Campaign Overview: The Mawframe
An introduction to our D&D campaign - from Phandalin to Sharn to the jungles of Xen'Drik, follow five heroes as they race to prevent an ancient primordial from awakening.
The Story So Far
What began as a simple investigation into bandit raids in the frontier town of Phandalin has grown into a world-spanning quest to prevent catastrophe. Our party has faced undead priests, cursed forests, ancient dragons, and sinister cults—all while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the very fabric of reality. Now, eleven sessions in, the adventure has carried them from Sharn's towers to the untamed jungles of Xen'Drik.
The Heroes
Our tale follows five allies, bound by fate and battle:
- Accoa Krigsdottir — An Aasimar Paladin sworn to the Oath of the Ancients, she joined the party in the cursed Whisperwood Forest and has proven invaluable in their darkest hours.
- Malum Munus Exemplar — A Half-Elf Assassin whose shadowy skills have gotten the party out of—and occasionally into—trouble.
- Rudiger — A Human Evoker with a storm building inside him, learning to channel arcane power that even the Emerald Enclave has taken notice of.
- Skid Demon — A Half-Elf Gloom Stalker Ranger marked by the leylines themselves, now able to sense the ancient currents that flow beneath the world.
- Stol — A Human Life Domain Cleric whose faith has turned undead hordes and kept his companions standing when all seemed lost.
Departed Allies
- Kei Eaglesnout — A Human Champion Fighter whose strength and determination anchored the party's front line for ten sessions. In Session 11, Kei left the party to rebuild his family farm and found the Eaglesnout Academy, a training ground for future guardians. His tartan remains with each party member—a reminder that he didn't leave them alone. He left them stronger.
Arc One: The Fallen Priest & The Golden Bell of Shavras
The adventure began when the party was summoned to investigate raids on Phandalin's supply lines. What seemed like simple banditry soon revealed a darker purpose—a fallen priest seeking to open a gateway using the blood of an ancient lineage.
The heroes journeyed through the haunted Whisperwood Forest, faced a Night Hag's curse, and ultimately confronted the undead priest at the ruins of Shavras. There, they learned that Aidin, a simple village woman, was the last of a sacred bloodline. Her companion Greeve sacrificed himself to seal the vault, becoming its eternal guardian.
Arc Two: The Mawframe
After sealing Shavras, the party arrived in Astgrove where they encountered The Knock, a faction of the Emerald Enclave. Rangers reported something unnatural in the North Woods—enslaved humans constructing a massive wooden structure that defied the laws of nature.
This structure is the Maw Frame, a resonance engine designed to awaken Aru'xat the Verdant Maw—an ancient primordial being sealed during the Dawn Wars. The Slanted Circle, a mysterious cult, seeks to unbind this world-devourer and remake reality in chaos.
To stop them, the party must anchor the leylines that keep Aru'xat imprisoned. This quest led them to:
- Stonehell Isle, where they met Nythraxil, an ancient rose quartz dragon fused to stone, who gave them a crucial ley stone before falling to a Circle mage.
- Sharn, the City of Towers in the plane of Eberron, where they infiltrated as Black Mantle operatives, only to discover traitors within the Enclave itself.
- The Dhakaani Ruins beneath Sharn, where they stabilized a ley anchor in the heart of an ancient goblinoid empire.
Arc Three: The Journey to Xen'Drik
With the ley anchor in Sharn secured, the party received dire news: the Slanted Circle has established a presence in Xen'Drik, the mysterious southern continent. Captain Tallow's airship, the Stormlight, carried them from Sharn toward Stormreach—but the Circle wasn't about to let them pass unopposed.
A sky battle erupted as Circle airships intercepted them. The party fought off boarders while Tallow piloted through lightning and chaos. They captured an enemy vessel and its navigator, but not before learning the Circle's reach extends further than they imagined.
Now landed in Xen'Drik's jungle, the party faces new dangers: Circle ambush squads, ley-charged beasts, and the ancient mysteries of a continent that has swallowed civilizations whole.
What Lies Ahead
The Circle's presence in Xen'Drik suggests another ley anchor—one the cult may already be working to corrupt. The jungle holds secrets older than Eberron's nations, and not all of them sleep quietly.
The Maw Frame still rises in the Astralglades. Aru'xat stirs in his prison of root and stone. And somewhere ahead, the Slanted Circle awaits.
The adventure continues.
This campaign uses D&D 5th Edition rules (2024) and is run by our DM through D&D Beyond. Session summaries and character updates will be posted as our story unfolds.