As with any newly discovered dungeon, you will want to tread softly so as not to awaken the monsters inside. Light a torch, unsheathe your dagger, and make sure you have plenty of snacks for the expedition.
Disclaimer: Children of the Ampersand is not responsible for the consequences of splitting up the party, swimming in a Elder Brainpool, trying to seduce the dragon,eating lunch with the Fey,failing an Ability check by 10, or casting a Fireball while in the Phlogiston.
Khef, Nadarr, and Mikael spent nearly a full day after their First Watch as Neverwinter Peace Officers investigating various key points of information.
Khef visits the six Royal Families in Bluelake District. He discovers that these 6 families are “old money” within the Neverwinter hierarchy of nobility. Meaning that these families were the surviving noble families from the founding of the city, thus referenced as “The Royal Families.”
The other ten or so noble families in the city were “transplanted” within the hierarchy by Lord Neverember when he came to power in 1467. Neverember brought these noble families with him as “campaign” supporters. The noble families donated large sums of money to help Neverember rebuild the city of Neverwinter in return for granted lands and titles. All of the noble families reside in the Protector’s Enclave district.
Khef also interviewed the surviving adult heirs (who are thought to be the next possible victims) within the Royal Families, namely the Blacksmith (Owen Hawkwinter) and the Scribe (Malcom Brokengulf.) Both men are under careful watch by the Neverwinter Guard.
Khef carefully asks them several questions regarding the murders and kidnappings not mentioning Vecna in any way. This turns up these key points:
1. Owen and Malcom both seem to be very fearful that they are the next targets for the murderer. However, Malcolm seems much more dramatic and less sincere in his fear, hinting he’s not really as afraid as he’s putting on.
2. Owen and Malcom both have one skilled laborer who assists them in their work. Both assistants were uncooperative during questioning and kept asserting they knew nothing of the murders beyond what they have read in the newspaper.
3. Malcolm Brokengulf seems to be a heavy drinker and smelled strongly of alcohol.
4. Owen and Malcolm both said that the family nannies often took their missing child siblings to the park at Broad & River to play. All six of the Royal Family kids loved playing at the park. Both admit that their parents probably have no idea about this fact because they aren’t as involved as loving parents as they should be because they are busy with politics and business. They nannies still take the remaining non-adult children to the park every Thursday around 3 in the afternoon.
Mikael investigated the flowers left on the pillows of each kidnapped child (under 18) heir to the Royal Families. At the Hall of Justice, he spoke to a Tiefling Investigator and uncovered some interesting information regarding the flowers.
Nadarr does some scouting and stakeouts at the Park and the Feral Dog pub.
The Park is rather small. It features an elaborate flower garden featuring petunias, roses, and tulips; a playground; and two large Ash trees that are protected by iron fencing. The two trees have grown together creating a beautiful natural work of art. A sign on the iron fence explains that these trees are the only surviving trees planted by the Elven founders of the city over 1500 years ago.
The Feral Dog Pub is located in the Chasm District of the city. This District has a tragic history. The Chasm occupied what was once the districts known as the Arcanist Quarter, destroyed during the cataclysm that followed the eruption of Mount Hotenow a little under 50 years ago. Because of that, the surrounding areas were in utter ruins, a maze of destroyed buildings and clotted streets.
However, in 1487, Lord Neverember focused his efforts on rebuilding the city including sealing off the Chasm. With the efforts of several powerful wizards led by Lady Cattie-Brie of Luskan, the Chasm was sealed in 1489.
Now the District is still the poorest and least repaired District in the city. Dwarven workers are slowly repairing the ramparts and outer walls. The land and buildings within the city are considered “open settlement” for anyone who wishes to occupy and develop. Many of the structures remain in ruins, abandoned, or simply inhabitanted by squatters who live there but aren’t rebuilding their “homes.” The main feature of the district is a huge tent city of homeless, poor, and destitute citizens of Neverwinter.
The temples of the city send “missionaries” into the District to provide care to the inhabitants. These missionaries are low ranking initiates of the temples. The only “official” temple in this district is that of Helm.
The Feral Dog pub is a ramshackle two-story building. It serves meals free of charge three times a day to citizens of Chasm District in the al fresco (outdoor) seating.
