Included below is the previously emailed adventure teaser. Use it if you wish to tie the background of your character to this adventure. That being said not everybody needs to be tied to this adventure. Any backgrounds extraneous to our 2016 exploits may make great tie ins for 2017 and beyond!
Our hope is to have each person make their own toon and to coordinate the toons as a team. Unlike 4E the toons need not be munchkined for maximum tactical synergy. No! What we are after is a story driving motive. In this way the players and their motives are driving the story not the place or the event or the big bad evil guy trying to destroy the world. So figure it out.
1. How do you know each other?
2. Why are you adventuring?
3. What do you hope to accomplish?
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"More than five hundred years ago, clans of dwarves and gnomes made an agreement known as the Phandelver's Pact, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern known as Wave Echo Cave. In addition to its mineral wealth, the mine contained great magical power. Human spellcasters allied themselves with the dwarves and gnomes to channel and bind that energy into a great forge (called the Forge of Spells), where magic items could be crafted. Times were good, and the nearby human town of Phandalin (pronounced fan-duh-lin) prospered as well.
But then disaster struck when orcs swept through the North and laid waste to all in their path. A powerful force of orcs reinforced by evil mercenary wizards attacked Wave Echo Cave to seize its riches and magic treasures. Human wizards fought alongside their dwarf and gnome allies to defend the Forge of Spells, and the ensuing spell battle destroyed much of the cavern.
Few survived the cave-ins and tremors, and the location of Wave Echo Cave was lost. For centuries, rumors of buried riches have attracted treasure seekers and opportunists to the area around Phandalin, but no one has ever succeeded in locating the lost mine. In recent years, people have resettled the area. Phandalin is now a rough-and-tumble frontier town. More important, the Rockseeker brothers-a trio of dwarves- have discovered the entrance to Wave Echo Cave, and they intend to reopen the mines.
Unfortunately for the Rockseekers, they are not the only ones interested in Wave Echo Cave. A mysterious villain known as the Black Spider controls a network of bandit gangs and goblin tribes in the area, and his agents have followed the Rockseekers to their prize. Now the Black Spider wants Wave Echo Cave for himself, and he is taking steps to make sure no one else knows where it is.