The Magnificent Five

The Magnificent Five (also known simply as The Five, the party, your troop, your group, or the Fantastic Five) is an adventuring party of five distinct souls who rose from obscurity along the rugged paths of the Sword Coast. Initially brought together by a seemingly mundane caravan escort from Neverwinter to Phandalin, their exploits quickly bound them to the fate of the frontier, the ancient mysteries of the Pact of Phandelver, and the chilling shadow of legendary dragons.

Each member was driven by a distinct origin, but they shared deep-seated ties to the mythical Age of Arcanum and the catastrophic Calamity. In their youth, they each listened to stories of this long-lost era: Hope from the rough alleys of Beggar’s Nest; Nalini from her grandmother around the magical pyres of the Arbor Land; Gilmore from strict noble tutors; Erëvyn from faraway visitors at Neverwinter’s docks; and Farwald from deep subconscious memories that had faded into myth.

Following their historic victories in Wave Echo Cave, the Hand of Sehanine, and the catastrophic confrontation at Dragon Barrow, the group’s composition began to shift as individual destinies called them elsewhere, and new, bizarre allies joined their ranks to face the lingering threats of the North.

Members of the Party and Close Allies

• Farwald (Hrothgar Hillsfar): An enigmatic old storyteller and former farmer who possessed deep, hidden reserves of arcane knowledge. He initially suffered from profound gaps in his memory, which were later revealed to be the result of a powerful Modify Memory spell cast by Elminster Aumar, the Sage of Waterdeep. During the party’s exploration of the Hand of Sehanine, Farwald tragically perished in the final battle with Larellion but was miraculously resurrected. This resurrection shattered his mental blocks, revealing his true identity: Hrothgar Hillsfar, a legendary member of the band of heroes who defeated the chromatic dragons three centuries ago alongside Elminster, Lady Tanager Alagondar, and others.

  Hrothgar is a grey-skinned Firbolg with a blue tint, standing 3.2 meters tall, with dark wild hair, a thick beard, a flat nose, and cow-like ears. His upper body and arms are covered in protective runes detailing the legends of his people, with hard lichen growing along his skin. He is a skald (cleric) from the Firbolg community of Kuldahar in Icewind Dale, a settlement centered around a massive world tree created by Diancastra. While he once served the balanced pantheon of Othea, Diancastra, and Torvik (Ulutiu), his current magic channels the slumbering domain of Torvik, the god of ice, wind, and anarchy.

  During the ancient war, Hrothgar and his allies defeated the chromatic dragons by crafting five dragon masks capable of controlling dragons of their respective colors. To protect his family in Kuldahar from retaliatory dragon cultists, Hrothgar asked Elminster to cast Modify Memory and True Polymorph to hide his identity. Following his restoration via a Lesser Restoration ritual at Helm’s Hold, Hrothgar used his Marvelous Pigments to manifest his ancient breastplate and giant greatsword, subsequently sending magical warnings to his old allies.

• Gilmore: A noble of House Stork of Stork’s Rest in the Moonshae Islands, which boasts ancestral ties to the historic Tristan family. Born the second son to Thalorian Stork and Selene Valcorn, Gilmore spent his youth carousing, fighting in yards, and winning the local Oyster Festival’s Oyster Dive three years in a row, earning pearls blessed with whimsical magic. His ancestral home, Pink Tor, sat on the edge of the Glimmering Deep—a magical, memory-stealing forest. House Stork was originally exiled to Stork’s Rest generations ago by the High King after Gilmore’s great-grandfather married into coastal raiders, though they were spared execution due to their descent from Lady Tanager Alagondar.

