Attack on the Wayside Inn

 A Ser Killian Adventure

Welcome to the Storm Lord's Wrath

I previously mentioned that I planned to continue the adventures of my solo fantasy character, Ser Killian, and his party of adventurers. I purchased Storm Lord's Wrath from D&D Beyond. Now I am set to start the adventure.

Note that I will not play by the book. I am using my Micro Dungeon solo fantasy adventure rules. You can find a brief description of Micro Dungeon (formerly Pocket Dungeon) here.

Similarly, I am not running the dungeon per the published adventure. I am embellishing it greatly to fit into the Micro Dungeon framework.

Spoiler Alert! Nevertheless, there are elements that I borrow from the published adventure. Some may be spoilers, so you may want to skip this post if you plan to play the module.

Background

After Killian and his party defeated the white dragon, peace and prosperity reigned in Neverwinter. Killian and Winston finish building a church in Phandalin. Meanwhile, the town of Leilon rebuilds after a catastrophe.

One day, Killian had some business to attend to in Leilon. He sets out for the town with his comrades, Haiden his squire, Martin his cleric and confessor, and Nashad the man-at-arms.

They decide to stop and rest for the night at the Wayside Inn.

A Rude Awakening

Our heroes are resting comfortably, when screams of terror awaken them. Grabbing their weapons, they exit their second-floor room to investigate.

Making their way through the hallway to the stairs, they pass a grisly scene - patrons of the inn torn apart by some diabolical agent. Suddenly, a zombie jumps them, biting Killian. More zombies attack. The party makes quick work of them. Martin heals Killian, ensuring that he does not turn into a zombie himself.

On the stairs, some wraiths block their way. Our heroes' swords pass harmlessly through the incorporeal forms. Martin blesses the party's weapons. Then they make short work of the wraiths.

They reach the ground floor. In the corner, the innkeeper huddles in terror as some wights approach him. 

Our heroes rush to attack. One wight jumps Killian, slashing and gouging him. Killian steps back, blood running in rivulets. Nashad and Haiden step forward, shielding their commander. Martin calls upon Daeus to heal Killian. With a mighty swing, Nashad chops two wights in half while Haiden finishes the last one.

Leading the innkeeper, they race for the front door. But a fire has broken out, blocking the entrance.

"This way!" yells the innkeeper, as he leads them to a back exit. They escape.

Our heroes then circle the inn, looking for more undead. In front, they spy a lone figure in black robes. He is casting lightning bolts at the inn, smashing planks and starting more fires.

Killian calls him to stop. But he laughs and launches a lightning bolt at Killian. It hits and knocks him to his feet. Our heroes charge. The figure then chants an incantation. Zombies appear and block the party. Killian and Haiden dodge and rush the necromancer. Their swords bite into his flesh. More chanting and more zombies attack. Nashad and Martin take wounds. Zombies press Killian back. But Haiden breaks free, attacking the necromancer. The villian retreats, right into Nashad's path. Nashad swings his great sword. The necromancer's head flies off. Suddenly, the remaining zombies collapse. It was the will of the necromancer that animated them. Without him, they return to death.

Aftermath

Our heroes help rescue the survivors from the burning building, then tend to people's wounds.

In the morning, some leave for Neverwinter or Phandalin. Others decide to accompany Killian to Leilon.

NOTES

When I read this adventure, I was concerned it would be too easy. So I amped it up a bit. I certainly challenged our heroes. You can see the damage here. 

Martin was down to 4 hp, Killian to 3, and the others to 2. They all started around 9-10 hp so most were down to 1/3 or less. And at one point, Killian was down to 1 hp before Martin healed him. It was a close run thing. Just what I wanted.

Note that I made another change. I hate the level drain of some undead. In my rules, their chilling touch just does additional damage, which a cleric can heal. They are still dangerous, as Killian can attest.

Storming Icespire Peak

A Ser Killian Micro Dungeon Adventure

Spoiler Alert - This is another adventure loosely based on D&D's Dragon of Icespire Peak. Even so, it may have some spoilers. You may not want to read this if you plan to play that adventure.

