Session 17 - New Blood, Old Secrets

Phandelver & Below — Session 17: New Blood, Old Secrets

2026-10-20

Phandelver & Below (Tuesdays) | October 20, 2026 | Source: DiscMeet session a5742ffe (campaign 606)

Summary

After the brutal escape from Wave Echo Cave with the Star of Dumathoin, Rolling Dirty limped back to Phandalin and broke apart. Erik, Bjorn and Brieth said their goodbyes, and two Dragonborn brothers, Thardax ("Dax") and Drakon, joined Clara and Nissa. The new party crossed the wilds to Neverwinter, beat a Cyclops Sentry that attacked their camp, and found new allies and lore in the city. The session ended in a fight at a fountain near the docks.

Story

  • Leaving Wave Echo Cave: Exhausted after the escape, the party returned to Phandalin to long rest. Gundren, Nandro and the real Sildar were recovered from the cave.

  • Farewells on the road:

  • Erik is leaving Rolling Dirty for Neverwinter to seek renewed faith after losing his paladin powers.

  • Bjorn is going home with Avalanche to take over his clan, which is in trouble.

  • Brieth quietly left to serve his deity and gave his remaining wealth to the party.

  • The departing members' gear and wealth were redistributed.

  • The Stonehill Inn: Toblin introduced Clara and Nissa to Thardax ("Dax") and Drakon, who had been asking after the party for days.

  • The brothers were raised apart, one under the Summer Court and one under the Winter Court. After their dragon mother died, they were drawn back together and toward Phandalin.

  • They want purpose and want to find whoever stole from their clutch.

  • The party debated how much to tell them about the dragon, the necklace and Agatha, then welcomed them into Rolling Dirty.

  • Rest and rebuild:

  • Long rest, level-ups and character setup. Dax is a Fighter 1 / Warlock 5 (Archfey, pact longsword). Drakon is a Fighter 5 with an icy trident and a heavy crossbow.

  • Clara copied Fireball, Vampiric Touch, Lightning Bolt and Darkness from scrolls, paid for with party funds.

  • The party now holds 13 healing potions.

  • The road to Neverwinter (three days):

  • Night 1: the party rested safely inside Rope Trick.

  • Night 2: Drakon fell asleep on watch, and a Cyclops Sentry attacked the camp.

  • Drakon used his cold breath, Draconic Flight and Sentinel-style positioning.

  • Dax used his pact weapon and Eldritch Blast.

  • Nissa used Hunter's Mark, Hail of Thorns and Magic Missile, and Clara cast Web.

  • Jasper fought alongside them and was knocked prone and badly mauled.

  • The party killed the cyclops, harvested it and finished its rest.

  • Night 3: giant wings passed overhead in the dark, but nothing attacked.

  • Neverwinter: The party settled near the market in the Protector's Enclave. Shops include the Iron Hand Forge, the Frosted Sigil and the House of Knowledge, and the Hall of Justice is nearby.

  • Emerald Enclave: Wren Thistledown, a shabby hooded halfling, asked Nissa to quickly gather proof that a noble near Neverwinter is smuggling forest animals, including owlbear cubs and blink dog pups. Nissa accepted.

  • The Harpers: At the House of Knowledge, Maylis Corwin recruited Clara into the Harpers. Clara received money, goggles of night and a sending stone, and she will report her findings through the stone.

  • Research: Ilvin Sorrel, a scholar-priest of Ogma who had once dismissed the Star of Dumathoin as nonsense, apologized and pulled books for Clara. Clara donated to the temple-library (about 100 gp). Her Harper backing gave her advantage, and she rolled a very high Arcana check. She learned of:

  • Talhundrath, an ancient temple of Dumathoin with a crypt beneath Phandalin.

  • Gibbet Crossing, an underground trading hub.

  • The old mind flayer incursions, and Illithinok, a lost mind flayer stronghold beneath Phandalin.

  • The weavers, ancient magic-users tied to the obelisks, whose secrets Vecna stole and erased.

  • Thorgren Ironquill, a dwarf priest who vanished while seeking Illithinok.

  • Trouble at the fountain:

  • A scruffy employer at the docks offered 100 gp each to lean on a group near the fountain and rescue his business partner.

  • At the fountain, the party found a dead man in the road (Nissa confirmed it with Medicine) and armed toughs who said he died for not paying a "fee."

  • The party pressed them for answers, and initiative was rolled. The session ended mid-combat.

NPCs

Toblin (Stonehill Inn), Wren Thistledown (Emerald Enclave), Maylis Corwin (Harpers), Ilvin Sorrel (House of Knowledge, priest of Ogma), the scruffy dockside employer (unnamed), Jasper (ally). Also mentioned: Gundren, Nandro, Sildar, Agatha, Venomfang.

Loot and items

  • Clara: goggles of night, a sending stone, Harper funds.

  • Party: cyclops harvest. 13 healing potions in total.

  • Mentioned in the redistribution: a well-made light crossbow, brandy, thieves' tools.

Open threads

  • The fight at the fountain: who the toughs are and what the "fee" means.

  • The animal-smuggling noble (urgent).

  • Clara's Harper reporting through the sending stone.

  • Talhundrath, Gibbet Crossing, Illithinok and Thorgren Ironquill beneath Phandalin.

  • The weavers, the obelisks and Vecna.

  • The brothers' fey-court origins and the clutch thieves.

  • The necklace and the dragon at Thundertree.

  • The giant wings over the road.