The Orrery of the Wanderer

Episode 3: Darkness at the Lighthouse

[image: Silent Sound Lighthouse]

In this episode, the characters (newly enfranchised and now 3rd level) travel to the Silent Sound lighthouse to search for Talanatha, the tiefling paladin occultant of the Fellowship of the Golden Mongoose. On the way, Omin Dran contacts them with a request. He wants them to stop in Neverwinter to check on a cache of Acquisitions Incorporated treasure being stored there. However, the doppelganger who hid the cache has been arrested and is about to be executed. Even if the characters save her, retrieving the treasure where it's been hidden in the House of Knowledge—Oghma's temple in Neverwinter—will take more time and effort than Omin predicted.

Leaving Neverwinter, the characters head north in the direction of Silent Sound. But even as the lighthouse comes into view, they spot a small boat under attack by creatures from the deep. If they rescue the crew, the characters might find a business opportunity that involves partaking in a little mutiny against a ruthless captain.

At the lighthouse, the characters confirm that the Acquisitions Incorporated franchise headquartered there—the Order of the Stout Half-Pint—was attacked, and that most of its members have been killed. Moving up through the different levels of the lighthouse tower, the franchisees find more and more evidence that the same spellcaster whose creations they've previously faced has wrought havoc there. That spellcaster, Hoobur Gran'Shoop, is found working in a grisly laboratory beneath the tower, to which the adventurers gain entrance through the lighthouse's magic lens. That laboratory is only part of the lighthouse's secret basement, though, and the characters engage in some dangerous and lucrative dungeoneering after dealing with—or doing a deal with—Hoobur.

With the threats in the lighthouse dispensed with, the characters learn that its franchise members had also recently collected one of the clockwork components of the Orrery of the Wanderer. They also have evidence in hand pointing to the involvement of Dran Enterprises in the attack on the lighthouse, building on the sighting of Dran Enterprises operatives in Phandalin. But what does Dran Enterprises want with the orrery? And which band of plucky franchisees will be tasked with finding out?

To the Lighthouse

With the franchise headquarters in Phandalin secured and the rebuilding of Tresendar Manor underway, the adventurers have a clear path ahead of them to the Silent Sound lighthouse. However, you get to decide how complicated the journey turns out to be.

One big question is whether the characters should travel overland up the Sword Coast, or whether you want to let them teleport directly to Silent Sound using the timepiece of travel. Either option is fine. With an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign often involving access to crazy magic, don't be afraid to let the characters make use of it. But there are options for holding back on the magic of the orrery and its components if you want to (see the "x" sidebar in episode 2), and an overland journey has its own rewards, in the form of additional encounters and side treks that can help build a fun story.

This episode provides one side trek that sees the characters stop in Neverwinter on their way to the lighthouse, which can be made use of no matter what the party's method of travel. Additionally, if the characters are traveling overland, you can introduce random encounters along the road using the same method and table from x. If you roll a result that makes no sense, roll again or create an encounter of your own.

"The Orrery of the Wanderer" makes use of an adventure trope as old as D&D itself—working up a totally high-powered artifact, then dropping it into the hands of low-level characters just to see what happens. The orrery and its six components are presented in appendix D, and the powers of these relics are significant. But the fact that the orrery is an artifact in a some-assembly-required state gives you a lot of latitude in determining how you dole those powers out.

The orrery's components are set up so that their magic gets weird while the orrery is in pieces. At your determination, that magic might act in unpredictable ways, not recharge as often as normal, or add random effects to keep the characters on their toes. One aspect of this unpredictability comes into play in the adventure when the tiefling Talanatha uses the timepiece of travel to escape from the attack on Tresendar Manor, only to have the timepiece stay behind (see later on in this episode for details).

By making sure the characters understand the unpredictable nature of the components' magic, you give them good incentive to be cautious about using them. And if the power of the components threatens to derail parts of the adventure (for example, if the characters plan on using the timepiece of travel to teleport everywhere and find every secret location in the scenario), feel free to have the power of individual components mysteriously fail until they are all installed in the orrery housing once more.

A Detour to Neverwinter

Before the characters leave for the lighthouse, or while they are on the High Road traveling toward Neverwinter, Omin Dran makes contact with a "small favor." Neverwinter is located on the High Road on the way to the Silent Sound lighthouse, so is an easy stop for the party to make.

Head Office assignments of this sort can become common in an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, especially as the characters' reputation as troubleshooters grows. You can use such side treks as useful support for a franchise's main mission, or as an inconvenient interruption.

A Simple Request

Omin Dran contacts the characters via the franchise documancer's documancy satchel or some other form of magic. When he does, read the following to detail his request:

Omin's primary concern is to have Oppal's treasure secured and removed from the city without drawing the attention of Neverwinter's tax collectors. He tells the characters that the treasure is small but its container is warded, and that they should be prepared to store and carry it without looking in it. Omin isn't keen to get into additional details, though, suggesting that the less the characters know, the better. (This is another potentially entertaining hallmark of assignments handed down from Head Office, and plausible deniability is one of the core competencies of any successful Acquisitions Incorporated franchise.)

The Backstory

Either on their way to Neverwinter or while in the city, the characters might want to dig around a bit to find out more about what exactly they're getting into. They might also assign a franchise task to their staff back in Phandalin, getting them to use scrutineering or research to find out more.

If you want to make Neverwinter a bigger part of your campaign, more information about the city can be found in the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide. But the following information covers the basics the characters can learn regarding this side trek:

Everything that goes on in Neverwinter is inexorably tied to Lord Dagult Neverember. After being ousted from his position as Open Lord of Waterdeep, Neverember took up the mantle of Lord Protector of Neverwinter.
The citizens of Neverwinter accepted the rule of an autocrat who brought peace and stability to a fractious city. With the foundation of his rule solidly established, Lord Neverember cracked down on the nobility and the guilds, whom the lower classes were more than happy to blame for any problems in the city.
Neverember has levied heavy taxes against wealthy merchants and the aristocracy. Acquisitions Incorporated maintains significant financial holdings in Neverwinter. Given the current political climate in the city, those holdings are going to be overtaxed if they are discovered.

On Omin's orders, Oppal DeScart, a doppelganger in the employ of Acquisitions Incorporated, has been working to move Acq Inc treasure out of Neverwinter. By consolidating caches of treasure and using them to purchase rare diamonds, she's been able to convert a great deal of wealth into portable form, ready for secure retrieval. Unfortunately for her—and unknown to Omin Dran—Oppal was recently arrested for murder in a case of mistaken identity. She's currently being held in the dungeons beneath the ruins of Castle Never, awaiting execution.

As my documancer, Walnut, is so fond of saying: Ignore Head Office's missives at your own peril. (She says it more like, "This is a task from Omin, so we're going to drop everything and do it TODAY!!!")
— Rosie Beestinger

The Stable Quiver

When the characters arrive in Neverwinter, they find themselves in a city divided—quite literally. Part of the metropolis is magnificent, with breathtaking architecture, marvelous spires, and opulent decorations. And amid that beauty is a terrible scar caused by the eruption of Mount Hotenow years before. Citizens are still rebuilding from that disaster, largely thanks to the extra taxes Lord Neverember levies against the wealthy. The city's poorer residents benefit from the rebuilding work, and live in hope that the artisans and builders in the City of Skilled Hands can turn their home into the Jewel of the North once again.

The Stable Quiver is a nondescript, well-built tavern in the Blacklake District, an area that covers the northwest part of the city. The tavern boasts a mixed clientele of lesser nobles, artisans, middle-class merchants, and skilled laborers. It's a perfect meeting place for citizens engaged in activities they wish to keep out of the public eye. The low-life element normally eschews the place, except in cases where they meet with the tavern's regular patrons—who are no less criminal in many cases.

Locating Oppal

When the characters enter the tavern, all the tables are occupied, but several empty stools stand at the bar. The barkeep is Squid (N male half-elf commoner), so-called by the locals because of a squid-shaped birthmark on his face.

If the characters ask Squid about Oppal by name, or about any shapechangers working in the area, the half-elf initially denies knowing anything about such a person. A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check notices that the barkeep is clearly concealing something. If the characters push the issue, a successful DC 10 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check causes Squid to dish up information. Any Charisma (Intimidation) check inspires him to first direct the characters toward some random character who he swears is Oppal, just to lighten the mood. He also spills if the characters offer him a bribe of 5 gp or more.

If the characters can't convince Squid to talk to them, they can chat with others in the tavern. With the right motivation, another NPC can point the group in the right direction.

Interested Bystander

One of the patrons at the Stable Quiver when the characters arrive to inquire about Oppal is Moguhl Vloot. This petite human wears a nicely tailored suit and has slicked-back gray hair, even though she appears no older than thirty. Being a wererat keeps one looking young.