  When his older sister Elire—who had been groomed to rule and sent to boarding school in Silverymoon—was murdered by dragon-mask-wearing cultists, Gilmore sought the aid of the Matron of Ravens (controller of fates) in Silverymoon. After drowning in a sacred pool of blood, he was revived by the Raven Queen with a mysterious, highly sought-after pendant containing Elire’s soulstone (a purple gem on a golden chain) and tasked with finding a rite to put her soul to rest. Taking the Oath of the Crown, Gilmore is a natural, albeit demanding, leader who once boldly drank three Redbrand bandits under the table.

  Though his family and parents directed him to put Elire to rest by encasing her soulstone in the molten metal of Gond’s Smelter, Gilmore ultimately chose not to carry out this rite. During a tragic confrontation at Dragon Barrow, he discovered that Elire’s soulstone was a trap, and that his sister had actually been a willing member of the Cult of the Dragon.

• Nalini: A whimsical fairy with a profound affinity for nature, flora, and fauna. Born in the magical fairy glade of Arbor in the northern reaches of Neverwinter Wood, she left her busy home to aid the city of Neverwinter during the Wailing Death. After the plague passed, an Emerald Enclave ranger named Nimiriel Nightbreeze directed her south to Phandalin to investigate a cold autumn and locate the missing druid Reidoth and cleric Aadbra Gwynn. Nalini serves as the party’s primary alchemist and healer, known to creatively utilize slain zombies as garden fertilizer with the right blend of wild mushrooms.

  Her magical versatility includes shifting into a spider or a brown bear to absorb combat damage, forging psionic and sensory alliances with Myconids, and casting freezing spells like Ice Knife and Ice Storm. In the final siege of Wave Echo Cave, she summoned a ball of flame to incinerate the webs and spider eggs defiling the Altar of Lolth. She nearly perished defending both Gnomengarde from doppelgangers and Wave Echo Cave from Phase Spiders, and played a pivotal role in the defense of Dragon Barrow by summoning a Giant Frog to swallow the head of Sidorna, the Green Wyrmspeaker, to disrupt her ritual. After a harrowing battle in the Shadowfell dreamscape, she molted her wings, becoming flightless, but began a deep process of ecological healing and learning the art of wild-shaping into flying beasts under the tutelage of Esfaloth.

• Hope: A warrior of fearsome ferocity and notorious temper. Her combat prowess and formidable presence earned her the respect—and the reluctant gift of a Berserker Axe—from the ancient, once-petrified dwarf Gotrek (who had been frozen in stone for 1,000 years). Though the axe was later revealed to be cursed, driving her into a bloodthirsty state where she briefly nicked Farwald, the curse was successfully dispelled by Farwald and Dusty. During battles, she can whip herself into an unstoppable frenzy, once single-handedly preventing a young dragon from escaping into the sky, and later charging ruthlessly into the heart of the Spider’s lair. Her dangerous exploits are fueled by her formidable presence and a deep desire to find her own path. Following the Highharvesttide celebration, Hope quietly slipped away from the party, leaving behind a brief note reading, “Took my share. Suck at goodbyes. H.” She was later found working as a bouncer at the “Cha-Ching” casino in Beggar’s Nest to pay off her debts.

• Er’evyn Sehahine (Erevan / Erewyn): A highly curious half-elf archer whose insatiable inquisitiveness is matched only by his erratic luck. Born in Neverwinter’s docks to a human dockworker and an elven nurse, he spent his youth slipping into restricted warehouses and climbing dock cranes at midnight. He caught the eye of Lucian Nightshade after discovering a letter marked with the symbol of a dragon swallowing a moon, which detailed the Wailing Death plague and was signed by “J.G.” Lucian recruited and trained him in the Zhentarim (an ancient guild of spies, thieves, and smugglers). Undercover to spy on Nezznar the Spider, Er’evyn was forced to make a grim sacrifice—killing Halia Thorton to protect his cover and ingratiate himself with Nezznar. After sending a secret warning to his allies, Er’evyn reunited with the party in Wave Echo Cave, delivering the fatal, clutch arrow shot directly through the eyes of Nezznar the Spider.

