Professional Documents
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Sharn’s undercity, the Cogs, hides a devastating secret that could reignite the
Last War. As agents of the Lord of Blades tighten the noose around the characters’
necks, the characters search for the entrance to a hidden forge.
Credits
D&D Adventurers League Guildmaster: Chris Lindsay Designer: Travis Woodall D&D
Adventurers League Wizards Team: Adam Lee, Editing: James Introcaso, Ashley
Michaela "Navigator" Chris Lindsay, Mike Mearls, Matt Sernett
Lawson D&D Adventurers League Administrators: Greg Marks,Layout and Graphic Design:
Rich Lescouflair Alan Patrick, Travis Woodall, Lysa Chen, Cartography: Travis
Woodall Claire Hoffman, Amy Lynn Dzura
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of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United
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the Coast.
©2018 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA.
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Adventure Primer
...it was no good looking inconspicuous unless people could see that you were being
inconspicuous. —Terry Pratchett
Background
It has long been rumored that CANNITH SOUTH, governed by the ambitious MERRIX
D’CANNITH has a CREATION FORGE hidden somewhere within the city of SHARN—rumors to
which a series of chance encounters has lent a great degree of credit.
Assisted by ANTONIA D’MEDANI, a group of adventurers have grown ever-closer to
lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding Merrix’s dealings in the CITY OF TOWERS.
Most recently, information surrounding Merrix’s secret laboratory was recovered
from a vault in the famed KUNDARAK VAULTS. Having grown increasingly worried by the
break-in, Merrix has been forced to set incomplete plans into motion. But first, he
must safeguard his secrets, and has hired a HOUSE ORIEN courier to transport
information vital to the daily operation of his laboratory, lest it fall into the
wrong hands.
Episodes
This adventure is spread over three story episodes which take approximately 2 hours
to play. These episodes are introduced by the Call to Action. The adventure also
includes two 1-hour bonus episodes that can be played if time permits.
• Episode 1: A Lot to Ask Once more the heroes meet with Antonia d’Medani. She asks
them to hijack a House Orien delivery and obtain what she believes is information
about a secret Cannith laboratory. They must follow the clues provided in the
delivery to find someone who can reveal the laboratory’s location. This is the Call
to Action.
•
Episode 2: Carriage Return. The characters formulate and execute a plan to ambush
the carriage and steal a lockbox containing the information Antonia has asked them
to obtain. This is Story Objective A.
•
Episode 3: End of the Road. The characters learn the identity of Ellwood Gabrila—
who they believe will be able to lead the characters to the lab’s location (or at
least tell them where it is). They soon learn that agents of the Lord of Blades
have beaten them to the target and have learned the lab’s location. This is Story
Objective B.
Bonus Objectives
However, this adventure also includes two, 1-hour bonus objectives that the
characters can pursue if they have the time to do so—earning additional advancement
and treasure checkpoints in the process. These bonus objectives are found in this
adventure’s appendices, as follows:
•
Bonus Objective A: Scout the Route. The characters must discover the route that the
Orien courier will use for the delivery. This entails breaking into a House Orien
way station to steal the plans. This bonus objective is found in Appendix E.
•
Bonus Objective B: Family Feud. Having stopped the House Orien carriage, the
characters discover that the Cannith lockbox has already been stolen, and clues
point to Cannith East. This bonus objective is found in Appendix F.
Episode Sequence
Depending on your time constraints, play style, and environment, this adventure
takes approximately two to four hours to play.
Departure
The adventures are contacted by Antonia d’Medani via House Orien courier. She
requests that the characters meet her at Defiant Point, a rather upscale tavern
with a spectacular view of the city.
•
Played DDAL-ELW08: The Kundarak Job. The characters have recovered a cache of
documents from a Kundarak vault held by Cannith South. Within these documents, the
characters learned of a secret Cannith laboratory hidden somewhere in the lower
wards of the city.
•
Didn’t Play DDAL-ELW08: The Kundarak Job. Antonia provides the characters with a
dossier containing information about a secret Cannith laboratory hidden in the
lower wards of the city.
Area Information
This area has the following features:
Dimensions & Terrain. Defiant Point is a large, spacious, high-ceilinged tavern
full of glass, steel, and wood—all polished to a lustrous shine. Despite its size,
it houses only a dozen-or-so cozy tables.
Weather. It’s a cold, miserable night; sheets of rain fall throughout the city. So
miserable that the large glass doors to the balcony have been shut. Even in such
terrible weather, the view at the Point is breathtaking.