Moguhl works for a local thieves' guild and keeps tabs on illicit goods going into and out of the city. Her guild has brokered some of the treasure Oppal has been selling, and Moguhl's bosses want to find out where the doppelganger has been hiding the cash she's been stockpiling. With Oppal set for execution, they know they need to work fast, but are still weighing whether trying to get to her in the dungeons of Castle Never is worth the risk.

Moguhl notices the characters asking about Oppal. She tries to hide her interest, but any character who succeeds on a DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check notes her surreptitiously remaining close and listening in when the group acquires the information they need. Moguhl leaves the tavern before the characters can confront her. She slips down an alley and turns into a giant rat if anyone attempts to follow her.

Moguhl quickly gathers five bandits to assist her in "questioning" the characters about their knowledge of or dealings with Oppal. A short while after the characters leave the tavern, this gang challenges them, setting Moguhl up to ask who Oppal is working for and where she hid her treasure.

Naturally, the characters are unable to answer Moguhl's second question. But unless the characters also deny knowing the doppelganger's employer and are particularly convincing about their ignorance, Moguhl and her bandits attack in hopes that a good beating can convince them to tell what they know.

Moguhl uses the wererat stat block and wields a +1 shortsword she calls Piercer, which grants her a +1 bonus to her attack and damage rolls.

Moguhl flees before the adventurers can kill or capture her, using her Shapechanger trait to escape or to slip her bonds if subdued and tied up.

Development

If the characters question the defeated bandits, the criminals admit to working for Moguhl from time to time, but they can provide no other actionable information. If Moguhl is captured and convinced to talk, she can provide intelligence on the prison beneath Castle Never, which she has been gathering in case she needs to break in to talk to Oppal.

Characters who contract lycanthropy from Moguhl might have the opportunity to get the curse removed at the Hall of Knowledge later in this episode at a reduced cost, assuming they can help the head priest there with his troubles. See the "x" section below.

Treasure

Moguhl and her bandits carry a total of 23 gp. The wererat also has a spell scroll of distort value (a new spell from chapter 3).

Moguhl's weapon Piercer is a rare magic item that requires attunement. The sword is a +1 shortsword, and a character attuned to the sword regains the maximum possible number of hit points from expended Hit Dice. However, the attuned character must eat twice as much food each day (a minimum of 2 pounds) to avoid exhaustion (see "The Environment" in chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook.)

The Holes

If the characters don't get initial information from Moguhl about the prison beneath Castle Never, they can use whatever means they choose to gather information. This might include employing appropriate backgrounds, digging into rumors spread by the criminal class, talking to city guards, and so forth.

The characters can learn the following details about the castle and the prison beneath it with appropriate roleplaying or ability checks. Easy-to-acquire information comes earlier in the list, while the details that are harder to acquire are provided later. Dispense the following points as you see fit:

Castle Never was the historical seat of the rulers of Neverwinter. The eruption of Mount Hotenow and various attacks in the years since have reduced the structure to rubble.
Lord Neverember has made rebuilding the castle his top priority. Much of the city's steep tax income goes to the rebuilding efforts.
Neverwinter's worst offenders—murderers, traitors, and tax cheats—are imprisoned beneath the ruins of Castle Never. Locals call this prison "the holes." Trying to free someone from the holes is a good way to end up in them.
Anyone in the holes has already been found guilty by Lord Neverember of high crimes, the punishment for which is death. Executions take place once each tenday, at noon. The next execution occurs two days from when the characters discover this fact.
During executions, guards are numerous, and powerful people show up to see justice dispensed. Rescuing one of the condemned from the gallows would be a nearly impossible feat.
Only one known entrance leads into the holes from the main level of Castle Never. That level is being rebuilt, so bricklayers, stonemasons, and untrained hirelings are common throughout. A minimum of four guards and three veterans stand watch at the entrance. Seven more guards and three veterans do the same within the holes.
On the day before an execution, friends and family of a prisoner are allowed into the holes to bring the condemned a last meal.
A secret passage is said to access the holes from a cave on the shore of Blacklake, from which the Blacklake District gets its name. No one the characters can talk to has seen or used this passage, which remains only a rumor.

Rescuing Oppal

The first step to rescuing Oppal is to communicate with her in some way. However, if a plan is hatched that allows the characters to message her indirectly through a third party (a bribed guard or worker, for instance), Oppal's response makes it clear that she is willing to pass along "the information" only if she is liberated. She understands that the characters' timely appearance is the only thing that stands between her and certain death.

How the characters navigate this tricky dilemma is entirely up to you. Let the players' resourcefulness and your imagination combine to create a memorable story of legendary triumph or narrow failure, followed by even narrower escapes. Ideas and plans for getting to and rescuing Oppal can cover any of the following options:

A corrupt member of the Neverwinter city guard might help get the characters into the holes for a price. But that guard might also charge a higher and previously unmentioned price to get them out again.
The secret entrance offers lots of possibilities, but the characters first need to find it. Then they need to deal with whatever suitable monster is currently lairing in that cave. Moreover, any number of traps, hazards, and monsters might be guarding the passage leading from the cavern to the holes.
The characters might also try to keep things entirely legal by tracking down the orc who committed the murder Oppal is accused of. Bringing that villain in might easily clear Oppal's name—and bring the characters a certain amount of notoriety in the city. But where is that orc now? And who else might the characters need to contend with to capture him?
Pretending to be Oppal's friends or family gives the characters easy access to the doppelganger as they bring in a last meal. Then once they're in the holes, it's up to you to decide how they might pull off a daring escape—including searching for the rumored tunnel from the inside.

Oppal's Info

If the characters rescue Oppal from the holes, she gratefully provides information on the whereabouts of Omin Dran's treasure cache, which consists of rare black diamonds mined from the rim of Mount Hotenow. The diamonds are held in a silk bag that's been placed in a false tome titled A Layperson's Book of Common Knowledge. Oppal hid the book in a vault beneath the Hall of Knowledge—the local temple to Oghma, god of knowledge, invention, and inspiration.

Like much of the city of Neverwinter, the Hall of Knowledge is currently under repair. Although some of the temple was damaged by the volcano, portions were spared the destruction of the lava flow, including an underground chamber called the Vault of Tomes. That undercroft contains some of the most rare and valuable books in Faerûn outside Candlekeep, and is one of the most secure locations in the city as a result. By disguising herself as an acolyte, Oppal was able to place the false tome in the vault.

On Omin's instructions, Oppal hired a wizard to place a glyph of warding (explosive runes) on the false book to keep it from being opened. Also on Omin's order, she doesn't know how to bypass the glyph. The doppelganger knows that Omin expected he would be able to access the diamonds once the false tome was in his possession.

Oppal knows that the vault door has a very good lock, but the door is left open whenever acolytes are moving tomes in and out of the vault (as it was when she hid the book). She also knows that the head priest (known as the grand scribe) at the Hall of Knowledge is a frail and unpleasant elf named Spivey Liethennson (LN male elf noble). Grand Scribe Liethennson is a strict taskmaster and does not suffer fools gladly.

Once freed, Oppal is unwilling to assist in any further capers, wanting only to get out of Neverwinter alive. No amount of threatening or cajoling can inspire her to assist the characters. She suggests that they acquire the book, seal it inside something else so as to avoid accidentally triggering the glyph, and leave the city as quickly as possible. They can deliver the goods to Omin at their leisure after that.

The Hall of Knowledge

The Hall of Knowledge is a major temple in Neverwinter, acting as a place of learning, a center of socialization, and a repository of government documentation while Castle Never is being rebuilt. Damage to the complex's outer walls and floors has already been restored, while workers now focus on interior walls and decor.

Grand Scribe Spivey Liethennson oversees the temple, ruling his limited domain with all the fervor his fragile body can muster. Acolytes and workers freeze in terror when his labored breathing warns of his approach, because he rarely has a kind word to say. Liethennson longs to leave the city and join his fellow Oghma worshipers in the serenity of Candlekeep. In the meantime, he hopes to impress church elders by running the Hall of Knowledge with an iron hand.

Curing Lycanthropy

If any characters have lycanthropy from their run-in with Moguhl Vloot, Grand Scribe Liethennson can cast remove curse for a donation of 50 gp. If he feels indebted to the characters (see "x" below), he might cast the spell for free.

Entering the Temple

Anyone can enter the temple to worship Oghma at a shrine on the first floor. Acolytes and lesser clerics are available to perform rituals for a suitable donation. The first floor also contains books and scrolls of common value, as well as public documents moved here from Castle Never. The second floor holds sleeping quarters and private work areas for staff and clergy, while the basement includes storage rooms, private shrines for generous donors, and the Vault of Tomes.