The Story So Far

Ser Killian and his retainers, Haiden the squire, Martin the cleric, and Nashad the man-at-arms, have recently recovered the sword of dragon-slaying from the dragon barrow and defeated the orc marauders plaguing the land.

Only one enemy remains - the white dragon of Icespire Peak.

Approaching Icespire Peak

Icespire Peak lies deep in the Sword Mountains. On a clear day, one can see the peak from miles around. Getting to it, however, is supposedly no easy feat.

But our heroes must be blessed by Daeus. They manage to traverse the perilous climbs of the peaks without significant incident. At one point, a band of harpies swoop down on the party but they disperse the creatures without too much difficulty.

And thus they arrive at Icespire Peak.

I think it is supposed to be more difficult getting to the Peak. There were some things to do just to find the way, for example. I just dispensed with all that. I did add some encounters to represent travel. But due to good dice rolling, our heroes managed to bypass most of those encounters.

The Dangers of Icespire Keep

Our heroes come upon an ancient keep built near the summit of the peak.

Taking up residence in outer works is a band of orc brutes. They attack the party. Martin smites one with divine power while Haiden and Nashad make short work of the rest.

In the main keep, our heroes run across another party of adventurers. At first, Killian is pleased to meet them and proposes to join forces.

"Be off with ye," the leader exclaims. "The dragon's treasure is all ours!"

Killian explains that he is not interested in the treasure. He just seeks to destroy the dragon.

"Ye take me for a fool? Ye'd be crazy to challenge the dragon!" the leader replies. Clearly, he does not trust Killian. With that, the leader gives the sign and a barrage of arrows rain down upon Killian and his men.

"Right, that does it!" Killian exclaims. "Charge!"

Martin unleashes a ball of fire but misses the target. Haiden and Nashad draw out bows they brought for use against the dragon. Their return volley strikes down some of the enemy. Then they follow Killian into melee.

The battle ends quickly. Our heroes make short work of the enemy.

The Dragon

The party reaches the roof of the keep. There, they find the white dragon asleep.

Haiden and Nashad are armed with bows. They loose arrows at the beast. Martin flings a fireball. All miss.

The dragon takes flights, swoops at the party, and breathes a cone of ice. Haiden is caught in the cone but the others manage to dodge.

The dragon attacks, striking Haiden and Martin with its claws. They manage to get in strikes as it flies by.

Again and again, the dragon swoops down on the party, wounding them. They manage a few hits in return. Then the dragon breathes ice again. Haiden is hit. He falters, and kneels. He is badly wounded. Martin rushes over to heal him.

The dragon swoops down at Haiden, looking to deliver the coup de grace. But Martin launches another fireball, which catches the dragon's wing. It spins to the ground.

Though wounded, the dragon still has plenty of fight. It recovers and charges Martin and Haiden. But Killian comes running, and interposes himself between the dragon and Killian's friends. As the dragon's maw closes on Killian, he strikes with the sword of dragon slaying. The sword pierces through the roof of the beast's mouth. It howls in rage and pain, and thrashes wildly. The sword, seemingly with a will of its own, buries deeper into the dragon's skull. With a final howl, the dragon crashes to the ground, dead.

Aftermath

Our heroes return, wounded but victorious, to Phandalin. They are showered with gifts from people all through Neverwinter who are grateful that the dragon is gone. Killian uses the money to finish building a church, with his old cleric, Winston, as pastor. Killian displays the sword and one of the dragon's teeth in the church. This draws visitors to the church. Phandalin, and Neverwinter, prosper.

The End

GAME NOTES

Thus ends the adventure of the Dragon of Icespire Keep. What next? Stay tuned to find out.

