The_Golden_Fish_An_Adventure_in_the_Forgotten_Realms

The Golden Fish

An Adventure in the Forgotten Realms

Once thought to be a myth as old as time itself, the Golden Fish is actually
an artifact of immense power that has the ability to grant a powerful wish.
The artifact fell into one of the archives of the dreaded Witch King, the lich
Zhengyi, located in the Bloodstone Lands near the kingdom of Damara. When

the Witch King fell, the Great Archive closed and fell quiet.

Now the Great Archive has been found. Will the dangers of Zhengyi’s Legacy
threaten Damara yet again?

An adventure for 5th - 7th level characters
Adventure by: Joseph Dyer II

Illustrations by: Adriano Kitani
Creative Input / Feedback by:
Tomer Abramovici
Scott Campbell

Seth “Probably Better Known as SaffronOlive”
Eric Searfos-Miller

Assets Used for Maps:
Free Modular Set + Asset Pack by Party of Two
- https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-dungeon-
set-29595715
Other Assets by Forgotten Adventures - https://
www.forgotten-adventures.net/product/map-
making/mapmaking-pack/

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their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or
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©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe,
4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.

1 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

Adventure Overview

“The Golden Fish” is a simple dungeon crawl adven- The Golden Fish
ture in which the player characters must explore
the Great Archive of the dreaded Witch King of During his conquests and travels, Zhengyi came across
Damara, Zhengyi (Pronunciation: Zheng-yee). This a powerful artifact known as the Golden Fish. A curi-
adventure is intended for a party of characters of ous crystalline statue of golden hues, the fish radiated
level 5 -7. An appendix is included to each encoun- unknown power, power enough that the Witch King
ter on what to do if the party is starting at level 7. stole the artifact in order to study it further for his own
By the end of the adventure, the party will gain two devious ends. He moved the artifact to the Great Ar-
levels from where they started. chive, installing a powerful guardian and lock to protect
it. The artifact and its guardian have sat for ages, un-
The Adventure begins with the players on the way touched. The Great Archive was recently rediscovered
to the Great Archive, via one of the adventure hooks by a group of surveyors in the mountains of Damara,
below, where the players will meet with the King’s and the King’s high court mage has been studying the
royal high court mage, who is secretly an evil sor- ruins to gain access to them.
cerer named Callus Ravenheart. Callus works for
the Zhentarim, an organization devoted to the dark What was unknown by Zhengyi at the time is that the
god Bane. Golden Fish is a sentient artifact, capable of bestowing
a power upon those who seek it. It grants the ability
The Great Archive consists of two floors, each with to use the spell Plane Shift as an innate ability 1/day,
their own challenges, and a Vault. The adventur- with the exception that the user is only able to trans-
ers must unlock the secrets of each floor in order to port themselves. The Golden Fish, despite being sen-
gain access to the hidden Vault. tient, does not understand the concepts of good or evil,
bestowing its power on those who merely ask for it.
The Vault itself is a large chamber containing plen-
ty of treasure, much more than the adventurers will
be able to carry. Furthermore, the Vault is guarded
by a powerful guardian, one of the last remnants of
Zhengyi’s magical prowess.

Adventure Hooks

The Golden Fish can also be integrated into your
own campaign! Here are some possible hooks to get
the characters to Damara to investigate Zhengyi’s
Great Archive.

• The King of Damara has put out a call for expedi-
tions to those in the Bloodstone Lands willing to
investigate the Archive.

• The characters may be dispatched to the King of
Damara by their regent or lord to investigate the
ruins in case there is powerful magic that could
harm the realms.

• Evil characters may already be aware of the Zhen-
tarim’s interest (and to a lesser extent Callus
Ravenheart’s) in the Great Archive, and may be
going on orders to secure it for the glory of Bane
(or to possibly steal it away from the Zhentarim
if the PCs belong to a rival faction).

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 2

The Mountain Path to Encounter! Goblin Scout Patrol
the Great Archive
Several goblinoids appear from each side of the path
The adventurers are directed up a steep mountain from behind some rocks, looking ready to battle.
path towards the deep mountains where the Great
Archive is situated. This path is well traveled as the 6x Goblin (Basic Rules)
King has put together an expedition to open the
ruins. 1x Hobgoblin (Basic Rules)

As the group nears closer to the ruins, they can Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 7) - Add 6x Goblin and 1x
see signs that this was once a massive structure Hobgoblin as a second wave of the Goblin army after
in the region, with pieces of stonework and metal the players defeat the first group.
jutting out of the mountainside. When the group
approaches the final path up to the ruins, they are The goblins may use the terrain to their advantage
attacked by a group of goblinoids lying in wait on here, climbing onto the rocks to attack from range,
either side of the road. Unbeknownst to the play- as well as utilizing cover. If the encounter is up-
ers, this group was summoned by Ravenheart for graded, the players will face a second wave of the
the purposes of vetting his adventurers. The play- patrol shortly after the first wave is defeated.
ers may potentially catch wind of this ambush and
prepare for it with a DC 15 Survival Check to notice After defeating the goblinoids, the party will con-
any signs of a recent Goblin camp. tinue on towards the site of the ruins.

3 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

The Great Archive - Outside the Archive Ruins

The whole of the Great Archive’s entrance can be seen as you approach. The door to the place is mas-
sive, set into the mountainside. The design of the entrance is very plain. Rubble and broken columns are
strewn about the base of the entrance. There are several tents around the area, indicating the expedition
is already under way. Guards stand at the ready next to the tents, while many of the King’s servants
rush to and fro gathering supplies. A work crew is in front of the door attempting to pull the door away
with lines and levers. One of the guards notices you and directs you to a tent in the center of the camp.
Once inside, a wizened old man beckons you to sit.

This individual is Ravenheart, disguised as the court mage. He invites the party to sit and rest.

“The King advised me that there were adventurers on the way to our camp. He has placed me in charge
of this expedition to determine if the secrets held within are a danger to the kingdom of Damara. Zhen-
gyi’s legacy in these lands is one of blood and power.

