Session 08: Axeholm (Part One)

"“Within a mountain fifteen miles south of Phandalin stands the ancient dwarven fortress of Axeholm, which has been sealed for years. If a dragon attack is imminent, the people of Phandalin might need to evacuate and take refuge in Axeholm. To that end, someone needs to open the fortress and make it safe for habitation. It is rumored that Axeholm contains all manner of beasts and ancient security measures. A reward of 1,000 gold pieces awaits those who brave Axeholm's halls.'"

Summary
In Phandalin, the Latham, Moneux, Quoorin and Shanjan were enjoying each other's company at the Stonehill Inn and filling Varien in on the events at the Shrine of Savras before Spills the Stew burst into the taproom. The tabaxi brought a job posting to the adventurers with a reward of 1,000 gold pieces.

The party set off to gather supplies before leaving Phandalin to claim the reward before others caught wind of the quest.

Axeholm
It took less than a day for the adventurers to reach the dwarven fortress of Axeholm set into the base of a mountain. The party encountered a gauntlet of ancient defense systems between them and the doors to the fortress. The party tried to brave the gauntlet to no avail and suffered damage from magical attacks before they set camp for the night.

The following morning, the party sought out other ways to enter the fortress. Moneux searched for mechanisms to disable the defenses, Latham moved along the base of the mountain to look for alternate entrances. Eventually Quoorin spotted chimneys poking out from the top of Axeholm. After climbing up to the chimneys, Quoorin saw that the chimneys were in rough shape but provided entrance to the fortress.

Webs and More Adventurers
The party clambered down the chimney into an upper floor filled with webs. Latham stepped forward to investigate slits carved into the floor before a group of giant spiders descended on the party. The adventurers were able to defeat the spiders and began investigating the room. There were slits carved into the floor and walls of the upper floor. The party saw another group of adventuring through an arrow slit.

Latham spoke through the arrow slit to a group who called themselves The Fool's Errand consisting of a drow leader, a cloaked figure with a bow, a dragonborn and human. Though they received an offer to team up but the drow leader rejected an offer to split the reward too many ways. The Fool's Errand left Axeholm to the adventurers inside.

Construction Crew
The adventurers continued searching the upper level until they found a destroyed wall that led to a winding tunnel to the ground floor. The adventurers were once again assaulted by the fortress' automated defenses. Latham had the idea to grab a shield bearing the symbol of Axeholm and hold it up as they walked by another arrow slit. The shield proved useful as the fortress' defenses, which were revealed to be magic ballistas, ceased their automatic attacks.

The party moved forward to a ruined hall where they heard the sounds of hammering and scraping, Moneux moved forward to find the source of the noise to see mechanical constructs digging away at a cave-in. The constructs detected the adventurers and moved in to attack them. Latham found himself surrounded by the constructs as the party engaged in combat. After a grueling battle that involved a fireball cast by Varien, the party emerged victorious.

The Wailing Woman
The adventurers continued their exploration of the first floor and found themselves in a great hall where they saw a single, floating spirit in the middle of the room. Varien identified the creature as banshee and warned his companions about approaching as Latham drew his weapon and charged in to destroy the evil spirit. Latham smote the banshee with great might while Varien cast his magic on it before the banshee let out a horrific wail that sapped Latham and Varien of their life before the banshee's form dissipated.

Player Characters

 * Latham the goliath paladin of devotion
 * Moneux the shifter beast master
 * Quoorin the wood elf battle master
 * Varien the half-elf warlock of the fiend

Non-Player Characters

 * Panther, the male animal companion to Moneux.
 * Shanjan, the male human spellcaster and squire to Latham.
 * Spills the Stew, a male tabaxi bard and adventurer looking to catalog the adventures of heroes.