The Golden Bones of Lightwatch Tower

1

C ONTENTS

CREDITS

The Golden Bones of Lightwatch Tower ........................... 1  Cover Art adapted by Bernie McCormick from Sanctuary Tower by Yellow.Cat under an Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) License

Back Across the Ages .................................................... 1  Recent History ............................................................... 3  Plot Hooks ......................................................................... 3 

Dark Alchemist by killyoverdirve via opengameart.org

Sent by the Church ........................................................ 3  The Lost Map ................................................................. 4 

Other portraits from TCP by Jeff Preston.

The Missing Son ............................................................ 4 

Other images are originals by Bernie McCormick, aside from maps provided by the contest hosted by EN World.

NPC’s ................................................................................ 5  Deyb Mattockblade ........................................................ 5 

Iconography courtesy of Lorc under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Grundle Fitz ................................................................... 5  Lawrence Ames ............................................................. 6 

Bernie McCormick and Glamour Games release the contents of this module under an Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) License.This work is a response to an online contest, which allows for open reproduction of all elements herein.

Orlin Swift....................................................................... 6  Kestrel Blueleaf .............................................................. 7  Yazol the Hag ................................................................ 8  Lightwatch Tower Locations .............................................. 9 

D&D and Forgotten Realms are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast. Some portions of material are copyright by Wizards of the Coast and/or Hasbro, and used without any claim of ownership or intent to profit from their works or trademark.

Area 1 – The Chapel Entrance ...................................... 9  Area 2 – The Back Door .............................................. 10  Area 3 – The Hanging Trees ....................................... 10  Area 4 – The Bone Cauldron ....................................... 10  Area 5 – The Hidden Cache ........................................ 10  Area 6 – The Despoiled Chapel................................... 11  Area 7 – The Ruined Tower......................................... 12 

RECOGNITION

Area 8 – The Hidden Chamber .................................... 12  Area 9 – The Gruesome Larder ................................... 13 

Many thanks to Morrus for running the contest that spawned this entry, and Ed Greenwood for his Realmswork, which inspired me from the first time I read it. Much gratitude and love to my wife and son for tolerating my self-imposed hermitage while working on this project.

Area 10 – The Hag’s Kitchen ....................................... 14  Area 11 – A Crude Quarters ........................................ 14  Area 12 – The Secret Way .......................................... 15  Appendix I: Map ........................................................... 16  Appendix II: Beastiary .................................................. 17  Appendix III: The Demvil.............................................. 19 

2

from his younger adventuring days, and decided to make the place something more than a rough inn. Using elementals bound to his service, Vinien rebuilt the foundation of the inn, and created quite a sumptuous rest stop for travelers and adventurers alike. When he reopened the inn, he invited his few remaining adventurer allies as a sort of reunion and opening celebration combined.

THE GOLDEN BONES OF LIGHTWATCH TOWER An Adventure for 3-5 Characters Level 1-2 “I remember not if the horror happened a’cause of the Harvest Moon, or if the golden light of that selfsame night awakens the old enchantments. Me gran-da mighta known, or his da before him – lost history.. Whatever the past, you stay away from the Cyanwood when the harvest moon comes near, and on pain ‘o death, don’t even take a breath in the shadow of Lightwatch Tower any time of the year.” -Deyb Mattockblade, Year of the First Circle

One of those adventurers, a half-elf, half-fiend paladin, Roweena “Strongblood” Fiss. She was impressed with Vinien’s work, decided to stay on with wizard, and use the waystation as a location from which to proselytize, and spread the word of her god, Lathander. Shortly after beginning on this mission, she constructed a shrine on a small hillock about a day’s journey from the Inn, which she sanctified and dedicated to her god. Vinien, glad to have an old friend as company, loaned Roweena some of his elementals, and soon the shrine quickly expanded to match the paladin’s vision.

“Me da said something about not breathin in the shadows, but he didn’t say anything about exploring the place.” -Last words of Randall Mattockblade, Ches, five days later, Year of the First Circle

With the help of the elementals, Roweena erected Lightwatch – a multi-story tower of white stone set on a small hillock, allowing the open-aired tower to drink in the first and last light of the day, well above the canopy of the surrounding tree line. Lightwatch Tower served as a place of meditation and quiet prayer for several decades after its completion. The simple chapel adjoining the Tower was where the body of Vinien Prast was consecrated, and kept in state until his next of kin could retrieve him, once he passed from the world. Many an adventurer and ranger of the Azurewood found succor from wounds, poisons and diseases under the ministrations of Roweena.

B ACK A CROSS THE A GES There are many debates about how The Lonesome Coach came to be. The two most popular theories are that either a lost Roc finally got tired of carrying an overheavy load, or a teleport spell went awry. Whatever the start of the story, it ends with a dwarven war wagon stranded in the upper boughs of a huge oak alongside the wilderness road. The road mark soon became a campsite, which gradually turned into a rudimentary shelter, which gradually evolved into an inn and provisioning center.

For some decades, the Lonesome Coach saw something resembling tranquility under Roweena’s watchful eye. Despite the fact that there were few regular caravans, the Coach created a route where none had existed before, largely due to the lack of a secure place to stay and resupply. The safety and sturdy walls of the inn led to visitors - both traders and adventurers. Since there was little nearby for adventurers to take interest in other than soft beds and hard drink, the Coach experienced a quiet sort of prosperity.

For a long many centuries, The Lonesome Coach has been an oasis for weary travelers pushing east into the lands beyond the blue-leaf border forest known as the Azurewood. After crossing a great desert, it was a long run to the nearest civilization, and many caravans were lost to mishap or mayhem as they tried to push straight through the stretch before The Coach was established. Though not many have been to The Coach, many have heard tales of it from someone who has sheltered a night there – a place of warmth, security, and relative luxury in the midst of untamed wilderness.

During this quiet period, a young but powerful tiefling warlock by the name of Mosing Falhardt took rest at The Coach, en route to a nearby citadel, which had just been rebuilt. In the outskirts of the new fortress-city, he intended to study under the tutelage of a cabal of infernalists who had recently relocated during the citadel’s refurbishment.

Roughly two centuries before the adventure takes place, a retired war-wizard, Vinien Prast, remembered The Coach

19

Mosing never made it to meet his would-be tutors.

or reviving her husband, who would be faced with the same charge. Roweena chose to trust in her partner to do the right thing, incapable of destroying the monstrous child. The paladin’s choice that failed as soon as Mosing's departing soul realized the cost Lathander required to make his wife’s wishes whole. As Roweena expired, begging her husband’s pity and forgiveness for their offspring, her husband found breath once more, his mortal wounds closing in a golden glow. Mosing howled, wrestling with the afterbirth-smeared monster, unable to slay it, but now wary of its deadly nature.

The young warlock found himself smitten by Roweena, attracted to her infernal looks nearly as much as her purity of soul and devotion. Surprisingly, Roweena found herself attracted to Mosing, particularly once he abandoned some of the darker aspects of his calling as a means of wooing her. The two were not long thereafter wed, and both found a contentment in the quiet worship of Lathander, the maintenance of the Coach, and the sharing of their mutual affection. Years after their union, Roweena and Mosing found themselves expecting a child. Both were elated and fearful of what lay ahead. Given their comingled blood, their child would likely not be born easy. By the time Roweena found herself waxing with child, The Coach had a proper staff, consisting of several maids, a cook, a barkeep, and even a handful of experts, including a smith. They had all taken up permanent residence, providing a number of services to those who stopped in to take a rest.

Mosing was a white rage of hatred and despair. He cursed his nameless monstrous child, and cursed the place of worship he and his wife had created. Dashing his foul offspring against the walls and the altar of the chapel, he disavowed his god, and offered the desecration up to the patron whom he had cast off years before. The foul nature of the former warlock’s accursed utterances called his patron’s interest back. Wracked with rage and sorrow, the former warlock was incapable of bargaining with former patron smartly, resulting in a calamity of evil and profane magic.

