With this knowledge and the experience gained from their many quests, the party can confront the dragon once and for all.Ī follow-up adventure called Beyond the Dragon of Icespire Peak was made available in three parts exclusively through D&D Beyond, and subsequently for various virtual tabletop platforms. Each quest involving orcs, along with a few adventure sites not linked to the quest board, help the adventurers piece together that Cryovain has claimed the orcs' old stronghold of Icespire Hold on Icespire Peak as its lair.
After completing two of these three quests, a final series of quests become available which begin to lead to a confrontation with the dragon: clearing out a dwarven ruin called Axeholm, seeking a dragon slayer sword at the Dragon Barrow of Tanamere Alagondar, and fighting orcish spellcasters called the Anchorites of Talos who have been attacking Falcon's hunting lodge in Neverwinter Wood. Completing two of these three quests unlocks three follow-up quests: to go to Butterskull Ranch (following an orc attack), to deliver supplies to a logging camp (amidst attacks by ankhegs incited by orcs), and to escort a mine overseer to Mountain's Toe gold mine (which has been infested with wererats driven from their home by orcs). These quests send the party to visit: a dwarven excavation of a temple to Abbathor (as orcs attack), the rock gnome enclave of Gnomengarde (being terrorized by a mimic), and the local midwife at Umbrage Hill (being attacked by a manticore). The initial three quests involve warning the outlying locals about the dragon, and in turn helping them to resolve additional conflicts. Other quests or adventure locations are only hinted at through rumors, and can be integrated into or left out of the campaign as desired.Īdventurers are called on initially not to fight the dragon, but just to help the town of Phandalin protect itself while dealing with other consequences of the dragon's arrival. Players do not need to complete all quests available to them, and more challenging quests become available as easier ones are completed. However, rather than playing through a narrative, the Essentials Kit provides a blueprint for a sandbox style of play by delivering most quests to the players via a "quest board" managed by Phandalin's townmaster, Harbin Wester. Similar to Lost Mine of Phandelver (the adventure from the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set), this adventure takes place around the town of Phandalin, and makes use of the same cast of town inhabitants as well as the same basic map of the Sword Coast North.
The scenario involves a young white dragon, Cryovain, who has recently arrived in the region from the north (thus setting the adventure as a tentative sequel to the events of Storm King's Thunder) and begun hunting and attacking sites all across the map. This introductory campaign is designed to take characters from levels 1 to 6. A 64-page booklet containing a basic set of rules for adventurers levels 1–5.