Paying customers are permitted inside. It costs a Silver Coin to enter and then customers are limited to the first floor but can choose from the daily menu that features four decadent featured meals daily cooked by the resident chef. The most popular feature if the Feral Dog is the immensely strong Dwarven Ale important from Icewind Dale. The Feral Dog is the only place in town that serves this drink. (It’s illegal everywhere else in the city as it’s considered too strong for legal drink.)
From the looks of it, the pub feeds about 800 meals to the inhabitants of the District city three times a day. It’s constant work to provide the “soup kitchen.”
Lastly, it’s well known that Doctor Filge operates his office in the second story of the pub. Filge provides medical care to anyone who is a paying customer at the Feral Dog. Additionally, once a month at the end of the month, he makes rounds through the tent city offering free medical care to those in need.
Nadarr notices that the pub has a constant flow of paying customers throughout the day, including Malcolm Brokengulf who arrived at the pub around 8 in the evening.
As of the next session, none of the Playing Characters have actually entered the pub … Yet. That’s set aside for next session.
New Toril is a newly colonized Earth World with only one true settlement, named New Phandalin. The world is about half the size of Toril, the planet it was named after making is a spherical Size D earth celestial body. The planet is approximately 71% land and 29% water. It is located in the Realmspace system.
The majority of the planet’s biomes are forests and jungles. New Toril was chosen for colonization for its rich mineral and timber resources.
Native species of creatures are numerous. The main humanoid inhabitants appear to be mainly Goblinoid. New Phandalin’s location was chosen in a sector of the planet that seemed to be uninhabited by these native Goblinoids.
Perkins (Priest of Torm and City Coroner) was unable to use Speak With Dead on the corpses of the victims. His reports specifically say: “It appears that some strange enchantment is preventing them from speaking, almost as if they are unable to share their secrets.”
He sent word through the Message Station to a cleric of higher rank in Baldur’s Gate named Priam. Perkins report for each victim is straight forward and simple, but holds the following point of interest: each victim had an identical tattoo on their left interior arm: a purple hand holding an eye.
Priam’s documentation is extensive and uses more complicated, professional jargon. He reports that each victim had the same response when he questioned them under the Speak With Dead spell: “I can’t remember. My secrets have been stolen from me by HIM.” He adds that when questioned as to the identity of “HIM” the victims each answered: “I dare not speak his blasphemous name for fear that he will gaze upon me.”
Priam also notes the identical tattoo on the underside of each victim’s left arm. He comments that placement seems to allow for concealment of the tattoo. Priam writes that he with speak with his associates to research the symbol further.
The report about the suspect that was killed on the playing character’s First Watch was inspected by Coroner Perkins. The report says that he is a unknown male of approximately 24 years of age. He is missing his left eye and the socket was healed naturally with significant scar tissue. Cause of death is listed as a mixture of lacerations and supernatural injuries inflicted while fighting with city peace officers. A point of interest is that the victim smelled strongly of alcohol and it is presumed that he was a heavy drinker. His feet were found to be mildly infected by a fungus common with inhabitants of the city sewers.
Perkins comments that many times the destitute and homeless make their home in the city sewers and this infection is commonly seen. The results of SpeakWith Dead were inconclusive. Perkins notes that this phenomenon is a new one and disturbing. The man’s response to all but one question was: “The Whispered One watches and so I dare not speak his name.” When Perkins questioned about the missing children, the dead man replied: “Agatha has the children. Seek the tree where Broad meets River.” Perkins comments that this intersection of streets is near a small park in the River District.
Private Green and Detective Woods interrogated the prisoner. Woods used a combination of Friends and Zone of Truth to loosen the prisoner’s lips. In addition, a dose of Truth Serum had to be injected before the prisoner would comply. He identified himself as Scott Kerns. He said that he lives at a pub called The Feral Dog near the city’s tent city. He refused to give sny details about his employer, religious affiliation, faction, or part in the murders of the royal family victims, instead repeating the same phrase: “The Undying One watches with his untiring eye and I dare not speak his name lest I draw his attention.”
He confirms that he assisted in killing the two Peace Officers found at the scene of his arrest. He explained that they were in the wrong place at the right time. Prisoner Kerns affirms he and his slain accomplice were assisting someone named “Filge” escape detection by getting the attention of the arresting Peace Officers. Information regarding “Filge” is he’s a physician who provides care to the poor from the Feral Dog pub.
