The Festival of Faces



O
bserved as Highharvestide in other regions of Festival Encounters
Faer ûn, the town of Phandalin prepares to d10 Encounter
celebrate its third annual Festival of Faces.

The festival takes place on the last day of 1 Golden Apple

harvest between 30 Eleint and 1 Marpenoth,
2 Ale Garden
allowing the local populace to celebrate a

bountiful harvest with feasting, singing,

3 Bonfire
dancing, and drunken revelry. So-named for the village's 4 Shadow Theater
practice of decorating the streets of the town with jack-o'-

lanterns to start the festivities, the Festival of Faces draws

5 Kettle Corn
revelers from as far as Triboar and Leilon. 6 Ring the Belle

 7 Jack-o'-Lanterns

The frontier town of Phandalin lies in the northern foothills

8 Drinking Contest
of the Sword Mountains. Abandoned for nearly five centuries 9 Pin the Tail on the Donkey
after an orc horde laid waste to the town in 951 DR,
10 Sizzling Skewers
Phandalin has been resettled in recent years by farmers and

prospectors seeking their fortunes in the valleys and streams

of the surrounding hills. 

The trestle tables packed with townsfolk on the lawn of the
As the only established settlement along the Triboar Trail,

Phandalin is a popular destination for merchant caravans Stonehill Inn ring with mirth and the din of a dozen sozzled
and travelers passing east and west between the High Road conversations. The innkeeper, a young and friendly human
and the Long Road. named Toblen Stonehill, busily attends to his tipsy patrons.
When the characters first arrive in Phandalin, read the

following description: Time spent at the ale garden provides characters with

opportunities to learn about life in Phandalin and the town's

hinterlands, as well as prospective employment opportunities

The woods give way to farmland and pine-clad foothills with
for adventurers passing through town.
mountains looming in the distance when you first glimpse
Phandalin. In the deepening twilight, the town's small neat Elmar Barthen, the owner of Phandalin's general store,

houses of log and fieldstone come into view. A plume of holds court with several local residents, quietly gossiping

about whether there's more than meets the eye where

smoke rises from a bonfire in the town square, visible from the
Halia Thornton is concerned: "Them Redbrands never go
hillside where you stand. Townsfolk have placed lit candles in sniffing around the Miner's Exchange for their...protection.

jack-o'-lanterns carved from pumpkins and turnips, which line Why d'ya think that is?" When Halia unexpectedly walks

the dirt road on your approach. Their eerie faces peer out, by their table, Elmar and his court suddenly brighten,

some in welcome and others in warning. Singing, clapping and greeting Halia with friendly smiles and waves, then return

to their brooding gossip once she is out of earshot.

music echo between the buildings of the town. A festival is in
full swing! At a table packed with drunken prospectors, a human

miner by the name of Lanar visibly shudders as he

recounts a tale in which he found himself held in the

Phandalin's streets are packed with townsfolk enjoying a
baleful gaze of an enormous, luminescent green eye
crisp autumn evening of merriment. During the festival, the
peering out at him through the trees at dusk (that he was
characters can join in the revelry, visiting various attractions
helping himself to sweet corn in Quelline Alderleaf 's fields
throughout the town (see the "Festival Encounters" table), as
is left unsaid). He warns his drinking companions to give
well as speak with the NPCs there.
the woods south of Tresender Manor a wide berth, but

 they only razz him about his other drunken tall tales, like

the time he insisted he saw a bear with the head of an owl.

The festival is underway when the characters arrive in

Phandalin. Allow each player to roll a d10 to supply a festival Two dwarves (Nundro and Tharden Rockseeker) fret over

encounter. Use the descriptions for each encounter to guide the absence of their brother (Gundren), who should have

characters through the festival. Entries are presented in returned a day ago from Neverwinter with a cart of mining

alphabetical order. supplies. Recent rumors of raiding along the Triboar Trail

have the dwarves concerned for their brother's safety, and

With the exception of the Stonehill Inn and the Sleeping they discuss whether 50 gp is enough to hire an

Giant Tap House, all of the businesses in Phandalin are adventuring party to head west down the Triboar Trail to

closed for the evening during the festivities. find Gundren and provide a safe escort back to Phandalin.

