Side Quests

Retrieving Shipment from Mere of Dead Men Any Inn in Leilon NPCs

• Orvik Brekken – Male Human, 36; Merchant; Relatives: Lilly (Daughter)
• Lilly Brekken – Female Human, 6; Relatives: Orvik (Father)
• Wren – Female Human, 32; Mercenary, Warlock; Client: Orvik

Waterdeep Shipment

• If PCs ask Orvik about the shipment from Waterdeep, he tells them about being ambushed on the Highroad about 15 miles south of Leilon. Several troglodytes attacked them from the Mere of Dead Men. Two other mercenary escorts died as Orvik, Lilly and Wren made their escape. Orvik laments the loss,
• IF PCs agree to try and retrieve the shipment, Orvik asks that they also be on the lookout for Lilly's cat, an orange tabby named Tibbles. The cat was spooked during the attack and ran off into the woods as they made their escape. Lilly has been inconsolable ever since.

  Missing Brother   Setup

• Posting seeks someone to help find a local fisherman's brother.
• If PCs seek out poster, he tells PCs that his brother and two of his friends went to a cave along the shore, which the locals believe is haunted and have long avoided. NPC says his brother and his friends got it in their heads that the rumors surrounding the cave were spread to keep the villagefolk away from something valuable hidden inside.

Cave  

• If PCs go to the cave, they find that the walls at the cave entrance are etched with arcane runes associated with abjuration magic - designed to hold something inside.
• Deeper inside the cave, an image of a doorway is etched into a stone wall. The border of the image has runes associated with conjuration magic.
• A carved stone pedestal sits a short distance away from the etched doorway. There is a stone basin atop the pedestal, the inside of which is stained deep crimson. A medicine check will reveal this is old blood.
• If PCs do not take the initiative to spill their blood into the basin, hide a ceremonial dagger in the chamber.
• Spilling any blood into the basin causes the etched doorway to begin to glow; 20 HP worth of blood into the basin causes the doorway to open.

Entrance

• Room 1 is a large open chamber. As PCs step into the room, torches ignite on the walls with purple flame and dimly light the room. The floor is covered with piles of old bones. As PCs move further into the room, a shadowy figure (wraith) drifts up through the floor.
• Wraith asks why PCs have come. Wraith will negotiate with high rolls, but demands a body to use for its experiments. If unsatisfied with how the negotiations proceed, the wraith will shout "Kill these interlopers!" which prompts over a dozen skeletons to form and attack.

Stairway

• There is a locked doorway at the top of the stairs. The hallway leading to the laboratory contains a pressure plate trap that causes spikes to issue from both walls.
• Laboratory
• Wraith stands over a stone slab at the center of the room, muttering some incantation. On top of the slab is a deformed humanoid figure bound with shadow. As PCs enter the room, the wraith's eyes flare as the incantation ends. The humanoid rises from the table (describe boneclaw [although make it a medium sized creature]). Wraith and boneclaw engage PCs
• There are two locked cells in the room, one containing the missing brother and one of his friends. Wraith will drop a key to these cells, as well as a key to the room at the top of the stairs

Bedroom

• Doorway at top of stair opens to bedroom, containing several personal items of value belonging to the necromancer (wraith), as well as a journal describing his experiments.

Tower of Thalivar   Ground Floor Description

• Dusty broken furniture in every room. Anything of value looks to have been taken long ago.
• The only thing that stands out amid the dirt and debris is an ornate metal door. Intricately arranged metal plates and gear are layered on top of each other and etched with arcane runes. In the center of the door, is a smooth rounded piece of metal with a hole in the center. It appears that designed to fit a sort of key.

Key

• If PCs ask anyone in town about the tower, they will be directed to speak with Pramble Scheppen, who lives above Burnished Bindings.
• Pramble can be persuaded to give the PCs the key. He found it on the grounded floor of the tower when Leilon was first being resettled. However, despite slotting the key into the hole in the door, the door remained locked. He could not figure out how to work the device.
• If PCs use a lightning spell of 1st level or above or 2 lightning cantrips on the key, the key will glow with arcane energy. If the key is then slotted into the door, the door will open.