  During their subsequent journey to the Hand of Sehanine, Er’evyn discovered his noble elven ancestry—being of the direct bloodline of Archmage Larellion—and received the Boon of Sel;ne. In combat, Er’evyn utilizes a Cloak of Displacement and a Cloak of Lightning to deadly effect.

• Aja: A strange, talking goat who joined the party on the road to Axeholm. Aja is actually a powerful fey sorceress whose magic backfired, trapping her in caprine form. Desperately seeking to reverse her condition, she offered her destructive lightning magic to aid the Magnificent Five in reclaiming Axeholm from the undead, memorably blasting the fortress’s massive iron portcullis open.

• Sheila: A tall, handsome, and well-dressed “town guard” who intercepted the party at Neverwinter’s southern gate during wartime conscriptions. Though she claimed to be an ordinary guard, her convincing lies and the deference shown to her by other soldiers hinted at a deeper, hidden identity.

• Luvat and Rocky: Two otherworldly allies dispatched by Princess Glida of the Seelie Court to protect Nalini across planes and time. Luvat is a powerful warrior-druid clad in plate armor wielding a blue crystal greatsword, while Rocky is a sentient earth elemental. They vanished back to their home plane after assisting the party in a shared nightmare battle against a Shadowfell beholder.

History and Notable Deeds

The Road to Phandalin & Cragmaw Hideout

Originally hired by the dwarf Gundren Rockseeker and Sildar Hallwinter in Neverwinter—the “Jewel of the North,” a city fed by geothermal springs recovering from the “Wailing Death” (a magical plague that afflicted the population a year prior)—the group was tasked with transporting a supply wagon along the High Road. Following a goblin ambush that claimed the horses of their patrons, they tracked the attackers to Cragmaw Hideout.

Bypassing traps and freeing a pack of captive wolves, they confronted the bugbear Klarg. Farwald attempted to trick Klarg into believing he was a powerful wizard, but the bugbear was unconvinced because Farwald lacked a proper wizard’s hat. In the ensuing skirmish, the party defeated Klarg and his henchmen, liberated a wounded Sildar Hallwinter, and recovered stolen Lionshield Coster supplies alongside a jade frog statuette. They also discovered an ancient carving referencing the Pact of Phandelver, connecting three historic landmarks: the Hand of Sehanine, Axeholm, and Highthorn. Nearby, Er’evyn recovered a Ring of Protection from a petrified dwarf.

The Liberation of Tristan Manor

Upon arriving in Phandalin, the party met several key citizens, including Townmaster Harbin Wester, Linene Graywind, and Deacon, a blind, retired adventurer who served as the town’s doctor, shepherd, and cleric of Avandra, the Goddess of Luck, Chance, and Journeys (patron saint of Travelers and Gamblers). Hearing of the terror caused by the Redbrands, the party infiltrated the ruins of Tristan Manor.

Gilmore boldly joined a poker game in progress, drinking three of the mercenaries under the table while the rest of the party secured the manor and rescued the captive Tristan family from the cellars. In the wizard’s laboratory, Er’evyn shot the staff out of the hand of Glasstaff (the rogue wizard Iarno Brandyr) before the wizard could escape, though Er’evyn was critically injured in the process. The party successfully defeated Glasstaff and his half-ogre accomplice, retrieving the Blade of Tristan, a Bag of Holding, a historic tome titled The Rise and Fall of the Pact of Phandelver by Elminster Aumar, and a threatening note from Nezznar the Spider. In gratitude, Myrna Tristan bequeathed the estate to the adventurers, prompting Townmaster Harbin Wester to request an official name for the magical deed of ownership, leading them to christen themselves The Magnificent Five.