When the time came for the birth of their child, Roweena and Mosing sought the refuge of their chapel, hoping that their god would bless their offspring, and make the birth an easy one. They left The Coach in the charge of the barkeep, Rorik Mattoksblade, with instructions to come and seek them only after the passing of the harvest moon, by which time they and their offspring should be ready to make the journey back to the inn.

Mosing traded his soul to banish his offspring to a place “neither of the heavens nor the hells”. The warlock's patron encased father and son within a magical gem, similar to the effect of Trap the Soul spell, at the cost of Mosing’s soul, and life, to be collected after his torture. If the two ever were released from the prison, by the breaking of the gem, the monstrous child would be freed, and Mosing's life and soul would be forfeit.

Either because Lathander sought to test the faith of his two devotees or because the conception of their child was a one-in-a-million chance, the birth of Roweena and Mosing’s child ended in tragedy.

When neither Mosing nor his wife returned with a new babe, Rorik Mattoksblade sought them out, hoping to find the new family happily encamped in Lightwatch Tower. Instead, he found the gruesome remains of Roweena, and no sign of the child or father. Rorik did not spend too much time pondering what happened – seeing the mess of the chapel, he assumed the worst had befallen Mosing and the child, and did his best as a lay faithful of Lathander to see to Roweena’s final rest.

The birth was physically problematic, due in no small part to the worst of both the child’s parents manifesting, despite their best hopes. Their offspring held the worst characteristics of demonic and infernal blood. It was a twisted Glabrezugon, a nigh-impossible blend of the Abyss and the Hells - an entity malice and madness wrought of spikes, claws, and cruel intent. The monster tore through its mother moments after her birthing pangs started, and slew its father moments thereafter, disemboweling him with razored claws. In desperation, Roweena called out to her god to aid her, who replied by offering her the choice of removing the great evil that was her offspring from existence with a blast of divine magic,

Like all paladins of the Lord of Morning, Roweena was due a hero’s burial, complete with the eternal preservation of her mortal remains. Rorik boiled her body down to bone, and gilded them, melting down the instruments and ornamentation of the chapel to provide the needed 2

material for the process. Rorik could not have known what he did by affixing the curious gemstone he found near Roweena’s corpse to the skull of his onetime employer, yet he did so with care and meticulous precision. In the newdawn’s light, the barkeep laid Roweena to rest in a simple casket on the south side of the Tower’s hillock.

altered (which is a welcome opportunity to DM’s who like happy endings). The adventurers arrive at The Coach just following the Harvest Moon.

P LOT H OOKS

Rorick returned to the inn and assumed responsibility for it, and over time sold off what remained of his mistress and master’s worldly possessions (magical and mundane). Eventually Rorick found a spouse, and his children, and children’s children continued to manage The Coach. When a passing clergyman of the faith of the Sun God spent an evening at The Coach, Rorick explained what he had done, and asked that the priest go consecrate the grave, and perhaps restore the chapel of the tower.

If you are tying The Golden Bones into your own campaign or chain of adventures, there are many ways to approach stitching the module in. As an obvious starting place, The Coach presents a hub that the party could be starting out at. They could be traveling with a caravan, or a mentor, or perhaps seeking Kestrel, to hire her as a guide for some other goal in the Azurewood. Ahead are three more structured possibilities for you to work with:

The cleric left that very night, intending to perform the proper ceremonies at dawn. He never returned. His fellows waited a day, and then went searching for him. They never returned either. Rorick assumed the place haunted, and then on warned people away.

S ENT BY THE C HURCH Overview The party is being accompanied by an NPC sent on church business, or are agents of a church of Lathander somewhere in the region of the Azurewood. Either way, reports of the despoiled chapel have reached a larger community of faithful, as well as dark rumors of a curse laid on the despoiled chapel. The worst of the curse seems to be tied to the Harvest Moon, which is when the party will be onsite to investigate.

R ECENT H ISTORY It has been several generations of Mattockblades since the fall of Lightwatch Tower. Unbeknownst to Rorick or his kin, the charitable work of their father created a powerful undead of the onetime proprietor of The Coach. The tortured remains of Roweena are animated by the curse her husband inflicted on the chapel. Through the gem embedded in Roweena’s head, Mosing and the unnamed monstrous son he is trapped with watch as the cursed remains continue to inflict pain and suffering upon the world around them.

Challenges The party will have to cleanse the temple, which means not just defeating Roweena’s remains, but also driving off Yazol from the secret den she has created beneath the Tower. This will prove a huge test of will and faith, particularly when the party is faced with the reality of what they have unleased upon the world, permanently destroying Roweena. If Yazol is not defeated or driven off when the party has defeated the giltbone mistress, Yazol will likely try to rescue/escape with the Glabrezugon, to either draw from its power, or barter it as a valuable slave.

Each time the undead kills an unwary investigator of the ruined chapel, it dispatches the body, boils it down to bones, and turns it into a giltbone skeleton (like herself). The animating magic of these accused undead are tied to Roweena’s remains – if she is destroyed permanently, all the others created by her will fall. However, unless the gemstone in her skull is shattered, her remains, and the remains of all the other skeletons she created will knit and repair themselves on the anniversary of the night of her death (the height of the harvest moon).

Additional Information If agents of the church, the party should also be in possession of a small chest of Lathanderite relics, which would be needed to recons create the shrine. Those relics might also aid in staving off the giltbones around the Tower, or holding the Glabrezugon at bay in a final confrontation.

This is not a situation with a unanimous “win” condition. Certain victories could lead to other calamities. This is a stand-alone that is going to end in a cliffhanger, rather than a clean resolution, unless some presented material is

3

The loss or theft of the relics would greatly complicate the mission, and could provide a spicy follow-up quest line.

In his investigations, Orlin may have learned some of the lore of the origins of the curse on the Tower, and may be insistent on righting the wrong after he is rescued. This could put the party in a rough spot, particularly if they sustained heavy losses or damage in the rescue of the bard.

T HE L OST M AP

T HE M ISSING S ON

Overview Orlin Swift was a bard of no small reputation, who traveled the Azurewood seeking quests and adventures. He recently took on a commission from the Rhengar Adventurers’ Guild far to the east of the wood, to deliver a map to the chieftain of a desert tribesman in exchange for a map of the oases which allowed the tribes to cross the desert. While staying at The Coach, Orlin was told of the disappearance of Delb’s son by the broken-hearted innkeeper.

Overview Delb Mattockblade has done the best he can with The Coach. He lost two of his three sons to Caravans, and only his one son, Randall (who was mostly a layabout) seemed to have any inclination to take on learning the running of the inn. The true reason Randall has not fled The Coach is due to a long-term and very secret affair he is engaged in with the hostler, Lawrence Ames. The two have been secret lovers, since the young farrier abandoned a caravan to take on the duties as chief hostler.

Taking a small detour to investigate the disappearance of the boy, and ran afoul of Yazol, after tracking the boy to the Tower. The Hag overwhelmed Orlin, and is slowly siphoning off his life force after encaging him in her hovel beneath the Tower.

Randall and Lawrence felt that there was a chance Delb was getting suspicious of the time they spent together, so they started sneaking out of The Coach on their forays. After stumbling almost face-first into Kestrel Blueleaf after a fairly noisy romp in the woods, Randall decided they needed to find a more secretive locale to conduct their affair.

The party has been hired to backtrack Orlin, who is several weeks late on his deliveries. Once the summer season comes to the desert, the traders will withdraw to the deep desert, and it will take another year for the Guild to get the information they need to start traversing the desert themselves. Upon getting to The Coach, Deyb will direct the party towards the Tower, but with plenty of dire warning, as well as the sad story of his missing son.

Despite the warnings he received as a child, and the annual warnings Delb gave all the patrons at The Coach, Randall dragged Lawrence out to the ruins of Lightwatch Tower, thinking it might be the perfect place for them to “camp out” occasionally.