Two veterans in the employ of the Neverwinter city guard bar passage to the other floors at all times. The guards deny access to anyone attempting to enter the basement who is not an acolyte, known to be approved for entry, or escorted by a high-ranking priest or Grand Scribe Liethennson.

Labor Problems

The characters enter the Hall of Knowledge at an opportune time. Grand Scribe Liethennson, unhappy with the quality and the pace of the work being done, has recently taken to task the builder overseeing the renovations. Dwarf artisan Kollette Kwarter (NG female dwarf commoner) has finally grown tired of the elf's constant griping and badgering.

At any opportune moment as the characters are within or approaching the temple, they see Kwarter drop her tools at Liethennson's feet, make a rude gesture in his direction, and call on her workers to leave. She knows that she and her team can find easier work for more money elsewhere in the city. Quick-thinking characters can seize this opportunity to pretend to be masons, carpenters, or other craftspeople to gain access to the basement level. This doesn't grant characters access to the Vault of Tomes, but it gets them close.

Alternative Entry

Characters wanting access to the basement might attempt Charisma (Deception) or Dexterity (Stealth) checks to connive or sneak their way into the area. By pretending to be wealthy donors to the temple, they could also reach the basement with a donation of 20 gp for the party. Give any plan that makes sense a chance to succeed.

Trouble in the Basement

If the players prefer action, an emergency in the temple could assist them in their quest. An eldritch tome stored in the vault has its dweomer suddenly fail, unleashing a burst of arcane energy that animates two statues in the vault. As the characters case the temple, screams and shouts are heard as the statues run amok. The two veterans on guard step up, only to quickly fall victim to the animated statues. The characters can use the distraction to slip into the vault while scribes and acolytes flee, or they can deal with the threat to earn the favor of Grand Scribe Liethennson.

Each of the animated statues uses the gargoyle stat block.

Entering the Vault of Tomes

Even after the characters have accessed the basement, entering the Vault of Tomes while it's locked down is a challenge. The door to the vault employs a complex three-stage lock, requiring three successful DC 20 Dexterity checks using thieves' tools to open. If the characters take too long to open the lock, staff or clergy might notice them, alerting any veterans on watch.

If the characters defeated the statues, they have the thanks of Grand Scribe Liethennson. He is reluctant to allow anyone other than worshipers of Oghma into the Vault of Tomes, but characters with his favor have an easy time convincing him of their need to do obscure research or similar claims.

Books within the vault are indexed and arranged alphabetically by title. Characters can find A Layperson's Guide to Common Knowledge with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check.

Leaving Neverwinter

With the diamonds secured, the characters can leave the city with little problem. Provided they don't wave the diamonds under the noses of the guards while departing, they aren't bothered or taxed. If they report back to Omin with magic, he instructs the franchise's hoardsperson or another suitable character to keep the diamonds safe until delivery.

If the characters dispel or otherwise deal with the glyph of warding and open the book, it contains a silk bag with twelve black diamonds inside. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation or Nature) check from any character with a merchant, jeweler, or mining background can assess the value of the gems. A character with experience as a jeweler has advantage on this check.

A successful check determines that while four of the gems are real diamonds (5,000 gp each), eight are actually finely cut smoky quartz (10 gp each). Omin knows that Oppal mixed the fakes with the real diamonds to throw off would-be thieves, allowing her to offer them the quartz while she used legerdemain to retain the valuable ones. Characters who don't know this might sweat a bit as they try to figure out how to explain the situation to Omin.

The Tortured Tortle Mutiny

The Silent Sound lighthouse sits atop a cliff three days' travel north of Neverwinter, and acts as a navigation beacon to ships traveling up and down the Sword Coast. The shoreline of this often-foggy area gives way to underwater rocks, posing a dire threat to ships. More information on the lighthouse and the fate of its franchise can be found as the characters explore in the "x" section below. But before the characters have a chance to explore, they find themselves distracted by disaster on the approach to the lighthouse.

Like all living things, your franchise needs to be willing to abase itself for coin. Play to your strengths by having law-abiding franchisees stop crimes, while the more chaotic ones commit them.
— K'thriss Drow'b

Sailors in Need

Whether they're traveling by land, arriving by boat, or teleporting in, the characters witness a disturbing scene as they first catch sight of the lighthouse.

Silent Sound lighthouse finally comes into view, rising atop a rough and dangerous-looking promontory of rock that thrusts up from the beach behind it and juts into the Sea of Swords. If the lighthouse is supposed to act as a beacon, though, something is seriously wrong. Its top is hazy and indistinct, as if a fog was obscuring the lantern room. Also, for a place that's an occupied headquarters, there's a lot of scaffolding along the tower's base, and three large tents are pitched on the slope of the beach behind the lighthouse promontory.

Wind and the crashing of waves against the cliffs is loud, but even over that, panicked shouts can be heard. Along the shore next to the beach, tentacles rising from the sea thrash out against a longboat. Three people in the boat are fighting off the tentacles, and are faring poorly.

Creatures

Three giant octopuses are attacking a longboat and its crew—Belle Mare, Menard Chatte, and Chalkie Sharke (all CG human bandits). Adjust the fight to the length of time it'll take the characters to reach the scene, depending on how they're traveling. But if they tarry for no particular reason, Menard is dragged into the water, never to surface again. A similar period later, a tentacle pulls Chalkie into the drink. Belle then perishes if the characters ignore the fight completely.

Shore Fight

The crew is aboard a 15-foot longboat with a sail. The fight takes place 15 feet off shore, where the water is 10 feet deep. The first 10 feet of the shoreline is 3 because of the waves.

If the characters intercede, the sailors fight alongside them until the octopuses are driven away, or the characters convince the sailors to flee to safety.

Development

The three sailors are from a caravel called the Tortured Tortle, presently anchored a mile off shore. Belle is the first mate, and voices her appreciation for the characters' rescue. If they seem like honorable sorts, Belle takes a risk and further asks them for assistance. She admits that she and her crew are smugglers coming ashore to take possession of goods in a nearby sea cave (see the "Treasure" section). But she and the others are at their wits' end in terms of how to deal with the Tortured Tortle's captain, a hard old salt named Athgar Friedson.

Trouble at Sea

Friedson is a Northlander who has pushed his crew to more and more dangerous and despicable deeds in recent months. He has even talked about taking up full-on piracy and slave trading to earn extra coin, and the (mostly) good souls aboard the Tortured Tortle are looking for a new way to make a living. However, Captain Athgar and his new associate, a cleric of Umberlee called Sister Foam, have threatened to kill any crew members "not brave enough" to take on these new and terrible pursuits.

If the characters care to help, they can challenge Captain Athgar. The (mostly) good members of the crew can handle the bad apples backing Athgar. Certainly, with such aid, the adventurers can handle the captain and his priest! Belle promises that if the characters help, they can have a stake in the Tortured Tortle, with her as the new captain. She expresses her willingness to work out any business arrangements for the future.

Regardless of the characters' decision, Belle also reveals that she knows something is wrong at the Silent Sound lighthouse. For at least two tendays, the normally reliable light has been dark. She fears that some sort of magic is in play, because it isn't just the case that the light is out. Rather, it appears to radiate some kind of dark energy. Moreover, she's heard that sightings of spectral figures and will-o'-wisps in the area are on the rise.

In the end, the sailors must return to their ship or risk the captain's wrath against their friends. The characters are left to explore the lighthouse on their own.

Treasure

The smugglers came ashore to retrieve several bolts of rare Calimshan silk to take to an interested buyer in the Moonshae Isles. The five bolts are worth 100 gp each. The characters might find this loot in a nearby sea cave, along with lots of mundane supplies, if all the smugglers perish. Otherwise, Belle recovers the silk before going back to the Tortured Tortle, but offers the characters 30 gp from her own purse in thanks for their help.

Mutineers

If the characters agree to help Belle oust Captain Athgar, she suggests that they accompany her back to the Tortured Tortle. She plans to tell the captain she picked up new crew members and to invite the characters on board, at which point they can attack the captain and the priest. As planned, Belle will lead the rest of the crew against those who side with the captain. It should all be over quickly.

The trip back to the Tortured Tortle is smooth, and the longboat sails into position to be hoisted aboard. Belle yells to the watch that she has new crew to bring aboard, and the watch acknowledges the request. This exchange brings the captain—a tall and muscular Northlander—onto the deck. Standing at his side is a short, stocky human female wearing a holy symbol of Umberlee around her neck.