Frankly it has all of the King’s crew here scared and they’re afraid to enter the place. I assume this is
why you are here.”

The players may interact with the Court Mage. See the next page for options on interacting with him.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 4

Interacting with Ravenheart

The party may ask about the goblins on the road. The court mage will appear surprised initially. The play-
ers may make an Insight check of DC 15 to see if he is lying or not in his answer. Given the amount of
workers in the camp, someone should have saw something of a goblin presence. Utilize Ravenheart’s stats
on pg 21 for determining his Deception roll.

If caught in a successful Insight check the court mage will be flustered but will admit that the King in his
paranoia has been vetting the adventurers he hires.
• “We’ve had several run-ins with the local population of goblinkind since we started moving supplies up

here to enter the ruins. I’ll ask some of the guards to go down and clear out any further intrusions.”
• “The King is an incredibly paranoid man, and we did not mean to betray your trust. He simply had to be

sure that the adventurers entering into one of Zhengyi’s ruins could be able to handle themselves.”

If the party asks for further information on Zhengyi, the court mage will provide further background on
the history of Zhengyi and why his ruins are so dangerous. (Background - Zhengyi). The party can discuss
several options with the court mage, as to the contents of the Great Archive and why the crews are afraid
of entering. They may also ask if he himself plans to enter the ruins or if he can magically detect anything
inside or even teleport inside.

• “We don’t really know what is inside. Zhengyi collected many powerful and strange artifacts. What lies
beneath us could aid the kingdom… or it could destroy it. The King is fearful of the latter, of course.”

• “Zhengyi’s history in these lands is well known. Those who are working here all are aware of that. They’re
scared of what may be inside, of course.”

• “My powers are limited, and I would be of little use inside the ruins. There may be greater dangers inside,
and I am older than I’d like to admit. I’m a bureaucrat, not an adventurer anymore. I leave that for the
younger folk to handle.”

• “My magic cannot pierce the ruins. For some reason, Zhengyi has warded this place against magical detec-
tion and it seems even teleportation.”

Entering the Great Archive

While the party is discussing with Ravenheart, the work crew outside will finally pull away the doors with
the lines, a loud cracking noise emanating from beyond the tent to indicate this. Ravenheart will stand
and motion to the guards to follow him.

“I believe we are almost ready. I must go check with the work crews and determine if there are any mystical
wards preventing our entry. Please come check with me when you are ready to enter the ruins.”

The party may have an opportunity to fully rest here to be ready to enter the Archive. The court mage will
advise the party that there are no wards preventing their entry.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 5

The Great Archive - 2 - The Great Archive Main Hall
Floor One
A large octagonal room spreads out before you, with
1 - Entrance Foyer four pillars in the center. A yawning blue pool sits in
the very center, pulsing with magical energy. Two
The light in here is brighter than you expected. statues flank the front pillars on each side. You can
Everburning torches line the walls of the foyer. You see alcoves at each of the corners of the room, lined
can feel immediately the power of this place. At the with bookcases and old books. Ahead past the portal
end of the foyer is an ornately designed door leading there is another door, and to your right is a second
onward. door. A veneer of dust lines the stonework floor. It is
clear that no one has been here for a very long time.
The foyer is empty except for six everburning torch-
es hanging from the walls in sconces. The torches The main archive hall is also actually the area that
on the walls can be removed if the players wish to leads to the second floor of the Great Archive, via
do so to take them onto the rest of the dungeon. the portal in the center of the room. Players at-
tempting to approach the portal however will find
The door at the end of the foyer leads to the main that they are seemingly turned around to a dif-
archive hall. The door is not locked. ferent part of the room. This is because there is
a magical ward on the portal to prevent intruders
from venturing deeper into the archive. The only

6 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

way this ward can be disabled is to find the gem Zhengyi Guardian
keys for the bookcases in the alcoves. One of the
gem keys is already present in one of the alcoves. Large Construct, unaligned
The other three keys are in Rooms 5, 7, and 9. Armor Class 10
Hit Points 90 (10d8 + 40)
The doorway north of the portal leads to Room 3. Speed 5 ft.
The doorway to the east of the portal leads to Room
8. Neither doorway is locked, however after each STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
gem is retrieved, the doorways will be locked once 19 (+4) 9 (-1) 18 (+4) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)
the players return to this room.
Damage Immunities Fire, Poison, Psychic
Inside the four alcoves are several bookcases, filled Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened,
with musty old tomes. Many of these books are un-
readable, having decayed over time. Behind one of Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned
the bookcases in each alcove is a wall indentation Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
for a gem. One of the alcoves has a gem installed Languages Draconic
already. If the players investigate each alcove, a Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
successful Perception check will allow a player to Proficiency Bonus +2
notice that one of the bookshelves has been moved.
Consequently, removing any of the books from the Fire Absorption. Whenever the Guardian is subjected to
bookcases will allow some of the gem’s glow to seep fire damage, it takes no damage and instead regains a
through from behind, cluing the players in as well. number of hit points equal to half the fire damage dealt.
The players could also continue on to other rooms Immutable Form. The Guardian is immune to any spell or
at this point without investigating the alcoves. effect that would alter its form.
Magic Resistance. The Guardian has advantage on saving
Inserting all four gems will disable the magical ward throws against spells and other magical effects
preventing the portal from being entered, however Magic Weapons. The Guardian’s weapon attacks are magi-
once the players activate it, they will have a limited cal.
amount of time to get to the portal before the wards Actions
reactivate. Should the players be unable to reach
the portal before the wards reactivate, the gem keys
will pop out of the wall to be inserted again. The
pool will glow a deep red briefly if the wards reset.

There is no specific order to put the gems into their Multiattack. The Guardian makes two slam attacks.
key slots. They are all the same cut and width, and
they are non specific to the slot. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one tar-
get. Hit: 10 (2d8 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
In addition to this, the statues on each of the pillars
will activate to guard the portal. Description

Encounter! Zhengyi Guardians The Zhengyi Guardian is a large iron statue fashioned to
look like a skeletal golem. It has red eyes and hisses when
The two statues flanking the pillars come to life, glar- it speaks.
ing death at you as you approach. They begin hissing
angrily in a strange language. The Guardians are a bit of a harder encounter
than the players may be used to (that they actually
2x Zhengyi Guardian (Stat Block included) have to fight), but they will have already traversed
the rest of the first floor of the Archive by the time
Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 7) No action required. This is they’re activated. Any attempts to get the statues to
more of a story moment than a raw encounter. activate before activating the gem keys will result in
nothing happening.