Challenges

The duo encountered some giltbones, and Lawrence ran off, terrified, while Randall stood to confront the skeletons. Randall’s bravery cost him his life, and he is now a member of the Tower’s shining undead guardians. Yazol managed to steal away a silver belt buckle that would easily be identified as his by Delb or Lawrence, if recovered from the Hag’s chest.

Yazol has the map, as well as the rest of the treasure she has been able to recover from the giltbones in her chest beneath the tower. To reclaim the map, the party will have to defeat the hag without her escaping, or somehow free Orlin, so that he can retrieve his gear and help the party escape. The giltbones may be more of a hurdle than a quest goal, though the party could certainly find themselves overwhelmed by problems if they destroy the gemstone before freeing Orlin. There will be just enough time to get the map to the desert tribe, assuming the party succeeds, but they will have to pass back by The Coach on the return to the Guild, and who knows what evils may be left unvanquished…

Delb will beg the party to go out looking for his son, explaining what happened with Orlin. He will offer the party a rich reward (350gp) if they can return his son to The Coach. The party, of course, cannot do that, but they may be able to give the poor innkeeper some piece of mind, and put his son to rest.

Additional Information 4

Deyb is fair and even minded. If he catches party members doing anything untoward, he will warn them once, then turn them out thereafter. Directly illegal activity (cheating, theft, assault or murder) will leave Deyb no choice but to clap the perpetrators in irons out by the forge, and send word with the next travelers to the Rhengar Adventurers’ Guild down the road that they are in need of a Judge.

Challenges Lawrence knows what happened to Randall, but is terrified of what Delb might do to him if he found out about the affair the hostler was having with his son. He could be tricked or intimidated into telling what he knows, but only out of sight and earshot of the innkeeper.

Deyb is morning the loss of his last son, who went missing approximately three days before the party arrives on the scene

Grundle Fitz, the dwarven smith, of The Coach suspects Lawrence knows what happened to Randall, having overheard parts of the hostler’s screaming nightmares in the eaves of the stables. The dwarf does not know about the affair, otherwise he would be blackmailing the hostler.

Deyb Mattocksblade Medium Humanoid (Human)

In backtracking Randall, Orlin has put two-and-two together, in regards to what was happening between Lawrence and Randall, but did not dell Delb, out of fear of what the grieving innkeeper might do to the hostler. If he is freed from his prison, and Yazol’s chest is retrieved, he will recognize Randall’s belt, and return it to Delb.

Armor Class 10 Hit Points 4 (1d8) Speed 30 ft. Str 10 (+0) Dex 10 (+0) Con 10 (+0) Int 10 (+0) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 10 (+0) Alignment LN Languages Common

Randall cannot be saved, but he can be put to rest if the gemstone is destroyed. Orlin will push for that, if rescued. The party may find themselves in that situation accidentally.

Traits Pack Tactics: The commoner gains a cumulative +1 bonus to attack rolls, to a maximum of +5, for each friendly creature that is within 5 feet of its target.

Additional Information Actions Melee Attack - Club: +1 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

Delb is already mourning the loss of his son, and will turn to Lawrence for support, rather than in rage. He will know, as only a parent can, that Randall would have been the one to push on to the Tower, despite his warnings. Many of the things Randall loved about Lawrence, Delb will see as positive marks of character, and given time, the hostler may come to be a surrogate son, and possible heir apparent to The Coach.

Ranged Attack - Rock: +1 to hit (range 20 ft./80 ft.; one creature). Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

G RUNDLE F ITZ The shyster smith, Grundle only cares about his own profits. With an unkempt beard and matted, filthy clothes, Grundle works and sleeps outdoors, taking breaks only to eat meals, toss dice, or drink himself into a stupor. Grudnle came to The Coach as a caravan guard, and stayed thinking to worry free some of the ancient dwarven metal from The Coach’s namesake to forge into some expensive items. When Delb forbade him from doing this, Grundle’s caravan was already gone. The dwarf has just stayed, in part because he knows he will outlive the innkeeper, and hopes to take advantage of The Cart once the human dies.

NPC’ S These are a few of the individuals who may be encountered in a significant interaction – either in combat or conversation. A short description is given of each, as well as a basic stat block in the case they are aiding or confronting the party.

D EYB M ATTOCKBLADE The Inkeeper of The Coach, Deyb is a hefty middle-aged human. He walks with a limp from when a horse broke his leg, and distrusts the animals as a result. He is gruff, and knows his way about a barfight with a cudgel or a stool, but is no fighter or adventurer, like his forefathers were.

If a member of the party is investigating Randall’s disappearance, Grundle will make some sideways remarks about Lawrence, implicating the hostler without specifics. If pressed on this, he will claim misunderstanding, and will meet any failed attempt at intimidation either with his fists or a hammer. 5

Str 10 (+0) Dex 10 (+0) Con 10 (+0) Int 10 (+0) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 14 (+2) If a party member is clapped in irons, and is awaiting the Alignment LN arrival of a Judge, Grundle can be bribed to free the Languages Common prisoner for 50gp. Note to DM: Running the Adventure Depending on the number of players you have, and  Traits their  level/class  makeup,  some  of  the  challenges  Pack Tactics: The commoner may  scale  too  far  up  or  down,  particularly  if  the  gains a cumulative +1 bonus to Grundle Fitz attack rolls, to a maximum of Medium Humanoid (Dwarf) players are not well coordinated.    +5, for each friendly creature To scale down, remove the giltbones turn resistance  Armor Class 12 (Leather Apron) that is within 5 feet of its target. if they are not in the chapel, or beneath it.  You can  Hit Points 13 (2d8 + 4) also  disarm  them,  and  have  them  deal  clawing  Actions Speed 25 ft. damage, instead of weapon damage.  Senses darkvision 50 ft. Melee Attack - Club: +1 to hit Str 13 (+1) Dex 11 (+0) Con 14 To scale up, position a few skeletons at the top of the  (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 2 (+2) Int 10 (+0) Wis 11 (+0) Cha tower with poisoned crossbows.  Only a stealthy or  (1d4) bludgeoning damage. 10 (+0) Alignment NE secret  approach  to  the  tower  will  allow  access  Languages Common, Dwarvish unmolested.  Ranged Attack - Rock: +1 to hit However  you  play  it,  you  should  keep  track  of  (range 20 ft./80 ft.; one Traits skeletons and flying spiders as they are dispatched,  creature). Hit: 2 (1d4) Dwarven Resilience: The dwarf and  eliminate  the  chance  of  encountering  them  bludgeoning damage. has advantage on saving throws while exploring once they are eliminated.  against poison and resistance to Additionally,  since  The  Coach  could  have  other  O RLIN S WIFT poison damage. adventurers there, you could supplement the party  A curious bard, captured by the with a needed class (cleric or rogue), or have Kestrel  Actions save  the  day,  in  the  case  that  a  first  assault  goes  hag, Yazol, while investingating Melee or Ranged Attack - Light the disappearance of Randall. horribly.  Hammer: +3 to hit (reach Two  special  considerations  to  keep  in  mind:  how  5 ft. or range 20 ft./60 ft.; one does  the  party  dispatch  Roweena,  assuming  they  Orlin Swift creature). Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) figure out what is going on, either by catching Yazol,  Medium Human Bard bludgeoning damage. (Lvl 1) or reading her grimoire?  If they give Roweena rest,  how  do  they  handle  the  sudden  appearance  of  Armor Class 13 (leather armor) Mosing  and  his  monstrous  child?    Mosing’s  patron  Hit Points 8 (1d6 Hit Die) L AWRENCE A MES will claim him moments after he reappears – will the  Proficiency Bonus +1 Lawrence is a handsome, blondeGlabrezugon attack the party, flee, or try to bargain  Speed 30 ft. Alignment chaotic good haired human, whose ancestors with them?  claimed to have elven blood. He While this adventure can be a simple one shot, it can  Languages Common, Elvish, Sylvan, Thieves’ Cant cane to The Coach several months easily  be  used  as  the  springboard  to  a  campaign,  before the party arrives, and is particularly if Yazol escapes or the Glabrezugon runs  Str 9 (-1) Dex 15 (+2) Con14 riddled with guilt over the death of free to terrorize the Azurewood and The Coach.  (+2) his secret lover, Randall Int 11 (+0); Wis 13 (+1)Cha 17 Mattocksblade. As much as he (+3); add proficiency bonus to saves carries that guilt, he is petrified that Radnall’s father, his employer Delb will seek deadly retribution if he finds out Actions what happened to his son. Lawrence can be threatened, Melee Attack (Two-Weapon Fighting): Short sword (+3 charmed, or compelled to tell his tale, but will not do so to hit; 1d6 + 2 piercing) and short sword (+3 to hit; 1d6 without magical intervention if Delb is in earshot. piercing) Melee or Ranged Attack: Dagger (range 20 ft./60 ft.; +3 to Lawrence Ames hit; 1d4 + 2 piercing) Medium Humanoid (Human) Ranged Attack: Hand crossbow (range 30 ft./120 ft.; +3 to Armor Class 10 hit; 1d6 + 2 piercing) Hit Points 4 (1d8) Skills Speed 30 ft. Acrobatics, Deception, History, Performance, Sleight of Hand, Stealth 6