Lighting. The establishment’s interior is dimly lit by magical light sources, mixed
with occasional flashes of lightning.
ZARANTYR, THE STORM MOON
The closest moon to Eberron, Zarantyr is closely tied to the Mark of Storm and
those that tap into raw, unfettered power, such as barbarians, sorcerers, and
evokers. The more superstitious people of Sharn believe a person is more likely to
be struck by lightning when Zarantyr is full in the sky.
Creatures/NPCs
Antonia (a spy) enters wearing a thick, hooded cloak to protect her from the rain.
Objectives/Goals. Antonia d’Medani is here to task the characters with learning the
location of the Cannith South laboratory secreted away somewhere within the city.
She only divulges what information is necessary—without revealing too much about
her motivations or those of her own house.
What Do They Know? Antonia wastes no time bringing the characters up to speed. An
unknown and prominent member of Cannith South chartered a House Orien courier to
transport “cargo” between two residences at opposite ends of Upper Central—a
shipment that passes through the ward midday tomorrow. While this alone isn’t
unusual, the measure of security that House Cannith is taking is: mercenaries in
the employ of House Deneith, wards and protections provided by House Kundarak… the
works. All of this leads Antonia to believe that this delivery is more than just
mere cargo. She thinks that it relates directly to House Cannith’s secret
laboratory, and that the information is being moved in direct response to the
recent break-in at the Kundarak Vaults (see DDALELW08: The Kundarak Job).
Call to Action
Antonia charges the characters with intercepting the courier shipment and
discovering what Cannith South is transporting.
•
Story Objectives Only. Antonia provides the characters with the courier’s
destination and, more importantly, their route. Proceed to Episode 2 where the
characters plan and execute their heist.
•
Bonus Objective A. If utilizing this additional content, the characters must
discern the courier’s route by first finding out where the delivery is bound for.
Proceed to Bonus Objective A (Appendix E).
Story Objective A
Accessing the interior of the House Orien carriage and retrieving the lockbox is
Story Objective A. However, if the additional content is being utilized, the
characters are presented with a new objective at the episode’s culmination.
Bonus Objective B. Upon accessing the lockbox within the carriage, the characters
discover that members of Cannith East have replaced its contents with a single
sheet of paper. The characters must pursue the thieves and retrieve the lockbox’s
contents.
•
The carriage is as strong as steel (AC 19) and the hit points of its various
components are tripled.
Magebred Draft Horses. The carriage is led by a two draft horses with the following
modifications:
•
Armor Class 14 (scale barding) • Hit Points 32 (5d10 +5)
•
Speed 50 ft.
•
Fey Ancestry. The horse has advantage on saving throws against being charmed and
magic can’t put it to sleep.
The Escorts
In order to stop the carriage and plunder its cargo, the characters must first deal
with its escorts.
Creatures/NPCs
The driver, Varrk d’Orien (N male Mark of Passage human veteran), drives the
carriage while two archers in the employ of House Deneith follow above on
soarsleds. Two agents of House Kundarak, a dragonmarked Kundarak wardsmith named
Drugan d’Kundarak rides within the House Orien carriage, accompanied by a Kundarak
runeguard named Fazen Larr.
SOARSLEDS
A soarsled is a crystalline disk crackling with energy, 5 feet in diameter, that
flies with greet speed and maneuverability through the air in Sharn’s manifest
zone. A creature standing atop it can fly the soarsled at a speed of 90 feet, but
checks may be required to perform certain maneuvers or during a chase. In extreme
situations, creatures riding a soarsled may be required to make Dexterity
(Acrobatics) checks to stay on the vehicle. Such situations might include: other
creatures jumping onto a soarsled, changing directions suddenly, colliding with an
obstacle, taking damage, etc.
Objectives/Goals. Varrk d’Orien is looking out for any trouble that might arise, as
are the archers flying overhead. The Kundarak agents inside the carriage are there
to ensure that its wards remain intact until it reaches its final destination.
Those within the carriage only emerge if it comes to a halt and doesn’t seem to be
likely to start moving again.
What Do They Know? None of the carriage’s escorts know who chartered the courier or
what’s in the lockbox. They only know where they’re to deliver the package to.
They’re all loyal to their houses (or their employer, in the case of the archers).
Bonus Objective B. If utilizing this additional content, Varrk knows that the
contents of the lockbox have been stolen, something he may give up under duress
(see Appendix F, “Family Feud”).
