On this episode of Advances in Care , host Erin Welsh and Dr. Craig Smith, Chair of the Department of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia discuss the highlights of Dr. Smith’s 40+ year career as a cardiac surgeon and how the culture of Columbia has been a catalyst for innovation in cardiac care. Dr. Smith describes the excitement of helping to pioneer the institution’s heart transplant program in the 1980s, when it was just one of only three hospitals in the country practicing heart transplantation. Dr. Smith also explains how a unique collaboration with Columbia’s cardiology team led to the first of several groundbreaking trials, called PARTNER (Placement of AoRTic TraNscatheteR Valve), which paved the way for a monumental treatment for aortic stenosis — the most common heart valve disease that is lethal if left untreated. During the trial, Dr. Smith worked closely with Dr. Martin B. Leon, Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Chief Innovation Officer and the Director of the Cardiovascular Data Science Center for the Division of Cardiology. Their findings elevated TAVR, or transcatheter aortic valve replacement, to eventually become the gold-standard for aortic stenosis patients at all levels of illness severity and surgical risk. Today, an experienced team of specialists at Columbia treat TAVR patients with a combination of advancements including advanced replacement valve materials, three-dimensional and ECG imaging, and a personalized approach to cardiac care. Finally, Dr. Smith shares his thoughts on new frontiers of cardiac surgery, like the challenge of repairing the mitral and tricuspid valves, and the promising application of robotic surgery for complex, high-risk operations. He reflects on life after he retires from operating, and shares his observations of how NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia have evolved in the decades since he began his residency. For more information visit nyp.org/Advances…
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×The Crossing Inn. A stop-over for travellers heading in and out of Phlan. However, with Phlan currently under the control of the Green Dragon Vorgansharax, the inn hasn’t seen nearly as many travels of late. Add to that the unseasonable cold and the lingering fog and it’s no wonder the inn has fallen on tough times. As the five factions mount a heroic effort to reclaim Phlan, the PCs were asked to visit the Crossing Inn and gather intel while awaiting further instructions. When they reached the inn they discovered that a family of nomadic travellers who’d been staying in the area had tricked the locals, stolen some good, and fled the inn the night before. The heroes, all looking to make names for themselves, volunteered to track down the thieves, recover the stolen goods, and bring the perpetrators back to the inn to face justice. In the last write-up we covered the introduction including who these thieves were and what was taken. We also followed the PCs’ adventures as they undertook the first mission called COINS. In that one they recovered a box of stolen gems for a visiting merchant. This week the PCs undertook two more missions called SWORDS and STARS as they tried to recover two more stolen items: a wagon full of weapons and a magic wand. SWORDS The PCs had no trouble following the wagon’s trail as it headed toward Xûl?Jarak, the abandoned Orc fortress in Thar. The persistent fog made it difficult to see too far ahead as they traveled up the mountainous trail. Eventually the fog broke and the PCs could see the abandoned fortress in the distance. They could also make out (barely) four Orcs leading a wagon into the fortress. One Orc carried a limp body over his shoulder. It looked like Kehkim was captured. The PCs quickened their pace hoping to get to Kehkim before he was thrown in the Orc’s stew pot. As the party moved ahead they were ambushed by Goblins. The sneaky buggers had set traps, but observant PCs noticed the traps and managed to avoid getting tangled up. In the three times I ran this encounter only one PC was ever caught in the trap. In that instance the clever Goblins surrounded the spot where they knew he’d fall, while one of them cut the rope, and when he fell the others attacked the prone and restrained PC with advantage. It was ugly. In the other instances the PCs made short work of the Goblins. In all cases I ramped up the difficulty of this encounter by providing lots of places for the Goblins to hide, and I increased the number of monsters to provide a real challenge for the party. Everyone who played enjoyed the combat, and all felt there was danger, but all knew that in the end they’d survive. After all these were just Goblins. All of the parties kept some Goblins alive to try and interrogate them. However, two of the groups couldn’t get anything from the monsters – once because no one spoke Goblin, and the other because they failed their Charisma skills. In both cases they murdered the prisoners (despite a reminder from me that this was an unlawful act). The third group managed to coax some info from their prisoner including pass phrases that would allow them to get into the keep without being attacked. The parties that killed the prisoners found a crumpled paper with