A Night in Ores Crest
Adventure Briefing
A marid named Belthu is trapped within Ores Crest, a sprawling museum. Awakened after centuries, Belthu has enchanted the relics to draw attention. Adding saltwater to the bowl calms the marid, but it cannot be freed forever unless taken to the ocean.
To the Characters. Ores Crest Museum has become unsafe, with fossils and displays suddenly springing to life. Foreman Lenna Miejer is offering you each 100 gold for assistance.
- The Task: Restore order while preserving the collection.
Level Range: 3-5
Tags: Chaos, Museum, Quirky
Connections: Lenna Miejer, Malkari, Ores Crest, Rastein
Monsters: Cockatrice, Marid, Rust Monster, Stonecast Revenant
$1 PDF: Ko-fi, DriveThru RPG
Tags: Chaos, Museum, Quirky
Connections: Lenna Miejer, Malkari, Ores Crest, Rastein
Monsters: Cockatrice, Marid, Rust Monster, Stonecast Revenant
$1 PDF: Ko-fi, DriveThru RPG
Ores Crest
Read Aloud. A museum of permanent canvas walls and wooden supports shelters carefully arranged exhibits of relics and fossils. Damp air carries the scent of saltwater.
Ongoing Effects
- The marid is trying to draw characters toward it.
- Saltwater drips from containers, pools on the floor, or leaks from unexpected places like busts and statues.
- Items may animate as per the spell animate objects.
- Creatures do not know what awakened them.
- Fossilized cockatrices patrol the grounds.
Fossilized Cockatrice Funnel
Encounter. 2x cockatrice fossils knock over objects to block paths, darting ahead around corners then vanishing from sight. Cockatrice stats with Condition Immunity: Petrification.
Behavior. The fossilized cockatrice are under the marid’s influence, acting to guide the characters toward the bowl. They avoid fighting unless trapped or cornered.
- Passive 15 Stealth. If seen, the cockatrice mimics a fossil.
Entrance Hall
Read Aloud. Faint strains of music come from within. Smoke wafts from the doorway. A polished plaque greets visitors: “Explore the past to honor the future.”
Two voices shout from the next room, one frantic and high-pitched, the other deep and indignant, both calling out.
A corkboard hangs with pinned notes. One mentions the arrival of a recent shipment, including “Two statues requiring minor repairs.” Another warns that “Storage has a persistent leak. Maintenance needed ASAP!”
Two voices shout from the next room, one frantic and high-pitched, the other deep and indignant, both calling out.
A corkboard hangs with pinned notes. One mentions the arrival of a recent shipment, including “Two statues requiring minor repairs.” Another warns that “Storage has a persistent leak. Maintenance needed ASAP!”
Malkari History Exhibit
The room is filled with busts, statues, and relics of Malkari history. Saltwater pools around displays and smoke obscures.
Smoke. Until cleared, disadvantage on sight-based checks.
Marl, the Eversmoking Bottle. Marl is an awakened Ever-smoking Bottle that has lost its top and is overwhelmed. It seeks help. Marl is friendly, nervous, and struggles to interact.
- DC 13 Investigation. Marl’s top is under a fallen display of mammoth bones. Replacing the lid calms Marl.
History Exhibit (cont.)
Malkari Emperor’s Bust. A two-armed bust of a long-forgotten Malkari emperor is misplaced. The bust is furious, demanding to be restored to its proper location. It believes it is the emperor it portrays but does not know its own name. The statue can be moved to its display nearby with a DC 12 Strength check. Once restored, it becomes cooperative and provides insights about the museum, such as the need for quiet in the art exhibit, odd movement in the recent discoveries, and rumors of metal monsters.
Art Exhibit
The room displays Malkari artistry: vibrant paintings, sculptures of desert creatures, and finely crafted instruments. A music box sits on a pedestal, its melody filling the space. The box telepathically pleads for quiet, terrified of what will happen if it stops.
Encounter. 7x animated objects are lulled into restless slumber: 3x Tiny, 2x Small, 1x Medium, and 1x Large. If the music box stops, or there are loud noises, the objects awaken.
Animated Objects
- Tiny. A paintbrush, a painting on a peanut shell, and a clay sculpture of an apple with a bite out of it.
- Small. An unstrung lute and a pot painted with lewd figures.
- Medium. An urn filled with ashes of a long dead pet.
- Large. A stuffed camel with two very different sized humps.
Recent Discoveries
Encounter. 2x stonecast revenants are hidden among the statues to ambush, using their False Appearance trait. The other objects in the room serve as distractions, not fully animated. Anything of interest or note in here has already “walked” away.
Read Aloud. Dozens of statues fill the room in various states of repair. Tools move across desks and tables on their own.
Storage
Encounter. 3x rust monsters (animated taxidermied) are near the wettest areas, drawn to metal objects. They are not hostile but are dangerous and harass the characters with the most metal.
Read Aloud. Water drips from piles of crates that thrash erratically. Objects have spilled out, ruined by the damp.