The Tragedy at Snowmont Monastery

Following a plea from a survivor named Clarissa, the Magnificent Five braved a brutal blizzard in the Sword Mountains to defend the Snowmont Monastery from an onslaught of Ice Trolls and Ice Mephits. Though they repelled the invaders, the victory was bitter; Clarissa and Dorian perished, and the sanctuary was utterly ruined. The only survivors, a halfling monk named Jaque (Jackson) and a human monk named Zoe (Caitlyn), accompanied the party back to Phandalin. The surviving monks gifted the party the monastery’s remaining treasures: a Pearl of Power, a Staff of Frost, and a Wind Fan.

In the grim aftermath of the battle, the party witnessed a terrifying omen: the sky darkened as a freezing, bass-like thumping wind heralded Cryovain, a colossal white dragon long thought to be a myth of the past, who soared over the peaks of the Sword Mountains. Farwald experienced his first memory flashback during this event, suddenly recognizing the great white dragon as “Cryovain, the Everfrost.”

Post-Monastery Travels and the Altar of Ioun

Returning to Phandalin, the party met with a council consisting of Sildar, Harbin, and Aadbra Gwynn, the town’s midwife, miller, and follower of the Wildmother (Melora). Aadbra spoke of the druid Reidoth harassing logging camps along the Neverwinter River. To gather intelligence on these threats and pursue their own agendas, the Five rented two horses—a dappled white and brown mare named Trixie and a black stallion named Glory—and set out onto the road:

• They cured Gotrek, an ancient dwarf petrified for a millennium, who directed them to Axeholm (once the seat of Queen Kima and the Dwarves) and reluctantly gifted his Berserker Axe to Hope.
• They traveled to Conyberry and spoke with the Banshee Agatha, who requested they seek out her sister Vyldara in Axeholm to grant her redemption in exchange for future aid. Agatha sang a melancholy elvish song (“Lament of the Sehanine”) detailing the fall of the Hand of Sehanine, lamenting how the “Children of the Moon” were betrayed by friends and forsaken by grace.
• At an abandoned temple of Ioun, they brokered information regarding the green dragon Virethas with a mysterious tattooed sorcerer with a many-headed dragon tattoo, receiving 2,500 gold in the form of a humongous golden bell, which Farwald and Nalini subsequently melted into smaller pieces using magical finesse to fit inside their Bag of Holding. The sorcerer lied about knowing the Spider and quickly vanished.
• Using Ioun’s holy altar, they uncovered the location of Cragmaw Castle (the ancient summer seat of Highthorn), learned of Cryovain’s desire to usher in an eternal winter, and discovered that Farwald’s fractured mind was the result of Elminster Aumar’s Modify Memory spell.

The Dragonborn Ambush

While camping at the ruins of the Ioun temple, Gilmore rescued a wayward merchant named Mikael. The party negotiated an escort deal in exchange for a commissioned painting for Tristan Manor and Mikael’s aid in fencing the melted gold pieces (netting 2,600 gp with Deacon’s assistance).

During Gilmore’s watch, a green dragon wyrmling disguised as a chameleon and three Dragonborn attackers (two Green, one White) ambushed the camp, utilizing holding magic in a desperate attempt to seize Gilmore and his mysterious pendant. The party fought a grueling battle, narrowly escaping death. Farwald and Nalini debuted their magical staves, Hope held the dragon down, and Mikael provided crossbow cover. The party successfully slew the attackers, harvesting a Hat of Disguise, spell scrolls (Speak with Dead, Zone of Truth), dragon teeth, scales, and acid vials from the corpses.