the pass phrases spelled out phonetically, but they had no idea what the words meant. All parties found a magnifying glass on one of the Goblins. Once cleaned up, the trinket was worth 125 gp. At this point two of the three groups I ran through this part wanted to take a short rest while others felt time was of the essence and they needed to move ahead quickly. Since I beefed up the Goblin fight I allowed groups who wanted to take the rest to do so, but I adjusted the next part accordingly. In all three cases this next part played out exactly the same way. I described the keep using the read-aloud text provide. Then I mentioned a lone raven circling the keep. When the raven changed its flight path and headed towards the PCs I had everyone roll initiative. I didn’t say that the raven was attacking or even posing any significant danger to the party, I just wanted to create some tension and see how they’d react to the unknown. Each time the raven rolled poorly in the initiative and went after most party members. And in each case the PCs chose to attack the poor raven before it could get close to them. In fact, two of the three parties killed the 1 hp raven with a crit. Little did they know that the raven was actually a Wizard’s familiar and was trying to provide intel and other assistance. Oh well. Each party advanced slowly and quietly, some sending scouts, others advancing as a group. All Stealth checks were good enough to approach undetected. No one remembered to use the pass phrases, but it wasn’t necessary in any of the scenarios I ran. Once inside the courtyard, the PCs spotted the wagon. The horse was still attached but resting comfortably. In the back of the wagon two Orcs sorted the weapons looking for the very best ones to keep for themselves. Not far from the wagon a man was locked in a cage. He matched the description of Kehkim they’d been given. He was alive but had been badly beaten. The PCs took advantage of the Orc’s singular focus on the shiny weapons and attacked them. The Orcs called out for help and the fight was on. I had at least two more Orcs emerge from the crumbled buildings in the subsequent rounds. For the parties that rested and were back to full hit points I also had an Ogre make an appearance. The combat was grueling and difficult, but the PCs always had a slight edge over the monsters. During the combat I had some PCs make Perception checks. They heard the sounds of movement and monstrous voices emanating from the lower sections of the keep. There were clearly more monsters nearby, but not close enough to join the fight yet. This emphasized the urgency to finish quickly and escape. During two sessions a PC rushed to free Kehkim, in the third they waited until all immediate monsters were killed before doing so. Kehkim was weak but awake. He thanked the party and asked them to take the wagon with the weapons back to the inn. Since the Orcs did not honour their deal to protect his family he didn’t want them to have these weapons. He apologized for his actions and promised to try and make it up to the people he wronged. The heroes managed to get the wagon turned around and back on the path before anyone emerged from the bowels of the fort. The trip back to the inn was uneventful. Kehkim offered the party a pair of earrings that he still wore as a reward for saving him. The party accepted his payment and returned him to the inn before they undertook their next mission. STARS Both times I ran this session I decided to do so without using a full on map with the 1-inch grids or minis. The results were very positive and it allowed us to complete this mission in about 30-40 minutes of real time. Considering how long it took to complete COINS and SWORDS, I needed to do something to quicken the pace and complete the missions in under an hour. Foregoing the map was the ideal solution. The heroes were able to pick up the tracks of Hricu, the child who stole the wand. A local farmer confirmed they were heading in the right direction when he told them about the child he spotted running through his field a few nights earlier, lights flashing in his wake. The trail lead to the Vanishing Hills and up the relatively steep incline. While the PCs decided how best to traverse the steep cliffs they noticed a strange flower that was growing wildly up the slope. Given the cold weather it was unusual to see a plant with such vibrant red colouring growing so abundantly. No one made a high enough Nature check to identify the plants so they proceeded without further delay. As the group progressed onward and upward they needed to make Athletic checks to keep their footing on the steep and slippery terrain. It didn’t take long for more than a few PCs to slip and slide down the mountainside. The journey might have been fun if it wasn’t for the explosions. The red flowers were so plentiful that any PC who slid was unable to avoid going through a patch of the plants. A few seconds after the plants were touched (or picked) they exploded. It caused more than one PC to sustain a few points of damage. With the new danger apparent, the climbing proceeded in a much more cautious manner. Eventually the whole party made it to a plateau where there was a path a few caves. Before the PCs could decide what direction to