Sergeant Knox would like Strikeforce Grey (the playing characters) to forgo their patrol duty and instead follow up on information regarding The Feral Dog and Filge. In addition, investigate the park regarding the missing children and the suspect “Agatha.”
These are the magic items available for selection at TIER ONE. Although The Wizards Three and Elminster have the trust of Open Lord Laeral Silverhand, you have yet to earn her confidence. While she is willing to provide you with magical items from her vault, she understands the importance of caution when dealing with unknown adventurers and will not distribute powerful weapons to unproven individuals. Therefore, you may choose 2 Uncommon and 1 Rare item from the following list:
UNCOMMON:
A +1 weapon the type of your choice, standard material
A +1 armor of your choice, standard material
A silvered weapon of your choice. It is otherwise normal.
A wooden or metal shield embedded with a Ruby of the War Mage
A Bag of Holding
Bloodwell Vial +1 (You can’t choose this if you chose the Rare Version)
Googles of Night
Lantern of Revealing
Periapt of Health
Wand of Magic Detection
Ring of Swimming
Rope of Climbing
RARE:
Any Armor of Resistance (light, medium, or heavy)
Moon Sickle +2
Feywild Shard
Astral Shard
Bloodwell Vial +2 (You can’t choose this if you chose the Uncommon version)
Chime of Opening
Bell Branch
Dagger of Venom
Portable Hole
Bracers of Defense
Ring of Spell Storing (contains a single use Mass Cure Wounds stored in it, after that it is empty and you’ll have to store spells in it)
In Spelljammer episode #6, the “Heroes of Athas” raided The Second Wind intent on defeating Captain Fel Arda. Morris, the deck wizard for The Lucille, cast Invisibility on the group before Teleporting them into the Mess Hall of the Second Wind. Here they worked in unison to focus their attacks on the Tiefling Captain.
Their tactics were sound, and Fel Arda was surprised an overwhelmed. She was forced to make goo her escape by using Plane Shift, abandoning the ship to save her life. With the captain gone, the Second Wind crew surrendered. They were loyal to the Captain but none of them really liked her or her practices.
“V” declared himself acting Captain of the Second Wind, and after both the survivors and Commodore Krux were tended to, ordered Ian the Helmsman to take the ship to New Toril for delivery of the survivors to New Phandalin.
Arriving at New Phandalin, they saw that the other companion ships were already in dock. There was Elaina Sartel’s Moondancer and The Incorrigible the Gith ship captained by Daar’Vik. They saw The Lucille arrive and begin docking as The Second Wind settled into place. They would later learn that Captain Gizmod had arrived and already departed.
The process of getting the survivors from the ship to the village was a lengthy one. Luckily, the Welcoming Committee had already been through the process several times. As the survivors were escorted to their new home, the town Mayor, Wester, introduced himself and explained how the survivors would be assigned temporary housing and employment until their individual homes could be build and leased to them.
Phandalin was very much a fledgling frontier village on a frontier planet. It consisted of 40-50 log cabins resting on stone foundations. The streets were little more than muddy paths, but plans to lay stone and brick were part of the development plan for the future. For now, focus was being placed on timbering, wood refinery, and the construction of homes. Land was being sold at 1 acre for 50 gold, and both “V” and Breeze purchased a few plots for the future.
“V” made fast friends with Qelline Alderleaf, a Halfling farmer whose son, Carp, rode on The Second Wind to the village. “V” used his ability to divine that Qelline’s wife was alive and nearby. After the happy reunion, “V” asked Qelline to be a contact within the village during future visits.
The party decided to spend the night in port, resting and maybe exploring the village. They made themselves comfortable, and before splitting up they discussed their plans for tomorrow: they would go with Captain Neegan to Revel’s End Prison to drop off Ambassador Jarnathan and then assist with the transportation of Prisoner 13 back to New Phandalin. Before returning to New Phandalin, Neegan agreed to seek out and salvage the Lucid Edict, the Mindflayer Nautaloid that had been damaged by the Astral Elves over Athas. The damaged parts from the ship had been seen falling into the mountains like meteorites from Bleak Hollow.
