This is part 6 of my guide for Hoard of the Dragon’s Queen campaign. You can read all chapters of this guide here:
- LiquidAnalog’s DM’s Guide to Hoard of the Dragon Queen
- 2. HOTDQ – Lore, Clues and Secrets Reveal
- 3. HOTDQ – Before you begin
- 4. HOTDQ – Episode 1 – Greenest in Flames, part I – The Dragon Attack
- 5. HOTDQ – Episode 1 – Greenest in Flames, part II – The Long Night
- 6. HOTDQ – Episode 2 – The Raiders’ Camp
- 7. HOTDQ – Episode 3 – The Dragon Hatchery
- 8. HOTDQ – Episode 4 part I – The Road to Elturel
- 9. HOTDQ – Episode 4 part II – Elturel
- 10. HOTDQ – Episode 4 part III – A boat ride to Baldur’s Gate
- 11. HOTDQ – Episode 4 part IV – Baldur’s Gate
- 12. HOTDQ – Episode 4 part V – The Death house
- 13. HOTDQ – Episode 4 part VI + Ep 5 – The caravan to the Carnath Roadhouse
- 14. HOTDQ – Episode 6 – The Mere and Castle Naerytar – part I
- 15. HOTDQ – Episode 6 – Castle Naerytar part II – NPCs
- 16. HOTDQ – Episode 8 – Skyreach Castle – part I
- 17. HOTDQ – Episode 8 – Skyreach Castle – part II
Episode 2 – The Raiders Camp
This episode starts with the heroes learning that the monk is missing – likely kidnapped, and are requested (or volunteer) to venture into the camp and rescue the prisoner. This basically starts the trajectory of chase and infiltration that will follow through most of the campaign.
Sly Fourish has excellent suggestions on how to run this episode, and Lutes and Dice as well. I will stress a few points.
Getting to the camp allows to introduce visibility constraints (rain, mists), and allows the heroes to find some stragglers for a fun encounter.
Its OK for the heroes to stealthily infiltrate the camp (smart players can take the stragglers outfit and pretend to be cultists). Your motivation as DM is to set it up for the heroes so they can:
- Listen in on camp converstaions
- See a Red Wizard of Thay reaching the command tent, greeted by Rezmir, Cyanwrath and Frulam, get in and then ride away
- Reach the prisoner, and find a smart way to free him
Of course, a level 1 party venturing into a hostile army camp can easily turn very bad if captured. You need to keep the tension up – but there are many opportunities for them to succeed:
- They can blend in as mercenaries, as cultists (maybe), as new recruits (and receive errands…)
- The guard is changing every hour, there might be lax security or chaos around that
- There is likely a place for beer and wines, there might be drunken mercs out there
- Kobolds and cultists are not working well together, there might be a fight
One note about Leosin. The way his motivations are presented in the module is strange and hard to explain. Personally I find it silly that he does not want to be saved. I decided he definitely wants to get out, so he can warn Ontharr Frume and gather more support after his discoveries.
To setup the next episode of infiltrating the caves with the Hatchery after the army is gone, a great and exciting finale to this episode can be that the heroes overhear Rezmir’s command to immediately evacuate the camp (because of the spy). A commotion growing in the camp, carts are driven to the caves for loading, everyone is crumbling – in the mayhem it should be easy for the heroes to free the prisoner and escape. This might trigger an alarm as they reach the gates – which leads to a daring escape sequence – In the commotion they could steal two horses and get away at the last minute.
NPCs in this episode
The major NPCs here are of course Rezmir, Azbara Jos, Cyanwrath and Frulam, that should be seen from a far – but are unlikely to have any interaction with the heroes. However its important you make their appearance, and give the players a sense of the command structure, respect by the army, and whereabouts.
If the players are resourceful, they could overhear Rezmir telling Frulam that she is concerned with a spy in the camp – orders the immediate evacuation of the camp. The location is in the letter she gives all of them.