head next they were beset upon by hungry cougars (the big cats, not sexually aggressive soccer moms). The cats looked malnourished and the party realized they may avoid combat if they presented easier prey. While the well armored PCs fought off the beasts, the spell casters pulled rations from their packs and threw the food off to the side. A few cougars pounced on the free food, but the party was forced to kill a few others. Once two cougars were killed the other cats moved in to feed on the remains. The party slipped away without having to kill the remaining cats. The wand thief’s tracks were easily spotted in the dirt, heading into a nearby cave. The PCs with darkvision proceeded while those without darkvision stopped to light torches. The PCs in the lead turned the corner and started down a slippery slope. They saw brief flashes of light at the bottom so they rushed onward. Unfortunately huge icicles fell from the ceiling and pierced them as they made their way down. They didn’t stop to caution the rest of the party once they reached the bottom and took in the scene. When the rest of the party got to the slope they had enough sense to look around. When they saw the icicles they used magic to destroy them, eliminating any chance of getting pierced. They then proceeded down the slope slowly and carefully. At the bottom of the slope was a large rounded chamber. At the far end was a small child surrounded by giant bats. As the bats tried to bite and scratch the child, small bursts of fire shot out from the sticks he was holding in each hand. When he saw the PCs he called out for aid. The bruisers who rushed down the slope charged the bats and started slashing left and right. What proceeded was a combat between grounded PCs and flying giant bats. The character with ranged attacks (bows and spells) targeted the bats in the air, while the melee combatants readied actions to slash at bats that swooped in. These weren’t just Giant Bats, but were in fact Fire Bats. When they got close to the PCs the bats emitted a fire burst. The first few attacks got multiple PCs in the burst, but as the heroes realized the potency of this power, they spread out. With few hit points left, the PCs finally managed to defeat all the bats. Hricu began to ramble on at incredible speed the purpose for his theft and journey here. It included a meeting with a Dragon whom he was supposed to give the wand as a gift in exchange for protection for his family. But he accidentally broke the wand fending off the Fire Bats so he’s unsure what to do now. Upon hearing “Dragon” the PCs grabbed the boy and ran out of the cave and back down the mountainside. But before they did the sneakier PCs searched the Dragon’s Lair and found among some half-eaten bodies, a pouch with 2 fire opals and 2 healing potions. The journey back to the Crossing Inn was painful as the child didn’t stop talking the whole way. The PCs were happy to be rid of him when the eventually arrived at their destination. They returned the wand to Aya, the Wizard. She was angry that the wand was destroyed, more because of its sentimental value to her than any actual magic it possessed. The boy offered to repair the wand or even carve the Wizard a new one. His youth revealed his naivety about how magic items are crafted. The Wizard scolded the boy, but eventually forgave him. Be sure to visit Dungeon’s Master next week when we recap the fourth mission and the big finale that ends with a trip through the mists. Podcasts Recounting Encounters Podcast Listen to Derek Myers, Craig Sutherland, and Marc Talbot (from 20ft Radius) recount our experience playing D&D Adventurers League games. We share the highlights from our respective tables and we talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we might have done differently. We’ll also bring you up to speed on what’s happening in the D&D community. Find all episodes of Recounting Encounters on iTunes. Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Encounters articles and resources. 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Greetings readers! After a long break Dungeon’s Master is back in business and will be posting new articles (and Friday Favourites) on a regular basis once again. It only seems fitting that our first new post be about D&D public play. There’ve been a lot of changes to the D&D Adventurers League since our last blog post and we won’t get into all of that just yet. However, with the discontinuation of the D&D Encounters program our weekly public play write ups will need to undergo a few changes as well starting with our title. From this point forward our weekly recaps will carry the D&D AL title since we can’t call it D&D Encounters any more. With the passing of D&D Encounters we had to decide what we were going to do at our FLGS on Wednesday nights. Over the past few seasons we’ve run the hardcover adventure, or at least the part that was provided as a free PDF download. Although the new Curse of Strahd hardcover is outstanding, we’ve decided that we’re going to save it for home play. Instead we’re going to run the adventures formerly called D&D Expeditions week to week. This season the shorter adventures form one linear, continuous story over the span of 14 modules. Each new adventure builds