Dusty’s Escape and Wave Echo Cave

Upon returning to a newly renovated Tristan Manor, the party took in Dusty, a traumatized gnome academic who had narrowly escaped Wave Echo Cave. Dusty provided critical intelligence regarding “The Spider”:

• The Spider was actually a Drider (a fallen, half-spider Drow) named Nezznar, who defiled an altar of Moradin to worship Lolth, sacrificing a red-cloaked human to the Spider Queen to demand vengeance upon the Magnificent Five.
• The Spider plotted in tandem with dragon factions, specifically working with the Cult of the Dragon and an anonymous entity known as the Jade Wyrmspeaker. He planned to let the dragons claim the surface while the Drow controlled the Underdark.
• He regularly sent orders to outside agents, including the rogue wizard Iarno Brandyr (Glasstaff) and the goblin leaders Klarg and Blarg, via teleporting Phase Spiders. Blarg, who styled himself “King of Cragmaw,” held Gundren Rockseeker captive at Cragmaw Castle, executing him and stealing his map.
• The legendary Spell Forge inside Wave Echo Cave could only be activated via Gond’s Smelter, which required three components: the Mettle of the Dwarves (blue-burning wood and cave ore), the Grace of the Elves (revealed to be the casting of a Moonbeam spell), and the Ingenuity of the Humans.

Armed with this knowledge, the party set out for Wave Echo Cave. Nalini scouted ahead in spider form, dodging Lolth’s influence and sneaking past a goblin kitchen cooking over a blue flame. She discovered a passageway to a colony of Myconids, forging an alliance with them before redirecting the party to meet her in Gnomengarde.

The Madness of Gnomengarde

Seeking magical inventions to combat the dragon threat, the Magnificent Five, alongside Dusty, Gotrek, and the monks Jaque and Zoe, traveled to Gnomengarde. Only Nalini, Gilmore, and Farwald were permitted inside, while the rest established an exterior camp. Inside, the party discovered that the local magical Weave was highly unstable, causing wild, erratic side effects to any spells cast. They met the inventors Dimblestib and Dabbledob and discovered that King Korboz had descended into absolute paranoia, locking up his beloved co-ruler King Gnerki.

The chaos was revealed to be the work of two shape-shifting doppelgangers. During a fierce confrontation in the throne room, Nalini was nearly beaten to death, and Farwald was temporarily mind-controlled into attacking his allies after failing a suggestion spell. Ultimately, the party slew one of the impostors, drove the second into hiding, and successfully restored sanity and safety to Gnomengarde. They were healed by a gnomish girl named Linxie and celebrated with gnomish fireworks at “The Uppanddown” tavern before preparing for their final assault.

The Showdown at Wave Echo Cave & The Spell Forge

Reunited with Er’evyn, who had been operating undercover, the Magnificent Five launched a decisive ambush on Nezznar the Spider’s operations. The battle was fierce: Hope charged in to sow chaos, while Nalini used a ball of flame to burn away the webs and defiled spider eggs on the Altar of Lolth. Two Phase Spiders ambushed the back lines, temporarily knocking both Farwald and Nalini unconscious. Gilmore, appealing to the Matron of Ravens, bestowed his fallen comrades with the strength to persist. Farwald unleashed a localized lightning storm, and Er’evyn shot Nezznar through the eyes with a fatal arrow. Upon Nezznar’s death, thousands of tiny spiders poured from his eyes and mouth, fleeing into the dark, and the remaining goblin and bugbear forces fled directly into a lethal mushroom patch.

In the aftermath, the party found Nezznar’s journal, gold, and supplies. They also bore witness to the grim cost of Er’evyn’s cover—the lifeless body of Halia Thorton hanging in the entryway. Working together, the party successfully activated Gond’s Smelter. Despite the ancient rites of his family and the directives of his parents, Gilmore chose to keep his sister Elire’s soulstone intact rather than melting it. With the smelter active, the doors to the legendary Spell Forge finally swung open.

Entering the Forge of Spells & The Guardian of the Forge

Upon entering the Forge of Spells, the party inhaled air that carried memories of the Age of Arcanum and the ancient war known as The Calamity. As the molten metal filled the grooves of the chamber’s floor, the ceiling illuminated with a night sky from 1,000 years past—a zodiac from a time when the goddess Sel;ne herself walked the earth. The stars rearranged themselves into three ancient constellations of the Pact: the Hand, the Castle, and the Hammer.