•
Weak: Remove an archer.
•
Strong: Add a Kundarak wardsmith.
•
Very Strong: Add two archers and a Kundarak wardsmith.
Treasure
The carriage and its escorts have the following items:
•
A character who investigates the interior of the carriage and succeeds on a DC 13
Wisdom (Perception) check finds a secret compartment containing two potions: a
potion of stone giant strength and a potion of superior healing.
•
A densewood lockbox reinforced with rune-engraved steel (see “Concluding the
Episode”).
•
Bonus Objective B. The characters find the lockbox completely empty, save for a
handwritten note. Proceed to Appendix F.
The main street is a bustling hub of activity, but the side streets are much
quieter. The characters might consider creating disruptions or obstacles to reroute
the carriage. But if Varrk detects an ambush, and no major obstacles block his
path, he may whip his horses to speed, plowing through anyone in his way—even
bystanders if he feels a sufficient-enough threat exists. If this happens, use the
Chase rules in chapter
Social
Varrk d’Orien is an experienced courier and unlikely to stop the carriage if he
feels that his task is at risk. However, he’s likely to surrender if his entourage
is defeated. The loyalty of the Kundarak agents is bought and paid for. Convincing
them to surrender the lockbox is next to impossible by nonmagical means. They’re
unlikely to do so even if charmed—friends are friends, but business is business. On
the other hand, the
Estimated Duration: 60 minutes Location (District, Ward): Broken Arch, Middle Dura
The Search is On
Once found, the characters find that all of the documents reference a man named
Ellwood Gabrila. It’s no doubt that Ellwood Gabrila is the key to locating the
entrance to the secret Cannith lab. Locating him, however, may be tricky.
Here are some paths the characters might follow:
•
Noble Connections. Characters that are members of a dragonmarked house, or those
with the noble or guild artisan background, who succeed on a DC 13 Intelligence
(History) check know of Ellwood as a consultant frequently employed by the
dragonmarked houses in the past. But he fell out of favor for failing to pay his
bills.
•
Hit the Streets. Characters with the criminal or street urchin background who
succeed on a DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check learn (after bribing some of the
lessthan-scrupulous denizens of Sharn with a few coins) that Ellwood knows the
deeper, shadier parts of the city like the back of his hand; if someone wants to
hide something, he can show them where—for a price.
•
When in Doubt… If all else fails, the characters can ask Antonia d’Medani what she
knows. While she is a bit disappointed that the characters weren’t able to sort it
out on their own, she reveals that Ellwood was once a reputable consultant, but
fell into debt years ago and now sells his services to the highest bidder without
concern about the ethics of the job at hand.
Let the characters guide the search. If all else fails, remind them of Antonia’s
availability as a resource. Once they learn who Ellwood is, they also learn that he
maintains an apartment in Broken Arch.
Prerequisites
The characters must successfully retrieve the contents of the Cannith lockbox from
the Orien courier in episode 2 before pursuing this episode.
Story Objective B
Identifying the entrance to the secret Cannith laboratory is Story Objective B. The
lockbox obtained by the characters presents the characters with information about
some individuals that they may suspect work there, but nothing concrete.
Area Information
This area has the following features:
Dimensions & Terrain. Ellwood’s apartment is one of a half dozen in a single-story
apartment block. The apartments are surrounded by a 9-foot-tall wall with two, 20-
foot-tall towers flanking the front gate. Within is an
Creatures/NPCs
Pick (NE warforged master thief, Appendix B) is inside Ellwood’s apartment,
ransacking the place, while Pilfer (NE warforged master thief) and Enamor (LE
warforged enchanter, Appendix B) search adjacent apartments. Draw (LE warforged
archer, Appendix B) provides overwatch from the upper floor of the northern tower.
discovered the location of Merrix’s secret laboratory in the Cogs. Now, the only
thing left is to go there and stop his work.
Combat
Pick and Pilfer prefer unarmored targets but may change their minds if they see any
creatures openly displaying the Mark of Making. Draw might activate her cloak of
the bat to fly between the two towers if it appears as if she’s being pursued.
Noticing Draw before she attacks requires a successful DC 25 Wisdom (Perception)
check. Enamor stays as close to the shield
Exploration
Social
The warforged may be coerced into surrendering the information if they feel that
defeat is likely (they or others can always follow the characters later). If
convinced to aid the characters, the warforged may assist now, but are likely to
show up in a later adventure in an attempt to secure the creation forge rumored to
be in Merrix’s possession.