Encounter. Belthu the Marid is confused and lashing out. It calls for help but reacts aggressively if ignored, threatened, or harmed. In this bound and weakened state, it cannot cast spells. If approached with care, violence can be avoided.
Belthu. A shimmering blue-skinned genie with a worn ceremonial robe and cracked bracers. Once proud, Belthu is now desperate and fading. If freed, it rewards the characters with a bowl of elemental command (water).
Belthu is desperate to be freed, demanding to be taken to the ocean. If convinced the characters mean well, it may stand down. If defeated, Belthu can be bound and controlled.
- Investigation. An ornate, upside-down bowl is tucked among soaked crates and ruined papers.
- Arcana. Pouring saltwater into the bowl calms the marid and restores calm to the museum.
Reference Page
Rewards
Payment. 100 gold each.
Care Package. If Lenna Miejer judges that the characters kept the museum’s exhibits safe, she will provide a care package with the following items: a magnifying glass, holy water (flask), rations (1 week), and a keg of ale.
Bowl of Elemental Command (Water). If freed, Belthu offers its vessel as thanks. If the marid is killed, the bowl loses its magic.
Awakened Eversmoking Bottle. Marl may have taken a liking to the characters.
Marl the Eversmoking Bottle
Wondrous Item, uncommon
Smoke leaks from the lead-stoppered mouth of this brass bottle, which weighs 1 pound. When you use an action to remove the stopper, a cloud of thick smoke pours out in a 60-foot radius from the bottle. The cloud’s area is heavily obscured. Each minute the bottle remains open and within the cloud, the radius increases by 10 feet until it reaches its maximum radius of 120 feet.
The cloud persists as long as the bottle is open. Closing the bottle requires you to speak its command word as an action. Once the bottle is closed, the cloud disperses after 10 minutes. A moderate wind (11 to 20 miles per hour) can also disperse the smoke after 1 minute, and a strong wind (21 or more miles per hour) can do so after 1 round.
Whether the marid is dealt with or defeated, Marl remains awakened. It has been changed forever by the magic.
Roleplaying Marl
Personality Trait. "I could REALLY use a friend right now."
Ideal. "Safety. Things can’t hurt me if they can’t see me!"
Bond. "I love anyone willing to have a conversation."
Flaw. "Once I blow my top I can't put it back on. I do it a lot."
Malkari
Ores Crest is located in Rastein, a relic-hunting town known for its archaeological digs. The museum showcases Malkari history, honoring a desert-born people known for strength, spiritual studies, and reverence for gods like Bako (discipline, malkari, martial arts) and Daruun (agriculture, hearth, spring). The exhibits are old, sacred, and carry weight. Many of the relics hold more cultural value than gold, and characters who treat them with respect may earn allies.
Stonecast Revenant Roll Initiative
Medium Undead, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 16 (Natural Armor + Stone)
Hit Points 52 (7d8 + 21)
Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 (+4) |
12 (+1) |
16 (+3) |
3 (-4) |
7 (-2) |
10 (-) |
Damage Immunities Poison
Damage Vulnerabilities Thunder
Condition Immunities Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 8
Languages -
Proficiency Bonus +2
Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the stonecast revenant to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the stonecast revenant drops to 1 hit point instead.
False Appearance. While the stonecast revenant remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary statue.
Actions
Multiattack. The stonecast revenant makes four attacks using any combination of its bite and claw.
Bite. Melee Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 ( 1d6+4 ) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5., one target. Hit: 6 ( 1d4+4 ) slashing damage and on a successful hit the target is grappled.
Bonus Actions
Aggressive. As a bonus action, the stonecast revenant can move up to its speed.
Description. The revenants possess four arms and a lower half encased in stone. These ancient undead are ravenous and clever, capable of remaining motionless for years before striking. They quickly drag themselves with their upper half.
Animated Object Statistics
| Size | HP | AC | Str | Dex | Attack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 20 | 18 | 4 | 18 | +8 to hit, 1d4+4 |
| Small | 25 | 16 | 6 | 14 | +6 to hit, 1d8+2 |
| Medium | 40 | 13 | 13 | 10 | +5 to hit, 2d6+1 |
| Large | 50 | 14 | 14 | 10 | +6 to hit, 2d10+2 |
| Huge | 80 | 18 | 18 | 6 | +8 to hit, 2d12+4 |
An animated object is a construct with AC, hit points, attacks, Strength, and Dexterity determined by its size. Its Constitution is 10 and its Intelligence and Wisdom are 3, and its Charisma is 1. Its speed is 30 feet; if the object lacks legs or other appendages it can use for locomotion, it instead has a flying speed of 30 feet and can hover. If the object is securely attached to a surface or a larger object, such as a chain bolted to a wall, its speed is 0. It has blindsight with a radius of 30 feet and is blind beyond that distance. When the animated object drops to 0 hit points, it reverts to its original object form, and any damage carries over.
Map
Ore's Crest
