Contents
Scene 1: Inn Plain Sight
Complete assembly of the Inn Plain Sight before running this part of the adventure. Read the following aloud to set the scene:
The inn has a ground floor and an upper floor.
Ground Floor
If one or more Player Characters explore the barroom on the ground floor, read the following aloud:
The innkeeper, who introduces himself as Merry Rumwell, is actually the sorcerer Ervan Soulfallen in disguise. Merry doesn't want any guests right now and will say almost anything to get rid of the Player Characters. He tells them that he bought the inn from Alax Jadescales, who retired not too long ago, and that much work needs to be done before the inn is fit for guests. He's lying about Alax and the renovations; a search of the inn yields no evidence of construction work or remodeling.
If the Player Characters want to look around, Merry doesn't protest; in fact, he's happy to let the monsters in the bedroom take care of them (see "Upper Floor" below).
If attacked, Merry casts a spell (Dimension Door) and disappears. He reappears in his workshop, which the Player Characters explore in scene 5.
Hot Wings
If the Player Characters accept Merry's offer of free hot wings, they can wait in the barroom or explore other parts of the inn while Merry prepares the order. Play up how good the hot wings smell and taste!
Player Characters who spy on Merry discover that he doesn't cook the wings or make the sauce himself; he simply reheats wings that have already been prepared. Clearly, someone else did the hard work.
Searching the Barroom
A search of the barroom reveals the following:
- Carvings. Carved into the top of the bar are two phrases: "The tree hides the way" and "Evil makes merry while good sleeps."
- Crates. Player Characters who look in the crates outside find a variety of dried chilies for making wing sauce, but no recipe.
- Notice. Posted on the wall behind the bar is a notice for a lost pet that reads as follows: "Missing cat. Large with black fur and tentacles. Answers to Pouncy. Loves milk. Please contact Alax Jadescales if found." Above this notice is a scrap of paper bearing a sketch of a red dragon's face accompanied by the words "Symbol of the Cult of the Dragon."
- Plaque. Next to the "Missing Cat" notice is an "Adventurers of the Month" plaque bearing a rough sketch of some adventurers with the following caption: "The Hard Way plundered the lair of the dragon Cinderhowl and returned alive!"
Back Room
In the back is a kitchen that's barely used. This room contains several jars of hot sauce; a barrel of cooked, magically preserved chicken wings; and a rack of ordinary items that belonged to victims of the mimics upstairs, including a battleaxe, a lute, a pike, and a rapier.
Upper Floor
If one or more Player Characters explore the bedroom on the upper floor, read the following aloud:
Closet
The bedroom has a small closet where guests can store coats and the like. A bag lies on a shelf:
- Bag. This Bag of Holding contains mundane travel gear, such as a bedroll and edible dried rations.
Mimics
The bed and the trunk are two mimics (see the Monster Manual for their stat block). The mimics attack as soon as one of them is touched.
The mimics are lazy and hungry. Feeding them makes them friendly enough to stop attacking and answer simple questions. They know the following:
- Merry the Innkeeper. When the mimics arrived at the inn a few weeks ago, Merry Rumwell invited them to stay. Merry feeds the mimics hot wings to keep them happy.
- The Hard Way. A group of adventurers called the Hard Way visited the inn not too long ago. Merry hired them to find a dragon egg. (The mimics know nothing else about the adventurers or the egg.)
Merry Flees
If he hasn't already fled the scene, Merry casts a spell (Dimension Door) that magically transports him to his workshop as soon as he hears any commotion in the bedroom. Player Characters can explore the workshop in scene 5.
Pictures
The pictures on the walls are described below:
- Dragonborn Family. The figures in this portrait are Alax Jadescales's parents. The painting hides a crack in the wall through which Player Characters can peer into the dungeon (see scene 3), but the crack is too small for the characters to squeeze through.
- Harp. The harp pictured here is the symbol of the Harpers, an organization dedicated to protecting the innocent from evildoers.
- Heroic Portrait. This picture depicts a brave hero and Harper named Sir Lucas, who is a frequent guest.
- Mountain Scene. This picture depicts a mountain range. The tiny plaque below it reads, "The Spine of the World."