upon the one that came before it. At my FLGS we decided that running these was better than running the hardcover which we knew we’d never finish in the allotted time of the Curse of Strahd season. So this season my weekly recaps will cover the modules in order as we play them starting with DDAL04-01 Suits of the Mist. Announcement Before I get into the details of what my group did in the adventure so far, I feel I should take this opportunity to make an announcement on behalf of the D&D Adventurers League. If you play D&D AL at a store in your neighbourhood please let them know they can get the adventures and magic item certs by email, for free, from their D&D AL Local Coordinator or D&D AL Regional Coordinator (see Adventures & Certificates for Stores & Conventions ). If you don’t know who your LC or RC happens to be, you can find out by visiting the D&D AL Wiki page and finding them. If there isn’t an LC for your area, you can volunteer to become one. Just reach out to the Regional Coordinator whose jurisdiction you’d fall under. You can also contact me and I can help if you’re still unsure. With the housekeeping out of the way, let’s start the journey to Ravenloft as we being the Curse of Strahd adventure path. Welcome Back to Phlan – A Brief History I’ve run Suits of the Mist for a few different groups so far, including a few at a con last weekend. As with any new season of D&D Adventures League we get a lot of new players who are new to D&D and new to public play. This season the lure of Ravenloft brought many new players into the fold. Although most of the players know that their characters will eventually end up in Ravenloft, many are unaware of the circumstances that set up this season. So I’ve composed a short, high-level summary of the details you need to know before you get to the Crossing Inn. For some this will seem like an over-simplistic recap of Tyranny of Dragons, but for others it will fill in an important piece of the background. So bear with me if you’re a D&D AL veteran. About a year or two before the adventure begins a group of mysterious Dragon Cultist were trying to bring their goddess Tiamat, the five-headed chromatic Dragon (yes, the one from the 80s cartoon), back to the realm of men where she would reign supreme. The Dragon Cult was especially active in Phlan, a town on the Moonsea. As the cult’s activities became more evident, adventurers arrived in Phlan to try and stop them. The Dragon Cultist managed to get the attention of a powerful Green Dragon called Vorgansharax and eventually the Dragon attacked Phlan. Heroes helped defend the town and managed to get many people out before the Green Dragon was victorious. To secure his new town, Vorgansharax used his magic to enact a barrier around the town trapping everyone still in Phlan, and keeping out those pesky adventurers. We pick things up a year or so after the Dragon has claimed Phlan. The Faction leaders have been plotting to overthrow Vorgansharax and reclaim Phlan. To do this they need to enlist powerful allies. Adventurers in the area have been tasked with finding and recruiting such allies. And in the season 4 Epic adventure “Reclamation of Phlan” you do just that before facing off against the Dragon, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The PCs for this adventure are newbies. They’re level 1 adventurers who want to help, but lack experience. So they’ve been giving a task more befitting their abilities. They are to travel to the Crossing Inn, a stop-over that travellers all around Phlan visit as they pass through. Our inexperienced heroes were told to watch, listen, and await further instruction once they reached the inn. And that’s where Suits of the Mist begins. The Crossing Inn When the character arrive at the inn, most of the current patrons are crowded around a table at the far end of the common room shouting and arguing. The PCs manage to pick out three distinct phrases: “filthy Gur,” cursed nomads,” and “larcenous and murderous.” Quick sidebar – the Gur are a group of nomadic peoples in the Forgotten Realms. The idea is that they’re generally not welcomed because some have earned a reputation for being dishonest. As with any stereotype there will be some people who live up to the preconception and some who don’t. But in the case of the Gur, people often assume the worst and treat the visitors to their lands with distain and mistrust. A relatively easy History check reveals this information to the party. The heroes have the opportunity to interact with the locals and find out what the commotion is all about. Their first interaction is with the owner and proprietor, a fat human names Romsan Kal. He tries to be pleasant and welcome the PCs to his establishment, but it’s obvious that his smile is incredibly forced. During interactions with Rom, or the group of people gathered around the far table, the PCs quickly learn that a small family of Gur were here recently and it seems that they did harm to these people. Those wronged are fuming and are trying to figure out the best way to resolve their personal calamity. Here’s what the PCs are told. A couple of weeks ago a family of five Gur showed up at the Crossing Inn. The locals were hesitant to trust or welcome the travellers, but Rom gave them the