Creatures

Captain Athgar (NE male human veteran) is as mean as the ocean is deep. The devotee of Umberlee is called Sister Foam (NE female human priest), and she's a good match for the captain in demeanor and ferocity. The captain berates Belle for bringing back useless chum such as the characters, and demands that they leave his ship immediately—without the use of the boat. If the characters try to reason with him, the captain quickly proves how unreasonable he can be by ordering the crew to kill the characters and dump their corpses overboard.

Chaos of Battle

As soon as the characters attack, Athgar and Sister Foam order the crew to defend the ship. In the first round of combat, two sailors (N human bandits) attack the characters alongside the captain and priest. By the start of the second round, Belle convinces other sailors to take up arms against those loyal to Athgar. None of the sailors attack the characters thereafter.

As the battle continues, you can decide how the rest of the combat goes with regards to additional help. If the characters are winning handily, a few loyalists might escape the general melee and fight beside Captain Athgar. If the characters fare poorly, Belle or other mutineers could intervene to relieve some of the pressure.

A lot of people think of piracy as a dead-end job or a last-resort career. This is remarkably shortsighted, as the gig has a startling number of upsides. For example, it's a job that allows you to wear a lot of scarves and sashes. That's rare. What's more, you're never more than two steps from some sort of convenient rope that you can cut and use to dramatically swing into danger.What's more, people don't realize that profit-sharing arrangements are surprisingly common, and there are great opportunities for internal promotion of the dead-sailor's-boots variety. Also? There are a lot of dead sailor's boots, and the resale on those can be very high. Good boots are scarce.
— Viari

Treasure

If the characters assist Belle Mare in carrying out a successful mutiny, she rewards them with a red pearl worth 200 gp, as well as a yellow diamond elemental gem. Both belonged to the captain. She then asks the crew to transport the characters back to shore so they can continue their mission.

Silent Sound Lighthouse

Silent Sound lighthouse is a seventy-foot-tall cylindrical tower of mortared stone, with a square base carved into the rock it stands on. The lantern room is enclosed within glass walls and features an open-air catwalk. Map 3.1 shows the layout of the lighthouse tower, which is reached by way of a twisting but safe path leading up from the beach behind it.

The Order of the Stout Half-Pint had been using the lighthouse as its headquarters for two years before that franchise suffered a fate similar to the Fellowship of the Golden Mongoose. It was six months ago that the order came into possession of a piece of the Orrery of the Wanderer called the rotor of return, and just over a month ago that their search for lore on the rotor came to the attention of the Six. The Six's attack on the lighthouse actually preceded the attack on Phandalin by a few days, and was similarly headed by archmage Hoobur Gran'Shoop. (As a successful franchise, the Order of the Stout Half-Pint has some slack with Head Office, so that their last missed franchise payment didn't draw the same immediate attention as the missed payment from the Phandalin franchise.)

As with the timepiece of travel, Hoobur has so far failed to find the rotor of return, but he doesn't mind. He has claimed the lighthouse since returning here from Phandalin, finding the basement laboratory to be a perfect place for his experiments. Even as he works for the Six, Hoobur continues to make it look as if he works for Dran Enterprises. The leadership of the Six expects that attacks on two Acquisitions Incorporated franchises will attract the attention of Acq Inc Head Office, and Splugoth the Returned wants that attention directed elsewhere while his plan to claim the orrery comes together.

Free Sailing Ship! or Is It... ?

If the characters make a deal with Belle Mare and succeed in taking the Tortured Tortle, how they benefit is up to you. Before you decide to allow the Tortured Tortle and its crew to work for the franchise, think through the potential ramifications, and how you could use them later in your campaign. Like other deals, this one has potential benefits and possible drawbacks. Even if the crew of the Tortured Tortle pledges loyalty to the characters and swears off (most) of their illegal activities, much could go wrong.

Perhaps the ship is in sad shape after years of neglect. Can the characters spare 1,000 gp (a tenth of the sailing ship's worth) for repairs? And what happens if the ship gets into trouble and the characters are constantly called upon to rescue the crew and protect their investment?

Authorities across the Sword Coast might also want to arrest the crew for Captain Athgar's misdeeds. If any crew members are caught, the authorities might learn about the ship's business relationship with the franchise, creating potential trouble for the characters.

Beachside Tents

On the beach behind the lighthouse, three large tents are set up as temporary lodgings. The members of the Order of the Stout Half-Pint and their staff were living here while preparing the lighthouse for a new round of franchise renovations. Evidence of a fight from many days ago is spread across the grounds, including slashed canvas and broken weapons. Mundane furniture and gear fills the tents, along with kegs of ale, casks of fresh water, boxes of rations, and bundles of arrows. All the tents feature the Dran Enterprises logo scrawled onto them in chalk.

Treasure

In one tent, a locked chest hidden within a provision crate holds some of the treasure of the Order of the Stout Half-Pint. Hoobur Gran'Shoop had his undead servants search the tents, but they weren't savvy enough to spot the chest, which requires a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check to find. A successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves' tools opens the chest. Smashing the chest open requires a successful DC 10 Strength check, but doing so breaks 1d4 of the potions within. The chest contains 500 sp, gems worth 250 gp, three potions of healing, and a potion of heroism.

General Features

The lighthouse is old, and the Order of the Stout Half-Pint has been undertaking recurring renovations since they moved in two years ago. Except where otherwise noted, all areas of the lighthouse have the following features.

Ceilings

Ceilings are 15 feet high and flat.

Light

The lighthouse is mostly dark. Two lanterns full of oil hang within each level on the east and west walls. Window slits stand 3 feet above the floor on each level, at the center of the north and south walls. These slits are 3 feet high but only a few inches wide, so they're too small to allow passage or let much more than a little dim light in.

Resting at the Lighthouse

If the characters attempt a long rest anywhere inside or within sight of the lighthouse, an undead patrol of two ghouls and four zombies interrupts them. A new patrol passes every 6 hours, making finishing a long rest impossible unless the characters leave the area.

Front Door

The door leading into the ground floor at the base of the lighthouse is both locked and trapped.

Fusillade Trap

A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check notices that the lock of the stone door is connected to wires that run into the tower's stone walls. This custom-built franchise defense system is rigged to release a rain of arrows from turrets up higher on the lighthouse. The trap can be bypassed by pressing a hidden button on the door, requiring a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to find. Or it can be disarmed with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. If the check to disarm fails by 5 or more, the trap is triggered.

If the trap is activated, each creature within 10 feet of the door must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) piercing damage from the rain of arrows on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The trap does not reset itself automatically, but it will be restocked with arrows and reset manually by Hoobur Gran'Shoop's undead minions if the characters are away from the lighthouse for more than a few hours.

Once the trap is disabled or triggered, the lock on the door can be picked with a successful DC 10 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. The sturdy stone door can also be smashed open with a successful DC 20 Strength check, or it can be battered down (AC 13, 50 hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage).

Ground Floor

When the characters gain access to the ground floor, they can see what's inside.

Creature

The ghost of one of the members of the Order of the Stout Half-Pint (see below) now guards this area, attacking as soon as any character steps into the room or 1 round after the door is opened.

Development

The ghost and the corpse are all that remain of a deceased member of the Order of the Stout Half-Pint, Patsy McRoyne. An examination of the body reveals no weapon wounds, but a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) or Wisdom (Medicine) check finds evidence of necrotic damage. A familiar sigil has been carved into the corpse's chest—a draconic skull pierced by a sword thrust upward through it.

The maps and parchments tacked up along the walls include the following:

A number of maps show trade routes in the area around the lighthouse, running all the way to Luskan to the north. Among the handwritten marginalia on one map are the words "Dran Ent. secret HQ in Luskan? Threat?" with a circle around that city.
One parchment is the franchise contract between Acquisitions Incorporated and the Order of the Stout Half-Pint. The franchise was established two years ago, and has been doing well by all accounts.
A wall calendar with the name "Wizzy" on it records adventures the order has undertaken. It also notes intended headquarters renovations that are constantly behind schedule, given how much time the franchise members spend away from the lighthouse adventuring. One of those adventures was a raid on an old tomb six months ago, where they cleared out numerous monsters and found something noted as a "magic clock."

Second Floor

Creatures

Hiding in the wardrobes and chests are four ghouls made from gnome and halfling corpses of members of the Order of the Stout Half-Pint. The diminutive undead burst out to attack when any creature enters this area, surprising anyone who does not succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check. If any ghoul attacks an elf and notes its immunity to ghoul paralysis, all the ghouls avoid that target thereafter.

Treasure

In one of the chests that a ghoul emerged from, the characters find eleven pieces of black jasper worth 10 gp each. In the pockets of a cloak hanging in one of the wardrobes are a potion of frost giant strength and ten +2 sling bullets.

