Black Swords
The characters don’t get this quest in the customary way, which is to say that the residents of Caer-Dineval aren’t counting on adventurers to help them. The quest falls into the party’s lap if the characters decide to visit the Caer. Here are a couple reasons why the characters might go there:
Icy Doom. When the cultist dies, its corpse freezes for 9 days, during which time it can't be thawed, harmed by fire, animated, or raised from the dead.
The hut is an outhouse, currently empty. Many tracks lead to and from it.
The servant is a fourteen-year-old tiefling noncombatant named Mere, whom Kadroth found begging for food in Bryn Shander. Mere is frightened of Kadroth and would like to get out from under his thumb but can’t figure out how. The servant knows the layout of all levels of the castle but can’t be coerced or bribed into helping the characters until Kadroth is no longer a concern. Mere can move about the castle without drawing too much suspicion but trembles in Kadroth’s presence. Mere knows about the cult’s allegiance to Levistus and its animus toward the duergar. Mere has also met the albino tiefling wizard who has made a lair for herself in the cistern (Area C22).
The two goats are harmless and will eat just about anything. The cook, a human named Karou Salafan (neutral good human commoner), was not replaced by the cultists because he knows fifty different ways to cook and prepare knucklehead trout. Although he has some knowledge about the affairs of the keep, he doesn’t want to know about any shady business, so he keeps his head down and his lips shut tightly.
The shield dwarf in the rocking chair is Hethyl Arkorran, a noncombatant. She is the cult’s soothsayer and oldest member—too old, in fact, to harm anyone. On the plate next to her is a knucklehead trout fillet topped with goat’s milk. Hethyl won’t touch it, because she’s sick to death of trout. Hethyl is a heartless creature—not cruel out of spite, just blunt in a mean, uncaring way. She doesn’t hide the truth or mince words, and she knows her soul is going to the Nine Hells when she dies. She also sees glimpses of the future, which means she’s rarely shocked by what happens around her. These revelations have kept the cultists one step ahead of their enemies for a long time, but Hethyl’s health is failing, and there’s nothing that can be done for her given her age. She considers Kadroth a worthy leader but lost his respect when she told him that Levistus hates his guts. Kadroth has tried hard to forget that conversation and looks forward to the day when Hethyl drops dead. Hethyl has foreseen her doom. She dies of natural causes immediately after sharing the following information with the characters:
A human cultist named Yajath has the unenviable task of guarding Speaker Siever and making sure he doesn’t leave this room. Once the characters deal with Yajath, they can reckon with the town speaker:
Speaker Crannoc Siever (lawful neutral human commoner), a 49-year-old unmarried man, has been under house arrest for the past two weeks. Although he’s not the picture of good health, he’s not deathly ill, as the cult’s propaganda would have others believe. The only time Crannoc is permitted to leave this room is when Kadroth needs him to sign paperwork in Area C9. The cultists slew the speaker’s guards but are keeping his servants alive. Crannoc has been warned to behave himself, lest his servants pay the ultimate price. He doesn’t know where the servants are being held, but he knows the cook is still making meals. He suspects the rest are being kept in the cistern under the castle. Crannoc won’t be happy until he regains control of the castle and his captors are punished for their crimes. He has little to say about his captors, since they don’t share information with him:
Caer-Dineval’s founders, the Dinev family, brought with them an extensive collection of rare books. That collection, stored here, was burned by orcs when the castle was sacked many years ago. The room has not been used since.
A 5-foot-wide, 8-foot-high passage in the north wall leads to Area C17. For more information about the cistern and the rowboat, see Area C18.
The bodies are the remains of four cultists (three humans and a halfling) who were killed by the speaker’s guards during the hostile takeover of the castle. The ground is too frozen to bury them, so they’re being kept here in cold storage. Old furniture used to be kept here, but it has long since been smashed to kindling and burned for heat.