Adventure Rewards
At the end of the session, everyone receives rewards based on their
accomplishments. These rewards include advancement and treasure, and may include
magic item unlocks, story awards, or new downtime activities, as follows:
Player Rewards
The players may earn the following rewards:
Advancement and Treasure Checkpoints
The characters receive 1 advancement checkpoint and 1 treasure checkpoint for each
objective they complete, as follows:
•
Story Objective A: Capture the Cannith lockbox
•
Story Objective B: Learn of the lab’s location.
•
Bonus Objective A: Discover the courier’s route.
•
Bonus Objective B: Recover the lockbox contents.
This appendix details new monsters that do not appear in the Monster Manual.
Archer
Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment
Armor Class 16 (studded leather) Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30) Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
11 (+0) 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 11 (+0) 13 (+1) 10 (+0)
Skills Acrobatics +6, Perception +5 Senses passive Perception 15 Languages any one
language (usually Common) Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Archer's Eye (3/day). As a bonus action, the archer can add 1d10 to its next attack
or damage roll with a longbow or shortbow.
Actions
Multiattack. The archer makes two attacks with its longbow.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage. Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit,
range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d68 + 4) piercing damage.
DRAW, WARFORGED ARCHER
Draw (Episode 3, Scene A) is a skilled marksman in the service of the Lord of
Blades. In addition to the Archer traits, she also has the following modifications:
•
Type: Medium humanoid (warforged), lawful evil
•
Armor Class: 17 (darkwood core)
•
Warforged Resilience. Warforged are immune to disease, and have advantage on saving
throws against being poisoned and resistance to poison damage. Warforged don’t need
to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. Magic can’t put them to sleep.
•
Integrated Poisoner’s Kit. Draw has a poisoner’s kit integrated into her body and
doubles her proficiency bonus for any ability checks she makes with it.
•
Special Equipment (Cloak of the Bat). Draw has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth)
checks. In an area of dim light or darkness, Draw can grip the edges of the cloak
with both hands and use it to fly at a speed of 40 feet. If she ever fails to grip
the cloak's edges while flying in this way, or if she’s no longer in dim light or
darkness, she loses this flying speed. While wearing the cloak in an area of dim
light or darkness, Draw can use her action to cast polymorph on herself,
transforming into a bat. While she’s in the form of a bat, she retains her
Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Enchanter
Medium humanoid (any), any alignment
Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor) Hit Points 40 (9d8) Speed 30 ft.
Actions
Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d6-
1) bludgeoning damage, or 3 (1d8 – 1) bludgeoning damage if used with two hands.
Instinctive Charm (Recharges after the Enchanter Casts an Enchantment Spell of 1st
level or higher). The enchanter tries to magically divert an attack made against
it, provided that the attacker is within 30 feet of it and visible to it. The
enchanter must decide to do so before the attack hits or misses.
The attacker must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the attacker
targets the creature closest to it, other than the enchanter or itself. If multiple
creatures are closest, the attacker chooses which one to target.
•
Armor Class 13 (darkwood core, 15 with mage armor) • Strength 14 (+2)
•
Warforged Resilience. Warforged are immune to disease, and have advantage on saving
throws against being poisoned and resistance to poison damage. Warforged don’t need
to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. Magic can’t put them to sleep.
•
Quarterstaff. +5 to hit; 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
•
Iron Fists. Enamor deals 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage with an unarmed strike (+5
to hit).
•
Powerful Build. Enamor counts as Large when determining the amount of weight that
he can push, drag, or lift.
Iron Cobra
Medium construct, unaligned
Armor Class 13 Hit Points 45 (7d8 + 14) Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 3 (−4) 10 (+0) 1 (−5)
Kundarak Glyphguard
Medium humanoid (dwarf), lawful neutral
Armor Class 17 (splint) Hit Points 57 (6d12 + 18) Speed 25 ft.
Actions
Multiattack. The glyphguard makes three attacks with their greatsword.
Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 +
4) slashing damage.
Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or ranged 20 ft./60
ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Lightning Glyph (Recharge 5–6). The glyphguard activates a glyph—launching a bolt
of lightning in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in the line must
make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) lightning damage on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Kundarak Runeguard
Medium humanoid (dwarf), lawful neutral
Armor Class 18 (plate) Hit Points 93 (11d8 + 44) Speed 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
19 (+4) 10 (+0) 18 (+4) 11 (+0) 8 (-1) 12 (+1)
Kundarak Wardsmith
Medium humanoid (dwarf), lawful neutral
Armor Class 15 (scale armor) Hit Points 45 (7d8 + 14) Speed 25 ft.
Actions
Quarterstaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6
+ 1) bludgeoning damage, or 5 (1d8 + 1) bludgeoning damage if used with two hands.
Master Thief
Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment
Armor Class 16 (studded leather) Hit Points 84 (13d8 + 26) Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
11 (+0) 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 11 (+0) 12 (+1)
Saving Throws Dex +7 Int +3 Skills Acrobatics +7, Athletics +3, Perception +3,
Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +7 Senses passive Perception 13 Languages any one
language (usually Common) plus thieves’ cant Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Cunning Action. On each of its turns, the thief can use a bonus action to take the
Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
Evasion. If the thief is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity
saving throw to take only half damage, the thief instead takes no damage if it
succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.
Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The thief deals an extra 14 (4d6) damage when it hits a
target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the
target is within 5 feet of an ally of the thief that isn’t incapacitated and the
thief doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Actions
Multiattack. The thief makes three attacks with its shortsword.
Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 +
4) piercing damage
Light Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit:
8 (1d8 + 4) piercing damage.
Reactions
Uncanny Dodge. The thief halves the damage that it takes from an attack that hits
it. The thief must be able to see the attacker.
Shield Guardian
Medium construct, unaligned
Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 142 (15d10 + 60) Speed 30 ft.
STR 18 (+4) DEX 8 (-1) CON 18 (+4) INT 7 (-2) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 3 (-4)
Damage Immunities poison
Reactions
Shield. When a creature makes an attack against the wearer of the guardian’s
amulet, the guardian grants a +2 bonus to the wearer’s AC if the guardian is within
5 feet of the wearer.
Waldrin d’Cannith
Medium undead, lawful evil
Armor Class 17 (half plate) Hit Points 195 (23d8 + 92) Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 14 (+2) 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 18 (+4)
Saving Throws Str +7, Con +7, Wis +6, Cha +7 Damage Resistances necrotic, psychic
Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened,
paralyzed, poisoned, stunned Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Regeneration. Waldrin regains 10 hit points at the start of his turn. If Waldrin
takes fire or radiant damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of Waldrin’s
next turn. Waldrin’s body is destroyed only if he starts his turn with 0 hit points
and doesn’t regenerate.
Turn Immunity. Waldrin is immune to effects that turn undead.
Oath of Vengeance (3/day). As a bonus action, Waldrin swears an oath of vengeance.
Whenever Waldrin hits a target against whom he has sworn this oath, the attack
deals an additional 14 (4d6) damage.
Actions
Multiattack. Waldrin makes two fist attacks or two vengeful greatsword attacks.
Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4)
bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, Waldrin can grapple the target
(escape DC 14) provided the target is Large or smaller.
Vengeful Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
20 (4d6 + 6) slashing damage. This is a magical attack.
Vengeful Glare. Waldrin targets one creature he can see within 30 feet of him. The
target must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target is paralyzed
until Waldrin deals damage to it, or until the end of Waldrin’s next turn. When the
paralysis ends, the target is frightened of Waldrin for 1 minute. The frightened
target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with
disadvantage if it can see Waldrin, ending the frightened condition on itself on a
success.
Warforged Zombie
Medium undead, neutral evil
Armor Class 16 (heavy plating) Hit Points 82 (11d8 + 33) Speed 30 ft.
Actions
Multiattack. The zombie makes two empowered slam attacks.
Empowered Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7
(1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage and 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
Estimated Duration: 60 minutes Location (District, Ward): Twelve Pillars, Upper
Tavick’s Landing
The Search is On
Antonia tasked the characters with stopping an Orien courier and relieving him of
his charge but is unsure of the route that the courier will take.
This, she suggests, can no doubt be learned only from House Orien themselves.
However, the way station that the courier will be originating from is across the
gap in Tavick’s Landing. It’s as good a place as any to figure out where they’re
headed.
Prerequisites
The characters may pursue this bonus objective once they receive their orders from
Antonia d’Medani in the Call to Action, but before they begin episode 2.
Bonus Objective A
Determining the courier’s route is Bonus Objective
A. The characters can accomplish this by infiltrating the Internuncio’s office and
locating the manifest documenting the delivery’s details.
Area Information
This area has the following features:
Dimensions & Terrain. The neighborhood is largely wealthy warehouses and
professional buildings. The way station itself is a squat, two-story building with
a tall masonry wall surrounding an open yard. The entire compound is 60 feet
square.