The Guardians will not make a move to attack the
players initially and instead will speak in Draconic
to the players. Players familiar with the language
will understand that the Guardians are asking for
a command. Any attempt to move past the Guard-
ians will result in them attacking. Players familiar
with Draconic will be able to attempt to question or

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 7

command the Guardians, however incorrect com- themselves, striking at anyone who just happens
mands will cause them to repeat the same question. to be standing in front of one of them. The type of
The correct command to disable the Guardians is poison the darts are coated with is Drow Poison
“Darkness” spoken in Draconic. A player issuing (Basic Rules - Poisons). This sounds simple to avoid
this command must also make a DC 10 Deception for the players by just not standing directly in front
check in order to sound like their master. If the of the alcoves, but this could be farther from the
command is issued successfully, the Guardians will truth. The darts are coated in a magnetic substance
immediately disable. that attracts them to nearby metal. Each pedestal
fires exactly one dart, and the attack roll bonus is
The players may also find this password in one of +10 thanks to the magnetic abilities of the darts.
the books in the room if they can read Draonic. The
Guardians will not attack if the players investigate The magical items in the alcoves are:
the books.
• Chain Shirt of Acid Resistance (Basic Rules - Magic
After the Guardians are defeated or disabled, the Items)
adventurers will progress to the next level and move
on to the second floor of the Archive by stepping • Belt of Hill Giant Strength (Basic Rules - Magic
into the glowing pool. They will be magically trans- Items)
ported to the next level.
• Gem of Brightness (Basic Rules -Magic Items)
3 - North Hallway
• Ring of Feather Falling (Basic Rules - Magic Items)
Before you a hallway stretches out into another
room. There are tiny alcoves along each wall, each • Staff of Withering (Basic Rules - Magic Items)
one bearing a pedestal with a different kind of item
floating above each one. The items are shielded by a • Wand of Web (Basic Rules - Magic Items)
glass casing. In each corner of the room is a pressure
plate. The exit north of this room leads to Room 4.

The North Hallway also serves as storage for several 4 - Antechamber
magical items that Zhengyi collected during his
time as ruler of Damara. These items are floating This antechamber is bare except for the torches light-
above pedestals encased in glass. There is no mun- ing the small room. At the far end of it is another al-
dane way to break through the glass, although the cove with more bookshelves and on the left and right
players may try if they wish. To release the magical are more doors.
items the adventurer’s must locate a pressure plate
within the room. There’s not much special about this room. More
torches line the inside of the room, giving it a nice
However, Zhengyi has not made this particular task soft light. The bookshelves again contain lots of
easy. There are four pressure plates in each corner moldy, dusty books that are pretty useless. The
of the room and only one of them will release all the door on the right goes to Room 5 and the door on
items. Two of the other pressure plates do abso- the left goes to Room 6.
lutely nothing except click loudly. The remaining
pressure plate activates a trap. Players with a pas- The door to Room 5 is locked. The key is actually
sive Perception skill of 15 or higher can differentiate in the room, hidden amidst the books in the book-
the plates by a symbol carving on each one. The cases. Any player within the alcove of the bookcases
plate that releases the item has a different symbol can make a DC 15 Perception check and will notice
than the plate that activates the trap as well as the a glinting item between two of the books. This is the
plates that do nothing. key to Room 5.

Trap - Poison Darts (Basic Rules - Traps) 5 - Summoning Room

A clicking sound can be heard when you step on the A foul stench of sulfur assaults your senses as you
plate followed by the loading and firing sound of a enter this room. A table with a skull sitting on it sits
mechanism. Several darts fly from the walls at different in the corner, papers scattered all over it. It appears
angles. that a red circle has been drawn on the floor. The
circle is inactive it seems, covered in dust. A bra-
Players can make a DC 15 Perception check to see zier sits on each end of the circle. An altar also sits
that the darts come from the base of the pedestals across the end of the room, draped in a red silk run-
ner. A chest sits by it, glittering in gold and decorated
with rubies.

8 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

Any of the players that are magically inclined will leaving the players little time to rest in between.
understand the significance of the circle in the cen-
ter of the room. It is a summoning circle, but where Encounter! More Demons From the Abyss
it is summoning from is unknown to the players.
However, it does appear that it is inactive. The A large bipedal bird-like creature erupts from the next
braziers are lit, giving the room a rather unearthly portal. It clacks and claws at the ground before attack-
glow. ing.

Summoning creatures from the outer planes was a 1x Vrock (Basic Rules)
pastime of Zhengyi’s, as the lich was favored by the
demon lord Orcus. The summoning circle in this Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 7) - Add 2x Dretch (Basic
room is tuned to the chaotic world of the Abyss. Rules)

The players can freely move around the circle in the Defeating the demons will not end the summoning
room without stepping inside of it and walk around circle immediately, but it will offer a brief reprieve
to the tables and the altar. as the portal disappears. The circle on the floor
will begin to pulse almost like it is recharging. The
Players may investigate the papers on the table. players will not have a lot of time to stop the circle.
They’re mostly decayed and brittle, falling apart if Knocking over the braziers will prevent the circle
they try to pick them up. Some of the papers are from reactivating. Any character in the room that
intact however, depicting the same circle in the has a divine background can make a DC 15 Intelli-
room and circles around the locations of the bra- gence check to realize this. Furthermore, investigat-
ziers. There is also some text referencing a key and ing the papers on the table a player can make a DC
that the summoning circle provides a great reward 10 Intelligence Check to connect the dots that the
to those that seek it. The instructions on the paper circles on the paper correlate with the spots of the
indicate that stepping into the circle will activate it. Braziers.