Some notes about this adventure:

• This post recounts my second battle vs. the dragon. The heroes won in the first, but I forgot that Killian had the sword of dragon slaying. I wanted to include it in the narrative so I replayed the fight.
• Nevertheless, Killian was useless through most of the fight. Haiden and Martin were the real heroes. I hope this account gives them due credit.
• When the dragon was down to 1 hp, I gave Killian the first attempt to hit. He did, and killed the dragon. I embellished the account a little bit.
• Killian's problem was that he was only armed with a sword and the dragon was flying. When the dragon swooped down, I had melee-armed heroes pass a test just to attack. More often than not, Killian failed these tests. I guess his armor weighed him down.

The Circle of Thunder

A Ser Killian Micro Dungeon Adventure

Spoiler Alert - This is another adventure loosely based on D&D's Dragon of Icespire Peak. Even so, it may have some spoilers. You may not want to read this if you plan to play that adventure.

The Story So Far

After retrieving the sword of dragon slaying from the dragon barrow, our heroes return to Phandalin. There, they find a shaken Falcon, owner of the hunting lodge in Neverwinter Woods. He tells the party how a band of orcs accompanied by a giant boar destroyed his lodge.

"I thought we took care of that lot," Killian exclaims as he thinks of their adventure at the Woodland Manse.

"I fear not," replies Falcon, "and they are more dangerous than ever. Foul magic spurs their destruction."

Needless to say, Killian pledges to end the threat once and for all.

Approaching the Circle of Thunder

Falcon tells the party that he tracked the marauders back to a stone circle in the woods. He is too wounded to show them so he provides a map.

As our heroes approach the circle's vicinity, a band of blights attack. Killian and Haiden are wounded, but the party wipes out the blights.

Then they run into a band of orcs. The fight is a short and swift victory for our heroes.

Next, a corrupted tree lashes at them with its branches. Killian is wounded in the fight but they ultimately destroy the tree.

Finally, a pack of boars attacks, The heroes manage to drive them off without wounds.

Game Note: I used my Micro Dungeon approach, where there are essentially three levels - the first with 3 possible encounters, the second with 2, and then the boss. For this game, the wilderness approach to the circle takes the place of a formal dungeon.

Meeting Gorthok

Our heroes find the stone circle described by Falcon. In the center are 3 cultists chanting.

"Stop your vile proceedings!" commands Killian.

The cultists scoff and continue to chant. Then suddenly there is a clap of thunder and a massive figure the size of an elephant appears in the circle.

It is Gorthok, the thunder boar, avatar of the heathen god Talos!

The gigantic boar charges the party, bowling them over and knocking them to the ground. Despite this, Killian manages to score a strike. Black ichor flows from the beast's wounds.

Gorthok turns to charge again. Martin calls upon the power of Daeus and smites the beast with holy power. Enraged, Gorthok charges Martin, scoring him with its brutal tusks. Nevertheless, the fighters manage to score more hits.

Again and again, this pattern plays out. Our heroes adjust to Gorthok's pattern and they become adept at dodging the enemy charges. Every time, they score more hits.

Finally, the beast charges Haiden. He dives to the ground under the great boar and drives his sword deep into its vitals. It bellows in rage. Lightning crackles across its body. It begins to dissolve into nothingness, then with a crack of lightning it disappears!

The cultist priests stand shocked for a moment then flee.

"Shall we pursue?" asks Haiden.

"Nay," replies Killian. "This circle is the source of their power. Destroy it and they will no longer threaten the peaceful citizens of the realm."

With that, they proceed to tear down the stone circle. Martin calls upon divine power to shatter the stones then they scatter the remnants in the woods. It is done.

"Now we only have a dragon to deal with." announces Killian.

How will our heroes fare against the dragon? Find out next time!

GAME NOTES

That turned out easier than I planned. They did not use a single healing ability and they still had points to spare. Reasons for this?

• I based the adventure on the module, and other than Gorthok the encounters were not really that challenging.
• Still, I probably should have punched up the enemies' hit points a bit.
• With the way I run the adventure, the party has a chance to bypass some encounters. As it turns out, they avoided some of the more powerful ones - like more cultists and an ogre.
• I forgot to use some of Gorthok's special abilities.
• I also rolled extremely well for the heroes. Oh well, I guess they had some holy assistance.