Any character who gives the frigid water more than a passing glance can see swollen, half-frozen bodies near the bottom, weighed down by their chain shirts. There are six human corpses and six dwarf corpses in all—the remains of the castle guards killed by the cultists. A 5-foot-wide, 8-foot-high passage cuts into the north wall 20 feet beyond the rowboat, leading to Area C19. A similar passage farther east leads south to Area C20. Eastern Door. At the eastern end of the cistern is a 10-foot-square, 2-foot-thick, half submerged slab of blue marble that blocks access to Area C23. This slab is far enough away that characters won't see it with torches or darkvision unless they move farther into the cistern. The lever that lowers and raises this gate is in Area C22. The gate can also be opened with a Knock spell or similar magic. Rowboat. This boat comes with two oars and can hold two Medium creatures plus their gear.
The figure in the pillar is a wooden mannequin painted and dressed to resemble the archdevil Levistus. The mannequin was encased in ice, which was chiseled into a pillar shape and wrapped in chains. The ice is kept frozen at all times by the 10-foot-square patch of brown mold growing on the wall behind it (see “Brown Mold” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Any creature that touches the pillar of ice is close enough to the brown mold to be harmed by it. Any character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check can guess, correctly, that the cultists use this frozen, chain-wrapped effigy as an altar.
Other furnishings in this former storeroom include a red rug, a narrow bed, and a freestanding mirror in a wooden frame, none of which are remarkable. The albino tiefling is a member of the Arcane Brotherhood named Avarice. The raven is her familiar, Skelm. Levistus sent a telepathic message to Avarice, urging her not to antagonize a certain party of adventurers until they’ve helped her reach her goal: the lost Netherese city of Ythryn. Realizing that the characters are the ones Levistus warned her about, she tries to be as hospitable as possible but won’t discuss why she’s here or what she’s after. If she no longer feels safe in the castle, Avarice leaves without a fight. (There are plenty of other places in Ten-Towns where she can make herself comfortable.) Avarice’s two gargoyles, Gargle and Gurgle, are not present. She recently sent them to spy on her wizardly rivals. Avarice can speak to her gargoyles telepathically, thanks to her Rary’s Telepathic Bond spell, and orders them back to the castle as soon as the characters confront her. If the characters slay or capture Avarice, the gargoyles attack them as they leave the keep. Treasure. Avarice keeps her Staff of Frost within easy reach. When she's not writing in her spellbook, she sticks it in a fur-lined satchel. See Avarice's description for more information about the spellbook.
Five of the speaker’s servants (unarmed human commoners) have been trapped here by the cult for the past two weeks. All of them are malnourished, since the cultists feed them only once every few days. The servants are briefly described below:
- Looking for a good night's rest in Caer-Dineval, the characters are directed to the castle by Roark or some other NPC.
- A sad story told by Cora Mulphoon, the proprietor of the Buried Treasure inn in Bremen might spur the characters into searching the castle for her missing son, Huarwar.
Knights of the Black Sword
Most of the cultists are Icewind Dale natives who would have perished in the wilderness had Levistus not intervened on their behalf. The cultists’ stories are all the same: the archdevil reached out to them in their minds as they were freezing to death, offering a second chance at life in exchange for their absolute devotion. After they agreed to follow Levistus, a pale glow caught their eye in the snow nearby, leading to the discovery of a sword-shaped amulet of chardalyn. Each of these amulets has an inner radiance that provides warmth and aid, protecting its wearer against the cold while guiding them safely back to civilization. Once its wearer reaches Ten-Towns, the talisman loses its inner radiance, yet the cultists keep their amulets as signs of their devotion to the archduke of Stygia (see the Chardalyn Amulets section of the sidebar). The Knights of the Black Sword have members scattered throughout Ten-Towns. They welcome new members and answer to Levistus, who speaks to them infrequently using a powerful form of cross-planar telepathy. Levistus has recently called upon them to help another of their master’s disciples—an albino tiefling wizard named Avarice—achieve her goals. Even though they find her demanding and difficult to live with, they dare not defy her. Levistus has warned the Knights of the Black Sword that duergar are plotting the destruction of Ten-Towns. He believes the duergar are acting on behalf of Asmodeus, the Lord of the Hells and his infernal jailer, but has not shared this information with the cult. The cult’s oldest living member, Hethyl (a peg-legged shield dwarf who has lost her right foot to frostbite), hates duergar as most dwarves do. She has convinced the other cult members to forge alliances with anyone willing to oppose the duergar, including stray bands of adventurers. The Caer serves as the cult’s headquarters. The cult’s presence is the worst-kept secret in Caer-Dineval, though few locals ever speak of it.Game Statistics
The Knights of the Black Sword are lawful evil cultists and cult fanatics who speak Common and Infernal. They have the following additional trait:Icy Doom. When the cultist dies, its corpse freezes for 9 days, during which time it can't be thawed, harmed by fire, animated, or raised from the dead.