The skull is a human skull, with a symbol painted The party has one hour to end the circle before a
on it in what looks to be blood. Any characters with larger demon comes forth.
a passive Religion skill of 15 or higher or a divine
spellcaster will recognize the symbol as the symbol Encounter! We Messed Up, Didn’t We?
of the dark demon lord Orcus.
A muscular lizard-like demon bursts out of the largest
The altar is nothing special, just a simple stone portal yet. It takes notice of you and growls loudly as it
altar with a red silk running draped over it. A ritual prepares to charge.
knife sits on top. The chest next to the altar ap-
pears to be magically locked, and will not open by 1x Hezrou (Basic Rules)
mundane means. However, the chest can be un-
locked magically if the players have access to that Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 7) - Change Hezrou to 1x
kind of magic, or can be bashed open. Glabrezu (Basic Rules)

Stepping into the area inside of the circle will ac- A huge dog-nosed demon emerges from the large por-
tivate it, beginning the encounter. The door at the tal. It has two sets of arms, the largest of which end in
end of the room will slam shut and lock, and the massive pincers. It chuckles delightedly as it prepares to
circle will begin summoning. attack.

Encounter! Demons from the Abyss Should the party manage to stop the circle from
reactivating, then the chest next to the altar will
Two pig-nosed beasts emerge from a portal in the center magically unlock and click loudly to indicate it.
of the room, followed by several smaller flying demons.
The two foot soldiers charge, hooting and slobbering as Treasure - Gem Key, Gem of Brightness (Basic
they move to attack. The portal closes behind them. Rules - Magic Items), Potion of Clairvoyance (Basic
Rules - Magic Items)
2x Dretch (Basic Rules)

4x Quasit (Basic Rules)

Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 7) - Add 4x Dretch (Basic
Rules)

Upon defeating the demons, the second part of the
summoning circle battle will immediately begin,

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 9

6 - Book Storage found. Players with a passive Perception of 15 or
higher will notice that one of the drawers is shifted
This room is filthy and filled with books, piled up and unlocked. Inside the drawer is a small lock box
high and all over the stonework floor. At the far end containing a sapphire stone ring. The ring radiates
you can see torches leading out of the room. magic to those who might see such things. Putting
on the ring renders the player invisible, however it
Zhengyi’s housekeeping staff really seems to have also allows them to see the hidden room next to the
let the place go. There are books of all shapes and desk. This hidden room contains a chest.
sizes here. The players may attempt to pull any of
the books out, finding illegible tomes that appear to The chest is locked, but the lock is mundane in
be journals of sorts, referencing Zhengyi’s time in nature, and destroying the chest by damage will
Damara (Appendix - Background - Zhengyi). The real not damage the Gem Key inside. Inside the chest
danger of this room is the possibility of upsetting is the Gem Key from this room. However, to enter
the book piles and causing one of them to fall over, this room, one of the players must be wearing the
which could cause one of the players to become ring. Unfortunately, taking the ring off is another
trapped underneath a pile of bound leather tomes. story. Because the player is rendered invisible, even
to themselves, they will need to feel around to find
One further danger in this room is that it is home their hand. This sounds simple at first, but the
to a pair of Mimics hiding as a pile of books. They ring has a trap attached to it that forces it to the
will attack the players once they’re all in the room. hand once put on, requiring absolute force of will
to remove. The player must make a DC 15 Dexter-
Encounter! Too Many Books! ity check in order to locate their own hand with the
ring, and a DC 15 Charisma check to remove the
Two of the piles of books suddenly start moving, sprout- ring. Should the player fail the check they can try
ing teeth! again in 15 minutes. Even worse is that the player
wearing the ring will be unable to leave the study
2x Mimic (Basic Rules) until they can remove the ring, as the wall with the
door will appear as a stone wall to them.
Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 7) - Add 2x Mimic (Basic
Rules) Characters with a passive Perception of 10 or
higher may also notice that the statue in the room
The Mimics will use the terrain of the room to their has scuff marks on the floor next to it. It can be
advantage by attempting to knock over the tower- pushed aside with a DC 15 Strength check, reveal-
ing piles of books onto the players. The players may ing a small alcove and another chest.
need to dodge and move quickly to fight the Mimics
and avoid being crushed. Treasure - Ring of Jumping (Basic Rules - Magic
Items), Staff of the Python (Basic Rules - Magic
At the rear of the room behind one of the piles there Items)
is a passageway that leads to Room 7.
8 - East Hallway
7 - Private Study

This cramped room is well lit and furnished, com- A long and narrow slanted hallway stretches out be-
plete with a desk and fireplace. A bookcase filled fore you, ending in what appears to be another room.
with books sits nears the entrance, and a nearby
statue stands guard ominously in front of the wall to This long hallway contains a boulder trap set in the
your left. ceiling directly above the entrance. It is not acti-
vated until the player’s enter the room and step on
The study is cramped, making it difficult for the a plate several steps into the room.
player characters to easily move around. Because of
this only one or two of the adventuring party can Trap - Boulder! (Basic Rules - Traps - Rolling
easily walk around the room at any given time. The Sphere)
fireplace is lit, which should strike the party as
fairly odd. A rumbling sound emanates from above you as a large
boulder drops down into the room and begins rolling
The desk in the study has a rolled open scroll sit- down towards you.
ting on top of it. The scroll is a journal detailing
some of the events of the background of Zhengyi The players can wedge an object under the pressure
the Witch King and the conquest over Damara. It plate to keep it from activating.
is in this desk that the hidden clue to the room is

10 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

The rumbling sound being heard is the trap that Touching one of the bookcases or one of the books
was started in motion immediately by stepping on on them will begin the encounter in this room.
the plate. The adventurers will feel the rumbling
begin and then a large boulder will drop from the Encounter! The Guardians of the Hall
ceiling and start rolling down the hall, which is
slanted downwards to the next room, Room 9. The bookcases erupt with purple light as incorporeal
creatures float out from behind them. Their white glow-
The players will need to run all the way to the end ing eyes focus on you and they begin to attack.
of the hallway and pull a lever at the end of the
hallway. Pulling the level will open a pit that will 6x Specter (Basic Rules)
swallow the boulder. Players who get caught in the
boulder’s path will take 55 (10d10) bludgeoning Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 7) - 3x Specter, 1x Ghost
damage and be knocked prone. (Basic Rules)