The Dragon Barrow

 A Ser Killian Micro Dungeon Adventure

Spoiler Alert - This is another adventure loosely based on D&D's Dragon of Icespire Peak. Even so, it may have some spoilers. You may not want to read this if you plan to play that adventure.

Game Notes

I've made more progress on the rules for Micro Dungeon. Because my previous Ser Killian experiment worked well, I decided to continue on. This time, I formally statted out the party using the latest version of the character creation rules.

The Party

Here are the stats for Killian's party.

• Ser Killian, level 5 paladin in heavy armor with shield - AV 5, DV 8, HP 9
• Squire Haiden, level 5 fighter in light armor with shield - AV 5, DV 7, HP 10
• Brother Martin, level 4 cleric in light armor - AV 3, DV 5, HP 8, Spell Points 8
• Nashad, level 4 fighter in light armor with a two-handed weapon - AV 5, DV 5, HP 8

The Story So Far

After defeating the orcs and the corrupted tree at the Woodland Manse, Ser Killian and his party return to Phandalin. 

They learn that the white dragon had attacked another convoy on the road. Ser Killian pledges to end the dragon's reign of terror. To do this, he must retrieve the sword of dragon slaying, said to lie in a barrow north of the town. Here, a party of heroes defeated a marauding dragon but died from their wounds.

Approaching the Barrow

Travel to the barrow is uneventful.

Game Note: I wanted to get on with the dungeon so I did not bother with travel and wandering monsters. Instead, poof, they made it safely.

As they near the barrow, a centaur appears from nearby woods. He warns the party to be off - do not disturb the peace of the heroes buried there.

Ser Killian informs the centaur that he must retrieve the sword. The centaur fires an arrow at him. The party charges and drives the centaur off.

Another Game Note:

Here is the setup for this dungeon.

• I created cards for the encounters. I just quickly ginned them up from index cards. The centaur is flipped over but the rest are face down.
• I also created some quickie markers for the tracking board - one for each character, one for monsters, one for Martin's spell points, and one for healing kits (designated by a picture of a bandage).
• The character stats are on one index card below the tracker.

Into the Barrow

Our heroes enter the barrow. The first room is filled with webs. Suddenly, a giant spider shoots a web, catching Haiden in its sticky strands. The rest attack the spider. It bites Nashad and Martin, but they are not poisoned. Finally, Nashad wounds it and it retreats into a hole.

Next they enter a cavern with dancing lights. Haiden and Nashad become mesmerized and walk unsuspectingly toward an open pit. Martin casts a spell that breaks Haiden's charm. The three of them attack the wisps. The wisps cause some wounds but eventually retreat from the fray. Killian then rescues Nashad.

Winding through the corridors of the barrow, they enter a room with statues of the heroes of old. The statues come to life and try to bar the party from passing. When Killian tries to get by, the statues attack. The blades of our heroes seem to have little impact on the statues. Martin then blasts them with a spell and the rest gang up and finish the statues off.

Finally, they enter a treasure room. The sword is on display, stuck into the skull of a large dragon. Killian seizes the sword. Suddenly, an invisible attacker strikes him! The guardian hacks and slashes our heroes while they flail in vain. Martin tries to cast as spell that will cover the guardian in sticky tar. This would allow the party to see their adversary. Alas, the spell fails.

Then Killian has them retreat into a corridor, forcing the guardian to attack in a narrow space. Although swinging blindly, the party manages to get in some hits. Due to wounds, Martin has to retreat. Finally, Killian and Nashad finish off the guardian.

They now have the sword!

WHAT NEXT? STAY TUNED FOR MORE ADVENTURES!

NOTES

• The rules are shaping up nicely. I'm working on writing things down.
• I do take some artistic license with my accounts. For example, I did not really plot out the movements of the combatants during the battle with the invisible guardian. I just rolled dice. But in my head, I envisioned the tactic that I described.
• I have a small list of spells but I found myself improvising along the way - the uncharm and the tar spells in particular. I like the idea of allowing improvised spell casting.

