Welcome to Phandalin - Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk

Welcome to Phandalin. Nestled on the northern Sword Coast, between Neverwinter Wood and the Sword Mountains, is the town of Phandalin. Centuries ago, Phandalin was a thriving settlement with deep ties to its neighboring communities. But then bandits overran the town, and Phandalin lay abandoned for centuries. Only in the past few years have settlers built a new village on the ruins of the old. These townsfolk hope to grow Phandalin through hard work, camaraderie, and the shared purpose of building a lasting home. Threatening their efforts and their survival are bandits, brigands, and monsters. A typical morning unfolds in the idyllic town of Phandalin Threats from Below Unbeknownst to any townsfolk, three mind flayer fanatics lurk deep underneath the town and plot a chilling course. The fanatics worship Ilvaash, a godlet in the Far Realm, who is determined to reestablish a mind flayer empire on the Material Plane. Ilvaash wants this empire to stretch across Toril's surface, starting with Phandalin as its capital. (For more information about Ilvaash, see chapter 8.) The mind flayer fanatics have discovered pieces of a shattered obelisk of great magical power, left over from the mysterious Netherese empire that once occupied part of this region. After retrieving the remaining fragments, the fanatics plan to infuse the reconstructed obelisk with Ilvaash's unholy energy and turn Phandalin's population into mind flayers loyal to their evil godlet. This plot is a complex affair, but the mind flayers beneath Phandalin have many allies. As petty bandits vie for control of Phandalin, the fanatics' allies quietly search for pieces of the shattered obelisk. How successful those allies are-and whether Phandalin's heroes can stop the will of an evil godlet-is exactly what you're about to find out! About This Book Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure optimized for four to six characters. The player characters are the heroes of the story...