[Lost Mine of Phandelver] Fifth Session: Cragmaw Castle

Fully restored following their exploits against the Redbrands, our heroes pressed on into the complex. The only other room they could find was an armoury. Aside from helping themselves to some replacement, and backup weapons, there was little to find. Our heroes were not to be stopped though and were adamant that there must be a hidden door somewhere. However, their searching was in vain.

With nothing left to find, the party returned to Phandalin and spoke with Sildar Hallwinter who advised that his sources led him to believe that the complex was longer than it first appeared. However, it was decided that it would be better to head to Cragmaw Castle to rescue Gundren Rockseeker. Ensuring they had enough supplies before departing, our heroes left the village and headed north.

It wasn’t long before they found the castle and, unsure as to how to approach it, Gnomish Bob made friends with some local wildlife and asked about the occupants. Although the answers weren’t too detailed, the information received was enough to persuade them that a frontal assault would not be the best idea. Instead, they managed to trick some goblins into coming out and captured them. This allowed them to obtain a little more knowledge of what awaited them within the castle. Gnomish Bob’s newest friend, a brave squirrel, also told the heroes of an entrance on the other side of the castle that was partially hidden by a blanket.

Working their way around the castle, the hidden entrance was easily found, and our heroes stealthily approached. Feeling proud of their ability to remain undetected, they continued on inside the castle before coming to a stout wooden door. Listening, they could hear voices on the other side so Penance, sure that it wasn’t trapped, attempted to open it quietly. Unfortunately, the hinges of the door needed some oil and it creaked loudly as it opened alerting the occupants inside…

Having lost the element of surprise, our heroes dived in to find a bugbear, a drow, and a wolf. Valdeglarion put the wolf to sleep, helping to even the odds slightly but the bugbear and the drow were a different story. Indeed, the drow turned out to not be a drow at all but a doppelganger! Using its innate abilities, it managed to change its appearance to look like Taurion! This suitably confused the party initially but with some cunning plans, and a lot of luck, both the bugbear and the doppelganger were dispatched. Unfortunately, the noise of battle appears to have alerted the rest of the castle’s occupants…