Woodland Manse

A Ser Killian Micro Dungeon Adventure

Spoiler Alert - this adventure is loosely based on the D&D adventure Dragon's of Icespire Keep. You may not want to read it if you plan to play that adventure.

Ser Killian's Tale

This missive continues the tale of Ser Killian, originally told in this chronicle.

Ser Killian is a level 4 paladin. He is joined by his squire Haiden (L4 fighter), his confessor Martin (L3 cleric), and man-at-arms Nashad (L3 fighter).

In his last adventure, Killian and his party battled through various enemies to reach Falcon's Hunting Lodge. The owner then asked for help clearing out some marauding orcs.

Quick Aside for a Game Note

I was originally playing Ser Killian's adventures using my MicroQuest rules. But I ran into difficulties when the adventurers got their butts kicked by some orcs in a long, drawn-out battle. Seems that my damage / armor rules weren't working very well. So I shelved MQ until I could sort out the problem.

Anyway, as I've been experimenting with Micro Dungeon, it dawned on me that I could use MD to complete Killian's tale.

To the Manse

Falcon informs the party that there is an abandoned manse to the east in the woods. Once the home of a wizard, it now seems to be the stronghold of the orc marauders.

Along the way, the party runs into an orc warband. After a brief but intense fight, the orcs break and flee. Our heroes have taken some wounds.

Next, they get ambushed by blights, humanoid-looking plants that thrive on human blood. Once again, there is a brisk fight that our heroes win.

Finally, from the brush a pack of boars rush the party. Our heroes quickly kill the attackers.

The Manse

At the entrance of the manse awaits an orc shaman. As the party approaches, he warns them to leave.

Killian responds "We come to destroy the corruption that has blighted these woods. If you are not involved, then move aside and let us do our work."

The orc sneers, "I am the corruption." With that, he chants an incantation and an earthquake knocks the party off their feet. In an instant, he is among our heroes, smashing them with his staff.

The shaman dodges our heroes, striking again and again. Martin is bleeding profusely and must retreat from the combat. Killian covers him, only to suffer the wrath of the shaman. Before the orc can strike a killing blow, Nashad comes up from behind and strikes him down.

The Corruption

Inside the manse, they find a courtyard with a blackened tree in the middle.

Martin shivers and says, "This is the source. I can feel the evil."

Suddenly, the tree lashes out with vines, striking our heroes. This begins a terrible fight. Again and again, the vines lash out. Again and again, our heroes rush in and strike the tree's trunk. Little chips of wood fly, but the tree seems unaffected.

Blood runs freely from our heroes. The vines grasp Killian and squeeze him. Winded and bloodied, his strength is nearly sapped. Yet he breaks free, and rushes forth. In a little chink in the bark, Killian drives his sword. It penetrates into the blackened heart of the tree. It thrashes wildly, vines trying to withdraw the sword piercing. Its efforts are in vain. Within minutes, it sags and moves no more.

After this, Martin and Killian cleanse the manse of evil. With this, the orcs should depart.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE ADVENTURES OF SER KILLIAN!

NOTES

About the Ser Killian campaign:

• That worked surprisingly well. I think I will convert my Ser Killian campaign to these new rules.
• Just checked - I have 3 adventures left in the campaign. Using Micro Dungeon should allow me to knock them out in no time!
• Checking the Icespire Peak campaign book, I realize that Ser Killian and his compatriots should have leveled up last time. I will correct this going forward.

About the Micro Dungeon rules:

• I did not use counters, or even the dungeon board. Instead, I had index cards with the monster starts on them. I laid them out face down then flipped them as I went. This worked well and leads me to a new option - monster cards. It's something I experimented with before but never completed. But I think it solves the problem I mentioned previously. I may design cards without images; that should speed up the creation process. They won't be index card sized. That's just too big. I'll probably make them half an index card.
• I did use the tracking board. It just makes the game so much easier. I realize I can also use it to track spell points and potions.