Tag: March of the Phantom Brigade

When the encounter’s called “The Death of Aldus Splintershield” it’s a safe bet that the party is in for one hell of a fight. After defeating the infected foresters last week, Brother Splintershield allowed for only a short rest before the party continued deeper into the woods to discover the source of the strange plague infecting the men and animals.

A good DM learns from his mistakes. I’ve certainly made plenty of mistakes as a DM. This week I had the opportunity to learn from one I made just a few weeks ago at D&D Encounters. During Week 3the party explored the ruins of Castle Inverness. Unfortunately the only 1-inch scale battle map provided was for the corner of the keep where the monsters were hiding. As soon as the players saw this, they knew that nothing “important” was likely to happen anywhere else.

Last week I tried to emphasize that just because there’s a map doesn’t mean that there’s certainly going to be combat or that there’s even any threats present. The result of my craftiness regrettably ended with Belgos the Dragonborn murdering Steve… poor guy.

This week I tried to learn from my Week 3 mistake. I didn’t produce the 1-inch scale battle map until it was actually time for combat. I found a copy of the Harken Forest online in the Wizards forums. I printed a colour copy on an 11 x 17 page and presented this to the players. Without a clear indication of where the battle would take place, they were extremely cautious when exploring.

The town in the ruins of Castle Inverness grew over the past six months. The PCs went on with their regular lives as productive members of the growing community during that time. The ghostly tower that appeared on the first night the settlers arrived still stood in the centre of town. All attempts to gain access failed.

Chapter 2 of The March of the Phantom Brigade began on a cold winter’s night like any other. Having met up after their daily responsibilities were completed, the PCs headed to the local tavern for some food, drink, company and entertainment. While there they join Faldyra for supper and engaged in conversation with some of Malgram’s scouts.

The scouts explained that they’d recently discovered a number of animals infected with some kind of unknown illness. The creatures were unusually aggressive (if still alive when encountered). The infection was a red-gold crystalline growth that surfaced from beneath the skin. No one, including the heroes, had an idea what it was or what was causing it.

Brother Splintershield stormed into the tavern seeking Faldyra’s aid. Some of the foresters just returned from their logging camp and the situation was not good. He beckoned for the PCs to come along as well.

The morning began with a difficult river crossing followed by an unexpected goblin ambush in the woods. With any luck the heroes might actually reach the ruins of Castle Inverness without any other mishaps or violence. This week’s encounter began at dusk, just as the caravan spotted the ruins of Castle Inverness in the distance.

Brother Splintershield, the leader of the new community, called the caravan to a halt. He beckoned the adventurers to come forth along with Malgram and his scouts. Splintershield and his acolytes are planning to perform a ritual on the site of the castle ruins. This will consecrate the ground, protecting it from evil. But before he can begin, he wants to make sure things are safe.

Malgram and his Rangers agree to search the perimeter. Splintershield asks the PCs to check the actual ruins. They look abandoned from here, but better safe than sorry. The party, this week consisting of Belgos (the Dragonborn), Jarren, Keira, Valenae, a Battlemind and another Rogue, agreed to check it out.

Last week’s eventful river crossing gave the party a chance to work together for the first time. Overall they worked well as a team. No one died (except the stirges) and the only wounds the party received were inconsequential scrapes and bruises. The party’s success was noted by Malgram, the Ranger in charge of leading Brother Splintershield and the settlers to the ruins of Castle Inverness.

A few hours after the river crossing, Malgram and an as yet unknown female Elf approached the PCs. Malgram introduces the PCs to Faldyra. She is an historian who plans to chronicle the efforts of the settlers as they rebuild on the castle’s ruins. She’s also got a green thumb and wishes to collect various plants, herbs, and roots in the surrounding area.

Malgram asks the PCs if they will accompany Faldyra into the nearby forest and keep an eye on her while she gathers the various plants she seeks. He was impressed by the party’s combat abilities and is sure that they could handle any potential dangers that lurk in the woods (not that he believes there is anything to worry about).

Faldyra, already heading off on her own, waves to the party as she get farther away from the caravan. It’s pretty clear that she’s going whether she’s got chaperones of not. The party quickly catches up to her and agrees to watch out for her well-being.