Important Note: I tend to borrow or twist a great many things from other sources into my homebrew games. Do not be surprised if you recognize a name, character, or something from somewhere else. I make no claim over these things as original content of mine. I am just here to tell a fun story with my players using everything from my 20 years as a DM.
Amalgamated from Red Hand of Doom's Elsir Vale, Kingmaker's Stolen Lands, Birthright 2E, Greyhawk, Hammerfast, Curse of Strahd, & Siege of Bordrin's Watch
The Savage Lands, situated north of the Mercantile Empire of Hylar and spread across a wide crescent shaped mass of land reclaimed from the northern wild-lands and accessible by sea through the Kol gulf is a wilderness claimed by nobles, bandits, and beasts alike. This rugged frontier has been a magnet for migrating peasants, tradesmen, merchants, mercenaries, political or religious refugees, criminals and nobles alike from all corners of the world – all seeking adventure, fame and fortune, or simply escaping the life they had left behind.
Though formerly the Savage Lands were a realm of savagery and shame largely inhabited by monstrous creatures and lawless folk, due in part to a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and good-aligned races in the Savage Lands, now it is fiercely disputed by the hardy human colonists. Life in the Savage Lands is still harsh and dangerous for those not of noble birth or wealthy and some end their days begging on the streets or hanging from the gallows for petty crime.
Tentatively organized in tiny kingdoms, merchant trading centers, independent city-states, small principalities, and warlord strongholds, but most of them are little better than fortified villages. All of them are the targets of fierce incursions from bestial and human monsters alike and most of them don't survive for very long.
The northern region is largely dominated by the monstrous and barbaric tribes while the southern region is somewhat more stable for the human settlements, but even in the south there are threats that live in the hard-to-reach places like the forests and the mountains. In the center of the whole region lies Karuk-Azhik, the great seaport of the Dwarfs. The ancient Dwarfroad, a remnant of the once great dwarven empire that dominated the north of Oerth in ancient times, cuts through the southern Savage Lands to the Dwarven City of Hammerfast which overseers the stronghold of Bordrin’s Watch that protects the mountainous pass from the Giantdowns into the Savage Lands.
The bleak and misty lands of Barovia that is nestled between the Giantdowns and the Mercantile Empire of Hylar shares a border with The Savage Lands though many do not venture into Barovia due to the rumors of werewolves, vampires, witches, and more. Tradesmen and merchants from Barovia make the journey to Hammerfast to sell their wares and secure supplies to return to the small kingdom.
A twist of fate or perhaps bad luck has brought a small group of humanoids together that may be the only chance that the civilized reaches of the Savage Lands have to survive the coming of great trouble.
Lost Mine of Phandelver & Red Hand of Doom
Gundren Rockseeker hired some friends from the City-State of Brindol to escort his wagon of delving tools to the town of Phandalin, in the south-western reaches of the Savage Lands, for some exciting discovery that his brothers and himself had discovered.
- The diminutive Dragonborn Druid, Tazdaar.
- The Dwarven Cleric of Moradin, Torven.
- A family servant, the Gnome Wizard, Klubkug.
- The Human Ranger, Happy, contracted to accompany Torven.
- The Halfling Sorcerer, Milton.
A few days after Gundren Rockseeker did not arrive in Phandalin and with rumors of goblin ambushes on the road, two travelers were contracted by Barthen's Provisions, to investigate the rumors of goblins then deal with them if they were a problem.
- An outcast third son of a Hylarian Merchant Prince, the Tiefling Warlock, informally known as Sorrow.
- The Halfling Paladin of Moradin, Merry, that was contracted to Sorrow's family by the Central Church of Hylar.
The two groups followed their clues where they met up at the cave that the goblins were using as a hideout and staging point for ambushing travels on the road to Phandalin from Brindol. After defeated the goblins, liberating their stolen goods, and rescuing the man that had been traveling with Gundren, Sildar Hallwinter, the group returned to Phandalin to conduct their original business.
Spreading out to complete various tasks the group met back up during breakfast the next day at the Inn...
Lost Mine of Phandelver
Sildar Hallwinter approached the party as they had breakfast at the Stonehill Inn as he requested that they accompany him to rescue Gundren Rockseeker from the clutches of the goblins that held him. Sildar offered generous compensation for their aid in this recovery effort. Not wanting to lose another patron to the goblins the party offered a counter-agreement. They would take on this task, but only if Sildar remained in Phandalin while they made their way to the ruins of the castle that the goblins had made their lair.
With the condition agreed upon the party went about with preparations to depart. Securing maps from several of the merchants in town they pieced together a significant overview of the area around Phandalin. They departed for the goblin ruins and managed to avoid any further delays on the road. After making camp that night they finally arrived to find little more than ruins as the castle had decayed with time. Many of the walls didn't even stand, and the towers had fallen in on themselves. They found the strange remnants of the goblins that had been there. Discarded weapons and odd marks scorch marks upon the area in the goblin camp.
It was the discovery of the hidden kobold survivor, Vermin, as called by the Hobgoblin that he had served that gave the party a clue to what had happened. Three times did a group of elf-like creatures visit the goblin camp. Once to offer an alliance with the goblins, once to receive their answer to the offer, and the last time to kill of the goblins in the couple. It was three elf-like creatures that seemed to teleport around the battlefield, and dark bluish goblin creatures (by the Kobold's reckoning) that seemed to enlarge themselves that served the pointed eared creatures who killed all the goblins in the camp then carried their bodies off along with that of their prisoners through portals that were summoned by the elf-like creatures.
Klubkug managed to identify the enemies as Eladrin and Spriggans after sitting down with Vermin to create a composite as best the kobold could. The party having nothing else to go on but having discovered Gundren's map in the remains of the goblin's equipment made haste to the Rockseeker camp to find Gundren's brothers to see what they had discovered in hopes of finding a clue about Gundren's whereabouts.