The pit itself is pretty easy to walk around and the Defeating the undead in the room will settle the
players will be able to maneuver around it with feeling of unease upon the players. Almost as if by
ease if they have activated it and are heading back magic, the defeat of the undead will also trigger the
the way they came. If a player does manage to fall appearance of the third and final gem key.
into the pit however, treat it as a Spiked Pit (Basic
Rules - Traps - Spiked Pit) for the purposes of dam- The books on the bottom row shelves are keyed to
age. The pit will not open without the lever, so the specific types of magic, and as thus reading these
players cannot accidentally open it without pulling books could be dangerous. Books from the Evoca-
the lever. tion shelf have a 10% chance of casting lightning
bolt at the player opening the book to read it. Books
Alternatively to pulling the lever, the players can from the Conjuration shelf have a 25% chance of
run until they reach Room 9 and then dive out of casting conjure animals (2x Giant Spider (Basic
the way of the boulder by making a DC 15 Dexter- Rules) centered around the player opening the
ity save at the end. The boulder will continue on book. Books from the Necromancy shelf have a 10%
into Room 9, slamming into the far wall. chance of casting bestow curse.

9 - Hall of Forbidden Knowledge However, the books also contain some valuable
knowledge and players with spellcasting ability
This room contains several bookcases, each one may be able to learn a random 3rd level spell of the
marked with a different symbol of power. You can school to which the shelf belongs to.
feel the magic radiating from this room. It is almost
as if there is still something alive here. The books on the top row may also be read, but
they offer little more than historical knowledge or
The six bookcases in this room each are marked mere entertainment. Feel free to add to this row
with a different word in Draconic. Players familiar with your own stories as the DM and whatever may
with the language may be able to translate each be in these shelves.
word. The six words are:

• Top Left (shelf colored deep black) - RISE
• Top Middle (shelf colored dark red) - DESTROY
• Top Right (shelf colored dark blue) - LEARN
• Bottom Left (shelf colored dark red) - EVOKE
• Bottom Middle (shelf colored dark green) - CON-
JURE
• Bottom Right (shelf colored deep black) - NECRO-
MANCY

The six words give no apparent clues, other than
that they indicate the kinds of books in each of the
bookcases. The top row contains mostly fictional
stories and non-fictional counts of grand adven-
tures. The bottom row contains books of spells of
the type of school based on the Draconic word. The
players can clearly see the titles of the books on the
spines. The players will receive a chance to inspect
the books further after the encounter.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 11

The Great Archive - ture and are completely empty. This appears to be
Floor Two an opportunity for the players to try to recuperate
before moving on.
The players will gain a level at this point before con-
tinuing onwards. The portrait on the wall is one of Zhengyi himself
at the height of his power. Characters with a pas-
1 - Landing Point sive Perception of 15 or higher will feel as though
there is something off about the portrait. There is
You fall to the floor in a heap. You look up to find a sense of unnerve associated with the portrait,
yourself in a well lit room lined with torches. The almost as if it is watching the players. The more a
temperature here is much colder than the floor you player stands staring at the painting trying to find
were just on. Several sarcophagi line the walls. A out what is wrong with it, the more they are drawn
door sits at the end of the room beckoning you to con- into the clever trap of the portrait. It will in fact en-
tinue, while a small bookstand sits in front of a large snare the character’s mind and force them to stand
portrait of a skeletal figure. there, staring at nothing until they perish from the
absence of food and water. Another character can
The players are deposited in this room, with seem- jostle an ensnared player and force their attention
ingly no way to get back. Characters with a passive away from the portrait. A player can also make a
Wisdom of 15 or higher will be able to sort out that DC 15 Wisdom ability check to recognize the trap
there is no return portal. and avert their eyes before it is too late.

The sarcophagi in the room are ornamental in na- The book on the stand is written in Abyssal. Play-
ers that may recognize the language will find that
it is a ledger containing a record of every artifact

12 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

and book in the Vault. Otherwise, the book is full of the powers of divine spellcasters like Clerics and
gobbledygook as far as the players are concerned. Druids, reducing all spell ranges by half and reduc-
ing direct damage by a single dice. This effect lasts
The door leads directly to Room 2. It is not locked. roughly one hour.

2 - Mummification Room The hallway next to Room 2 leads up to Room 3.

This room reeks of death. There are two tables in the 3 - Mirrors and Pillars
room each with what appears to a linen-wrapped
person on them. Sets of gory tools sit on stands next You can feel yourself getting turned around already
to each one. Dried blood covers the floor and the pun- in this room, as your reflection stares at you from ev-
gent rot is ever present in the air. ery angle it seems. It seems as though the reflections
aren’t just reflections either. They seem alive.
This is a mummification room, built for preserv-
ing mummies as guardians of the tomb. The two This room has several mirrored surfaces that reflect
wrapped figures are actual mummies, and they will the player’s images back at them. There are really
groan and awaken as the group enters the room. two rooms connected by a small hallway, but the
mirrors make it look like the same room repeats
Encounter! Mummies! on forever. In reality behind one of the mirrors is
a door to Room 4, and an offshoot door to Room 5
The two figures on the tables groan and shuffle off the that is locked (both of these doors will be revealed
tables. Mummies! They move to attack you. if the players shut off the mirrors). There is also a
small alcove north of the first set of mirrors that is
2x Mummy (Basic Rules) a control room for the mirrors.

Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 8) - The Ghast in the closet The mirrors are capable of being shifted and ad-
will emerge during the fight and join in. Otherwise, it justed for maximum nausea from this room with a
waits until the players enter the closet for lvl 5 players. set of magical controls. These controls are operated
by doppelgangers that constantly shift in and out of
Once the mummies are defeated, the players will the mirrors to appear as one of the party members.
notice a small closet with a grated door. Inside is a They will make actions that the players watching
rack of mummification tools, a chest, and what ap- can’t describe or will make them do a double take
pears to be a dead body. Of course, it’s a Ghast. on.