A projection of Gond appeared, delivering a recorded warning that the Pact of Phandelver was undone, and that its final treasures were guarded by his finest creation, The Blacksmith (the Guardian of the Forge). Due to a malfunction (with only seven out of eight beacons functional, operating at 78% power), the giant metal Guardian initialized its defensive program, scanning the party with its red and green stone eyes and declaring them intruders. Through clever teamwork and disrupting the chamber’s pylons, the Magnificent Five defeated the mechanical behemoth, earning the legendary treasures of the Pact: the Plate of the Pact, Cabal’s Ruin, the Circlet of Larellion, Nolzur’s Magnificent Pigments, and a Deck of Many Things.

The Highharvesttide Celebration

Following their historic victory in Wave Echo Cave, the party returned to Phandalin during Highharvesttide, the joyous festival marking the last day of summer. The town square was beautifully illuminated with paper lanterns and fireflies, hosting feast tables, a tug-of-war game, and Deacon’s fortune-telling booth. During the festivities, the townsfolk whispered in awe of the heroes, affectionately dubbing them the Fantastic Five.

During the celebration, each member experienced personal moments of reflection and revelation:

• Nalini interacted with local children and was greeted by a recovering Gundren Rockseeker, who had been successfully rescued from Cragmaw Castle by Sildar Hallwinter.
• Hope quietly sat in the fading candlelight, reciting a poem to herself.
• Er’evyn slipped away to the local graveyard to visit the fresh grave of Halia Thorton. There, he discovered a Zhentarim amulet—shaped like a dragon with its wing bent inward, holding a small moon in its mouth—hanging from her temporary headstone. Touching it activated a final magic message from Halia, revealing the key regional leaders of the Zhentarim: Lucian Nightshade (Neverwinter), Nezznar the Spider (The Underdark), and Jamra Gleamsilver (Waterdeep). Halia warned him to choose a side in the looming internal schism.
• Gilmore sat with Gundren and Farwald, feeling a sense of personal liberation over preserving his sister’s soulstone.
• Farwald sat peacefully, drawing from the Deck of Many Things, smoking a pipe, and finding comfort in the memory of his late wife, Gloria.

The Cleansing of Axeholm & The Redemption of Vyldara

Following the celebration, the Magnificent Five—minus Hope, who had departed—decided to pursue the mysteries of the Pact of Phandelver. Accompanied by Gotrek and their eccentric new goat ally Aja, they marched on Axeholm, the ancient, sealed dwarven stronghold. Aja bypassed the massive iron portcullis by blasting the doors open with spectacular lightning magic.

Inside, the halls were choked with aggressive shadows, which the party quickly dispatched. Upon reaching the inner chambers, Gilmore boldly shouted out to Vyldara Sehahine, announcing that her sister Agatha had sent them to grant her peace. This threw the Banshee Vyldara into a violent, sorrowful rage. Her devastating wail nearly wiped out the party, knocking almost everyone unconscious except Er’evyn and Gotrek.

During a tense, desperate parley, Vyldara revealed her tragic past: how her father, Archmage Larellion, had favored her sister Agatha (“the Moonlit Prodigy”); how her resulting jealousy and ambition drove her to infiltrate Axeholm, poison Queen Kima with a lingering, agonizing venom, and slaughter six dwarven guards before being cut down; and how her abandonment by both her goddess and her father transformed her into a banshee. Recognizing that she could not be reasoned with and posed an active threat of possession, the party engaged in a final clash. Gilmore severed her connection to the material plane, allowing her soul to be gently shepherded into the afterlife by the Matron of Ravens. Before fading into moonlit dust, Vyldara offered her blessing to the champions, recognized Er’evyn as her descendant (“blood of my blood”), and begged for her father’s forgiveness.