Winding Stairs

• Stairs on the inside are much taller than seems to be possible, based on the height of the tower from the outside. Halfway up the stairs, one of the steps triggers an electricity trap. Lightning arcs from the central pillar around the stone cylinder that it the tower. 3 dexterity checks before PCs reach the top. Failed check = dex save. 2d8 lightning damage per hit. ½ is successful save.

Laboratory

• Clockwork soldier encounter; Teleportation circle on the second story
• Treasure: Prototype firearm

Study

• Azure gremlin - Work a way for this to be someone's Familiar, if he wants it.

Bedroom

• Treasure: Darkvision Googles; Prototype firearm

Monster in the Mushrooms   Notice Board

• Posting on Notice Board says "Seeking Skilled Mercenary - Inquire at [Apothecary]"

Apothecary

• Apothecary routinely goes to a nearby cave to collect mushrooms for use in his various concoctions. He says that on his most recent trip to the cave, something attacked him. He obviously managed to escape, but he has been afraid to return. He is willing to pay in gold or stock if you kill the creature.

Cave Entrance/Shrine

• Nothing noteworthy; shrine is and surrounding area covered with small luminescent mushrooms.

Rock Bridge

• Acrobatics checks needed to advance across bridge. If PC fails check, he falls 60 feet into the water below.
• There are Giant Electric Eels in the pool.

Door Puzzle

• Four statutes are present in the room, two on each side of a flat stone doorway. From left to right, the first statue is a human man, kneeling, head bowed, with a shield strapped to one arm; the second is a human man, kneeling, head bowed, one hand reaching past his cloak to grab the hilt of a sheathed sword; the third is a human man, standing, head bowed, very build, one hand clutches his left side; the fourth is kneeling, head bowed, left forearm rests on knee, right hand holding a battleaxe at his side. In front of each statue is a small stone offering bowl.
• Etched onto the doorway is the following poem:

May history remember and the common folk sing Of these four heroes who answered our king. They rode into battle, against iron and cold For honor and glory, title and gold. The war was won, and the heroes returned And our king gifted each his treasure well earned They gathered before our king in his hall And each in turn our king did call. The first hero called forth knelt at the end. The second swore always our king to defend. The third stood wounded beside the first. And the last plotted treason, a hero now cursed.

• PCs need to place an offering in the bowls in the following order: 4,1,3,2; making the offers in the correct order opens the door; making the offers in the wrong order prompts some sort of defender to attack (maybe stone drakes on either side of the door).

Rift

• Small Dread Snails cover a few dead, partially-eaten bats on the floor, while several crawl along the walls on the room. A rift to the Astral Plane exists is present. Identifying the snails reveals they are from the Astral Plane. Picking up a snail prompts a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, PC takes 1 point of piercing damage plus 1d6 psychic damage.

Cloaker Encounter

• Path leading to room with the cloaker has arcane runes etched into the stone wall. Arcana check reveals them to be evocation-based.
• Cloaker encounter

Burial Chamber

• Three stone coffins wait in this room. At the foot of each coffin is a rectangular stone box with a keyhole built into the front. The same arcane runes etched into the stone walls are etched around the keyhole. The boxes are locked. The can be opened with a successful DC 15 lock picking check (Dex plus proficiency if applicable) or smashed with a successful DC 20 Strength check. Failing a lock picking check or smashing a box causes an explosion (from runes) in the passageway. Two explosions causes a complete collapse of the passageway.

Abandoned Farmhouse

• Scarecrow encounter at night while PCs rest overnight at abandoned farmhouse.

Dueling Storm Hawks

• As a storm sudden rolls in, PCs notice two hawk-like birds fighting in the sky. One strikes down the other, who appears to land nearby. If PCs go investigate, they find an injured – and hostile - storm hawk. (use cockatrice stats but add call lightning ability) (gain feather of call lightning if bird is killed and searched or cured and left be).