Third Floor

Creatures

Two hell hounds are presently held within magical wards in this area. Hoobur summoned these fiends but has yet to assign them a task, so he keeps them "crated" here. The hell hounds can't leave the rune-bounded areas unless the runes are disturbed (including by a character who enters the warded area), or if the characters activate the runes on the stairs (see "Trapped Stairs" below). The hell hounds can, however, breathe fire on anyone who gets close enough to them.

Wards

A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check made to investigate the wards understands the purpose of the runes, as well as the ways in which the wards can fail (see below).

Trapped Stairs

Runes scribed onto the six bottom stairs leading up to the next level are linked to the runes holding the hell hounds in place. The stair runes can be noted with a detect magic spell or similar effect, or a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check.

A character who is aware of the runes and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check discerns that anyone who steps on the trapped stairs releases the hell hounds from the warded areas. Unless the hell hounds are first destroyed, the only way to safely climb the stairs is to disarm the runes with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check. Failure by 5 or more triggers the runes, releasing the hell hounds. Dispel magic can remove the runes from one stair.

It takes a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to climb the stairwell walls and avoid the stairs. Jumping over all the warded stairs in the curved stairwell requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Failure on any of these checks sets off the runes. If one or more stairs are deactivated with dispel magic first, a character climbing or jumping up has advantage on the check.

Treasure

Each hell hound wears an ornate platinum collar, one etched with the name "Wilbur" and the other with "Wilhelmina." Each collar is worth 50 gp.

Fourth Floor

Resting in the glass tank among wilting plants and countless dead insects is a multicolored spider called Rainbow. Rainbow is the familiar of Wizzy Fotz, the gnome wizard who led the Order of the Stout Half-Pint. Rainbow is a dour and dark creature, despite (or because of) its former master having magically painted the spider in rainbow hues.

If the characters find a way to communicate with Rainbow, it speaks in a droll and erudite accent, laced with casual profanity and dripping with sarcasm. If it can't speak with the characters, Rainbow can spin a web to create words, but these are equally derogatory, bitter, and profanity laced. In either case, the spider can pass along the following information:

Rainbow has been Wizzy's familiar for as long as it can remember. That excruciating and annoying existence could be matched only by a stint in the Nine Hells according to the spider (which claims to have been there once).
The Order of the Stout Half-Pint was a successful adventuring franchise made up only of gnomes and halflings. Its members had gained enough prestige and capital to acquire the lighthouse, which undergoes an endless spate of renovations.
A weird gnome named Hoobur approached the group a month ago, asking to join them. When the members of the order let their guard down, the new gnome called forth a horde of undead creatures that slaughtered everyone.
Since then, Rainbow has remained in this area. The spider can feel that its master is not dead, but is also not truly alive. Rainbow believes Wizzy persists in some sort of half-life at the hands of the gnome archmage.
A tiefling unexpectedly teleported into the lighthouse a few days after the order had been wiped out. She was spotted by Hoobur's undead minions and captured. Rainbow doesn't know what happened to her after that.

Development

Rainbow knows that the lantern room at the top of the lighthouse allows people to teleport to the secret basement beneath the tower. However, it shares that information only with characters who agree to search for and save Wizzy. Or put the mage out of his half-dead misery. (The spider isn't choosy; it just wants some closure.) Rainbow does not know the current passphrase to activate the teleporting power of the lighthouse lens.

Treasure

Rainbow's glass terrarium is full of dirt, plants, insects, and webs. It also contains the rotor of return, buried beneath the dirt in the tank. Rainbow knows the rotor is there but reveals its presence only if Wizzy is dead and the characters haven't found the object on their own. A character who searches the tank and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check finds the rotor. If it is taken before Wizzy is confirmed dead, Rainbow is sullen but makes no argument.

Lighthouse Top

The hatch in the ceiling of the fourth floor provides access to the top of the lighthouse. Magical shadow causes this area to be lightly obscured. When the characters arrive, read:

Creatures

Hoobur has entrusted the protection of the necromantic lens to a will-o'-wisp and three shadows. The shadows resemble halflings and gnomes, former members of the Order of the Stout Half-Pint. These undead remain hidden until the second character gains access to the balcony, at which point they attack. The creatures retreat into the lantern room if necessary (with the shadows slipping through a gap beneath the door), knowing the characters can't enter without some effort (see "Glass Door" below).

Catwalk

A 10-foot-wide stone catwalk set with a low railing encircles the lantern chamber housing the necromantic lens. A character who falls from the catwalk can grab onto the railing with a successful DC 13 Dexterity saving throw.

Glass Door

The glass door that provides access to the lantern room is magically locked, and all the glass making up the door and wall is magically reinforced. The lock can be opened with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check or Dexterity check using thieves' tools. A character can also shatter a panel or the door with a successful DC 20 Strength check, or can bash through it. The door and each glass panel has AC 18, 30 hit points, and is immune to cold, necrotic, poison, psychic, and radiant damage.

Necromantic Lens

Hoobur Gran'Shoop has scribed the magic lens atop the lighthouse with faint runes that cause it to radiate necromantic energy. In addition to filling the area with shadow, the lens grants any undead creature at the top of the lighthouse the following benefits:

It has advantage on saving throws.
It has resistance to radiant damage.
The undead regains 5 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point.

Light 'Em Up

Any character who witnesses the effects the lens's shadow has on the undead can attempt a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check to assess the lens's magic. With a success, the character understands the properties of the shadow and intuits that a powerful necromantic ritual has transformed the lens.

Once the lens's power has been determined, any character can reverse part of the corrupting ritual with any of the following actions:

A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check disrupts the flow of necromantic energy within the lens.
A successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check subtly sabotages the runes scribed into the lens.
A character can expend one use of Channel Divinity to force divine power into the lens.

For each successful action undertaken to disrupt the lens, its power falters as follows:

The area around the top of the lighthouse is no longer lightly obscured.
The lens no longer grants benefits to undead.
The energy of the lens is reversed for 1 minute, shining out as bright light that fills all exterior areas of the lighthouse within 20 feet. While the energy is reversed, each undead creature that starts its turn in this area takes 11 (2d10) radiant damage. Each creature that isn't a construct or undead regains 11 (2d10) hit points at the start of its turn. A creature that could regain hit points but has died within the last minute returns to life with 1 hit point. (This includes any creatures that have fallen from the lighthouse.)

Arms and Armaments

The arrows that fuel the fusillade trap seen at the entrance to the lighthouse are restocked in magazines set under the outside edge of the catwalk. This will likely only be important if the characters decide to take over the lighthouse (see "x" at the end of this episode). But if the trap wasn't triggered, you might also decide that a character who slips from the catwalk and manages to hang on to the railing can redirect one of the magazines toward any threats. Each creature in a 15-foot cone directly in front of the magazine must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 11 (3d6) piercing damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

Development

If the characters learned about the lantern's teleporting qualities from Rainbow on the fourth floor, it's a simple matter to figure out how the lens works. If they didn't learn that information, they can note that the lens continues to pulse with magic even after its necromantic corruption is expunged. An identify spell, or a few minutes of study by a character with proficiency in Arcana or who uses detect magic, reveals not only evocation magic within the lens (used to produce the magical light), but conjuration magic tied to teleportation.

Speaking a command phrase and stepping into the lens teleports a creature to a fixed destination somewhere nearby. The command phrase can be ascertained from the runes newly carved into the lens with a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana) check. (The passphrase is automatically learned if the lens was initially assessed with identify. Undead creatures can activate the teleportation power of the lens simply by stepping into it.) A character who speaks the command phrase "Hoobur Osto Draco" and steps toward the lens is teleported into the secret basement beneath the lighthouse. In that basement, Hoobur Gran'Shoop conducts his dark experiments.

(If the characters came up unlucky in gaining information from Rainbow and have no inclination to further investigate the lens, have an undead patrol of four zombies step suddenly out of the lens after the fight but before the characters leave this area. Anyone who sees the zombies appear recognizes that the magic lens is the teleportation portal that brought them forth.)

Secret Basement

The original builder of the lighthouse was a kindly old wizard who enjoyed the romantic idea of living rustic by the sea in his final years. He wanted a laboratory inaccessible to the prying eyes and wandering feet of normal folk. He therefore created the magic lens that allowed him to teleport directly from the top of the lighthouse to his underground workshop.

When the Order of the Stout Half-Pint took over the abandoned lighthouse two years ago, Wizzy quickly discovered the teleporting power of the lens. However, renovating the disused basement laboratory had long remained just another item on the franchise's to-do list, and no one ever discovered the super-secret basement beyond.

After Hoobur Gran'Shoop led his undead minions in the attack on the lighthouse, the gnome archmage used the teleporting lens to inspect the secret basement laboratory, and soon discovered the super-secret basement beyond. Though he didn't explore the super-secret basement, he was delighted to find that most of the equipment he needed to do his work (minus the victims) was already set up for him in the lab. The place was even dark and dreary, just the way he liked it. Not wanting to pass up an incredible opportunity, the archmage decided to make the Silent Sound lighthouse his new home.