Villagers clasp hands and dance in a ring around a roaring
bonfire at the center of the town square. Nearby, an
entertainer sings over the din of the crowd as he plays an
uptempo ditty on his fiddle. The dancing revelers shout and
hoot and sing along to the song, a crowd favorite called Down
Another Tankard.
I down another tankard. Let it warm me well
Drink weaving its usual memory-fooding spell
And taking me to fancies bright beyond compare
Where I am lord of all, ruling castles in the air.
The fiddler is a halfling named Oren Yogilvy who detoured
from his journey to Goldenfields to attend the Festival of
Faces. Come the morning, he plans to return to the road, but
having witnessed some of the dangers of the Triboar Trail
along the way, he's looking to ingratiate himself with an
armed party heading toward Goldenfields, seeking their
safety and companionship on the road.
Dastardly Dance Partner. Phandalin's comely young weaver,
Freda, has attracted the unwanted affections of a handsome
half-elven Redbrand named "Beaut," who politely attempts to
cut in between Freda and her male dance partner. When the
request to yield her hand is refused, the ruffian's courtesy
turns to violence as he sends the man sprawling to the dirt
with a sucker punch. Freda's pleading gaze searches the
crowd for rescue as the ruffian takes her in hand, leading her
in an unwelcome dance around the bonfire.
Beaut. Named for his striking good looks and honeyed
words, Beaut is the bastard-born outcast of an influential
Waterdhavian noble family. Arrogant, amoral and cruel, the
spoiled dandy is accustomed to having his way. When he
cannot achieve his goals through comeliness or skill in
persuasion, he relies on Brica & Brak (two glowering
Redbrands who follow him around like shadows) to do his
bidding through intimidation and violence.
Confrontation. In a rare lapse, neither Brica nor Brak are
anywhere to be found when Beaut takes Freda for a captive
dance. The brutes are elsewhere, making a nuisance of
themselves by cutting in line for Narth's kettle corn.
Exposed in a way he is unaccustomed to, Beaut's discomfort
is palpable if confronted by a character. He'll nervously scan
the crowd for his henchmen in such a way that a passive
Intelligence (Insight) score of 12 or higher deduces Beaut
feels threatened and is susceptible to intimidation.
If a character attempts to intimidate Beaut, call for a
Charisma (Intimidation) check contested by Beaut's
Charisma check. If more than one character is present for the
confrontation, add advantage to the attempt.
If he loses the contest, Beaut will attempt to salvage his
dignity with a hollow courtesy, thanking Freda for the dance
before slinking away like a coward. However, unchastened by
the experience, he'll return to the bonfire a minute later with
Brica and Brak in tow, and a massive chip on his shoulder.

At the Sleeping Giant Tap House, an unsavory mix of patrons
crowd around a single table in the dingy common room,
urging on two competitors in a drinking contest. Ragged
cheers and boos erupt throughout the rabble as one of the
competitors teeters then slumps over his cup into
unconsciousness.
The ramshackle taproom is dimly lit and tightly packed. A
passive Intelligence (Investigation) score of 12 or higher
notices that all of the tables and chairs in the taproom have
been smashed and reassembled, an indicator of past barroom
brawls.
Pour Another. As wagers change hands, the vanquished
contestant is carried away from the table while the victor, a
large man by the name of “Quipper,” wipes his mouth with his
greasy red cloak and loudly calls for another challenger. The
proprietor of the Sleeping Giant, a sour-looking dwarven
woman named Grista, neatly pours her homemade hooch
into two wooden cups at the center of the table (see
"Drinking Contest" sidebar).
Quipper. Named for his ability to drink like a fish (and that
one time he bit someone's ear off in a bar room brawl),
Quipper is a boorish Redbrand known for his swaggering
bravado. When the characters arrive at the Sleeping Giant,
Quipper is bellowing for a new challenger for the drinking
contest.
Confrontation. If no challenger comes forth, Quipper will be
spoiling for a fight. If it comes to a melee with the characters,
consider substituting the "Confrontation" encounter in
Chapter 2 of Lost Mine of Phandelver with this encounter
instead.
Drinking Contest
Grista distills a vile-tasting, potent moonshine from
a recipe of her own design. It is colloquially known
as "Grista's Grain." Her secret ingredient? An
infusion of giant centipede venom.
For each cup of Grista's Grain consumed,
contestants must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution
saving throw or take 2 (1d4) poison damage. If the
poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points,
the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even
after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while
poisoned in this way.
Quipper has been at it a while by the time the
characters arrive. He has 11 hp at the start of a
new drinking contest. For each round the drinking
contest persists, add the equivalent of 10 gp (in a
mix of cp, sp, ep and gp denominations) to the
winner's purse, half of which is awarded to the
winner of the drinking contest.