benefit of the doubt and accepted their coin. After a few days the locals warmed up to the Gur. The family was talented and shared songs and performances for a few coins. The great-grandfather, Papa, was a skilled cook and easily made friends of the kitchen staff as he shared secrets for traditional Gur family dishes. The only female of the group, a woman in her mid-twenties names Sybil, was a talented Seer and performed Taokka readings for anyone who was interested. Hre readings were accurate and helpful. The whole family was welcomed by this community. Last night things changed. The family betrayed the trust of these people. All four of the Gur men stole from the community and fled during the night. The female Gur, Sybill, has not been seen for a few days. STARS : Hricu (aged 12) befriended an Elvin Wizard staying at the in, but last night drugged her ale and stole her magic wand. He was last seen fleeing towards the Vanishing Hills. COINS : Rilynin (aged 30) befriended two mercenaries hired to guard a travelling merchant’s wagon. He plied the guards with strong ale and when they passed out he stole a lock-box full of emeralds. He did not take anything else, despite many other valuables being readily available. He was last seen heading towards the Glumpen Swamp. SWORDS : Kehkim (aged 50) managed to sneak into the community’s emergency bunker from which he stole two dozen long swords. He also stole a wagon from a nearby farmhouse so he could flee with the goods. He was last seen heading into the Thar hills towards the abandoned Orc stronghold Xul-Jarak. GLYPHS : Papa (aged 80) befriended the kitchen staff at the inn, but after dinner last night he attacked the cook’s assistant, ransacked the kitchen, stole some rare herbs & spices, before fleeing towards the Quivering Forest. The unconscious cook’s wounds were healed but he has not yet awoken. It’s believed that Papa gave him the evil eye and cursed him. Each of those wronged pleaded with the PCs to help them recover what was taken. All have strong arguments for the recovery of their property, but it’s up to the PCs to make the call since none of these folks seem willing to travel into the darkness to find the missing Gur. In addition to this excitement with the Gur, the people at the inn all seem to have an underlying fear of the darkness. Recently it’s become unseasonably cold and a perpetual fog has shrouded the land. The sounds of normal wildlife have disappeared and the only creatures seen about are vermin and scavengers. It’s frightened the locals and the PCs easily pick up on it. I’ve run this adventure for two groups now. The first party undertook the missions in the following order: COINS, SWORDS, STARS, GLYPHS. The second party undertook the missions in the following order: SWORDS, STARS, GLYPHS, COINS. COINS Although all the wronged parties were adamant about getting their property back, the merchant was the only one who was able to promise a monetary reward for doing so. This was the deciding factor for the money-loving party I first took through this adventure. The Merchant described the lock-box and its contents, 20 small emeralds. He offered the party 125 gp for the return of all gems. If there were fewer gems, then there’d be a smaller reward. To make the party’s task easier, the Merchant told them he’d paid the Wizard who’s wand was stolen to perform a locate object on the lock-box. The Wizard confirmed the box was still headed towards the Glumpen Swamp. As the party was about to leave the Crossing Inn, the Wizard took them aside and offered them some words of wisdom. During the past week he’d been staying at the Crossing Inn he had a chance to get to know the Gur family. He believes that they’re genuinely good people and that whatever their motives, there’s more going on. He does not believe that this was just a family of con artists looking to rob the locals. The Wizard suggested that the Gur be captured and not killed as they may know more about the events to come and that knowledge may be vitally important. With the Wizard’s words still echoing in their ears, the PCs left the inn and headed towards the Glumpen Swamp. The journey was uneventful and the party had little trouble finding and following the tacks Rilynin left behind. After a few hours of marching through the half-frozen swamp they spotted a clearing ahead and heard voices. A female voice speaking common said, “I was promised more than this. I don’t think I can part with the merchandise for this paltry amount.” A male voice with an accent replied, “The gems are worth more than we agreed to. You assured us that we had a deal.” The party all hid in the underbrush and moved closer as quietly as they could. They saw a Human male matching the Gur’s description holding the missing box low before him. A Gnome female dressed in furs was inspecting the gems. Behind them was a wagon and around it stood four Human guards watching the area for trouble, but not spotting the PCs. The PCs didn’t wait or make any attempt to talk. They bolted into action. They fired weapons and magic at the Gur and the Gnome. A direct hit dropped Rilynin while the Gnome dove under the wagon for cover. The four guards moved into a protective formation in front of the Gnome and her wagon. The party’s Druid