Cult Behavior
The Knights of the Black Sword take orders from Levistus, who speaks to them telepathically. The contact is one-way only, although a vainglorious tiefling cult fanatic named Kadroth falsely claims to have the archdevil’s ear. The cultists shun contact with outsiders and, posing as members of Speaker Crannoc’s staff, turn away all visitors to the castle. If the time is right, however, they welcome the characters with open arms. That time comes when Levistus instructs the cultists, in no uncertain terms, to form an alliance with the party. For that to happen, one of the following statements must be true:- One of the characters has the Runaway Author secret.
- The characters found and killed the group of duergar hiding in Dinev's Rest.
- The characters meddled in the affairs of Nildar Sunblight (see the Unseen quest) or his older brother, Durth.
- The characters attack any member of the cult other than Kadroth, whom Levistus secretly despises.
- The characters harm Avarice, the albino tiefling wizard, or inhibit her effeorts to plunder the lost city of Ythryn.
- The characters give up their fight against the duergar menace threatening Ten-Towns.
Getting into the Castle
The characters need not wait for an invitation to enter the castle. They can make their way inside using any number of stratagems, including the following:- The characters can ambush one or more cultists as they leave the castle on cult business, then use the cultists' amulets and garb to fashion disguises for themselves.
- With the aid of climbing gear or magic, the characters can scale the castle walls seen or unseen.
- The characters can use Charm Person or similar magic to convince a cultist to let them inside.
Approaching the Caer
When the characters first approach the castle, read:A sturdy, stone castle devoid of warmth and ostentation squats atop the cliffs overlooking the town and the frozen harbor. Warding the castle entrance are thick, battle-hardened wooden doors. Four cylindrical guard towers have wind-worn flags bearing the town’s heraldry fluttering above their tiled, conical roofs. These towers are connected by icy battlements and parapets. Atop the castle walls and within the guard towers, torches flicker.
General Features
The snow-covered ground outside the castle is 10 feet lower than the castle’s courtyard. Thus, the battlements and parapets that top the outer walls appear 20 feet high from the outside and are 10 feet high on the inside. Icy stone steps at either end of the courtyard climb to the tops of these walls, which are unmanned. Arrow slits in the outer walls of the guard towers and central keep provide three-quarters cover to those standing behind them. Most of the castle is lit by torches regardless of the time of day. Doors inside the castle aren’t locked unless the text states otherwise.Castle Defenders
The castle’s relatively small size makes it possible for one cult member to sound the alarm simply by yelling. If an alarm is raised, the following cult members are tasked with defending the castle:- Twelve cultists of various races and genders, who normally reside on the ground floors of the guard towers (Area C4).
- Two Cult Fanatics (a human named Huarwar Mulphoon and a tiefling named Fel Suparra), who normally guard the gatehouse (Area C6).