you to sleep. Keen Senses. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks. Low-Light Vision. You can see in dim light as well as you do in bright light. Mask of the Wild. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena. Trance. You do not need to sleep. Instead, you meditate deeply for 4 hours a day. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit

Equipment (in Hag’s chest, except for clothes) Leather armor, short swords (2), daggers (2), hand crossbow (20 bolts), flute, lute, potion of healing, clothes, disguise kit, healer’s kit, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, flask of whiskey, lampblack, lantern, mess kit, desert treasure map, Rhengar Adventurer’s Guild membership chit, oil (3 pints),rations (1 days), small steel mirror, comb, thieves’ tools, tinderbox, waterskin, whetstone, 330 gp, and 67 sp.

K ESTREL B LUELEAF Ranger of the Azurewood, Kestrel is a female elf who scouts against any unnatural creatures of the magical wood disrupting the balance of nature. She knows there is a curse on Lightwatch Tower, and can easily (DC 10 Cha) be convinced to lead the party there, or to lead a lost party back to The Coach in exchange for payment for a hot meal and a bath.

Proficiencies. Add your proficiency bonus to attack rolls you make using martial weapons and simple weapons (included in “Attacks”). You also add your proficiency bonus to ability checks made to use mounts (land) and your skills (noted in “Skills”), as well as to your Dexterity and Wisdom saving throws (noted in “Ability Scores”). You also have proficiency with light armor, medium armor, and shields.

Kestrel can confirm that Randall was in the woods the night of his disappearance. She doesn’t know anything else. If the party encounters/discovers Yazol, Kestrel will align herself with the party, and aid them however they can, so long as they intend to hunt down and destroy the hag.

You have proficiency with the climber’s kit, navigator’s tools, and vehicles (land), so you add your proficiency bonus to ability checks you make using them Tracking. You can spend 1 minute to track other creatures. You succeed automatically, except in the following circumstances:

Kestrel Blueleaf Medium Wood Elf Ranger (Lvl 1)



AC 15 (studded leather) Hit Points 12 (1d10 Hit Die) Proficiency Bonus +1 Speed 35 ft. Alignment neutral good Languages Common, Elvish Str 12 (+1) Dex 17 (+3); add prof bonus to saves Con 14 (+2) Int 10 (+0) Wis 14 (+2); add prof bonus to saves Cha 8 (–1) Actions Melee Attack (Two-Weapon Fighting): Scimitar (+4 to hit; 1d6 + 3 slashing) and scimitar (+4 to hit; 1d6 slashing) Ranged Attack: Longbow (range 150 ft./600 ft.; +4 to hit; 1d8 + 3 piercing) Skills Animal Handling, Athletics, Nature, Perception, Stealth, Survival Equipment Studded leather, Long Sword (2), longbow (20 arrows), potion of healing, clothes, healer’s kit, backpack, bedroll, belt pouch, hempen rope (50 ft.), navigator’s tools, rations (4 days), tent, tinderbox, torches (4), waterskin, 57 gp, and 14 sp.

   

More than 24 hours have passed since the creatures passed. The creatures intentionally obscured their trail. Weather, such as snow or heavy rain, has obscured the trail. The terrain, such as a river or hard rock, makes discerning a trail difficult. Many creatures have traveled through the area, such as along a road or inside a city.

In such circumstances, a successful Wisdom check against a DC set by the DM is required to track. If you track successfully, you discern whether creatures have passed through the area within 100 feet of you. You learn the number of creatures and their sizes, when they passed through, and the direction they were traveling. Based on the age and arrangement of the tracks, you can tell the difference between separate groups. If you successfully navigate while exploring, you can also follow tracks. Wanderer. You have an excellent memory for maps and geography, and you can always recall the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features around you. In addition, you can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water, and so forth.

Racial Traits Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic cannot put 7

Y AZOL THE H AG

Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) slashing damage.

A hag looking to replicate the effect of Mosing’s curse. She came to the Azurewood seeking opportunities to twist the enchanted wood’s strange magic, and increase her powers. When she discovered Lightwatch Tower, she excavated a small lair beneath it, using her flesh golem which has since been destroyed by Kestrel Blueleaf. She hates the ranger bitterly, after the ranger destroyed her golem. She will flee any battle Kestrel is a part of, unless she has a clear ambush that will allow her to slay the ranger outright.

Melee Attack - Withering Grasp (Recharge 5–6): +6 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 7 (2d6) necrotic damage, and the target must make a DC 9 Constitution saving throw. Failed Save: The target has disadvantage on melee attack rolls, saving throws, and all Strength and Dexterity checks for 1 minute. Disguise Self: The hag assumes the illusory form of any Small or Medium humanoid and can maintain this illusion indefinitely. A DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that the creature is not what it appears to be, but not the hag’s true form. The hag can end the illusion at any time (no action required). The effect also ends when the hag is killed.

Yazol will use her ability to change shape to try and coerce, slay, or redirect the party, if she determines they are weakened and she can easily overcome them. Alternatively, she could use what she has to sneak back to The Cart in alternate form, if needs be, and either kill sleeping adventurers, or escape from them in the night.

Invisibility: The hag turns invisible until it attacks, casts a spell, or ends the effect. It can end the effect at any time without using an action. Yazol’s invisibility affects undead.

Most importantly, Yazol is a coward. She will flee if the giltbones attack her, she will flee if the party surprises her, and she will flee if she is brought below half her hit points. She will bide silent and sneaking, thereafter, seeking to avenge herself in moments of weakness the party experiences until they are all slain.

Spellcasting: The hag is an 8th--‐ level spellcaster that uses Intelligence as its magic ability (spell save DC 12). It knows the following spells: Cantrips - mage hand, minor illusion 1st Level (3/day) - magic missile, comprehend languages, sleep 2nd Level (1/day) - phantasmal force

Yazol can barely drag her chest around – she used her golem to carry it. She will leave it unless she has ample time to prepare her evacuation from the Tower.

Equipment Yazol has a +1 dagger, a necklace which allows her to see through her ensorcelled sapphires at a distance of no more than one mile, and a pair of keys she wears on her belt on a copper ring – one to the cage in her lair, the other to the lock on her fine steel chest.

Yazol: Green Hag Medium Humanoid

Armor Class 14 Hit Points 36 (8d8) Speed 30 ft, swim Senses low--‐light vision Str 15 (+2) Dex 15 (+2) Con 10 (+0) Int 14 (+2) Wis 13 (+1) Cha 15 (+2) Alignment neutral evil Languages Common, Giant

30 ft.

