Ruins of the Grendleroot

50

An underground river flows over a cliff in this chamber, TREASURE
dropping twenty feet to a pool below. The river One of the cultists has an amulet showing the symbol
continues from the pool into a cavern, flowing roughly of the Gray Prince—a pair of crossed hands, one
southwest. Steps have been carved into the cliff side, white, one black (worth 10 gp).
leading to the ground below. Four large stalagmites, two
on either side of the cliff, are inscribed with intricate 2. Beach of Dead Gods
Elvish script. Two tunnels lead off to the northwest and
southwest. Area Aspects. Beach of broken stone, statues of
forgotten elven deities, large pool
The journey through the caverns from Deepdelver’s
Enclave leads to this entrance to the temple area. The A beach of sharp, broken stone surrounds a large pool
pool is 15 feet deep and the river is 5 feet deep. of blue water. Dozens of shattered statues are spread
around the beach, their dead eyes gazing into infinity.
INSCRIBED STALAGMITES The ruins of small altars and destroyed monuments are
Four stalagmites have been inscribed with intricate likewise buried in the pink sand of the chamber floor.
Elvish script of a dialect not used in centuries. Any
character who reads Elvish recognizes enough of If the characters chose to take the underwater
the writing to know that it speaks of a number of passageway from the mushroom lake outside
shrines to strange gods. A character who succeeds Deepdelver’s Enclave, they enter the temple in this
on a DC 14 Intelligence (History or Religion) check area. The remnants of numerous objects and icons
recognizes that the gods named in the inscriptions built for the worship of dozens of forgotten gods are
were worshiped centuries ago, but their faiths have spread across this beach, as though this were the very
long since died out. place where those gods chose to die. The shattered
statues of elven deities are likewise scattered across the
CREATURES ground.
Four cultists (Frane, Yolla, Karasith, and Reland) are If the characters investigate the statues, each
here when the characters arrive, kneeling before the successful DC 16 Intelligence (History) check made by
stalagmites and pressing their hands to the stone. They a character can identify one of the following deities:
have come to the temple with Thond, and believe that • Selunvel: A vindictive god of beauty, this deity
communing with the stones will help them understand
the call of the Gray Prince. took the form of a featureless humanoid with four
The cultists largely ignore the characters after gossamer dragonfly wings.
becoming aware of them, but become hostile if • Karovin the Pillar of Night: A powerful knight
disturbed. A character who succeeds on a DC 13 in service to a lost elven empire, Karovin single-
Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check can handedly fought an army of one hundred orcs to
convince the cultists to relay that they have seen a defend a pass leading to a king’s defenseless keep.
child, who they refer to as: “The one who speaks to the • Ferone of the Red Water: A god of streams and
Gray Prince.” They sent her to speak with Thond in rivers, Ferone appears as a gender-neutral elf lying
area 4. next to a running stream. They were slain by their
For a more combat-focused adventure, the cultists sibling on the shores of the river that passes between
can become hostile as soon as they see the characters, the mortal world and the afterlife.
claiming that the party’s presence defiles the delicate • Kevek the Crawler: This hulking insectoid god was
sensibilities of their god. known to devour the dead and use their remnants to
Each of the cultists carries a divine spark that allows build life anew.
them to use an action to cast the shocking grasp cantrip CREATURE
(+3 to hit). Once a cultist has done so, they cannot do A solitary specter of a priestess named Korva wanders
so again until they finish a short rest. through the ruined monuments in this area, seeking
If time is running short or the characters have a peace she cannot find. Korva once worshiped
already faced enough battles, you can skip this Aruvin of the Sky (see “Treasure” below), but her
encounter. god faded from the world and left her aimless after
her own suicide. The specter now hunts the spark of
life wherever it can, and has done so to two cultists 51

whose bodies are now dried husks among the objects the view in the pool shifts and races through the void
scattered across this chamber. until it comes upon a plane of high mountains, watery
The specter seeks peace, which it can find if a gray skies, and mile-high waterfalls. Strange celestial
character succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Religion) creatures soar overhead like clouds with gossamer
check to let Korva’s soul travel peacefully to the wings. The character whose check inspired this vision
afterlife. Korva shows the character who succeeded on has a deeper understanding of Aymon the Gray
the check a vision of an idol of Aruvin (see “Treasure” Prince, and has advantage on any Charisma checks
below). made while communicating with the forgotten god.
If time is running short or the characters have CREATURES
already faced enough battles, you can skip this Two gray oozes dwell in the pool, the remnants of
encounter. the distant world it once touched. The oozes pull
TREASURE themselves out of the pool and attack any characters
Characters who successfully help Korva pass on to who draw near. These gray oozes swirl with starstuff,
the afterlife, or who spend 1 hour searching through allowing each to use an action to cast the magic missile
the rubble of the monuments here, find a small, spell. Once an ooze has done so, it cannot do so again
well-preserved idol of the god Aruvin of the Sky. This until it finishes a short rest.
forgotten elven god appears as a nonbinary elf with If time is running short or the characters have
feathered wings for arms. The idol is an uncommon already faced enough battles, you can skip this
magic item that pulses with divine energy, allowing its encounter.
possessor to use an action to cast the spirit guardians
spell (DC 15). Once the spell is cast, the idol’s magic 4. Shattered Tower
fades.
Area Aspects. Partially collapsed square tower,
3. Pool of Stars crumbling staircase, violet flames from heroic
carvings
Area Aspects. Pool of black liquid, dancing stars,
reflected lights on the ceiling A three-story square tower rises in the center of this
chamber, its outer walls collapsed in spots to leave much
A shining black liquid fills a pool at the center of this of the interior exposed. The four corners of the tower
chamber. Millions of tiny stars shift and dance in the still stand, each relief-carved to resemble a heroic figure.
pool’s depths, reflected as shining lights on the ceiling Irregular bursts of violet flame erupt from each figures’
above. palms.

This pool once served as a connection between the Once a domicile for the followers of the gods in this
realm of the Gray Prince and the material world. That temple, this tower has been crumbling for long years.
connection has long since vanished. The outer corners of the tower have each been carved
PORTAL POOL with the likenesses of four elf heroes. A crumbling
A character who succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence staircase inside the structure is still sturdy enough
(Arcana or Religion) check discovers that this to be used, and leads up to the remnants of the third
pool was once a portal to another world, but that floor where Zacheus Thond has set up a study.
connection has been broken. Any creature that THOND’S STUDY
touches the pool for the first time on a turn takes 5 This area is a mess of diagrams and glyphs drawn onto
(1d10) cold damage as they touch the void of space. the floors and walls—an attempt by Zacheus Thond to
Full immersion into the pool results in the creature make sense of the messages he receives from the Gray
disappearing completely as they are lost forever in the Prince. Though he can hear the call of the forgotten
void. god, Thond cannot make sense of those messages,
A character can attempt a DC 16 Intelligence and has long since made up his own narrative. His
(Arcana) check to try to reconnect the pool portal current theory is that self-sacrifice will bring he and
to the realm of the forgotten god. On a failure, the his disciples closer to the Gray Prince.
character takes 10 (3d6) psychic damage. On a success,

52

Rathomer and Ivanon

CREATURES 5. Monument of Kings
Thond, a cult fanatic, is often found here along with
three cultists (Mary Velles, Ivek Wanderlust, and Kara Area Aspects. Statues of elf kings on stone thrones,
of Toth). All have been fasting for two weeks and look intricate circle pattern on a worked stone wall,
emaciated. Thond is attempting to put together a ritual braziers of blue and red fire
that will open the Pool of Stars to the realm of the
Gray Prince once more, allowing he and his followers The west side of this natural cavern has been shaped
to step through. They don’t know that doing so will into smooth worked stone. Two statues of elf kings
result in their deaths. sit on ornately carved thrones, each with one hand
If Sophie is here, she is engaged in an animated outstretched along the throne’s arm, palm up. Each
conversation with Thond. Thond’s cultists listen throne is set with faint inscriptions along its base, and
from the ground below, and attempt to stop anyone an intricate pattern is carved on the wall between them.
from interrupting. They can be deceived into letting Two braziers sit in front of the statues, one burning with
the characters speak with Thond if they think the blue flame and one burning red.
characters have critical information.
As Sophie talks to Thond, he scribbles notes all over This wall blocks off the tomb of two elf kings who
the walls, asking her to slow down so he can keep up. ruled within Blackclaw Mountain centuries ago. One
Her accurate interpretations of the god’s messages was said to have a heart of fire, while the other ruled
are shattering Thond’s previous views, which he finds with an icy coolness. A character who can read Elvish
both painful and obsessively necessary. He has not can make out the ancient inscriptions at the base of
harmed Sophie. However, in his mad state, anything is each throne. These tell the history of the two kings
possible. who jointly defended the elven realms in the mountain
against foes from this world and others. The text ends
with the following passage:

53

“Our lords Rathomer and Ivanon, who ruled with The carved lids on each of the two sarcophagi
fire and ice. Rathomer’s heart blazed like the core of a resemble the two kings portrayed in area 5. The Elvish
sun. Ivanon’s blind eyes remained cool like the dead of script on the wall is in the same ancient dialect seen
winter. Each held the love of our realm in their hands.” elsewhere. Any character who speaks Elvish can read it
with some difficulty:
If the characters examine the statues, they note that
the figure to the south has both eyes covered with a “Beyond the tomb, we shall continue to serve
heavy veil. This is Ivanon. righteousness and good. Choose only one reward or feel
OFFERING OF FIRE our wrath even in death.”
The brazier to the north burns with cool blue flames,
while the south brazier burns red and hot. Both TREASURE
braziers are magical. A character can ignite a torch or Opening either sarcophagus requires a successful DC
other flammable object in either brazier and bring it 12 Strength check. The sarcophagi contain the remains
to the outstretched palm of the correct king. Doing so of the two elf kings. Each king’s mummified hands are
causes a small blazing fire to rise from the king’s hand. clasped around a set of magic beads. Rathomer holds
If the flame is placed incorrectly in the hand of a necklace of fireballs with three beads on it. Ivanon
either statue, pulses of blue or red fire lash out (the holds a necklace of prayer beads with one blessing bead
same color as the incorrect flame), functioning as a and two curing beads.
scorching ray spell. The flames have a +7 to hit and CREATURES
target the three closest creatures in range that are not Taking one set of beads from a sarcophagus has
undead or constructs. no negative effect. However, if anyone then takes
If the correct fire is set into the hands of both kings, the second set of beads, the two kings awaken
the carved circle on the wall slides inward and rotates as mummies and attack. The mummies pursue
out of the way, revealing a round tunnel leading to characters who flee with the beads, pummeling
area 6. The tunnel stays open for 1 hour. A lever in them relentlessly. If a mummy reduces a character
area 6 allows the door to be opened from within. possessing a set of beads to 0 hit points, it takes the
The wall can also be smashed through with a stolen beads and both mummies return to the tomb. If
successful DC 16 Strength (Athletics) check. Doing so the characters take both sets of beads and return one,
causes both statues to flare up as though the wrong fire both mummies likewise return to their sarcophagi.
had been placed in their hands.
CREATURES 7. Five Stones
If any character approaches within 5 feet of the wall
between the statues, two shadows flow from the walls Area Aspects. Standing three-sided stone pillars,
of the tomb. Each is filled with a divine spark. As an arcane circle on the floor, shattered pillar
action, each shadow can cast the sacred flame cantrip
(DC 10), which deals necrotic damage instead of Five three-sided standing stones surround a circle on
radiant damage. the floor inscribed with writing and strange geometric
If time is running short or the characters have patterns. One of the stones has been broken, its upper
already faced enough battles, you can skip this half lying on the ground.
encounter.
Each stone represents one of five high priests who
6. Tomb of Kings worshiped Aymon the Gray Prince. Delicate Elvish
runes set within the geometric shapes in the circle on
Area Aspects. Dust of centuries, carved stone the floor can be read with difficulty by any character
sarcophagi, sinister message who reads Elvish.
The glyphs talk of how five high priests kept alive the
The dust of centuries fills this tomb, which holds two worship of the Gray Prince, a member of an ancient
stone sarcophagi carved with the images of ancient elven pantheon. They name the five high priests
kings. Elvish script is inscribed into the wall above of Aymon as Evondyl Whitemoon, Ravandor the
them. Clasped Hand, Tharon Stonespeaker, Evonetha the

54

Whisperer, and Athrade Wyndrunner. From her name, 8. Altar of the Gray Prince
the characters can guess that Athrade Wyndrunner
has a connection to Sophie Wyndrunner. (Athrade is, Area Aspects. Floating stone steps leading to floating
in fact, Sophie’s great-great-grandmother on her elf platform, bottomless drop, huge carving of the Gray
mother’s side.) Prince

RESTORING THE CIRCLE A stone platform hangs suspended over a bottomless
Any character who succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence gorge, with a set of floating stone steps leading up to
(Arcana) check recognizes that the spirits of these high it. A fifty-foot-high carving covers the back wall of the
priests can be channeled using the power of the arcane chamber, depicting an elf in swirling robes with hands
circle. Doing so requires that one character sit in the crossed over his chest—one black hand and one white
center of the circle, while they or another character hand.
attempts to call to a specific spirit with a successful
DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check. On a This chamber holds an ancient altar to the Gray
failure, the creature in the circle takes 11 (2d10) force Prince, once used by his followers to connect with
damage. the spirit of their god. The gorge underneath the altar
On a success, the character who made the check drops 200 feet, narrowing as it descends, and is filled
discovers that they are able to speak in the long-lost with a thick gray mist from 50 feet below the altar. A
Elvish dialect seen in the temple. A spectral vision character who falls takes 20d6 bludgeoning damage,
of the elf high priest called forth steps toward the but hopping from step to step does not require an
character in the circle, placing their hand on that ability check, and any reasonable safety measure
character’s chest or head. The character gains one should prevent a fall.
of the following abilities, based on which spirit was The carving on the far wall depicts the Gray Prince.
called. Each benefit lasts until the character finishes a THE GRAY PRINCE
long rest. If she is here, Sophie can speak to the Gray Prince. She
Whitemoon: The character has advantage on might already be present when the characters arrive,
sitting cross-legged on the platform, and talking to a
Intelligence checks. large ethereal entity floating above the gorge.
Clasped Hand: The character has advantage on If the characters arrive here without having yet
found Sophie, the Gray Prince manifests just beyond
Strength checks and Strength-based attack rolls. the edge of the floating platform as an ethereal
Stonespeaker: The character gains 10 temporary hit humanoid figure. Any character who succeeds on a
DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) or Wisdom
points. (Insight) check can hear words of old Elvish that
Wyndrunner: The character can cast the mass healing cannot be understood, and feels a great sense of
longing and loneliness. Eventually, the spirit of the
word spell. Once the spell is cast, this magic fades. Gray Prince fades away when it realizes it cannot
The fifth pillar, which once belonged to Evonetha communicate with the characters.
the Whisperer, has been broken. The characters If the characters arrive here with Sophie, she runs
can attempt to fix it by first lifting the pillar off the quickly up the steps and talks to her friend. She feels
ground and into position with a successful DC 14 the spirit’s sadness and loneliness, and wants to help it.
Strength (Athletics) check. A character can then either Sophie explains that the Gray Prince needs followers
cast mending on the break or succeed on a DC 14 to survive. If the characters have met the cultists,
Intelligence (Arcana) check to draw arcane energy into Sophie explains that their madness has closed their
the pillar and seal it. This offers a fifth option to the minds to the Gray Prince, making it impossible for
four above. them to follow him.
Whisperer: As an action, the character can cast the With Sophie’s tutelage, a character can learn the
words of the Gray Prince and become a new follower.
magic missile spell at 3rd level. They appear to be Each character who agrees to follow the Gray Prince
hurling magic daggers of arcane energy when doing receives the god’s blessing, and can choose one spell
so. Once the spell is cast, this magic fades.
A creature can have only one spirit in them at a time.
Once a specific spirit has been channeled, it cannot be
channeled again until the next dawn.

55

from the following: cure wounds, darkness, inflict three (one specter for five characters, two for seven
wounds, or light. The character can cast that spell characters, and so on). Each specter uses the normal
once with this trait, and regains the ability to do so stat block with these changes:
when they finish a long rest. Wisdom is the character’s • Its Life Drain attack deals radiant damage instead
spellcasting ability for this spell.
If no one accepts the will of the Gray Prince, it of necrotic damage, and does not reduce a target’s
demands that Sophie stay in the temple to commune hit point maximum. A character reduced to 0 hit
with it. Sophie still likes her friend, but quickly points by this attack does not die outright but is left
becomes frightened and homesick. Desperate not to unconscious.
lose its one remaining follower, the Gray Prince does Each of these summoned specters appears as gray-
not want her to leave. Though it has no power to stop skinned elves floating above the gorge.
her, it becomes hostile if the characters attempt to take
Sophie away. Concluding the Adventure

CREATURES This adventure can end in a number of ways. If any of
If the Gray Prince’s will is thwarted, it manifests into a the characters chose to become a follower of Aymon
vaguely humanoid apparition surrounded by tendrils the Gray Prince, the god’s desires are met. The Gray
of white light. The Gray Prince uses the stat block of a Prince begins to impart knowledge to its new follower,
specter with these changes: though it might take years to understand it.
• Its alignment is neutral and its size is Large. If the characters are not willing to worship the Gray
• It has 44 (8d10) hit points. Prince and its spectral form is destroyed, the god fades
• It ignores features that turn undead. away.
• It has the following attack option: Multiattack. The Sophie wants to go home to her father, though the
spark of adventure doesn’t leave her. On her return
Gray Prince makes two Life Drain attacks against to Deepdelver’s Enclave, she immediately wants to go
two different targets. back out and explore, largely forgetting the fear and
• Its Life Drain attack deals radiant damage instead trauma of her ordeal. If the characters return Sophie
of necrotic damage, and does not reduce a target’s safely to Deepdelver’s Enclave, her father becomes a
hit point maximum. A character reduced to 0 hit lifelong ally.
points by this attack does not die outright but is left If Zacheus Thond survives, he won’t abandon his
unconscious. quest to follow the Gray Prince, even if he cannot
If attacked, the Gray Prince summons one specter understand the god. If circumstances permit, he might
for each additional two characters in the party over seek out Sophie again to be his teacher, learning the
language of the Gray Prince over time, and perhaps
eventually becoming the first new priest of the
forgotten god in centuries.

56

CHAPTER 5

THE SPIRE OF VIOLET FALLS

The restless undead of a lost gnome settlement threaten to spread throughout the caverns of Blackclaw
Mountain.

L ong ago, the rock gnome village of Violet In the aftermath of the gnome zombie attack, the
Falls was a burgeoning center of quartz and elders of the enclave realize that the undead did not
gemstone mining in Blackclaw Mountain. act alone. Some unknown entity is directing the
Hidden far from prying eyes, the folk of undead of Violet Falls, and the enclave is threatened.
the village traded their gems with other hidden The characters are tasked with exploring the newly
settlements for iron and brass that they used to build opened tunnels and finding Violet Falls. There, they
wondrous machines—including a clock said to record must come to terms with the final fate of the gnome
all of time. village if they hope to end its new threat.
With the coming of the Grendleroot, Violet Falls Monsters and NPCs. Animated armor, duergar, fire
was lost and assumed destroyed. But now an undead
villain sends his minions out from that lost settlement elemental, flying swords (3), ghast, ghouls (2), giant
to attack Deepdelver’s Enclave. The characters are spider, zombies (4)
tasked with finding the legendary village, exploring its
ruins, and hunting down the evil that now lurks there. Notable NPCs
“The Spire of Violet Falls” is a two- to four-hour
adventure for 2nd-level characters. The following NPCs have a part to play in the
adventure.
Adventure Summary
Gemtooth
A section of the rocky plateau of Deepdelver’s Enclave
collapses during a celebration, and a host of gnome A once-notorious miner in Violet Falls, Gemtooth is
zombies crawls out. When the threat has been dealt now a chaotic evil gnome ghast leading the undead
with, newly exposed tunnels within the rock are found menace in the lost settlement. Gemtooth always
to lead to the forgotten gnome mining village of Violet wanted to control Violet Falls, but let his greed get
Falls. This hidden settlement was a mystery to most in the way. When the village was destroyed and he
even before the Grendleroot spires tore through the became undead, he saw a chance to become the ruler
mountain, and has been lost ever since. he was meant to be.
Gemtooth believes that undeath is the final state
of mortal being, and he plans to lead a continually 57
growing army of undead that will eventually take over

the mountain. He sent the zombies to Deepdelver’s Gemtooth
Enclave to begin the process of transforming the
enclave’s people into undead thralls. The gnome ghast • The gnomes often received brilliant ideas after
is arrogant to a fault, believing that all mortals are spending time contemplating a large stone head
destined to become his undead subjects. embedded in a wall near their village. Now the stone
Gemtooth uses the stat block of a ghast with head brings only nightmares.
these changes:
• He has 17 (5d6) hit points. Adventure Hooks
• He has an Intelligence of 14 (+2).
• He is a 1st-level spellcaster. His spellcasting This adventure works best when the characters have
a strong reason to want to travel to Violet Falls and
ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, end its corruption. Any characters with a background
+4 to hit with spell attacks). He has the or other connection relating to the fey might have a
following wizard spells prepared: desire to find the legendary lost settlement, and to put
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, mage hand, the cursed folk of the village to rest. Gnome or dwarf
characters might have had ancestors who told tales of
shocking grasp Violet Falls.
1st level (2 slots): magic missile, jump, ray Religious characters might feel an overwhelming
desire to stop the undead menace, and might receive
of enfeeblement

Secrets and Clues

The following secrets and clues can be
revealed in the adventure as you determine:
• The rock gnomes of Violet Falls kept to

themselves. Only outsiders invited by the
gnomes had any chance to find the village.
• A hidden lift offered the only known
entry into Violet Falls, though quakes
and cracking since the coming of the
Grendleroot might have opened up others.
• The rock gnomes of Violet Falls were known for
their mastery of alchemy, engineering, wizardry,
and gemstone mining.
• Nearby settlements traded regularly with Violet
Falls, exchanging raw iron for quartz, gemstones,
and alchemical supplies.
• The gnomes built a forge fueled by an unknown
source of nearly limitless heat.
• The gnomes built a magic clock said to record the
beginning and end of the world, and all moments in
between.
• All contact with Violet Falls ceased when the spires
of the Grendleroot tore through the mountain. With
no survivors reported, it was thought that the village
was destroyed.
• The always-curious gnomes found a way to cut
into the surface of the black spire that jutted up
through the center of their village. The results were
catastrophic.
• The gnomes of Violet Falls filled a whole tower with
magical, mechanical, and clockwork wonders.

58

visions of a grinning, gem-toothed undead gnome Unfamiliar Foes
with an intelligent malevolence in its eyes.
Although fighting the undead is the primary goal When the battle is over, the characters can investigate
of this adventure, all the folk of Deepdelver’s Enclave the gnome zombies and the sinkhole from which they
are excited that the village has been found once again. appeared. Each of the bodies wears a tattered violet
This is a scenario focused on exploration as much as it cloak and a pin showing a waterfall flowing over
is on defending against a threat. glowing violet rocks. A successful DC 14 Intelligence
(History) check recognizes the pin as marking the
Start gnomes as residents of a village called Violet Falls.
That mining settlement was lost more than two
The adventure begins in the midst of one of centuries ago when the spires of the Grendleroot
Deepdelver’s Enclave’s more boisterous celebrations. tore through the rock of the mountain, closing off
Read or summarize the following to set the scene: countless passages and trade routes. (If the characters
don’t discover this information, Bailon the Beardless
A faerie dragon whirls on gossamer wings, dodging can identify the pin. When the characters arrive at
the stinging tail of an imp. Two cats chase after a Violet Falls, they discover that the waterfall pins can
large hound that whirls and twirls as they flank it, tail be used to operate the lift in area 1.)
wagging. An owl sits stoically on a lamppost while a The sinkhole from which the zombies emerged
flying snake darts around it, trying to bait it into chase. leads down to a series of tunnels that twist deep
All around, the people of Deepdelver’s Enclave cheer for within the mountain. Any examination shows that
these creatures as they celebrate the Familiar’s Festival, the zombies dug their way up from the tunnels to
in which the pets of the enclave enjoy a day of wanton collapse the sinkhole beneath the enclave—decidedly
merriment. not the actions of mindless undead. Something sent
A pack of dogs chasing a summoned deer race down the zombies to attack Deepdelver’s Enclave with clear
the enclave’s main thoroughfare. “Woop, there they go!” intent and purpose.
calls Bailon the Beardless, feet up and rocking back in Bailon the Beardless asks the characters to follow
his chair, pipe in mouth and a cup of coffee in his hand. the tunnels back to Violet Falls, becoming the first
Then suddenly, the ground shakes and a plume of dust explorers to see that settlement in over two hundred
rises into the air in the distance. The dogs come running years. In addition to learning what they can of the
back, fear in their eyes. They are not alone. village and the treasures it once held, they must find
A half-dozen small humanoids approach at a run, and fix the source of undeath in the village, then
their torn skin, dead eyes, and the smell of decay eliminate the threat of whatever entity or magic sent
making their nature clear. Someone shouts out a the zombies to the enclave.
warning: “Gnome zombies!”
Traveling to Violet Falls
The gnome zombies appear out of nowhere, attacking
the people of Deepdelver’s Enclave with wild abandon. The characters can easily follow the trail the zombies
While the other members of the enclave battle their left as they made their way from Violet Falls to
own zombies, four undead break off and attack the Deepdelver’s Enclave. That trail leads through a
characters. Each uses the zombie stat block with these number of recently opened caverns and tunnels.
changes: Some of these have been carved out by huge worms
• Its size is Small. burrowing through the mountain. Others split off
• It has 13 (2d6 + 6) hit points. from great rifts opened by recent quakes and leading
• It has a speed of 40 feet. down into Blackclaw’s fathomless depths.
• It can use the Disengage action as a bonus action. Reaching Violet Falls from Deepdelver’s Enclave
Two NPCs nearby—Cunovin Drakecowl the barber requires two days of travel. As the characters get close
and Nyx Jewelborn the carpenter, both commoners— to the settlement, they find themselves on a main
are also threatened by these zombies, and might need path leading to area 1 and the lift. Any character who
rescuing by the characters. searches ahead and succeeds on a DC 12 Wisdom
(Perception or Survival) check spots an alternative
path leading to area 2.

59

60

Depending on how long a session you plan to run, set of passages that leads to area 2. The caverns
you can add an encounter during this journey by using surrounding the village have 50-foot-high ceilings of
the locations and encounter descriptions in appendix natural stone. All the caverns are filled with dim light
B. Otherwise, you or the players can describe the shed by luminescent blue-green lichen and glowing
characters’ uneventful travel and their arrival. violet crystals jutting out of the walls.

Pacing the Adventure 1. Deep Lift

In their exploration of Violet Falls, the characters have Area Aspects. Deep shaft descending into Violet Falls,
two primary goals: seal the scar in the spire in area massive chains attached to unseen counterweights,
6 and defeat Gemtooth the gnome ghast. Gemtooth brass lift cage, sneering gnome-face decorations,
moves throughout the city, and can be encountered at lever and complex mechanism
any location you desire. See “Notable NPCs” for his
statistics. He fights alongside two gnome ghouls, each This small chamber is one of two entrances to the
of which use the ghoul stat block with these changes: settlement of Violet Falls, and is normally hidden
• Its size is Small. behind a secret door resembling a cleft of rock. The
• It has 10 (3d6) hit points. zombie trail leading to the lift makes the secret door
You can control the pace of the adventure by obvious, but any character inspecting the door can
determining how soon the characters face Gemtooth. tell that without the trail, locating the door would be
When the time is right, drop the ghast and the ghouls nearly impossible.
into the next location the characters visit, making that
the final encounter in the adventure. A brass cage hangs by a thick chain over a shaft
For the quickest adventure, place Gemtooth at the descending into darkness. Brass faces depicting sneering
spire in area 6 so the characters can complete both gnomes decorate the cage. Inside it, a large brass lever
quests at the same time. Otherwise, they can hunt for juts out from a complicated arrangement of gears and
Gemtooth all throughout the village, exploring each pistons.
location as they go.
A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) or
Violet Falls Wisdom (Insight) check made while inspecting the
mechanism in the cage suggests that only an intelligent
When the black spires of the Grendleroot sundered creature would be able to operate the lift. (It was
the mountain, Violet Falls was lost. The spires Gemtooth who shuttled the zombies up, then sent
collapsed all known paths to the village, and a huge them to Deepdelver’s Enclave.)
black spike erupted in the center of its cavern. Unable A character who succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence
to escape, the surviving gnomes of Violet Falls began (Investigation) check notices small pinholes in the
to study and experiment on the strange spires, hoping mouths of the sneering brass gnome faces that line the
to discover some way to force them back into the walls of the lift cage.
mountain and clear a path of escape. WORKING THE LEVER
Though the great spike seemed indestructible, a The brass lever inside the cage sends the cage up or
gnome alchemist and engineer managed to use a down depending on how it is pulled, but anyone
magic gemstone to break its surface. The resulting trying to do so finds that the lever cannot be moved.
explosion killed more of the small folk, and left a scar A small indentation easily spotted next to the lever
in the spike that leaked a poisonous gray liquid. Those is the exact size to accept one of the Violet Falls pins
who came into contact with the liquid where it pooled found on the gnome zombies in the beginning of the
around the spire’s base, or who breathed the vapors adventure. Placing a pin into the indentation allows
that rose from it, turned into undead horrors that soon the lever to move freely, as does jimmying the lever
feasted on the last of the village’s living survivors. with a successful DC 14 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand)
Two paths now lead to Violet Falls—an old tunnel check. The lever can also be forced with a successful
that leads to the lift in area 1, and a newly opened DC 15 Strength check.

61

The Suffering of Gorom

On a failed check to jimmy the lever, or if the lever The stone hand belongs to Gorom, whose head is in
is forced, the gnome faces breathe out a blast of poison area 3. If a creature touches or stands on the hand,
gas. Each creature inside the lift cage or within 10 feet it moves slightly as though in pain. A character who
of it must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check
taking 7 (2d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half can see that the hand is formed of living stone and
as much damage on a successful one. connected to a gargantuan creature embedded into the
With the pin in place or through forcing the lever, rock of the mountain.
the lift travels 500 feet down. During the last one The characters must find a way across the rift to
hundred feet of the descent, the characters are given a reach Violet Falls. Any safe and reasonable approach
breathtaking view of Violet Falls that takes in areas 4, to doing so should automatically succeed. Otherwise,
6, 7, 8, and 9. determine what ability checks are needed. A creature
that falls down the rift can attempt a DC 12 Dexterity
2. Rift of Spires (Acrobatics) check. On a success, they manage to
grab one of the spires and hang on. On a failure, they
Area Aspects. Deep rift, nest of Grendleroot spires, plummet into the bottomless depths of the rift and are
large spire-pierced stone hand forever lost.
If the characters enter this area from area 3, they can
A deep rift, twenty feet across, cleaves this cavern in intuit that the tunnel across from the rift leads out of
two. A thick nest of black metal spires weaves up from Violet Falls and back to the tunnels from which they
the fathomless depths, ending twenty feet below the edge came.
of the rift. Near the height of the spires on the north side
of the chasm, a fifteen-foot-long stone hand reaches out
of the wall, a twisting spire piercing its palm.

62

3. The Head of Gorom 4. Stone Apartments

Area Aspects. Huge head of suffering stone giant, spire Area Aspects. Sloped stone bluff, uniquely carved
piercing head, semicircle of low stone stools apartments, network of pathways weaving
throughout, great bronze lifts and counterweights
This twenty-foot-high cavern exposes a massive stone
head half embedded in a wall decorated by beautiful The southeast corner of this cavern has been carved
swirls. A black spire juts out of the forehead of the stone into two eclectic blocks of apartments. Winding
face, whose expression is frozen in pain. A semicircle of walkways are set into a sloped stone bluff, interweaving
low stone stools surrounds the massive face. throughout dozens of stone buildings. Lifts rise up to
the steepest height of these apartment blocks, with
The head belongs to a millennia-old, gargantuan, bronze cages raised by large chains and massive
nonbinary neutral stone giant named Gorom. Gorom counterweights.
was once a dreamer whose mental influence flowed
out and into the dreams of the gnomes of the nearby The gnomes of Violet Falls dwelled in these cozy
village. Though the gnomes never connected their domiciles. Many have since collapsed, but those that
ingenuity to Gorom’s dreams, they considered the remain show off unique looks shaped by the mages
stone giant a silent companion, and spent much time and stonecarvers who built them. Walkways weave
sitting and contemplating in this chamber. throughout the five-story-high terraces with no clear
Since the awakening of the Grendleroot, black spires rhyme or reason to their directions. The lifts are
have pierced Gorom’s body deep inside the rock. Now beautifully crafted, and use great counterweights to
the giant’s pain sends nightmares to the mind of any raise them to the height of the terraces.
creature that attempts to rest in Violet Falls. Graven artwork inside and outside the apartments
Gorom can’t speak but can hear. They respond show life in the village as it used to be, with gnomes
to questions with images and feelings flowing from mining crystals and gems, building interesting
their mind into the minds of nearby creatures. With a machines, and celebrating their discoveries.
successful DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) check, a character CREATURES
can interpret these images, which show that Gorom is In any given apartment, you can decide that three
in great pain. gnome zombies are shambling through the daily
SAVING GOROM chores they once attempted in life. They are not
A spell scroll of meld into stone can be found among hostile unless attacked, though they might engage
the treasures of the tower of spectacles at area 7. If the characters in a mockery of some daily activity,
the characters take this scroll and make it known to such as helping them put on a rotted coat, or serving
Gorom, he can use it to escape his torment. The giant’s them foul, grub-ridden offal on a plate. See the “Start”
eyes glow as arcane glyphs appear in the air. Then his section or area 6 for the statistics of these gnome
body begins to fade away as he falls deeper into the zombies.
rock of the mountain, escaping the nest of spires. TREASURE
As this happens, Gorom sends a telepathic message If they spend 2 hours searching the apartments, the
of relief and gratitude. Each character feels their mind characters can collect 92 gp, 127 sp, and 493 cp, along
open for a moment into Gorom’s vast intellect. Until with four pieces of carved quartz (worth 25 gp each).
the end of their next long rest, each character has The characters also find a beautiful carved-quartz
advantage on Intelligence and Wisdom checks. The figurine representing the gnome goddess of luck. This
character’s next long rest is also filled with soothing figurine is an uncommon magic item that requires
and pleasant dreams. attunement and has 3 charges. When a character
attuned to the figurine makes an attack roll, an ability
check, or a saving throw, they can expend 1 charge
to gain advantage on that roll. The figurine loses this
property when it has no more charges remaining.

63

5. Mechanized Smelter 6. The Black Spire

Area Aspects. Massive bronze dome atop stone Area Aspects. Scarred black spire, blast crater, pool of
building, huge mechanical bellows, sunken pit gray liquid
blazing with angry flames
In a cracked and charred crater at the center of the
Red light shines out from the doorway of a massive cavern, a thirty-foot-high black spire thrusts up out of a
bronze dome that dominates the cavern around it. A gray pool of oily liquid like the claw of some enormous
huge bellows stands behind the dome, its thick leather beast. A five-inch scar in the surface of the spire leaks
sides as large as sails. Heat emanates from the great the oily liquid that fills the pool.
smelter, with smoke flowing out of its stacks and into
chutes high up in the cavern ceiling. The scarring of the spire and the corruption flowing
The gnomes of Violet Falls forged items of bronze from it is the cause of the death and undeath of the
and iron in this great smelter, fueled by the burning gnomes of Violet Falls. The scar must be repaired for
hatred of a creature they summoned and bound here the corruption to end.
centuries ago. CORRUPTED POOL
CREATURE Any creature that is not a construct or undead that
A magically bound fire elemental named Igras still touches the liquid of the gray pool for the first time
burns in the smelter of the forge, providing nearly on a turn takes 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. The creature
limitless heat. Arcane glyphs surround the deep pit must then succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving
at the center of the forge within which the elemental throw or have its hit point maximum reduced by an
lies trapped. A character who succeeds on a DC 12 amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction
Wisdom (Insight) check feels a sense of rage coming lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target
out of the fiery forge. A successful DC 12 Intelligence dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
(Arcana) check reveals that the forge’s power comes A humanoid slain by this effect rises 24 hours later
from the captured fire elemental, and that the arcane as a zombie or ghoul. Under rare circumstances, the
glyphs trap and harness the creature. humanoid might rise as a ghast that retains some of its
A character can disable the glyphs with three original memories.
successful DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) checks. On REPAIRING THE SPIRE
each failure, arcane feedback deals 10 (3d6) force Any character examining the scar and the pool can
damage to the character making the check. With the confirm that it is the source of the corruption in Violet
third success, the glyphs are broken and the elemental Falls. Sealing the scar requires three successful DC
is freed. 14 Intelligence (Arcana) checks. If mending is cast on
Igras’s gratitude for its release is tempered by the the spire at the same time, these checks are made with
revenge against the gnomes who trapped it here. advantage.
If there are any gnomes in the party, the elemental CREATURES
attacks at once unless talked down with a successful When the characters begin to repair the spire, three
DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion) check made by a gnome zombies rise up from the gray pool and attack.
character who speaks Ignan. Explaining to Igras that Until the spire is repaired, another gnome zombie rises
the party is not from Violet Falls grants advantage on from the pool at the start of each subsequent round
this check. If the party avoids hostilities with Igras, it and joins the fight. A gnome zombie uses the zombie
is easy to convince the elemental to hunt down any stat block with these changes:
undead gnomes in the settlement and incinerate them. • Its size is Small.
• It has 13 (2d6 + 6) hit points.
64 • It has a speed of 40 feet.
• It can use the Disengage action as a bonus action.
For a shorter adventure, you can replace these
zombies with Gemtooth and two gnome ghouls, which
confront the characters when they attempt to fix the

spire. A gnome ghoul uses the ghoul stat block with 2: Three vats hold blue, red, and yellow liquid. When
these changes: a small amount of all three liquids is combined,
• Its size is Small. it creates a potion of clairvoyance. When one such
• It has 10 (3d6) hit points. potion is created, the liquids lose this property.
DEVELOPMENT
Unless you place Gemtooth at this location, when 3: A suit of beautiful gilded medium or heavy armor of
the characters repair the spire, they hear the gnome your choice is sized for a gnome. The armor features
ghast’s laughter echoing out from somewhere in the clockwork components in its design, with joints and
settlement. “Your efforts matter not! My army of death fittings incorporating strange gears and levers.
will still feast on your flesh!” This should reinforce for
the characters that they must defeat Gemtooth to keep 4: A clockwork menagerie of toy underground
the enclave safe from future assaults. monsters all move under their own power, including
an articulated worm, a chuul, and two ankhegs. Each
7. Tower of Spectacles of the four mechanical creatures is worth 10 gp.

Area Aspects. Tower of stone surrounded by floating 5: A small model airship flies around by magic (25 gp).
plates of iron, relief carving of gnome wizard, red 6: A steam-powered harpoon is built to shoot through
light shining from windows
the thick skin of a purple worm. (It doesn’t work.)
Large plates of metal float around a forty-foot-high 7: An alchemical light globe sheds light as a torch and
stalagmite. Its surface has been carved into intricate
patterns, which appear to flow out from the wand held is affixed to mechanical spider legs. If a creature
by the graven image of a gnome wizard carved above speaks the command word “Follow” in Gnomish, the
the tower’s doorway. Red light shines from windows globe follows that creature at a distance of 10 feet.
carved into the hollow stalagmite, contrasting the dark- 8: A black globe shines lights on the walls and ceilings
blue hue of its stone. around it, showing the current position of the stars
in the night sky above its location (worth 15 gp).
The gnomes of Violet Falls loved to display their 9: A floating orb is painted to resemble an unknown
expertise in combining arcane, alchemical, and planet (10 gp).
mechanical design into grand constructs. They 10: A golden cooking plate is magicked so that a
displayed many of their greatest inventions here in the character can touch the plate as an action to cast
Tower of Spectacles. Much of the tower has fallen into heat metal on it. Only the plate can be targeted by
ruin since the destruction of the village, but a number this spell. Once this ability is used, it cannot be used
of the inventions it holds continue to function. again until the next dawn.
Floating stones create a stairwell inside the hollow Along with these other treasures, the characters can
tower. It has three floors, all of which are open to let also find a spell scroll of meld into stone in a crystal
visitors witness its splendors. The uppermost floor has scroll tube. This spell can be used to free Gorom from
collapsed under the weight of a fallen red geode that his torment in area 3, and the tube is worth 50 gp.
once floated above the tower.
TREASURE CREATURE
As the characters explore the tower, they might come The tower is maintained by a lawful good construct
across a number of odd exhibits. You can choose from using the animated armor stat block, known as Sir
the examples below or roll a d10 to determine what Wobbleknees. The gnomes built Sir Wobbleknees as
the characters might find. the guardian of the site, and since the tower’s collapse,
1: A mechanical arachnid is fueled by the soul of the construct has grown increasingly frustrated and
erratic.
a captured demon that roars at the characters in Sir Wobbleknees can speak Common and Gnomish,
Abyssal. The creature uses the giant spider stat block and enjoys taking creatures on tours of the wrecked
but has the construct type. tower. The construct becomes hostile if it notices
anyone stealing or damaging anything in the tower,
though it does not leave the tower to pursue thieves.

65

8. The Sunlit Hall 9. The Violet Falls

Area Aspects. Glowing carved columns of natural Area Aspects. High waterfall, lines of violet-glowing
quartz, large splinters of sharp quartz on the ground, quartz, large waterwheel, gears and scaffolding,
glowing amber light endless drop to caverns below

Columns of quartz rise more than thirty feet to the The edge of the cavern is lit in violet light by lines of
ceiling along the north side of the cavern. The columns brilliant quartz, and opens up to a wide rift hundreds
are fused together, and have had their interior carved of feet high and hundreds of feet deep. A waterfall flows
out to turn them into a massive building, with a small down from a river high above, tumbling into the depths
doorway at ground level and windows higher up. The below. A waterwheel turns under the power of the
crystals glow with an amber light, filling the cavern falling water, driving dozens of huge gears attached to
around them with a golden glow. Large shards of quartz the cavern wall with iron scaffolding.
are spread out across the ground nearby. On either side of the rift, the floor of the cavern rises
up to rough stone stairs that lead across the darkness
The gnomes carved out these quartz columns into and over to the scaffolding.
their village meeting hall and governor’s chamber. The
inner chamber is 20 feet high, with an upper balcony The gnomes built this waterwheel when they first
and a lower central hall. Broken statues of gnome settled these caverns, and used it to power their
governors stand on the sides of the hall. mining operations.
Deep cracks and fissures spiderweb through the
crystals, which have been slowly falling to pieces over CREATURES
the two centuries since Violet Falls was abandoned. The rock walls in this area are still worked by three
animated hammers, which bang away digging for
CREATURE quartz deposits even though the gnomes have long
A chaotic evil male duergar named Ironscale lurks since departed. If anyone touches a hammer or tries
within the central hall, hiding behind one of the to stop it from working, all the hammers attack. Each
statues. Ironscale was trapped in here while avoiding hammer uses the flying sword stat block, but its
ghouls and zombies after his small band of thieves longsword attack is replaced by a hammer attack that
attempted to plunder the village. He is prickly, greedy, uses the same statistics but deals bludgeoning damage.
and likely to betray the characters even if they offer to If time is running short or the characters have
save him. already faced enough battles, you can skip this
Ironscale knows that Gemtooth is attempting to encounter.
build up an army of zombies and ghouls to take over
the mountain, and might be a source of other secrets TREASURE
and clues. A tarnished amulet set with a glyph-marked violet
gemstone can be seen 30 feet below the scaffolding,
TREASURE precariously hanging from a rock within the rushing
A small room beyond the central chamber contains a waterfall. Retrieving the amulet is a dangerous
narrow staircase hidden behind a well-crafted secret proposition, requiring a successful DC 13 Strength
door. A character can detect this secret door with a (Athletics) check to climb down the rock wall. On a
successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check. failed check, a character takes 7 (2d6) slashing damage
The staircase leads to a small chamber beneath the as they slide down the crystal-embedded wall before
hall that once acted as Violet Falls’ central treasury. catching themself. A character who uses a rope or
It still holds 143 gp in mixed coin and gems; a potion is aided by another character has advantage on this
of animal friendship, a potion of growth, and a potion check.
of gaseous form; and a necklace of adaptation that the The amulet is an uncommon magic item that allows
gnomes once used for exploring dangerous areas near its possessor to use an action to cast the magic circle
the settlement. spell (DC 15). Once the spell is cast, the amulet’s
magic fades.

66

10. The Everclock can understand the vast scope of the clock, and can
identify that it is indeed showing the right date and
Area Aspects. Stone and brass clock set into the cavern the right time. The clock accurately predicts the end of
wall, massive pendulums, intricate gearwork the world which, given the threats in your campaign,
might be soon or far off, as you determine. You can
A stone path leads out to the edge of a rift that descends use the clock to portend threats to the world in your
hundreds of feet into darkness. Set between two narrow campaign, and to reveal that such a threat has ended
waterfalls, a massive device of brass gears, levers, when the clock pushes out the time of the world’s
chains, and weights is set into the stone wall on the far ending far into the future.
side of the rift. It has the form of a complicated clock The clock’s massive construction and powerful
with numerous faces. Huge stone weights hang from magic make it difficult to harm. It is one of the few
chains on either side of a massive pendulum that slowly structures and objects in the mountain that was not
swings back and forth over the drop below. The dials on damaged by the coming of the Grendleroot.
some of the clock faces move with tremendous speed,
while others appear not to move at all. Concluding the Adventure

The gnomes spent decades building this great clock, The adventure concludes when the characters
an incredibly accurate and durable construct that successfully repair the scar in the black spire and
measures time from the world’s birth until its end defeat Gemtooth. Any remaining gnome zombies
millions of years in the future. A character who wander off from the village, becoming possible
succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check random threats to explorers but no longer seeking to
overthrow the folk of Deepdelver’s Enclave.
The characters can bring any relics of Violet Falls
they have discovered back to the enclave. With the
village’s corruption ended, explorers might come here
and establish a new settlement, hoping to return the
village to its former prosperity.

67

CHAPTER 6

A FISTFUL OF COPPER

Two warbands, one orc and one hobgoblin, are set to invade Deepdelver’s Enclave unless a band of
adventurers can use guile, subterfuge, or brute force to stop them.

A marauding gang of orcs and a hobgoblin the orcs reside in a ruined noble’s villa on the north
war band have set themselves up in the side. The characters can attempt to stop the coming
ruined city of Shadowreach—with both attacks by any means available, including negotiation,
groups intending to attack and destroy assassination, deception, setting an ambush, or
Deepdelver’s Enclave. Working with the folk of the shoring up the defenses of Deepdelver’s Enclave. With
enclave, the characters must decide how best to deal luck and bravery, the characters can help the enclave
with the threat, whether taking out troops or leaders and its people stand against this dark threat.
on both sides, or focusing on destroying one group Monsters and NPCs. Death dog, dire wolves (2),
to make a fight against the other group winnable.
Depending on the success of their actions, they then hobgoblins (30), hobgoblin cultists (2), hobgoblin
stand front and center as the attack unfolds and the cult fanatic, hobgoblin veteran, ogre, orcs (40), orc
people of Deepdelver’s Enclave fight for their very veteran, spy
survival.
“A Fistful of Copper” is a four-hour adventure for Notable NPCs
characters of 3rd level.
The following NPCs have a part to play in the
Adventure Summary adventure.

On returning from an expedition into Blackclaw Kran the Crippler
Mountain, the characters are attacked by a raiding
party of orcs. During the battle, a scouting party of A chaotic evil orc veteran, Kran the Crippler is the
hobgoblins attacks both groups. In the aftermath, the current war chief of the Gray Razor orcs—a band
characters learn that both orcs and hobgoblins plan to roughly forty strong. Kran is lazy but occasionally
invade Deepdelver’s Enclave within a day. erupts in blinding violence. Seeing the strength of his
The characters are tasked with trying to stop or leadership failing among his minions, he announced
hinder both attacks however they can, learning that the attack against Deepdelver’s Enclave, but his heart
the hobgoblins reside in a small ruined fortress on isn’t in it. He is more than willing to unleash his horde
the south side of the Shadowreach cavern, while against the enclave, but would rather retire.
Kran thinks the hobgoblin commander, Salos
68 Graveblade, is an elitist snob. If he manages to take

over Deepdelver’s Enclave, Kran plans to mock Salos holds Deepdelver’s Enclave, he plans to have Kran
from the walls above. killed and to conscript the rest of the orcs into his
Kran uses the veteran stat block with these changes: army.
• He has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. Salos uses the veteran stat block with these changes:
• He has the following trait: Aggressive. As a bonus • He has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• He has the following trait: Martial Advantage. Once
action, Kran can move up to his speed toward a
hostile creature that he can see. per turn, Salos can deal an extra 10 (3d6) damage
• He speaks Common and Orc. to a creature he hits with a weapon attack if that
creature is within 5 feet of an ally of Salos’s that isn’t
Suul the Slicer incapacitated.
• He speaks Common and Goblin.
Suul, a chaotic evil female orc, is Kran’s right hand and
the smartest orc in the war band. She secretly hopes to Wolfreg Wintersbane
kill Kran, take over the war band, and raid throughout
the mountain. She has little desire to attack the well- The seer of Salos’s war band, Wolfreg Wintersbane
defended Deepdelver’s Enclave. is a lawful evil male hobgoblin cult fanatic. Wolfreg
Suul uses the orc stat block with these changes: understands that Salos’s desire to die in battle might
• She has Intelligence 14 (+2). bring the rest of the war band to their deaths as well.
• She has 30 hit points (4d8 + 12). He uses his reputation as the voice of the hobgoblin
gods to his advantage, speaking either for or against
Droga the Destroyer Salos as he sees fit.

Droga, a neutral evil female ogre Salos Graveblade
mercenary, currently works with
Kran and the Gray Razors. She has
long used her immense strength
and survival instincts to earn all the
money and food she desires. Though
exceptionally greedy, she also considers her
own safety in her decisions, and is known to
have switched sides rather than be on the losing
side of a battle.
Droga uses the ogre stat block with these
changes:
• She has Dexterity 12 (+1).
• She wears half plate armor that gives her AC 16.
• She wields a massive battleaxe that uses the same

combat statistics as the ogre’s greatclub attack but
deals slashing damage.

Salos Graveblade

A lawful evil male hobgoblin veteran, Salos
Graveblade commands a war band called the Red
Drums. He brought his hobgoblins to Blackclaw to
harden them in the depths of the mountain, and he
hopes to turn Deepdelver’s Enclave into a military
outpost for his commander, a half-dragon warlord
known as Volixus the Burning Rage.
Salos is ambitious to the point of being suicidal. He
is quick to meet any challenge, and cunning enough
to pose a strong threat. He hates Kran the Crippler
and thinks the orc chief is a drunken oaf. When Salos

69

Wolfreg uses the cult fanatic stat block with these • Salos’s second, Wolfreg Wintersbane, wants to
changes: overthrow Salos but knows he doesn’t yet have the
• He has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. full support of the rest of the hobgoblin war band.
• He has the following trait: Martial Advantage. Once
• The lower level of the Tower of Lords, the ruined
per turn, Wolfreg can deal an extra 7 (2d6) damage watchtower where the hobgoblins reside, is an old
to a creature he hits with a weapon attack if that temple that features a secret tunnel leading to a
creature is within 5 feet of an ally of Wolfreg’s that clifftop cave.
isn’t incapacitated.
• He speaks Common and Goblin. • Salos plans to bombard Deepdelver’s Enclave before
his attack with five trebuchets his hobgoblins have
Clara Willowspur recently built.

Clara, a neutral evil female half-elf spy, used to be an • Disgraced explorer Clara Willowspur has been seen
explorer for Deepdelver’s Enclave but was kicked out scouting in Shadowreach near Deepdelver’s Enclave,
after betraying her adventuring party to a band of and near the Tower of Lords.
duergar for personal gain. She now offers her services
as a freelance scout in the mountain, and is currently • Ten years ago, Clara Willowspur was discharged
employed as a spy for Salos Graveblade. She has from her unit during the Thousand Spear War for
informed Salos about the defenses of Deepdelver’s attacking a superior officer. Ruth Willowmane, her
Enclave, and of the tunnel that leads up through the former sergeant, knows the details but does not
Drop. However, she has no loyalty to the hobgoblins speak of the incident.
except for the coin Salos gives her.
Clara uses the spy stat block with these changes: Adventure Hooks
• She has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• She has the following trait: Fey Ancestry. Clara has The characters can become involved in this adventure
in a number of ways. Ideally, their existing connections
advantage on saving throws against being charmed, to Deepdelver’s Enclave give the characters clear
and magic can’t put her to sleep. reasons to protect their home. Alternatively, one or
• She speaks Common and Elvish. more characters might know of or have a history
with the orcs, the hobgoblins, or their leaders. For
Secrets and Clues characters primarily motivated by coin, Bailon the
Beardless offers 50 gp to each character if they can
The following secrets and clues can be revealed in the prevent the attacks.
adventure as you determine: If you use this adventure in your own campaign or
• Kran the Crippler is quite lazy. He attacks weak as a single-session adventure, the characters might
stumble into the coming attack without yet having
targets whenever possible, and spends a good a strong connection to the settlement the orcs and
deal of time lounging in a pool at the top of his hobgoblins are attacking. You will want to reinforce
Shadowreach villa. whatever goal helps motivate the characters to save the
• Kran’s right hand, Suul the Slicer, seeks revenge enclave, whether moral or monetary.
against Kran for his role in the destruction of Suul’s This adventure takes its name from the spaghetti
clan two decades earlier. Suul has climbed the ranks western film A Fistful of Dollars (itself inspired by
ever since, hoping to take Kran’s head at the right the Kurosawa movie Yojimbo). In the film, a lone
time. gunslinger (played by Clint Eastwood) works two
• Spirekeep, the ruined villa that Kran has taken as his gangs against one another for the betterment of the
current lair, has a dank cellar beneath it that the orcs town they threaten. You can use a similar mixture
avoid. A grate in the floor of the cellar leads to an old of greed and morality to steer the characters toward
sewer system that exits into a river a hundred feet saving Deepdelver’s Enclave from the two marauding
away. factions.
• Droga the Destroyer loves money and food, but has
little loyalty to the orcs she serves.
• Salos Graveblade has a death wish. He yearns to die
gloriously in battle against the mightiest of foes.

70

Start • The hobgoblin commander Salos Graveblade and the
orc war chief Kran the Crippler both intend to attack
The adventure begins with the characters in the ruined Deepdelver’s Enclave within a day.
city of Shadowreach. Read or summarize the following
to set the scene: • Each faction has roughly thirty to forty warriors—
more than enough to cause serious damage to
After your latest exploration in Blackclaw Mountain, Deepdelver’s Enclave.
you make your way through the ruins of the city of
Shadowreach on your return to Deepdelver’s Enclave. • The orcs currently reside at a ruined noble’s villa
As you pass by the rubble of ruined buildings, a javelin called Spirekeep, on the north side of Shadowreach.
suddenly sails past, snapping against the stones.
“Looks like we caught some adventurers away from • The hobgoblins reside in a ruined watchtower to the
Deepdelver’s Enclave!” shouts an orc, stepping around a south, called the Tower of Lords.
ruined building. “Keep one alive. Kran will want what’s
in their head before Droga smashes it against a rock!” At your discretion, characters interrogating or
Two more orcs step out from behind another ruined searching the orcs or hobgoblins might also learn
building, while two more rise from the roofs of ruins to additional information outlined in the “Secrets and
either side of you, javelins in hand. Clues” section earlier in this chapter.

These five orcs (Nog, Settha, Grumoth, Littletoes, Defending the Enclave
and Big Uthok) attack the party. Two of them throw
javelins from the rooftops, while the others begin 25 When the characters return to Deepdelver’s Enclave,
feet away from the characters. they can bring word of what they’ve learned to Bailon
The street is flanked by four ruined buildings, two the Beardless, who gathers the other folk of the enclave
on each side. Climbing up a ruined building requires at the Dragon’s Fangs common house. The people
a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity of the enclave come to the conclusion that a direct
(Acrobatics) check. Creatures on the rooftops have attack against either war band in their well-defended
advantage on ranged attacks against those on the positions in Shadowreach will be exceedingly
street. dangerous. Everyone is prepared to defend the enclave,
At the end of round 2 of the battle, or if three of the but any battle will likely be a costly one, given how
orcs are killed before that, a band of four hobgoblins little is known of their enemies.
(Xen, Kora of Thar, Ivar Clubfoot, and Trox Eyespike) Whether they volunteer, are talked into it through
arrives. roleplaying, or accept a monetary offer to help defend
Deepdelver’s Enclave, the characters are tapped to
“Well, well, look what we have here!” a voice cries out, spearhead the plan to thwart the orc and hobgoblin
as four hobgoblins step out from the opposite end of the attacks. But at least at the outset, there is no clear sense
street. “Kill the orcs, but leave the explorers alive. Salos of what the best plan is.
Graveblade’s orders!”
Possible Options
The four hobgoblins then step up to attack both the
characters and orcs alike. You can allow the characters to undertake any plan the
players come up with, and which seems like it might
Development have a chance of success. But the following options are
likely to be among the most obvious:
When the orcs and hobgoblins are defeated, the • Convincing one group to attack the other, in the
characters can interrogate any survivors to learn the
following information. If all the enemies are dead, the hope of winnowing the numbers down on both
characters might find crudely written notes or maps sides.
on the bodies that reveal these details. The rest of • Killing one or both of the leaders of the two factions,
the adventure requires that the players learn of both in the hope that whoever takes over decides to
pending attacks, including the following information: abandon the attack.
• Ambushing the orcs, the hobgoblins, or both before
they can reach the enclave.
• Accepting the inevitability of the assault, and
working on the best possible defense of Deepdelver’s
Enclave when it comes.

71

72

The characters’ approach might include variants of against a hobgoblin assault. If the characters have 73
any of these options, or the players might come up killed Salos Graveblade or his lieutenant, the remaining
with another plan entirely. It’s up to you to adjudicate hobgoblins will be at a disadvantage against the orcs.
how these actions might affect the factions’ plans and It’s up to you to determine what factors might swing
the defenses of the enclave. a battle one way or another. Whatever outcome you
If the characters choose to scout out or interact with determine, describe the larger battle quickly and leave
either the orcs or the hobgoblins, they can easily travel it in the background, then move the spotlight back to
through Shadowreach to the lair of either group. These the characters and the smaller group of enemies they
locations are described in the “Tower of Lords” and face.
“Spirekeep” sections, later in the adventure.
If the characters decide to ambush one group or the Pacing the Adventure
other, the adventure presents two potential sites to
stage such ambushes. See “Setting an Ambush” later in For a faster start to the adventure, you can skip the
the adventure. initial attack. The characters can start in Deepdelver’s
If the characters choose to defend Deepdelver’s Enclave, where they learn about the coming assault of
Enclave from attack, you can use the map of the orcs and the hobgoblins from Bailon the Beardless
Deepdelver’s Enclave from chapter 1 as a planning aid or another NPC. That information might have
as the players describe how their characters and the originally come from a caravan that was ambushed by
other residents of the enclave will defend their home. orcs and hobgoblins on its way to the enclave.
See “Defending the Enclave” later in this adventure for You can also help control the pace of the adventure
more details. by deciding how quickly the assault against
If the players seem stuck on which plan to choose, Deepdelver’s Enclave begins. If it feels like the
Bailon recommends that they scout out either the orcs characters’ attempts to disrupt the attacks are moving
or the hobgoblins ahead of time to learn what they slowly, or if time is getting tight, the characters might
can. learn that one or both of the enemy leaders has
By the end of the adventure, the characters will accelerated the schedule of their plans. By the time the
have hopefully routed or defeated both groups before characters return to Deepdelver’s Enclave, the assault
they have any chance to conduct a full assault on the might already be underway.
enclave.
The Tower of Lords
Adjudicating Big Battles
The Tower of Lords stands on the south side of
Depending on how this adventure plays out, you Shadowreach, three hours from Deepdelver’s Enclave
might find yourself needing to adjudicate one or more and two hours from Spirekeep. Once a tower holding
large battles between the orcs, the hobgoblins, and the the slave-knights of the Magocracy of the Black Star,
defenders of Deepdelver’s Enclave. Instead of trying to the Tower of Lords now serves as the headquarters for
run these larger battles in the same way that you run Salos Graveblade and his hobgoblins.
combat with a party of characters, you can describe The Tower of Lords is built from worked volcanic
the battles and their results narratively, while keeping stone. Unless otherwise described, rooms in the tower
the focus of the action on the characters and their own have 15-foot-high ceilings and are dark, but feature
skirmishes. unlit torches set into iron sconces on the walls.
For example, if a large number of hobgoblins
fight a large number of orcs, a smaller group of Hobgoblin Forces
orcs or hobgoblins might break away and attack the
characters. Such encounters can include one orc or Salos commands thirty hobgoblins, with sixteen of
hobgoblin per character, along with any leaders and those out on patrol in the city at any given time. Off-
special NPCs you want to make part of the fight. duty hobgoblins are usually found resting or engaging
The actions the characters take before a large battle in various forms of recreation in the lower levels of the
begins can also help to steer the battle’s outcome. tower, or are on patrol in or around the tower.
Setting fire to the stolen wagons in front of the orc Salos is almost always in area 3 of the tower. He
compound means the orcs will be at a disadvantage lingers there until it is time to commence the attack
against the enclave, at which point he leads the
charge. Wolfreg Wintersbane is also at the tower, most

Entrance to the
Tower of Lords

often praying to his hobgoblin gods in the temple in Two statues of hooded humanoids, each clutching a
area 4. Clara Willowspur is sometimes at the tower, greatsword, stand on either side of the door, their faces
conferring with Salos. See area 3 for details. hidden under cowls. Five recently constructed wheeled
trebuchets stand outside the moat, across from the
Gaining Entrance island.

Three potential entry points lead into the tower: the The front gate is the primary entrance to the Tower of
bridge that leads into the tower barracks; a large crack Lords. The edge of the moat is marked by slick cliffs
in the back wall of the tower, exposed from the north; rising 10 feet above the river below. Climbing the cliffs
and a long natural tunnel leading into the temple in requires a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) or
the lowest level of the tower (area 4). The hobgoblins Dexterity (Acrobatics) check, while swimming the
do not expect an attack to come from the river, so they moat requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics)
do not guard the crack in the north wall. They are also check. On a failed check, a character is dragged along
unaware of the natural tunnel leading to the temple. the river before being able to climb the cliff on the
opposite bank, and takes 7 (2d6) piercing damage
1. Front Entrance from the sharp rocks.
A crack in the wall of the tower on the opposite side
Area Aspects. Cracked obsidian tower, rushing rapids from the bridge leads to the rear of area 2.
and sharp rocks, narrow cracked bridge, statues CREATURES
of hooded humanoids, slick cliff walls, recently Two hobgoblins guard the front doors of the tower.
constructed trebuchets Two more hobgoblins and a death dog often patrol
the area around the tower, and keep an eye on the
A tower carved of cracked obsidian stands on an island trebuchets.
surrounded by a moat of fast-moving black water and
sharp rocks. A narrow bridge set with torches spans the
rapids, leading to a set of broken doors at the front of
the tower.

74

TREBUCHETS Four iron braziers hanging from the ceiling burn with
Salos plans to use the trebuchets to hurl stones at red flames, illuminating a large floor map of the city
Deepdelver’s Enclave, pounding the outpost into of Shadowreach. A path has been drawn in red chalk
submission before sending in his invading host of through the buildings, showing an approach from the
hobgoblins. Disabling a trebuchet requires a successful Tower of Lords to Deepdelver’s Enclave, along with
DC 14 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, or it can be positions for five trebuchets close to the settlement.
attacked and destroyed. A trebuchet has AC 12, 50 hit Faded tapestries hang from the walls.
points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.
Salos Graveblade retrofitted this chamber to serve as
2. Tower Barracks his war room. The tapestries depict the cleansing of the
Magocracy of the Black Star by the paladins and priests
Area Aspects. Hall of shattered statues, faded paintings of the Order of the White Sun. They show hooded
on the walls, straw mattresses mages and half-dragon warlords being cut down by
armored knights with blazing white swords, while
Dozens of straw mattresses line the floor of this broad spellcasting warriors counter the magic of the mages.
hall. A staircase in the northwest corner leads to the CREATURES
second floor, while another to the northeast leads down. The hobgoblin veteran Salos Graveblade spends much
Shattered statues line the walls, standing before faded of his time here, pondering battle plans and discussing
paintings of histories long forgotten. strategy with two other hobgoblins. See “Notable
NPCs” for Salos’s statistics.
This chamber serves as the barracks for the The mercenary spy Clara Willowspur is in attendance
hobgoblins. A large crack in the north wall leads with Salos from time to time. Roll a d6 when the
outside to the edge of the rushing rapids surrounding characters are at the tower. On a roll of 5 or 6, Clara is
the tower. here, describing the defenses of Deepdelver’s Enclave
The paintings on the walls were once covered over to Salos. Otherwise, she is out spying for him. See
with plaster, but that has cracked away to reveal the “Notable NPCs” for Clara’s statistics.
images beneath. Those images depict the rise of the TREASURE
Magocracy of the Black Star (see chapter 2). The Salos carries two black serrated blades, one of which
one image that can still be clearly seen shows three is a normal longsword and one of which is a magic
archmages standing above thousands of thralls lying longsword called Grave. A +1 longsword, Grave is a
prone, while ten armored half-dragons stand at rare magic item that requires attunement. As a bonus
attention. action, a creature attuned to Grave can cause the blade
CREATURES to burn with black fire. The next time the weapon hits,
At any given time, four to eight hobgoblins are the attack deals an extra 2d6 necrotic damage. This
sleeping in this chamber or playing knucklebones in property of the blade can’t be used again until the next
the southeast corner. dawn.
TREASURE
The hobgoblins collectively possess 23 gp in mixed 4. Temple
coin, and an idol to a hobgoblin goddess (worth 25
gp). Rough but functional swords, daggers, bows, Area Aspects. Shattered statue of a forgotten god, red-
arrows, and scale mail can be found in the room. painted symbols on the floor, altar holding a black
goblet, rubble pile
3. Chamber of War
Dark violet torchlight dimly fills this chamber. A
Area Aspects. Burning metal braziers, map of the city, shattered statue to some ancient god lies on the floor,
faded tapestries while a blood-spattered altar stone to the northwest
holds a black onyx goblet. Red-painted glyphs edge
a circle on the floor, and a rubble pile rises in the
southeast corner of the room.

75

This chamber once served as a temple to the Order of Groups of orcs usually hang around outside the villa,
the White Sun after they claimed the tower from the as noted below. Many of the remaining orcs go out
Magocracy of the Black Star. The torches burn violet raiding the city in groups of eight to twelve. The orcs
as a result of lingering good magic reacting to the evil are violent and rambunctious at all times. Unless an
imbued into the glyphs newly scribed onto the floor. alarm is specifically raised, the orcs at the villa ignore
A secret door on the east wall opens up to a long any commotion inside or outside.
natural tunnel, which leads to a clifftop cave out in the Droga the ogre is also found at the villa, either
ruined city. outside or in area 2. Kran also has two pet dire wolves
that lurk outside the villa.
CREATURES
Wolfreg Wintersbane, a hobgoblin cult fanatic, Gaining Entrance
prays here to his hobgoblin gods. He usually has two
hobgoblin cultists with him. See “Notable NPCs” for The villa has three potential entrances: the front door
Wolfreg’s statistics. Each hobgoblin cultist uses the leading into area 1; a second-story balcony at the
cultist stat block with these changes: rear of the stalagmite, leading into area 2; and a long
• They have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. sewage tunnel leading to area 3. The orcs are aware of
• They have the following trait: Martial Advantage. the balcony and sewer entrances, but can’t be bothered
to guard them.
Once per turn, the hobgoblin can deal an extra 7
(2d6) damage to a creature they hit with a weapon Approaching the Keep
attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the
hobgoblin that isn’t incapacitated. Area Aspects. Carved stalagmite villa, impaled heads
• They speak Common and Goblin. on thin spires, stolen wagons of provisions

TREASURE This noble’s villa has been carved out from the stone of
Wolfreg wears an amulet bearing the symbol of his a fifty-foot-high stalagmite. The heads of two hobgoblins
dark hobgoblin deity (worth 25 gp). have been impaled on thin black spires at the front
The goblet on the altar is a rare magic item that entrance.
contains a dark power, allowing its possessor to use an A pair of large wagons laden with barrels and crates
action to cast the insect plague spell. Once the spell is are parked on the east side of the villa.
cast, the goblet’s magic fades. (Wolfreg does not know
that the goblet is magic.) The wagons are filled with barrels of ale and crates
of salted meats. At any given time, 1d4 + 2 orcs are
Spirekeep hanging around the wagons, drinking and brawling if
they are not passed out. If a little lamp oil is applied to
This villa, carved out of a huge stalagmite, once the wagons, they burn easily.
belonged to an aristocratic family loyal to the CREATURES
Magocracy of the Black Star. The Gray Razors now Roll a d6 to determine the location of Droga the ogre.
use it as their lair. Spirekeep is three hours from On a 1 to 3, she is outside the tower practicing her
Deepdelver’s Enclave and two hours from the Tower of javelin throwing. If not found here, she is in area 2. See
Lords. “Notable NPCs” for her statistics.
Unless otherwise described, the rooms of Spirekeep Kran’s two dire wolves (Skinny and Retch) lurk
are carved out of the natural stone of the surrounding behind the villa with their orc caretaker, Fourfingers.
stalagmite. They have 15-foot-high ceilings and are
dark, but feature unlit torches set into iron sconces on 1. Audience Hall
the walls.
Area Aspects. Collapsed balcony, sleeping furs, large
Orc Forces pot of gruel

Spirekeep is currently the residence of Kran the
Crippler and his forty orcs. Kran believes that strength
beats strategy, so he orders no formal guards, watches,
or rotations. His orcs do what they please until he
commands them to attack.

76

The smell of rotting meat and dank sweat fills this hall. Kran the Crippler
Moldering furs are spread across the floor, and a fire
burns under a large cauldron of thick green gruel in the If she is not outside the tower, Droga the ogre is
center of the room. A collapsed balcony has crashed to pummeling the two orcs on the stage while Kran
the floor to the north, but is still accessible by a staircase throws coins her way. This infuriates Droga, who
leading up to the second floor. A collapsed section of dreams of pummeling Kran’s head into the edge of
floor to the southeast opens up to darkness below. his brass bathtub. See “Notable NPCs” for Droga’s
statistics.
The orcs use this filthy hall as their primary mess hall TREASURE
and sleeping quarters. Kran keeps 174 gp worth of coin, gems, and jewelry
CREATURES on a silver platter near his bath. He enjoys taunting his
Six orcs are resting in this hall at any given time. fellow orcs with his treasure, daring them to take it.
When the characters enter this area, roll a d6. On a 1
to 3, Suul the Slicer is also here, bantering with those 3. Dank Cellar
warriors. Otherwise, she is in area 2.
FOUL CAULDRON Area Aspects. Rusted iron grate, foul liquids, death
The cauldron contains a viscous gruel whose masks of magocracy aristocrats
ingredients are best left unknown. The cauldron
can be tipped over with a successful DC 12 Strength A number of glowing wax death masks line the walls of
(Athletics) check, spilling its gruel in a 15-foot this dank cellar. Moldering trash and decaying corpses
cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 12 lie in heaps across the floor. Foul liquids drip down a
Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) fire damage on rusted iron floor grate that leads into a tunnel below.
a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful The orcs avoid this cellar, both for the smell and for
one. the strange masks on the walls. The iron grate leads to

2. Den of Pleasures

Area Aspects. Large brass pool, anatomically
impossible wall carvings, raised stage

A large sunken brass pool dominates this chamber.
Faded pictures of humanoids twisted together in
anatomically impossible erotic positions cover the walls.
A raised stage rises opposite the pool.

Kran the Crippler has taken over this den of pleasure
as his private residence. It once served as a hedonistic
den for the aristocrats of the Magocracy of the Black
Star.
CREATURES
Kran the Crippler, an orc veteran, spends most of his
time here, reclining in the pool while watching two
orcs wrestle on the stage. If Kran is attacked, he leaps
from the tub to fight naked (giving him AC 13), but
has his axe and his shield at hand. See “Notable NPCs”
for Kran’s statistics.
If not found in area 1, Suul the Slicer can be found
here. See “Notable NPCs” for her statistics.

77

a long sewer tunnel that feeds out into a river 100 feet Ambush Location 2: The Everflame
away. The grate can be broken with a successful DC 12 Cauldron
Strength (Athletics) check. Repeated attempts to break
the grate alert two orcs in area 1, who climb down to Area Aspects. Rocky cliffs, everburning cauldron,
investigate. glyph-scribed stalagmites
With a successful DC 14 Intelligence (History)
check, a character recognizes the death masks as Fifteen-foot-high cliffs on either side of the path create
belonging to known aristocrats and governors of the a natural chokepoint for those traveling through. Large
Magocracy of the Black Star. They hold magic that stalagmites carved with ancient glyphs rise up along
makes them glow with dim light, but which offers no the path, whose center is marked by a large bronze
other benefit. cauldron, burning with green flame.

Setting an Ambush Creatures on the cliffs have advantage on ranged
attacks against those on the path. Climbing a cliff
The characters might set up an ambush against either wall requires a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics)
the orcs or the hobgoblins as they make their way to or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failed check, a
Deepdelver’s Enclave. Two such ambush locations are creature falls, taking 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and
described below. landing prone.
CAULDRON
Ambush Location 1: The Sundered The cauldron burns with an eternal arcane fire. Any
Statue creature that enters the cauldron for the first time
on a turn or starts its turn there takes 14 (4d6) fire
Area Aspects. Ruined buildings, large sundered statue, damage. A creature can push over the cauldron with a
heavy rubble successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check, causing
the flames to spill out in a 15-foot cone. Each creature
Crumbling buildings spread along both sides of this in the area must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw,
stone plaza, in the center of which stands a statue taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as
cracked in half. The statue’s upper torso lies shattered much damage on a successful one.
along the ground, surrounded by heavy rubble. STALAGMITE GLYPHS
With a successful DC 14 Intelligence (History) check,
The tops of the ruined buildings here provide an a character can understand the meaning behind the
excellent vantage point for ranged attacks. Climbing glyphs on the stalagmites. They commemorate the rise
a building requires a successful DC 12 Strength of the nine mages of the Magocracy of the Black Star.
(Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failed The cauldron’s fire, the glyphs say, will burn as long
check, a creature falls, taking 7 (2d6) bludgeoning as the mages rule within the mountain. Though the
damage and landing prone. mages are supposedly long-gone, the fire still burns.
The half of the statue still standing can be toppled The stalagmites offer half cover to creatures that hide
onto enemies with a successful DC 14 Strength behind them.
(Athletics) check. The statue crashes down to blast
rubble in a 15-foot cone extending from the statue’s Defending the Enclave
base. Each creature in the area must make a DC 12
Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) bludgeoning If the characters are not successful in routing both
damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a the orcs and the hobgoblins before they attack
successful one. Deepdelver’s Enclave, the characters can help
The rubble offers half cover to creatures hiding defend the enclave from that attack. Use the map
behind it. of Deepdelver’s Enclave from chapter 1 to help the
A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence players plan the settlement’s defense, with their
(History) check recognizes the statue as Lord Korva characters taking charge along with Bailon the
Vollok, a knight of the White Sun who personally Beardless and other NPCs of your determination.
slew Thorvum Raisewing and Grethel the Flame (see
chapter 2 for details).

78

Salos Graveblade plans on hammering Deepdelver’s If the hobgoblin and orc raiders both attack the
Enclave with his trebuchets before he marches his enclave at the same time, the characters might face
hobgoblins up the switchback roads from the city multiple waves of both types of enemies. As with their
below. earlier actions and successes, how well the characters
Kran the Crippler has learned of the tunnels and do in their part of the fight can help determine how
caves beneath Deepdelver’s Enclave, and plans to send the rest of the battle goes in Deepdelver’s Enclave.
a third of his orcs up through the Drop to attack from
inside the compound. Concluding the Adventure
It’s up to you to decide how the battle plays out,
depending on the results of the characters’ previous This adventure concludes when both the orc and
activities. It’s possible that the folk of the enclave hobgoblin threats to Deepdelver’s Enclave have been
face either the orcs or the hobgoblins alone, with thwarted. However the characters manage to achieve
the other group already removed. It’s possible that this goal, the residents of Deepdelver’s Enclave show
reduced forces on both sides attack separately, with their gratitude in the aftermath, and the characters’
the characters’ actions having disrupted the attack reputation in the settlement continues to grow.
schedule and taken many potential assailants out of
the fight. It’s possible that the enclave will face both
forces at the same time—or that no attack will come
at all if both groups or their leaders have already been
thwarted.

Taking Point

Once the characters have worked with Bailon to set
up the enclave’s defenses, he recommends that they
choose a specific position to defend. At the time of
the attack, while the folk of the enclave defend against
rank-and-file assailants, the characters might find
themselves facing off against an elite squad of orcs or
hobgoblins. Such a group can consist of one or two
waves:
Wave 1: One orc or hobgoblin per character.
Wave 2: One orc or hobgoblin per character, plus any

surviving mercenaries, lieutenants, or leaders.

79

CHAPTER 7

SHATTER

A blind priest has learned the secret to destroying the Grendleroot. If he is not stopped, his actions might
bring down the whole of Blackclaw Mountain as well.

A priest of light has discovered a means of The scholar Odrah Windvane fears that Fane will do
destroying the Grendleroot—but doing more than that. She believes that collapsing the cavern
so will also destroy Blackclaw Mountain will bring down the whole mountain. With lore given
and every creature in it. The characters to them by Odrah, the characters race to the Forest
must follow the priest to the Forest of Iron, a massive of Iron. After contending with threats both natural
cavern wholly supported by the twisted spires of the and unnatural, they locate the priest at the base of the
Grendleroot, and stop him before his mad faith brings so-called Worldpillar, ready to destroy the mountain
ruin to all. unless the characters can stop him.
“Shatter” is a two- to four-hour adventure for 3rd- Monsters and NPCs. Animated armor (1+), blink dogs
level characters.
(2), death dog, giant spiders (3), gibbering mouther,
Adventure Summary lizardfolk (6), lizardfolk cult fanatic, priest, shadows
(3), shambling mound, wererats (2)
During the elven Festival of Lights, a blind priest
arrives at Deepdelver’s Enclave. Approaching one of Notable NPCs
the Grendleroot spires jutting up from the ground in
the enclave, the priest places his hands on its black The following NPCs have a part to play in the
surface—and causes it to explode. The priest then adventure.
grips an amulet around his neck and disappears into
shadow, leaving his acolyte behind. Ardus Fane
The acolyte explains that the priest, Ardus Fane,
has spent his life studying the Grendleroot and has A neutral male human priest of light, the blind Ardus
seemingly learned how to destroy it. She knows that Fane has long studied ancient and otherworldly
Fane intends to travel to the Forest of Iron, a vast sentient beings—in particular, the Grendleroot. His
cavern filled with Grendleroot spires, deep within research and rituals led the priest to a word of power
the mountain. Using his power, he means to destroy that can destroy the Grendleroot, though the process
a great pillar of the Grendleroot there, collapsing the of doing so drove him half mad.
cavern and destroying the Grendleroot in the process. Fane fears that the Grendleroot will grow, and that it
calls to an otherworldly presence that will eventually
80 devour the whole world. He travels to Blackclaw

Mountain intending to destroy the Grendleroot and • The spires of the Grendleroot are made of some
end its threat. The priest wears an amulet made from unknown unbreakable metal. Yet somehow, Fane’s
a shard of the Grendleroot, which lets him “see” the word can destroy them.
network of the Grendleroot’s tendrils throughout the
mountain, and lets him travel magically from one spire Adventure Hooks
to any other.
This adventure works best when the characters have a
Cava Suntouched clear motivation to stop Ardus Fane from destroying
the Grendleroot, even beyond saving Deepdelver’s
Fane’s apprentice, a lawful good female half-elf acolyte Enclave and the denizens of the mountain. It’s possible
named Cava, follows her master on his quest but that one of the characters already knows Fane or Cava,
fears that he has lost his perspective and reason. She and that the character fears that the mad priest will
believes that Fane has forgotten a lesson he taught bring harm to himself even if he fails in his quest.
her long ago: one cannot know the mind of the Alternatively, the characters might be interested in
Grendleroot. She now fears for her master’s sanity, and exploring the Forest of Iron, and in learning more
for the innocent lives that will be lost if he is successful about the mysterious Grendleroot.
in his mad plan. If the characters are primarily motivated by personal
gain, you can focus on Odrah Windvane’s offer to
Odrah Windvane build one of them a weapon crafted from the material
of the Grendleroot, described later in the adventure.
A lawful good female human mage residing in
Deepdelver’s Enclave, the scholar Odrah Windvane Start
has also made a lifetime’s study of the Grendleroot.
She cannot discount Fane’s conclusion regarding The adventure begins with the characters enjoying a
the danger of the Grendleroot, but she believes that thoughtful celebration in Deepdelver’s Enclave. Read
destroying the Worldpillar might collapse all of or summarize the following to set the scene:
Blackclaw Mountain, killing every living creature
within. Moreover, even if the mountain falls, the It’s the Festival of Lights in Deepdelver’s Enclave. On
Grendleroot might survive. this day, the elves of the enclave sing haunting songs
while priests and mages send magical lights soaring
Secrets and Clues up to the ceiling of the cavern in a beautiful display.
Children chase floating glimmers of magic through the
The following secrets and clues can be revealed in the streets, while a priestess of the god of light tells tales of
adventure as you determine: her ancient mythology.
• The Forest of Iron is a great cavern filled with strange A young acolyte you have not seen before leads
an older priest dressed in traveling robes through
black growths, and monsters twisted by Grendleroot the celebrations. His sightless eyes do not look to the
corruption. lights above. He stops, letting go of the acolyte’s arm,
• At the center of the Forest of Iron rises the and turns toward a Grendleroot spire thrust up out
Worldpillar—a great column built of the twisted of the ground near the center of the enclave’s main
spires of the Grendleroot. If the pillar is destroyed, thoroughfare. Though unable to see it, he moves toward
the cavern around the forest might collapse, and it all the same, gripping an amulet around his neck and
bring the mountain crashing down with it.Mortal placing his hand on the spire’s strange metal.
minds cannot know the intellect of the Grendleroot. The priest speaks a word. Then the impossible
To attempt to do so is to go mad. happens. The unbreakable spire of the Grendleroot
• Bandits and thieves are said to lurk in the Forest of explodes.
Iron. As well, explorers have met lizardfolk tribes in
the area who treat the forest as holy ground.
• The priest Ardus Fane once sought only wisdom and
the expansion of the mortal mind. He now believes
that the Grendleroot must be destroyed, and that he
is the one to do so.

81

The people of the enclave shout out in shock and Although Odrah Windvane believes that Fane will
surprise. The lights above fade as the concentration fail to kill the Grendleroot—she doesn’t know if such
of their casters fails. The dust and shards that is all a thing is possible—she is worried that his doomed
that remains of the spire rain to the ground. Then the attempt might awaken the entity instead. Unlike
priest grips the amulet around his neck once again, and Cava, Odrah believes it might be necessary to kill the
disappears. priest to prevent this outcome. The characters cannot
know how far the priest’s power might reach, and
Before anyone can react, three shadows arc down even captured, he might still inflict great harm to the
from the cloud of dust rising above the exploded enclave.
Grendleroot spire. They form into the shapes of In return for the characters’ help, Odrah can craft
strange, otherworldly creatures as they attack the and enchant a Grendleroot weapon from the broken
people of the enclave, including the characters. The shards of the enclave spire for one of them upon their
shadows begin spread out, roughly 20 feet from each return from the Forest of Iron. The remaining pieces
other. of the Grendleroot spire are too small or too badly
For a shorter adventure, you can skip the shadows broken to be of use.
and this combat encounter, going right from the The “Grendleroot Weapons” section in appendix B
explosion to the next section. has information regarding weapons made from shards
of the Grendleroot. Additionally, the weapon to be
Cava’s Story crafted by Odrah is a rare magic item that requires
attunement. The weapon is a +1 weapon whose
The elf acolyte accompanying Ardus Fane, Cava attuned wielder can use a bonus action to cause it to
Suntouched, remains behind after her mentor’s whisper in a language unknown to mortals. The next
disappearance. She is horrified by what has happened. time the wielder hits with an attack using the weapon,
Cava describes Ardus Fane, his background, and the attack deals an extra 7 (2d6) psychic damage. The
his desire to destroy the Worldpillar in the Forest of weapon can’t be used this way again until the next
Iron. She didn’t believe that Fane truly had the power dawn.
to destroy a Grendleroot spire, but the event in the
enclave has proved her wrong. Traveling to the Forest of Iron
Cava offers her assistance to help stop Fane, though
she doesn’t want him hurt. She has a map of the The Forest of Iron is a two-day journey from
tunnels leading to the Forest of Iron, taken from Fane’s Deepdelver’s Enclave. For a longer adventure, you
notes. can add an encounter as the characters travel through
the mountain by using the locations and encounter
Stopping Fane descriptions in appendix B. Otherwise, you or the
players can describe the characters’ journey through
The scholar Odrah Windvane is more concerned the twisted tunnels and caverns of the mountain.
than most about Fane’s mad quest. She knows of the
Worldpillar and the Forest of Iron. According to her Pacing the Adventure
own research, if the Worldpillar is destroyed, the
cavern containing the Forest of Iron might collapse, Depending on how long you have to run this
starting a chain reaction that could bring the whole adventure, you can adjust your approach. As always,
mountain crashing down. you can remove noted optional encounters to speed up
Cava knows that Ardus’s teleportation will have the adventure. You can also speed things up by turning
drained him of much of his magic, expecting that it up the dial on the urgency of the characters’ quest to
will take two days for him to recover before he can stop Fane before he can destroy the Worldpillar. You
attempt to destroy the Worldpillar. Though this isn’t can describe quakes occurring throughout the great
enough time to evacuate Deepdelver’s Enclave, or to cavern of the Forest of Iron, or give the characters
seek the assistance of the many enclave adventuring glimpses of the priest’s progress as flashes of white
parties presently exploring deep in the mountain, it light in the northern section of the cavern. This can
gives the characters a chance to travel to the Forest of help steer the characters and the players toward getting
Iron and stop Ardus.

82

83

to the pillar as fast as possible and stopping Fane’s mad time on a turn must make a DC 13 Constitution
plans. saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 7
If you find the adventure moving too quickly, you (2d6) necrotic damage and is poisoned for 1 hour.
can highlight areas of the cavern that might pique On a successful save, the creature takes half as much
the interest of the players, such as the mysterious damage and isn’t poisoned.
monoliths in area 5 or the rune titan skull in area 6.
The rune titan’s remaining essence might reach out to 1. Overlook
the characters, filling their minds and hinting at the
location of the heart of the titan in area 7. The characters’ approach to the Forest of Iron brings
them to this high cliff overlooking the southern part of
The Forest of Iron the cavern.
Area Aspects. Overlook of the cavern, walkways to
The Forest of Iron gets its name from the wide variety
of Grendleroot growths that fill this huge cavern. east and west
Unlike the typical claw-like spikes found elsewhere in
Blackclaw Mountain, the material of the Grendleroot The network of tunnels that brought you here ends
has here grown into many different shapes, giving the at a high overlook revealing the Forest of Iron below.
cavern the look of a forest made of black metal. Stalactites hang from the five-hundred-foot-high ceiling,
When the characters arrive at the Forest of Iron, and a high ridge of stone splits the huge first cavern of
they see a huge cavern whose cracked rock walls rise the forest into two halves. Where the cavern narrows at
to a 500-foot-high ceiling. Grendleroot spires thrust its far end, the Worldpillar rises from the ground—once
up from the ground across the cavern floor, and hang a massive column of natural stone, now shattered and
from the ceiling like metal vines. At the far end of replaced with Grendleroot spires twisting together like
the cavern stands the shattered remains of a natural black iron cords.
column of stone that once held up the ceiling. Twisted A narrow walkway leads down and through a forest
cords of the Grendleroot have replaced the natural of black metal ferns to the east, while another rocky
column, and now hold the ceiling aloft. The entire walkway leads down to a black-spired tree to the west.
cavern is filled with dim green-and-blue-light shed by
phosphorescent fungus. Steep rock walls split this cavern into two sections
leading up to the Worldpillar. The characters can travel
Sharpened Spires east to the fern maze in area 3 or west to the spire tree
in area 2.
Much of the cavern is filled with what appear to be A character who searches the rocky trails for tracks
black trees resembling those of a natural forest, but and succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation)
these trees and all their foliage are composed of the or Wisdom (Survival) check deduces that Ardus Fane
indestructible black metal of the Grendleroot. Like likely traveled to the east.
all the Grendleroot spires, the trees of this forest
are impervious to all damage and effects except 2. Spire Tree
Fane’s ritual. Any creature that touches razor-sharp
Grendleroot spires, foliage, or other materials for Area Aspects. Huge tree of twisted metal spires,
the first time on a turn, or which starts its turn in voidwater pool, impaled corpses
an area filled with such materials, must make a DC
12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) slashing A great spire of twisted trees rises up from a pool of
damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a viscous black liquid. Dozens of corpses—some very old
successful one. and some new—have been impaled on the tree, their
blood dripping into the black water below. A large pile
Voidwater of refuse spreads on the southeast side of the cavern.

Pools of liquid collect among the corrupted This huge tree is made completely of Grendleroot
Grendleroot growths of the Forest of Iron. This liquid, material. Any creature that climbs the tree takes
known to the explorers of Deepdelver’s Enclave as damage from sharpened spires. The pool at the tree’s
voidwater, is highly toxic. Any creature that ingests base is voidwater.
this liquid or comes into contact with it for the first

84

The Forest of Iron

A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom In that event, it picks another target and repeats its
(Perception) check while exploring the cavern notices actions.
that the pile of refuse is moving. The shambling mound cannot see, so it is possible
to bluff it by handing it something roughly the size
Creature and weight of a humanoid body. If this is done, the
mound impales the object on the tree and returns to
A corrupted shambling mound has made this area its original position.
its lair. It prowls the forest and the nearby tunnels TREASURE
for prey, then hangs the corpses of its victims on this The bodies impaled on the tree that are fresh enough
tree in a dark ritual. Whenever any creature passes to be recognizable are three lizardfolk, two humans,
through this area, the shambling mound rises from one drow, two dwarves, and one wererat. The bodies
the heap of detritus to the southeast and attacks, arms hold a total of 37 gp of mixed coins.
outstretched as it seeks a body to impale. One of the drow also carries a cracked jeweled idol
In combat, the shambling mound picks one target at of a glabrezu demon in a pocket of its leather armor.
random, then makes slam attacks against that creature. The idol is a rare magic item whose possessor can use
The shambling mound does not use its Engulf attack, an action to cast the confusion spell (DC 15). Once the
instead slamming until the creature is unconscious. spell is cast, the idol’s magic fades.
The mound then carries the unconscious creature
over to the tree, provoking opportunity attacks, and 3. Fern Maze
attempts to impale the creature. Doing so requires
a successful slam attack that deals 10 (3d6) piercing Area Aspects. Beautiful and deadly black iron ferns,
damage. If the impaled creature is at 0 hit points, it glyph-carved stalagmite
instead gains one failed death saving throw.
Once it has impaled one creature on the tree, the
shambling mound returns to its pile of detritus and is
no longer hostile, unless it continues to be attacked.

85

A narrow path twists through a garden of five-foot-wide A howling wind rises from a twenty-foot-wide pit. The
ferns made of black Grendleroot metal. Their bases jut walls of the pit are lined with black metal spires, while
up out of the stone of the cavern floor. A series of glyphs bigger spires thrust up from the ground around it,
and ideograms have been carved into a natural pillar in appearing like the teeth of a great worm. The bottom of
the center of a clearing to the east. the pit cannot be seen.

These ferns are made of Grendleroot material, and any This pit descends 500 feet into the mountain. It
character entering their area takes damage from their is incredibly dangerous to climb down, and any
razor-sharp leaves. One of the ferns has been shattered creature doing so takes damage for moving through
by the priest, leaving a pool of voidwater in its place. the sharpened spires. Using ropes to descend is
GLYPH-MARKED PILLAR impossible, since the Grendleroot growths easily slice
The glyphs on the pillar are in a strange dialect of through anything that rubs against them. This shaft
Draconic. A character who succeeds on a DC 14 leads down to caverns that make up part of the route
Intelligence (History) check recognizes that the glyphs to the Black Cathedral (see chapter 12).
are ideograms describing the many generations of A character who succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence
lizardfolk who have worshiped the power of the (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check to search
mountain and the great consciousness in its depths. the ground around the pit deduces that Ardus Fane
The characters can learn other secrets of your choice traveled to the northeast from here.
from this pillar as well. The glyphs were carved by CREATURES
ancestors of the lizardfolk who reside in area 5. Two Grendleroot-corrupted blink dogs led by a
CREATURES mutated death dog attack from the outskirts of this
Two wererats (Jathe Yellowfang and Brex the Hook) area. The death dog uses its normal stat block with
lurk inside the maze. Both were once residents of these changes:
Deepdelver’s Enclave, but were expelled for criminal • It has an Intelligence of 12 (+1).
activities. • It has the blink dog’s Teleport action.
The wererats first appear in their human forms as The blink dogs and the death dog use their Stealth
a scruffy man and woman, saying that they became skill and their Teleport actions to ambush the party. If
lost in the nearby caves and ended up here. They saw the death dog and one of the blink dogs is killed, the
Ardus Fane but were frightened of the priest after remaining blink dog flees the Forest of Iron.
he blew up a fern, so they let him pass. They wish to If time is running short or the characters have
accompany the characters but will betray them as soon already faced enough battles, you can skip this
as their backs are turned. encounter.
If one wererat is killed, the other surrenders, offering
up information about a treasure in exchange for its 5. Monoliths
life. The wererats know of a powerful relic held in
the mouth of the skull in area 6, but fear the spiders Area Aspects. Circle of rectangular stone monuments,
lurking there. ancient arcane circle
TREASURE
The two wererats have a total of 18 gp between them A circle of five rectangular stone monoliths ring an
in mixed coin. Brex wears a silver chain with a black arcane circle carved into the stone floor of the cavern.
gemstone in it (worth 50 gp). The monoliths do not appear carved or shaped, looking
If time is running short or the characters have as though they burst up from the ground in their
already faced enough battles, you can skip this present form.
encounter.
A successful DC 14 Intelligence (History) check
4. Spire-Lined Pit reveals that the arcane circle is centuries old, and yet
still pulses with magical energy. The monoliths are
Area Aspects. Deep shaft lined with sharp Grendleroot much older—perhaps tens of thousands of years.
spires, winds howling from below, large spires The powerful arcane circle has been used as both
surrounding the pit a summoning circle and a teleportation circle for

86

millennia. While a spellcaster is within the circle, they When rune titans phased through the stone of the
have advantage on attack rolls with arcane spells and mountain, they temporarily turned that stone into a
on Intelligence (Arcana) checks, and creatures making liquid state that allowed them to pass through it. This
saving throws against the caster’s spells do so with titan became stuck in the process of phasing, and
disadvantage. the magic in this area has kept up the stone’s molten
DARK CONTACT appearance, though it is solid and cool to the touch.
It is possible to use the circle to communicate with the
Grendleroot by making a DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) OPEN MAW
check. On a failed check, a character takes 10 (3d6) The mouth of the skull opens up into a 20-foot-deep
psychic damage and suffers a random form of short- pit. Any creature that descends to the bottom of the pit
term madness. On a success, the creature can hear or succeeds on a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check
the whispers of the Grendleroot, sensing a feeling of from above notices a tunnel at the bottom of the pit,
great loneliness, fear, and hunger. The Grendleroot concealed by webs and leading southeast. This 5-foot
is reaching out for its creator across the multiverse, circular tunnel follows the spine of the skeleton into
hoping to call it down to this world. area 7.
CREATURES
Six lizardfolk kneel around the monoliths, while CREATURES
a lizardfolk cult fanatic stands in the center of the On any examination of the skull, three giant spiders
arcane circle conducting a ritual to commune with the mutated by the skull’s power crawl out from its eyes
Grendleroot. (Combine the lizardfolk stat block with and mouth. Each spider has a naturally formed glyph
the cult fanatic stat block; see the “Combining Stat on its carapace similar to the glyph on the skull. These
Blocks” sidebar in appendix C, “The Rise of the Black giant spiders use the normal stat block and have this
Star.”) trait:
These lizardfolk are fanatically loyal to the • Call of the Glyph-Marked Titan. As a bonus action,
Grendleroot, which they treat as a god, but they are
not automatically hostile. They travel here regularly the spider fixes its gaze on a creature it can see
from their settlement in the Gray Swamp, and can within 30 feet of it, and its glyph glows red. If the
reveal information on the Grendleroot or from the target can see the spider, it must make a DC 11
“Secrets and Clues” section earlier in this adventure. Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the spider has
They do not know of Ardus Fane or his plan, as the advantage on attack rolls against the target until
priest took a different path to reach the Worldpillar. the target takes damage or until the start of the
spider’s next turn. A creature that can’t be charmed
6. Pierced Skull is immune to this effect. A creature that successfully
saves against this effect is immune to it for 1 hour.
Area Aspects. Giant humanoid skull pierced through The spider can’t use this feature again until it finishes
with Grendleroot spires, stone that appears molten a short rest.
If time is running short or the characters have
Twenty-foot-high black spires pierce through the eyes already faced enough battles, you can skip this
and mouth of a gargantuan humanoid skull. The skull encounter.
appears frozen in a silent scream, staring up toward the
ceiling of the cavern. The stone floor surrounding the 7. Titan’s Heart
skull appears molten, and a large glyph has been carved
in the skull’s forehead. Area Aspects. Petrified spinal-column tunnel, heart
chamber, pool of bubbling liquid
The skull is the remains of one of the rune titans that
dwelled within the mountain hundreds of thousands A tunnel opens up through what is clearly the petrified
of years ago (see chapter 2). A successful DC 14 remains of a great titan’s spinal column, leading deep
Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals that the glyph once into the stone that surrounds it. A break in the bone
infused this creature with arcane power, and that it tunnel opens into a heart-shaped chamber roughly
used a form of magic older than any currently known. twenty-five feet across. Walls of petrified skin split the
chamber in two. A fist-sized glyph-scribed garnet sits
atop a petrified podium of flesh, surrounded by a pool 87
of bubbling black liquid.

These are the petrified remains of the rune titan whose calls to something even worse than itself, and that only
skull rises from the rock at area 6, including a piece of he can destroy it.
the titan’s heart that has broken away and now lies atop Fane cannot destroy the entire pillar at once. If
the podium. he is not stopped, the priest places his hands on the
pillar and speaks his word of power as an action. In
CREATURE response, the metal of the spire begins to crack. If Fane
When anyone approaches the podium, the pool of channels his magic into the pillar five times, it cracks
liquid erupts with mouths and eyes as a gibbering and collapses. The cavern is destroyed as its ceiling
mouther bursts out of it. A character who succeeds on
a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check recognizes that Ardus Fane
the mouther is a product of the magic of the rune titan
and the essence of the Grendleroot.

TREASURE
The stone atop the pedestal is a rare magic item that
requires attunement, known as the Heart of the Titan.
It is an actual fragment of the heart of the rune titan
who once dwelled in the mountain thousands of years
ago, and it still retains some of the titan’s power. As an
action, a creature attuned to the stone can speak its
command word to cast the meld into stone spell. This
property can’t be used again until the next dawn.

8. The Worldpillar

Area Aspects. Huge shattered column of stone, twisted
Grendleroot spires forming a pillar of black metal

The wreckage of a twenty-foot-wide natural stone pillar
lies shattered as a hill of broken rock. From the center of
the hill, a thickly twisted mass of black metal cords rises
to the ceiling of the cavern, spreading out there like the
limbs of a vast tree.

This pillar of the Grendleroot holds up the ceiling of
the entire chamber.
CREATURE
The priest Ardus Fane sits atop the 30-foot-high
pile of broken rock surrounding the base of the
Grendleroot pillar. His sightless eyes stare at the pillar
as he considers his next move.
When he hears the characters, Fane calls out
to explain that he must destroy the pillar. The
Grendleroot is evil—a seed of darkness that will one
day destroy the world. Fane believes the Grendleroot

88

falls, triggering tremors and additional collapses that can sense the world through nearby Grendleroot
bring down much of the mountain. Deepdelver’s spires, granting that character blindsight out to a range
Enclave is crushed as the cavern of Shadowreach of 120 feet for 1 minute while within the mountain.
is buried under falling rock. Even as he dies, Fane However, each time the character uses this power, they
understands that all this destruction is a small price to must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or
pay for the safety of the world. suffer a random form of short-term and long-term
As the characters approach, Fane has already cast madness as their mind fills with the unrecognizable
spirit guardians and spiritual weapon, with those spells call of the Grendleroot. The character can repeat
manifesting as vengeful angels of light and a spear of the saving throw at the end of each of their turns
white flame. If he is attacked, he responds with his to remove the short-term madness, but the long-
spiritual weapon, guiding bolt, and inflict wounds. term madness can be removed only with a greater
Fane’s amulet gives him the equivalent of blindsight restoration or remove curse spell.
out to a range of 120 feet. The long-term madness becomes worse the longer
For a more challenging fight, increase Fane’s hit a character wears the amulet. You decide how this
points to 45. The priest might also have animated growing madness manifests.
pieces of shattered Grendleroot material from the base
of the pillar to defend him, using the animated armor Concluding the Adventure
stat block. If the party has more than four characters,
add another defender for each additional character. This adventure concludes when the characters stop
These defenders fall to pieces when Fane is reduced to Fane’s threat one way or another, then return to
0 hit points. Deepdelver’s Enclave with the Worldpillar still intact.
True to her word, Odrah Windvane rewards one
FANE’S FATE character with a Grendleroot weapon, and the people
If Ardus Fane is defeated, the characters must decide of Deepdelver’s Enclave once again find themselves
what to do with him. With appropriate roleplaying and indebted to the characters.
Charisma checks, they might convince the priest that
the end does not justify the means, and that his time
is best spent finding other ways to stop the threat of
the Grendleroot. They might also decide that Fane is
simply too dangerous.
The priest is thankfully unable to teach anyone
else the word of power, which took him decades of
study to learn and has nearly torn his mind apart. If
the characters interrogate or befriend Fane, he might
share that in all his studies, he knows of only one other
being who channeled such power, and that she is long
dead and buried in the mountain. (This is a reference
to the White Queen in the adventure “Vault of the
White Queen.”)
If Fane is left to continue his studies, his mind will
indeed break in a few short months, perhaps making
him an even bigger threat.

TREASURE
The amulet Fane wears is a rare magic item crafted
from a small fragment of Grendleroot material. The
continual use of the amulet is part of what drove Fane
mad. As an action, a character attuned to the amulet

89

CHAPTER 8

CHUUL

An ancient creature calls out from the darkness of a long-forgotten temple, seeking to devour the unwitting
explorers who answer.

H undreds of thousands of years ago, a sunken After the confrontation, the characters are tasked
temple deep in Blackclaw Mountain was with traveling to the uncharted caves Jonath spoke of,
the lair of a group of aboleths that ruled and to determine the source of his strange malady. The
over a kingdom of thralls. Those servants, characters discover an ancient abolethic temple, lost
both humanoid and monstrous, built monuments for hundreds of thousands of years. Monsters, cultists,
throughout the temple to their living gods. and dark magic fill the temple, with the ageless horror
Millennia after the aboleths’ control of Blackclaw of a chuul the final challenge the characters must face.
Mountain ended, only one aboleth remained, Then they discover that the chuul’s aboleth master still
growing inert over the ages. Most of its thralls died lives, and must decide whether this ancient creature is
or abandoned the temple—except for one faithful friend or foe.
chuul. Now that chuul uses the psychic power of the Monsters and NPCs. Aboleth, chuul, cult fanatic, gray
inert aboleth to draw explorers to it, feeding off their
minds and bodies alike. The characters must travel to ooze, grimlocks (6), grimlock hill giant, grimlock
the temple and end the creature’s threat—before the ogres (2), scout, swarms of insects (4), swarms of
madness it unleashes can spread. quippers (3)
“Chuul” is a two- to four-hour adventure for 3rd-
level characters. Notable NPCs

Adventure Summary The following NPCs have a part to play in the
adventure.
During the Festival of Fancy Hats in Deepdelver’s
Enclave, a halfling explorer named Jonath Hollymaker Jonath Hollymaker
returns from an expedition into a recently discovered
abolethic ruin. He speaks strangely, and demands The well-loved leader of the Stonechippers
that everyone follow him to the ruin to witness the adventuring band, Jonath (a chaotic good male
wonders inside. When the folk of the enclave refuse, lightfoot halfling scout) led his group into the
the halfling becomes violent. abolethic temple, where they encountered the chuul.
After eating the rest of his band, the chuul broke
90 Jonath’s mind, sending him back to Deepdelver’s
Enclave to lure the rest of its inhabitants to the temple.

Jonath still hears the voice of the chuul in his head, of the enclave can cure Jonath of his mental affliction,
pushing out all other thoughts and driving him mad. making it important for someone to retrace his party’s
Nothing can cure the poor scout except the death of route and investigate. Moreover, Bailon fears that the
the chuul. call that took over Jonath might pose a greater danger
to the explorers of Deepdelver’s Enclave. Such a danger
Abrim Hesh must be neutralized, and Bailon hopes the characters
are the adventurers to do it.
Abrim, a chaotic neutral male human cult fanatic, It is also possible for Jonath to be a dear friend of
is a researcher of otherworldly creatures. On hearing one of the characters. Alternatively, for a stronger
of a creature able to call into the minds of its victims, hook, you can replace Jonath with another NPC well
Abrim headed to the abolethic temple to learn what he loved by the characters.
can of it. He secretly desires to become part of such a One or more of the characters might have had
vast intelligence, and is willing to risk anything to do a dream of the temple or heard the voice of the
so. chuul calling out from the depths. Any character
who experiences this vision can feel the danger the
Secrets and Clues aberration poses.
For characters whose primary motivation is personal
The following secrets and clues can be revealed in the gain, Bailon the Beardless offers to pay 50 gp to each
adventure as you determine: party member to find the source of Jonath’s mental
• Ancient aquatic beings of alien intelligence once enslavement and end it.

ruled over Blackclaw Mountain. With memories Start
going back hundreds of thousands of years, these
monsters controlled thousands of servant creatures A fashion-focused celebration in Deepdelver’s Enclave
and slaves. is the starting point for this adventure. Read or
• Some folk in Deepdelver’s Enclave have had strange summarize the following to set the scene:
dreams of an underwater temple.
• A recent earthquake opened up a number of once- “A good day to you!” says Bailon the Beardless, tipping
submerged caverns and chambers long buried within a magnificent admiral’s hat complete with a six-foot
the mountain. plume of flaming phoenix feathers. He gives a wink and
• A traveler named Abrim Hesh recently came to the continues to make his way down the main thoroughfare
enclave, claiming to have heard a voice in his mind of Deepdelver’s Enclave, tipping his fantastic headgear
that called him to an ancient temple. to each passerby. Each of those others wears their own
• Stone in the caves and passageways close to the amazing fancy hat, of course—for this is the Festival of
recently revealed caverns has taken on a slimy Fancy Hats in the enclave.
texture.
• The powerful aberrations called aboleths are all but Let each player come up with their character’s own
immortal, and have memories that go back to the fancy hat if they wish. As their characters interact with
foundation of the cosmos. NPCs, you can use the “Fancy Hat Generator” sidebar
• Strange glyphs have appeared on stone walls near the to describe what the NPCs are wearing.
submerged caverns, in a language unknown even to As they wander through the enclave, the characters
the most erudite scholars. eventually see the following:
• Great swarms of insects have been seen pouring like
water through cracks in cavern walls. Where they’re A halfling in torn clothing wanders along the edge of the
going remains a mystery. street, immediately calling attention to himself for his
lack of a fancy hat.
Adventure Hooks
The halfling, Jonath Hollymaker, grabs one of the
This adventure works best if the characters have a characters at random.
strong hook to take them to the chuul’s lair. Jonath
is a well-loved explorer of Deepdelver’s Enclave, and 91
Bailon the Beardless is quick to step up to ask the
characters for help. No magic known to the residents

Fancy Hat Generator For a longer adventure, and if you want to start
off with a combat encounter, Jonath is not alone.
Use the following three lists to generate fancy hats The halfling is accompanied by three hunched
suitable for the festival. figures cloaked in tattered leather. If a character
approaches one of these figures, or if the characters
HAT TYPE don’t immediately follow Jonath, the creatures reveal
1. Tricorn hat themselves to be three grimlocks and attack. Their
2. Wide-brimmed sunhat goal is to subdue any characters they can and drag
3. Cowboy hat them down to the temple. Like Jonath, the grimlocks
4. Tall cone are mind-controlled, following the chuul’s orders and
5. Helmet and goggles with no conscious thoughts of their own.
6. Knight’s helm
7. Royal crown The Fate of the Stonechippers
8. Animal head
9. Furred hat When the battle ends, the characters can determine
10. Top hat what’s caused Jonath’s breakdown from a journal
the halfling carries. He and his band of explorers,
HAT STYLE OR ACCESSORY the Stonechippers, discovered that a recent quake
1. Very large had opened up new tunnels deep in the mountain.
2. Very small While exploring these new tunnels, the Stonechippers
3. Horned discovered a formerly submerged temple, now drained
4. Gilded of water, decorated in a manner unfamiliar to them.
5. Large feather All the explorers heard a call to their minds from
6. Clockwork deep inside the temple, promising them eternal joy
7. Flowered and fulfillment. Jonath’s notes include a map showing
8. Ornately decorated the route to the location from Deepdelver’s Enclave,
9. Jingling with bells with two potential entrances to the temple—through
10. Long tail an underwater tunnel or across a large crevasse. The
characters can choose which route they want to take.
HAT EFFECT Whether Jonath is administered to by the characters
1. Flaming or the NPCs of the enclave, it soon becomes clear
2. Shimmering with stars that his madness does not respond to any healing
3. Surrounded by fluttering birds or restoration magic. Bailon the Beardless asks the
4. Fireworks characters to find this temple, wanting them to learn
5. Spinning solar system what’s affected Jonath in the hope of curing him, then
6. Magical glyphs ending whatever threat lurks there before it has any
7. Small flying pegasi chance to spread.
8. Laughing skulls As usual, Bailon and the other folk of the enclave are
9. Small musical instruments interested in any discoveries the characters can make
10. Flying devils about the temple itself, including who inhabited it and
what became of them. Bailon offers a potion of water
“I have found it!” the halfling cries out. “A wonderful breathing to each character to aid their exploration.

temple filled with the greatest joy we can hold in our Traveling to the Temple

hearts. Please, you must come with me right away. It is a two-day journey to either of the entrances to the
temple. Along the way, the characters might encounter
Bring everyone you can. It’s so beautiful!” other creatures that have either heard the call of the
being in the temple, or which have succumbed to that
If the characters ask more about this temple, the being’s control and now hunt on its behalf. As they
halfling says only that it is wondrous to behold journey through dank caves and tunnels, you can add
and they must see it for themselves. A character an encounter by using the locations and encounter
who succeeds on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception)
check notices that Jonath’s skin is wet, clammy, and
nearly translucent, showing his pulsing veins clearly
underneath. A character who succeeds on a DC 12
Wisdom (Insight) check senses that the halfling is
under some sort of powerful mind control effect.

