The Golden Bones of Lightwatch Tower

8/17/2019 The Golden Bones of Lightwatch Tower

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CREDITS

Cover Art adapted by Bernie McCormick from Sanctuary

Tower by Yellow.Cat under an Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC

BY 2.0) License

Dark Alchemist by killyoverdirve via opengameart.org

Other portraits from TCP by Jeff Preston.

Other images are originals by Bernie McCormick, aside

from maps provided by the contest hosted by EN World.

Iconography courtesy of Lorc under a Creative Commons

Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

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.

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.

RECOGNITION

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.

CONTENTS

The Golden Bones of Lightwatch Tower........................... 1

Back Across the Ages .................................................... 1

Recent History ............................................................... 3

Plot Hooks ......................................................................... 3

Sent by the Church ........................................................ 3

The Lost Map ................................................................. 4

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

NPC’s ................................................................................ 5

Deyb Mattockblade ........................................................ 5

Grundle Fitz ................................................................... 5

Lawrence Ames ............................................................. 6

Orlin Swift ....................................................................... 6

Kestrel Blueleaf .............................................................. 7

Yazol the Hag ................................................................ 8

Lightwatch Tower Locations .............................................. 9

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

Area 8 – The Hidden Chamber .................................... 12

Area 9 – The Gruesome Larder ................................... 13

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


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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

“Me da said something about not breathin in theshadows, but he didn’t say anything about exploring the

place.”

-Last words of Randall Mattockblade, Ches, five days

later, Year of the First Circle

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 thestory, 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 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.

Roughly two centuries before the adventure takes place, a

retired war-wizard, Vinien Prast, remembered The Coach

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 re-

opened the inn, he invited his few remaining adventurer

allies as a sort of reunion and opening celebration

combined.

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.

With the help of the elementals, Roweena erectedLightwatch – 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.

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.

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.


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

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, themaintenance 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 thosewho stopped in to take a rest.

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.

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.

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,

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 woundsclosing in a golden glow. Mosing howled, wrestling with

the afterbirth-smeared monster, unable to slay it, but now

wary of its deadly nature.

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’sinterest 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.

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 sou

would be forfeit.

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 Mosingand the child, and did his best as a lay faithful of

Lathander to see to Roweena’s final rest.

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


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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.

Rorick returned to the inn and assumed responsibility forit, 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.

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.

RECENT 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.

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 andrepair themselves on the anniversary of the night of her

death (the height of the harvest moon).

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

altered (which is a welcome opportunity to DM’s who like

happy endings).

The adventurers arrive at The Coach just following the

Harvest Moon.

PLOT H OOKS If you are tying The Golden Bones into your own campaignor 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 ou

at. They could be traveling with a caravan, or a mentor, o

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:

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.

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.

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


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The loss or theft of the relics would greatly complicate the

mission, and could provide a spicy follow-up quest line.

T

HE

L

OST

M

AP

Overview

Orlin Swift was a bard of no small reputation, who traveledthe 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.

Taking a small detour to investigate the disappearance of

the boy, and ran afoul of Yazol, after

tracking the boy to the Tower. The Hagoverwhelmed Orlin, and is slowly

siphoning off his life force after encaging

him in her hovel beneath the Tower.

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.

Challenges

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 findthemselves 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…


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

M

ISSING

S

ON

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.

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.

Despite the warnings he received as a child, and theannual 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.

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.

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.


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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.

Grundle Fitz, the dwarven smith, of The Coach suspectsLawrence 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.

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.

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.


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.

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.

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.

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

scene

Deyb Mattocksblade

Medium Humanoid (Human)

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

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.

Actions

Melee Attack - Club: +1 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one creature).

Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

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 theinnkeeper, and hopes to take advantage of The Cart once

the human dies.

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.


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If a party member is clapped in irons, and is awaiting the

arrival of a Judge, Grundle can be bribed to free the

prisoner for 50gp.

Grundle Fitz

Medium Humanoid (Dwarf)

Armor Class 12 (Leather Apron)

Hit Points 13 (2d8 + 4)

Speed 25 ft.

Senses darkvision 50 ft.

