Candlekeep Mysteries

L1. Coral Spire

Characters who explore the area underwater can search the submerged portions of the coral. They find that the plant life is healthy, and they see long claw marks in the coral leading to and from the flooded cave. Any character who has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14 or higher notices similar marks on the walls at the cave entrance and can, with a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Nature) check, determine they were made by a young dragon.

L2. Flooded Cave

To enter this flooded cave, the characters must wade or swim into the water that fills it.

The flooded cave is 3 for any creature that doesn't have a swimming speed.

L3. Tidal Chamber

The floor here is 6 feet lower than in area L2.

The claw marks were made by Ashgarlyth and are similar to the ones in x.

Characters must swim to cross the room, which acts as a reservoir to prevent the incoming tide from flooding the rest of the cave system.

L4. Zikran's Quarters

L5. Laboratory and Lair

Characters can approach this room through either the door from Zikran's quarters (area L4) or the secret tunnel from the flooded cave (x).

Ashgarlyth, a young bronze dragon, stands on the dais. Characters who enter through the secret tunnel startle the dragon, who is reluctant to leave his treasures unguarded.

Day 1

The first leg of the journey is straightforward and takes the characters from the base of the mountain to the edge of the mountain's snow line. Few creatures will confront a party that looks well prepared.

Day 2

The second day of travel is hampered by extreme cold and high elevation. Above the snow line, natural predators are eager to make the party their prey. A group of 1d4 + 3 winged kobolds harry the party at one point. These kobolds have resistance to cold damage. Whenever one of these kobolds would deal 5 or more damage to a character with a single attack, it can instead damage the character's clothing, rendering it ineffective as cold weather gear until the clothing is mended. A character with weaver's tools can mend the clothing while taking a short rest. A mending spell also repairs the damage.

Shortly after nightfall or whenever the party decides to take a long rest, the characters are attacked by an abominable yeti, after which they are left alone for the remainder of their rest.

Day 3

The final leg of the journey takes place under the effects of extreme cold, strong wind, and high altitude as the party nears the ruins of the cloud giant keep. The day includes another encounter with 1d4 + 3 winged kobolds, plus any that were left alive after yesterday's encounter.

Toward evening, the characters come to a 40-foot-high, slanted cliff face that they must climb to reach their destination unless they use magic to complete the ascent. Each character must make a DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check to climb the cliff face. On a failed check, the character still makes it to the top but gains 1 level of exhaustion, or 2 levels of exhaustion if the check fails by 5 or more.

Cloud Giant Ghosts

The keep is haunted by the ghosts of cloud giants who perished long ago (see the end of the adventure for the cloud giant ghost stat block). These ghosts are indifferent toward the characters until some action on the characters' part causes the ghosts to turn hostile. What actions cause the ghosts to turn hostile vary from one encounter to the next. Characters who are cautious can avoid combat with the ghosts by not doing anything to anger them.

C1. Front Yard

In the courtyard, there are pieces of rubble large enough that characters can hide behind them. If they keep watch, the characters can take a short or long rest here without being disturbed. If the characters use Zikran's Zephyrean Tome to consult with Gazre-Azam, the djinni encourages the party to press on, eager to be freed.

C2. Entrance Hall

Part of this room is open to the sky, as shown on the map.

The two cloud giant ghosts seem to have no regard for the party. They are indifferent toward intruders but turn hostile if attacked or if any of the display cases in this room are destroyed or looted.

The three display cases are 15 feet tall, made of bleached wood, and enclosed by panes of frost-covered glass. In them are twelve artistically displayed scrolls that contain the clan's history—four scrolls per case. The scrolls are in Dwarvish, the written language of giants. A character who can speak Dwarvish or Giant realizes that these writings tell the history of the cloud giants who once occupied this keep.

They were an isolated clan, content to live in peace away from the squabbles of other giants and mortals. Their propensity for using magic to alter the weather caught the attention of one of the Wind Dukes of Aaqa on the Elemental Plane of Air. This benevolent entity gave them access to powerful elemental magic in exchange for their fealty. After learning and harnessing this new magic, the giants became a force for good in the region for many years, until their patron was overthrown in a coup. Enemies of the deposed Wind Duke wiped out the giant clan, and their keep fell to ruin as the last remnants of the clan fought against their eradicators.

C3. Armory

The cloud giant ghost is indifferent toward intruders but turns hostile if attacked or if the items in the chest are removed (see "Treasure" below).

C4. Mess Hall

This room's ceiling is mostly intact, except for a portion to the south.

Three cloud giant ghosts sit at one of the tables. A character who is proficient with any type of gaming set or who succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (History) check can determine that the ghosts are playing Three-Dragon Ante with spectral cards. The game distracts them, at least temporarily. Characters moving through the room must succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity (Stealth) check to keep from being noticed by the ghosts. If the ghosts notice one or more intruders, they turn hostile and attack.

C5. Kitchen

See area C4 for a description of the fireplace. The stove is unheated.

The cloud giant ghost is indifferent toward the characters unless they disturb either of the jugs on the table, in which case the ghost turns hostile.

C6. Second Floor Bedroom

Characters who observe the cloud giant ghost can tell that it's weeping silently as it "writes." This giant is doomed to spend eternity penning a farewell letter to its long-dead lover. The ghost defends itself if attacked but otherwise ignores the characters.

C7. Zikran's Basement Workshop

The characters can access the basement from the entrance hall (x). If they try to do so, one of Zikran's magical safeguards triggers, releasing two water elementals and six ice mephits. They appear in unoccupied spaces on the staircase and try to prevent intruders from reaching the basement. If Gazre-Azam is present, he can invoke his rank as a noble genie as soon as the elementals and mephits appear. When he does so, 1d6 of the mephits vanish as if affected by a banishment spell.

Once the characters have defeated these creatures, they can enter the basement.

[image: Zikran]

Zikran stands in front of the crystal when the party arrives. He is a chaotic evil water genasi archmage with these changes:

• Zikran speaks Aquan, Common, Primordial, Sahuagin, and Undercommon. He has 144 hit points, resistance to acid damage, a swimming speed of 30 feet, and the ability to breathe air and water.
• He has prepared the conjure elemental spell in addition to his other spells.
• While in the basement, he gains a special action option (see "Elemental Cannon" below).

Genasi have strong ties to the Inner Planes and the blood of genies flowing through their veins. Like the marids of the Elemental Plane of Water, Zikran is turbulent and unpredictable.

Zikran was alerted to the characters' presence when they fought the elementals and mephits on the stairs. Now ready for action, he has cast mage armor, stoneskin, and mind blank on himself. He carries a handheld magic device that controls the elemental cannon. This device, shown in the accompanying illustration, looks like a metal rod with a tip shaped like a bird's head. The air elemental and the water elemental obey Zikran's orders.

Given a chance, Zikran brags about his plans to restore the cloud giants' keep to its original glory, turning it into a flying fortress that he can ride into battle. If a character is carrying Zikran's Zephyrean Tome openly, Zikran offers the characters a chance to surrender and give up the book in exchange for their lives. If the party refuses this offer or if Zikran is unaware that the characters have the book, the genasi archmage and his elementals attack.