Yazol’s fine steel chest is locked with a fine steel lock (DC 15 to unlock), in which are the following:  All of Orlin’s Equipment  Pen, Ink, and her personal grimoire/diary (which details most of the information concerning the curse on Lightwatch Tower)  Six ensorcelled sapphires, which appear to be worth 500gp, instead of the 50gp they are worth  A scroll of Restoration  A silver belt buckle in the form of a flying eagle (Randall’s – easily identified by Orlin, or anyone at The Cart)  Three Potions of Cure Light Wounds

Traits Mimicry: The hag can imitate the sounds of common beasts and voices of humanoids, male or female, young or old. A creature hearing the imitated sounds can make a DC 16 Wisdom (Insight) check to realize that they’re not genuine. Actions Melee Attack - Claws: +4 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). 8

  

anchors as hand and footholds. There is usually at least one skeleton keeping watch in one of the four great windows at the top of the Tower at any time of day or night.

A book annoting Yazol’s experiences in crafting a Flesh Golem (worth something to a Wizard) 317 GP, 227 SP Roweena’s Holy Symbol of Lathander

If it is nighttime, there will be two skeletons posted at the top of the Tower. Depending on how difficult you want the module to be, they may or may not be armed with slings, bows, or crossbows.

 

L IGHTWATCH T OWER L OCATIONS

Any attempts to climb the Tower will alert Roweena’s remains, and any undefeated skeletons will swarm the area, climbing up after any adventurers trying to scale the tower’s exterior.

The grand sight that was once Lightwatch Tower stands sentinel over an earthy hillock, overlooking the strange blue trees all around the clearing. You can almost swear you saw a glint, like gold sparking in the light emanating from the deep shadows that fill the open window ells at the top of the Tower. Deep in the strange woods beyond the tower, a goshawk screams in victory or pain as it finds a meal, or is made one.

The chapel exterior is covered in a horrid vine, similar to poison ivy, but made far more virulent by the evil magic within the chapel. For more information see Itchburn Ivy in Appendix II.

A REA 1 – T HE C HAPEL E NTRANCE

The beige boxed text is read-aloud descriptive text for the party’s exploration of different areas of the Tower. Monsters, challenges, and/or treasure/findings will be listed. Monster stat blocks are in Appendix II.

This was the main entrance to the chapel. It is normally barred from the inside, though Roweena’s remains will leave the door unbarred if it is stalking the Tower area, or rendering a new giltbone.

There are 17 giltbone skeletons roaming the Tower grounds. Several will be inside at any given time, what remains will be just outside, patrolling the area. All the skeletons have just been renewed by the cursed gemstone, and are at full health.

You stand before the twin doors of the once-proud chapel adjoining the tower. The doors are [opened, with a bar discarded nearby, just inside the door] or [barred from the inside]. The doors were finely made when new, and are quite sturdy, but they have been well-weathered. Stained glass windows once flanked the door, but the glass is long since shattered, leaving only the wrought-iron framework that once held the glass in each of the window wells.

If the party remains concealed nearby, and can observe the Tower for more than 10 minutes, they should be allowed a Perception check at a DC of 12 to spot a roving band (2-5) of giltbones. For every 10 minutes they watch the area, they get an additional +1 to the roll. However, each 10 minutes past the first, the skeleton patrol they are getting a chance to spot gets a perception check against whatever stealth or camouflage they have created. The chapel is a 30’ by 50’ structure, and stands approximately 40’ tall. The chapel and tower sit on a hill that is about 60’ higher than the surrounding territory. The chapel is made of the same white stone as the tower, and has a tile roof that is pitted and cracked. Most of the roof, and the entire back (Northern) side of the chapel is covered in an odd sort of ivy.

The chapel area is preternaturally dark, as a byproduct of the lingering evil of the desecration. If the doors are unbarred, use of magical light will illuminate the interior of the chapel, allowing visual examination from the outside, but that will immediately recall Roweena’s remains to the chapel to confront the intruders. The greater giltbone will call all undefeated giltbones to assist her in this case.

The tower is about 60’ tall, but the inside structure mostly rotted away. All the wooden stairs which allowed access to the upper levels have rotted away, though the thick timbers crossing the top of the Tower still remain. Giltbone skeletons can climb the walls easily, using old stairwell

If the doors are closed, they cannot be opened from the outside. The doors could be broken down, or burned down, but doing so will surely bring all the skeletons to the site of the conflagration, and will likely rouse all the flying spiders from the rafters of the chapel, day or night. 9

Some is old and leathery, some is soaked in fresh blood and twitching with maggots. You try not to retch as you back up a step.

Hazards 50% chance of encountering 2-5 giltbone skeletons while exploring the door, unless making a DC 13 Stealth check.

There will always be at least one giltbone patrolling this area, unless they have all been recalled to defend the Tower.

A REA 2 – T HE B ACK D OOR

Searching the area reveals only that the skin hanging from the trees was not delicately removed, and instead looks like it was shredded off in tears caused by claws, as opposed to a bladed edge. Some of the skin appears to have been gnawed on by some sort of large insect.

The back door is an unobstructed view from the Bone Cauldron. If Roweena’s remains are making a skeleton, or if Yazol is observing the process, either will be able to see the party plainly, as they explore. The entirety of the top and backside of the chapel is coated in Itchburn Ivy. Covering skin will mitigate the acidic effect, but not the secretion’s scent.

There is a 25% chance that a wing of flying spiders (3-12) will beset the party if they are searching the area at night. They will not attack during the day, when they sleep in the Chapel.

The doorway in the rear of the chapel is small, and finely made. It sits in a deep recess in the wall, and is thoroughly coated in reddish-black vines which climb up the side of the chapel to the roof. The vines are as thick as a man’s finger, and have arrow-shaped leaves with white markings in the center of each leaf. They undulate in a light breeze like they are beckoning you to come closer.

Hazards See giltbone skeleton and/or flying spider in Appendix II

A REA 4 – T HE B ONE C AULDRON This rusted cauldron sits over charred stones, and appears to have been used recently to boil flesh from bone, judging by what has been dumped on the ground nearby. The scent of rendered fat and burned blood hang in the air around the cauldron. As you wonder who might use the cauldron, a golden skeleton leaps from the pot at you, waving a rusted battleaxe.

The door can be forced with a DC 16 Strength check, providing the Itchburn Ivy (See Appenndix II) can be overcome. Hazards 25% chance of 1-4 giltbones. Possible chance of Greater Giltbone or Yazol. Itchburn Ivy (covers all of Chapel exterior).

There will always be at least one giltbone here, maybe more. It is possible (if desired) to have this be an encounter area for the greater giltbone (creating a victim) or Yazol (who may try to gain the party’s trust in alternate form by warning them of the impending danger before the giltbone can strike.

A REA 3 – T HE H ANGING T REES This is the area where the greater giltbone flays victims. The trees in this area are spattered with blood, and the remains of rotting skin hang from many of the lower branches.

Hazards See giltbone skeleton in Appendix II

A REA 5 – T HE H IDDEN C ACHE

The buzzing of flies and fetid stench of decaying flesh suffuses this area of trees. As you step through some dense canopy, you see a small clearing ringed by branches hung with rotting ribbons of humanoid skin.

Some bandits hid their booty here before setting off to explore the Tower. They were all slain in their exploration, and what remains of their treasure lies moldering in a hollow beneath one of the large trees. 10

What remains of some simple wooden benches and the crumbled remains of a smashed altar lie in ruins against the far wall. A dark stain marks the floor near the altar, and the walls are spattered with splashes of dark gore, long dried.

A copse of several large blue-leafed trees has an opening in it, caused by one of the large trees toppling over, and taking several smaller trees with it. Searching the area (DC 14) will reveal a hollow beneath the fallen tree.

If the door was barred and the party entered by overcoming the Ivy and forcing the back door read below, otherwise skip to the next entry.