    Watcher in the Woods Kipine encounter at night. Whoever is on watch notices a pair of large owl eyes watching from the trees above.   Small Earth Elemental Encounter

• As PCs are traveling along the Triboar Trail, ask for perception check (2 people or 1 with advantage). They notice a tiny creature in the roadway.
• Description: It has a roughly humanoid shape, although its entire body is comprised of small moss covered stones held together with compacted dirt and plant roots. It stands upright on two short legs, and its long two arms nearly reach the ground and end in large fists (at least relative to the size of the rest of its body). In the center of the dirt and stone that would be its head, there is rough T shaped indentation, which though crude, gives the creature the impression of having a face.
• PCs can attempt a DC 10 Arcana check to identify it as a tiny earth elemental.
• As PCs move closer, they realize it is straining to stack small stones into a pile in the center of the road.
• As the PCs approach, the elemental takes notice and hides behind a large tree on the side of the trail. He peeks out again if the PCs stop to investigate.
• A DC 10 Investigation check reveals a cart track running through the spot where the elemental was building the pile and almost a dozen other similar stones scattered in the roadway nearby.
• If the PCs stack the remaining small stones together, the earth elemental cautiously moves back into the roadway and approaches the pile. It looks up at the PCs before laying a hand on the pile. A few stones twitch before they all slowly rise into the air and gently swirl. The earth elemental takes a few steps back as the stones begin to pulse with yellow energy, pulling dirt and loose gravel up from the trail and into the swirling mass. PCs watch as the dirt and stone begin to lock into place, slowing taking on the form of a second tiny earth elemental. Once formed, the new elemental lands gently onto the trail. It stretches its arms and wiggles it fingers, then twists its head to crack its neck.
• The first elemental walks up to the second, grabs it by one shoulder and appears to be kind of looking it over. It then gives a small nob before turning back to the PCs.
• The first earth elemental then reaches a stony hand into its own chest, and pulls out a small rock banded with yellow rings. He offers the rock to the PCs before the two earth elemental retreat into the woods.
• Identifying will reveal that this is a Stone of Earth Tremor. The stone has 5 Charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its Charges to cast the earth tremor spell from it. For 1 charge, you cast the 1st-level version of the spell. You can increase the spell slot level by one for each additional charge you expend. The stone regains 1d4 expended Charges daily at midnight. If you expend the stone’s last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the stone crumbles and is destroyed.

  Blink Rabbit Trap PCs help family take care of a blink rabbit that is ruining their small vegetable plot. PCs might be able to tame the blink rabbit and keep it as a pet. (combine badger stats with blink dog ability)   Wounded Member of Lords Alliance PCs meet a wounded Dragonborn on the side of the road. He has recently been attacked by goblins (several arrows in his body). If PCs heal the dragonborn, he offers a Coin of Luck (3 uses; on use, PC rolls d20 for any check, 1-10 = 1, 11-20 = 20.)   Desperate Salesman While sitting in a tavern, PCs are approached by an NPC who tells them that he is in need of some coin. However, he is not the type to take something in exchange for nothing, so he offers them the chance to purchase a few “strange and wonderous items.” He demonstrates the Bag of Tricks and the Deck of Illusions, each time drawing the ire of the barkeeper. When demonstrating the Bag of Tricks, he asks PCs to lend a gold piece, places it in the bag, and draws out a small ball of gray fur. He drops the ball to the ground and a wolf is summoned. The barkeeper shouts for him to “get that beast out of my bar.” NPC apologizes profusely as he goes to open the tavern door and release the wolf. Tries to get PCs to buy it. Then offers the Deck of Illusions (not a full deck; only 13 cards). NPC waits for the barkeeper to turn his back, then pulls a card off the deck at random and tosses it to the ground. An illusion of an ogre appears hunched in the space of the tavern. The barkeeper turns around, notices the ogre, jumps back dropping a mug of ale. Other patrons also notice and begin to panic. NPC jumps up, waving his arms through the illusion, assuring everyone that there is nothing to fear. NPC picks up the card and the illusion disappears. Barkeeper begins shouting at him that this is his last warning and that any more disruptions will get him tossed out. NPC again apologizes profusely, turns to PCs, and offers the deck. NPC explains that once a card is used, the illusion is gone for good.   Sewer Spider PCs are contracted by city watch to investigate disappearances in the sewer system. PCs encounter a phase spider.   Battle Arena As PCs arrive in a large city, they get word of a tournament happening soon. The tournament pits teams of adventurer’s against various creatures in gladiator-style combat. Last team standing wins. Healers on standby to make sure no one dies.