During his attack on the lighthouse, Hoobur made sure that his troops captured rather than killed Wizzy Fotz, the gnome leader of the Order of the Stout Half-Pint. When the tiefling Talanatha appeared out of nowhere in her flight from the attack on Tresendar Manor, Hoobur's minions took her alive as well. He later brought these two prisoners to his lab and has been performing magical rites on them, draining their vitality and will to keep them in a state between life and death.

Map 3.2 shows the layout of the lighthouse secret basement and the super-secret basement beyond.

Arrival

When the characters teleport into Hoobur's lab, read or paraphrase the following:

A blinding flash leaves an indelible mark in your brain as you step into the lens. When your vision clears, you find yourselves in the corner of a stone chamber filled with laboratory and arcane equipment. Tall bookcases filled with tomes line two walls, while the other walls feature long tables covered with alembics, flasks, cauldrons, beakers, and containers holding weird reagents and components. An iron cage is set against one wall, its door open.

Two more tables surrounded by chairs stand in the center of the room. The first contains a variety of humanoid body parts, all on the small side. The second table holds a tiefling restrained with leather straps. She struggles against the bonds with a wild look on her face.

Standing near the tiefling's table is an odd-looking construct with an even more oddly placed spigot at the base of its barrel-shaped body. A gnome dressed in garishly colorful clothes sits on a stool nearby, his eyes blank. Another gnome sits next to the first, but this one is most lively and chipper. He wears dark robes and a red fez bearing the Dran Enterprises logo—apparently scrawled in white chalk.

"See Wizzy?" the chipper gnome says to the other. "I told you we would have visitors. I felt their presence in the lantern room." He sips from a cup of tea as he beckons to you. "Would you like to have a seat? And can I get you some chamomile tea? My name is Hoobur Gran'Shoop, by the way. Pleased to meet you."

Creatures

Hoobur Gran'Shoop (LE gnome archmage) depends on a keg robot (see appendix B) to defend him. (The construct was originally a servant of the lighthouse franchise.) Wizzy (NG male gnome mage) is also under Hoobur's power, and acts as the archmage's unwitting ally. In his current state, Wizzy can cast only cantrips, 1st-level spells, and 2nd-level spells.

[image: Hoobur Gran'Shoop]

The tiefling—Talanatha Three-Coins from Phandalin—is alive for now. But if the characters fail to act quickly, she transforms into a vampire spawn also under Hoobur's control (see below).

Necromancy as a business model needs more discussion, I think. Who hasn't had that fantasy about having all undead employees? No? Just me? Okay.
— Omin Dran

To Fight or Not to Fight?

Hoobur Gran'Shoop is a far more powerful foe than the characters can handle at their current level. Fortunately, he doesn't want to kill them. In fact, the archmage is a big fan of the plucky, can-do attitude that's brought them this far. He was hired—and given a great deal of magic and money—by the Six to wipe out a couple of Acquisitions Incorporated franchises, here and at Tresendar Manor. His instructions were to make it look like Dran Enterprises was responsible. Other than that, he has no dog in this fight.

Hoobur attempts to establish a sincere dialogue with the characters, chatting about the serenity of the area surrounding the lighthouse, the importance of good friends, the relaxing qualities of a good cup of tea, or any other topic that catches his fancy. During the conversation, he drops as many references to Dran Enterprises as possible, implying that the organization is the characters' true enemy. He reinforces any rumors the characters have heard about Dran Enterprises, or spins those rumors if they haven't. This includes the speculation seen on the map on the lighthouse first floor that Dran Enterprises has a secret headquarters—and thus a sinister presence—in Luskan.

When the talk becomes serious, Hoobur tells the characters he's willing to let them walk away right now, taking Wizzy and Talanatha with them, if they leave him to his work here. The laboratory is such a great space, and the archmage is making incredible strides in understanding the thin veil between the worlds of the living and the dead.

If the characters are quick to accept Hoobur's offer (even just to avoid a fight they know they can't yet win), you get to decide how the freed Wizzy and Talanatha feel about that. You can also decide how to handle the super-secret basement. If you have a sense that the characters will return to the lighthouse at some point to take on Hoobur, you can leave the areas beyond this one to be explored at a later date. Alternatively, if the players and characters seem keen on making Hoobur a lifetime ally, you can have the archmage offer them a first job for friendship's sake—exploring the super-secret basement and clearing out any threats there. See "x". If Hoobur Gran'Shoop offers the characters the job of clearing out the super-secret basement, he shows them the secret door behind the bookcase. If not, any character who searches the room and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check notes scuff marks on the floor near the bookcase or spots the hinges on it. The bookcase swivels open to reveal a passage beyond. Talanatha is also aware of the doorway, having seen Hoobur open it to toss garbage into the hallway beyond." below.

Okay, to Fight

If the characters are itching for combat, Hoobur casts wall of force or globe of invulnerability to show off his spellcasting prowess. If the characters don't back off, he sighs as he uses lightning bolt or cone of cold to get down to business. (At your discretion, give Hoobur a spell save DC of 15 and +7 to hit with spell attacks because he's a little out of it. Maybe there's more in that tea than just tea, right?)

[image: Talanatha Three-Coins]

Hoobur is not much into combat, however, and the first time he takes any damage, he snarls at the characters and casts time stop. With his extra actions, he pulls and uses a spell scroll of teleportation to flee somewhere safe, leaving the characters to fight his minions.

The keg robot attacks at the first sign of trouble involving Hoobur. Unless you want the characters to claim the construct, it fights until destroyed. Wizzy also joins the fray, but he moves in a stilted and exaggerated manner that shows he's not acting of his own free will.

Talanatha's End

As soon as Hoobur escapes, a glowing draconic skull with a sword piercing it appears on Talanatha's forehead as she struggles against her bonds. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check can tell she's turning into an undead creature. If the check succeeds by 5 or more, the character knows the group has 2 rounds to stop the transformation. A character within 5 feet of the table must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check to remove the draconic sigil and stop the transformation. If the characters kill Talanatha in the hope of stopping the ritual, the change occurs immediately.

If Talanatha turns into a vampire spawn, she's still restrained on the table and needs to succeed on a DC 15 Strength check to break her bonds. Once she's free, she attacks the characters with abandon. If the vampire spawn threatens to overwhelm the party, you can say that the manner in which she was suddenly transformed keeps her Regeneration trait from functioning.

Treasure

If the characters force Hoobur to flee, the gnome leaves a number of valuables behind. The equipment in the lab amounts to alchemist's supplies, carpenter's tools, a herbalism kit, a poisoner's kit, thieves' tools, and tinker's tools. Hanging on a hook in the corner is a cloak of the manta ray. Hoobur also has two potions of greater healing, a potion of resistance (necrotic), a potion of water breathing, and a spell scroll of teleport on his person. (If Hoobur does a deal to have the characters clear out the super-secret dungeon, he offers the cloak and two potions of their choice as payment.)

Teleportation Panel

Where the characters appeared in the empty corner of the room, the wall contains a glowing teleportation panel keyed to the lighthouse lens. Any creature touching the panel is teleported through the lens to the lantern room.

Developments

If Wizzy is knocked unconscious instead of being killed, the gnome mage regains his senses when he awakens. He can remember little about the attack on the lighthouse or the time spent with Hoobur. He does remember hiding the rotor of return, which he reveals to the characters at the adventure's conclusion if they haven't found it already.

Secret Door

If Hoobur Gran'Shoop offers the characters the job of clearing out the super-secret basement, he shows them the secret door behind the bookcase. If not, any character who searches the room and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check notes scuff marks on the floor near the bookcase or spots the hinges on it. The bookcase swivels open to reveal a passage beyond. Talanatha is also aware of the doorway, having seen Hoobur open it to toss garbage into the hallway beyond.

Super-Secret Basement

The kindly old wizard who built the lighthouse and its underground laboratory went by many names over his long life. By the point at which he decided it was time to slow down a bit, he was simply called Screve. However, he had more than a few other names throughout his career as a slinger of magic, including Brutar the Bloody, Murst the Merciless, and That Wizard Who Fried All Those People in Suzail. Screve was an edgy sort, in other words.

Most of Screve's "normal" wizarding work was undertaken in the laboratory that Hoobur found and utilized. But he also had a secret series of chambers off the main basement where he did some more... esoteric arcane experimentation.

General Features

No one has fully explored this area in more than a decade, since Screve left his mechanical creations to sit dormant. The hallways and rooms are dusty, showing few signs of life or movement. Except where otherwise noted, all areas of the super-secret basement have the following features.