Encounter! Ghastly Ghast For every 10 minutes the players spend in the two
mirrored rooms, they must make a DC 15 Will
As you enter the closet the seemingly dead thing on the save or become Stunned. If all the players become
floor attempts to grasp you by the leg. It narrowly misses Stunned, the dopplegangers will move into the
and pulls itself to its feet, slobbering hungrily. room to attack.

1x Ghast (Basic Rules) If the players manage to locate the control room or
come close to the room, they can engage the dop-
Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 8) - There is no upgrade, the plegangers and shut down the mirror trap.
Ghast will have already been defeated as it will join in
the fight with the mummies. Encounter! But You Look Like Me!

Inside the chest are gold pieces (randomized) but A pair of humanoids that look like two members of your
there is also a skull carved out of reddish obsidian party appear out of nowhere. They have no weapons but
with glittering gold gems for eyes. Magical detection their dark grins and dead eyes tell you that something is
might reveal that the skull is magical in nature. not right.
Holding the skull in one’s hand allows one to feel
the potential power it might have, and it will impart 2x Doppleganger (Basic Rules)
its usage among players with a passive Intelligence
of 17 or higher. Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 8) - Add 1x Doppelganger
(Basic Rules)
In fact the skull is a magical item. Once per day
while in combat, it allows the wielder to conjure a Shutting down the mirrors is not as easy however.
Blood Moon from the fabric of the realm of Shadow. The control panels for the trap are written in Abys-
The moon imparts benefits to arcane spellcasters sal, so players must be fluent in that language to
such as Sorcerers and Warlocks, boosting all of really understand them. To shut off the mirrors
their spell ranges by double (for spells that have a however, the players must rotate the circular panel
range in feet) and boosting damage for any direct counterclockwise until they hear three loud clicking
damage spells by an extra dice based on whatever
dice is used for the spell. Conversely, it dampens

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 13

sounds. At this point, another panel will open with Encounter! Big Eye Zombie!
two rectangular slides. The players must move the
slides and rotate them around to switch their posi- A floating creature with a single eye set in its sunken
tion in the panel. The panel will deactivate and so face appears. Smaller desiccated eyestalks protrude
will the mirrors. (See Diagram #1) from the creature. It opens a mouth full of gleaming teeth
and calls out in a language you can’t understand.
Should the players just fiddle with the controls
nothing will happen at first, however this will cause 1x Beholder Zombie (Monster Manual, pg 316)
the mirrors to overload and explode one at a time.
A player caught near one of these exploding mirrors Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 8) - Add 1x Beholder Zombie
will take 3d6 points of fire damage. (Monster Manual, pg 316) - The second Beholder is the
Librarian’s assistant.
However, should the players turn the initial dial
clockwise instead of counterclockwise and hear
three clicks, every mirror in the two rooms will
overheat and explode at once. Any player caught in
this room will take 3d6 points of fire damage mul-
tiplied by the number of mirrors in their immediate
vicinity. (For example, if the player is within three or
four mirrors, the player will take 3d6 x 4 fire dam-
age).

4 - The Library

This room is a calm looking library, lined with book-
shelves. There must be many ancient and powerful
tomes of knowledge here!

One of Zhengyi’s personal libraries here, everything
here seems fairly calm. Many of the books in this
room are extremely dangerous though. Zhengyi
was famous for spreading books known as tomes
of creation around Damara. One such book was
famous for the creation of a second Castle Perilous.
Many of the books in this room have a chance to be
a tome of creation, a powerful magical artifact that
is capable of creating a stronghold of monsters that
served the Witch King. The drawback of using a
tome of creation is that the book actively steals the
life force from the character that uses it until the
creation is complete (at which point the character
will be dead).

Players with passive Intelligence of 16 or higher
and/or spellcasters will be able to feel the magic
inside these books.

Some books in the library are generic spellcasting
books based in the schools of Necromancy, Evoca-
tion, and Illusion. Players who are playing spellcast-
ing characters may gain an opportunity to read one
of these books and potentially learn a random spell
according to their level from it.

If the players choose to rest here for a moment, they
will soon realize that they are being watched as a
Beholder Zombie (the Librarian, of course) will ap-
pear.

14 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

As it turns out the Beholder is a Librarian of this will find themselves in a strange looking control
place, and is attempting to ask the players to be room of sorts. This room contains an alternative
quiet while in the Library. Should the players not method to shutting down the Guardian in Room 8
react and attack the Librarian at first, the Librarian as well as the energy field protecting the portal. The
will attempt to converse in a number of languages door to this room is heavily locked, and the only key
from Draconic to Abyssal. Should one of the play- is located in Room 7, in the chest that the Vampires
ers attempt to speak, the Beholder will recognize are guarding.
the language they are speaking and switch to us-
ing that. Players with passive Intelligence of 15 or The controls in the room are all labeled in both
higher will recognize that the creature is attempting Draconic and Abyssal, so any players fluent in
to communicate. those languages will be able to read them. Three
of the levers on the control panel will shut or open
If the players don’t attack the Librarian they can various doors throughout the Archive at random.
ask the Librarian about looking at some of the (See Diagram #2)
books in the room. The Librarian will allow the
players to look at the books, but will warn them The Guardian’s controls are handled by a combina-
about the fact that the books are not well sorted tion press of two buttons on the panel. Two players
and may contain powerful artifacts known as tomes will be required to press these buttons in order to
of creation. trigger a shutdown of the Guardian. Pressing one
of the buttons by itself will trigger a beep from the
Conversely, the players may attack the Librarian other button.
and kill it. The Librarian will take any act of aggres-
sion towards itself as violent behavior and seek to The portal that activates when the Guardian shuts
eject the offender from the library. down can also be shut down here, as shutting down
the Guardian will trigger the three large buttons in
Coincidentally, the Librarian also has knowledge the center to start glowing on the panel. Pressing
of where a key might be found to Room 5’s locked these three buttons in combination will shut down
door if the players have located that door. The key is the portal, and will require three players to press
located in Room 7. If the players don’t know where them simultaneously.
Room 5 is, the Librarian is more than willing to ad-
vise the players on where it can be found as well as It is worth noting that Zhengyi did plan for nearly
a hint as to what the room may contain, provided every eventuality, and left behind some Guardians
the players ask nicely and of course, remain quiet in this room should anyone ever get in and turn off
in the Library. the defenses to the Archive. As soon as the play-
ers shut off the Guardian and portal, three hidden
5 - The Great Archive Control Room walls will shift away and they will enter.

