PART 1: GOBLIN ARROWS
Theadventurebeginsas the playercharacters are
escortinga wagonfull of provisionsand suppliesfrom
Neverwinterto Phandalin.The journeytakesthemsouth
alongthe HighRoadto the TriboarTrail,whichheadseast
(as shownon the overlandmap).Whenthey'rea half-day's
marchfromPhandalin, theyrun into troublewithgoblin
raidersfromthe Cragmawtribe.
Readthe boxedtext whenyou'rereadyto start.If you
createa differentadventurehook,skipto the second
paragraphand adjustthe detailsas necessary,ignoring
the informationaboutdrivingthe wagon.In the city of Neverwinter,a dwarf named Gundren
Rockseeker asked you to bringa wagonloadof provisions to
the rough-and-tumble settlement of Phandalin, a couple of
days'travel southeast of the city.Gundren wasclearlyexcited
and morethan a littlesecretive about his reasons for the trip,
saying onlythat he and his brothers had found "something
big,"and that he'd pay you ten goldpieces each for escorting
his suppliessafelyto Barthen's Provisions, a trading post in
Phandalin. He then set out ahead of you on horse, along with
a warrior escort named Sildar Haliwinter, claiming he needed
to arriveearlyto "take careof business."
You'vespent the last few daysfollowing the High Road
south from Neverwinter, and you've just recently veered east
along the TriboarTrail.You'veencountered no trouble so far,
but this territory can be dangerous. Bandits and outlaws have
been known to lurk alongthe trail.Beforecontinuingwiththe adventure,takea few minutes
to do the following:- Encouragethe playersto introducetheircharactersto
eachotherif theyhaven'tdoneso already.
Ask the playersto thinkabouthowtheircharacters
cameto knowtheirdwarfpatron,GundrenRockseeker.
Let the playersconcocttheirownstories.If a playeris
hard-pressed to thinkof anything,suggestsomething
simple.For example,Gundrencouldbe a childhood
friendor someonewhohelpedthe player'scharacter
get out of a toughscrape.Thisexerciseis a greatoppor-
tunityfor the playersto contributeto the adventure's
backstory. - Ask the playersto give you the party'smarchingorder
and howtheircharacters are traveling.Who'sin front,
and who'sbringingup the rear?If the charactersare
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PART1: GOBLIN ARROWS
escorting Gundren'swagonloadof supplies,thenone or
two charactersneedto be drivingthe wagon.Therest
of the characterscan be ridingon the wagon,walking
alongside,or scoutingahead,as theylike.DRIVING THEWAGON
Anycharacter can drivea wagon,and no particularskillis
necessary.Twooxenpull the wagon.If no one is holding
the reins,the oxenstopwheretheyare.
Thewagonis packedfull of an assortment of mining
suppliesand food.Thisincludesa dozensacksof flour,
severalcasksof saltedpork,two kegsof strongale,
shovels,picks,and crowbars(abouta dozeneach),and
five lanternswitha smallbarrelof oil (aboutfifty flasksin
volume).Thetotalvalueof the cargois 100 gp.
Whenyou'reready,continuewiththe "Goblin
Ambush"section.GOBLIN AMBUSH
Readthe followingboxedtext to startthe encounter:You've beenon the Triboar Trailfor about half a day.As you
come around a bend, you spottwo deadhorses sprawled
about fiftyfeetahead of you,blocking the path. Eachhas
several black-feathered arrows sticking out of it. The woods
press close to the trailhere, witha steep embankment and
dense thickets on either side.If you are usingthe "MeetMe in Phandalin" adventure
hook,thenany characterwhoapproachesto makea
closerinvestigationcan identifythe horsesas belonging
to GundrenRockseekerand SildarHallwinter.They've
beendeadabouta day, and it's clearthat arrowskilledthe
horses.Whenthe charactersinspectthe scenecloser,read
the following:1
The saddlebags havebeen looted. Nearby lies an empty 1
leather mapcase.Fourgoblinsal~hlding in the woods,two on eachsideof
the road.Theywaituntilsomeoneapproachesthe bodies
and thenattack.
Thiswill likelybe the firstof manycombatencountersin
the adventure.Hereare the stepsyou shouldfollowto run
it effectively: