(ENG) D&D 5a Ed. - Doomed Forgotten Realms vol 3 - Fall of Vecna (x Livello 10-20)

“As long as people believe in absurdities they will continue to commit atrocities.”

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, the dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2022 by Quill & Cauldron and is published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. The artwork contained herein may not be used for any other works without the owner’s express written permission. Doomed Forgotten Realms Lead Scott McClintock Lead Developer Scott McClintock Concept Scott McClintock Writer Scott McClintock Marc Altfuldisch Billy Middleton Editor Billy Middleton Developer Marc Altfuldisch Producer Scott McClintock Marc Altfuldisch Project Manager Scott McClintock Layout, Graphic Design, and Product Engineering Marc Altfuldisch Art Director Marc Altfuldisch Cover Illustrator Raluca Marinescu (Vecna) Marc Altfuldisch (Backdrop) ON THE COVER In this illustration by Raluca Marinescu & Marc Altfuldisch, Vecna’s apotheosis is almost complete. CREDITS Interior Art Bralves Irina Radanavich Azalin Rex Dean Spencer Kobold Voaraghamanthar the Black Dragon Small Red Dragon dleoblack Lady Syth Harley Dela Cruz Werewolf Willow Blackstar Knight Secret Eater Spirit of Rage Undead Horse Bleakborn Haseid Tomb Ophidian Alhazred Flaming Skull Jimmy Nijs Xanathar and Sylgar Graxigon Amber Sarcophagus Mummy’s Sarcophagus Citadel Cavitius Sylgar Lord Haroln Vadataj Raluca Marinescu Vecna Rising Phoenix Games Grandma Fennel Vol’kra the Empyrean Sandara Phoenix Vlad Ogorodnyk Kas Playtesters Br’rell Captain Virran Silvershadow Irini Nori Beta Readers Adam Dahlheim John Bryant Matthew Charles Ryan Sargent Cartography Buck Wev Hosttower of the Arcane Richten Haus Castle Avernus Har’akir Tombs Devil’s Tea Party Ahghairon’s Tower Castle Waterdeep Vecna’s Throneroom Christian Zeuch Sword Coast Endless Road Ahghairon’s Hellscape Neverwinter Wood Elven Tower Cartography Luskan Waterdeep John Gilliam Skullport all of Vecna concludes our Doomed Forgotten Realms adventure path. Just like any endeavor, this project required a well rounded group of high level comrades. I am grateful to the amazing Matthew Whitby who has been with the project since day one, and single-handedly put together the Gazetteer to end all gazetteers (If you haven’t checked it out already, please do). I am grateful to the fantastic Kathleen Harrington who went well above and beyond her role as an editor to contribute some brilliant content to our earlier volumes. I am most grateful for getting to work on this with my real life best friends Buck Wev and Billy Middleton – as well as the supremely talented Marc Altfuldisch, a new friend in the making. And, of course, I am monumentally grateful to you for giving this adventure a chance. For anyone out there thinking of trying to bring their own ideas to life on the DMsGuild I would strongly encourage you to take the plunge! It is hard work, but also worth it. If you have questions along the way, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. And, once you complete and publish your first product let me know – I’d love to return the favor and provide some support! — Scott McClintock Foreword

55 Contents Foreword 4 Introduction 6 Doomed Forgotten Realms ................................................. 7 A History of Doom ................................................................ 7 Adventure Summary .............................................................. 7 Adventure Flowchart ...........................................................9 Dramatis Personae .............................................................. 10 Chapter 1 Trial Run 11 Beginning the Adventure....................................................11 Abandoned Tower .................................................................13 Luskan .....................................................................................14 Hosttower of the Arcane ...................................................18 The Mists of Ravenloft ......................................................29 Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 30 Traversing the Mists ........................................................... 30 A Doomed Domain ................................................................31 Darkon ................................................................................... 32 Rivalis ..................................................................................... 32 The Hidden Trail .................................................................. 36 Richten Haus ........................................................................ 36 Nana's Concoction ............................................................. 45 Chapter 3 Float like a Castle, Sting like an Imp 46 Castle Avernus ..................................................................... 46 An Impish Guide .................................................................... 51 Chapter 4 With Friends Like These 52 Tovag ......................................................................................52 The Shepherd and His Flock .............................................. 53 Tor Gorak .............................................................................. 54 The Clash ............................................................................... 54 Meeting the Darklord ........................................................59 Chapter 5 Carnage at the Carnival 60 The Carnival ..........................................................................60 Thoroughfare ......................................................................60 Big Top ................................................................................... 61 Egress ..................................................................................... 63 Chapter 6 Hit the Road and Hit the Head 64 A Horse of a Different Color ...........................................64 Bring it all to a Head .........................................................64 Shadowfell Encounters on the Misty Road ..................66 Chapter 7 Plow the Cursed Sands 68 Mummy Wing ......................................................................... 70 Scarab Wing .......................................................................... 73 Serpent Wing ........................................................................ 77 Temple Wing ..........................................................................80 Black Obelisk ........................................................................85 Chapter 8 A Skeleton in the Closet 87 Palace of Vecna ....................................................................88 Cut and Run .......................................................................... 91 Chapter 9 No Longer Eye to Eye 92 Xanathar's Guide to Saving the World........................... 93 Encounters on the Road .................................................... 93 Chapter 10 Dropping the Battlehammer 97 Cult of the Elder Elemental Eye .......................................98 An Audience with Ogrémoch ............................................98 The Dismal Delve ..................................................................99 A Time for Planning .......................................................... 100 March for Freedom ............................................................101 The Return ...........................................................................103 Chapter 11 Worse Things Happen at Sea 104 Port Llast.............................................................................104 Voyage Under the Sea ........................................................105 The Hunt is Afoot .............................................................. 106 A Liar's Word ...................................................................... 106 Chapter 12 Here Be Dragons 108 Leilon ................................................................................... 108 Castle Naerytar ................................................................. 108 Neverwinter Wood ............................................................ 109 The Great Escape ..................................................................111 Draconian Accolades ........................................................112 Chapter 13 Fatal Attraction 113 Phandalin.............................................................................113 A Bloody Apprenticeship ...................................................119 Chapter 14 The War for Waterdeep 121 The War Council .................................................................121 Waterdeep .............................................................................122 Skullport .............................................................................122 Battle Against the Skulls .................................................130 Departing Skullport ..........................................................130 Tower of Ahghairon ..........................................................131 A Cataclysmic Promise ........................................................142 Chapter 15 The Rise or Fall of Vecna 143 Castle Waterdeep ................................................................143 Dungeons of Castle Waterdeep .......................................144 Divine Release ......................................................................147 Denouement .........................................................................147 The Fall of Vecna ................................................................148 Concluding the Adventure ..............................................148 Appendix A Secrets of the Whispered One 150 Appendix B Monsters and NPCs 159 Appendix C Handouts 215 Appendix D Magic Items 229 Appendix E Vehicles 235 Appendix F Bridging from other Adventures 240

Introduction 6 ord Vecna has been known by many names—The Maimed Lord, The Whispered One, The Maker of All That is Secret. He was a great wizard, perhaps the greatest of all time, tutored by the serpentine embodiment of magic itself. He was a supreme archlich of inestimable power, rumored to have stolen the secret of undeath from the demon lord Orcus. He was an emperor, worshiped as a god. Then, through force of will, he became a god. He was betrayed and slain by his closest lieutenant. He was imprisoned in the distant domains of Ravenloft. None of this stopped him. Nothing can stop Vecna. Vecna is more than power. He is knowledge incarnate. He hoards secrets like Tiamat hoards treasure. Vecna’s core belief is that for every person, for every city, for every world, there exists a secret so powerful that it can bring about their downfall. He gathers such secrets to further his divine ascendency. As part of his quest for greater godhood, Vecna besieged the planar hub of the multiverse. Although his plans were ultimately thwarted, he nonetheless managed to plunder the hub’s many secrets. One of these secrets was the existence of worlds beyond that of his birth. Of all these worlds, Vecna was most fascinated by the magic-rich realms of Toril. He was particularly obsessed by the eldritch ingenuity of fallen Netheril. Vecna set his eye to conquest. With the patience and restraint of an expert strategist, Vecna spent generations preparing Toril for his arrival. In the planar hub, Vecna learned of the existence of portals that allowed travel between worlds and communicated this information to his most devoted followers. They, in turn, slowly infiltrated every corner of the Sword Coast from Candlekeep to Silverymoon. Year after year, Vecna’s cultists gathered and obscured knowledge, subverted governments, and patiently corrupted the good-hearted champions of Faerûn, all in the name of their Maimed Lord. At the same time, the archlich Acererak, one of Vecna’s oldest and most loyal servants, traveled to the jungles of Chult to build a hidden, deathtrap dungeon. In the heart of this dungeon, he secreted Introduction a device called the Soulmonger, designed to devour the soul of any humanoid that dies anywhere on Toril. Few knew that the Soulmonger’s purpose was to feed a gestating atropal, the ghastly, unfinished creation of a long-forgotten evil god. Fewer still knew that this atropal was to serve as a corporeal vessel for the godly essence of Vecna. It was agents of Vecna who corrupted the translation of Sammaster’s holy prophecies. This, in turn, inspired the Cult of the Dragon’s Red Wyrmspeaker, Severin, to summon forth Tiamat from her lair upon the Nine Hells. The Thayan illusionist and secret Vecnan disciple, Rath Modar, worked with Severin to bring this mad plan to fruition. And so the Soulmonger fed. To one such as Vecna, even the grandest plan is but the seed of an even grander plan. As part of Tiamat’s summoning, a great treasure trove, one fit for the Queen of Dragons, was gathered in tribute. Vecnan agents, posing as cultists of the dragon, stole relics of incredible power, including some of Netherese origin, in service of their lord. Four such artifacts were later found in the Dessarin Valley by cultists of Elemental Evil. This cult went on to raze and destroy much of the Valley. And so the Soulmonger fed. Soon thereafter, Vecna tricked Gromph Baenre, the archmage of Menzoberranzan, into summoning the many demon lords of the Abyss into the Underdark. Madness and decimation on a catastrophic scale soon followed. And so the Soulmonger fed. The breaking and reshuffling of Annam’s Ordning. Elturel and Baldur’s Gate’s descent into Avernus. Auril’s self-imposed exile and the subsequent eternal winter. In one way or another Vecna, the cosmic mastermind, had his hand in it all. And Finally the Soulmonger was full. Vecna was reborn. He gathered to his banner all that was evil. Not just his cultists, but orcs from Dark Arrow Keep, yuan-ti from Najara, giants from all across the Sword Coast, and liches from Warlock’s Crypt, all fought at his bidding. The Realms, devastated by repeated calamity, fell quickly. In less than a year’s time, Vecna ensconced himself within Waterdeep, declaring himself the Lord of Toril. Evil has ruled the lands ever since.

Introduction 7 Doomed Forgotten Realms Welcome to a dark chapter in the history of the Forgotten Realms. A chapter in which your players are destined to play a starring role. Through their actions, the Realms will find salvation. Or doom. The Doomed Forgotten Realms imagines a world where all the various catastrophes threatened in a Wizards of the Coast hardcover adventure have come to pass. It is an acknowledgment that for every successfully completed campaign, likely a dozen more have fizzled out or failed. This adventure serves as a tribute to these failed campaigns. As described in Rise of Tiamat, “Nations and kingdoms shatter, civilization collapses into bloody war, and chaos reigns supreme... Such dark times need not mean the end of your campaign, however... The new goal is to bring peace to the world once more.” In the Doomed Forgotten Realms, the never-ending parade of apocalypses that have wracked the Sword Coast are not an improbable coincidence. They have, instead, been purposefully masterminded or exploited by the archlich Vecna so that he might conquer the Forgotten Realms. For those not familiar with Vecna, he is an iconic villain that has haunted Dungeons & Dragons since its earliest days. His relevant background has been briefly summarized, but for those interested in a deeper exploration of Vecna’s history, it can be easily found online. Fall Of Vecna is the third volume of the Doomed Forgotten Realm adventure path. Although the experience will be optimized if your players have completed Rise Of Vecna, it is not required. Fall Of Vecna is an epic, self-contained story for three to five characters that will take your players from 10th to as high as 20th level. A History of Doom Faerûn has changed dramatically in the years since Vecna’s conquest. Tiamat holds court over the dragons of the Realms from atop her Soaring Citadel. Zariel wages war over the cratered ruin that was once Baldur’s Gate. The drow elf Jarlaxle, one of the last hopes for a dying realm, rules over the sailing city of Qu’madosfan Delmah. And the Frostmaiden Auril’s arctic grasp expands ever outwards. For a more detailed exploration of this brave new world see our supplemental product the Doomed Forgotten Realms: SwOrd COast Gazetteer. Adventure Summary The adventure begins when the characters are summoned to an audience with the beholder, Xanathar, former crime lord of Waterdeep. Xanathar has been driven from Waterdeep by Vecna and now hides beneath the ruins of Thornhold Keep, scheming how to unseat the lich lord. Xanathar’s intelligence network has learned that Vecna originates from the dismal land of Ravenloft. Sharing this information with the characters, the eye tyrant tasks them with traveling to Ravenloft in hopes of learning more about Vecna. Xanathar also informs the characters that there is a portal to Ravenloft in the Hosttower of Arcane, the Luskan headquarters of the Arcane Brotherhood, a cabal of evil wizards loyal to Vecna. Chapter 1. In chapter 1 the characters are teleported to Luskan. Once there they must gain entrance to the Hosttower by overcoming a series of trials. After gaining entrance the characters must sneak their way into the heart of the tower. Then, using an enchanted skull provided by Xanathar, the characters must find the hidden portal to Ravenloft. The Archlich Himself is the grand architect of the Doomed Forgotten Realms

Introduction 8 Chapter 2. In chapter 2 the characters emerge near the halfling village of Rivalis, within the realm of Darkon. Exploring the village leads the characters to Grandma Fennel, who suggests that they visit the nearby ruins of Castle Avernus to learn more about Vecna. Before doing so, however, they need to visit Richten Haus, former home of the legendary Rudolph Van Richten. There the characters harvest some herbs necessary to survive the poisonous energies surrounding Castle Avernus. Chapter 3. During chapter 3 the characters explore the floating ruins of Castle Avernus, former home to the infamous Darklord Azalin Rex. Within the ruins the characters will encounter the dwarf vampire, Axrock, fight the shadow dragon Ebbasheyth, and befriend Azalin’s familiar, Skeever. Skeever willingly provides information about Vecna’s former domain, Cavitius. The imp suggests that the players search for lesser Vecnan relics, scattered throughout Ravenloft, and use these as keys for accessing Vecna’s abandoned domain. Chapter 4-7. Chapters 4 through 7 are dedicated to recovering these Vecnan relics, each of which is a part of Vecna’s original body. The characters can recover as many of these relics as they like, in any order. In chapter 4 the characters travel to the domain of Tovag, where they meet Vecna’s archenemy, Kas the Betrayer. From Kas they have the opportunity to recover the incisors of Vecna. In chapter 5 the characters visit a traveling Carnival besieged by malevolent fey. After helping Isolde, the Carnival’s leader, they are rewarded with the first digit of Vecna. In chapter 6 the characters summon the Headless Horseman in hopes of recovering the Head of Vecna. In truth the Head of Vecna is not a true relic, although it does hold the molar of Vecna, which is. Finally, the characters have an opportunity to travel the cursed tombs and underground desert of Har’akir in search of the scalp of Vecna. Chapter 8. After recovering at least one Vecnan relic, the characters can travel to the abandoned domain of Cavitius in hopes of learning more about Vecna. While there they unexpectedly encounter the powerful lich Azalin, and learn that he has been using Skeever to manipulate the characters into bringing him the Vecnan relics. Azalin willingly shares information regarding Vecna. In particular Azalin shares incriminating evidence that might be used to turn one of Vecna’s greatest allies, the archlich Acererak, against the Maimed Lord. From there the characters can use their Vecnan relics to open a portal to the Forgotten Realms, although they will need to make a difficult decision as to whether or not they allow Azalin to use the portal as well. Chapter 9. The characters return to Thornhold in chapter 9. However, while they were away Vecna tracked down and slew Xanathar, raising the beholder as a death tyrant, loyal to Vecna. The characters are ambushed by this undead version of Xanathar upon their return. Emerging victorious, they find Xanathar’s notes detailing the beholder’s plan to recruit allies and assault Vecna, who is currently laired within Ahghairon’s Tower, which can be found inside the city of Waterdeep. Chapter 10-13. Chapters 10 through 13 are dedicated to traveling across the Sword Coast, recruiting allies for the inevitable battle against Vecna. The characters can choose which of these chapters they wish to complete, as well as the order in which they wish to complete them. In chapter 10 the characters travel to the Elemental Plane of Earth to free the legendary Bruenor Battlehammer from the slave pits of the dao. Chapter 11 sees the characters winning the assistance of Jarlaxle Baenre, after venturing into an undersea trench to slay a vengeful kraken. In chapter 12 the characters must steal the recently forged Vonindod from the fire giants, to earn assistance from the Dragon Queen Tiamat. Finally, in chapter 13 the characters help Halaster Blackcloak gain revenge against his former apprentices, who betrayed the Mad Mage in the early days of Vecna’s conquest. Chapter 14. In chapter 14 the characters finally take the fight to Vecna. Jarlaxle uses his submarine, the Scarlet Marpenoth, to smuggle the characters into Skullport, an underworld city located beneath Mount Waterdeep. Once in Skullport the characters must recruit various factions to help defeat the thirteen enigmatic Skulls who rule over Skullport. With the Skulls vanquished, the characters can teleport into Waterdeep, and break into Ahghairon’s Tower. At the top of the tower the characters manage to fight and best Vecna. However, the characters learn that Vecna has turned the Soulmonger, a hideous device that feeds on the souls of the dead, into his phylactery. Using recent knowledge obtained from ancient Nether Scrolls, Vecna plans to feed upon the souls in the Soulmonger to fuel his divine ascendancy. Chapter 15. Chapter 15 is the concluding chapter. The characters race against time to destroy the Soulmonger before Vecna transcends to godhood. They discover that the Soulmonger is hidden within Castle Waterdeep, which the archlich Acererak has turned into a deathtrap dungeon. The characters gain access to the sealed castle by possessing the bodies of nine trickster gods imprisoned within the castle’s dungeons. After gaining access to the castle the characters engage in one last battle, with the fate of the Realms hanging in the balance.

Introduction 9 Adventure Flowchart Trial Run Luskan CHAPTER 1 LEVEL 10 A Haus Divided Darkon in Ravenloft CHAPTER 2 LEVEL 11 Float like a Castle, Sting like an Imp Darkon in Ravenloft CHAPTER 3 LEVEL 11 With Friends Like These Tovag in Ravenloft CHAPTER 4 LEVEL 12 - 14 Carnage at the Carnival The Carnival in Ravenloft CHAPTER 5 LEVEL 12 - 14 Hit the Road and Hit the Head Any abandoned road CHAPTER 6 LEVEL 12 - 14 Plow the Cursed Sands Har’Akir in Ravenloft CHAPTER 7 LEVEL 12 - 14 A Skeleton in the Closet Citadel Cavitius in Ravenloft CHAPTER 8 LEVEL 13-15 No Longer Eye to Eye Back to Thornhold CHAPTER 9 LEVEL 13-15 Dropping the Battlehammer The Elemental Plane of Earth CHAPTER 10 LEVEL 14-19 Worse Things Happen at Sea The Scarlet Marpenoth CHAPTER 11 LEVEL 14-19 Here Be Dragons Leilon and Neverwinter Wood CHAPTER 12 LEVEL 14-19 Fatal Attraction Undermountain CHAPTER 13 LEVEL 14-19 The War for Waterdeep Skullport and Waterdeep CHAPTER 14 LEVEL 19 The Rise or Fall of Vecna Castle Waterdeep CHAPTER 15 LEVEL 20

Introduction 10 Dramatis Personae The main members of the adventure’s cast of characters are found in the Dramatis Personae table below, listed in alphabetical order for easy reference. Dramatis Personae Major NPC Description Main Description Abatha Lea Dwarven veteran Chapter 10, Dismal Delve Acererak Archlich and Vecna’s most trusted ally Chapter 15, Denouement Ahghairon Archmage and first Open Lord of Waterdeep Chapter 14, area M16 Azalin Rex Lich and Darklord of Darkon Chapter 8, area H6 Bruenor Battlehammer King of the dwarves Chapter 10, Dismal Delve Grandma Fennel Druid from Rivalis Chapter 2, area C4 Grimnir Dwarven priest Chapter 10, Dismal Delve Halaster Blackcloak Archmage and creator of Undermountain Chapter 13, area K8 Hellenrae Monk and cultist of the Elder Elemental Eye Chapter 10, Triboar Irik Zal’honan Ghost of the son of Azalin Rex Chapter 3, area E5 Isolde Cambion leader of the Carnival Chapter 5, The Character’s Arrival Jarlaxle Baenre Drow elf leader of Bregan D’aerthe Chapter 11, The Hunt is Afoot Kas Vampire warrior and Darklord of Tovag who betrayed Vecna Chapter 4, The Clash Kolathid Deep gnome wizard Chapter 10, Dismal Delve Lady Syth Death knight loyal to Kas Chapter 4, Tovag, Land of the Great Betrayer Madame Radanavich Darklord of Richten Haus Chapter 2, area D19 Ogrémoch Elemental Prince of Earth Chapter 10, An Audience with Ogrémoch Rezmir Dragonborn Black Wyrmspeaker Chapter 12, Castle Naerytar Shradin Mulophor Former lord of Skullport Chapter 14, The Skull-faced Beggar Skeever Azalin’s imp familiar Chapter 3, area E7 Sylgar Xanathar’s beloved pet goldfish Chapter 1, Beginning the Adventure Vecna Lich mastermind who has conquered the Sword Coast Chapter 15, Denouement Xanathar Beholder and sworn enemy of Vecna Chapter 1, Beginning the Adventure

Chapter 1 Trial Run 11 rom Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, “In hidden corners of the Shadowfell are nightmare domains that hunger for the brave and the innocent, the ambitious and the wicked. Beginning the Adventure How best to begin this adventure depends upon whether or not your players have played Rise Of Vecna. Without Having Played RISE OF VECNA If your players have not played the previous adventure, then begin by reading or paraphrasing the earlier Rise Of Vecna section. Have your players describe how their characters have spent the last five years. If your characters have played a previous Wizards of the Coast hardcover adventure, then see appendix F for suggestions on how to customize this adventure. While there is considerable lore to be found in the SwOrd COast Gazetteer and Rise Of Vecna, none of it is necessary for this adventure. As such, consider working with your players to build your own dystopian version of the Forgotten Realms. In this dystopian world your players might play legendary characters from pre-existing Forgotten Realms lore. Alternatively, they might prefer to make their own unique character. The adventure begins with the characters meeting the beholder, Xanathar. Once the former crime lord of Waterdeep, it was driven into exile when Vecna conquered the city. Now headquartered beneath the ruins of Thornhold, the beholder is the unlikely leader of one of the last remaining credible resistance movements. Have your characters decide whether they already have an established relationship with Xanathar, or whether they are meeting it for the first time. If meeting it for the first time, then Chapter 1 Trial Run The beholder Xanathar recruits the characters to travel to the plane of Ravenloft in search of information that might be used to defeat the archlich Vecna. To access Ravenloft the characters must teleport to Luskan and infiltrate the Hosttower of the Arcane. the Xanathar, having received word of their previous exploits, has invited them to the following conclave. Adjust the following narrative as necessary: Hidden beneath the seemingly abandoned Thornhold Keep you find Xanathar’s underground headquarters, a bustling, grandiose hub of activity. Informants come and go, using the Underdark to ferry information and contraband throughout the Realms. Xanathar’s throne room is strikingly opulent, decorated with tapestries, paintings, and the petrified statues of those who have recently aroused its prickly ire. Its beloved goldfish, Sylgar, swims happily by Xanathar’s side in a mansionsized fish bowl. “You were wise to answer my call, henchpeople. As you know, it has been five years since that one-eyed bag of bones took over this heap of dirt we call home. No matter what we throw at him – spies, assassins, armies, Elminsters – none of it works. We’re going to have to fight smarter, not harder. This guy’s gimmick is that everyone has a secret that can bring about their downfall, but that’s nothing new. Here in Faerûn, we call it blackmail, and I’ve been doing it my whole life. So, how about we turn things around and use his secrets against him. It took me a while to put the pieces together, but I’ve already figured out a whopper of a secret. It turns out that Vecna isn’t even from the Realms, but rather some other dimension -- some dreary place referred to as Ravenloft. If we want to find out more about Vecna, then we are going to need to journey to his alleged homeland. It turns out that it is somehow possible to access Ravenloft from inside the Hosttower of the Arcane. Normally this place is inhabited by scores of archmages; however, thanks to my agents, they are currently elsewhere. So, it is time for us to break into their tower, hop into Ravenloft, find out Vecna’s weakness, and save the Realms. How hard can it be?” With Having Played RISE OF VECNA With the defeat of the Krakolich and the destruction of the shroudstones, the veil separating Toril from the gods is weakened. Across the Realms, townsfolk and citizens have inexplicably hopeful dreams that they have not experienced in years. Whispers and rumors begin to circulate that a rebirth of the gods is imminent. Within weeks there are stories of divinely inspired clerics rallying the masses and newly anointed paladins inspiring rebellion. Although such insurrections are quickly crushed by the iron grasp of Vecna, their existence is nonetheless worrying to the Maimed Lord and his closest servants.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 12 Allow the characters time to enjoy their hardearned victory. This downtime can extend for days or months, depending on their preference, but it eventually comes to an end when they are summoned to an audience with Xanathar. Read or paraphrase: By now Xanathar’s lonely underground labyrinth has been transformed into a bustling, grandiose hub of activity. Informants stream in and out of his chamber, using the Underdark to ferry information and contraband throughout the Realms. Xanathar’s throne room is as opulent as ever, decorated with tapestries, paintings, and the petrified statues of those who have recently aroused its prickly ire. Its beloved goldfish, Sylgar, swims happily by Xanathar’s side in a mansionsized fish bowl. “Great job henchpeople. You managed to rile up that one-eyed bag of bones and it has sent out its liches and wizards to put out the fires. Doing so has left key locations, such as the Hosttower of the Arcane, unprotected, and we are going to take advantage.” “I recently sent one of my gith spies to the illithid-infested halls of Silverymoon, where they uncovered a juicy secret. This Vecna thing comes from another dimension – some dreary place referred to as Ravenloft. If we want to find out more about Vecna, then we are going to need to journey to his alleged homeland. It turns out that it is somehow possible to access Ravenloft from inside the Hosttower of the Arcane. Normally this place is inhabited by scores of archmages; however, thanks to you, they are currently elsewhere. So, it is time for us to break into their tower, hop into Ravenloft, and find out more about Vecna. How hard can it be?” In either Case The Domains of Dread, Ravenloft, are summarized in chapter 2 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. They are further expanded upon in Curse of Strahd and Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. The Hosttower of the Arcane is located within the coastal city of Luskan and described in greater detail below. Xanathar knows a little bit about Ravenloft, mostly thanks to Biffan the Skull (see below). In particular, Xanathar can provide the following information: J Ravenloft can be found within the Shadowfell. It consists of a number of domains, each of which is ruled by a Darklord. J The Darklords are generally quite evil and are cursed so that they can never leave their domain. However, these lords are intimately connected to the land, allowing them to prevent or allow passage into their domain. J It is rumored that mysterious Dark Powers use mists to draw the unwary into Ravenloft, which they oversee. These mists can also be used to facilitate travel from one domain to another. Xanathar can provide details regarding Luskan and the Hosttower. In particular, it knows: J The Hosttower of the Arcane is home to a group of wizards known as the Arcane Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is run by five powerful archmages, three of which are former apprentices of the Mad Mage Halaster. J The Hosttower plays a critical role in the construction of artificially accelerated organisms (for more details see the Artificially Accelerated Organisms section in appendix A). J The Hosttower used to have a spiral staircase in the center that could access the entire tower. Over the years the “lazy wizards” sealed up the stairwell and replaced it with a teleportation system. Xanathar supplies the characters with three blocks of a black, sticky putty. A character can use an action to flatten the putty and apply it to a door or wall built from any material. Doing so expends the putty and casts the passwall spell upon that surface. Xanathar suggests that by using the putty, the character might access the stairwell and infiltrate the tower. J Xanathar is not sure how to access Ravenloft. According to legends, the Dark Powers of Ravenloft use mists to drag unwitting victims into the domains of dread. To help, the beholder supplies an ancient skull that was provided by its contacts. According to these contacts, the skull will alert its holder whenever they are near a portal to the Shadowfell. For more on the skull see the sidebar. J The Hosttower still trains fledgling wizards. Such wizards gain entry to the tower only after completing a series of tests. To help with these tests, Xanathar provides the characters with a copy of Xanathar’s Cheat Sheet. Biffan the Skull Biffan was a halfling adventurer who traveled the lands of Ravenloft years ago. Long since dead, his spirit is now bound to his skull. Biffan can talk through the skull, although having been partially deaf in life, the halfling has a tendency to talk louder than he should. He snores loudly as well, and suffers from narcolepsy. Although he remembers little of his previous life, he has been enchanted to detect portals to Ravenloft. While in Ravenloft you can continue to use Biffan as a resource for the characters whenever they need some extra guidance. If role-playing Biffan seems too burdensome, you can have this be an inanimate skull. The skull’s teeth chatter loudly when near a portal to Ravenloft.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 13 The paranoid Xanathar guarding Sylgar Xanathar’s Cheat Sheet is a huge, leather-bound compendium that contains the answers to hundreds of tests, exams, and trials. The majority of these exams relate to advancing through the ranks of various guilds in Waterdeep. However, towards the back of the book can be found the following information regarding the Trials of the Hosttower. J The first test is the Test of the Neophyte. It can be conquered with a common cantrip. J The second test is the Test of the Apprentice. This test requires that the applicant demonstrate mastery of the eight schools of magic. Passing this test is required for entrance to the tower and consideration as an apprentice. J The third test is the Test of the Mage. This trial tests the applicant’s versatility in battle, requiring them to deal a variety of damage types. J The final test is the Test of the Archmage. This test requires that the applicant demonstrate their mastery of magic by stopping time itself. While trying to convince the characters to help, Xanathar appeals to their sense of altruism. In the absence of such altruism Xanathar is willing to pay as much as 10,000 gp for a successful mission, 500 of which the beholder will pay up front. Luskan is roughly 250 miles north of Thornhold and easily accessible via the High Road (see the included map of the Doomed Sword Coast in chapter 9). To speed up the journey, Nar’l Xibrandas (drow elf mage), one of Xanathar’s advisors, offers to use a teleportation circle to transport the party to an abandoned tower three miles north of Luskan. From there, Xanathar promises, it is an easy, uneventful trek to the City of Sails. Abandoned Tower As promised, the characters appear within a gutted, roofless ruins of a collapsed tower. The mounds of rubble provide little relief from the piercing, bitterly cold wind that howls across the two feet of snow that the characters find themselves standing in. Even though it was daytime when the characters visited Xanathar, they find that it is now pitch black outside, the faint stars flickering as if shivering from the cold. Years ago, Auril the Frostmaiden, the divine embodiment of winter’s dark fury, cursed the north with an eternal winter and never-ending night. With no one to stop her, the Frostmaiden’s curse has continued to spread southwards and now encroaches upon the city of Luskan. Whereas Luskan was always cold, snow and frost are now a constant menace. To make matters worse Luskan’s daylight has been steadily receding and now the sun shines upon the city for just three to four erratic hours each day. A Freezing Trek. The twinkling lights of the city are dimly visible to the south. Trudging through the snow is hard, tiring work and unless the characters have snowshoes or a sled, it takes an hour to travel half a mile. A character must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion. Creatures with resistance or immunity to cold damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures wearing cold weather gear (thick coats, gloves, and the like) and creatures naturally adapted to cold climates. After a potentially taxing journey through the snow, the characters eventually arrive at Luskan.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 14 Luskan Before Vecna’s invasion, Luskan was described as “...a dirty dive with filthy streets, squat buildings, ramshackle docks, creaky old longships, and crass pirates thinly disguised as sea traders.” Some things never change. The city is jointly governed by the Zhentarim, three High Captains, and the Arcane Brotherhood. The Zhentarim see to the protection of the city and supervise overland trade. The High Captains consist of Misker the Pirate Tyrant, Sea King Tentrix, and Captain Hartouchen Rethnor. Jointly the three captains regulate oversea trade and naval warfare. The Arcane Brotherhood works as an independent power, beyond the dictates of either the Zhentarim or the High Captains. Notable locales include: A1. North Gate The North Gate is an ironclad door between two guard towers that stands at the edge of the Mirar River. The gate is heavily guarded by at least ten guards and two veterans, all of which are heavily bundled in cold weather clothing. This garrison is typically reinforced by a mage from the Arcane Brotherhood. Despite the heavy armed presence, security is lax, and unless something about them is extremely conspicuous, the characters can come and go without drawing any attention to themselves. Beyond the gate can be found the Upstream Span, the largest bridge in Luskan. It leads across the River Mirar to the city’s southern half. Optional Encounter If any of the characters are not wearing cold weather clothing, they arouse the interest of a nearby spy. The spy decides to shadow the characters as they move throughout Luskan. The spy is well trained and knows the streets of Luskan well. Because of this she has a +6 Stealth and advantage on any Stealth checks. If the spy notes the characters doing anything suspicious, she immediately reports their actions to the High Captains. Any character with a passive Perception of 21 or higher notices the spy half an hour after she begins shadowing them. A2. North Bank The North Bank refers to the portion of Luskan that is built north of the River Mirar. This district is primarily filled with fortified warehouses used by the High Captains and the Zhentarim. Amidst these warehouses, next to a massive water tower, can be found the Red Dragon Trading Lodge. The Red Dragon Trading Lodge is run by the Zhentarim and is home to Luskan’s largest and most successful overland trading company. A3. River Mirar The River Mirar rushes through an icy canyon that is, at most locations, twenty feet deep. Its frigid, turbulent waters are filled with hidden rocks and knucklebone trout. Despite the dangers of the river, it is not uncommon to see townsfolk perched atop these rocks, fishing for something that they might be able to sell at the town’s marketplace (area A8). A4. Blood Island The Zhentarim’s military garrisons upon Blood Island. There are several barracks, watch towers, and catapults built upon the isle. These catapults are positioned in such a way that they can be used to attack both within and without the city. The garrison is captained by Naerth Maxildanarr (LE human spy) who commands more by his mastery of politics than military prowess. Passage along the bridges connecting Blood Island to the North and South Bank is restricted to Zhentarim and a small handful of other approved travelers. A5. Closeguard Island This rocky isle holds the fortress of the High Captain Hartouchen Rethnor. The fortress is large and imposing, overlooking the River Mirar as well as the South Bank. High ranking members of Ship Rethnor have small apartments along the base of the fortress. A6. Cutlass Island Cutlass Island consists of two rocky hills connected by a pebble-strewn beach. The northern hill is crowned by the impressive Hosttower of the Arcane (for more details see the next section), home to the Arcane Brotherhood. The southern hill houses a small community of fledgling wizards known as Sea Town. The wizards of Sea Town are an unaffiliated, lawless bunch who ruthlessly undercut one another in hopes of gaining membership to the Arcane Brotherhood. The volume of apprentice wizards on the island, each attempting to hone their craft, has created a surplus of spell scrolls. Because of this one can easily purchase such a scroll in Sea Town for half its usual cost. These scrolls are generally reliable but do fail 20% of the time. The spell scrolls are consumed upon failure. One of the few public establishments in Sea Town is Mordy’s Splendiferous Speakeasy. This spacious tavern is much larger on the inside than it is on the outside. It is run and maintained by a staff of unseen servants and mage hands. All food and drink are magically created. They are delicious, but not filling, making Mordy’s a popular place for gluttons as well as aspiring wizards.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 15 Test of the Mage: Damage Types The Test of the Mage will require the characters to fight constructs that can only be harmed by two randomly determined damage types. These damage types are randomized each time the construct takes damage. To help the character prepare for this you might want to remind them of the thirteen possible damage types (acid, bludgeoning, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, piercing, poison, psychic, radiant, slashing, and thunder). While visiting Luskan, proactive characters will have an opportunity to purchase scrolls or magical items to compensate for any missing damage types. Optional Encounter If the characters have drawn attention to themselves during their time in Luskan, when they head towards the Hosttower of the Arcane, they are intercepted by a band of brigands loyal to Sea King Tentrix,. The brigands consist of five thugs, an ogre who has had her arm replaced with an enormous ship’s anchor, a kraken priest (appendix B), and the notorious Captain Callous (from Call from the Deep and reprinted in appendix B). Captain Callous demands to know what business the characters have at the Hosttower. The pirate captain’s interrogations can be defused with a successful DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) check or a bribe of at least 1,000 gp. Otherwise, Captain Callous orders his crew to attack the characters. A7. Ruins of Illusk The remnants of the ancient city of Illusk are found along River Mirar’s southern shore. These swampstrewn ruins are reputed to hold tombs of unfound treasure but are also rumored to be haunted as well. Permanent portals to Ravenloft, the Demiplane of Dread, exist within the Hosttower of the Arcane. The energy from these portals is used to help manufacture artificial organisms. Occasionally, dark, terrible things escape through the portals. These creatures tend to find a home within these ruins. As such, the ruins currently serve as a home to vampires, werewolves, and other horrors. Optional Encounter A pack of three werewolves has recently escaped from the Mists of Ravenloft and currently hides within the ruins of Illusk. As the characters walk near the ruins, they hear a scream. If the characters investigate, they find the werewolves with two recently abducted commoners. If the characters attack, one of the werewolves attempts to grab a commoner and run further into the ruins. Another werewolf attempts to immediately kill and eat the second commoner. The remaining werewolf attacks the characters. A8. Marketplace This is the central market hub for Luskan commerce. For the most part the market sells food, durable goods such as furniture, as well as winter clothing, crampons, and domesticated axe beaks, now that Auril’s winter has settled over Luskan. Anyone looking for more exotic merchandise is referred to Misker’s Mercanitle (area A11). One of the more unusual vendors is Belz, a shivering warlock who detests the cold. Belz sells rings of protection (and other magical jewelry at the DM’s discretion) for half their usual cost. The rings are made from chardalyn, a nonmagical dark-colored crystalline substance as strong as metal, though considerably easier to work with. Belz uses a form of demon-tainted chardalyn that is considered to be desecrated if subjected to a detect evil and good spell. Anytime someone wearing chardalyn jewelry fails a death saving throw they must make a successful DC 13 Wisdom check or become afflicted by a curse. The character receives a new flaw based upon one of the three Great Sins: apathy, envy, and lust (DM’s choice or select randomly). This curse can be countered by a remove curse spell or similar magic. Optional Encounter A band of four cold, starving duergar have wandered from Icewind Dale in search of food. The gray dwarves are currently invisible and have forty minutes left before their invisibility expires. Although they were originally planning on just stealing some Cold Weather Gear Cold weather clothing (10 gp) consists of a heavy fur coat or cloak over layers of wool clothing, as well as a fur-lined hat or hood, googles, and fur-lined leather boots and gloves. As long as cold weather clothing remains dry, its wearer automatically succeeds on saving throws against the effects of extreme cold. Crampons (2 gp) are metal plates with spikes that are strapped to the sole of boots. A creature wearing crampons can’t fall prone while moving across slippery ice. A domesticated axe beak (50 gp) has splayed toes that allow it to run across snow and carry as much as a mule.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 16 food from the marketplace, they became enamored by the chardalyn. As the characters enter the marketplace one of the duergar releases twelve axe beaks before whipping them into a stampede. The remaining three dwarves use the confusion to steal the chardalyn jewelry. Belz notices this at the last second and cries out for help. Should the characters stop the duergar and return the jewelry, Belz offers them a chardalyn brooch of shielding in thanks. If the characters make a public display of excessive force, they garner the attention of the local authorities (see area A6 for consequences). A9. New Ten Towns New Ten Towns is a district within the South Bank that is predominantly occupied by refugees from Icewind Dales and overseen by Speaker Trovus (NG silver dragonborn veteran). Years ago, these hardy folk were forced to abandon their settlements in Ten Towns and move south to Luskan. The area is referred to derisively by natives of Luskan as ‘One Tenth Town’. DMs or groups that have played Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden are encouraged to populate this district with favorite NPCs or locales from their previous game.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 17 Optional Encounter Ten days ago a gnoll vampire (appendix B) known as Tekeli-li, and his clutch of five vampire spawn, wandered into Luskan, attracted by the ample supply of prey. The vampire currently lives in a series of catacombs hidden beneath a slaughterhouse in New Ten Towns. Because of its location the catacombs endlessly drip blood, which has soaked into the surrounding earth. Tekeli-li hunts at night, leaving behind gory, unrecognizable carcasses in his wake. Currently New Ten Towns is being blamed for the murders, and tensions between Luskan and the refuges is high. Interested characters who investigate the murders and interrogate witnesses can track down Tekeli-li with a successful DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check. The only entrance to the vampire’s lair is a tiny crevice that can be squeezed into by Small characters, or widened with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. A10. The Cutlass The Cutlass is a rowdy, underground bar frequented by the dark-hearted scum of Luskan. It can be accessed through an abandoned mausoleum that is guarded by a pirate-garbed stone golem known to the locals as Captain Reaper. The golem blocks entrance to the mausoleum, but if a character places a gold coin into the golem’s outstretched hand, it briefly steps aside to allow passage. Within, the characters find a raucous, smoky den of iniquity. Fights break out regularly, often ending in considerable bloodshed. Smugglers, assassins, fences, and information brokers populate a row of curtained booths where they peddle their nefarious wares. A11. Misker’s Mercantile This massive warehouse contains a well-organized assortment of supplies ranging from wagons to spyglasses. The entrance lobby is tended by an archmage guarded by three spectators wearing tricorn hats. Characters can purchase any item from the Player’s Handbook here. They can also arrange to purchase any common, uncommon or rare magic item, although such items may require time to be procured. Items are typically sold at 120 percent of market value, although a successful DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check can haggle them down to their normal value. The archmage is also willing to purchase items for 60 percent of their market value, though a successful DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check can raise this to 80 percent of their normal value. A12. Potent Potables This small bar is run by Bernard, an eclectic alchemist renowned for his volatile concoctions. The tall, gangly brewmaster has light blue skin, an elongated tongue, perpetually singed hair, and reeks of sulfur (side effects from alchemical experiments). Bernard has a rotating inventory of highly alcoholic potions. Any time a character consumes one of these potions they must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion. Examples of potions include Fire River Firewater (potion of fire breath) for 100 gp, Halagard Hurricane (potion of heroism) for 200 gp, and Serpent Bay Salty Dog (potion of animal friendship) for 200 gp. A13. Docks Luskan’s bay is partially frozen over. Fisherfolk in cold weather clothing gather around holes in the ice trying to catch knucklebone trout to sell in the marketplace. Numerous pathways have been cut through the ice to allow sea vessels to pass as needed. These vessels, a mix of galleys, rowboats, and warships are tied up along these docks. Optional Encounter As the characters walk along the docks, they see some dark smoke unfurling from a distant vessel. Before long the characters can see a small fire burning alongside the sails of a warship. Because of the damp climate, the fire spreads slowly, and if the characters act quickly, they can prevent it from spreading to nearby ships. If the characters do not intervene, then the fire consumes four ships before the local sailors rally and douse the flames. Either way if a character examines the area of the fire and makes a successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check, they can discern that the fire was started deliberately. A second DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) check is enough to track the arsonist (drow) to a nearby alleyway. The arsonist is just about to be arrested by three Zhentarim guards (veterans) when the characters arrive. The arsonist is a member of a splinter cell of the Bregan D’aerthe, a band of drow elves led by Jarlaxle Baenre (see the Doomed Forgotten Realms: SwOrd COast Gazetteer for more details on Bregan D’aerthe). The splinter cell is currently functioning as an underground resistance, doing what it can to harry the occupying Zhent forces. If the characters assist the drow and help him escape, he leads them back to the splinter cell’s safehouse (eluding the spy from area A1 if she is still following the characters). The characters are welcome to use this safehouse for as long as they stay in Luskan.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 18 Hosttower of the Arcane From Lords of Darkness, “A sight that makes even the bravest hearts uneasy, the Hosttower rises above the gray waters of the Luskan harbor like the gigantic specter of a long-dead tree, its barren limbs stretching upward toward the overcast sky like the grasping fingers of a drowning crone… The structure rises into a central spire surmounted by four more slender spires of equal height, situated at the cardinal points of the compass. These four towers bristle with lesser spires, balconies, and branching turrets.” The tower is the headquarters of the Arcane Brotherhood, a powerful faction of evil wizards sworn to Vecna. They are led by the Archmage Arcane and four Overwizards, who each oversee one of the spires. These positions are currently filled by: J Arcturia, Archmage Arcane J Muiral the Misshapen, Overwizard of the West J Trobriand the Metal Mage, Overwizard of the South J Roth Modar, Overwizard of the East J Avarice, Overwizard of the North Trials of the Hosttower A pebbled path leads to the tower. The structure’s only visible entrance is a set of double doors bordered by arcane runes. Lying before the doors is a strange creature. It has a perfectly spherical body, a single eye, and spindly mechanical limbs. Large patches of flesh have been scoured from the creature, and it is bleeding what looks to be blood-tinged oil. The creature is a dying modron (monodrone) that has managed to escape the tower. If it is touched by a character, then the character experiences a vision of a hulking, shadowy creature flaying the skin from the modron. As the modron re-experiences the memory, it gasps the word “Graxigon” before emanating a wave of pure psychic terror. All characters within thirty feet of the modron must make a successful DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or become afflicted by the frightened condition for one minute. The modron dies immediately after this, disintegrating into a pile of powdered silicon. Entering the Tower. The unlocked doors do not actually lead anywhere, and behind them is the solid stone of the tower. The arcane runes are an eldritch, multidimensional puzzle that is part sudoku and part tangram. Any character who has a passive Arcana (10 + Intelligence modifier + proficiency bonus if proficient in Arcana) of 15 or higher can automatically solve the puzzle. Any other character can attempt to solve the puzzle by succeeding on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the character fails this check, they take 22 (4d10) psychic damage. If the characters prove unable to solve the puzzle, they will have to recruit assistance. Luskan is crowded with aspiring mages hoping to join the Arcane Brotherhood. The characters can recruit one of these mages with a successful DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check or a payment equivalent to 250 gp. Such a mage is willing to help the characters gain access to the tower but will likely turn on them once the mage realizes the characters’ ulterior motives. One way or another, once the puzzle has been solved the characters notice that a small stone near the base of the tower has slid aside. The revealed Maddgoth If there are any wizards in the party, tales of their exploits may have drawn the attention of the archmage Maddgoth. Maddgoth is a serial killer who murders wizards and keeps their arcane focuses and spellbooks as trophies. Through a combination of divination and investigation, Maddgoth has inferred that the characters are seeking entry into the Hosttower of the Arcane. He attempts to befriend the characters in hopes of gaining entry to the tower as well. Once there, he plans on killing as many members of the Arcane Brotherhood as possible before turning, at the last minute, upon the wizard character. Should the characters allow Maddgoth to accompany them, have them make periodic DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) checks. With each success the characters notice things such as: • Maddgoth seems unnaturally interested in the wizard character. • Although outwardly friendly, Maddgoth can occasionally be caught glancing murderously towards the wizard character. • Maddgoth seems particularly overzealous when killing, or discussing killing, wizards within the tower. • The characters catch a glimpse of Maddgoth’s collection of arcane foci, some of which are blood-stained. Maddgoth carries with him a miniaturized castle. If a character obtains the castle and attunes to it, they can use an action to transport themselves and up to six other willing creatures into and out of the castle once per day. A description of the castle’s interior is provided in Dungeon of the Mad Mage. In the absence of this resource, describe the castle as a dark, foreboding place full of hidden chambers connected by secret tunnels. Twelve homunculi live within the castle. Relative to any miniaturized characters they have the statistics of gargoyles. The homunculi hide within the walls of the castle, attempting to murder any characters who spend the night. If the characters search the castle, allow them to make a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check. If successful, they discover a randomly determined treasure from Magic Item Table F in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. This check can be repeated once every week; however, the DC increases by 5 upon each success.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 19 hole is 4 inches wide, large enough to fit a hand into. The hole is 10 feet long. At the end of the hole is a battered, iron key. The key can be obtained by mage hand, fetched by a suitable familiar, or retrieved in other comparable ways. On dawn of the next day the key disappears from the owner’s possession, reappearing within the hole. If the key is placed into the doors’ keyhole, there is a flash of blue radiance and the character, along with any willing creatures within 60 feet of it, are transported to area B1. B1. Test of the Apprentice The characters appear in the middle of a plain, octagonal chamber. A pedestal rests near each of the eight walls. Each pedestal is engraved with a rune. In the middle of the room is a covered, lead cauldron. A stained wooden spoon hangs from a hook above the cauldron. There is a glowing red portal in the room’s southern wall. Looking through the portal, the characters can faintly see the pebbled path that led them to the tower. The cauldron weighs 10 pounds and contains ten doses of a transparent magic liquid that smells and tastes like vinegar. Any creature that drinks a dose of the liquid regains one expended spell slot of any level. If the cauldron or its vinegar is removed from this chamber, the magic liquid turns into ordinary vinegar. An empty cauldron automatically fills with ten doses of the magic liquid at the next dawn. Any wizard, or any character proficient in Arcana, can determine that the pedestals’ runes indicate each of the eight schools of magic: abjuration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, evocation, illusion, necromancy, and transmutation. If a spell or cantrip from a particular school is cast near a pedestal, then the magic of the spell is absorbed, lighting up the pedestal’s rune. This spell need not be a wizard’s spell. Once the eighth rune is empowered, a magical blue portal appears in the wall nearest that pedestal. The portal begins to fade after one minute and disappears completely after two minutes. Once this happens the runes lose their glow and the pedestals need to be reactivated to continue further. A character who steps through the blue portal is transported to area B2.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 20 Any character who steps through the red portal is transported back to the tower’s entrance. Placing the key in the keyhole once more allows a character to re-enter the tower as before. B2. Test of the Mage The characters reappear along the southern edge of an 80 foot by 60 foot stone chamber (see the Test of the Mage battle map). The walls and floor of the chamber are charred, scoured, and cratered. When the characters appear, they are greeted by a disembodied mouth that announces, “A true mage of the Arcane Brotherhood is prepared to mercilessly find and exploit an opponent’s weakness. This test will measure your capacity to do so. At any time, you can surrender by shouting forth, ‘I yield.’ Otherwise, you should assume that this is a fight to the DEEEAAAAATTTTH!” As the mouth fades from existence, three arcane adaptoids (appendix B) appear near the northern wall of the arena. The adaptoids each attack a separate character, changing targets only if damaged. If the characters manage to defeat the adaptoids, the disembodied mouth returns briefly to loudly congratulate the characters before transporting them to area B3. If the characters yield, then they are stabilized and transported to area B4. B3. Test of the Archmage The characters appear in a small 20-foot square chamber. In the center of the chamber is a two-foottall hourglass filled with blue sand. As the characters appear in the room, the disembodied mouth reappears, proclaiming, “A true archmage has the power to stop time itself. Do you have the power to stop the very flow of time?” At this point the sand in the hourglass begins to fall. If you have one, consider using a real hourglass to provide an extra layer of immersion. Give your characters one minute of real time to take action before the last grain of sand falls to the bottom half of the hourglass. At this point the characters are transported to area B4. The hourglass is fixed to the floor. However, any strike that does 10 or more damage topples the hourglass, effectively “stopping time.” Similar actions, such as a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check, are equally effective. Should the characters manage to do this, the disembodied mouth reappears, “Congratulations. A true archmage does not follow the rules of others but dictates their own terms of success. You will go far with the Arcane Brotherhood.” A wand of magic missiles materializes, floating before the characters. Once taken, there is a flash of blue light, and the characters are transported to area B4. B4. Tower Lobby Bookshelves line the northern wall of this chamber. Piles of gears and tangled spools of cable are interspersed between the bookshelves. Bright light shines from bulbs affixed to the walls, illuminating the room harshly. In the center of the room is a large column of green-tinted crystal. Next to the column is an unoccupied desk. A staircase in the southern end of the room exits the tower. Standing beside the staircase is a large statue carved into the likeness of an armored knight wielding a sword. The statue is a stone golem. The golem has been enchanted so that it can speak. As the characters appear the statue’s head swivels to peer at them before intoning in a deep, gravelly voice, “The masters are currently indisposed. Please await their return.” Due to either the characters’ actions in Rise Of Vecna or the machinations of Xanathar, the archmages of the tower have been dispatched elsewhere and it will be at least a week until anyone thinks to check this lobby. Regardless, the golem repeats its instructions at the end of every hour. Column. There are four gemstones (an emerald, a sapphire, a topaz, and a ruby) embedded into the column. These gemstones, if touched by an authorized arcane focus, allow for transportation between the lower levels of the tower. If a character makes a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check, they discern the silhouette of a stairwell (see area B5) within the opaque crystal column. The enchanted crystal is impervious to damage; however, it can be bypassed by Xanathar’s passwall putty or similar magic. If any character touches either the column or its gemstones, the golem issues a stern warning, “Please step away from the column.” The golem attacks after issuing a third warning, or if the characters manage to breach the crystal. Shelves. The bookshelves are filled with books on introductory magic and histories of the North. There is also a book on the creation of artificially accelerated organisms. If any character skims the book, read or paraphrase the Artificially Accelerated Organisms section of appendix A. The gears and cables stacked near the bookshelves are recently delivered spare parts waiting to be moved to area B7. The lightbulbs throughout the room are delicate and easily broken, although doing so earns a stern warning from the golem. Desk. If the desk is disturbed in any way, the golem issues a warning, asking the characters to step away from the desk. The golem attacks if this is the third time it has issued a warning. It is easy to observe that one of the drawers of the desk has been left partially

Chapter 1 Trial Run 21 opened. Within the drawer can be glimpsed a rod made of the same stone as the golem. If a character makes a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, they can grab the rod without the golem noticing. The drawers of the desk are otherwise filled with mundane paperwork as well as a spell scroll of telekinesis. The rod is a control rod for the stone golem. A character can attempt to use the rod by making a DC 23 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the character succeeds, then the golem will follow their orders for the next 24 hours. If the character fails their check by five or more, then the golem immediately attacks the character. The golem crumbles into rubble if it ever leaves the tower. B5. Stairwell The air within the stairwell is thin and stale from having been sealed off for years. The stairs are covered in dust. This sealed stairwell goes up for nine floors before ending abruptly. Each of these nine floors are identical living spaces (see area B6) for the mages that are training at the tower. To access these floors characters will need to use their putty or something similar.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 22 B6. Living Quarters Each of these nine identical floors has four separate bedchambers. The entrances to each of the four bedchambers are sealed with an arcane lock spell and warded with an alarm spell. A mage resides within each bedchamber. The mages immediately attack any characters who obviously do not belong within the tower. The mages on any given floor have been told that only one of them will move on to train under an overwizard. Because of this, they are extremely competitive with one another and see combat as an opportunity to “accidentally” dispose of rivals with a poorly placed fireball spell. If the characters are accompanied by the stone golem, there is a 50% chance that any given mage has their own control rod. In this case, the mage uses their action to attempt an opposed Intelligence (Arcana) check to wrest control of the golem from the characters (or potentially from one another). Warded Bedchambers. There is a 25 percent chance that a bedchamber is protected by explosive runes from the glyph of warding spell. The triggering glyph is at the bottom right corner of the door and can be found with a successful DC 21 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Within each bedchamber can be found a spellbook that contains

Chapter 1 Trial Run 23 all the mages’ prepared spells as well as an additional 1d6 random spells. There is also a 20 percent chance that a bedchamber contains one item from Magic Item Table C. The first bed chamber that is explored contains a strange, silver-tinged potted plant. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check discerns that the plant originates from Mechanus. The check also reveals that cube roots, a rare crafting component, can be harvested from the plant. Such roots are worth as much as 1,000 gp to an alchemist. Thinking With Portals. The green crystal column of the stairwell contains the same gemstones as level B4. Each mage carries an arcane focus crafted from the same green crystal as the stairwell. If the focus is touched to a gemstone by a character, that character, along with up to twenty willing creatures that can be seen within 60 feet, are transported to the following locations: J Emerald: B6 (whichever floor the mage lived on) J Sapphire: B7 J Topaz: B8 J Ruby: B9 B7. Rendering Lab This circular chamber is a jumbled mess of mechanical equipment, bookshelves, and surgical instruments. There are four operating tables with restraining straps, as well as tables and cupboards full of metal-working tools. Bins are full of small cogs and gears that are stained with blood-tinged oil. A small vortex of swirling green energy can be seen near the southern wall of the room. A modronoid mage protected by two modronoid veterans is in the process of cleaning up the room when the characters arrive. Modronoids are humanoids that have modron parts grafted onto their bodies. They have the following changed statistics: J Modronoids have an Armor Class of 18. J Due to gears grafted to their legs, modronoids have a Speed of 40 ft. J Modronoids have their weapons grafted to their bodies. As such, they cannot be disarmed. The modronoid mage carries a small orb filled with swirling green energy. This orb is used to activate the room’s stasis portal (described below). The modronoids attack any characters that obviously do not belong in the tower. The Overwizard Trobriand, has recently developed an obsession with modrons. In particular, he has become obsessed with harvesting their parts. Trobriand and his many apprentices then use these parts for their own arcane experiments, particularly grafting them as enhancements upon already living creatures. The modronoids are one of the many byproducts of these experiments. Throughout the lab can be found detailed notes on harvesting modron body parts and grafting them onto other creatures. The majority of the books are tomes on anatomy that cover not just humanoids but also more unusual creatures such as gricks and mindflayers. The most recent blueprints refer to Experiment 665: Graxigon. Next to these blueprints is a note that reads, “As of now, the monstrosity known as Experiment 665 has killed an archmage, four mages, and more than a dozen apprentices. Although it does display a talent for subjugation, making it useful in maximizing the exploitation of our modron chattel, I still recommend its immediate destruction. In my opinion its unstable and sadistic nature outweighs its usefulness.” The Man in the Floor. Any characters who have a passive Perception of 15 or higher notice what seems to be the ghostly silhouette of an aged human within the grain of the room’s wooden floor. The silhouette belongs to an elderly alchemist named Phricter. Phricter occupied the Hosttower before it was taken over by Vecna’s apprentices. During one of his many bewildering experiments Phricter managed to accidentally fuse himself into the room’s floor. Phricter has the following statistics: J He occupies a five-foot square of floor. J He can move about the room with a speed of 30. J He can communicate telepathically with anyone who touches his image. J As an action, Phricter can cause the space he occupies to undulate. Any creatures standing in this area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone. Phricter resents the Vecnan mages that now occupy the tower, in part because they ridicule and taunt him, but also because they have “blasphemously” converted his alchemy lab into a horrific slaughterhouse. As such he is willing to assist characters who are fighting the modronoids. He is also willing to share information with the characters. Phricter was senile before his accident and the intervening years trapped within a floor have not been kind. He loses his train of thought often and it can take a good ten minutes for him to effectively communicate a basic idea. However, he is desperate for conversation, and draws obvious pleasure from even the most mundane conversation. Phricter can provide the following information: J Any information on modrons that is contained in the Monster Manual.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 24 J Basic details regarding areas B8 and B9, particularly regarding the modrons residing in these areas. J The details of the stasis dimension (described below). If allowed to, Phricter will talk the entire day away. If the characters are compassionate enough to spend at least two hours talking with him, Phricter decides to repay the kindness by instructing the characters on how to use the mechanical equipment within the room to produce 1d4 random magical potions. Stasis Dimension. The small vortex of swirling green energy is a portal to a stasis dimension. Any creature that walks into the portal is teleported into this pocket dimension and immediately subjected to the effects of a time stop spell. If the orb of swirling green energy carried by the modronoid mage is touched to the portal (or if a person carrying the orb attempts to enter the portal), the most recent occupant is released from the dimension. This process can be repeated indefinitely until all occupants have been released from stasis. The stasis dimension can hold, at most, two hundred creatures.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 25 Trobriand realized that due to the Disintegration trait of modrons, any surgically attached grafts disappeared with the death of the modron donor. Because of this, Trobriand created the statis dimension to indefinitely prolong the life of the wounded modrons. The stasis dimension currently holds four monodrones, three duodrones, two tridrones, and one quadron. These modrones are badly injured. They bear festering, oil-scabbed wounds where their mechanical organs have been surgically removed. Because of this, the modrons all have 1 hit point and three levels of exhaustion. The modrons stand in the chamber, weakened and confused, unless physically led elsewhere by the characters. B8. Power Grid This room holds six massive machines and an assortment of control panels. The machines are a bewildering assortment of levers, gears and pistons that are connected to the control panels by a tangle of colored wires. These machines, in addition to those from area B9, help generate the energy needed for Trobriand’s various experiments. The power grid is tended by the metal-coated skull of a half-elf. The skull is engraved with arcane symbols, surrounded by green flames, and has emeralds (worth 500 gp each) in its eye sockets. It floats about the room, giving off crackling sounds as it electrifies the machines with rays of lightning.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 26 Lumbering beside the skull is a hideous amalgamation of squirming creatures, surgically stitched together. These creatures are geometrically shaped and made from a mixture of bruised flesh and broken gears. With each step the monstrosity takes, you can hear painful whimpers and the crunch of breaking bones. This modronoid monstrosity has the statistics of a flesh golem. It is stitched together from dozens of modrons. After its defeat a character can attempt a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check to save 1d6 modrons, although any modron saved has only 1 hp remaining. The fiery, metal-coated skull is Trenzia, a former apprentice of Halaster Blackcloak. She now serves Trobriand, using her electrical powers to keep the power grid functional. Trenzia has the statistics of a flame skull, with the following changes: J Trenzia has resistance to fire damage and immunity to lightning damage. J She has the lightning bolt spell prepared instead of fireball. J Her Fire Ray action deals lightning damage. Trenzia cannot distinguish between non-skeletons, or “fleshlings,” as she calls them. Because of this she is initially indifferent. She can be convinced to temporarily turn off the power (see area B9 for the consequences) with a successful DC 18 Charisma (Persuasion check). If the characters act suspiciously or fiddle with her machines, Trenzia orders her modronoid monstrosity to attack them. Trenzia then positions herself behind the monstrosity, attacking with ranged attacks. She sees the monstrosity as expendable and is willing to hit the abomination with area of effect spells, if that is the best way to inflict damage to the characters. Each of the machines has AC 15, 50 hit points, and immunity to lightning, poison, and psychic damage. If reduced to 0 hit points, a machine explodes, inflicting 21 (6d8) fire damage to all creatures within 20 feet of it. Destroying two machines is sufficient to render the power grid inoperable (see area B9 for additional details). Alternatively, characters can use the control panels to disable the machines with a successful DC 18 Intelligence check. Finally, the characters can disable the power grid by disassembling the machines with a successful DC 15 Intelligence check made with tinker’s tools. Any character who successfully disables the machine using tinker’s tools manages to extract a long, cylindrical power core that is functionally equivalent to a staff of thunder and lightning. Trenzia

Chapter 1 Trial Run 27 B9. The Machines of Modron This massive forty-foot tall cavern is carved out from stone deep beneath the tower. The eastern end of the room is filled with gears, lights, hollow glass vats, and massive machines, all of which are connected with a system of pipes and cables. The entire room hums (or sputters if the power grid from area B8 has been disabled) with electricity. The machines are tended by a host of twenty-four monodrones, twelve duodrones, six tridrones, and three quadrones. These modrons are supervised by a monstrous, flying overseer who goes by the name of Graxigon (appendix B). Machines. Years ago, Vecna unearthed a mechanical relic called the Orderer. The relic was created within Mechanus, the home plane of the modrons. Over time the Orderer has been slowly dismantled into a variety of components which individually power this cavern’s mechanical infrastructure. These machines serve a variety of purposes but primarily they empower the birthing vats used to create artificially accelerated organisms (see appendix A for additional details). The entire mechanical grid consists of the following distinct machines.

Chapter 1 Trial Run 28 B9a. Control Hubs Each of these six machines has AC 15, 20 hit points (10 hit points if the power grid from area B8 has been deactivated), and immunity to lightning, poison and psychic damage. As a collective action any four modrons can work in tandem to shoot a beam of heated energy at a character. This beam of energy has +10 to hit and inflicts 21 (6d6) fire damage. If the power grid from area B8 has been deactivated, this beam inflicts half damage. B9b. Electricity Tube This delicate glass tube has AC 10, 10 hit points, and vulnerability to bludgeoning and thunder damage. It shatters when reduced to 0 hit points, electrifying the entire chamber. Any character standing within fifteen feet of a machine while wearing metal armor takes 5 (1d10) lightning damage at the start of each of their turns. B9c. Toxic Tube This delicate glass tube has AC 10, 10 hit points, and vulnerability to bludgeoning and thunder damage. It shatters when reduced to 0 hit points, releasing a cloud of poisoned gas. This cloud of gas is functionally equivalent to a non-mobile cloudkill spell. Modrons. The modrons are all focused on their work and do not immediately notice any characters who enter the cavern. However, a minute after entering the room Biffan yells loudly that he can detect a portal to Ravenloft (see below for more details), alerting the modrons to the characters’ presence. Graxigon also detects the characters, thanks to its Telepathic Vigilance trait, if they approach within one hundred feet of the monstrosity. Once Graxigon has noticed the characters it confronts them telepathically, its disordered thoughts defiling their minds. “More skin puppets for the obedience factory.” Graxigon orders the monodrones and duodrones to utilize the control hubs and then orders the tridrones and quadrones to overwhelm the characters. Graxigon attempts to cast dominate monster on the nearest character, before flying to the ceiling to attack with its blunderbusses. As a bonus action, Graxigon can noticeably extract energy from the mechanical grid, healing ten hit points for every intact control hub. If the power grid from area B8 has been deactivated, this healing is reduced by half. During combat Graxigon speaks through the mouths of the modrons in a jumbled, confused combination of multiple languages, demanding repeatedly that the characters submit and obey. Victory. Once Graxigon has been defeated the mechanical grid, strained by the battle, begins to spark and fizzle. One by one, the machines explode in a shower of energy that coalesces into a glowing portal. Any character who makes a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check discerns that the portal connects to the Plane of Mechanus. Any surviving modrons are drawn to the portal, using it to return to their home plane. If the modrons from area B7 are led to the portal, then they are made whole by the portal’s divine radiance. A collective sense of gratitude washes over the players. Each character receives the following one-time blessing: Blessing of Primus. You have divine insight into the inner workings of the cosmos, allowing you to anticipate the immediate future. When you use an action to perform any activity, including making an attack or casting a spell, and you don’t like the outcome, you can choose to never have taken that action, instead using your action to perform a different activity. Once you do so, the blessing fades and you can’t use it again. Anyone who loots Graxigon’s body finds a strange shaped tool roughly the size of a wrench. Graxigon

Chapter 1 Trial Run 29 The Mists of Ravenloft While in the chamber Biffan can detect the presence of a portal to Ravenloft. He directs the characters to walk to the southern edge of the room, near a pile of glass vats. These partially finished Vecnan birthing vats are filled with a thick mist that writhes and undulates as if alive. Muffled thuds come from within the vats, like the sounds of a creature prematurely interred. Biffan recognizes this as the “Mists of Ravenloft” and speculates that if the mists are released from the vats, they will transport the characters to the dread domains. The vats are hermetically sealed and impervious to damage. However, there is an indentation for a tool. If the strange-shaped tool from Graxigon is placed into the indentation, it can be used to open the vats. Once the vats are open, the mist explodes forth, impossibly filling the entirety of the room in a matter of seconds. Allow the characters to advance to 11th level as they are pulled into the dark realm of Ravenloft. Optional Encounter One of the mist-filled vats behaves differently that the rest. Once a character gets near to it, the mists subside to reveal a large block of solid amber within, 8 feet tall, 5 feet wide, and 5 feet thick. Trapped inside the block is a wisp of inky darkness the size of a child’s fist. The darkness is the vestige of Buer, the Grandmother Huntress—now imprisoned with but a sliver of her former sentience and awareness. The vestige can’t be harmed or controlled, and it is immune to all conditions. The block of amber has AC 16, 80 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Destroying one causes the vestige trapped within it to disappear, leaving no trace. You choose whether it is banished or destroyed. A creature that touches the block of amber forms a telepathic link with Buer whose voice immediately begins to echo in their mind. “I am the kindly grandmother and the wrathful huntress, but you, my sweet child, may call me Buer. Reach out with your mind and accept my gift, so you may wield my might and never again be the hunted. Do you accept this gift I have offered you, child?” The creature must willingly, without being coerced or manipulated, accept the gift to gain its benefits (and detriments). A character doesn’t learn the gift’s precise game effect until the dark gift is accepted. Benefit of Accepting. If accepted, Buer’s dark gift grants the beneficiary immunity to disease and the poisoned condition, as well as the ability to cast the healing word spell without expending a spell slot. When casting the spell in this manner and targeting a Construct or an Undead, the spell deals radiant damage equal to the amount it would normally heal. The spell is cast at a level equal to the number of times it has been cast in this manner. The first time the spell is cast, for example, it is cast at 1st level, while it is cast at 5th level the fifth time it is cast. Once it has been cast nine times, the dark gift vanishes. Detriment of Accepting. The beneficiary of this dark gift also undergoes a transformation upon accepting. Their feet turn into hooves while their legs become digitigrade and furry, similar to those of a goat. This transformation can’t be removed by anything short of a wish spell or divine intervention. The trapped vestige is all that remains of the once mighty Buer the Grandmother Huntress

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 30 rom Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, “In hidden corners of the Shadowfell are nightmare domains that hunger for the brave and the innocent, the ambitious and the wicked. Some call the collection of eerie realms the Land of the Mists, but monster hunters know it as Ravenloft. Terror, magic, mystery, and suspense fill these fractured domains, an infinite galley of unfolding evils, age-old plots, cursed bloodlines, legendary monsters, and immortal villains. Evildoers from countless worlds regard Ravenloft as their prison – infamous figures such as the lichking Azalin Rex, the unscrupulous scientist Viktra Mordenheim, and the diabolical first vampire Strahd Von Zarovich. These Darklords wield incredible power within their isolated domains, yet they’re held captive in eternal torment as victims of malign forces known as the Dark Powers.” Vecna was one of these prisoners, trapped within his personal realm, Cavitius. But even the Dark Powers cannot hold one as powerful as Vecna indefinitely. Over the span of decades, the Maimed Lord hatched a plan that resulted in his escape from the Domains of Dread (For more details on this escape see Die Vecna Die!). With Vecna’s escape the domain of Cavitius became an abandoned, ghostly version of its former self. As the years passed the Dark Powers began dissolving the kingdom, brick by brick and bone by bone. Following the dissolution of Cavitius, fragments of the domain scattered throughout the far corners of Ravenloft. Some of these fragments include lesser body parts of Vecna (see Lesser Known Vecnan Relics in appendix D). The lich-king Azalin Rex, whose magical aptitude might rival that of Vecna, discerned the Whispered One’s escape. As a Darklord, Azalin was imprisoned within his own domain of Darkon, so that he was Chapter 2 A Haus Divided The characters emerge from the mists within the realm of Darkon, near the halfling village of Rivalis. Exploring the village leads the characters to Grandma Fennel, who suggests they visit the nearby ruins of Castle Avernus to learn more about Vecna. Before doing so, however, they need to visit Richten Haus, former home of the legendary Rudolph Van Richten. There the characters harvest herbs necessary to survive the poisonous energies surrounding Castle Avernus. unable to travel to Vecna’s former domain. Instead, Azalin wove a potent spell that absorbed the lordless Cavitius into Darkon. The ritual was successful but had catastrophic side effects. Castle Avernus, Azalin’s brooding fortress, was destroyed in a torrent of otherworldly flame, an explosion that was frozen partway through its blast. The castle now hangs in midair, its chambers, laboratories, and crypts suspended in disjointed sections, all illuminated by a glowing radiance that hangs above the castle. This event, followed by Azalin’s disappearance, is known to the people of Darkon as the Hour of Ascension. With the two realms merged, Azalin was able to travel to Citadel Cavitius, the former seat of Vecna’s power. Once there, he began obsessively studying the Maimed Lord’s books, growing increasingly oblivious to the world around him, even as the dissolution of Cavitius began infecting Azalin’s own kingdom. Through his studies Azalin discovered a rip in the fabric of Ravenloft, left by Vecna’s escape. However, Azalin realized that for anyone to travel through the portal they must be attuned to a part of Vecna, whose old body parts are scattered about other domains, just beyond the lich-king’s grasp. Thankfully, a group of hardened adventurers has just entered the mists... Traversing the Mists Read or paraphrase the following: The mist is impossibly thick, almost clinging to you as you move through it. All you see is an endless, roiling whiteness—a foggy limbo that appears to stretch into infinity. The mists dull your other senses, increasingly cutting you off from any sort of sensory world. A towering beast materializes within the mist just ten feet before you. The creature looks vaguely like a minotaur, but it has a chitinous carapace and multi-faceted eyes that glimmer sinisterly. Its wet, glistening body smells like fresh vomit. Upon seeing you the monster rears back, ready to attack! As the characters walk through the mist, the Dark Powers of Ravenloft subtly intervene, first disorienting and then separating the characters unless they have taken special precautions such as tying themselves together. Randomly select two characters. Then read or paraphrase the following to each of them:

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 31 In truth, the randomly selected characters are confronting one another. The mists have cloaked each character in illusion, making them appear to be a vile abomination. Have each character roll initiative. Pretend to control each monster. Roll dice where the players cannot see the results, using whatever results were rolled by the other player. A character can use an action to examine the monster they are fighting. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals the illusion. This check is made with advantage if the character already suspects that they are fighting a fellow character. If one of the characters is reduced to 0 hit points, then the illusion fades. The character who struck the final blow finds themselves potentially horrified by their actions. They must make a successful DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be afflicted by the Curse of the Betrayer until it is removed by a remove curse spell, or similar magic. is somehow connected to the disappearance of their former king. Perhaps he sleeps inside, cocooned, waiting to take on a new form. As for the people of Darkon, while some might express curiosity about the King’s Tear or the Shroud, they seem relatively indifferent to the dangers they face. One explanation for this indifference may be that there is simply no time to worry about what might happen in the future when they have to toil and labor just to make it day by day. Another explanation may be that many of them are soulless constructs birthed by the Dark Powers of Ravenloft to populate the kingdom, though none of the inhabitants, including the constructs themselves, would have any way of knowing this. Certainly, all the inhabitants of Darkon believe themselves to be possessed of a mortal soul. Regardless of the reason, most Darkonites have convinced themselves – and will try to convince others – that all these stories of towns and regions being swallowed by the Shroud are nothing more than alarmist rumors. For more information on Darkon see chapter 3 of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, “The Domains of Ravenloft.” Death in Darkon The forces that have corrupted Darkon have even influenced the veil between life and death. Death in Darkon is not permanent. During the first night after any Humanoid’s death in Darkon, their body rises in a state of unlife. Though the body returns to life, it functions as nothing more than a shell for some dark lifeforce propelling it forward. No vestiges of the victim’s prior identity, or any identity, remains. Fearful of this eventual fate and what it implies for them and their loved ones, the inhabitants of Darkon have established funerary rites that may vary by region, but all culminate in the burning of the corpse before night falls on the day of death. This unexplainable compulsion of the dead to rise is one of the few supernatural aspects of Darkon’s fate that has had a noticeable effect on the people of the domain, making them paranoid and nosy. Inhabitants tend to keep a close eye on their neighbors, particularly those who are elderly or sick, in case they die unexpectedly. In the larger cities of Darkon, the Kargat, the remnants of Azalin Rex’s secret police force, frequently control those districts rife with crime for the same reason. The risen corpses shamble mindlessly toward the nearest banks of the Shroud. If their journey is not interrupted, they will wander into the mists, never to be seen again. As long as they remain unobstructed, the corpses show no hostility toward the living, nor any recognition of those they knew in life. Curse of the Betrayer Your actions have brought about the downfall of an ally. The stain of this misdeed is perceptible to others. As a result, you have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks and you can’t benefit from the Help action. As the two characters battle one another, the remaining characters reunite before they are confronted by two hazy, insubstantial creatures made from dark, swirling mist known as mist stalkers (appendix B). If the characters survive, they emerge from the Mists in the domain of Darkon on the north bank of Redleaf Lake, just outside the halfling town of Rivalis. A Doomed Domain Darkon is a land in collapse. With the departure of its Darklord, Azalin Rex, for Citadel Cavitius during an event called the Hour of Ascension, the Mists of Ravenloft have begun to devour the landscape. Each night the Shroud (the name given to the Mists by the people of Darkon) swallows more of the domain, sometimes expanding by unnoticeable inches, sometimes by miles. A golden star referred to by Darkonites as the King’s Tear hangs in the sky, watching indifferently over the death of the land and its people. Rumors abound as to the nature of this new visitor in the heavens. Some believe it to be the eye of a god observing and silently judging the domain for its evils. Perhaps one day it will devour the entire realm. Others believe it is a vessel from the heavens, carrying some unknown and unknowable race of starfaring travelers. Still others believe its presence

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 32 Memory Anomalies The dread domain of Darkon has an altering effect on the memories of non-natives. For each day non-natives of the realm are present within its borders, there is a cumulative 10 percent chance that they will form a false memory of a life lived within the realm. Once a character forms such a false memory, the daily check resets to 0 percent and starts again. Once a character has formed three such memories, they become firmly convinced that they have lived their entire life in Darkon. A remove curse spell will remove one false memory. If this reduces the character below three false memories, they will be able to recall glimpses of another life in another realm. Otherwise, the only way to reverse the effects of the memory anomalies is by leaving the realm altogether, at which point, all false memories rapidly fade. A character whose memory is lost entirely to this effect will firmly deny any claim that they have not always lived here and will resist – violently, if necessary – any attempt to leave the realm, as it is their beloved homeland. Darkon As the characters stumble from the mists into an unfamiliar landscape, read or paraphrase the following: After an immeasurable amount of time pushing forward through the Mists, you think you see a strange light ahead of you. The tendrils of Mist slink away from your skin and you stumble forward onto a grassy field near a serene lake. The light of two suns, one much larger than the other, casts a molten shimmer on the water. Fishing boats dot the lake’s calm surface. Straight ahead of you, maybe a mile distant, is a quaint village. From this distance, you can make out a cluster of cottages with thatched roofs. Smoke rises from stone chimneys. Outside the walls of the village are fields of green crops, though from this distance you can’t make out what kind. Small humanoids walk the rows tending to the greenery. Looking over your shoulder, you see that the Mists that brought you here are nowhere to be found. Instead, a wide dirt road winds between grassy meadows before disappearing into a tranquil forest. prefers to focus on his experiments and studies, delegating much of his authority to a secret police force known as the Kargat. (Note: Azalin’s immortality is due to the fact that he is a lich. However, this is not a well-known fact and something of which Biffan is unaware.) J Roughly a year ago there was a strange explosion that destroyed Castle Avernus. In the wake of the explosion, a glowing star referred to as the King’s Tear rose into the sky. Azalin has not been seen since the explosion. Some assume the wizardking is dead and others assume that he found a way to escape Darkon. J Darkon was once home to Rudolph Van Richten, a legendary hunter of undead who now resides in the domain of Mordent. At this point, characters may travel in any direction they like, though having arrived in an unfamiliar land, they are likely to seek more information in Rivalis. DMs should steer, but not railroad, them in this direction. Rivalis Rivalis is, on most days, a happy and peaceful town, standing in contrast to most locales in Darkon, or anywhere in any of the domains of Ravenloft. Like most of the inhabitants of Darkon, the townspeople of Rivalis – mostly halflings – respond to the horrors of their dying domain with willful indifference. Brigands who live in the nameless forest north of town or in the Shrouded Hills even farther north (the scattered survivors of the Radanavich clan) occasionally threaten these peaceful folk. The Kargat, Darkon’s secret police, occasionally intrudes on the town’s serenity as well, seeking information on some enemy of the state or simply checking in with contacts. Rumors of a lake monster, Wolf-Head Wylie, also abound as an explanation for the periodic disappearances of fishing boats on Redleaf Lake or the more distant Lake Placid. Finally, on rare nights, a townsperson will wake up with bite marks on their neck, complaining about feeling weak and anemic. So far, whatever is causing this has not claimed any lives, but it seems to grow more voracious as time goes on, feeding more and more often. The townspeople may mention these things, but if asked for more information, they quickly clarify that it’s just a rumor and move to change the topic of conversation, fearful that discussing an evil will earn its attention. Key locations in Rivalis include: Thanks to the second “sun”, Biffan is able to recognize this as the domain of Darkon. The halfling skull can provide the following information: J Darkon is one of the largest domains of Ravenloft. Its Darklord is the immortal wizard-king Azalin Rex. Azalin is an iron-fisted tyrant who rules distantly from Castle Avernus. The wizard-king

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 33 C1. Old Nuck’s Old Nuck’s is one of two large public houses in Rivalis. The mood inside is as festive and cheerful as the rest of the village. In the evenings, about two dozen halflings carouse here, drinking tankards of honeyed mead or barleywine (5sp) and eating from big wooden bowls of fish stew (1 gp). The halfling bard Buckleberry Tanglenote (commoner) regularly plays songs about heroes of local legend, such as the brave halfling pirate crew of the Honeysuckle Goddess, which roamed the Jagged Coast hundreds of years ago, and perhaps still does. He will happily tell the characters what he knows of the folklore of the Jagged Coast, though much of what he knows is colored by myth. Buckleberry also enjoys telling stories regarding Azalin Rex, the missing Darklord of Darkon. He can tell the characters in no uncertain terms that Azalin cannot be found in his castle. The castle was ripped apart by a vast explosion at its heart during the Hour of Ascension. The flow of time around the castle was frozen at the moment of the explosion and the castle’s fragments hang in midair, its magical fabric forever trying to pull itself back together. The everburning fireball at the castle’s heart is poisonous to the living, and no one could hope to survive there. Buckleberry has never heard of Vecna, referring the characters to Granny Fennel, who is “the most knowledgeable person in Rivalis”. For more details on Granny Fennel see area C4. In the afternoon or early morning, which is when the characters are likely to arrive if this is one of the first locations they visit upon their arrival in Rivalis, the tavern is less bustling, but still relatively cheerful. Buckleberry may still be found here, sipping a breakfast stout and plucking lazily at the strings of his lute, practicing new songs. Two elderly halfling men, Gordy and Old Prim (commoners), can be found playing halfling games of strategy at one of the tables. They are dismissive of the characters if approached, eager to get back to their games. At any time of day, the establishment’s current owner and operator, Lady Nebba Halfhearth (commoner), can be found behind the bar. She is the great granddaughter of Old Nuck himself, and she will gladly share the history of the establishment if asked. She will also give a little background on any of the townspeople of Rivalis if the characters ask. Like most townspeople, she will quickly change the subject if asked about Azalin Rex, the Shroud, the Kargat, the lake monster, or any other topic viewed as inappropriate for polite conversation. C2. The Lost Goat Knight In contrast to the town’s other large public house, The Lost Goat Knight is a subdued place. At any given time of day, only a handful of miserable looking halflings bury their sorrows in tankards of ale here. The bartender, Sir Humphrey (a title he has given himself) will sell the characters tankards of watery ale for 2 sp. Sir Humphrey has never heard of Vecna, referring the characters to Granny Fennel, who is “the most knowledgeable person in Rivalis”. For more details on Granny Fennel see area C4. Most of the patrons will ignore the characters, eager to bury themselves in their drinks, but one patron at the bar, Brady Furfingers, will tell the characters that his brother, Barney Furfingers, was lost when his fishing boat was destroyed by Wolf-head Wylie on Redleaf Lake. During the evening, but never during the day, there is a 50 percent chance burgomaster Arian Windfoot (vampire) can be found here (otherwise, he can be found wandering the streets). This is his preferred public house because it is much quieter. If present here, he’ll be accompanied by his “town council,” the name he has given to his regular drinking buddies. Notably, Arian himself does not imbibe, and if asked about this, he will say that he once had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and had to give it up. For more details on burgomaster Arian see area C5 and the Madame Radanavich section of appendix A. If asked about any unusual information (such as Vecna), Arian rubs his chin thoughtfully and mentions that the lost manor of Richten Haus once held a great number of books. If asked about Richten Haus, read or paraphrase the following: “Ah, yes, Richten Haus. It was swallowed by the Shroud months ago. Not sure why you’d want to risk your life to go there. Sit, join my town council and me for a drink instead. Or not. Your choice. All I can tell you for certain is that no one who has gone into the Shroud has ever returned . Hmm, except for Granny Fennel. She might be willing to share her secrets with you.” C3. Bait and Tackle This is a general store operated by an enterprising halfling named Taz McGinty. He will sell the characters any common item normally sold on the general equipment lists from the Player’s Handbook. He also sells fishing equipment and has a few used fishing boats that he can sell to the characters.

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 34 C4. Crystal Garden The Crystal Garden is the greenhouse at the center of Rivalis. It gets its name from the paneled glass dome that houses plants from every region of Darkon and some other demiplanes. The garden is overseen by the gnomish archdruid Fennel Fernhand, known as Grandma Fennel, or Granny Fennel. She has been welcomed as one of their own by the halflings of Rivalis and is viewed by the townspeople as a wise and beloved leader. Townsfolk will direct the characters to speak to either her or the burgomaster, Arian Windfoot, for more information about the region. Any character who is proficient with an herbalism kit can find sufficient herbs to brew 1d4 potions of healing. If the character makes a successful DC 15 Intelligence check they also find enough grave weed to make either 1d4 doses of a concoction similar to carrion crawler mucus or 2 doses of torpor (See the Dungeon Master’s Guide for information on these poisons). If the characters harvest these plants they are accosted by a shambling mound and 1d6 needle blights. Grandma Fennel. If the characters elect to speak to Grandma Fennel, they can find her in a small wooden annex filled with books and potted plants attached to the main dome. As one of the oldest inhabitants of Rivalis, Grandma Fennel has considerable information. In particular: J Grandma Fennel has not heard the name Vecna. She recommends that the characters visit the ruins of Castle Avernus to find out more. Castle Avernus was once home to Azalin Rex, the Darklord of Darkon. Azalin hoarded knowledge and his library is rumored to contain information on the entirety of Ravenloft. J Months ago there was a strange explosion from Castle Avernus. Even stranger, the fortress’s rubble, rather than tumbling to the ground, remains suspended in mid air. Azalin has not been seen since this explosion and there are competing theories that he is either dead or found a way to escape Darkon. J The ruins of Castle Avernus are bathed in a sickly green radiance that can kill even the hardiest adventurer. Granny Fennel believes that she can brew a protective potion, but she needs some rare herbs known as bog knuckle that only grow in the gardens of Richten Haus, the abandoned home of her old friend Rudolph van Richten. Richten Haus was once north of Rivalis, but has since been swallowed by the Shroud. J Rudolph van Richten was once a medical doctor of great promise who, pursuing fame and renown, engaged in battle with the Radanavich clan. The Radanavich clan was a band of brigands masquerading as Vistani, led by a warlock of considerable power, Irina Radanavich. J During this battle the Radanavich’s killed Rudolph’s son, Erasmus, and his wife, Ingrid. Haunted by their painful memories, the monster hunter has abandoned his ancestral home and now lives a humbler life in the distant land of Mordentshire. J Grandma Fennel can give directions to Castle Avernus (see chapter 3) as well as Richten Haus. If the characters indicate a willingness to travel to Richten Haus, read or paraphrase the following: Grandma Fennel tends her garden

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 35 Oh, be careful there, younglings. Yes, yes! First know that to reach Richten Haus, you must travel through the Shroud. And the Shroud is only present at night. Darkon nights are dangerous in the best of cases, and if you go a-bumbling into the Shroud it’s even worse! The dead go there. The walking dead! Have you seen them? The dead here in Darkon, they rise and wander into the night if you don’t destroy the bodies right away! Frightening sight, but they are harmless. That is, until they enter the Mists. Something there inhabits their minds. Some force. Maybe the Dark Ones themselves, yes, yes. Or maybe something worse. Something from the spaces between the planes. Indeed, there are worse things to be found in the Shroud than just the walking dead, youngling. If you are careless, or unlucky, or both, you may stumble upon those things. I’ve seen one once. While harvesting my planties! Slithery things. Slimy. All hooks and tentacles and suckers and eyes and mouths. Good for eating careless adventurers. Be careful, younglings. Careful! But, yes, there are herbs Granny Fennel needs which can only be found near the house. I can show you on the map where you would have to enter the Mists. I cannot tell you what you will have to do to get out again, but I can provide magic that may help keep you safe once you are inside… Potions. For 200 gp each, Grandma Fennel can provide potions that will keep the undead and the lurkers in the Shroud at bay. If the characters purchase and consume such a potion, they are invisible to any Undead or Aberration, so long as they are within the Shroud. This effect lasts for twenty four hours. Grandma Fennel is not herself a native of Darkon, so she is fully aware of the memory anomalies that affect visitors. Through her alchemical abilities, she was able to brew a concoction that allows her to resist these effects, though it is mildly toxic. She will sell these potions to the characters for 200 gp each. A single potion is enough to prevent memory loss for a month. One unfortunate side effect is that it temporarily reduces the character’s maximum hit points by 1d8. This side effect lasts for one day. The Burgomaster. Finally, Grandma Fennel also knows that the town’s burgomaster, Arian Windfoot, is secretly a halfling vampire. She has agreed to keep his secret in exchange for the freedom to run the Crystal Garden as she sees fit. If the characters find evidence of his secret nature and confront Grandma Fennel about it, she will feign ignorance. If pressed on the matter, she will tell the characters that Arian is a good man and a good leader. She will chastise the characters for their ignorant prejudices, admonishing them that being a vampire doesn’t inherently make one a bad person. C5. Burgomaster’s House The burgomaster’s house can be found near the north end of town. It looks similar in style to the other cottages – simple and rustic, thatch-roofed – except larger. The house is quiet and empty most of the time, and there is little of interest that can be found here. However, if they explore the house’s basement and make a successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check, the characters find a secret entrance leading to Arian’s hidden crypt below the basement, which will no doubt reveal his true nature to them. Along one wall of this crypt are rows of cages containing rabbits, squirrels, and pigeons, sources of easy blood for Arian to slake his hunger without having to feed on his townspeople, which he tries to do only in emergency situations, though his hunger for blood has, of late, been less slaked by the blood of animals. On a raised stone dais in the middle of the dirt floor rests a halfling-sized wooden coffin. During the day, Arian Windfoot can be found sleeping inside. The inside of the coffin lid is marked with a glyph that will magically awaken Arian if his resting place is disturbed. During the evening, the crypt is empty. If the characters examine the dais, they can discover a hidden compartment with a successful DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check. Inside the hidden compartment is a small treasure trove consisting of three blood diamonds worth 500 gp each and a pipe of smoke monsters (appendix D). If disturbed during the day, Arian Windfoot will admonish the characters for trespassing. He may try to talk his way out of trouble but will soon realize that if he lets the characters go free, they may share his secret. At this point, he will feel forced to attack. Should the characters slay Arian and share his secret with the townspeople, most of them will be relieved to have been delivered from such an evil. They will thank the characters and set about the process of choosing a new burgomaster. The leading candidates would be Sir Humphrey and Lady Nebba Halfhearth. One townsperson who will not react favorably to the news of Arian Windfoot’s destruction is Granny Fennel. She and Arian have developed a close friendship over the years, and if she hears that the characters have destroyed him, she will be loath to help them find the location of Richten Haus. Instead, she will lock herself within the Crystal Garden and go into a period of mourning. Should this be the case, the halfling bard, Buckleberry Tanglenote, or any other townsperson the DM prefers, can become an alternative source of important information.

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 36 The Hidden Trail The hidden trail to Richten Haus can be found about a mile north of Rivalis, alongside the road leading to the distant city of Martira Bay. A character that makes a successful DC 18 Wisdom (Survival) check can find the trail on their own, or they may have the location marked for them by Grandma Fennel. Traveling the trail is safe during the day. There are wisps of fog, but little more. However, when the characters arrive at Richten Haus they find only a bare stone foundation and the crumbling remnants of the wall that once surrounded it. Searching by Night. If the characters travel at night, then the hidden trail is engulfed by the Shroud. While traveling through the Shroud, there is a 50 percent chance that the characters will encounter a random horror from the table below: d4 Encounter 1 2d10 zombies 2 1d4 mist walkers 3 2d4 gibbering mouthers 4 An insectoid, multi-segmented Aberration (use the statistics of a behir) There is also a possibility of becoming lost or disoriented in the Mists. Whichever character is guiding the party must make a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check or become lost. It takes 1d4 hours for lost characters to regain their bearings. During this time they have a 50 percent chance of encountering a random horror. Either way, when they eventually reach their destination they find Richten Haus intact (see areas D1 and D2). Searching by Day. If the characters manage to find the stone foundation of the manor house during the day and wait for night to fall, they will witness the Mists billow over the rolling hills and through the tree line to their north, swallowing the trees before rolling quickly across the landscape toward them. Witnessing this firsthand is a terrifying sight for any living thing, and each character must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw in order to avoid fleeing from the encroaching Mists. While they cannot outrun them – at least not through natural means – they will become disoriented and lost within the Mists should they be affected by this fear effect. As before it takes 1d4 hours for a lost character to regain their bearing. During this time they are attacked by 1d4 mist walkers. If the characters manage to hold their ground as the Mists billow over the stone foundation, they will witness the house appear. A blanket of mist swirls aside and, suddenly, Richten Haus stands before them. The wall surrounding the manor house will also be restored, though if the characters are near the foundation, they will be inside the wall, which will not be immediately visible to them through the Mists. Other parts of the manor house, such as the stables and an outdoors larder, will be restored as well, though the characters will have to find these through exploration as they also are not visible from near the stone foundation itself. Richten Haus Richten Haus and its grounds constitute a pocket domain ruled over by Madame Radanavich (appendix A for her backstory and appendix B for her stat block), the leader of a gang of brigands that once inhabited the forests north of Rivalis pretending to be Vistani. Though this domain is linked with Darkon, they are separate domains, and special rules that apply to Darkon, such as the memory anomalies, do not apply here. It is eternally night within Richten Haus. Because of this, once characters have entered this pocket domain, they are trapped. Anytime the characters enter the mists surrounding Richten Haus they inevitably return to the manor. While travel through the Mists of Ravenloft are always dangerous, this is no more or less true for Richten Haus than any other domain. The normal rules for passage through the mist apply (see Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft). The Radanavich ghouls encountered within Richten house comprise just a small portion of Madame Radanavich’s forces. Others prowl the mists, coming and going as they please. If characters take a long rest within Richten Haus a hunting party of 2d4 Radanavich ghouls (appendix B). returns home, likely discovering the characters unless they have taken steps to hide their passage. D1. Wall The wall surrounding Richten Haus is just shy of ten feet tall. It is made of brick and topped with wrought iron spikes. If the characters place a hand upon the wall, they will find that it is cold, clammy, and damp with a viscous slime that makes climbing by natural means exceedingly difficult. Scaling the wall without assistance requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check or DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Both sides of the wall are covered with this same substance. If not washed from the hands and feet after scaling, it has detrimental effects. For the next hour, any time a character uses an item, weapon, or shield they must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or drop the object. Similarly, whenever they move during adverse conditions (such as combat)

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 37 they must make a successful DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. Water alone will not remove the slime. Characters can use a mixture of lamp oil followed by water, magical means of cleaning, or any other process the DM deems suitable. Growing along the inner edges of the wall are the remnants of the garden. Within the garden can be found the herbs that Granny Fennel requires. D2. Gate The Richten Haus gate is a wrought iron arch topped with spikes. In the curve of the arch, written in an ornate font, is the family name. The gate is secured with a massive locking mechanism. Any character who makes a successful DC 20 Dexterity check with thieves’ tools can unlock the mechanism. The structure itself is quite heavy and sturdy, despite age and rust and requires a successful DC 22 Strength (Athletics) check to force open. Magical means of unlocking the gate will work normally. Beyond the gate, a cobblestone path leads north to the manor (area D6). A smaller cobblestone path leads west to the gardens (area D5) and a muddy trail leads east to the stables and outdoor larder (areas D3 and D4). D3. Stables Within the stables the characters will find a macabre sight. The ground is muddy and mostly covered with piles of rotting hay. The smell of horses and manure still faintly lingers, but the only sign of the stable’s previous inhabitants are their moldering bones. Some of the skeletons remain largely intact while others have been scattered over time by predators. If the bones are disturbed or if the characters linger for more than one minute, they will begin to stir and reassemble. If the characters do not leave at this point, they will be attacked by six skeletal steeds. A skeletal steed has the same statistics as a nightmare, except it lacks the Ethereal Stride action. The characters can flee at any point while the bones are stirring and knitting themselves back together. If they do not close the door to the stables, the horses will pursue them outside. However, if the characters depart and close the gate behind them, the bones will return to their inert state. Other than the skeletal horses, the stable contains only rotting saddles and tack. Above the stable is a loft containing bales of rotting hay. If the characters search further, they will find a set of human bones behind the bales. The bones are lifeless and do not animate. They are clad in the remains of a rotting gown that was once probably quite nice. They wear jewelry worth 250 gp. D4. Outdoor Larder This room is lined with shelves filled with rotting foodstuffs and jars containing black tar that were once preserves. There is nothing of value here. D5. Ingrid’s Garden A small garden is at the end of the cobblestone path. The garden is now little more than briars and weeds, although if the characters check they can find more than enough bog knuckle for Granny Fennel to brew her potions. In the center of the garden is a small well. The well once supplied drinking water for the Van Richten family and their servants and remains intact, though the rope and bucket have long since rotted away. The characters can hear the faint sound of a woman crying at the bottom of the well. If a character attempts to climb down to the bottom of the well, they face a difficult task, as the walls of the well are covered with the same slick substance as every other surface within the Mists. Climbing the walls requires a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check but with proper climbing gear, this check may be reduced in difficulty. Almost a hundred feet down, characters will encounter black water with a few rotting leaves floating on the surface. They will still hear the crying of the woman here, though it sounds just as distant as it did outside the well. The water is foul and undrinkable, and if characters descend into it, they will find themselves in a reservoir about eighty feet wide and forty feet deep. The water is pitch black, and only magical forms of light can pierce it. Darkvision will not work, and other forms of supernatural sight are hindered by the inky darkness of the water. Lurking within the water is a malevolent water spirit (use the statistics for a banshee). She will initially appear to the characters as a beautiful woman who appears to be drowning or in distress. If the characters manage to defeat this spirit, she will dissipate into a watery mist that will reconstitute into her doomed form twenty-four hours later. At the bottom of the well, the characters may find her bones mostly submerged in the silt. All of her belongings have long since decayed with the exception of a periapt of wound closure near her skull. D6. Entryway Unlocked double doors with decorative silver knockers lead into the manor. Inside is a hallway tiled in black and white marble. Six sconces affixed to the walls are made of silver (10 gp each) that have become tarnished with age hinting at the lavish life-

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 38 style Richten Haus’s inhabitants once enjoyed. The furnishings have been reduced to mahogany splinters shrouded in cobwebs. Nothing else of value can be found here. A Radanavich ghoul prowls the entryway. It immediately attacks any characters that it sees, but attempts to flee if reduced to half of its hit points. D7. Parlor A fire appears to have gutted the parlor at some point. The furniture has mostly been reduced to ash, with nothing remaining save a stray charred table leg or other scraps of wood. Even the mahogany panels on the walls have been blackened by soot. A fireplace contains cold ashes. The walls of the downstairs parlor are lined with towering bookshelves. Most of the books on the lower shelves have been reduced to dust. On some of the higher shelves, some tomes have survived and may still be readable. These books are more for show and cover only basic topics such as the history and geography of Darkon. By expending half an hour and making a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check, characters may stumble upon one of the pieces of lore presented in the Darkon Lore table. Although most are not directly relevant to this adventure, they can help bring Darkon to life, as well as provide side quests for interested DMs. Darkon Lore 5d4 Lore 5 Il Aluk is the largest city in Darkon and the home of most of the nobility. For generations, the Eris family has ruled over the city via machinations, public sway, and, when necessary, assassination. 6 The biography of the wandering scholar Firan Zal’honan claims that he once had the opportunity to serve as a wizard-king but chose a “stranger path” instead. During his travels, he departed the realm of Darkon never to return. 7 Grave keepers have told rumors of eerie grave lights that hover above the graves of the recently interred at night or in the quiet gloom before a rainstorm. 8 The ever-shifting magical ley lines of Darkon often birth phenomena known as scatebrae. These are literal pools of magic that roil and bubble in the earth for several hours before evaporating into a greenish mist. Impossible feats are said to be possible near their presence. 9 The Shadow Dragon Ebbasheyth hails from somewhere near the twin mounts of Nirka and Nyid. Legend states that she has formed an alliance with Azalin Rex and lairs within Castle Avernus. 10 The area around Stagnus Lake is inhabited by twisted, impossible creatures. Some whisper that these are failed experiments by the sages at the Brautslava Institute. 11 A sentient bell tower wanders the Forest of Shadows on giant chicken legs, toppling trees as it moves. These trees are mysteriously replenished the following day. 12 A colony of weresnakes lives somewhere within the Great Salt Swamp. 13 Damon Skragg captains the Bountiful. He and his undead pirate crew inhabit the waters off the coast of Martira Bay. 14 Bathing in the Lake of Lost Dreams will cause one to lose the ability to sleep. 15 The spas of Nevuchar Springs are said to have miraculous properties of healing and rejuvenation. Visitors should be certain to visit Cascana Sanitarium. 16 The Night Hag Styrix has taken up residence in an abandoned keep on one of the islands off the coast of Martira Bay. 17 Darkon has had a long line of kings before Azalin Rex. One of the most infamous was Darcalus Rex, who waged bitter and fruitless wars against the neighboring kingdoms until he was assassinated by his own royal guard. 18 Though Brautslava Institute is revered as an academy of mystical, alchemical, and scholarly learning, some whisper that it is home to a secret society of evil wizards called the Fraternity of Shadows. 19 A colony of weresharks lives on Wrecker’s Island. They have a longstanding feud with Damon Skragg and the crew of the Bountiful. 20 Azalin Rex slew his brother Ranald and his son Irik for perceived treachery to the crown. D8. Dining Hall This room is dominated by a long table surrounded by chairs occupying the center of the room. The furniture was once probably quite nice, but now is covered in cobwebs. The china cabinets contain dinnerware that has become brittle with age, much of it already reduced to shards. The silverware is tarnished, but with proper cleaning, about 75 gp worth can be salvaged. Five Radanavich ghouls are seated around the table, feasting on a gutted, naked corpse that has been bound to the table. They immediately attack any characters that they see. Unless the characters take precautions not to make noise, there is a 50 percent chance each round that the ghouls from area D9 hear the battle and join the fight. D9. Kitchen As with the rest of the house, the kitchen has been reduced to ruin. Cobwebs cover the pots and pans hanging from hooks on the walls and fill the interiors of the cold iron cooking stove. The cupboards are barren, having apparently been picked over by previous explorers. A dumbwaiter occupies one wall. Small characters may enter the dumbwaiter.

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 39 It connects to the master bedroom, location D18. If characters return to this room while the elevator is at that location, they will find that the dumbwaiter shaft descends into darkness. If characters have a way of gauging the distance of the drop, they will find that solid ground is twenty feet below. Descending the dumbwaiter shaft will take characters to location D11, the cellar. There is nothing else of value here. Three Radanavich ghouls are using cleavers to dismember a dead body. They immediately attack any characters that they see. Unless the characters take precautions not to make noise, there is a 50 percent chance each round that the ghouls from areas D8 or D10 hear the battle and join the fight. D10. Staircase and Storage A set of wooden stairs lead down to the cellar (area D11) as well as up to the second floor (areas D14 to D19). There are two chambers filled with rotted crates and splintering barrels. Most of these containers are empty, serving as little more than nests to vermin, however any character that thoroughly searches them finds three vials of holy water. Four Radanavich ghouls prowl the hallway on all fours, attacking any intruders that they see. Unless the characters take precautions not to make noise, there is a 50 percent chance each round that the Radanavich ghouls from area D9 hear the battle and join the fight.

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 40 D11. Cellar A set of rickety wooden stairs leads down into the damp, dark, cold cellar. Rats skitter across the floor, fleeing from the characters’ light sources. Shelves lining the walls contain common spell components, some preserved, some seemingly fresh. Scuff marks in the dust lead down a narrow crevice roughly hewn into the far wall of the cellar. D12. Dungeon This narrow passage is lined on both sides with prison cells. Characters who make a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check will notice that the construction here is newer than the rest of the manor house. The cells are empty save for scraps of moldy hay and a few tiny, scattered bones, with the exception of D12b, which contains the skeleton of a small humanoid, and D12f. As the characters approach D12f, they see furtive movement at the back of the cell and hear the sound of claws scrabbling on stone. Eventually, a scrawny creature of about four feet tall – though his height is hard to tell as he is hunched over – will emerge into the light. Tufts of matted reddish fur cover much of his body, though where he is not covered by hair, patches of sickly grayish skin speckled with festering sores are visible. His eyes are glazed over as if he has cataracts, and long talons tip the ends of his fingers and toes. This is Salizarr (appendix B), a meazel ghoul who, due to the influence of the Darklord Madame Radanavich, cannot use his Shadow Teleport action while trapped in his cell. He has been imprisoned by Madame Radanavich here in her dungeon for further study. She is interested in two odd conditions

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 41 affecting Salizarr. The first is his multiple personalities, all of which seem to be aware of each other. It is almost as if multiple beings exist simultaneously within him, all of them murderous. The second, and more interesting to her, is the fact that he periodically disappears from his cell, only to reappear within the cell at some random interval later. Every five minutes the characters spend talking to Salizarr, there is a cumulative 5 percent chance that he will disappear, sending up a small puff of dust from the cell floor as he does so. If this happens, he will reappear ten to thirty minutes later. Madame Radanavich is convinced that if she can study this strange effect, she may also be able to harness this power herself, and even discover how to make these teleportations permanent, thus effecting her escape from Richten Haus. Salizarr desperately wants to be released, and he will answer the characters’ questions if they agree to let him loose afterwards. When the characters first approach Salizarr, the active personality at that moment is Vargetta the Snake. She is a serial murderer with a knack for crafting and using poisons to kill her victims. When Salizarr teleports while under the sway of this personality, he finds himself in Martira Bay. As Vargetta, she will first procure in whatever way she can the ingredients needed to craft her poisons, then she will search the inns for a suitable victim, preferring the heavily inebriated, as they will not wake up from their slumber as she plies her trade. The townspeople of Martira Bay refer to this mystery poisoner as the Spider. Other personalities belonging to Salizarr include the Closet Man, Old Scurvy Jake, Them, and He Who Bends Men. Each personality teleports to a different location of the DM’s choosing. If the characters can determine through conversation the nature of these personalities and disappearances, they can push Salizarr for limited information on the places he goes. Note that these personalities hate and mistrust each other, and he will switch between them frequently to convince the characters that they cannot trust what the others are saying. The DM should have fun deciding which (if any) of the personalities are trustworthy, and to what extent. They may also invent any additional personalities they see fit. Speaking with Salizarr. If the characters ask about Richten Haus, Madame Radanavich, or the Vistani, read or paraphrase the following. This is written in the voice of Vargetta the Snake, but you may modify this to fit any other personality you choose: “Ah, do you not realize that you sssstand in the former home of the idiot Rudolph Van Richten. He thinksss he understandssss the nature of the Misssts, but he knows nothing of their true nature. They are not a punishment for those who commit atrocitiessss, but a reward! If only he and the ressst of these foolssss could underssstand and appreciate! Thisss house belongs now to Madame Radanavich, she ressssponsible for the death of Van Richten’s son. Her Vistani curse transssformed him into a creature of the Missssts. Again, a reward! But Van Richten wassss driven mad by his son’s evolution. He thought he ssslew her, but no. No! She lives on, here in hisss house, twisssting it into a mockery of the peaceful life Van Richten once knew.“ The characters can ask for more information on Van Richten, though Salizarr knows very little about him other than that he once lived here peacefully for many years until he earned Irina Radanavich and her clan’s ire by discovering that they were no true Vistani, but rather a gang of brigands living in the woods north of Rivalis. The characters can also discover through questioning that Madame Radanavich’s gang practiced Vistani sorcery they had acquired through nefarious means as a way to frighten the halflings of Rivalis and provide cover for the Radanavich’s crimes. Finally, Salizarr will tell the characters that there is no safe passage back through the Mists to Darkon or any other domain. This is true, though as mentioned earlier, passage through the Mists is no more or less dangerous here than elsewhere, and the normal rules for passage through the mist apply. Nonetheless, he tells the characters that if they slay Madame Radanavich, he will regain full control of his teleportation powers, and he can use them to return the characters (and himself) to Darkon. This is a lie. He has been cursed with these teleportation abilities by the Dark Powers, transforming him into numerous bogeymen of local legends and there is no way for him to control these powers. The door can be opened with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check made by a character proficient with thieves’ tools, a successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check, or by finding the keys, which are in area D13. If the characters release Salizarr at any point, he will attack them, though the cumulative chance of teleportation continues, rising by 5 percent per round of combat. If they open his cell door while he has teleported, he will later enter Van Richten’s Study and attack Madame Radanavich at some point during the characters’ encounter with her. Again, during that encounter, there will be a cumulative 5 percent chance per round of combat that he will teleport away.

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 42 D13. Ritual Room Here, a pentagram has been marked onto the floor in chalk. The stone floor at the center of the pentagram has been stained with dried blood. Dark candles rest at the tips of each point of the star, though they are unlit. More black candles stand on shelves around the room, also unlit. There are various implements of torture here, both large and small, and hanging on a hook on the wall are the keys to the cells found in location D12, including the key to Salizarr’s cell. There are also several chests and storage cabinets. If the characters take the time to search, between this room and location D11, they can find any mundane spell components they require. With a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check, a character can discover that one of the chests has a false bottom. Searching it, they will find a finely crafted scourge worth 200 gp. D14. Closet Dozens of dark cloaks hang from this closet. The cloaks are covered in dust which seems unnaturally thick. The dust covering the cloaks is actually dust of sneezing and choking and it billows into a 30 foot cloud if disturbed. A character who makes a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check can bottle the dust without disturbing it, although a failure sends the dust billowing into the air. A cloaker lairs amidst the cloaks, attacking if disturbed. Because of its prolonged exposure to the dust of sneezing and smoking, the cloaker is immune to its effect. D15. Guest Bedroom This bedroom is supernaturally cold and any character who is not protected from the cold finds their breath fogging as they shiver involuntarily. There is an empty table, an overturned bed, and a dresser. A large mirror hangs on the southern wall. If a character steps into the room, then the mirror ripples and hundreds of tiny ephemeral ghosts fly forth from it. These ghosts cry plaintively, inflicting 3d6 necrotic damage to any character that enters the room or starts their turn in the room. The ghosts cannot be damaged, although the mirror can. The mirror has AC 10, 50 hit points, and immunity to poison, and psychic damage. If the mirror is destroyed the ghosts disappear from the room. Alternatively the ghosts can be banished by a remove curse spell or by a paladin brandishing their holy symbol and expending a use of Channel Divinity. Any character who looks underneath the overturned bed finds an iron box, the size of a shoe box, engraved with abjuration runes. The box is a ghost box. Opening the box requires an action. If a banshee, ghost, specter, wraith or other incorporeal Undead is within 30 feet of the box when it is opened, then a yellow light blazes forth from the container. All such Undead must make a successful DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or get sucked into the box, after which the spirits are sent to the afterlife. A ghost box becomes inert after a single use. D16. Erasmus’ Bedroom This room once belonged to Rudolph Van Richten’s son Erasmus. The furnishings have been reduced to rubble, and the room has been looted of anything of value. The walls have been smeared with arcane symbols in dried blood and feces. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check will reveal that these are symbols of warding. They prevent Erasmus’ soul from returning to Richten Haus. If the characters cast dispel magic upon them and wipe them away (they are unremovable prior to a dispel magic spell), Erasmus (ghost) will sense their erasure. He will appear before the characters. If this occurs, read or paraphrase the following: “Brave ones! Thank you for allowing me to return to the home of my youth. Truly, this is the only place where I ever knew peace. It is a blessing to see these four walls once again. I wish there was some way I could reward you for your efforts. Please, if there is any way I can assist you in your quest, please let me know.“ At this point, Erasmus will answer the characters’ questions concerning the history of the feud between the van Richten family and the Radanavach clan (see the Madame Irina Radanavich section of appendix A) as well as Richten Haus (though he knows nothing about the current layout). As far as Erasmus knows, the Radanaviches are truly Vistani. If Madame Radanavich still lives, Erasmus takes on a look of great distress. Read or paraphrase the following: “I sense Irina in this house. The witch! She must be slain! This “is the only way my father and I will ever know peace. Please, tell me you will assist me in restoring honor to the Van Richten name by avenging my death.” If the characters agree, or if they ask Erasmus at any point to assist them, he will aid them in combat against Madame Radanavich (Although she is immune to his Possession action). If the characters refuse to help, Erasmus will take on a look of grim resolve. He will tell the characters he will take care of his unfinished business himself and disappear.

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 43 D17. Ingrid’s Parlor This upstairs parlor and dressing room once belonged to Van Richten’s wife, Ingrid. Much like the rest of the house, this room has been looted and destroyed. Little of value remains here, though if the characters search the rubble and make a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, the characters find a locket buried within the rubble. The locket contains a portrait of Rudolph Van Richten and their son Erasmus in happier days. Ingrid’s love has been imbued into this otherwise mundane item, and the strength of that love can assist the characters should they find themselves in combat with Madame Radanavich or the Radanavich ghouls. It will provide a +2 bonus to any saves, combat rolls, or skill checks to the wearer in combat against Madame Radanavich or her ghouls, and a +1 bonus to any character standing within 10 feet of the wearer. D18. Master Bedroom This was once the room of Rudolph and Ingrid. The furnishings have been looted or destroyed. If the characters search and make a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check, behind a loose baseboard they will find Ingrid’s diary, which will provide additional background information on the lives of the Van Richtens. They can read about her husband’s unhealthy obsession with fame during his youth. She did not approve of this obsession and predicted that it would someday bring ruin upon the family. At one point, she considered taking a young Erasmus and fleeing but was afraid that they would not survive long in the countryside alone. She also writes about her husband’s crusade against the Radanaviches, again disapprovingly. She admired her husband’s righteousness but never understood why he put these pursuits ahead of the safety of his family.

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 44 D19. Van Richten’s Study This room is lined with bookshelves containing tomes of all ages, shapes, and sizes. Near the far wall of the chamber is Van Richten’s desk, still strewn with papers. Upon closer examination, the characters will find that these are not the scrawlings of Van Richten, but of Madame Radanavich, who has spent many years now poring over Van Richten’s old tomes and papers, looking for any way she might escape this dread domain that has become her home and prison. She longs to return to the forests of Darkon and has come to regret her past evils, which have led to the destruction of her clan. She laments the fact that her family, friends, and loved ones have been reduced by her actions to the mindless slavering ghouls that now wander the grounds of Richten Haus. If the characters have freed either Erasmus’ spirit or the meazel Salizarr from their respective imprisonments, they will find Madame Radanavich (appendix B) locked in combat with one or the other of them (if both have been freed, the DM can decide which they find her fighting). At this point, the characters can choose to assist either Madame Radanavich or her opponent. If they stand idly by, she will eventually dispatch her foe. If defeated, Erasmus is not destroyed, only temporarily banished from this realm. If she is fighting Salizarr, the DM may end the fight at any time by having him randomly teleport away. Alternatively, Madame Radanavich will eventually slay him. If the characters did not assist her, she will sense their complicity in what has just happened and immediately attack. If neither Erasmus nor Salizarr has been freed, or if the characters assist Madame Radanavich in defeating them, read on with this encounter. As the characters enter, they find Irina Radanavich standing at Van Richten’s desk, squinting at her own scribblings on a sheet of parchment. She is an elderly woman dressed in the traditional garb of the Vistani, though all the color has faded from it, leaving her clad in drab grays, whites, and blacks. Her hair is stark white, and her eyes are cloudy with age. Madame Radanavich confronting interlopers in her cursed home

Chapter 2 A Haus Divided 45 She will look up suspiciously at the characters as they enter and come around the desk to face them. She will then ask how the characters have managed to enter her domain. Whether they tell the truth or not, read or paraphrase the following: “Well now, how you got here is of no matter, ultimately. Know simply that you are trapped. You can leave only through my consent. . . or over my dead body. But why should you leave, when I cannot? Can you imagine the pain of eternal imprisonment? What I would give to see the forests of my homeland once more. Oh, the cruelty of this eternity!” She will continue to rant and mumble for a while, seemingly having forgotten about the characters. At some point, she will snap back to the present and address the characters once more, asking them why they have come. If the characters mention Azalin Rex or Castle Avernus, read or paraphrase the following: “Azalin Rex? Azalin Rex. The lich-king of Darkon? Firan Zal’Honan. For many, many years, he was trapped in his Domain as I am in mine. I hear the whisperings of the Dark Ones inside my head. They are angry. Angry that he has tried to escape his fate somehow. Oh, if only I could know how he has accomplished such a feat! Tell me, why do you seek to know about him?” Whether the characters are honest with her or not, if they reply to her question, she will wave away their answer and say the following: “Posh, your mortal pursuits are your own. I will release you from my domain if you swear to bring me whatever information you find within his Castle. Otherwise, you can join me in eternity.” If the characters swear to bring Madame Radanavich any information they find within Castle Avernus, then she allows them to escape her domain. The next time they enter the mists surrounding the manor, they emerge along the outskirts of Rivalis. However, the characters are now under the effect of a geas spell, and are compelled to stay true to however they worded their oath. If the characters choose to provide Madame Radanavich with this information, she will also seek to recover the body parts of Vecna, sending her agents forth in pursuit. They will interfere with the characters’ own plans in any way possible. These agents include Salizarr (if he is still alive), who she will compel to do her bidding with the promise of permanent freedom from the dungeon cell to which he is bound, and her Radanavich ghoul agents. Alternatively, the characters may elect to fight Madame Radanavich to escape Richten Haus. After her death, the characters may safely leave the grounds of Richten Haus. Treasure. Should the characters search the room they find a cloak of lesser invisibility (appendix D) folded within one of the desk’s drawers. Beyond this item, the desk also contains what information Madame Radanavich has managed to uncover in her own research. Although not directly relevant to this adventure, they add an air of mystery and potential side quests for DMs seeking to expand their campaign. These notes include: J Partial blueprints for a Rift Spanner of similar design and function to the one devised by the night hag Styrix. J An outline of Salizarr’s personalities and the locations to which he travels when possessed by each differing personality. J A map of the Mists surrounding Richten Haus; though the Mists are evershifting, the map suggests that a few locations appear to be permanently fixed. One is labeled “Cosmic Portal.” Another is labeled “The Clockmaker’s Eye.” A third is labeled “The City of Impossible Angles.” J A crudely sketched map labeled “Lamordia,” with an X drawn on an island on the map’s western edge. The X is labeled “Haifisch.” Among Van Richten’s own papers are numerous studies on the anatomy and behavior of vampires, liches, ghosts, lycanthropes, and other supernatural creatures. From these papers, the characters may learn any and all information from their entries in the Monster Manual. Nana's Concoction Once the characters return to Grandma Fennel, she quickly processes the herbs into a nauseating concoction of clotted, green liquid. She can make eight such potions. Drinking a potion makes a character immune to the poisonous energy radiating throughout Castle Avernus for one month. After making the concoction Granny Fennel provides the characters with directions to Castle Avernus. To reach the castle they need to travel fifteen miles south, along Hook Road. Then, they must head east, along a pathway known as the Ascent, for twenty miles. Granny Fennel advises the characters to avoid the Ascent during the evening, to avoid the Shroud. See the section on Richten Haus as to what happens if they ignore her advice.

Chapter 3 Float like a Castle, Sting like an Imp 46 treacherous path winds its way up a steep mountain. Atop the mountain is a strange, awe-inspiring sight. A blasted castle, long since shattered into pieces, hangs suspended in midair. Floating above the castle’s wreckage is a radiant sphere of green energy that pulses slowly. Castle Avernus Floating bits of stone can be used as a makeshift stairwell, allowing the characters to climb up roughly one hundred feet. At this point the characters can access the lower end of a spiral staircase that leads up another thirty feet to area E1. These effects persists in areas E1 through E7: J A pulsing sphere of spectral green energy can be seen about three hundred feet above area E2. Unless a character has consumed Grandma Fennel’s concoction, its radiance makes them feel nauseated and sick at their stomach, inflicting 1d6 poison damage for every minute of exposure. J Despite the spectral radiance, persistent shadows cling everywhere, resulting in, at best, dim illumination. J The mournful wails of a female elf can be heard from area E7. J Smaller bits of debris drift about. This debris includes crumbled bits of masonry, broken furniture, shattered shards of china, and a grandfather clock that still chimes ominously on the hour. E1. Entrance This hovering island of stone is roughly 50 feet long and 30 feet wide. The edges are crumbling, but even the smaller pieces of crumbling stones are frozen in midair. During the day, shadows clings to the stone with unnatural persistence, shrouding the area in Chapter 3 Float like a Castle, Sting like an Imp Following the directions of Granny Fennel, the characters travel to the floating ruins of Castle Avernus, former home to the Darklord Azalin Rex. Within the ruins they find Skeever, Azalin’s imp familiar. With Skeever’s help the characters learn of the existence of lesser Vecnan relics, organs from Vecna’s former body. According to Skeever these relics can be used to access Cavitius, Vecna’s former Ravenloft domain. dim light. So long as the characters are cautious, they can easily jump to neighboring isles. Nonetheless, it may be worth reviewing the rules on jumping in chapter 7 of the Player’s Handbook. E2. Blacksmith This island bears a ruined smithy complete with an anvil, forge, and crafting table. Along an intact wall, on the southern end of the isle, is a rack that displays an array of armor and weapons of exquisite craftsmanship. The smithy is occupied by a dwarven vampire known as Axrock. Axrock is attended by two helmed horrors. Axrock is friendly to intruders, so long as they respect his workshop. He is obsessed with his forging and keeps to himself. As such he is largely ignorant of the surrounding areas. Axrock is frustrated because, with the destruction of Castle Avernus, the eldritch flames of his ever-burning forge have been snuffed out. If the characters find a suitable replacement, he asks them to bring it to him, going so far as providing them with a specially enchanted lantern that can be used to hold such a flame. The continual flame spell will not work, since it does not cast heat. Beyond this, allow the characters to be creative when it comes to relighting the forge. One possibility is to fill the lantern with flame from the ever-burning brazier in area G26. If the characters successfully restore Axrock’s forge, the dwarf offers to forge them two items of their choice. These newly forged items have a +1 enchantment. If the characters bring Axrock the adamantine ingots from area G23, the vampire offers to forge them a suit of adamantine armor in thanks. The weapons rack is filled with a variety of expertly crafted weapons and armor. Although most are nonmagical in nature, they are each worth ten times their usual value due to their craftsmanship. Rise of Vecna If the characters have played Rise of Vecna and one of them wields Zespara’s perfect blade, then Zespara is fascinated by Axrock’s handiwork. She implores the characters to spend a day with the dwarf, so that she can study his techniques. Axrock, in turn, is curious about Zespara and seeks to learn from her. If the characters indulge this exchange, and have relit the forge, then Axrock agrees to apply his forging techniques to Zespara’s perfect blade, granting it the properties of a sword of sharpness.

Chapter 3 Float like a Castle, Sting like an Imp 47 E3. Isle of Shadow The shadows are thickest amongst these collection of isles, dark and nearly palpable. Any illumination appears to be smothered, providing dim light at best. The central isle is covered in coins, all minted with the stamp of a grim-faced human male. The face turns into a frightening, skeletal visage on a coin removed from the castle. In total there are 10,000 cp, 10,000 sp, 5,000 ep, 3,000 gp, and 1,000 pp. If the characters set foot upon the central isle, they are set upon by a gloom of five shadows. As soon as the shadows are defeated read or paraphrase: The shadows all around you begin to squirm and twitch with life. They congeal together, forming into something vast and unnatural. A serpentine body takes form. Umbral wings unfurl. And two pits of impenetrable darkness stare down upon you with cold, impassive malevolence. The air grows colder as the shadow dragon speaks, “Such pathetic worms, hardly worth the effort of eating. But unfortunate for you, Ebbasheyth. . . hungers.” At this point Ebbasheyth (appendix B) attacks the characters. The shadow dragon begins by hovering over the closest character, attacking them furiously. Ebbasheyth conserves her breath weapon, saving it for when it can target multiple injured characters in hopes of raising at least one of them as a shadow. If any characters stand on the edge of an island, Ebbasheyth uses the shove action to attempt to push that character off the island. If knocked off the island, a character falls 1d10 x 10 feet before landing on a piece of floating debris. E3a. Isle of Abjuration Arcane runes decorate this smaller, floating isle. A DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check is sufficient to determine that the runes augment abjuration magic. If any caster casts an abjuration spell while standing on this island, they can attempt to draw upon the power of the runes by making a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If successful, the caster can augment the spell in one of the following ways: Careful Spell. If the spell forces other creatures to make a saving throw, the caster can protect some of those creatures from the spell’s full force. The caster can choose up to 1d4 creatures. Any chosen creature automatically succeeds on its saving throw. Distant Spell. If the spell has a range of 5 feet or greater, the caster can spend double the range of the spell. If the spell has a range of touch, the caster can make the range of the spell 30 feet. Empower Spell. When the caster rolls damage for their spell, they can reroll any number of damage dice. They must use these new rolls. Extended Spell. When the caster casts a spell that has a duration of 1 minute or longer, they can double its duration. Heightened Spell. If the spell forces a creature to make a saving throw to resist its effect, you can give one target of the spell disadvantage on its first saving throw made against the spell. E3b. Isle of Conjuration This floating island of rock is functionally equivalent to area E3a, only for conjuration spells. E3c. Isle of Divination This floating island of rock is functionally equivalent to area E3a, only for divination spells. E3d. Isle of Evocation This floating island of rock is functionally equivalent to area E3a, only for evocation spells. E3e. Isle of Illusion This floating island of rock is functionally equivalent to area E3a, only for illusion spells. E3f. Isle of Wild Magic Any time a creature casts a spell upon this isle of stone, they must roll twice on the Wild Magic Surge table from chapter 3 in the Player’s Handbook. The caster can use either result. E4. Hall of Records A maze of bookshelves winds its way along this expanse of floating rock. Just like the castle itself, the bookshelves are cracked and broken, held intact only through magic. A large table is balanced precariously along the northern edge of the island, overlooking a steep plummet into roiling mists. Dozens of books are scattered atop the table and a glowing, iridescent quill scrawls within one of them, seemingly of its own accord. Next to this table is a gigantic glowing book, as tall as a grown human. The ghostly figure of an elderly, headless man wanders through the library, a bobbing spectral head following in his wake. The floating book is known as the Book of Names and is filled with thousands of names and dates. The bobbing quill appears to be writing the biography of Alana Cantemir, a young merchant from Il Aluk. Whenever a sentient creature dies in the domain of Darkon, its name and date of death are recorded, by the iridescent quill, in the Book of Names. Their life story is then recorded in one of the smaller books, located on the table, and then placed amidst the bookshelves. The books are moved and sorted by a headless ghost named Elzarath. Elzarath is peaceful, although a bit befuddled. He is happy to explain how the books work, speaking all the while through his floating, severed head. Elzarath is willing to retrieve the book for any given name.

Chapter 3 Float like a Castle, Sting like an Imp 48 If asked to retrieve the history of Dany Werthy (see area E5), Elzarath happily obliges. The book recounts the exciting exploits of a master thief. After learning the secret password to Azalin’s personal treasure chest from some Vistani, Dany planned the ultimate heist. Sadly, his theft was cut short by the shadow dragon Ebbasheyth. Those reading the history closely note that the password was ‘Quantarius’. E5. Crypt This island is tipped at a forty-five-degree angle, with the north edge of the isle pointing downwards. Moving about it requires a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) or DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If a character fails this check, they slide 10 feet to the north, possibly falling off the island. In this case they fall 1d10 x 10 feet before landing on a piece of floating debris. Three sarcophagi remain within this shattered crypt, wedged amidst shattered debris. Two of the sarcophagi are plain and unlabeled, containing the non-descript remains of what appears to be humans. The third is covered with elaborate carvings and engraved with the name, ‘IRIK ZAL’HONAN’. Any character who peers over the edge of the island and makes a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) notices a floating, mist-shrouded sarcophagus floating thirty feet below them. Living within the third sarcophagus is the ghost of Irik Zal’honan, the son of Azalin. Long ago, before Azalin was drawn into Ravenloft, he was an ironfisted tyrant who ruled a distant kingdom mercilessly. Irik was the antithesis of his father – kind and gentle; guided by forgiveness rather than the rule of law. Azalin saw such virtues as blemishes, weaknesses that would destroy his kingdom should his son ever take the throne. Putting loyalty to his kingdom above that of his kin, Azalin went on to execute his only son. This sarcophagus was placed within Castle Avernus by the Dark Powers, presumably to torment Azalin.

Chapter 3 Float like a Castle, Sting like an Imp 49 Irik manifests if his sarcophagus is opened. Once he has appeared, he can supply the following information: J The treasure piled about the center isle is guarded by the shadow dragon, Ebbasheyth. Surrounding that isle are arcane runes that can augment a caster’s powers. J The wailing from the tower comes from an evil and tormented spirit called Willow, who will kill any living beings that come near her. In the highest floor of the tower is Azalin’s bedroom. J The last living person that Irik saw was a male half-elf thief called Dany Werthy. Dany claimed to know a special password that would allow him access to Azalin’s treasures; however, he was killed by Ebbasheyth before he could gain entrance to the tower. J Azalin is a committed, albeit tight-fisted, leader to his people. So much so that he put his kingdom over family by executing his only son to, at least in his own mind, save his kingdom. Irik can also supply any additional details regarding Azalin’s long and storied history (appendix A) to interested characters. However, the ghost knows nothing of Azalin’s more recent machinations, including the origins of the green star that glows above the castle. Irik regrets the evils that his father has perpetuated over the years and, because of their connection, feels a sense of personal responsibility. If the characters indicate a willingness to seek and destroy his father, then Irik bestows upon them a divine benediction. For the next 48 hours, any good-aligned characters gain the benefits of the bless spell. The floating sarcophagus is unlocked and contains a mummified corpse wearing an amulet of health while clasping a mace of disruption. E6. Tower Although the exterior of this tower is torn and cracked, the interior is surprisingly preserved. Inside the four-story tower are a series of richly furnished common rooms and living quarters. Willow’s Room. On the third floor is a vengeful, bitter nemhain named Willow (appendix B; marked as W on the map). The characters enter the room via the northern spiral staircase marked A on the map and can progress on to the fourth floor using the southern spiral staircase marked E on the map. During the ensuing battle, you can have a pleading but whiny voice yell nervously to the characters: “Destroy the urn hidden in the middle cupboard.” The voice is that of Skeever (see area E7 and the “Skeever” sidebar). Finding the urn in the middle cupboard (marked U on the map) requires a character to search it with a successful DC 8 Intelligence (Investigation) check made as an action. The urn has 5 hit points, AC 18, resistance to piercing and slashing damage, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. The urn is Willow’s ritual object; if it is destroyed, Willow loses the Profane Regeneration trait and can’t benefit from her Rejuvenation trait as the ashes spill out. If a character sees the ashes and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check, they learn that emptying a vial of holy water on the ashes will cause the spirits bound to Willow to be released and find rest, in turn causing Willow to lose the Bound Spirits trait, as well as the Spirit Barrage, Spirit Scout, and Spectral Rebuke actions. Willow and her tormented fate now stands as a dark warning to all: Never betray Azalin Rex Skeever Skeever has the same statistics as an imp. However, as the familiar of one of Ravenloft’s most legendary Darklords, the imp has a number of additional traits: Deathless Servant. While in Ravenloft, anytime that Skeever is killed, he bursts into a cloud of brimstone. He then reforms one minute later with all his hit points restored, at the location of his death. Mistwalker. By walking into the mists of Ravenloft, Skeever can freely travel from one domain to another and does not need any special talismans or keys to do so. Skeever can bring with him up to ten creatures of his choosing that are not otherwise bound to a domain. Home Sweet Home. Using an action, Skeever can teleport himself and up to ten willing creatures within 60 feet of him to area E8 in Castle Avernus. He does so without error and regardless of planar barriers.

Chapter 3 Float like a Castle, Sting like an Imp 50 Before her current predicament, Willow was a ruthless, bloodthirsty wizard who apprenticed for Azalin before her ambition got the better of her and she attempted to betray her master. Azalin in turn manipulated Willow into sacrificing both her own life and the lives of those closest to her in an effort to obtain what she believed to be the source of Azalin’s power: an ornamented, silver urn. The same urn that now holds the ashes of all those who paid for Willow’s hubris and has become her ritual object. Top Floor. On the fourth floor of the tower can be found Azalin’s bedroom, which contains a large canopy bed and twin wardrobe closets. Within the closets can be found a variety of expensive, albeit outdated outfits, a fist-sized platinum dragon’s head with ruby eyes (worth 25,000 gp), and a small rosewood chest. The dragon’s head is Azalin’s phylactery, but this fact is protected by enchantments and can only be learned through legend lore or comparably powerful magic. The rosewood chest is unlocked and appears empty. However, if a character speaks the word “Quantarius,” the following contents magically appear: an Ioun stone of absorption, a robe of stars, and a ring of shooting stars. If Skeever is with the characters, he plays dumb regarding the chest but encourages the characters to take the dragon’s head.