A moldering sack lies in a hollow beneath the fallen tree. You can see the shine of dirty glass were some of the burlap has rotted away due to exposure

Kneeling in the center of the ruined chapel is a humanoid skeleton, apparently made out of or coated in gold. It senses you, and springs to its feet, issuing an otherworldly wail as a topaz the size of a hen’s egg in its bony forehead flashes with sudden pulse of brilliance. Four piles of bones lying about the ruined chapel glow brightly with golden light, as all of them rush to attack you. The skeleton who had been kneeling allows its defenders to rush ahead, drawing a bow instead.

Within the sack are a set of rusty thieves tools, a hand crossbow with four quarrels, a rotten pack of rations, and a canteen full of dwarven spirits. There are also three glowrods, a whetstone, and a purse containing 173 silver pieces in it. There is a cracked decanter, and three broken potion vials (all of which froze and broke in the winter). Searching for, and sorting out the contents of the sack creates a 25% chance of encountering 1-4 giltbones on patrol.

The greater giltbone will wield the sword she once used in life to slay fiends. It is a +1 devil bane long sword named Fiendbleed. It is of elven make, and emanates a 5’ field of glowing golden motes when devils are within 120’.

A REA 6 – T HE D ESPOILED C HAPEL

The greater giltbone will stay on the far end of the chapel, shooting at spellcasters and clerics. Any characters injured by skeletons will have to start contending with hungry flying spiders, which will drop from the ceiling as soon as blood is in the air. There are 27 spiders in total.

The Chapel is home to dangerous inhabitants in the eaves – a brood of flying spiders. They nest in the Chapel, despite the aversion to the giltbones, since the skeletons provide easy meals, and a secure nesting place. The skeletons take no notice of the spiders, interested in only intelligent life.

If the greater giltbone is not within the chapel, the four hidden giltbones will remain hidden until the party has entered the room to explore. Three will animate and attack immediately, while the fourth will run into the ruined tower to sound the bell, calling the remaining giltbones to the scene.

Beyond the unbarred door, preternatural darkness dims your vision form seeing any details If the party overcomes the magical darkness…

If the greater giltbone is defeated but not destroyed, the lesser giltbones will stay animate. If the party destroys the topaz, read below:

You have entered the chapel - a room 60 feet wide and 30 feet deep. The rafters above are occluded by a tangle of the leavings of hundreds of generations of spiders, occluding any view of the ceiling.

The strange gemstone in the golden skeleton’s skull shatters into dust as the skeleton’s remains liquefy, and evaporate into golden steam. For a moment, you see 11

the spectre of a horned woman, beautiful and severe, floating above the golden steam, and then she is gone. In a pyroclastic pop, in her place appears a middle-aged tiefling, his face in a grimace of agony and anger, wrestling with a Halfling-sized monstrosity that appears to be all wings, claws, mounts, and fangs.

the room is a thick rusty chain, which disappears into the few thick supports of wood crisscrossing what was likely the onetime floor of the top level of the Tower. The air smells of dust and rotting wood, and mildew. This room is considered difficult terrain. If the party dispatches any giltbones in the area and searches the room (DC 13). They will find the covered trap door. It requires a DC 18 Athletics check to hoist the door open with all the rotting wood atop it. Spending one hour clearing the area reduces the check to DC 11, but more-or-less guarantees that the greater giltbone will return, if it was not there when the party explored the chapel.

With a gasp, the tiefling shrieks in denial, throwing the creature he wrestled with away from him as the air around him darkens. Black clawed hands erupt from the earth, dragging him down as they tear great clawed gashes into his struggling body.

If splashed with oil, the rotting wood will start aflame, and burn out the room over a period of hours. This will destroy the tower, which will collapse when the upper timbers burn away. The collapsing tower will completely destroy the hidden room beneath it.

The party now has to deal with the ramifications of having freed the Glabrezugon. It may simply flee the area, to become a future foe for the party. Unless they have recruited powerful allies, it will be an incredibly difficult fight, on the he heels of what was likely an already difficult fight. Persistent parties should be allowed to put their hand in the blender, if they so insist.

The trap door has two traps on it. One (DC 11 detect, DC 13 disarm) is a simple string of bells that will sound when it is opened. The second is a magical trap (DC 14 detect, DC 15 disarm) which will summon a mage hand to sound the bell if the words “Secrets abound” are not spoken in giant when the door is opened.

Hazards More Appendix II for more information on Greater Giltbones, Giltbones, and Flying Spiders. See Appendix III for information about the Glabrezugon.

If the party has somehow bypassed the guardians, the bell trap will alert the giant flying spider in the room below. It will also alert Yazol if she is in her lair.

A REA 7 – T HE R UINED T OWER There are three main aspects to this room. If there are still undefeated giltbones in the apex of the Tower, they will assail the party constantly while in this room, shifting from arrows to thrown bits of masonry until they are dispatched.

Hazards

There is a chain running to the bell at the top of the tower, which will call all the remaining giltbones to the chapel. Giltbones will begin arriving 10 rounds after the bell is sounded, and another 1-3 will arrive every four rounds until they are all present and attacking the party.

Bell Alarm Trap [30 xp]

Possible Flying Spiders or Giltbones. See Appendix II.

Detect DC:11 Disarm DC:13 Retry:as long as failure is not below an 8 Fail: Bells sound, alerting Yazol and giant flying spider

Hidden beneath the flotsam is a cleverly concealed trap door, which Yazol used when she was first studying the profaned chapel, and the giltbones. She is now mostly interested in the magical process at the cauldron, and has allowed the trapdoor to become buried in ruined wood and the leavings of flying spiders.

Mage Hand Trap [75 xp] Detect DC:11 Disarm DC:13 Retry:as long as failure is not below an 8 Fail: Bells sound, alerting Yazol and giant flying spider

A REA 8 – T HE H IDDEN C HAMBER

The splintered remains of two stories of wooden stairs, and most of the framework that supported them chokes the floor of this huge room. Dangling in the center of

The room below the trapdoor has become completely choked by the giant flying spider’s web. The remains of 12

several meals hang from the ceiling, and the entire room, aside from the skinny hallway to the eastern side of the room are treated as though the area were under a Web spell.

Within the chest in the middle of the hallway, there are most of the remains of a deer carcass, half of a pickled human torso in a big glass jar with bites taken out of it (the remains of one of the rogues who had the misfortune of discovering the secret back entrance to her lair), and at least two-dozen spider eggs. There is also a large amphora of sour mead that has been cut with blood.

Attempting to ignite the webs will immediately cause the giant flying spider to attack, and if the party did not clear the area around the trapdoor, it will start the door, and the wood around it on fire, destroying the Tower.

There is a thin coating of mist on the floor of the narrow hallway beyond the web-choked room. The hallway is about seven feet tall, but barely five feet wide, and the party needs to go single file to traverse it. The air grows significantly cooler as you approach the hallway. Roughly forty feet ahead, just where the hallway turns north, there is a large leather-banded wooden crate sitting slightly ajar, blocking the hallway.

The stale scent of dried blood, and the now-familiar scent of spider musk wafts up from the trapdoor as you swing it open. [Trap door bells may sound] [Mage Hand may sounds Tower bell] The floor room below, visible in the dim light, is approximately 20 feet below where you stand, though the precise distance is difficult to judge, since the chamber below the Tower is choked with thick spider webs.

The crate is ajar because it cannot close all the way with the amphora or pickle jar in it. If the party camps with the door open, either Yazol or the spider will try to eliminate members of the party while they sleep. Yazol will try to slay whoever she sees as the most dangerous, while the spider will attempt to overcome whoever is sleeping closest to the open door, and drag them back into the webbed room below.