C1. Main Gate
Two lowered iron portcullises and two sets of closed wooden doors seal off the castle. The gatehouse (Area C6) holds the mechanisms that raise and lower the portcullises as well as open and close both sets of doors. Knock spells and similar magic can bypass these barriers, which otherwise require siege engines to force open. Gate Guards. Characters who stand outside the main gate and announce their arrival can speak to the guards in the gatehouse. Unless Levistus has told them to do otherwise, they deny the characters entry, declaring that “Speaker Crannoc Siever is too sick to entertain guests!” If the characters claim to have one or more healers among them, the guards respond, “Speaker Crannoc Siever has no need for your heathen rituals!C2. Snowy Courtyard
Footprints in the snow lead to various doors along this courtyard’s perimeter, including a tall double door to the keep, with its unwelcoming row of arrow slits and barred windows on the upper floor. To the east of the double door is a small, single-story building with a slanted, snow-covered roof. West of the double door are two unused merchant stalls with torn canopies. Tucked under some icy stairs in the northwest corner is a slender wooden hut with a crescent moon carved into its flimsy door.
The hut is an outhouse, currently empty. Many tracks lead to and from it.
C3. Kennel and Sled Storage
Six friendly sled dogs (use the wolf statistics) are housed inside this kennel. They bark loudly whenever someone approaches within 10 feet of the door. The cultists can hear the barking but choose to ignore it. A dogsled is stored here, along with the dogs’ harnesses and reins. Kennel Boy. Sleeping among the dogs is an eight-year-old Calishite youth named Alassar Sulmander (neutral human noncombatant). He was found stowing away inside a crate of supplies that was delivered to the castle over a month ago and now does menial chores for the cultists. Alassar knows the layout of the castle (levels 1 and 2), and he can be coerced or bribed into helping the characters. He can move about the castle without drawing suspicion.C4. Guard Towers
The lower level of each tower contains three cultists at rest. The furnishings on this level include six wooden cots with furs and matching footlockers (where the cultists keep their cold weather clothing). A copper brazier full of hot coals is situated in the middle of the room. Protruding from the brazier’s base is a bellows that can be pumped to reheat the dying coals. A wooden staircase hugs the outer wall as it climbs to the second level, which is unfurnished. Gusts of wind enter through the arrow slits on this level. Northwest Tower. This tower has two additional features on its ground level: a stone trapdoor in the floor, beneath which is a ladder that descends to Area C16, and a secret passage to the speaker’s office (Area C9). The secret door is spotted automatically by any character who examines that section of wall.C5. Armory
In the middle of this small room is a rack of twenty Spears, and resting against the back wall is an unlocked wooden chest containing six Flasks of Alchemist’s Fire. Hanging from hooks on the walls are eight Longbows and eight Quivers. Each quiver holds fifty Arrows.C6. Gatehouse
This chamber is equipped with a system of wheels that raises the portcullises and opens the outer sets of doors. In the middle of the floor are murder holes through which arrows can be shot or alchemist’s fire can be poured. The south wall has a row of five arrow slits built into it. Two wooden cots covered with furs are in the northeast corner of the room. Of the two cult fanatics stationed here, one stands guard while the other sleeps. These individuals are briefly described below:- Huarwar Mulphoon is a brooding, pessimistic human in his late twenties, the son of Cora Mulphoon of Bremen.
- Fel Suparra is a tiefling. She has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet and resistance to fire damage. As Huarwar's friend and mentor, she's the one most responsible for tearing him away from his mother and pushing him up through the ranks of the cult.
C7. Great Hall
The double door leading to the courtyard (Area C2) can be sealed shut with a huge crossbar. It takes an action to slide the crossbar into place or retract it.This once-grand hall is dimly lit by chandeliers that are missing most of their candles. Three long tables in the center of the hall are littered with dirty dishes, which a young tiefling servant is slowly collecting. A stone staircase ascends to a pair of twenty-foot-high balconies that hug the walls. On the north landing, directly across from the main entrance, hangs a banner depicting the town’s heraldry: a stone watchtower on a dark blue field, with a horizontal red fish facing to the right under the tower.