The Hand of Sehanine & The High Mage’s Repentance

Using the Heartstone of Vyldara under the glow of a full moon on the outskirts of the ruined village of Leilon, the party parted the clouds to phase the mystical, shimmering Hand of Sehanine back into the Material Plane. Exploring the haunted, time-looped towers, they performed acts of wordless compassion to soothe the cursed spirits: Gilmore convinced the spectral Sentinel Captain to yield, Nalini revitalized Valestis’s withered gardens, and the party assisted Gelarith the librarian by resolving the Scriptorium’s archives.

In the central Observatory, they confronted Larellion, who had been cursed by Sehanine Moonbow to exist as a mad Baelnorn for abandoning his allies during the Calamity. The battle was catastrophic. The gravity of the chamber reversed; Farwald was severely injured by the fall, then struck down and slain by a green arrow of death. Nalini performed a desperate, forbidden transfer of nature’s essence from surrounding living elements to resurrect Farwald. When the party presented proof of Vyldara’s peace and Agatha’s enduring love, Larellion’s centuries-old madness broke. Repenting for his grief-fueled betrayal, Larellion dissolved the curse, allowing the spirits of the Hand to fade into eternal rest. The party permanently secured the Astrolabe of Sehanine and Er’evyn claimed the Boon of Sel;ne.

Journey to Neverwinter and the Lighthouse Incident

Following their monumental triumph at the Hand of Sehanine, the party set off back toward Neverwinter to deliver Sildar Hallwinter’s letter to Lord Nashar Alagondar. During their journey, they stopped to rest near an old coastal lighthouse, where they encountered a woman named Grizelda. As Grizelda initiated a healing ritual to treat Farwald’s fragile mental state, a band of ruthless pirates suddenly came ashore and ambushed the camp, plunging the party into a chaotic, mid-ritual skirmish. After routing the pirates, Gilmore interrogated their lone prisoner, discovering the captain worked for Luskan—the “City of Sails”—under orders to seize the lighthouse. Gilmore subsequently cut the pirate’s bonds and released him.

Healing Farwald at Helm’s Hold

Though Farwald was restored to his true Firbolg form by Grizelda’s ritual, his mind remained heavily fogged. The party stopped at Helm’s Hold, a fortified monastery dedicated to Erathis, the Lawbearer. Since the fortress was strictly warded against fey, Nalini had to wait outside. Inside, Er’evyn and Farwald negotiated with a halfling cleric named Sandra, who cast Lesser Restoration in exchange for gold and diamond dust, fully restoring Farwald’s memories of his true identity: Hrothgar Hillsfar.

The visit was cut short when Er’evyn used his thieves’ tools to scratch a code (“ACAB”) into a monastery wall, causing the paladin guards to ban the party. Fully restored, Hrothgar utilized his Nolzur’s Magnificent Pigments to paint his original Firbolg armor and massive greatsword back into reality, and sent magical messages to his ancient allies warning them that “the sleeper under the ice is waking” and that the chromatic dragons were stirring.

Arrival in Neverwinter & A Night in the City

At sundown, the party arrived at Neverwinter’s southern gates. Hrothgar cast Disguise Self to look like his human “Farwald” guise. The city guards let them in, whispering of wartime preparations against Luskan, who were rumored to have manufactured the recent Wailing Death plague. In the city, the party split up:

• Gilmore attended an “end of the world” party at the luxurious Moonstone Mask.
• Er’evyn sniped into his parents’ house to leave a heartwarming note, and visited his sister Ophelia and her roommate Yeva in the Docks district.
• Nalini and Farwald headed to the Emerald Grove in the Temple District, assisting the druid Nimiriel Nightbreeze by utilizing their magic to grow food and heal dozens of starving children affected by wartime food shortages.

The Battle of Dragon Barrow & Reincarnation of Virethas

Seeking to prevent the rise of the dragon threat, the party traveled to Dragon Barrow, the resting place of Lady Tanager Alagondar, where the Green Wyrmspeaker Sidorna had established a presence. Inside, they entered a cavern of bone-white stalagmites and acid pools, which they shockingly realized was actually the inside of the skeletal remains of Virethas (Villathas), the Jade Queen.