realized they were not here to kill the Gur so he used healing magic to revive him. The rest of the party focused their attacks on the guards. The Warlock used Mage Hand to retrieve the lock-box with the gems. With the battle in full effect, the trees began to move. Strange Blights made their presence knows and attacked indiscriminately. The PCs and guards worked together to fight the common enemy, but the PCs made no attempt to ensure that the guards were out of area of affect spells and by the time the combat ended all four guards were dead. Unfortunately two of the PCs, the Cleric and Druid, were both unconscious as well. The Gnome merchant managed to lock herself in the back of her wagon during the combat and refused to come out once the fighting stopped. The party found a case of potions left at the foot of the wagon. Apparently that’s what Rilynin was trying to purchase with the gems. The Gnome offered to honor the deal if the party left the gems. The PCs weren’t interested. Instead they felt they deserved half of the potions for their losses so they took them before gathering their comrades, and the Gur, and leaving. When Rilynin awoke he apologised for his theft and thanked the party for helping him. He explained that his sister is a powerful Seer and using her cards she foresaw a terrible and powerful evil that will befall this area soon. The Gur cannot escape so they took steps to ensure their safety. The potions are Holy Water and the Gnome agree to trade them for these gems. The party later discovered that only two of the potions were actually Holy Water. When they got back to the Crossing Inn the merchant was ecstatic that his gem had been found. True to his word he paid the party their reward. Rilynin apologized but the merchant demanded justice. Rom said he’d have the magister deal with it when the rest of the Gur were captured or killed. To be continued. Podcasts Recounting Encounters Podcast Listen to Derek Myers, Craig Sutherland, and Marc Talbot (from 20ft Radius) recount our experience playing D&D Adventurers League games. We share the highlights from our respective tables and we talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we might have done differently. We’ll also bring you up to speed on what’s happening in the D&D community. Find all episodes of Recounting Encounters on iTunes. Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Adventurers League articles and resources. 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What do you do when you find yourself in possession of a stolen Red Dragon egg? What if you knew where to bring it but couldn’t get it there because it was too big to fit through the exit? Simple, find another exit that will accommodate the egg’s size. Oh, and don’t get caught with it or allow it to get cracked in the process. Just another day in the life of an adventuring party wandering through the Duergar city of Gracklstugh. This week at Face to Face Games in Toronto we had fewer players than normal and only ran four tables, but we did have two new walk-ins so that helped round out the tables we did run. My group had six including one of the new players. He’d been playing at another FLGS and was new to our store, but not to D&D organized play. The party looked like this: Group A had the Human Monk, Human Rogue, and Half-Orc Barbarian; Group B had the Elf Wizard, the Dragonborn Fighter, and the new character a Halfling Rogue (Assassin). Last week we only had the three players in Group A so they explored the Whorlstone Tunnels while Group B stayed by the entrance waiting for Droki. When we started this week the party was still divided into two groups. Group A – Looking for an Exit The three PCs needed to rest after the tough fight they faced in the last session. Once they’d rested they gently grabbed the egg and started looking for another exit. The heavy doors at the end of the winding tunnel opened to a wild thicket of Underdark plants. This was not the way out so they closed the doors and tuned back. They retraced their original path through the narrower tunnels (still wide enough to bring the egg through) and when they got back on the main path they took the road not travelled. The Rogue scouted ahead and as long as there was no danger he beckoned the party to follow. They came to a large room that smelled really bad, like rot and decay. A lone Duergar stood guard on the top of the plateau, looking down into the pit of filth and rot. Something in the pit moved. The party decided to turn back and try another passage. Group B – Heeeeere’s Droki! While the Fighter and Wizard waited for their party to return or for Droki to happen by, a new face emerged from the cavern entrance. A Halfling stood before them and claimed that the Order of the Flame had sent him to help. The party was facing more resistance than they expected so these two accepted his claim and told him to sit tight. Not long after the new PCs arrived a Derro emerged from a crack in the far corner of the room and as he munched on some bigwig mushrooms grew to his normal size. The floppy hat with tentacles sewn onto it clearly identified this lone traveler as Droki. He was oblivious to the presence of the PCs and wandered towards the tunnel exit muttering to himself, rhyming and