The group would be responsible for clearing the Lucid Edict of any dangers inside. After it was secured, Neegan would tow the vessel back to The Rock of Bral for repair. “I know a guy there,” explains Neegan. “He can be of great help in retrofitting the Illithid ship if you really do decide to claim it as your own. Otherwise, he’s the only guy I can think of that I’d trust with selling something like that and not double-crossing you. His name is Mirt. He used to be a Masked Lord in Waterdeep. Now he runs a Spelljammer Academy at the Rock of Bral.”
And so the party remained in New Phandalin for the night. In the morning, they will leave for Revel’s End Prison on Toril.
As of tomorrow, they have 6 days until they need to meet their companion Captains at the Rock of Bral to discuss plans on how to act against the Xaryxian Empire.
Last session, in Spelljammer part 5, the party boarded Captain Solomon Neegan’s ship “The Lucille.” They were introduced to the eclectic crew, assigned cabins, and waited for all the other ships to set sail. Afterwards, they prepped to head for Phandalin on New Toril when the Helmsman called out that the Halfing ship “The Unexpected Party” was hailing them in distress. They had 300 survivors from Rockholm aboard but were being besieged by Astral Blights. Solomon told the Heroes of Athas to make a call whether to assist Captain Onyx and the Unexpected Party. They opted to help, and so The Lucille turned broadsides to board the Halfling ship. The heroes defeated the Astral Blights and only one Halfling crewman was killed. With the ship and 300 survivors now safe, Captain Onyx agreed to take them for refuge to New Toril. Soon, the Halfling ship soared off into the Astral Sea. Captain Solomon called for the Helmsman head for New Toril. The ship shot out into the Astral Sea momentarily, but slowed as something began to approach the ship. It was a dragon! The dragon introduced itself, explaining that it was a Time Dragon. It placed a chest on the deck. It explained that Time Dragons exist in all time and space at once, so it had met them in the future and it was “happy to meet them again for the first time!” The box, the dragon explained, was sent to them from “future them” because when they explored Doomspace (in the future) something terrible occured and half of them were killed. The dragon delivered the box as a fulfillment of a boon, as their future selves had saved it and its wyrmlings. The heroes found magic items in the box. These items will help them in their endeavors until later when apparently they will need to send the box back with the dragon … again. Oddly though, whenever they interacted with the items from the future, the Warforged Druid noticed that the others would flicker and “glitch” momentarily, possibly due to bending and altering the timeline through the intervention of the Time Dragon. Using a Sigil Mimir included in the box, they discovered bits of information. One interesting tidbit was that in the future they were unaware (until it was too late) that Fel Arda made a deal with Neogi Traders to sell the survivors rather than transporting them to Phandalin. Armed with this information, they decided to intervene and attack Fel Arda’s ship,the Second Wind. They strategized with a powerful wizard in Neegan’s crew named Morris. Morris has knowledge of The Second Wind having served temporarily on it when it was still under the ownership of Commander Krux, a Giff Pirate. The heroes devised a plan to teleport on to the Second Wind, neutralize Fel Arda, and rescue the survivors before they are sold into slavery.
Vecna is the secret whispered in the dark, the deathbed confession that topples an empire, the lost spell fragment that can shackle the mortal races forever. As the god of destructive and evil secrets, he waits in hidden places, unearthing dark knowledge and horrible, long-buried things to further his goals of taking the world for his own. And from there all worlds and planes of existence.
The everyday sayings, dogma, and adages of Vecna’s faithful tell a great deal about their beliefs and morals. The samples here represent the many sayings common to clerics of Vecna. Unlike other cults, Vecna’s followers do not seek out converts. Only those with darkness in their hearst, ambition in their souls, and the lust for power within their heart may join the Cult of Vecna.
The Sacred Chant. This chant is spoken at the start and end of any religious service dedicated to Vecna and is sometimes used as a calming ritual. New members of the cult are sometimes forced to chant it for hours until they enter a hypnotic state. Minor transgressions against the faith might be forgiven by repeating the chant as a penance, or scribing the words into a book over and over with one’s own blood. The words are ’‘Vecna guide us. We whisper your name. We seek the knowledge. We find the secrets. For power, for Oerth, for your will, for your rule. In the name of the Hand and the Eye.“
Secrets Never Die. This is both a promise and a warning. The promise is that if a secret exists, it can be found and exploited. Even if the secret is supposedly destroyed, there is someone somewhere, alive or dead, who knew it, and it can be learned again. In other words, there is always the opportunity to discover a secret, it just might take more work. Conversely, this is a warning, as you can never fully bury a secret you wish to remain hidden. There is always the chance that someone might unearth it and use it. Even killing those who know it does not work, as magic foils the silence of death in many ways. This phrase is often used in messages to those being blackmailed as a reminder that they can never escape their past.
