Cuthbert in the realms

"Cuthbert in the Realms" is a 5e D&D Campaign set in the default Forgotten Realms setting but featuring some homebrew elements. This campaign began in April 2017, with the players beginning at 1st level. Characters could draw materials from the Player's Handbook and Unearthed Arcana play testing materials officially released by WotC.

("Cuthbert in the Realms" is not the name given to our campaign by our DM, but simply a name I made up to create this page. It should also be noted that I am the player behind Hronsias, so while I strive to remain neutral in my recording of our adventures, things will inevitably be told from that perspective.)

Cast of Characters

Hronsias Nendahl - A Lawful Neutral (Good Tendencies) Human Male Paladin of St. Cuthbert, Hronsias was the son of merchants who were murdered during a business trip. This left Hronsias to be raised by his Uncle, a retired Paladin himself and the inspiration for Hronsias to join the Order of the Rosy Cross of Truth, a military order of St. Cuthbert. Following several military failures it was recognized that rigid thinking and outdated tactics were the cause, and this necessitated that several members of the order be sent out "into the world" to learn how to think during changing situations and identify new tactics.

Crothar - A Lizardfolk Male Barbarian, Cothar was kidnapped from his tribe during a hunting expedition by Human slavers. Cothar was then forced to participate in pit fights and trained in combat. After fighting for his life day after day, Cothar recognized an opportunity to escape and achieved his freedom that day. Cothar now travels both to avoid being retaken by his captors and to return to his tribe.

Murmur - A True Neutral catperson Female Awakened Mystic. Murmur is a spy, but her true motivation for adventuring is to be able to obtain some form of nobility and a place to rest which she has at least some ownership over.

Garghamell - An Elf Male Wizard of the school of Necromancy with a severe drinking problem during his off-time, Garghamell (named after the great Smurf-stomper) was unable to find tutelage in his school of magic and has taken to adventuring to learn the trade by himself.

Lander - A Human Male Eldritch Fighter, Lander is a Mercenary who adventures to sharpen and maintain his skills during times of peace.

(Robot) - A Neutral Good Warforged Male Artificer. Starting life as an urchin abandoned in the streets of a major metropolis, (blank) gradually learned to craft magic into tangible forms he can interact with, eventually taking to adventuring to find a sense of meaning for himself.

Arwin - An Elf Female Ranger, (blank) was of noble birth and has taken to adventuring to increase her knowledge of nature and peoples.

Sorbo - A True Neutral Goblin Male Rogue. Sorbo was born into slavery, spending his life serving under the fist of Clarg at Cragmar Outpost where Sorbo and his clan were tasked with attacking merchants on the road and stealing their goods. Captured by the party during their efforts to cleanse Cragmar Outpost of the evil beings within, Sorbo has taken to adventuring with them for the time being to learn his true place in the world.

Adventure Details

Setting out from Neverwinter, the party was retained by a Merchant guild to deliver a wagon of goods to Phandalen after several such shipments were stolen on the trail. After two days travel, the group came upon the scene of an earlier skirmish, finding dead horses and signs of combat on the road. While Hronsias was investigating the horses, the party was attacked by a group of Goblin bandits, first spotted by Arwin who had been driving the wagon. Hronsias encouraged his comrades to try to take one alive so that details of the other Goblins might be learned, allowing the Party to return and eliminate the threat to travelers on the road. After stopping the attack and putting out a fire caused by an errant fire bolt launched by Lander, the group was successful in capturing one of their assailants, and interrogation of this Goblin revealed that his group was working out of Cragmar Outpoat for a Bugbear by the name of Clarg. The party also learned that the horses had been left on the road after a fight approximately four days earlier and both riders has been taken to Cragmar Outpost as captives. After some debate amongst the heroes about the appropriate course of action, it was decided that Arwin would take the wagon and the Paladin's mount to deliver the goods to Phandalen while the remainder of the party would clear Cragmar Outpost of its occupants while taking their Goblin prisoner with them after securing him to prevent him from escaping or alerting other Goblins.

Arriving at a clearing at the mouth of a small creek within the woods, the party located the entrance to Cragmar Outpost atop the waterfall feeding the creek later that day, the party defeated the scouts protecting the entrance to Cragmar Outpost after failing to encourage their surrender. Briefly speaking with the prisoner, the party learned that approximately 20 Goblins inhabited the caverns at any time, and that Clarg keeps a wolf with him in his personal quarters. After silencing the captive once more, the party scaled the 20' waterfall and entered the caverns, immediately coming under attack by a group of wolves kept at the cavern entrance as a defense against intruders. Also at this time, (Robot) observed a Goblin guarding a bridge further in the cave and felled it with a few shots from his Thunder-cannon.

During this fight, the party observed that the water level of the creek was gradually rising, and after defeating the wolves heard a loud crashing noise further in the cavern, the party began heading for the bridge and higher ground. Unfortunately, Garghamell was caught by the rushing waters and nearly perished when he was washed out of the cavern and back to the clearing. At the same time, Murmur was first to cross the bridge and entered into the living quarters of the Goblin tribe, encountering five goblins and their captain holding a Human Wizard captive.