The frost emanation requires a minute to recharge, so a hasty party can avoid freezing to death in the hallway, unless they decide to search the larder, which will leave them facing the trap 2-3 more times. The cold ends at the entryway to area 10. Frost Mephit Gem [50 xp]

Hazards

Detect DC:17 Disarm DC:18 Retry:Failure below 10 triggers the trap, unless it has not been a minute since last failure Fail: preternatural cold suffuses the hallway, coating it and its inhabitants with frost. Constitution save at a DC of 12, or take (4) 1d6+1 points of damage. Successful save means you take 1 point of damage. After taking 5 or more points of damage in this manner, a creature becomes fatigued by extreme cold, unless otherwise protected.

See Giant Flying Spider in Appendix II for more information.

A REA 9 – T HE G RUESOME L ARDER The hallway off of the now web-choked entry is where Yazol goes to gather and store food. Her time at the Tower has created quite a fondness for flying spider eggs, and she regularly gathers them, both to sate her hunger, and to keep the population pruned.

If the frost emanation is triggered five times in a row, the wine and pickle jar in the larder will shatter as their contents freeze solid, showering anyone nearby with shards of glass unless they make a DC 10 Dexterity save.

The hallway has bound the essence of a frost mephit to an enchanted sapphire set beneath one of the flagstones of the hallway floor, which triggers once every hour automatically, and will trigger whenever any type of nongiant enters the hallway. This is how Yazol trapped the matron spider, and how she keeps its young from invading her larder.

Rewards If put in at least one gallon of freezable liquid, the sapphire will cool a 10’ cube to roughly freezing temperature. If left in the open, it can cool five times that area, though far more dangerously. Identifying the sapphire gives the caster the truename of the Mephit trapped within the gem 13

[Wystralaan] and knowledge of the submerging in liquid to make it more safe.

Rewards

Deyb will pay up to 100gp for it, to use in The Coach’s larder. Shattering this gem by throwing it creates a 4d6 frostball (treat as a fireball that deals cold damage, save DC 14) centered on where the gem is thrown.

Aside from any information or help the party can get from Orlin, he may be the end of a quest/plot hook. He will certainly aid the party if he can enact revenge on Yazol, and if they can help him retrieve his gear from her chest. If Yazol is planning to flee there is a 50% chance she will leave Orlin to die in the cage, otherwise she will kill him and take his body with her so she has something to eat.

A REA 10 – T HE H AG ’ S K ITCHEN

Most of the kitchen implements are crudely wrought or scrounged. The exception to this is Yazol’s stove, which, like her larder, uses an ensorcelled sapphire with a steam mephit soul bound to it. This gem can heat up the stone hearth on verbal command. The gem is of similar value as the cold gem to someone who runs an inn, but unlike the cold gem, it will only activate when verbally commanded to do so.

Professional animal trainers charge up to 2,000 gp to rear or train a winged viper into a serviceable guardian that can obey simple commands (DC 15 for a juvenile creature; DC 20 for a fully grown adult).

The room down the twist in the hall is a giant-sized kitchen, with a hearth sitting in the far western corner, and a huge wrought-iron cage sitting just to the left of the doorway ahead of you. A weak but melodious voice starts pleading with you as soon as you clear the area past the foul larder in the cold hallway.

Identifying the gem reveals its nature, as well as the name of the mephit bound to it (Sstrussln). Shattering this gem by throwing it creates a 4d6 Fireball (Save DC 14)centered on where the gem is thrown.

A REA 11 – A C RUDE Q UARTERS

“Please, get me out of here. I’ll do anything! Just name it! Don’t let her eat me. She’s going to one of these times, I just know it!”

This is Yazol’s bed, and where she keeps her iron chest. Along the north wall is a refuse pile – mostly discarded meals and cracked bones. Hidden along the east wall is the secret entrance/exit to the lair. Orlin does not know that the exit exists, and assumes that Yazol may have used magic to come and go from her lair.

In a stoutly wrought iron cage sits a filth-ridden Orlin Swift. He has been trapped here for days, as Yazol slowly feeds his life into an experimental version of the Curse she is trying to perfect.

The sour stench of the Hag’s sleeping quarters is only slightly masked by the piles of rotting food and cracked bones along the northern edge of the room. A roughly hewn bed sits in the southeast corner, and next to it sits a stout steel chest with a huge gleaming lock securing it.

How Orlin interacts with the party largely depends on how they treat him, and if they can free him. He is desperate to escape, and not wrong about Yazol, who is becoming frustrated with her continued failures, and wants to eat Orlin before he gets too thin from his imprisonment.

The chest will be empty if Yazol decided to flee with premeditation. If she is slain, or fleeing in haste, the chest will have any treasure listed under Yazol’s NPC entry.

Hazards There is a 50% chance that Yazol is in this area. She will attack the party, prepared for their entrance, if they sounded either alarm. She will try to keep as much of the party in the larder hallway as possible, to let her trap sap at the party’s health while she decimates whoever is first in line. She will try to incapacitate, if she feels she can overcome the party easily, but if she feels much risk, she will not hesitate to slay outright. If she is reduced to half hit points or less, she will turn invisible and flee for her secret exit/entrance to the Tower.

Steel Chest Unlock DC:20 Break DC:25 Chest has a hardness of 10, and 150 hit points. The lock has a hardness of 8 and 50 hit points. Secret Door [50 xp] Search DC: 15 14

The secret door is cleverly hidden in the wall at the foot of the bed. It leads out to a secret passage that comes up above ground not far from Area 5. The tunnel was excavated by Yazol’s flesh golem, and is crudely supported by unfinished timbers.

A REA 12 – T HE S ECRET W AY Regardless of whether the party’s careful searching has led to this entrance to the Tower from the outside, or if the secret door is revealed from the inside area 11,Yazol’s door will be locked. She carries the key to it on her person (it is the same key that opens the steel chest). Picking the lock is a DC 14 attempt.

A dark earthen hallway extends far to the east, with the occasional root sticking out of the ceiling of the tunnel between crudely erected supports of unfinished wood. The hallway is not well made, and is narrow, but seems secure enough. If Yazol is fleeing with premeditation, she will weaken the supports of the tunnel, risking its collapse when the party traverses it. If she is fleeing in haste, or has not yet encountered the party, the hallway will be untrapped. Discovering the entrance to the secret way from the surface by someone who has never used it before requires a DC 14 Perception check, followed by a DC 15 Search check.

Collapsing Tunnel Trap [50 xp] Detect DC:13 Disarm DC: The trap cannot be disarmed once set, but the tunnel can be re-shored with the proper materials at hand. Two successful Dexterity saves at a DC of 11 before three noncritical failures will allow someone to traverse the hallway without setting off the trap. Retry: as long as failure is not a 1 Fail: The tunnel will collapse, crushing everyone within for 4d6 points of damage. Those not slain can attempt to tunnel the 10’ to the surface before suffocating in 1d4 hours.

15

A PPENDIX I: M AP

16

A PPENDIX II: B EASTIARY

the newly cleaned bones of a recently slain humanoid creature. Generally, the soul of the body being so prepared is placed within the gem embedded within the giltbone’s skull. Destroying a greater giltbone skeleton permanently destroys all the giltbones it created.

Greater Giltbone Skeleton [150 xp] Medium Undead Armor Class 14 (golden coated bones) jewel 15 Hit Points 30 (5d6+15); see Traits below Speed 20 ft. Senses darkvision 60 ft. Str 11 (+0) Dex 14 (+2) Con 10 (+0) Int 6 (–2) Wis 8 (–1) Cha 3 (–4) Alignment lawful evil Languages understands Common

Giltbone Skeleton [50 xp] Medium Undead Armor Class 13 (golden coated bones) Hit Points 10 (2d8+1); see Traits below Speed 20 ft. Senses darkvision 60 ft. Str 11 (+0) Dex 10 (+0) Con 10 (+0) Int 6 (–2) Wis 8 (–1) Cha 3 (–4) Alignment lawful evil Languages understands Common

TRAITS Immunities: The skeleton is immune to disease and poison. It cannot be charmed, frightened, or put to sleep. It does not need to sleep, eat, or breathe.