Light

The basement is dark. Torch sconces and hooks for lanterns can be found in each room, but no lanterns or torches are present.

Ceiling

The ceilings in areas 1 through 3 are 10 feet high and flat, while the arched ceiling in area 4 is 20 feet high to accommodate the mechachimera there.

Walls and Floors

The basement is all worked stone, but the walls and floors have begun to crumble in spots. Cracks and crevices are common, but are too small to admit anything but insects and other tiny vermin.

Automatic Doors

A number of doors in the super-secret basement are activated by placing magically charged disks into special slots. Those doors open automatically, remaining open until the disks are removed. The doors cannot be opened by any other means.

Replica Modrons

A number of "modrons" found in this area are replicas crafted by Screve. Each uses the stat block of one type of modron from the Monster Manual with these changes:

The creature is unaligned.
It lacks truesight and instead has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
It can understand Common but speaks only preprogrammed responses.
If the modron has a flying speed, the replica has wings but can't fly.
The modron's Disintegration trait results in the replica falling into a pile of parts—gears, plates, screws, and wires—rather than turning to dust.

Each collapsed modron also spits out a six-inch-diameter magically charged disk that powers the creature, as well as a platinum rod. The disks are of use to the characters as they explore the super-secret basement, and the rods can be claimed as treasure, as noted in the areas where they appear.

1. Out of Service

Opening the secret door reveals a hallway leading to this area.

Creatures

The "spherical objects" covered with tarps are Screve's attempts to create monodrones to serve him. These twelve replica modrons look exactly like their true modron counterparts and use the monodrone stat block, with the changes noted in "x" above.

If the characters disturb any tarp covering a monodrone, the constructs all spring to life, whirring and clanking. Issuing a metallic cry of "Intruders!", the replica monodrones attack until destroyed.

Buzz Saw of Doom

The cylindrical object in the room's center looks like two barrels placed atop one another, with sharp, circular blades jutting out in various directions. When the monodrones activate, so does the buzz saw of doom.

On initiative count 0, the buzz saw moves up to 20 feet in a random direction on rollers, then makes a melee attack against a random creature within 5 feet of it: +3 to hit; 3 (1d4 + 1) slashing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. The buzz saw makes no distinction between the monodrones and the characters when it attacks.

The buzz saw of doom has AC 17, 50 hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage, and resistance to all other damage. It can also be deactivated as follows:

The device has an easily spotted 6-inch-wide slot on its back, with the edge of a round disk protruding from it. A character within 5 feet of the buzz saw who succeeds on a DC 10 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check can pull out a charged disk from the slot, causing the buzz saw to power down. This charged disk is identical to the disks that power the replica modrons.
A character can topple the buzz saw over with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. If tipped over, the buzz saw can still attack, but it can't move.

Treasure

Each destroyed monodrone reveals a magically charged disk and a small platinum rod as part of its components. Each rod is worth 20 gp.

Door

The door exiting this area is made of steel, and is closed and locked. Its only features are three 6-inch-wide slots set in a row at its center. The characters can easily note that the charged disks from any fallen modrons fit perfectly into the slots. If a charged disk is placed in each slot, it completes a circuit that automatically opens the door inward into area 1. It also activates the creatures in area 2.

2. Incomplete Circuits

Creatures

Four replica duodrones, activated by the door opening, are tasked with maintaining circuits in this room, which have become badly corroded over time. Their second task is to remove intruders who attack them or attempt to open the door into area 3. These replica modrons look exactly like their true modron counterparts and use the duodrone stat block, with the changes noted in "x" above.

In addition, hidden in the webs on the ceiling are two swarms of insects (spiders), which have come to dominate the vermin food chain in this area.

Tactics

A character must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice the swarms hiding in the webs. One swarm drops on the first character to come into the room, gaining surprise if the character is unaware of it. The other swarm lurks on the other side of the room, and attacks in the second round of combat.

Unless they are attacked first, the duodrones ignore the characters to start. But if combat with the swarms goes to three rounds, the duodrones assume they are under attack and enter the fight. They target the characters as intruders but ignore the swarms. Or if the swarms are doing a good enough job against the characters, the duodrones could provide comic relief by trying futilely to sweep the spiders away while getting in the way of the characters' attacks.

Treasure

Each destroyed duodrone reveals its magically charged disk and platinum rod. Each rod is worth 20 gp.

Door

The steel door between areas 2 and 3 has no features. However, the characters easily spot four slots on the wall next to the door, into which charged disks can be inserted. Wires run between these slots, this door, and the door to area 1, but the wires on the crumbling walls show several gaps. Spare wires are easily had by digging through duodrone wreckage or pulling them from other areas of the wall, allowing the circuit to be completed. If the characters need assistance in figuring this out, a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana or Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check to study the walls and assess the duodrones' activities can fill in the details.

When the characters complete the circuit and insert charged disks into the four slots, the door automatically opens into this area, revealing area 3 and activating the mechanical creatures in that area.

3. Recharging Station

Creatures

The opening of the door has activated three replica tridrones and one replica quadrone, whose task is to bring a modron charging station—the two metallic walls—back online. These replica modrons look exactly like their true modron counterparts and use tridrone and quadrone stat blocks, with the changes noted in "x" above.

It takes the replica modrons 5 rounds to reassemble the station. As they make progress, the hum from the station intensifies, as does its glow. After completing that task, the modrons assemble the five charged disks they need for the secret door in the far wall, which takes another 5 rounds. They then open the secret door to check on the mechachimera in x.

The tridrones and quadrone attack if they are attacked, if the characters interfere with their tasks, or if any character moves between the recharging station's walls.

Recharging Station

The recharging station functions by pulsing power into any creature or object that moves into the area between the two rectangular walls. In the 5 rounds during which the modrons repair it, the station hums and glows but does nothing more. If the station is repaired, it has the following effects:

A replica modron that starts its turn within the charging station regains 5 hit points if it has at least 1 hit point.
A replica modron standing within 5 feet of either of the charging station's walls has advantage on attack rolls.
Any other creature that enters the area between the rectangular walls must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

The characters can sabotage the recharging station, either before or after it is repaired. As an action, a character within 5 feet of either station wall can attempt a DC 15 Strength (Athletics), Dexterity (Sleight of Hand), or Intelligence (Arcana) check to disable that wall. On a failed check, the character takes 5 (1d10) lightning damage. Both walls must be deactivated to render the recharging station inert. If one wall is deactivated, any of the replica modrons within 5 feet of the wall can use an action to counteract the sabotage. It takes three such actions to reactivate the wall.

Treasure

Any of the destroyed modrons reveal their magically charged disks and platinum rods. Each of these rods is larger than those previously seen, and is worth 50 gp.

Secret Door

A 15-foot-wide secret door is hidden in the wall farthest from the entrance, and contains five concealed slots for charged disks. If the modrons finish repairing the recharging station, or if the characters sabotage the station, a shower of sparks erupts from the edges of the secret door and its slots, revealing the door. Otherwise, a character who searches the area and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check notes the door or the gaps in the mortar where the slots are hidden.

If the characters insert charged disks into each of the door's five slots, the door automatically opens into this area and activates the creatures in the next room.

4. Mechachimera

This chamber holds a construct chimera, Screve's crowning achievement before he gave up his pursuits in this area.

Creature

The mechachimera moves to place itself between the characters and the prisoner. It uses the stat block of a chimera with these changes:

It is a construct.
It has immunity to poison and psychic damage.

In addition to defeating the construct in combat, characters can pull out its charged disks to hinder its attacks. With a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check, any character fighting the mechachimera notes that each of its heads features a slot from which a charged disk protrudes slightly. A character within 5 feet of the construct who succeeds on a DC 10 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check can remove a disk, causing one head to power down and preventing it from making attacks. If the dragon head is disabled, the creature loses its Fire Breath. If the goat head is disabled, it loses its horns attack. If the lion head is disabled, it loses its bite attack.

Prisoner

Screve held a pentadrone from Mechanus as his prisoner in this area, using the modron as a model for the constructs he was creating. The pentadrone, known as 57EV1E (or "Stevie" to its friends), has been disconnected from the axiomatic mind of Primus, making it a rogue modron. (See the "Variant: Rogue Modrons" sidebar in the modron section of the Monster Manual.) It wants to go back to Mechanus and reestablish its link with the rest of its kind.

Stevie is willing and able to help the characters, but it must be freed from the padlocked chains that restrain it. One locked chain secures each of the modron's five arms. A successful DC 13 Dexterity check using thieves' tools opens one lock and removes the attached chain. The chains can also be severed (AC 10, 15 hit points, immune to poison and psychic damage) or broken with a successful DC 20 Strength check. The manner in which Stevie is tightly bound prevents the modron from attacking or trying to break the chains.