Lighting. The area surrounding the way station is brightly lit during the day, but
street lamps provide only dim light during the evening. If Varrk is here during the
evening (see scene C), the light of a candle can be seen in his second-story
window.
Locked Doors. All of the way station’s doors and windows are locked in the evening.
Unlocking them requires a successful DC 19 Dexterity check made with thieves’
tools. Passersby may make this difficult to accomplish without the guards or City
Watch being summoned in response.
Creatures/NPCs
The way station operates with a roster of twelve couriers and eight clerks (all
commoners), four magebred draft horses (see episode 2), Gurl the yard overseer (a
thug), and Varrk d’Orien (N male Mark of Passage human veteran), the way station’s
Internuncio. A group of four guards patrol the way station at night.
Scene A. Yard
All of the deliveries to and from the way station pass through the yard. Couriers
receive their orders for the day here whilst parcels are inventoried and catalogued
as they pass through the city.
Area Information
This area has the following features:
Dimensions & Terrain. The 40-by-55-foot yard is cramped with three modest-sized
stalls on the western wall that normally house the magebred horses House Orien
utilizes in its deliveries. A number of lockers as well as a small shed house the
supplies needed for the yard’s daily operation.
Lighting. The yard is brightly lit—day and night—by use of driftglobes.
Kundarak Carriage. This testament to Cannith engineering and Kundarak warding (see
episode 2) sits in the southeastern corner of the yard.
Creatures/NPCs
During the day, the yard is a hive of activity, with couriers (all commoners)
departing and arriving on horse and on foot in regular intervals. The yard is
overseen by Gurl (a thug). At night, the yard is empty save for the magebred draft
horses resting in the stables. At night, there’s a 25 percent chance of one or more
guards patrolling the yard.
Objectives/Goals. Time spent chit-chatting with strangers is time not spent making
deliveries. As such, any couriers here are hesitant to stop what they’re doing to
entertain questions. Any guards present are here to safeguard the way station
during the evening hours. Gurl is even less accommodating than the couriers, and
even less polite, insisting that any inquiries need be levied against the quill-
pushers in the way station’s offices.
What Do They Know? The couriers don’t receive their delivery’s destination until
they are readying to depart. Gurl isn’t involved in the delivery process aside from
maintaining the horses and loading their packs. He does know that the large
Kundarak cart is a nuisance and he’s ready to be rid of it. He doesn’t know the
specifics of the delivery, but it’s set for a delivery to Central Plateau. He
doesn’t know who the delivery is for—only that it’s got to be someone pretty damned
important, guessing by the state of the carriage.
Area Information
This area has the following features:
Dimensions & Terrain. A wide counter separates the small customer service portion
of this 25-by-55-foot room from the rest. A large desk rests against the southern
wall and a number of cabinets and bookshelves the rest. A set of stairs leads up to
the second floor. A wide window provides an unfettered view into the yard.
Lighting. During the day, natural light and driftglobes brightly light the area. In
the evening, the room is mostly dark with some light filtering in through the
curtained window separating the clerks’ office from the yard.
Creatures/NPCs
Six clerks work in this area: one servicing the counter, one assembling records,
and four filing and passing assignments to Gurl (scene A), outside.
Objectives/Goals. The clerks’ sole function is to ensure that orders are received
and processed.
What Do They Know? The clerks know that the carriage in the yard is scheduled for a
high profile client, but not exactly who (though they presume that the client is a
dragonmarked house). They know that Varrk is personally making the delivery and
handling its arrangements.
Scene C. Administration
This office handles the administration of the way station. Scheduling, pay, and the
like.
Area Information
This area has the following features:
Dimensions & Terrain. This 25-by-35-foot office is manned during the day by a pair
of clerks. At night, the guards occasionally bunk off here for an hour or so of
sleep on the floor.
Lighting. The room is brightly lit during the day and dark in the evening.
Creatures/NPCs
The administration office is manned during the day by two clerks (commoners). At
night, the guards may come here to bunk off for an hour or so of sleep.
Objectives/Goals. The clerks here serve two purposes: to perform the day-to-day
paperwork which keeps the way station functioning, and to serve as Varrk’s
executive assistants.
What Do They Know? The clerks have been suffering under Varrk’s increasing worry
over the Cannith delivery—testing their loyalty. They don’t know who the delivery
is for or the route that Varrk will take in the morning, but they’ll be glad for
the ordeal to end.