The Power of Secrets. Secrets have the power to hold immense influence over individuals and their relationships. They can be as harmless as a surprise birthday party, or as significant as a hidden addiction or betrayal. While secrets can provide a sense of control or privacy, they can also lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety. Vecna cultists seek out secrets as a way to blackmail people into following their orders.
A thousand years ago he ruled as a lich but was betrayed in a moment of crisis by his vampire lieutenant, Kas. Long thought destroyed, but still feared more than any living being, he nurtured his legacy with artifacts formed of his own hand and eye. Only in recent times has he achieved godhood, giving him limitless fuel for his ambition: his desire to dominate all things. Mortals fear to speak his name, and even the gods are cautious in dealing with the Arch-Lich. Long used to immortality, Vecna is never rash in his plans, every detail calculated to his advantage. The Maimed Lord knows every secret and he plans to use each in turn until all of creation bows before him.
Check out this absolutely perfect and amazing series of photo-realistic AI illustrations by InkSlinger1983 picturing the Muppets starring in Mad Max: Fury Road, or in this case, Mad Max Muppets: Furry Road! The fusion of the Muppets and Mad Max in those illustrations is nothing short of unreal! I’d definitely watch the hell out of…
In “Dragon of Icespire Peak, Adabra Gwynn lives in a windmill and produces potions of healing.
I found this wooden birdhouse windmill at Michaels for $9.99 (although I used a 30% off coupon to buy it) and have decided to paint for use within one of the D&D campaigns I’m overseeing.
I started with a coat of Matte Mod Podge to help seal the wood. Then I used Artminds Concrete for the stonework, and Citadel xv-88 and Citadel Tausept Ochre for the door.
I plan to paint the midsection of the windmill with Citadel Corax White, and the roof with Citadel Adeptus Battlegrey.
The frontier village of Sanctuary is a dangerous place. Founded by priests from Baldur’s Gate, the village consists of three buildings: the Church, a Mortuary, and a Watch Tower. The Tower and Mortuary were reclaimed and rebuilt, the only surviving structures from an ancient community razed to ashes by one of the three Dracoliches who claim the region as their own. The Church is a new building, having only recently been constructed and sanctified.
The village is nestled in the southern border of the High Moor, a large, monster-infested, open moorland in Western Faerûn, bordered on the east by the Serpent Hills and on the west by the Misty Forest.
The High Moor contains numerous ancient ruins and structures, but the most familiar includes Dragonspear Castle on the western edge; Hammer Hall, a log house and stables surrounded by a wooden palisade near the banks of Highstar Lake; and Orogoth, a large ancestral hall near the Serpent Hills.
The High Moor region has a notorious history of being too dangerous and hostile to maintain a village. Several Elves, Dwarves, and Humans have tried in the past, always to be wiped out by some powerful creature or maurading force. But the folly of Humankind is to try, try again.
And so the priests are now seeking to reclaim the ancient cemetery and tombs attached to the rebuilt Mortuary.
Easier said than done! Each attempt has been met with packs of undead. And so the High Priest has put out a call for holy men, paladins, clerics, and slayers of the undead to help the village. Sanctuary needs assistance. The risk is high but the pay is good.
Lightning Keep is a fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure for characters of level 3. It features monsters from Monstrous Compendium Volume 3: Minecraft Creatures and therefore fits nicely into Minecraft-inspired settings. It was offered as a free asset on D&D Beyond in 2023.
Sigel
Our adventure takes place in my homebrew world of Mawveth, specifically in the village of Sigel, West of Eden in the Land of Nod.
I am reworking the module to fit our own needs. I plan to tell the story differently, making it that the townsfolk are going to take refuge in Lightning Keep after the heroes reset the lightning shield. ⚡ 🛡️
With Planescape Fifth edition bringing back the idea of “walking castles” in the Outlands, I’ve decided to make a Baba Yaga’s Hut. I mentioned the house and chicken feet in previous posts. I haven’t glued the feet to the house yet as I want to paint the house first, but here’s the mock up.
Children of the Ampersand 