog. The trio was alarmed, but it sounded like the dragon was having a time of it somewhere behind them. Was Phandalin under attack? Possibly, but they couldn't see it with all the fog. They determined that they were too far away to help and would be better served moving forward. But this will make the next town session much more interesting because the dragon attack will have caused some damage.

See dwarves carry heavy gear (and halflings)
all the time!

As they traveled they did some perception/survival rolls and found foot prints. I described some more axebeak prints as well as boots. They were able to identify one smaller set of heavy prints (the dwarves carrying equipment and gear) and lighter bigger prints with long strides (orc prints). The smaller prints headed to the excavation site, the larger prints were criss crossing all over. Inverna's experience with orcs allowed her to identify the orc prints and warn the players about them - but only after there asked for her help. Inverna is pretty quiet, I want the players to figure stuff out and not rely on the NPC.

They reached the gates of the lost village and had some fun describing how it emerged from the fog and gave it an ominous feeling. I made sure to describe the architecture and design as geometric and symmetrical (which would come into play later). There was a fun moment where they asked Inverna to lead the group in the marching order, and she just stormed forward sword drawn. The Rogue asked her to dial it back a notch or two, and they all went into stealth mode, sneaking forward. It was a bit of a challenge verbally describing the village with its low walls and piles of rubble, but I think I did a good enough job to keep them intrigued and disquieted. I mentioned that they could hear voices in the air, but not identify what language was being spoken (neither speaks dwarvish or orc). So they were nervous that the orcs were laying in wait.

They eventually found the gateway to the temple and snuck in (great stealth rolls, even by Inverna). And they found the two dwarf prospectors enjoying lunch and chatting away. Then my two players got all nervous about bursting in on the lunch, and were floundering with the best way to introduce themselves. They took so long that I had them roll stealth checks again, and the Druid rolled a natural 1, so she toppled over a pile of rubble. It was pretty funny and harmless moment, but I hope they learned that I will not wait forever for them to make decisions.

I described the temple as something similar to
Petra in Jordan.

They chatted with the dwarves for quite a while. I played both like a bickering married couple with a very silly lower class London accent. The dwarves don't seem all that bothered about the dragon, and instead asked the trio to clear out the temple. Something dangerous is inside. There was a lot of discussion about what they saw. It wasn't much. Norbus felt something watching them when they peeked into the altar room. Dazlyn said she saw the ceiling ripple, but Norbus told her that was the firelight playing tricks on her. She called him an idiot and they started bickering again.

Norbus offered the trio the Sending Stones as a reward, but the Rogue (thinking of what she owes Haylia no doubt) negotiated for a 60/40 split for any loot found. 60% going to the dwarves of course, since they did all the heavy hard work. Norbus grumbled but agreed.

The trio also found out a couple of more rumors. I seeded the quest to Mountain's Toe Mine and finally got around to mentioning the lighthouse off the coast. I've got a special idea set up for the lighthouse, so I hope they investigate it.

Eventually the trio entered the temple and started exploring. I love that the dwarves already found a secret door in the temple, giving the players an idea that secret doors may be found throughout the temple (which they may). The Druid investigated the first secret room, and I allowed her to use her History proficiency. With a great roll she determined that the symmetry and design of this ancient dwarf culture would expand out to the whole temple design - including the secret doors. So if there was a secret door on one side of the corridor, then there must be one not he opposite side. Since they knew what to look for the Difficulty Class (DC) wasn't high, and they rolled great again. They found more secret doors and explored further and further back into the temple.

Eventually you have to ask yourself... is the treasure worth
all the mess of cleaning your armor?

Eventually they found a side entrance to the altar room, where the dwarves felt the presence of something. They did some visual scanning from the doorway, and found another secret door across the room from them. But the only thing of interest was the Golden Ceiling above the altar. They both remember Dazlyn seeing the ceiling ripple, so they were wary, even though the Rogue had images of her 40% split from the ceiling. They were afraid to enter the room, and started going over skills and equpiment to get ideas on what to do next.

Eventually the Rogue pulled out one of her ball bearings (part of the thieves pack), and I asked for an attack roll as she hurled it at the ceiling. She rolled well and the ball bearing hit the ceiling. I then described how it didn't bounce off, but stuck into the ceiling with a squish! Then the ceiling absorbed the metal ball, rippled and came cascading down into a mass of writhing yellow ooze. It surged toward the surprised trio... and we ended right there.

The post...

So we didn't get to combat, which is what I was hoping for this session. But the players did seem to enjoy the exploration of their first official dungeon of this campaign. They are really cautious and methodical, so it took quite some time to get around to the altar room. They were going out of the way to avoid it (I can't complain, I often do the same thing in video games). Sadly we didn't have a full two hours to play again. Otherwise I think I could have completed this first battle.

Tasty sauce or deadly monster?!

Still I did notice that they are feeling some tension in the game. The threat of the dragon feels real, and I think the aftermath in Phandalin in an episode or two will drive it home. I also think the orc prints have got them a bit on edge. I've had Inverna talk up how dangerous orcs are, and how much she hates them. She also mentioned that the orcs kill elves on sight. The elven Druid took this to heart.

I think they enjoyed the dwarf prospectors too. The Rogue did a good job negotiating with them. But I think my Druid player was happy to get to the exploring section of the adventure. So we didn't get to everything I had prepped, but that means less prep time for the next session.

One funny note, I showed them the picture of the Ochre Jelly they commented that it looked animated honey mustard salad dressing. Then they joked about finding the Axe Beak and cooking up some nuggets and dipping them in the yellow ooze. Thus the name of the next episode.

Up next...

Session 5: When Condiments Attack!