Creatures/NPCs
During the day, the office is manned by the attending Internuncio, Varrk d’Orien (N
male Mark of Passage human veteran). At night, it’s likely that he is home, but
there’s a 25 percent chance that he’s still here working by the light of a candle
(which the characters can see from the street).
Objectives/Goals. Varrk is nothing if not a consummate professional. He is
steadfastly devoted to the integrity of his work and the reputation of his house;
he’s here to do his job and to do it perfectly.
What Do They Know? Varrk is doing everything in his power to simultaneously keep
tomorrow’s delivery discreet and to ensure that everyone in the way station is on
the same page—two tasks that are often impossible to perform at the same time. He
knows where the parcel is to be picked up from and delivered to, but not what it
actually is (and he’s glad for that).
Treasure
A character searching Varrk’s desk who succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence
(Investigation) check discovers a false compartment in its main drawer. The
compartment is trapped with a glyph of warding which is triggered when opened
without depressing a catch in the drawer of a desk in the admin room (scene C). The
creature triggering the glyph must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or suffer
the effects of a Tasha’s hideous laughter spell. If the target fails, anyone in the
area of the way station is able to hear the target’s laughter. Within the
characters find:
•A
spell scroll of haste and a single bead of force.
•
A folder describing the delivery’s route.
If the characters use force to get the clerks to surrender whatever information
they possess, they cower and grovel. Varrk is more likely to defend himself but
shouts for the City Watch (bringing down a patrol of eight guards, a veteran, and
an enchanter, 1 minute later). Gurl and the guards patrolling the way station
investigate any unusual disturbances inside the way station.
Getting into Varrk’s office without being noticed is nigh-impossible during the day
but is much easier at night. The characters might think of scaling the exterior
walls and entering via the windows. Doing so while climbing might impose
disadvantage on the check, or even cause a fall on a rather spectacular failure.
Most of the way station’s employees aren’t full-fledged members of House Orien and
are more likely to be subject to influence, especially if the offer is more than a
day’s wage (2 gp). While they won’t directly help the characters, they may be
willing to pass on information, such as the location of Varrk’s office, or the fact
that his desk drawer is trapped (but without disclosing how to bypass it). Gurl is
faithful to Varrk
•
Rune-etched gems crammed into eye sockets.
•
Hands replaced with spiked hammers.
•
Extra arms grafted onto torsos.
•
Mouths filled with needle-like teeth.
•
Long, segmented tentacles replacing arms.
Bodies. The chamber is filled with neatly stacked corpses covered in sheets. As
before, most of the bodies are warforged. Some of the bodies here animate if
Waldrin d’Cannith (scene C) is engaged in combat or detects intruders, but they
aren’t discernable from corpses before then.
Temperature. This room is unusually cold thanks to an enchantment created by a
series of runes that have been inscribed along the wall. If a rune is marred by a
tool or weapon, the enchantment fails, and the room rises in temperature to that of
the others.
Treasure
Characters that spend an hour searching find:
• A ring carved of polished bone and inscribed with the name “Bastian” on a severed
warforged hand.
Scene C. Waldrin’s Workshop
Waldrin performs the bulk of his work here.
Area Information
This area has the following features:
Dimensions & Terrain. This 25-foot-square chamber has a 10-foot-high ceiling. Two
small flights of steps lead down from scene A. Workbenches line the walls. Each
bears the partially disassembled body of a dead warforged.
Lighting. The chamber is brightly lit by spheres of iron glowing with pale white
light. These spheres lose their enchantment if removed from the lair.
Creatures/NPCs
Waldrin d’Cannith is here, retrofitting the inert corpse of a dead warforged. If
engaged in combat or if the intruders make their presence known, he activates a
glyph of his own design, which animates three warforged zombies and another at the
end of every third round until Waldrin is defeated.
Objectives/Goals. Waldrin is content to while away the years creating caches of
undead beneath Sharn in the event that they should be needed in the future. For
now, however, he is devising a way to deliver the information stolen from the Orien
courier to Zorlan. The warforged zombies exist only to serve Waldrin and do so
without question.
What Do They Know? He suspects that Merrix is operating a secret forge within the
city but isn’t sure where it’s located, though he presumes in the Cogs. He is
hopeful that his work here will sufficiently impress Cannith East and permit his
return home. The dead know only that it’s better to be alive.
ADJUSTING THE SCENE
Here are some suggestions for adjusting this scene:
•
Very Weak: Replace Waldrin d’Cannith with a warforged zombie that speaks Common and
has Waldrin d’Cannith’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores.
