Our first subscriber game of 2019 on twitch.tv/twentysidestoeverystory kicked off an adventure that brought our heroes face-to-face with one of Dungeon & Dragon’s most iconic 1st level foes: the dreaded kobold! Our games for our Twitch subscribers has been delving into the content of Into the Borderlands, a D&D 5e conversion of B1: In Search of the Unknown and B2: The Keep on the Borderlands by Goodman Games. Thus far it has been the perfect campaign to allow supporters of the channel to play in an on-going sandbox to allow characters the freedom to come and go as needed and experience the magic of the original D&D adventures that so many of us remember falling in love with.
One of the amazing things about this conversion is that the authors have added content not originally found in the source material in which they have revitalized. Our adventure centered upon the concept of the lone watchtower mentioned in B1 that was not detailed in the original module.
Before we delve into our recap, lets introduce our characters!
- Warren Maunsell – Human cleric. He has come to the Borderlands in search of religious artifacts of his sect.
- Sh’aul – Firbolg fighter. Once an adventurer of the high seas, Sh’aul has come to the Keep in search of adventure and coin.
- Sir Stagos – Human paladin. Sir Stagos has come to the Borderlands bring honor to his family’s house and gain renown that may aid them in building alliances.
- Rurik Oakenshield – Dwarf rogue. Was summoned to the Keep to recover the possessions of a fellow guild member who recently passed away.
- Callum Bothard – Half-elf sorcerer. Came to the Keep to escort Rurik Oakenshield and seek work.
Upon reaching Castellan Keep, Rurik Oakenshield and Callum Bothard met with a representative of the Stiches and Stems Savings and Loan Company. A gaunt half-elven woman bestowed upon Rurik an obscure map that had belonged to the deceased which marked the location of a lone watchtower out east from the Keep that the former owner believed was the remnant of an ancient stronghold belonging to two legendary characters known as Rogahn the Fearless and Zelligar the Unknown.
While this meeting was taking place, Warren and Sh’aul overheard the names of the reputable figures whom they had heard during a failed attempt to enter the fabled lair of Quasqueton. The pair had been tasked by an officer of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos to recover three gnome fugitives who were believed to be looking for the lost hideaway to loot it of any valuables and magical artifacts that it still contained. Sir Stagos, having also been recently directed to recover these convicts, vowed to join the party to venture to find the watchtower which stood out in the wilderness just two days travel away from the Keep.
The travel by road was uneventful and a search of the area out east eventually turned up an old trail that led up to a rocky outcropping where an old watchtower was indeed found. Amidst the briar growth was a peculiar hedge maze that was immaculately pruned considering its assumed disuse. Rurik volunteered to scout ahead and noticed a lingering shadow around the bend of one of the hedge maze’s corners. Startled, he vocalized a response to his comrades. As the party entered, spear points began thrusting out from the thick vegetation. The assailants were soon identified as kobolds and at least one was observed running towards the tower’s door.
The alerted guards were quickly dealt with, and Sh’aul shoulder checked the front door to the tower to announce the party’s arrival. Fearful looks of the cornered kobolds met his eyes as he darkened the doorway. Storming the first level of the tower, the party quickly learned that the grunts had backup coming from a sorcerer gazing down from a hole in the ceiling. A scorching ray spell took down Sir Stagos before the party could successfully return fire.
After dispatching the initial wave of kobolds, the party soon took the investigating to the second level where the sorcerer’s harem of companions begged for mercy. Warren was the only one amongst the group who could understand Draconic, and he deceitfully told his comrades that the kobolds spoke threateningly towards them. Sir Stagos and Sh’aul moved to slaughter the defenseless kobold women.
The battle was not over, for there were several winged kobolds roosting in the floor above them who assailed them with rocks and debris from the deteriorating ceiling. The heroes narrowly avoided defeat by dispatching a few of the winged enemies before retreating to take a short rest in the relative safety of the nearby forest. They regrouped and planned to assault the attic loft of the tower where they encountered the leader of the kobold hive: a harpy wearing a strange red dragon mask. Upon re-entering the tower, the harpy called out to one of her kobold pack to send hurling down upon their prone heads the defunct bell of the watchtower. Intending to strike a defensive position, Rurik, Sh’aul and Warren banded together only to be met with the descending harpy who used the power of her mask to exude a breath of flame which brought them to exhaustion. The ensuing battle soon brought all of the heroes unconscious except Sir Stagos, who had the last laugh as he struck resoundingly with his long sword empowered by a divine smight.
The party collected a fair amount of loot and identified the powers of the mask which will surely be an asset in the adventures to come. A trapdoor leading to the cellar, as of now uninvestigated, may reveal a passage into the lost stronghold of Rogahn and Zelligar.
This session was exciting as it was a gauntlet of battle that truly tested the limits of a low-level party. It was high-risk and high-reward and offered a thrilling display of how kobolds can be a truly terrifying opponent if they use their environment to their advantage. I have included here the maps that I created using ProFantasy’s Campaign Cartographer 3+ to be used with the Fantasy Grounds virtual tabletop program.
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