The servant is a fourteen-year-old tiefling noncombatant named Mere, whom Kadroth found begging for food in Bryn Shander. Mere is frightened of Kadroth and would like to get out from under his thumb but can’t figure out how. The servant knows the layout of all levels of the castle but can’t be coerced or bribed into helping the characters until Kadroth is no longer a concern. Mere can move about the castle without drawing too much suspicion but trembles in Kadroth’s presence. Mere knows about the cult’s allegiance to Levistus and its animus toward the duergar. Mere has also met the albino tiefling wizard who has made a lair for herself in the cistern (Area C22).
C8. Speaker's Den
This well-appointed sitting room is where Crannoc Siever used to meet with visitors, whether distinguished guests or concerned townsfolk. Comfortable furnishings abound, and the cultists keep a fire burning in the hearth. Standing outside the door to the speaker’s office (area C9) is a sadistic little klutz (human cultist) named Thoob, whose job is to serve at Kadroth’s beck and call. It’s a mostly thankless role that comes with a mountain of verbal abuse. The only time Thoob feels rewarded is when Kadroth orders him to relay instructions to another cultist, in effect empowering Thoob to boss around others in Kadroth’s name.C9. Speaker's Office
Kadroth is a paunchy, lawful evil tiefling cult fanatic who has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet and resistance to fire damage. From this usurped office, he coordinates all cult activities in Ten-Towns. It’s a role he carved out for himself by asserting that he’s tight with Levistus. He rules the roost by sheer force of personality, though it chafes him that Hethyl Arkorran (see Area C13) has more respect and influence within the cult. Kadroth doesn’t involve Avarice (see area C21) in cult affairs because he fears her spellcasting ability and her connection to the Arcane Brotherhood. She could take over the cult anytime she wanted, and Kadroth doesn’t want to give her any reason to do so. For all his political machinations, Kadroth is a visionary who has so far made the cult stronger through his actions and decisions. He spends hours behind his desk, staring into the burning fireplace and drawing inspiration from its crackling flames. The slightest disturbance upsets him. Kadroth appreciates the wisdom of maintaining the illusion that Speaker Crannoc Siever is still in charge, if only to keep Caer-Dineval’s townsfolk from becoming restless. Thus, when necessary, Kadroth has the town speaker brought to his office to sign official documents. Ring of Keys. In addition to his weapons and cult regalia, Kadroth carries a ring of keys that can lock or unlock every interior door in the castle.C10. Servants' Quarters
This room is for servants to rest, bathe, and clean their uniforms, and the furnishings reflect as much. After taking over the castle, the cultists imprisoned most of the speaker’s servants (in Area C24) because they couldn’t be trusted, retaining only the cook (see Area C11). Mere, the cult’s tiefling servant (see Area C7), sleeps here as well. Supplies. Against the west wall are three crates of torches next to a large, stacked pile of cut wood.C11. Kitchen
This kitchen reeks of fish. It is furnished with stone ovens, a fireplace for roasting skewers of meat and boiling soups, and wood-block countertops. A portly cook busies himself at a table while a kettle belches steam over a fire in the hearth. A kennel by the door holds a pair of goats.
The two goats are harmless and will eat just about anything. The cook, a human named Karou Salafan (neutral good human commoner), was not replaced by the cultists because he knows fifty different ways to cook and prepare knucklehead trout. Although he has some knowledge about the affairs of the keep, he doesn’t want to know about any shady business, so he keeps his head down and his lips shut tightly.
C12. Kadroth's Bedchamber
A large, gilded mirror covering most of the east wall is what made Kadroth want this room for himself. Other furnishings include an ornately carved wooden table and chair, where Kadroth takes his meals. Kadroth’s black cat, Touche, is the chamber’s sole occupant, although Mere (see area C7) routinely checks on the fire to make sure the room stays warm.C13. Soothsayer's Room
A chilly draft wafts through this bedroom despite a roaring fire in the hearth. Bundled under a thick quilt and seated in a squat rocking chair in front of the fire is a venerable dwarf with a wooden peg where her right foot should be. Next to her, on a small table, is a plate of food. “I’ve been dreading this moment,” she says.
