The Adventure Begins

Board

This is a roadside tavern with campgrounds.  I will be using this to start a new campaign.  This will be the scene I used to get them together and meeting each other.

The premise is a road side tavern at night.  After days of travel and rain, the adventures are weary and muddy from their trek and they slowly trickle in to rest at the tavern.

As the players all arrive, I will have a scenario where they meet and discuss their travels.

But then in the GM Tab, you will reveal the Cultists that appear outside.  I will add fire to the tents and hay as the adventurers discover the ambush.  There are too many cultists and the two patrons inside will try to make a fighting break, but will perish leaving just the adventurers and the bar owner.  The bar owner will tell them they can escape through the cellar where they can pull on the torch and reveal a passage to escape.  However, the rains have flooded the river and the passage is mostly underwater.  This will test their swimming and constitution for holding their breath.  Under water they will reach the grate only to find it rusted shut creating a panic moment to try and get it open before they drown.

After they escape, I will then lead them into the opening of the Hoard of the Dragon Queen campaign where they investigate the cultists and their horde of goblins.

Just wish there were a few more assets to make this complete.  The cultists have wagons where they capture slaves; and corpses where they kill some of the NPCs and the horses.