Treasure

The mechachimera falls apart when destroyed, revealing five large platinum rods worth 100 gp each, as well as its three charged disks. In addition, characters poking through the construct's remains can spot two magic items that were part of its components—a sentinel shield and a Quaal's feather token (anchor).

Development

If the characters release Stevie, the modron is grateful for the rescue and happy to share its story. The construct relates the story of how it had been sent to the Material Plane to recover a rogue modron that was spreading chaos, but was captured by Screve. The wizard held the pentadrone prisoner and used it as a model to create replica modrons. (If none of the characters speaks Modron or has some alternative means of communication with the construct, Stevie picked up enough Common from Screve during its years of imprisonment to get by.)

Stevie isn't sure how long it has been separated from the mind of Primus, but it wants desperately to return to Mechanus. You can decide whether the characters can help Stevie with this plight as a side trek or a downtime activity. Alternatively, the modron might have been disconnected from Primus for too long, keeping it a rogue modron that might become a recurring villain or allied NPC.

Conclusion

After dealing with the threats at Silent Sound lighthouse, the characters attain 4th level! They can take stock of whatever treasure they salvaged from the lighthouse and what information they learned within, then figure out their next move.

If the characters didn't find the rotor of return when exploring the lighthouse, Wizzy can reveal where the relic is hidden if he survived. He is happy to give it to the characters as thanks for their rescue. Alternatively, if Talanatha survived, she knows that Hoobur Gran'Shoop spoke of not finding the rotor, and can join the characters in another search of the lighthouse.

Talanatha Three-Coins

Assuming that the tiefling Talanatha is rescued, she is both grateful and beholden to the characters. She can fill in any information regarding what happened in Phandalin if the characters have overlooked something, as she can with what the Company of the Golden Mongoose had learned about the orrery.

Talanatha would be keen to work with a franchise whose members are clearly as cool and capable as the characters. However, she's an adventurer, not a follower. As such, she's not suitable as franchise staff but would make an excellent allied NPC or hired troubleshooter (perhaps after joining another franchise). To use Talanatha as an NPC, you can give her the stat block of a berserker or priest (depending on what use you wish to make of her). Talanatha has these racial traits: She knows the thaumaturgy cantrip, and Charisma is her spellcasting ability for this spell. She has resistance to fire damage. She has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. She speaks Common and Infernal.

As a paladin and an iconic occultant franchisee (see "Company Positions" in chapter 2), Talanatha would also make an excellent replacement character if a fight against Hoobur Gran'Shoop went badly for the party.

Returning the Diamonds

If the characters recovered Omin's diamonds, they need to return the goods. It's up to you whether they have to make a side trek to Waterdeep for delivery, or if Omin sends a courier to retrieve the stones. If the characters lost the jewels, the consequences could be financially dire.

The Orrery

With the rotor of return in their possession, the characters can undertake additional research into that component and the Orrery of the Wanderer as a whole. See appendix D for information on the rotor, which can be revealed as you determine.

Franchise Downtime

The most important piece of information the characters take away from this episode is the "evidence" that Dran Enterprises was involved with the attacks on both Acquisitions Incorporated franchises, back in Phandalin and at the lighthouse. The rumor that Dran Enterprises has a secret headquarters in Luskan can be repeated by both Wizzy and Talanatha, setting the stage for the next episode. If the characters need further prodding to think about heading for Luskan, you could also have the orrery housing provide a mental hint that at least one more of its components has recently been sensed north of the lighthouse, and relatively close.

All the activities mentioned in this section are introduced or talked about in the "Franchise Tasks and Downtime" section in chapter 2.

The Luskan Connection

Making use of scrutineering, research, carousing, or schmoozing during downtime can all yield up hints confirming that Dran Enterprises has a secret headquarters in the city of Luskan—and adding rumors suggesting that the organization has recently been engaging in conduct even more secretive than usual. Such activities can also preview some of the information on Luskan presented in episode 4.

Modron in Need

The pentadrone Stevie wants to travel back to Mechanus, and the characters could assist by using downtime or franchise tasks to make that happen. Research or schmoozing might gain information from knowledgeable sages regarding existing portals to Mechanus, or unique rituals that can open a temporary portal.

If the characters are successful in helping Stevie get home, the pentadrone thanks them by removing components from itself that reassemble to function as an axiomatic weapon, a rare magic item that requires attunement. When an attuned wielder hits a chaotic-aligned creature with this weapon, the target takes 1d6 extra damage of the weapon's type.

Our Very Own Mechachimera

A character trained in Arcana can study the mechachimera's design if its components are laboriously collected and taken from the basement. Over time, a similar construct could be used as an offensive upgrade to the franchise's headquarters, either as part of future franchise advancement or with the headquarters modification franchise task.

Business Is Expanding

Having a small castle estate in Phandalin is cool. But having a lighthouse on the Sword Coast might be even cooler. If it seems like the thing to do, the characters could use the franchise restructuring or headquarters modification activities to officially ask permission to relocate their franchise to the Silent Sound lighthouse. (This assumes that Hoobur Gran'Shoop was driven from the basement, and that the characters are prepared to deal with the possibility of him coming back.)

Even if the characters don't want to officially change territories, nothing prevents them from quietly checking out the commercial landscape in the area. Characters searching the sea caves along the cliffs near the lighthouse might find that a variety of ne'er-do-wells use them as places to hide from naval pursuers, stow contraband, secure prisoners held for ransom, and engage in other nefarious activities. Joining in on (or getting a percentage of) such activities could be set up with the shady business practice activity—possibly connecting to any deal the characters have recently struck with the newly installed captain of a fast ship.

Living the Good Life

Characters not wanting to flout the law (or at least not to do so outside their own territory) could instead clear out smugglers and other riffraff along the coast. Doing so as part of a philanthropic enterprise could get them in good with the authorities in Neverwinter or Luskan.

Taking over the lighthouse also provides the opportunity for a philanthropic enterprise. The light is a warning beacon for ships traveling the coast between Neverwinter and Luskan, but it needs someone to keep it running. Before the Order of the Stout Half-Pint moved in, the authorities in Luskan and Neverwinter struggled to entice anyone to live at the remote lighthouse, given the amount of dangerous bandit and pirate activity in the area. If the characters take over the lighthouse or arrange for it to be staffed, they'll earn the favor of Neverwinter, Luskan, and possibly even the Lords' Alliance for their generosity.

Continuing the Adventure

While the characters are engaged in downtime and franchise activities, Omin Dran makes contact. He embraces the characters' reports from Phandalin and the Silent Sound lighthouse as proof that Dran Enterprises is involved in the attacks against Acq Inc franchises, and that its agents are willing to kill to claim the components of the Orrery of the Wanderer. However, something about that approach feels inconsistent with Dran Enterprises' normal approach to acquisition. A ruthless attitude and wanting Acquisitions Incorporated taken apart and absorbed into its own corporate space is one thing, but doing it one franchise at a time seems odd. As such, Omin wants more information before committing to reprisals or confrontation.

The characters are directed to go to Luskan to confirm that Dran Enterprises has a secret headquarters in that lawless city. If they do, they then need to find and infiltrate the operation, learning as much as they can about the plans of Acquisitions Incorporated's biggest business rival!

Contents

Episode 3: Darkness at the Lighthouse

To the Lighthouse

A Detour to Neverwinter

A Simple Request

The Backstory

The Stable Quiver

Locating Oppal

Interested Bystander

Development

Treasure

The Holes

Rescuing Oppal

Oppal's Info

The Hall of Knowledge

Curing Lycanthropy

Entering the Temple

Labor Problems

Alternative Entry

Trouble in the Basement

Entering the Vault of Tomes

Leaving Neverwinter

The Tortured Tortle Mutiny

Sailors in Need

Creatures

Shore Fight

Development

Trouble at Sea

Treasure

Mutineers

Creatures

Chaos of Battle

Treasure

Silent Sound Lighthouse

Beachside Tents

Treasure

General Features

Ceilings

Light

Resting at the Lighthouse

Front Door

Fusillade Trap

Ground Floor

Creature

Development

Second Floor

Creatures

Treasure

Third Floor

Creatures

Wards

Trapped Stairs

Treasure

Fourth Floor

Development

Treasure

Lighthouse Top

Creatures

Catwalk

Glass Door

Necromantic Lens

Light 'Em Up

Arms and Armaments

Development

Secret Basement

Arrival

Creatures

To Fight or Not to Fight?

Okay, to Fight

Talanatha's End

Treasure

Teleportation Panel

Developments

Secret Door

Super-Secret Basement

General Features

Light

Ceiling

Walls and Floors

Automatic Doors