The shield dwarf in the rocking chair is Hethyl Arkorran, a noncombatant. She is the cult’s soothsayer and oldest member—too old, in fact, to harm anyone. On the plate next to her is a knucklehead trout fillet topped with goat’s milk. Hethyl won’t touch it, because she’s sick to death of trout. Hethyl is a heartless creature—not cruel out of spite, just blunt in a mean, uncaring way. She doesn’t hide the truth or mince words, and she knows her soul is going to the Nine Hells when she dies. She also sees glimpses of the future, which means she’s rarely shocked by what happens around her. These revelations have kept the cultists one step ahead of their enemies for a long time, but Hethyl’s health is failing, and there’s nothing that can be done for her given her age. She considers Kadroth a worthy leader but lost his respect when she told him that Levistus hates his guts. Kadroth has tried hard to forget that conversation and looks forward to the day when Hethyl drops dead. Hethyl has foreseen her doom. She dies of natural causes immediately after sharing the following information with the characters:
- Xardorok Sunblight, a duergar warlord, will conquer Icewind Dale unless the characters defeat him.
- Xardorok has a fortress on the surface, hidden in the Spine of the World. It contains, among other things, a forge powered by the still-beating heart of a red dragon.
- Xardorok has a plan for the systematic destruction of Ten-Towns, which the characters can discover if they search his fortress.
- The characters will die if they face Xardorok too soon. They must test their mettle against the horrors that haunt the farthest reaches of Icewind Dale before they can hope to survive the perils of Xardok's fortress.
C14. Speaker's Bedchamber
This room is immaculately furnished. It has all the trappings of a royal bedchamber, including a soft bed, warm quilts, elegant tapestries, and a gilded chamber pot. Bars over the windows dispel the air of luxury somewhat, as does the guard standing just inside the door.
A human cultist named Yajath has the unenviable task of guarding Speaker Siever and making sure he doesn’t leave this room. Once the characters deal with Yajath, they can reckon with the town speaker:
Squatting in the far corner of the room is a pale man wearing a nightgown. He has an unkempt beard and seems hard at work filling a chamber pot. “Perfect timing,” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Speaker Crannoc Siever (lawful neutral human commoner), a 49-year-old unmarried man, has been under house arrest for the past two weeks. Although he’s not the picture of good health, he’s not deathly ill, as the cult’s propaganda would have others believe. The only time Crannoc is permitted to leave this room is when Kadroth needs him to sign paperwork in Area C9. The cultists slew the speaker’s guards but are keeping his servants alive. Crannoc has been warned to behave himself, lest his servants pay the ultimate price. He doesn’t know where the servants are being held, but he knows the cook is still making meals. He suspects the rest are being kept in the cistern under the castle. Crannoc won’t be happy until he regains control of the castle and his captors are punished for their crimes. He has little to say about his captors, since they don’t share information with him:
- His captors arrived under false pretenses, claiming to be neutral arbiters employed by the Council of Speakers to help Caer-Dineval resolve its fishing disputes with Easthaven and Caer-Konig.
- The one calling the shots is a tiefling named Kadroth, who answers to someone named Levistus.
C15. Old Library
This room was set on fire years ago and never repaired. Evidence remains of floor-to-ceiling shelves along the walls. A draft issues from a darkened fireplace, stirring the cobwebs around it.
Caer-Dineval’s founders, the Dinev family, brought with them an extensive collection of rare books. That collection, stored here, was burned by orcs when the castle was sacked many years ago. The room has not been used since.
C16. Under the Castle
If characters peer down through the open trapdoor in the northwest guard tower, read:A wooden ladder clings to the west wall, held in place with iron brackets. The ladder descends twelve feet to a hall made of mortared stone lit and heated by four sputtering torches. Extending from the east end of the hall is a water-filled cistern. A small rowboat is tied off near the water’s edge.