On the western lawn of the Townmaster's Hall, a half-elven
man attends to a large wooden basin filled with cold water and
a variety of apples freshly picked from his orchard.
The man, a retired adventurer by the name of Daran
Edermath, informs passersby that a gold coin is hidden
inside one of the apples floating in the water.
Bobbing For Apples. One hundred apples float in the basin's
cold water at all times, as Edermath replaces each apple
retrieved from the basin with a new one. For the cost of 1 sp,
allow a character three separate rolls of the percentage dice.
A percentage dice result of "00" discovers the prized apple,
which contains 1 gp inside.
Daran Edermath. A former warrior himself, Daran knows
inexperienced adventurers when he sees them. While politely
inquiring about their business in Phandalin, he'll make casual
mention of Townmaster Harbin's search for mercenaries to
drive off a band of orcs disrupting trade on the eastern end of
the Triboar Trail, noting the pay is fair (100 gp) and good
experience for freebooters just starting their careers. He'll
share that the orcs have been recently spotted in the vicinity
of Wyvern Tor, to which he points, far off in the distant hills.
He says the large rock formation is just visible from
Phandalin on a clear day.

Candlelight from the carved faces of pumpkins and turnips
bathes every walkable path in Phandalin with a soft glow.
Some of the carved faces are smiling and laughing. Others,
long and melancholy. Many more are frightening and terrible.
An elven woman by the name of Sister Garaele entertains a
group of children with tales of the restless dead as they
wander through Phandalin's streets together, admiring the
faces carved into the glowing jack-o'-lanterns.
Roll a d4 in secret to determine which bit lore the characters
overhear Garaele sharing with the children, then consult the
corresponding lore contained in the "Tales of the Dead"
sidebar.
'
Sister Garaele s Stories
d4 Undead Lore
1 Banshee
2 Ghoul
3 Skeleton
4 Zombie
Tales Of The Dead
To many adults, Sister Garaele's stories are little
more than hearth tales told around the fire at night
to frighten children. But Garaele, a priestess of
Tymora, knows better.
Banshee. "Years ago on a journey to Triboar, a
sudden storm forced our traveling party to shelter
in Conyberry for the evening, an abandoned and
forgotten place that wasn't so different from
Phandalin once upon a time. The terrifying cries
that came out of the nearby woods that night
would be enough to stop your precious little
hearts, children. They would, in fact, stop your
hearts if you stood close enough to the spirit who
made them. Some say that in life, she was a
beautiful elven maiden named Auglatha. But in
death, this woeful spirit is known to the faithful as
a banshee."
Ghouls. "They were humans once, these miners.
That was before an early winter storm caught them
unprepared and snowbound in a valley hidden
amongst the western peaks of the Sword
Mountains. After they had eaten their ponies and
their boot leather, they turned to murder and
cannibalism to fill their bellies. Not much later, the
cold came for them. But instead of finding
everlasting peace in death, they found eternal
hunger in undeath, for the Gods abhor a cannibal.
Some say they've seen these ghouls in the
hinterlands of Phandalin, gnawing the bones of the
dead. When they cannot find graves to plunder,
they've been known to hunt the living. There's a
reason we bury our dead far from town, children."
Skeletons. "Some folks are evil right down to their
bones, children. So evil, in fact, that when their
wicked souls depart the land of the living, their
malice lingers, interred with their mortal remains,
awaiting a blasphemous call to rise up from the
grave and stalk the living."
Zombie. "I once lived in Neverwinter, children. I
might have tarried in the Jewel of the North longer
were it not for the destruction of Mount Hotenow.
One day, the mountain came rushing down upon
our homes in a wave of molten earth and ash that
consumed half the city, and continued on until it
reached the sea. Thousands died, many of them
instantly as they were swallowed by the burning
flow of earth like moths in a flame. And then there
were those who escaped the lava flow but not the
ash cloud, which enveloped them. The air became
choking and hot as the fires of hell. Many came out
of the ash cloud charred beyond recognition and
dead on their feet. And I do mean dead, children.
It's been fifty years, and still these soulless husks
continue to walk among the eaves of the
Neverwinter Wood and, I've heard, in ruined towns
like Thundertree."