Making her presence known, Murmur shouted to the Goblins before her "Lay down your arms. My allies and I are here to end the attacks on the road, and we offer to spare your lives if you surrender!" The Goblins standing on the lower level of the chamber seemed willing to surrender, but the captain and those standing near him put up a resistance. Having arrived via a different route too late to hear the offer of surrender, Crothar rushed into the room, attacking the Goblins on the lower level and deftly ending the life of one of the Goblins with a single swing of his warhammer. Charging forward to attack the Goblin captain, Hronsias encouraged Crothar to attack the bigger threat of the Goblin captain and rescue the prisoner, succeeding only by the graces of St. Cuthbert. It was at this time that Garghamell returned to the party, entering the chamber from the same route Cothar had taken.

Hronsias and Crothar ascended the stairs leading to the second level of the chamber, defeating the Goblins there with a second round of attacks following a volley of ranged attacks from Garghamell, Murmur, (Robot) and Lander. Rescuing the captive, Sildar (Surname) of Phandalen, and securing the additional captured Goblins, the party learned that Sildar's companion, Gunrin Ironseeker, had been taken to Cragmar Castle by a cloaked individual known only as "Black Spider". Gunrin was to be taken before an entity known as "King Grull".

Discovering that the bridge had been washed out in the same rush of water that nearly claimed the life of Garghamell and now seeing the wounds he had suffered, the party elected to secure the only remaining entrance to the chamber and rest. During this rest, Hronsias found a steel box containing four Potions of Healing, which were divided between the party. After an uninterrupted rest, the party set out to explore the remainder of the caverns. Gradually advancing in the dark, the players initially encountered two Goblins breaking their camp for the morning. Using Murmur's psionic abilities, the party succeeded in eliminating these Goblins in silence before advancing further. Arriving unopposed outside the quarters of Clarg and hearing a lot of shouting coming from within the room, the party set about arranging themselves to combat the occupants of the room when they were suddenly challenged, with Hronsias being singled out.

"Cowardly Paladin, you and your company need not hide in the darkness. Enter my chamber and show yourself so that you might die a worthy death" shouted Clarg into the darkness of the caverns. Confident that his comrades were sufficiently prepared for combat, Hronsias called out his response:

"There is but one coward in these caves, and it is thee who sends others to do thy bidding while hiding behind them away from the light. Come out and face divine justice!" This succeeded in enraging Clarg, who rushed along with his wolf companion into combat with both Hronsias and Lander. After being targeted by Garghamell with a Grease spell and subjected to the combined fighting abilities of the other members of the party, nearly claiming the life of Lander, Clarg was felled by a well placed thrust of Hronsias' sword, resulting in the surrender of the Goblins Clarg had in his company protecting his treasure.

After a brief recovery, Hronsias guided the Goblin captives in clearing the defeated from the caverns and burring their remains before transporting the contents of Clarg's treasure hold to the trail to be loaded onto the wagon upon Arwin's reunion with the group. The group then made their way to Phandalen, selling the confiscated wares of the Goblins and Clarg while returning the goods that had been stolen from previous shipments from Neverwinter.

During their time at Phandalen, the party set about a number of different tasks. Hronsias initially set about socializing the Goblins the party had captured, as well as tending to some shopping and tasking (robot) with producing a collapsible 10' pole made of iron. Crothar made himself at home in the tavern of the Sleeping Giant Inn. Murmur and Arwin both did some light shopping while investigating Cragmar Castle and King Grull. Lander worked on improving his magical abilities before aiding Hronsias during the second week the party was in Phandalen to further redeem the captured Goblins, taking them back to Cragmar Outpost to seal the caves within the cavern while maintaining the flow of water into the woods as well as training them in sword use.

During this time, the party was approached by several members of the community of Phandalen requesting their aid to end the tyranny of the Red Brands, a criminal organization engaging in numerous hostile actions towards the residents of the town. This came to a head after the party had been present in Phandalin for several weeks, with members of the Red Brands escorting the party to the tavern of the Sleeping Giant Inn to be executing. As the Goblins, now trained as proper warriors, were still in the custody of Hronsias, short work was made of the Red Brands at the tavern, lead by the female Dwarven bartender who escaped through a trap door in the floor. The party was unable to located the door, but the area behind the bar where the door was approximately located was covered in heavy furniture and barrels of ale to ensure the trap door was unusable for a return before giving chase. The majority of the Goblin warriors were left at the Church of St. Cuthbert to recover before being placed into the care of the merchants to provide security for shipments between Phandalen and Neverwinter.

The party arrived at the manor controlled by the Red Brands, having split apart into two groups. Crothar and Arwin entered the main entrance, while the remainder of the party gained entry through a secret entrance located in the woods at the Southwest side of the town.