Str 13 (+1) Dex 11 (+0) Con 14

(+2) Int 10 (+0) Wis 11 (+0) Cha

10 (+0) Alignment NE

Languages Common, Dwarvish

Traits

Dwarven Resilience: The dwarf

has advantage on saving throwsagainst poison and resistance to

poison damage.

Actions

Melee or Ranged Attack - Light

Hammer: +3 to hit (reach

5 ft. or range 20 ft./60 ft.; one

creature). Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1)

bludgeoning damage.

L

AWRENCE

A

MES

Lawrence is a handsome, blonde-

haired human, whose ancestors

claimed to have elven blood. He

cane to The Coach several months

before the party arrives, and is

riddled with guilt over the death of

his secret lover, Randall

Mattocksblade. As much as he

carries that guilt, he is petrified that Radnall’s father, his

employer Delb will seek deadly retribution if he finds out

what happened to his son. Lawrence can be threatened,

charmed, or compelled to tell his tale, but will not do sowithout magical intervention if Delb is in earshot.

Lawrence Ames

Medium Humanoid (Human)

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 14 (+2)

Alignment LN

Languages Common

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.

Actions

Melee Attack - Club: +1 to hit

(reach 5 ft.; one creature). Hit: 2

(1d4) bludgeoning damage.

Ranged Attack - Rock: +1 to hit

(range 20 ft./80 ft.; one

creature). Hit: 2 (1d4)

bludgeoning damage.

O

RLIN

S

WIFT

A curious bard, captured by the

hag, Yazol, while investingating

the disappearance of Randall.

Orlin Swift

Medium Human Bard

(Lvl 1)

Armor Class 13 (leather armor)

Hit Points 8 (1d6 Hit Die)

Proficiency Bonus +1Speed 30 ft.

Alignment chaotic good

Languages Common, Elvish

Sylvan, Thieves’ Cant

Str 9 (-1) Dex 15 (+2) Con14

(+2)

Int 11 (+0); Wis 13 (+1)Cha 17

(+3); add proficiency bonus to saves

Actions

Melee Attack (Two-Weapon Fighting): Short sword (+3

to hit; 1d6 + 2 piercing) and short sword (+3 to hit; 1d6

piercing)

Melee or Ranged Attack: Dagger (range 20 ft./60 ft.; +3 to

hit; 1d4 + 2 piercing)

Ranged Attack: Hand crossbow (range 30 ft./120 ft.; +3 to

hit; 1d6 + 2 piercing)

Skills

Acrobatics, Deception, History, Performance, Sleight of

Hand, Stealth

Note to DM: Running the Adventure

Depending on the number of players you have, and

their level/class makeup, some of the challenges

may scale too far up or down, particularly if the

players

are

not

well

coordinated.

To scale down, remove the giltbones turn resistance

if they are not in the chapel, or beneath it. You can

also disarm them, and have them deal clawing

damage, instead of weapon damage.

To scale up, position a few skeletons at the top of the

tower with poisoned crossbows. Only a stealthy or

secret approach to the tower will allow access

unmolested.

However you play it, you should keep track of

skeletons and flying spiders as they are dispatched,

and eliminate the chance of encountering them

while

exploring

once

they

are

eliminated.

Additionally, since The Coach could have other

adventurers there, you could supplement the party

with a needed class (cleric or rogue), or have Kestrel

save the day, in the case that a first assault goes

horribly.

Two special considerations to keep in mind: how

does the party dispatch Roweena, assuming they

figure out what is going on, either by catching Yazol,

or reading her grimoire? If they give Roweena rest,

how do they handle the sudden appearance of

Mosing and his monstrous child? Mosing’s patron

will

claim

him

moments

after

he

reappears

–

will

the

Glabrezugon attack the party, flee, or try to bargain

with them?

While this adventure can be a simple one shot, it can

easily be used as the springboard to a campaign,

particularly if Yazol escapes or the Glabrezugon runs

free to terrorize the Azurewood and The Coach.


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7

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.

Kestrel can confirm that Randall was in the woods the night

of his disappearance. She doesn’t know anything else. Ifthe 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.

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, ElvishStr 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

EquipmentStudded 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.

Racial Traits

Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving

throws against being charmed, and magic cannot put

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 meditatedeeply for 4 hours a day. After resting in this way, you gain

the same benefit

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.