TRAITS Immunities: The skeleton is immune to disease and poison. It cannot be charmed, frightened, or put to sleep. It does not need to sleep, eat, or breathe.

Accused Gem: A greater giltbone skeleton will stop fighting and collapse when reduced to 0 HP. Unlike most other undead, it can be reduced to -10 hit points, at which point its accursed gem will shatter. The gem can be targeted directly with an attack, but has the same damage resistances as the greater giltbone, unless the total HP of the skeleton is at 0 or below.

Damage Resistance: The skeleton is resistant to piercing and slashing damage. Profane Bolster: The skeleton gets the advantage against turn undead attempts made against it.

Damage Resistance: The skeleton is resistant to piercing, radiant, and slashing damage.

Unending Undeath: The remains of a giltbone skeleton will repair at the rate of 1hp/day until returned to full hp, at which point it will re-animate. Only disintegration or more powerful magic will prevent reanimation. Destroying the greater giltbone skeleton that created the lesser removes this trait from any giltbone it created, and immediately reduces those giltbones to 0 HP.

Profane Bolster: The skeleton gets the advantage against turn undead attempts made against it. Create Giltbone: Greater giltbone skeletons can slough off some of their gold into a ritual cauldron, which will coat the newly boiled bones of a recent victim. The ritual takes three hours, and can only be performed once every 24 hours. Once a creature is transformed in this way, it cannot be raised, resurrected, or reincarnated until the greater giltbone who cursed it with undeath is destroyed.

ACTIONS Melee Attack - Long Sword or Battle Axe: +2 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 4 (1d8) slashing damage.

Unending Undeath: The remains of a greater giltbone skeleton will repair at the rate of 10hp/day until returned to full hp, at which point it will re-animate. Nothing prevents this regeneration unless the greater giltbone’s accursed gem is destroyed.

Ranged Attack - Shortbow: +2 to hit (range 80 ft./320 ft.; one creature). Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage. These strange creatures are the byproduct of a foul necromantic ritual, enacted by a greater giltbone skeleton. This binds the creature to its creator until that creator is destroyed.

ACTIONS Melee Attack - +1 Long Sword: +3 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 4 (1d8+1) slashing damage.

Itchburn Ivy [300 xp] Huge Plant [30’x60’]

Ranged Attack - Shortbow: +4 to hit (range 80 ft./320 ft.; one creature). Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage.

Armor Class 8 Hit Points 59 (7d10 + 21); Speed 0 Senses blindsight 60 ft.

These strange creatures are the byproduct of a foul necromantic ritual, combining accursed or profane gold with 17

and the spider attaches to the target. When hit by an attached spider, the target must make a DC 8 Constitution saving throw. Failed Save: 5 (1d6) poison damage.

Str 15 (+2) Dex 6 (–2) Con 16 (+3) Int 1 (–5) Wis 3 (–4) Cha 3 (–4) Alignment unaligned Languages -

An attached spider’s speed drops to 0, and it moves with the target. A spider can be removed with a DC 10 Strength check as an action.

Defenses: Itchburn Ivy is immune to acid, and resistant to fire. ACTIONS Secrete: Whenever living creatures come within 15’ of Itchburn Ivy, the plant secrets a sweet smell, which forces a DC 10 Wisdom save to not become transfixed by, with a compulsion to approach the Ivy and stroke the glistening leaves. The secretion of Itchburn Ivy is actually a caustic contact allergen, which deals 1d4 poison damage each round someone is in contact with the plant, unless they make a DC 11 Con save. The Ivy must come in contact with flesh to cause damage, but the secretion stays active on substances which touch it for up to an hour. If a creature comes in contact with the ivy and fails a save, they do not get any further saves to avoid the poison. Creatures who make the save to resist the sweet smell automatically make such saves in the future for up to 24 hours.

Giant Flying Spider [50 xp] Large Flying Beast Armor Class 13 Hit Points 22 (4d10) Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 60 ft. Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense when in web Str 15 (+2) Dex 15 (+2) Con 11 (+0) Int 2 (–4) Wis 10 (0) Cha 8 (–1) Alignment unaligned Languages Traits Spider Climb: The spider can climb on smooth walls and upside down on horizontal surfaces. It ignores movement restrictions due to webbing, including that from a web spell.

REACTIONS Deadly Smoke: When an itchburn vine patch takes fire damage, it creates billowing smoke in the direction the fire came from. This smoke deals 1d4 acid damage to any within 10’ of the site the fire was applied, unless they make a DC 12 Dex save.

Stealthy +5: The spider gains a +5 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Flying Spider [30 xp] Small Flying Beast

Actions Melee Attack - Bite: +3 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. Failed Save: 5 (2d4) poison damage.

Armor Class 12 Hit Points 3 (1d6) Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. Senses darkvision 60 ft. Str 4 (–3) Dex 14 (+2) Con 11 (+0) Int 2 (–4) Wis 7 (–2) Cha 6 (–2) Alignment unaligned Languages -

Ranged Attack - Web (Recharge 5–6): +4 to hit (range 30 ft./60 ft.; one creature). Hit: The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained creature can make a DC 11 Strength check to escape. The webbing has AC 12, and another creature can deal 5 fire or slashing damage to the webbing to end this effect; if fire damage is used, the restrained creature also takes the damage.

Traits Spider Climb: The spider can climb on smooth walls and upside down on horizontal surfaces. It ignores movement restrictions due to webbing, including that from a web spell. Stealthy +5: The spider gains a +5 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks. Actions Melee Attack - Bite: +3 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one living creature). The attack automatically hits a creature to which the flying spider is attached. Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage, 18

A PPENDIX III: T HE D EMVIL

Actions Multiattack: The Glabrezugon makes two pincer attacks and casts one spell, or makes two pincer attacks and two claw attacks, or makes two pincer attacks and one spine attack.

An item often debated by Sages is if the inherently different evils of the Abyss and the Hells could sire offspring. The truth is that there would never be a situation where the two could tolerate each other sufficiently to copulate, much less successfully reproduce. Recent analysis of several incidents of the comingling of half fiends with devils, halfdevils with fiends, or half-fiends with half-devils suggest that the offspring of these matches, once in a million, will result in a creature who represents the worst of whatever extraplanar parents the comingled bloodlines represent.

Melee Attack—Pincer:+6 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 10 (2d8 + 2) piercing damage. Melee Attack—Claw:+6 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 4 (1d4+2) slashing damage. Ranged Attack—Spine:+4 to hit (range 20 ft./80 ft.; one creature). Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage and 2 (1d4) fire damage. Special: The Glabrezugons have twenty spines and regrow spines at the rate of one per hour. Encounter Building Level 12 XP 5,490

The Glabrezugon (or Spinezu) is such a comingling of a Glabrezu and Spined devil bloodline. The offspring has wings, the four arms of the Glabrezu, two heads, a spiny tail and body spines, as well as the ability to shoot those spines. It is viewed as an abomination by demons and devils alike, and might only find a place amongst the daemons. Though not a prerequisite, many Demvils are native to the Prime Material plane, since their parents are frequently creatures of that demesne. Demvil: Glabrezugon Medium Fiend (Demvil) Armor Class 14 Hit Points 65 (5d10 + 40); see Traits below Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. Senses darkvision 100 ft. Str 15 (+2) Dex 15 (+2) Con 15 (+2) Int 11 (+0) Wis 14 (+2) Cha 14 (+2) Alignment neutral evil Languages Abyssal, Infernal, Common Traits Immunity: Glabrezugons are immune to fire. Damage Resistance: Glabrezugons are resistant to cold, lightning, and to nonmagical weapons except those made of cold--‐forged iron. Spellcasting: The Glabrezugon is an 8th--‐level spellcaster that uses Charisma as its magic ability (spell save DC 10). It knows the following spells: 1st Level (1/day)—mirror image 3rd Level (1/day)—dispel magic Telepathy: The Glabrezugon can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet of it that can understand a language.

19