Alongside the eastern wall of the Shrine of Luck, a farmer
labors over a large cauldron suspended above a crackling fire.
The line for his kettle corn stretches back to the smithy.
Time spent in Narth's kettle corn line provides characters
with a number of interesting overheard conversations.
A halfling woman (Qelline Alderleaf ) gossips with other
townsfolk about the disappearance of Phandalin's
woodcarver (Thel Dendrar) and his family. "If that lot took
an interest in your wife, you'd take your family and clear
out too. Them ruffians are little better than orcs. I heard
Thel got a savage beating from Quipper and his lads when
one of them got handsy with Mirna and he snapped."
Several prospectors discuss what one of them believes to
be an encampment of diseased people out by Old Owl
Well. "Flesh rot if I've ever seen it. What? Nooo! I didn't get
close enough to ask em' about their cooties!"
Two young men (humans named Ander & Thistle) slyly
greet each other in a peculiar manner by extending their
right hands toward each other, palms facing out, with their
fanned fingers undulating slowly. Another young man cuts
into the kettle corn line to deliver a quiet but firm rebuke
of the gesture, delivered in a strange language that is not
the common tongue.
Hiding in Plain Sight. Ander and Thistle are newly initiated
members of the Cult of the Dragon. Favric, the young man
who joins them in line, chastises his new recruits for their
heedless display of the sign of Tiamat. The language he
rebukes them in is draconic.
Favric's cultist cell will embark on a journey to Thundertree
in the morning, tasked with seeking out a young green dragon
rumored to lair in the ruined town.

Delighted shrieks and braying laughter rise above the festival
din as children point to someone nearby and breathlessly sing
"Donkey y'all! Donkey y'all! Hee-haw! Hee-haw!"
The children (a halfling by the name of Carp Alderleaf, and a
human by the name of Pip Stonehill) have spotted yet
another unwitting victim of the evening's communal game of
Pin the Tail on the Donkey, from which no unsuspecting
reveler is safe.
The rules of the game are simple: a braided rope fashioned in
the likeness of a donkey's tail is cunningly pinned to the
breeches or skirt of a preoccupied reveler, who then becomes
the butt of some good natured ribbing from braying festival-
goers who spot the tail.
On this particular occasion, the character with the highest
passive Insight score determines that it is the party who is
the target of the children's ridicule, while the character with
the lowest passive Perception score discovers, to their
chagrin, there is a braided hempen donkey tail hanging from
their bottom.

At the western end of the town square, an attractive young
woman sits atop a platform built 10 feet above an enormous,
knee-deep mud pit. Between her bare and shapely thighs
hangs a bell.
Spanning the entire length of the pit is a hempen rope ladder,
staked into the ground at the edge of the mud pit on one end
and attached to Elsa's platform at the other. The ladder spans
30 feet, and is hung at a 35 degree angle.
The young woman who sits atop the platform is Elsa, the
cheerful and popular human barmaid at the Stonehill Inn.
She playfully baits passersby to brave the teetering ladder
and ring her bell, if they can.
For the cost of 2 cp, contestants may make an attempt to ring
Elsa's bell by traversing the entire length of the wobbly rope
ladder. Several men and women, spattered head to foot in
mud, stand in line awaiting another go.
'
Ringing Elsa s Bell
The rope ladder is anchored in such a way that it
easily tips over, dumping most contestants into the
pool of mud below. Using the rules for climbing,
contestants must succeed on two separate DC 20
Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks to traverse the
treacherous rope ladder and ring Elsa's bell.
Any check that fails the DC by 4 or less results in
no movement along the rope ladder for that
attempt.
Any check that fails the DC by 5 or more dumps
the contestant unceremoniously into the mud pit
below, where they land prone to the enormous
delight of the crowd assembled around the pit to
take in the spectacle.
Contestants skilled enough to ring Elsa's bell win
the barmaid's favor, bestowed in the form of a
chaste kiss on the cheek.