giggling. The Fighter quickly grabbed the Derro before he could get away. As soon as hands were placed on him, Droki began screaming. He announced that he had nothing valuable on him because he’d already made his deliveries. He even turned his satchel inside out to prove his lack of possessions. The Fighter demanded the others search his pockets and see if he had anything else valuable on him. The Wizard took his hat and boots. The Derro was upset when they took his hat, but lost his mind when they took off his boots. He cried that they were a gift from his dear departed mother. Looking at the boots the Wizard realized they were too big for Droki. A quick search revealed coins stuffed into a sock way down in the toes. The three PCs took the coins for themselves. Droki begged for them to return his boots and his hat. The Fighter suggested burning them, but the Wizard eventually returned the hat and boots to the Derro. Once he had his stuff back, Droki was a bit more relaxed and open to conversation. They asked him about the Grey Ghosts. He said some of them lived in the tunnels. However, when asked to guide the party to them, Droki refused. Even when offered a bribe (with his own money) he still refused to betray their confidence. Finally the Rogue had the idea to hire Droki as a courier. He wrote a note (which included a dirty picture) and told Droki to deliver it to the leader of the Grey Ghosts. Droki agreed. Group B planned to follow Droki. Unfortunately for them, now that Droki had his magical Boots of Speed back on he was able to run very fast and lost the party easily. They had to resort to tracking his footprints. They followed the tracks through numerous passages and eventually came to a set of doors. However, the tracks seemed to go in and out of the door so they decided to not go inside and instead kept tracking the Derro. When Group B got to a fork in the path, Droki’s tracks led one way but from the other path they saw Group A approaching, carrying the giant Red Dragon egg. The two groups relayed their respective tales and then continued onward. Fountain of Evil (area #9) The reunited party followed Droki’s tracks into an area where multiple passages intersected at a pool. In the water the Fighter saw a glint of something shiny. The new Rogue saw it too. Both PCs let greed to motivate them so they dove in the pool in hope of collecting coins and other treasures. Unfortunately, the pool was home to a Water Weird who promptly attacked them. The Fighter took the brunt of the attacks while the Rogue, who was smart enough to tie a rope around his waist before diving into the pool, was pulled to safety. The other PCs stood a safe distance back of the pool and attacked the Water Weird with ranged weapons and spells. The Fighter preferred to confront the monster head on so he remained in the pool so he could engage in melee. The watery creature did its best to drown the Fighter but it was no match for six PCs. It was destroyed and the party suffered very little damage. While the group caught their breath the Halfling Rogue skimmed the bottom of the pool and collected the few copper and silver coins that they saw reflecting the light. Grey Ghost Garden (area #7) The party decided to go back and explore the area beyond the doors. In addition to Droki’s tracks there was also evidence of other booted humanoid tracks in this area. The Halfling Rogue searched the doors for traps and finding none proceeded to pick the lock. The party opened the door and everyone stepped inside. The main passage curved to the right towards a powerful and unpleasant smell. Along the left side they saw another smaller passage from which they noticed flickering firelight. The Monk and two Rogues moved ahead silently to peek down the lighted passage. As the three sneaky PCs got to the fork in the path two invisible Duergar made their presence known when they attacked. It was an ambush! The softest PCs were alone at the front. The Fighter ran up to help, the Wizard cast ranged spells, and the Barbarian (who was protecting the Dragon egg) attacked with throwing axes. The three softies in the front took a pounding before they’re allies could get close enough to help. To make things worse two more Duergar approached from the area that smelled bad. It was a tough fight and both Rogues fell unconscious during the combat. Fortunately healing potions were plentiful so they managed to get back in the fight before it was over. In the end the four Duregar were killed and the party was very badly wounded. The party could hear the sounds of movement in the room with the firelight. They took a couple of rounds to heal up and get ready before they rush ahead. Gray Alchemist (area #8) When the finally got into the room there was no one there. However, they could hear someone behind a steel reinforced door. The Fighter tried to smash the door while the Monk tried to climb up to a ledge and get over the wall and door. The Monk spied a Duergar fleeing through another door as he crested the top of the ledge. He dropped down and opened the door for his allies. They quickly smashed through the second door and just saw the Duergar’s legs step off the top rung of a ladder and disappear through a hole in the ceiling. The exit was large enough for the Dragon