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descriptions in appendix B. Alternatively, the When the characters get close to the temple, they
characters might instead witness one of the following can choose which of the two entrances they want to
events: take. One leads to a chamber split by a large crevasse
1: A great carpet of four swarms of insects flows out in area 1. The other leads to a pool and an underwater
tunnel in area 3.
of cracks in one wall, then crawls into a crack in
another. Pacing the Adventure
2: The characters find a thick slime coating the cavern
walls. Touching the slime causes a character’s skin Pacing this adventure to fit the time you have to run it
to go translucent for 1 hour, during which time can be done in a number of ways. If time is short, don’t
the character hears an otherworldly call promising use the optional combat encounter with the grimlocks
eternal happiness. at the adventure start, and remove or limit other
3: The characters come across an eroded section of optional encounters. You can also steer the characters
cavern wall that reveals an ornate pillar carved toward the ziggurat to bring them to the chuul as soon
with intricate unknown symbols. The pillar shows as possible.
numerous types of humanoids worshiping a If you find the characters are having too easy a time,
tentacled creature with three vertical eyes. consider adding the following optional encounter.
4: One of the characters hears a voice in their mind,
calling to them for their servitude as it shows a The Awoken
vision of a great ziggurat and an emerald pool. The
character must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving A single grimlock hill giant (see the “Grimlocks in
throw or become charmed by the chuul. While Blackclaw Mountain” sidebar) periodically wanders
charmed, the character must travel to the site of the through the main area of the temple. The characters
temple by the fastest route, ignoring any challenges might see the lumbering giant from afar, or the giant
that might hinder them. The character can attempt might charge them without warning. If it drops a
this saving throw again each time they take damage. character to 0 hit points, the giant attempts to carry
If the character remains charmed in this way for them to area 7, where the grimlock ogres will take the
more than 24 hours, the charm becomes permanent fallen character to the chuul.
and can end only with the death of the chuul.
The Sunken Temple
Grimlocks in Blackclaw Mountain
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, when most of
In the ancient history of Blackclaw Mountain, the Blackclaw Mountain was submerged beneath the
aboleths used their magic to mutate humanoid sea, the aboleths ruled here. Their seat of power was
creatures into their twisted servants. Those servants a submerged temple carved into the rock by their
became grimlocks—blind dwellers in the mountain grimlock thralls, who worshiped the aboleths as gods.
who worshiped the aboleths as unknowable gods. After a hundred thousand years of abolethic control,
Over hundreds of thousands of years inside the the waters receded and the aboleths slumbered.
mountain, the grimlocks mutated into variant crea- Many died over the millennia since then, but one in
tures, including grimlock ogres, grimlock ettins, and particular still clings to life, even though it has grown
grimlock hill giants. These variant grimlocks use the inert through inactivity.
stat blocks of those base creatures with the following Over centuries, the aboleth’s psychic power was
additional traits: absorbed by its most loyal servant, a chuul who served
it for thousands of years. The chuul has long used
• Condition Immunities blinded this psychic connection to lure creatures to its lair—
• Senses blindsight 30 ft. or 10 ft. while deafened some to serve it and some to feed it. The abolethic
temple lay buried deep in the mountain for a hundred
(blind beyond this radius) millennia, until a recent quake opened up new tunnels
• Blind Senses. The grimlock variant can’t use its connecting the temple to Deepdelver’s Enclave—and
to a new source of food for the ancient aberration.
blindsight while deafened and unable to smell. The huge central cavern of the abolethic temple has
• Keen Hearing and Smell. The grimlock variant has 100-foot-high ceilings hanging with stalactites. All
areas of the temple are filled with dim light shed by
advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that
rely on hearing or smell.
• Stone Camouflage. The grimlock variant has ad-
vantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide
in rocky terrain.

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green-and-blue phosphorescent algae. Pools of liquid Decaying Abolethic Slime
likewise illuminate the area with swirling blue-green
dim light. In all areas of the temple, the characters might en-
counter the decaying remnants of abolethic slime. A
1. Vermin Pit character who touches this slime must succeed on a
DC 14 Constitution saving throw or become diseased.
Area Aspects. Deep crevasse, slime-covered walls, The diseased creature’s skin becomes translucent
swarming insects and slimy, and the creature can’t regain hit points
unless it is underwater. A creature can be cured of
A quake has split this cavern open, leaving a crevasse this disease with a lesser restoration spell, or with a
twenty feet wide and thirty feet deep. The edges and successful DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check made at
walls of the crevasse appear to be coated in wet slime, the end of a long rest.
and the ground at the bottom is moving. While diseased in this way, the creature can hear
the call of the chuul. It feels a sense of great hunger
The walls of the cliff are coated in decaying abolethic and a promise of eternal happiness in exchange
slime (see the sidebar). Any creature attempting to for living flesh and organs. The diseased creature is
climb a slime-coated wall must succeed on a DC 16 not charmed, and can resist this urge. But the call
Strength (Athletics) check or fall to the bottom of remains constant until the disease ends.
the crevasse, taking 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage and
falling prone. From this location, the characters can also see the
CREATURES features of areas 5, 6, and 7.
A character who looks into the crevasse and succeeds Whenever a being comes to the call of the chuul, it
on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check sees that four is compelled to leave a handprint or clawprint on one
swarms of insects are the source of the movement. of the pillars and comes into contact with the decaying
Contact with the slime compels the swarms to seek abolethic slime that coats it (see the sidebar). Every
the abolethic temple, even as its slipperiness prevents creature charmed by the chuul has left a print here,
them from doing so. including humanoids, beasts, and monsters.
TREASURE A character who touches one of the handprints
If a character’s Wisdom (Perception) check made gains a faint telepathic connection to the spirit of the
to look into the crevasse is 16 or higher, they spot creature that left it. The thoughts of many of these
skeletons buried under the swarms, one of which is creatures are completely alien. Others whisper of the
holding the haft of a shining axe. A character who falls great happiness found in servitude to the god below,
into the crevasse sees this automatically. and of a willingness to give that god their flesh and the
The shining axe is a +1 handaxe of dwarven design flesh of their loved ones. You can use the creatures in
called Nogginsplitter—a rare magic item that requires the “Blackclaw Encounters” section in appendix B as
attunement. As a bonus action, a creature attuned inspiration for determining which creatures came here
to the axe can speak its command word and give it a and touched the pillars.
normal range of 60 feet and a long range of 120 feet. A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence
After being used to make a ranged attack, the axe (Investigation) check made to inspect the pillars
returns to the hand of its wielder. determines that a humanoid hand has touched one of
them relatively recently. This hand belongs to Abrim
2. Pillars of Servitude Hesh, who wishes to give his life to the god below.

Area Aspects. Carved pillars covered in handprints CREATURE
and claw prints, thin layer of slime A gray ooze has wrapped itself around one of the
columns, and is indistinguishable from the decaying
Six smooth pillars have been carved from natural abolethic slime. If any creature comes within 5 feet of
stalagmites in this section of the cavern, forming two the ooze, it attacks with a pseudopod.
rows of three. Each pillar is coated in a thin layer of If time is running short or the characters have
slime, and is covered with the impressions of thousands already faced enough battles, you can skip this
of hands and claws of all sizes and shapes. encounter.

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Looking into the Sunken temple

3. Emerald Pool 4. Tunnel of the Chosen

Area Aspects. Pool of emerald water, slimy walls, Area Aspects. Ornate underwater tunnel, feral
strange inscriptions whispers

Glowing light shines up from a deep pool of emerald The narrow natural tunnel from the pool opens up into
water at the center of this huge cavern. The walls of a larger twenty-foot-wide tunnel of carefully worked
the cavern are covered in thick slime, which obscures a stone. Inscriptions in a swirling script cover the walls,
strange writing carved into the stone. at a level of detail that must have taken centuries—or
even millennia—to complete.
The walls are coated in decaying abolethic slime (see
the sidebar). A character who studies the inscriptions The script that covers all the walls of the tunnel
on the walls and succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence is a mix of languages, including Deep Speech and
(History) check determines that it is a primitive other tongues used by the slaves of the aboleths over
form of writing intended to be touched, not seen. A centuries. A character who understands Deep Speech
comprehend languages spell or similar magic reveals and studies the writing for 1 hour learns the history of
that the writing talks of the need to follow the god the abolethic Quorum found in chapter 2. A character
below and sate its hunger. (The inscriptions were made who spends more time than that reading the glyphs
by the grimlocks who serve the chuul.) must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma saving throw or
Any creature that enters the pool finds the water suffer a random form of short-term madness for 1
safe, and spots a long underwater tunnel leading to minute.
area 4 and eventually to area 5. CREATURES
Characters traveling through the tunnel are attacked
by three swarms of quippers driven mad by the call 95
of the chuul. The quippers have transparent skin, and

the characters can hear the creatures’ animal hunger in CREATURES
their minds as they attack. The swarms of quippers use Two grimlocks sometimes come to the pillar to trace
the normal stat block with this change: out its text with their fingers. They cannot understand
• Psychic Assault. As an action, a swarm of quippers it, but they enjoy touching it for reasons they cannot
comprehend. If they are not attacked, the grimlocks
can conduct a psychic attack on one creature within are not immediately hostile to the characters, instead
5 feet of the swarm. The creature must succeed on a attempting to lead them to area 6. If the characters
DC 11 Intelligence saving throw or be stricken with resist, the grimlocks attack, trying to knock them
psychic feedback until the end of the swarm’s next unconscious, then dropping them into the shaft at area
turn. While the creature is in this state, all other 6.
creatures have advantage on attacks against the If time is running short or the characters have
creature. already faced enough battles, you can skip this
If time is running short or the characters have encounter.
already faced enough battles, you can skip this
encounter. 6. Altar of the Deep One

5. Cylinder of Infinity Area Aspects. Altar of carved bone, deep sacrificial
shaft, slippery spiral walkway
Area Aspects. Smooth cylinder of stone, blue glowing
pool, spiraling writing that grows smaller as it A carved walkway covered in oily slime twists up the
ascends side of a rock hill on the west side of the main cavern.
At its top stands an altar of ornately carved bone.
A twenty-foot diameter, fifty-foot-high pillar of smooth
stone stands in a pool of glowing blue water. Delicate This ancient altar once served as a holy place for those
runes spiral around the pillar, getting smaller and who worshiped the aboleths as gods. Now, Abrim
smaller as they reach for the top. Hesh uses it to preach to grimlocks.
SLIME-COATED WALKWAY
From this location, the characters can also see the The characters notice that the slime coating the
features of areas 2, 6, and 7. walkway here is not as thick as the decaying abolethic
This pillar stands as a stone of history, carved by slime seen previously. Still, any creature that moves
the aboleth’s more artistic thralls. Layers of writing along the spiral walkway must succeed on a DC
spiral up the pillar, becoming so small near the top 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or fall prone. The
that they cannot be read without a magnifying glass. grimlocks are well accustomed to moving on the
The writing is the same mix of Deep Speech and other walkway, and are immune to this effect.
tongues seen in area 4. ALTAR
A character who understands Deep Speech and The bone altar is hundreds of thousands of years old,
succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence (History) check once used by the high priests who worshiped the
realizes that the pillar records all of history from the aboleths, and who preached to the thousands of thralls
time of the foundation of the multiverse to roughly who served the aquatic tyrants. Carvings on the altar
one thousand years ago, in extraordinary detail. It depict an aboleth flanked by two chuuls, one of which
would take a dozen lifetimes to study all of it, and has a large scar on the carapace of its head. (This same
must have taken many thousands of years to carve. scar can be seen on the chuul in area 8, revealing it to
A character who understands Deep Speech and be the same creature, and hundreds of thousands of
studies the writing for 1 hour learns the history of years old.)
Blackclaw Mountain found in chapter 2. A character In front of the altar, a 10-foot-diameter shaft leads
who spends more time than that reading the glyphs 50 feet down to a rushing underground river, flowing
must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma saving throw or to area 8.
suffer a random form of short-term madness for 1 CREATURES
minute. Abrim Hesh, a chaotic neutral male human cult
fanatic with 50 hit points, stands at the altar giving
96

97

a sermon about the shared desire to feed flesh to A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence
the god below in exchange for eternal happiness. (Arcana or History) check recognizes the creature
Six grimlocks stand along the walkway, unable to depicted in the imagery as an aboleth, one of an
understand his prattle but somehow responding to his ancient race of aberrations whose memories go back
dedication. to the beginnings of the multiverse. The character
Hesh is mostly mad from his continual likewise recognizes that the call heard within the
communication with the chuul. Believing that he cavern is similar to that of an aboleth, but not as
alone speaks for the creature, he chose to be its voice powerful, intelligent, or clear. It is as though some
rather than its food. He is completely absorbed by his other creature has gained the aboleth’s telepathic
own sermon, as are the grimlocks. If the characters ability.
come out into the open, he addresses them as though CREATURES
they have come to serve as sacrifices for the god in the Two grimlock ogres (see the “Grimlocks in Blackclaw
temple. Mountain” sidebar) guard the front of the ziggurat.
If conflict begins, Hesh takes partial cover behind The chuul has commanded the ogres to disarm any
the altar and uses his helm of telepathy (see “Treasure”) creatures that attempt to enter the ziggurat. The ogres
to cast suggestion on the strongest-looking character, motion to the characters to drop their weapons. If the
demanding they lie prone while the grimlocks slay the characters don’t do so, the ogres attack.
rest of the party. If time is running short or the characters have
If any of the characters fall unconscious during the already faced enough battles, you can skip this
fight, two grimlocks pick them up, climb to the altar, encounter.
and throw the body down the shaft so it can feed the
chuul. The grimlocks are well practiced at climbing the 8. Pool of Worlds
slippery hill, and reach the pit in 2 rounds.
A character dropped down the shaft takes 17 (5d6) Area Aspects. Blue swirling pool, projection of alien
bludgeoning damage when they hit the rocks and the starscape, aboleth image, piles of bones
water below. A character can resist the rushing water
with a successful DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check, Light from a blue swirling pool illuminates this
then can climb back up the shaft with a successful DC chamber, creating the image of moving planets in a
16 Strength (Athletics) check. Otherwise, the fast- vast alien starscape across the ceiling. The walls of the
flowing river drops them in area 8 after 2 rounds. chamber have been carved with images of incredible
TREASURE detail. Piles of bones from all manner of creatures litter
Hesh’s helm of telepathy is shaped from bronze in the the stone floor.
form of an aboleth, with its three eyes on the wearer’s
forehead and the aboleth’s tentacles curving down This chamber is the lair of the chuul. Images of
along the face. The helm is an ancient relic once used the aboleths’ temple are carved along all the walls,
to grant a stronger connection between the aboleth including one section of wall that bears a life-sized
and its most valued intelligent servants. moving image of an aboleth.
INTRICATE ILLUSIONS
7. Ziggurat The moving image of the aboleth is easily identifiable
as an illusion—but the wall it is part of is also illusory.
Area Aspects. Smooth crystalline ziggurat, ornate A character can see through the illusory wall with
carvings, cracked entryway a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) or
Wisdom (Perception) check, or its magic can be
A fifty-foot-tall ziggurat of smooth crystalline stone sensed with a detect magic spell. Revealing the illusion
rises in the northeast corner of the cavern. Ornate exposes the tunnel leading to area 9.
carvings depict humanoids and monsters serving a CREATURE
three-eyed tentacled creature. A large crack in the front The chuul lurks in the pool, waiting for the best
of the ziggurat exposes a long tunnel leading into the moment to strike potential prey. As part of its long
rock below.

98

exposure to the aboleth it served, the chuul has these of jewelry (worth 50 gp each), and an idol of an
features: aboleth with emerald eyes (200 gp). The idol is a very
• Enslave (3/Day). As an action, the rare magic item whose possessor can use an action
to cast the dominate monster spell (DC 15). Once the
chuul targets one creature it can spell is cast, the idol’s magic fades.
see within 30 feet of it. The
target must succeed on a 9. Pool of the Lost One
DC 12 Wisdom saving
throw or be magically Area Aspects. Inert aboleth, desiccated worshiper,
charmed by the chuul slime-covered walls
until the chuul dies or
until it is on a different A long, ornately carved circular tunnel opens up into a
plane of existence from the semispherical room whose walls are similarly carved,
target. The charmed target but which are covered in gray slime. A rectangular pool
is under the chuul’s control has been carved out in the center of the chamber, with a
and can’t take reactions, and stone statue of a large fish-like creature floating within
the chuul and the target can it. The decayed husk of a kneeling humanoid sits in
communicate telepathically front of the statue.
with each other over any
distance. Whenever the charmed This chamber holds the remains of Xen, the last
target takes damage, the target member of the Quorum—the group of aboleths who
can repeat the saving throw. On a ruled Blackclaw Mountain for a hundred thousand
success, the effect ends. No more
than once every 24 hours, the target
can also repeat the saving throw when it
is at least 1 mile away from the chuul. If a
creature is under this effect for ten days,
the effect is permanent until the chuul’s
death or if the creature is the subject of
a lesser restoration spell.
• Subjugate. As a bonus action, the chuul chooses a
creature it can see within 30 feet of it, which must
make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed
save, the target drops prone in front of the chuul
until the end of its next turn, allowing it to be
devoured.
• The chuul has telepathy out to a range of 120 feet.
Though the chuul is not intelligent, it continually
sends out a telepathic call for food. It has learned how
to incite pleasure in the minds of those it enslaves,
giving them a glowing sense of satisfaction even as
they are devoured.
This battle might prove difficult. If you wish to
reduce its difficulty, reduce the chuul’s hit points,
lower its damage output, or remove its Multiattack
action.

TREASURE
Numerous coins, trinkets, and baubles are buried
within the piles of bones in the chuul’s lair. The
characters can collect 160 gp, 99 sp, 34 cp, five pieces

99