You have proficiency with the climber’s kit, navigator’s

tools, and vehicles (land), so you add your proficiencybonus 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:

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.


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8

Y

AZOL THE

H

AG

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 hergolem. 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.

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 sleepingadventurers, or escape from them in

the night.

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.

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.

Yazol: Green Hag

Medium Humanoid

Armor Class 14

Hit Points 36 (8d8) Speed 30 ft, swim 30 ft.

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

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).

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

Melee Attack - Withering Grasp (Recharge 5–6): +6 to hi

(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.

Invisibility: The hag turns invisible

until it attacks, casts a spell, or endsthe effect. It can end the effect at any

time without using an action. Yazol’s

invisibility affects undead.

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

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’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 thecurse 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


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9

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

L IGHTWATCH T OWER

L OCATIONS

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 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.

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.

If the party remains concealed nearby, and can observe theTower 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 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

anchors as hand and footholds. There is usually at leas

one skeleton keeping watch in one of the four grea

windows at the top of the Tower at any time of day or night

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.

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 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 – THE CHAPEL

E

NTRANCE

This was the main entrance to the chapel. It is normally

barred from the inside, though Roweena’s remains wil

leave the door unbarred if it is stalking the Tower area, or

rendering a new giltbone.

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 madewhen 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.

The chapel area is preternaturally dark, as a byproduct o

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 thechapel to confront the intruders. The greater giltbone wil

call all undefeated giltbones to assist her in this case.

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 o

the conflagration, and will likely rouse all the flying spiders

from the rafters of the chapel, day or night.


12/21

10

Hazards

50% chance of encountering 2-5 giltbone skeletons while

exploring the door, unless making a DC 13 Stealth check.

A

REA

2

– T

HE

B

ACK

D

OOR

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.

The doorway in the rear of the chapel is small, and finelymade. 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.

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).

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.

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 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.

There will always be at least one giltbone patrolling this

area, unless they have all been recalled to defend the

Tower.

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.

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.

Hazards

See giltbone skeleton and/or flying spider in Appendix II

AREA 4 – THE BONE CAULDRON

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.

There will always be at least one giltbone here, maybe

more. It is possible (if desired) to have this be an encounte

area for the greater giltbone (creating a victim) or Yazo

(who may try to gain the party’s trust in alternate form by

warning them of the impending danger before the giltbone

can strike.

Hazards

See giltbone skeleton in Appendix II

A

REA

5

–

T

HE

H

IDDEN

C

ACHE

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.


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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.

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

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 brokenpotion 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.

A

REA

6

–

T

HE

D

ESPOILED

C

HAPEL

The Chapel is home to dangerous

inhabitants in the eaves – a brood offlying 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.

Beyond the unbarred door, preternatural darkness dims

your vision form seeing any details

If the party overcomes the magical darkness…

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.

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.

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.

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 itsdefenders to rush ahead, drawing a bow instead.

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’.

The greater giltbone will stay on the fa

end of the chapel, shooting atspellcasters 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.

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.

If the greater giltbone is defeated but not destroyed, the

lesser giltbones will stay animate. If the party destroys the

topaz, read below:

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


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12

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.

With a gasp, the tiefling shrieks in denial, throwing thecreature 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.

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 theblender, if they so insist.

Hazards

More Appendix II for more information on Greater

Giltbones, Giltbones, and Flying Spiders. See Appendix III

for information about the Glabrezugon.

AREA 7 – THE RUINED TOWER

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.

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.

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 mostlyinterested in the magical process at the cauldron, and has

allowed the trapdoor to become buried in ruined wood and

the leavings of flying spiders.

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 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.

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 trap door has two traps on it. One (DC 11 detect, DC

13 disarm) is a simple string of bells that will sound when i

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 gian

when the door is opened.

If the party has somehow bypassed the guardians, the bel

trap will alert the giant flying spider in the room below. I

will also alert Yazol if she is in her lair.

Hazards

Possible Flying Spiders or Giltbones. See Appendix II.

Bell Alarm Trap [30 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

Mage Hand Trap [75 xp]

Detect DC:11Disarm 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 room below the trapdoor has become completely

choked by the giant flying spider’s web. The remains o


15/21

13

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hazards

See Giant Flying Spider in Appendix II

for more information.