This room appears to contain several magical panels Encounter! Skeletal Bulls!
and devices, almost as if it is controlling everything
within the archive. A magical circle encompasses the The walls shift away and several large skeletons with
floor, and a bloody skull sits on the center console. bull horns and large axes walk into the room. Their glow-
ing eyes center on you with grim desire.
Should the players gain entrance to this room, they
3x Minotaur Skeleton (Basic Rules)

Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 8) - Add 1x Minotaur Skeleton
(Basic Rules)

Once the players clean out the Minotaur Skeletons,
they can move back into Room 3.

6 - Antechamber

This room contains little of note except for a long
hallway to the north and a door to the south. Torches
line the walls.

There is very little of note in this room. The north
passage leads to Room 8, and the southern passage
leads to Room 7.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 15

7 - Vampire Chamber to guard the portal.

Several coffins stand upright in the alcoves of this No matter how the players defeat the Guardian,
dusty room. one thing will be apparent when the players are
done, the portal itself is guarded by an energy field
This is a small musty room filled with cobwebs that that activates upon the shutdown of the Guardian.
make it difficult to move around in. The vampire There are also two ways of shutting off the field and
spawn (or spawns) will appear to guard their chest gaining entrance to the Vault, either by accessing
as soon as the players enter. the controls in Room 5 or by completing the circuit
puzzle within the room.
Encounter! Fangs!
The side wall contains a massive stone circuit panel
As you enter the room, the coffins open, revealing gaunt which is directing the flow of magical energy to the
figures with gleaming fangs. energy field. In order to break the connection, the
players must shift the stone tablets so that the cir-
1x Vampire Spawn (Basic Rules) cuit ends on the floor by rotating the central panel.
This will shift the magical energy into the ground,
Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 8) - Add 1x Vampire Spawn dissipating the portal.
(Basic Rules)
The Guardian deactivating will also disable the
Once the players defeat the vampire spawn, they magical field preventing teleportation in the Ar-
can enter the small alcove and the chest inside. chive. The players will actively feel the magical field
Besides gold, the chest also has a large glowing key dissipate in the air.
that is the key to Room 5.
After defeating the Guardian and disabling the por-
8 - Entrance to the Vault tal, the players will gain a level.

A large glowing portal sits in the middle of this room. Dragon Guardian
In front of it stands a gleaming metal beast with
massive wings. A dragon! An oppressive magical Large construct, chaotic evil
feeling fills the air around you as it turns to regard Armor Class 19 Natural Armor
you. Hit Points 145 (16d10 + 45)
Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft.
Encounter! The Guardian of the Vault
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
1x Dragon Guardian (Stat Block Included) 19 (+4) 14 (+2) 18 (+4) 4 (-3) 11 (+0) 1 (-5)

Encounter Upgrade (Lvl 8) - There is no encounter Saving Throws DEX +5, CON +7
upgrade for this encounter.
Skills Perception +6
The Dragon Guardian is a powerful arcane creation
developed by Zhengyi to guard the Vault of the Ar- Damage Immunities Acid, Fire, Necrotic, Psychic;
chive. It is a powerful dragon engine, based on the Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagi-
study of the physiology of a young black dragon. cal Attacks that aren’t Adamantine
The players have a few options in this fight. They
can either attack the creature head on and attempt Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Fright-
to destroy it via combat, or they can retreat and at- ened, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned
tempt to shut down the creature elsewhere (Room
5). The Guardian definitely presents a challenge, Senses Blindsight 30 ft., Darkvision 120 ft., Passive
but is capable of being defeated in combat. Perception 16

The oppressive magical feeling in the room is an Languages Draconic
aura of anti-teleportation magic that the Guardian
passively emits. It prevents all teleportation magic Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
in the Archive overall.
Proficiency Bonus +3
It is worth noting that the Dragon Guardian will
only engage the players while they are in the room. Stat block continued on next page.
Should the players retreat outside of the room, the
Dragon Guardian will not follow or attack. Its job is

16 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

Immutable Form. The Dragon Guardian is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Magic Resistance. The Dragon Guardian has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical
effects.
Magic Weapons. The Dragon Guardian’s weapon attacks are magical.

Actions

Multiattack. The Dragon Guardian makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage.
Acid Breath (Recharge 5-6). The Dragon Guardian exhales acid in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each
creature in that line must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 49 (11d8) acid damage on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Description

The Dragon Guardian is a magical construct devised by Zhengyi to protect the Great Archive’s Vault. It ap-
pears as a large black dragon plated in shining black plating, and even has many of the same weapons as
a black dragon would of its size and age.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 17

The Great Archive - The Vault

The vault you find yourself in is massive. Piles of gold and gems, magical staves, and many different items
are strewn about, but your eyes are immediately drawn to the pedestal at the center of the room. Sitting on
top of it is a crystalline orange statue of a fish. It gleams in the darkness.

As you approach the pedestal, the air around you begins to crackle as a dark figure appears from beyond it.
A hooded man clothed in darkness lifts a staff, his mad grin fixing upon you. You realize that it’s the King’s
high court mage.

“At last, the secrets of the Witch King are mine! I must thank you for figuring out the secret to defeating the
guardian, but I cannot allow you to leave this place with any of Zhengyi’s great treasures. For the glory of
the Dark Lord, Bane, I will remove your filth from this realm and reclaim the power of the Witch King! Let all
beware the might of Callus Ravenheart!”