Townsfolk gather around an impressive shadow theater stage
erected on the northeast lawn of the Lionshield Coster.
Shadow puppetry narrated in a thick, accented voice tells a
tale of unrequited love in a distant land called Barovia. In the
tale, a dark and brooding nobleman by the name of Strahd
von Zarovich falls in love with a beautiful commoner named
Tatyana, who rejects his affections in favor of Strahd's
younger brother, Sergei.
On the day Sergei is to wed Tatyana, Strahd murders his
brother, then confesses his love to Tatyana, who flings herself
from a castle overlook in despair. The story ends with the
Gods imprisoning Stradh in Barovia forevermore, to live out
eternity as a creature of the night hungering for the blood of
mortals and lamenting the loss of his precious Tatyana.
 An unexpected reveler has appeared at the festival in the

form of a reanimated Thel Dendrar, who was murdered by

On the back lawn of the Stonehill Inn, Trilena Stonehill labors the Redbrands a week ago during his altercation with

over a hot firestone crowded with tiny onions, multi-colored Quipper.

fire peppers, fat mushrooms, sizzling chunks of venison, and As with the reanimated skeletons inhabiting the crypt below

fragrant spices. She sells skewers of meat and vegetables for 2 Tresendar Manor, the faint necromantic aura emanating from

cp. The line for her cooking stretches all the way back to the crevasse that runs through the manor's cellar has raised

Barthen's Provisions. Thel as a zombie. He's recently deceased and, therefore, still

recognizable to the townsfolk as he stiffly shambles down the

eastern road, much to their horror.

Time spent among the townsfolk in the line for Trilena's

skewers provides a number of overheard conversations which

The sound of Thel's shuffling footfalls mingled with the
characters may find interesting or profitable.
crackling roar of the bonfire are all that disturb the chill silence
Linene Graywind, proprietor of the Lionshield Coster, that has descended upon the crowd. As he lumbers into the
speaks in hushed tones with a business associate from
town square, a sudden terror erupts through the throng of
Triboar (a human male by the name of Narth Tezrin). The
gawkers as Phandalin's recently deceased woodcarver
two quietly discuss the impact that goblin raiding along
heedlessly blunders into the bonfire. The fire consumes him,
the Triboar Trail has had on their respective businesses,

and whether it's time to hire mercenaries to take care of

igniting his ragged clothing and transforming him into a
the problem. staggering nimbus of flames. A panic ensues.

The proprietor of Phandalin's Miner Exchange struggles

to mask her annoyance with a handsome half-elven man Panic. As Thel goes up in a gout of flames, the crowd

(Zhentarim mercenary Xolkin Alassandar) as they quietly disperses immediately, running pell-mell in every direction

chat in line. "My company rides for Nightstone on the and creating a hazard for anyone caught in the throng.

morrow, Halia. We cannot assist you with your glass staff." Characters must succeed a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check

to avoid being knocked prone during the stampede that

Harbin Wester, along with his wife and children, gaze
ensues. Any character knocked prone must succeed a DC 14
upon the silhouette of Tresendar Manor, outlined against
Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to avoid being trampled in the
the full moon. "Sister Garaele once told me, according to
stampede, taking 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage on a failed
her kin, the manor was named for the man who lived
save.
there. He was a knight by the name of Aldith Tresendar,

and he died defending Phandalin over five centuries ago." As the crowd scatters, Thel (see the "Blazing Zombie"

sidebar) lurches toward the beer garden located on the front

 lawn of the Stonehill Inn. Several residents are drunkenly

slumped over trestle tables sleeping off their earlier revels,

At the discretion of the DM, the following special events may
entirely unaware of their peril despite Toblen and Trilena's
occur as optional encounters. If either event leads the
desperate but futile attempts to rouse them. If the characters
characters to the cellar beneath Tresendar Manor, it is
do not intervene, tragedy at the beer garden is all but certain.
recommended that they attain Level 2 before doing so.

Late to the Party

This event takes place after the characters have participated

in some of the attractions and enjoyed the festive

atmosphere. If the characters have been involved in an

altercation with the Redbrands that results in a reduction of

their hit points, it is recommended that they be allowed a

short rest by relaxing among the revelers as the festivities

stretch late into the evening.

The gales of merriment slowly abate to a low, wordless

murmur as a throng of revelers part to either side of the
eastern road through town, allowing a solitary man to shuffle
slowly past them toward the town square. As he passes by the
astonished onlookers, some of them find their voices.

"Th-Thel? Is that you, Thel? You don't...look so good."

"GODS. What...happened to you, Thel? Someone find Garaele!"

"Where are Mirna and the children, Thel? Are they safe?!"