A 5-foot-wide, 8-foot-high passage in the north wall leads to Area C17. For more information about the cistern and the rowboat, see Area C18.
C17. Cold Storage
This room is empty except for four sheet-wrapped bodies lying side by side on the floor.
The bodies are the remains of four cultists (three humans and a halfling) who were killed by the speaker’s guards during the hostile takeover of the castle. The ground is too frozen to bury them, so they’re being kept here in cold storage. Old furniture used to be kept here, but it has long since been smashed to kindling and burned for heat.
C18. West Cistern
Stone steps descend into the icy water that partially floods this twenty-foot-wide, arched tunnel, which continues eastward into darkness. The roof arches twelve feet above the water, which is eight feet deep. The rowboat tethered at the water’s edge looks safe to use.
Any character who gives the frigid water more than a passing glance can see swollen, half-frozen bodies near the bottom, weighed down by their chain shirts. There are six human corpses and six dwarf corpses in all—the remains of the castle guards killed by the cultists. A 5-foot-wide, 8-foot-high passage cuts into the north wall 20 feet beyond the rowboat, leading to Area C19. A similar passage farther east leads south to Area C20. Eastern Door. At the eastern end of the cistern is a 10-foot-square, 2-foot-thick, half submerged slab of blue marble that blocks access to Area C23. This slab is far enough away that characters won't see it with torches or darkvision unless they move farther into the cistern. The lever that lowers and raises this gate is in Area C22. The gate can also be opened with a Knock spell or similar magic. Rowboat. This boat comes with two oars and can hold two Medium creatures plus their gear.
C19. Storage
Characters can use the rowboat to reach this area, the floor of which is above the water level in the cistern (Area C18). A harmless rat chews through the corner of a sack of grain lying on the floor. This room is otherwise empty.C20. Shrine to Levistus
Frost covers the floor of this dark, fifteen-foot-square room. To your left and right are narrow tunnels, and across from the entrance stands an eight-foot-tall pillar of ice with a horned, pale-skinned, humanoid figure trapped inside it. The pillar is wrapped in black chains, and the wall behind it is covered with brown fungus.
The figure in the pillar is a wooden mannequin painted and dressed to resemble the archdevil Levistus. The mannequin was encased in ice, which was chiseled into a pillar shape and wrapped in chains. The ice is kept frozen at all times by the 10-foot-square patch of brown mold growing on the wall behind it (see “Brown Mold” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Any creature that touches the pillar of ice is close enough to the brown mold to be harmed by it. Any character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check can guess, correctly, that the cultists use this frozen, chain-wrapped effigy as an altar.
C21. Avarice's Quarters
This room is the private quarters of an albino tiefling who sits at a small desk in the dark, writing in a book with white leather covers. An ink-black crow perches on one of her horns and seems to read along with her scrivening. Without taking her eyes off the page, she says to you, “Get out.”
Other furnishings in this former storeroom include a red rug, a narrow bed, and a freestanding mirror in a wooden frame, none of which are remarkable. The albino tiefling is a member of the Arcane Brotherhood named Avarice. The raven is her familiar, Skelm. Levistus sent a telepathic message to Avarice, urging her not to antagonize a certain party of adventurers until they’ve helped her reach her goal: the lost Netherese city of Ythryn. Realizing that the characters are the ones Levistus warned her about, she tries to be as hospitable as possible but won’t discuss why she’s here or what she’s after. If she no longer feels safe in the castle, Avarice leaves without a fight. (There are plenty of other places in Ten-Towns where she can make herself comfortable.) Avarice’s two gargoyles, Gargle and Gurgle, are not present. She recently sent them to spy on her wizardly rivals. Avarice can speak to her gargoyles telepathically, thanks to her Rary’s Telepathic Bond spell, and orders them back to the castle as soon as the characters confront her. If the characters slay or capture Avarice, the gargoyles attack them as they leave the keep. Treasure. Avarice keeps her Staff of Frost within easy reach. When she's not writing in her spellbook, she sticks it in a fur-lined satchel. See Avarice's description for more information about the spellbook.