Players may be able to potentially question Ravenheart before the encounter begins, asking him about why
he is there.

“The King is a fool. Zhengyi was a powerful Lich, and his magical items are exceptionally strong. The Dark
Lord, Bane, charged me with this mission to secure these secrets!”

Players with passive Perception of 15 or higher will notice that Ravenheart’s attention seems to be solely
focused on the Golden Fish statue in the middle of the room.

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Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 19

If the players are of evil alignment, or are related to the Zhentarim in any way, they may be able to con-
vince Ravenheart to surrender and ally with them.

Callus is a powerful mage, but even he knows that he can be outnumbered easily. If he chooses to fight. he
will step back from the players and use one of his magic items (what appears to be a magical ring) to sum-
mon a monster to keep the players busy.

Encounter! Everything is on Fire!

1x Fire Elemental (Basic Rules)

The Fire Elemental may move during combat, causing the players to ultimately realize that they are stand-
ing in a room filled with treasure. During the battle, the heat of the Elemental will cause pieces of treasure
and gold to sizzle and melt. Players caught near these spots will take an additional 1d6 points of fire dam-
age from the melted gold.

Once the players defeat the elemental, Callus will scowl and address the party once more.

“If you want something done right, you must do it yourself! For the glory of Bane and all things dark!”

Encounter! The Final Battle

Callus Ravenheart (Stat Block Included on Pg 21)

Once Callus has reached half of his total hit points, he will realize that he is vastly outnumbered by the
players and must retreat. He takes an immediate action (regardless of initiative order) to get away from the
party. With a flourish of dark energy, he vanishes, reappearing 15 feet towards the direction of the Golden
Fish. This action is counted as using a Misty Step (Basic Rule - Spells - Misty Step).

He will start to walk towards the Golden Fish and will stop attacking the party. If the players are quick
enough they can either kill Callus and end his threat for good or simply disable him enough to stop him to
where he can be taken as a prisoner to be presented to the King. Should Callus make it to the Golden Fish
before the players can stop him, then he will touch the Fish and suddenly disappear into a blaze of dark
light.

20 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

Callus Ravenheart

Medium humanoid (human), chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (20 with Mage Armor)
Hit Points 50 (10d6)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
8 (-1) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 17 (+3)

Saving Throws Int +5, CHA +6
Skills Deception +6, Intimidation +6
Senses Passive Perception 14
Languages Draconic Common
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3

Spellcasting. Callus is a 10th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit
with spell attacks). Callus has the following spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): chill touch, light, mage hand, prestidigitation, shocking grasp
1st level (4 slots): detect magic, mage armor, magic missile, shield
2nd level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, hold person, misty step
3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, fireball, fly
4th level (3 slots): blight, ice storm
5th level (2 slots): cone of cold, dominate person

Actions

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing dam-
age.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 21

Ending the Adventure

No matter the outcome of the battle, they will be faced with the realization that there is no exit portal in
the Vault room. They are locked in. Cursory searches of the room will reveal however that there is a way to
activate a portal back to outside of the ruins. The portal platform is hidden by some gems and gold on the
floor and the level sticks out almost appearing as a magical staff. Players with a passive Perception of 16
or higher will notice that it looks different however and be able to use it to trigger the portal’s activation.

The treasure in the room is immense, and there seems to be no way to carry it all back through the portal.
In fact this is true. The portal only allows a certain percentage of the wealth to be present on a character
entering the portal, with a maximum set at 50 gold pieces and three gemstones on each character.

The real treasure in the room however is the Golden Fish in the center of the room, a piece that players
will naturally be drawn to. Any player attempting to touch the Golden Fish will immediately be spoken to
by the artifact itself. It will impart the knowledge that other planes of existence are capable of being trav-
elled to, and that it can impart that knowledge upon whoever wishes to have it. The player is given the
choice to accept the blessing of the Fish or to deny it. Denying the blessing does nothing other than giving
the player a chance to accept again in the future as the Fish will continually offer its power to whoever
touches it. Accepting the blessing requires more than a thought, it requires a verbal “I accept” to come
from the player. Ignoring the question repeatedly will count as a denial.

The Golden Fish itself can also be removed from the pedestal and taken out through the portal if the play-
ers desire. Players can prevent the artifact from continually speaking to them by placing it in a container
or bag.

The Golden Fish can impart this knowledge and understanding on each member of the party, however
there is a catch. Upon learning how to use the ability that the Golden Fish provides, the player in ques-
tion will immediately trigger an automatic localized Plane Shift effect centered on them, taking them to a
random plane of existence. This will not necessarily take each member in the party to the same plane.

From there… The rest is history.

22 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

Appendix - Background Information

Zhengyi

The Witch King Zhengyi was a powerful lich, once a human wizard who turned to dark magic to extend his
life. A servant of the foul Orcus, Zhengyi created Castle Perilous north of Vaasa, using his powers to draw
together an army that would be used to invade the kingdom of Damara. As a lich, he collected many pow-
erful and dangerous artifacts and stored them in various hidden structures throughout Damara.

While many of Zhengyi’s ancient ruins have been scavenged, there are many still that lie in wait beneath
the surface of the world and in the mountainous regions, hidden by powerful magic.

One such coveted place is the Great Archive, a collection mainly of books and treasures once belonging to
the powerful lich. The knowledge contained here could help all the world, or it could destroy it.

Callus Ravenheart

The sorcerer Callus Ravenheart is a foul and evil man who worships the dark god Bane. Word of the dis-
covery of the Great Archive reached the Zhentarim, and Ravenheart was dispatched to Damara in order to
seek the powers inside Zhengyi’s ancient monolith for the glory of Bane.

Ravenheart insinuated himself into Damara’s court, becoming the King’s high court mage and advisor.
Thanks to the King’s paranoid nature, it was easy enough to convince the King that the ruins needed to be
searched. Once the Vault is opened, Callus plans to destroy the adventurers and claim the powers of the
Vault for himself.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. THE GOLDEN FISH 23

Appendix - Maps

24 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

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26 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

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Appendix - Diagrams

28 THE GOLDEN FISH Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.