In Phandalin and Below:The Shattered Obelisk, the peril of the Dendrar family shifts from the threat of human trafficking (as described in the original Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure) to a scenario where the family is held hostage for a ransom.
“The three human commoners imprisoned here are Mirna Dendrar and her teenage children, thirteen-year-old Nars and eighteen-year-old Nilsa. A couple days ago, the Redbrands murdered Mirna’s husband, Thel. (His corpse can be found in area R8.) The gang was then going to kill his family, but Mirna promised that wealthy relatives in Neverwinter would pay a substantial sum for her and her children’s safe return. The Redbrands have kept the Dendrars here while they develop a ransom plan.”
Which got me thinking: if Mirna Dendrar had a wealthy family member in Neverwinter, who would that be?
Unlike Waterdeep and Baldur’s Gate, the City of Skilled Hands doesn’t have a category for its aristocracy on the Forgotten Realms wiki. But, after sifting through an extensive list of Neverwinter’s inhabitants, a woman by the name of Andrella caught my imagination – described as a prim and proper lady who serves as the hostess at Neverwinter’s most popular inn, the Beached Leviathan.
Andrella was a middle-aged widow back in 1479 DR (where she first appeared in Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition), so by 1491 DR, when the Dendrars experience their problems in Phandalin, she’s a little bit older and of an age to be Mirna’s aunt.
According to Realmslore, Andrella is a widow because her late husband was a compulsive gambler who was murdered for his gambling debts.
It’s worth noting that not all degenerate gamblers live in the gutter. Some have a string of good luck that earns them a fortune, driving their compulsion to gamble even more, which is where Mirna’s belief in having wealthy relatives in Neverwinter could be rooted – unaware that such wealth was fleeting for her aunt and uncle.
Perhaps Mirna’s precious family heirloom, which is hidden in the ruins of Thundertree, was a lavish gift from Auntie Andrella in Neverwinter. Or maybe Andrella sent it to her sister (Mirna’s mother, the herbalist) in Thundertree for safekeeping when finances started to get hairy back in Neverwinter.
Characters might not be impressed with Mirna’s precious family heirloom as a treasure item (it’s a gold necklace with a fine emerald pendant worth 200 gp), but it’s worth a chunk of change. To provide some context, 200 gp would support a modest lifestyle for 6-7 months.
Because of the memory of this heirloom, and how her mother used to talk about her fancy sister in Neverwinter, Mirna lives with the idea of her rich aunt in Neverwinter, whom she has seldom seen over the years, knowing only that, in the time since her uncle’s death, Auntie Andrella has become someone of import at the Beached Leviathan, a famous inn.
Before the start of the adventure, a ransom note makes its way to Andrella at the Beached Leviathan. While she’s not a member of Neverwinter’s aristocracy, she’s become friendly and useful to some members of the city’s nobility and merchant class, allowing her several opportunities over the years to either set aside a tidy sum of wealth from which she can one day comfortably retire upon, or amass a bank of favors for trading in secrets she learns learns from the patrons at the inn. Whichever the case, Andrella has the currency to arrange a ransom payment – whether it’s from her purse, or someone with much deeper pockets who owes her a favor.
Perhaps Andrella’s Errand could be an alternate to Gundren Rockseeker’s Meet Me In Phandalin adventure hook when she hires the characters to accompany Puk (another employee of the Beached Leviathan) to Phandalin for the delivery of a 200 gp ransom to the Redbrands – and to assure the ruffians keep faith in the arrangement.
Andrella’s Errand: An Alternate Hook for Lost Mine of Phandelver
Andrella, a highly esteemed hostess at the Beached Leviathan in Neverwinter has received a ransom note from Phandalin. Mirna Dendrar and her children are being held by the Redbrands, who demand 200 gp for their safe release. Andrella – Mirna’s “wealthy” aunt – hires the characters to escort a trusted courier to Phandalin, deliver the ransom, and ensure the ruffians keep their word. The journey to the south is dangerous, time is short, and if the money fails to arrive, the family suffers.
This alternate adventure hook doesn’t need to supersede the plot of Lost Mine of Phandelver. The characters can still travel through the ambush site on their way to Phandalin and still find Gundren Rockseeker’s saddlebags lying in the road (or find his horses milling about on the trail). But perhaps the evidence of the Goblin Trail leading to the Cragmaw Hideout isn’t revealed until the characters are offered another paid errand – this one financed by Nundro and Tharden Rockseeker to find their brother Gundren, who is late returning to Phandalin. From there, the quest for the Wave Echo Cave can begin.
Both errands lead to the same adventure threads, though Andrella’s Errand has a little more urgency to it, don’t you think? This urgency may be helpful in keeping the players at your table on task while following the plot of the adventure.
If you’d like to support my work, please consider checking out my free/pwyw supplements for Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak over on Dungeon Master’s Guild!
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