Session Preparation
Before this session, I had been following discussions online from other Dungeon Masters running Night Below: An Underdark Campaign. One DM mentioned that he skipped several side adventures entirely and moved almost directly toward Broken Spire Keep.
Reading the experiences of other DMs has been incredibly valuable. That is one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place: to share experiences, exchange ideas, and help each other create memorable sessions with our friends.
 |
| When you do the prep, but your players don't go there |
The world moves forward whether the players interact with it or not.
If the players choose one lead, events continue developing elsewhere. I do not “freeze” the world waiting for the party to arrive. If they ignore a situation, it still happens—and later they must deal with the consequences.
I’ve found that players respond very positively to this style of worldbuilding because their decisions feel meaningful.
Session 4 became a perfect example of that philosophy in action.
What Happened at the Table
A Moment of calm in Thurmaster
After rescuing Maxim and returning to Thurmaster with Gordrenn’s chest, the party finally had a short moment to breathe.
Taster, who serves as Bilfiis’ magical mentor, recognized how much the young gnome wizard had grown. Bilfiis had now reached level 3, and Taster rewarded him with a traveling spellbook.
Bilfiis had never owned one before, and the moment became surprisingly emotional at the table.
 |
| The table |
The first part of the session revolved around roleplay:
- Sharing food at Taster’s home
- Discussing the recent events
- Worrying about Nyssa’s disappearance
At this point, I realized something important:
By building a strong emotional relationship between Nyssa and Beryglus, I had successfully anchored the players to the main storyline—but perhaps too successfully. The group showed very little interest in exploring unrelated side adventures.
So I decided to test another plot hook.
Introducing “Kidnapping Moors”
I introduced the side adventure Kidnapping Moors from page 29 of the module.
A representative from Lord Parlfray arrived seeking Taster’s assistance. Several pilgrims from the church of Lathander had vanished while traveling toward Waterdeep, and they were now several days overdue.
Taster referred the problem to the party.
Cedric, the paladin of Lathander, immediately volunteered. Elmrin joined him without hesitation.
Beryglus, however, refused.
Nyssa was still missing, and he had no interest in pursuing other tasks while she remained unaccounted for.
This created one of the classic challenges every DM eventually faces:
The party split.
DM Reflection: The Party Split Problem
A split party creates a difficult balancing act for the Dungeon Master.
You suddenly have:
- Multiple stories happening simultaneously
- Shared table time divided between groups
- Players temporarily sidelined while others act
But at the same time, it creates realism.
Not everyone agrees. Not everyone prioritizes the same things. Sometimes characters go in different directions—and that can create excellent roleplay opportunities if the players are patient and engaged with each other’s stories.
How I did it was to switch inbetween when it felt natural in the side quest. This way I could give both splits some gametime without waiting for hours for their turn.This works fine as long as there is no complicated scenes or long fights.
Cedric & Elmrin: The Pilgrim Trail
Cedric and Elmrin traveled to investigate the missing pilgrims.
This part unfolded mostly as written in the adventure:
- They found slaughtered guards
- One survivor lived long enough to provide fragmented information
- They were attacked by death dogs shortly afterward
I reduced the number of death dogs from eight to four.
Eight would almost certainly have killed the two characters outright. Even four created a brutal fight.
 |
| AI generated Death dog |
Still, I felt this side adventure was important because it strengthened Cedric’s personal connection to the plot. Pilgrims devoted to his god had vanished, giving him a direct emotional reason to pursue the darkness growing in Haranshire.
Beryglus alone in the storm
Meanwhile, back in Thurmaster, Beryglus became increasingly restless.
Despite worsening weather and fading daylight, he decided to leave alone and search for Nyssa near Thornwood.
Bilfiis refused to let his friend travel completely unprotected.
He secretly hired two gnome tunnel runners to follow Beryglus and keep him safe, paying them with a sky-blue gemstone.
This decision would have consequences almost immediately.
Peril on the River
Rain hammered the roads and visibility was poor.
Beryglus heard movement behind him and hid successfully. Unfortunately, the two tunnel runners failed their checks to notice him and ran past.
Moments later, Beryglus witnessed Peril on the River unfold before his eyes.
But instead of the party becoming the victims, it was the two tunnel runners.
Hidden in the darkness, Beryglus watched helplessly as Ranchefus and his men brutally murdered both gnomes.
 |
| Zach's drawing of Broken spire keep. Image from Matt Colville X account |
Matt Colville X account All rights reserved Zach.
At that moment, I realized something important as a DM:
The party was ready for Broken Spire Keep.
Narratively and mechanically, it was time.
So I reinforced the moment.
After the killings, Ranchefus simply said:
“Back to the keep.”
A direct but natural clue.
When the attackers vanished into the forest, Beryglus discovered the sky-blue gemstone on one of the dead gnomes.
He buried them before returning to Thurmaster.
Consequences & Forward Momentum
Lyntern Parlfray
Cedric and Elmrin returned to Parlfray Keep to report their findings.
There they met Lyntern Parlfray, the son of Lord Parlfray.
I portrayed Lyntern as:
- Sheltered
- Overshadowed by his father
- Fascinated by adventurers
- Desperate to experience the world beyond the keep
Cedric and Elmrin treated him kindly but refused to bring him along.
In response, Lyntern shared old stories about Broken Spire Keep in the Thornwood.
This became yet another thread pulling the party toward the keep.
Bilfiis’ Guilt
When the party reunited at Taster’s home, Bilfiis initially hid the fact that he had sent the tunnel runners after Beryglus.
But when Beryglus revealed the sky-blue gemstone recovered from the bodies, Bilfiis immediately understood what had happened.
He turned pale and silently left for Sparkstone Warren.
 |
| The sky-blue gem. AI generated |
What affected Bilfiis most was the belief that he had failed not only his friends, but also his god. In his mind, his decision had directly caused the deaths of two fellow gnomes. The weight of that guilt became too much for him to carry.
The player decided that Bilfiis would withdraw from the adventure entirely, retreating from the world in shame and grief.
This led to the introduction of a new character:
A specialty priest of Clangeddin Silverbeard.
Introducing new characters is always a small challenge as a DM—or at least it feels that way from behind the screen.
As Dungeon Masters, we often try to make everything feel logical:
- Why is this person here?
- Why would they join the party?
- Does this make narrative sense?
But as a player, I’ve learned that new characters usually stop feeling “new” after only a few minutes at the table.
The players may laugh about the coincidence.
They may comment on how strange the meeting is.
But then the game continues, and the character quickly becomes part of the group.
In hindsight, I think many DMs—including myself—worry far more about this transition than the players actually do.
The new priest of Clangeddin Silverbeard entered the story while the party was gathering supplies for their journey into the Thornwood. From there, he naturally fell into step with the group as they prepared to move against Broken Spire Keep.
The Road to Broken Spire Keep
At this point, the party finally aligned around a common goal:
Broken Spire Keep.
 |
| My Broken spire keep drawing |
By now:
- The party was nearing level 4
- Multiple story hooks pointed toward the keep
- The players were emotionally invested
- The villains had become personal enemies
When the group finally arrived, I described:
- Guards patrolling the walls
- Lights burning inside the ruined structure
- Sounds echoing from within the keep
Beryglus attempted to scout ahead.
He succeeded in several stealth checks and managed to observe Ranchefus and parts of the keep’s interior before eventually being discovered and forced to flee.
Now the keep is alert.
Sneaking inside will be significantly harder.
The next question becomes:
- Wait and infiltrate carefully?
- Or launch a direct assault?
And honestly—that feels like exactly where this chapter of the campaign should be.
Comments
Post a Comment