C22. Iron Lever
This unlit room is empty except for an iron lever that protrudes from an iron plate embedded in the north wall. This lever raises and lowers the blue marble slab that seals off Area C23.C23. East Cistern
The dark cistern continues for another 40 feet beyond the blue marble slab. The water in this part of the cistern is thankfully free of half-frozen corpses. A narrow tunnel carved into the north wall leads to Area C24.C24. Prisoners
After the cultists took over the castle, they trapped most of the servants in this area.A five-foot-wide, eight-foot-high tunnel leads to a dark, cold room that reeks of filth.
Five of the speaker’s servants (unarmed human commoners) have been trapped here by the cult for the past two weeks. All of them are malnourished, since the cultists feed them only once every few days. The servants are briefly described below:
- Lanthis Alderdusk is Speaker Crannoc's 64-year-old assistant, notary, and scribe. He's feisty and spry for his age.
- Elprekt Norbrav is the effete, tall, skeletally thin, 55-year-old butler.
- Mylbara Norbrav is Elprekt's stout, 45-year-old wife and the speaker's Dwarvish translator.
- Tam Sharf, a mute, 30-year-old petty thief wanted for a murder in Luskan, is the speaker's housemade.
- Dassir Ravenscar is the speaker's shy, 25-year-old dogkeeper.
Outcome: Dark Alliance
Characters who forge a friendly relationship with the Knights of the Black Sword can use the Caer as a base of operations, coming and going for as long as this dark alliance lasts. The northeast guard tower is set aside for them to stay in. Avarice tries to minimize her contact with the party during this time; meanwhile, her gargoyles take shifts atop the southwest guard tower, from where they can watch the characters come and go.Outcome: Routing the Cultists
If the characters rout the cultists and release Speaker Crannoc Siever, the speaker asks them to call out the town militia so that the castle can be refortified. Henceforth, the speaker lets the characters rest at the castle whenever they need to. His home is their home, so to speak. Characters will quickly learn that the speaker is a blowhard and firebrand who enjoys living like a king behind his castle walls. Without their leaders, Kadroth and Hethyl, the Knights of the Black Sword are rudderless until Avarice finally steps up to fill the power vacuum. The characters are doomed to cross paths with the cultists again in chapter 8.
Chardalyn Amulets
The chardalyn amulets worn by the Knights of the Black Sword have been corrupted by the magic of Levistus. A Detect Evil and Good spell or similar magic reveals that the amulets are desecrated objects. Each day at dawn, roll a d6 for each chardalyn amulet in a character’s possession. On a roll of 1, the character must succeed on a DC 10 Charisma saving throw or become lawful evil, unless the character has that alignment already. Take the character’s player aside to describe how the player should roleplay the new alignment. A lawful evil character craves power and tries to exert control over others, by being either cruel or manipulative. The alignment change can be undone by any magic that ends a curse, but after nine days, it can be reversed only by a wish spell or divine intervention.
The chardalyn amulets worn by the Knights of the Black Sword have been corrupted by the magic of Levistus. A Detect Evil and Good spell or similar magic reveals that the amulets are desecrated objects. Each day at dawn, roll a d6 for each chardalyn amulet in a character’s possession. On a roll of 1, the character must succeed on a DC 10 Charisma saving throw or become lawful evil, unless the character has that alignment already. Take the character’s player aside to describe how the player should roleplay the new alignment. A lawful evil character craves power and tries to exert control over others, by being either cruel or manipulative. The alignment change can be undone by any magic that ends a curse, but after nine days, it can be reversed only by a wish spell or divine intervention.
Kadroth
Hethyl Arkorran
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