•
Weak: Remove a warforged zombie.
•
Strong: Add a warforged zombie
•
Very Strong: Add a Waldrin d’Cannith described as a larger, more powerful-looking
warforged zombie.
Rewards
Searching Waldrin’s workshop yields the following:
•A
potion of heroism
•
Waldrin d’Cannith wears a satchel containing the lockbox’s stolen contents. Proceed
to episode 3.
Combat
The warforged zombies animated by Waldrin rise from the corpses found in scenes A
and B. They attack the closest living creature they can see. Waldrin wades into
combat with relish using his Vengeful Gaze to incapacitate foes that appear to be
‘less cerebral’ or those displaying potent ranged attacks. Waldrin prefers to use
his Oath of Vengeance against foes that appear to present a greater threat. He
directs the warforged zombies to attack
Exploration
If the characters enter via the hallway in scene B, they are potentially able to
catch Waldrin by surprise; however, if they triggered either of the glyphs in scene
A or didn’t mask the sound of the door leading to scene B, this will be next to
impossible.
Social
Waldrin is driven, but not stupid. While he knows that destruction is but a
temporary setback, he’s not keen to lose the work he’s accomplished here,
especially the opportunity to thwart Cannith South’s plans. Particularly persuasive
characters may be able to come to a mutually beneficial agreement that allows both
parties to learn of the lab’s location.
This adventure is designed for three to seven 5th-10th level characters and is
optimized for five characters with an average party level (APL) of 9. Characters
outside this level range cannot participate in this adventure.
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To DM an adventure, you must have 3 to 7 players— each with their own character
whose level is within the adventure’s level range. Characters playing in a
hardcover adventure may continue to play too but if they play a different hardcover
adventure, they can’t return to the first one if they’re outside its level range.
Preparing the Adventure
Before you start play, consider the following:
•
Read through the adventure, taking notes of anything you’d like to highlight or
remind yourself of while running the adventure, such as a way you’d like to portray
an NPC or a tactic you’d like to use in a combat. Familiar yourself with the
adventure’s appendices and handouts.
•
Gather any resources you’d like to use to aid you in running this adventure--such
as notecards, a DM screen, miniatures, and battlemaps.
•
Ask the players to provide you with relevant character information, such as name,
race, class, and level; passive Wisdom (Perception), and anything specified as
notable by the adventure (such as backgrounds, traits, flaws, etc.)
Players can play an adventure they previously played as a Player or Dungeon Master
but may only play it once with a given character. Ensure each player has their
character’s adventure logsheet (if not, get one from the organizer). The players
fill out the adventure name, session number, date, and your name and DCI number. In
addition, the player also fills in the starting values for advancement and treasure
checkpoints, downtime days, and renown. These values are updated at the end of the
session.
Each player is responsible for maintaining an accurate logsheet. If you have time,
you can do a quick scan of a player’s character sheet to ensure that nothing looks
out of order. If you see magic items of very high rarities or strange arrays of
ability scores, you can ask players to provide documentation for the
irregularities. If they cannot, feel free to restrict item use or ask them to use a
standard ability score array.
Point players to the D&D Adventurers League Players Guide for reference. If players
wish to spend downtime days and it’s the beginning of an adventure or episode, they
can declare their activity and spend the days now, or they can do so at the end of
the adventure or episode. Players should select their characters’ spells and other
daily options prior to the start of the adventure, unless the adventure specifies
otherwise. Feel free to reread the adventure description to help give players hints
about what they might face.
Adjusting This Adventure
When combat is a possibility, the adventure will provide a sidebar that helps you
to determine the best mix/ number of opponents to provide them with to create an
appropriate challenge. While you’re not bound to these adjustments; they’re here
for your convenience and consideration.
To determine whether you should consider adjusting the adventure, add up the total
levels of all the characters and divide the result by the number of characters
(rounding .5 or greater up; .4 or less down). This is the group’s average party
level (APL). To approximate the party strength for the adventure, consult the table
below.
Determining Party Strength
Party Composition Party Party Strength
3-4 characters, APL less than Very weak
3-4 characters, APL equivalent Weak
3-4 characters, APL greater than Average
5 characters, APL less than Weak
5 characters, APL equivalent Average
5 characters, APL greater than Strong
6-7 characters, APL less than Average
6-7 characters, APL equivalent Strong
6-7 characters, APL greater than Very strong