egg to pass through. This must have been how they got it in here in the first place. The Wizard, Fighter and Halfling Rogue climbed the ladder and when they exited through the hatch they discovered that they were in the Darklake District. The streets were crowded with Duergar; it would be nearly impossible for them to find the one they were looking for. They all rolled Perception checks (I told them they’d need a natural 20 to spot him). Two PCs rolled natural 20s and the third got more than 20 when he added all his modifiers. So among the crowd they spotted their quarry and easily caught him. He begged them not to kill him. He agreed to tell them anything they wanted to know if they brought him back down to the tunnels away from prying eyes and ears. They agreed. Once they brought him back down into the lair he spilled his guts. He figured he could convince the party to let him live if he came clean. The Grey Ghosts stole the Red Dragon egg. They learned that the Order of the Flame planned to kill Themberchaud because he’d grown too big and was becoming too difficult to control. The Order was planning to let the egg hatch, then keep a tight leash on the baby and then kill the adult. If the egg was removed from the equation the Order would continue to lose power as their hold on Themberchaud weakened. Lorthio pleaded with the party to either return the egg to Themberchaud directly and not let the Order get their hands on it, or to take it out of Gracklstugh. The Monk and Fighter wanted to give it to the Dragon, but wanted to let him know what was going on before they showed up on his doorstep with the egg. Lorthio warned the party that if they crossed the Order of the Flame they’d likely try and kill the party immediately. He suggested they leave the city as soon as the egg was delivered. Lorthio was willing to help them escape and could outfit the party with supplies and equipment needed to traverse the Underdark. The two heroes went to visit the Dragon while the others helped Lorthio gather the equipment they needed. The Order of the Flame was quite reluctant to let the PCs speak directly with the Dragon. When diplomacy failed they forced their way into Themberchaud’s lair. They gave him a full report. He told them to deliver the egg to a merchant who was loyal to him. This merchant would load the egg into a wagon and bring it to him directly. The grateful Dragon gave the PCs potions and coins as a reward for their good work. When the Monk and Fighter returned they worked with Lorthio to find the merchant and get the egg out of the cavern and loaded on the wagon. As the egg made its way to Themberchaud the party made their way out of Gracklstugh. With supplies and a detailed map in hand they headed off into the Underdark in search of their next adventure. To be continued. Thoughts After five full session in Gracklstugh (and two session in the Underdark before that) my group just wanted to move on. There is an incredible wealth of information in the hardcover that would be helpful if a campaign was going to take place in Gracklstugh, but as part of the broader Out of the Abyss story there was no way the party could do everything. I was once again challenged with a party that wanted to split up. I tried to bring the groups together as quickly as possible but it’s always tough. My advice to any DM facing a split party is to jump back and forth between groups quickly; don’t spend too much time with one group or the other. If combat is necessary let the players sitting around doing nothing run the monsters for you. You want to make sure everyone participates in some way. Another challenge I faced this week as the DM was the new player who was joining us from another store. He had a character but did not have an Adventure Logsheet. When I looked over his character there were a lot of issues that made his character illegal for AL play. He explained that his old DM took care of all the recordkeeping for the players. We worked together to fix his PC and I took this opportunity to remind everyone at my FLGS that they need to be completing their Logsheet after every session. We’re taking a few weeks off for the holidays but come January we’ll be back in the thick of things. I’m not sure if they’re planning to head to Neverlight Grove or to Blingdenstone. In either case they’ll most likely find another mini-dungeon along the way first. Podcasts Recounting Encounters Podcast Listen to Derek Myers, Craig Sutherland, and Marc Talbot (from 20ft Radius) recount our weekly experience at D&D Encounters. We share the highlights from our respective tables and we talk about what worked, what didn’t and what we might have done differently. Find all episodes of Recounting Encounters on iTunes. Actual Play Podcasts Each week we record our D&D Encounters session and make it available to you for download every week. These recordings are made in a loud, crowded game store so at times it may be difficult to hear everyone. Some language may be inappropriate for all ages, although we try to keep it as family-friendly as possible. Visit the Dungeon’s Master D&D Encounters Archive for all of our ongoing weekly coverage as well as other great D&D Encounters articles and resources. 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