As Gilmore drew the legendary Dragon Slayer sword (+1 greatsword dealing +3d6 damage to dragons) from Lady Alagondar’s tomb, he triggered a magical paralysis trap that froze Nalini. Sidorna stepped forward alongside her cultists and a deadly monk. Sidorna snatched Gilmore’s soulstone, pulling him into a vision where his sister, Elire, revealed herself as a willing Cult of the Dragon member who had willingly worn the Green Dragon Mask. Elire taunted Gilmore as “the second son” before her face transformed into a dragon, and the soulstone was ripped away.

Drawing the sword inadvertently broke the ancient ward that had prevented Virethas’s resurrection. Combat commenced inside the shifting skeletal dragon. Nalini wild-shaped into a bear, and later summoned a Giant Frog that swallowed Sidorna’s head, blinding her and halting the ritual. Hrothgar and Nalini summoned an Ice and Sleet Storm to disrupt the cultist lines, while Farwald used Thunderstep to teleport himself and Er’evyn closer to the ritual chamber, cracking open Lady Alagondar’s tomb in the process. Gilmore, after overcoming a stunning strike from the enemy monk, slashed through cultists with Dragon Slayer and the Blade of Tristan, praying to the Matron of Ravens for aid.

In a desperate bid, Sidorna threw her Green Dragon Mask to her last surviving cultist before sacrificing herself. The cultist willingly stepped into the ritual circle and was torn apart. Fused with Elire’s soul and the power of the mask, the skeletal dragon Virethas began to animate and break free from the barrow. Facing certain death as the creature lurchingly rose, Farwald used his Marvelous Pigments to paint a massive hole in the dragon’s side, allowing the party to escape to the outside world just as the partially resurrected dragon took flight.

Following the escape from “Gilmore’s Folly,” the party camped nearby. Lady Arabeth de Tylmarande, chief of staff of Neverwinter, landed with her Griffin Riders and accused the party of grave-robbing. Utilizing Sildar’s letter of recommendation, the party secured an audience with Neverwinter’s Small Council in three days, paving the way for their next major diplomatic endeavor.

The Sewer Heist & The Sewer Ring

Entering Neverwinter’s sewers, the party accepted a mission from Anthony “the Gentleman” Calloway of the Cha-Ching Club to find Patricius, the city’s corrupt Head of Sewers and Waterways, who had stolen a powerful magical ring to bypass paying sewer workers. Navigating deep underground, they encountered Luskan pirates who had captured Patricius and were using the ring to control a water elemental. During the action, Patricius was killed, but the party successfully defeated the pirates and claimed the Ring of Control Water Elementals (an opal-blue band granting total command of water elementals, liquid-walking, and water breathing), hiding it in their Bag of Holding rather than returning it to the Gentleman.

The Beholder Dream, Nalini’s Molting, and the Naila Druid

While resting in the Emerald Grove, Nalini experienced a horrific, shared dream-vision: a future Neverwinter consumed in flames and the fey realm turned to ash by dragon and demon fire. With her allies, she defeated a Shadowfell beholder, but upon waking, she found that her wings had completely molted off, rendering her flightless.

Seeking to restore the ecological balance, Nalini, Gilmore, and Farwald ventured into the Deadwood area of Neverwinter Wood. The forest was hostile, weeping over the destruction of the ancestral home of Silverwood. Deep within, Nalini met Esfaloth (Reidoth), a 500-year-old elf and last of the Naila druids. Esfaloth, harborer of immense rage against human civilization, initially rejected the party, but was amazed by Nalini’s selfless use of her water-control ring to enrich and restore half a mile of the destroyed forest. He took her under his wing, showing her how to wild-shape into flying creatures to soar over the newly regrown canopy.