A

REA

9

– THE GRUESOME

LARDER

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.

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 non-

giant enters the hallway. This is how Yazol trapped the

matron spider, and how she keeps its young from invading

her larder.

Within the chest in the middle of the hallway, there are mos

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.

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 crate is ajar because it cannot close all the way with

the amphora or pickle jar in it.

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]

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.

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 glassunless they make a DC 10 Dexterity save.

Rewards

If put in at least one gallon of freezable liquid, the sapphire

will cool a 10’ cube to roughly freezing temperature. If lef

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


16/21

14

[Wystralaan] and knowledge of the submerging in liquid to

make it more safe.

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.

A

REA

1 –

T

HE

H

AG

’S

K

ITCHEN

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 voicestarts pleading with you as soon as you clear the area

past the foul larder in the cold hallway.

“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!”

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.

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.

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 atthe 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.

Rewards

Aside from any information or help the party can get from

Orlin, he may be the end of a quest/plot hook. He wil

certainly aid the party if he can enact revenge on Yazol, and

if they can help him retrieve his gear from her chest. I

Yazol is planning to flee there is a 50% chance she wil

leave Orlin to die in the cage, otherwise she will kill him and

take his body with her so she has something to eat.

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.

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)centeredon where the gem is thrown.

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Q

UARTERS

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 tha

the exit exists, and assumes that Yazol may have used

magic to come and go from her lair.

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.

The chest will be empty if Yazol decided to flee with

premeditation. If she is slain, or fleeing in haste, the ches

will have any treasure listed under Yazol’s NPC entry.

Steel ChestUnlock 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


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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.

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AY

Regardless of whether the party’s careful searching has ledto 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.


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APPENDIX I I : BEASTIARY

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.


Str 11 (+0) Dex 14 (+2) 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.

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 whichpoint 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,

radiant, and slashing damage.

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 thenewly 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.

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.

ACTIONSMelee Attack - +1 Long Sword: +3 to hit (reach 5 ft.; one

creature). Hit: 4 (1d8+1) slashing damage.

Ranged Attack - Shortbow: +4 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, combining accursed or profane gold with

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.

Giltbone Skeleton [50 xp]

Medium Undead

Armor Class 13 (golden coated bones)

Hit Points 10 (2d8+1); see Traits below

Speed 20 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.

Damage Resistance: The skeleton is resistant to piercing

and slashing damage.

Profane Bolster : The skeleton gets the advantage agains

turn undead attempts made against it.

Unending Undeath: The remains of a giltbone skeleton wil

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 immediatelyreduces those giltbones to 0 HP.

ACTIONS

Melee Attack - Long Sword or Battle Axe: +2 to hit (reach 5

ft.; one creature). Hit: 4 (1d8) slashing damage.

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 fou

necromantic ritual, enacted by a greater giltbone skeleton

This binds the creature to its creator until that creator is

destroyed.

Itchburn Ivy [300 xp]

Huge Plant [30’x60’]

Armor Class 8

Hit Points 59 (7d10 + 21);

Speed 0

Senses blindsight 60 ft.


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Str 15 (+2) Dex 6 (–2) Con 16 (+3)

Int 1 (–5) Wis 3 (–4) Cha 3 (–4)

Alignment unaligned

Languages -

Defenses: Itchburn Ivy is immune to acid, and resistant to

fire.

ACTIONSSecrete: 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 makesuch saves in the future for up to 24 hours.

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.

Flying Spider [30 xp]

Small Flying Beast

Armor Class 12Hit Points 3 (1d6) Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft.


Str 4 (–3) Dex 14 (+2) Con 11 (+0)

Int 2 (–4) Wis 7 (–2) Cha 6 (–2)

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.

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,

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.

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.

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 movemenrestrictions 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 creature)

Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage, and the target mus

make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. Failed Save: 5

(2d4) poison damage.

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.


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A

PPENDIX

I I I :

T

HE

D

EMVIL

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, half-

devils 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.

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 spinytail 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 (spellsave 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.

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.

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

Documents

The Golden Bones of Lightwatch Tower