Blazing Zombie
As the fire consumes him, Thel only has 1 hp
remaining by the time the characters reach him.
The zombie's Undead Fortitude trait is all that
keeps him standing. For combat encounters with
Thel, use the zombie stat block with the following
modifications:
A gentle breeze whispers through the leaves of the corn stalks
as Freda beckons you to join her for a roll in the clover. "Come
hither, my brave champion," she says as her fingers tug at the
laces of her bodice. "Come and receive the favor of your lady."
A character with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15
or higher finds that something in the air makes their hackles

Fire Form. A creature that touches the zombie or rise, and with good reason. Lurking nearby in the tall grass is

hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it a nothic, watching their moonlit rendezvous unfold. Its baleful

takes 4 (1d8) fire damage. eye peers out at them through the tall grass from a distance

of 30 feet. Freda is none the wiser, and slightly annoyed by

the character's preoccupation if they spot the nothic.

Mirna, Nars & Nilsa. A well-liked member of the community,

If spotted, the nothic it will use its move action to dash for the
Thel Dendrar's friends and neighbors openly grieve the loss
tree line of the nearby woods south of Tresendar Manor.
of Phandalin's woodcarver. But their sorrow soon turns to
From there, it returns to its lair in the cellar of the manor. A
mounting disquiet regarding the welfare of his missing wife
successful DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check is sufficient to
(Mirna) and two teenage children (thirteen-year-old Nars and
track the clawed footprints of the nothic back to the secret
eighteen-year-old Nilsa).
tunnel leading to Area 8 (Crevasse) of the Redbrand Hideout.

Linene Graywind and Daran Edermath marshal two groups

If the nothic escapes notice, call for a Charisma (Deception)
of residents to search the perimeter of the town by torchlight
contest made with disadvantage vs. the nothic's Wisdom
for the missing Dendrar family members.
(Insight) check as it probes the character with its Weird

Insight ability. If the nothic wins the contest, it magically

If the characters wish to investigate where Thel came from,
learns the flaw the PC chose at character creation.
his shambling, foot-dragging steps can be tracked to edge of

the woods south of Tresendar Manor with a successful DC 12

Whether the use of its Weird Insight is successful or not,
Wisdom (Survival) check. From there, an additional DC 10
being probed in this manner alerts the character to the
Wisdom (Survival) check can be used to track Thel's
nothic's presence. They'll catch a glimpse of its enormous,
lumbering path through the woods. A successful check leads
luminescent green eye for a brief moment before it flees, with
the characters to the secret tunnel entrance beneath the
only the spikes protruding from its spine visible above the tall
manor, opening up into Area 8 (Crevasse) of the Redbrand
grass as it dashes to the nearby woods.
Hideout.

Hideous Voyeur

This event takes place for the character who acts in the most

chivalrous manner while rescuing Freda from the unwanted

advances of Beaut during the Redbrand Bonfire encounter.

Phandalin's weaver has taken a fancy to her new savior, and

would like a private moment to express her gratitude far from

prying eyes.

Beneath the full moon, Freda leads you by the hand around the
edges of Phandalin, chatting away happily about life in town
before the Redbrands took up residency. As the two of you
stroll past crumbling, ivy-covered walls and the low
Spooky Legal Stuff
foundations of homes long since reclaimed by nature, it's
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the
apparent that Phandalin is built upon the ruins of a much older
Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the
settlement. dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards
of the Coast product names, and their respective
The weaver flashes you a wicked grin and presses a slender logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the
finger to her lips as she leads you past a wooden signpost that USA and other countries. This work contains
reads: "Alderleaf Farms. No Trespassing!" material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast
and/or other authors. Such material is used with
permission under the Community Content
Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other
Freda leads the character through rows of field corn to the
original material in this work is copyright 2023 by
grassland beyond, and has one thing in mind when she
RJ Stanley and published under the Community
lowers herself down onto a soft patch of clover at the field's
Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
edge.
 Festival
of
Faces
The woods give way to farmland and pine-clad
foothills with mountains looming in the distance
when you first glimpse Phandalin. In the
deepening twilight, the town's small neat houses
of log and fieldstone come into view. A plume of
smoke rises from a bonfire in the town square,
visible from the hillside where you stand.
Townsfolk have placed lit candles in jack-o'-
lanterns carved from pumpkins and turnips,
which line the dirt road on your approach. Their
eerie faces peer out, some in welcome and
others in warning. Singing, clapping and music
echo between the buildings of the town. A
festival is in full swing!

Cover Art: Jeshields

This six page prologue to the Lost Mine of

Phandelver is loaded with pertinent lore, skill
challenges, exploration opportunities, social
encounters and, yes, combat. The Festival of
Faces is designed to be a fun introduction to
Phandalin that will make the players at your table
fall in love with the town and its residents.
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