Book of the Raven - PCs
Introduction
After engaging in some productive downtime spent exploring their incredible potential and personal histories, the party is once again summoned to Candlekeep for their next assignment. Teles and Moxie await them in The Hearth, where they are escorted to a private meeting room in the perplexingly dimensioned interiour of the building. They are presented with The Book of the Raven, which the party didn't seem particularly interested in, and a mysterious map tucked within. The tome has been part of Candlekeep's holdings for over 200 years, deposited there rather unceremoniously by a raven, which proceeded to peck and scratch at the book until an Avowed took notice and rescued it from the bird. Some years later, a traveller by the name of Anil Zasperdes deposited a map in the book, unbeknownst to the Avowed.
Around two months ago, a seeker by the name of Terence Wallaby came across the book while researching the Vistani. Terence became fixated on the map and the prospect of the treasures it might lead to. After further research, Terence was able to pinpoint the location of the abandoned hamlet of Wytchway, nestled in the Cloud Peaks. His next step was to recruit the assistance of a mercenary tribesman, Uris Stonebeck, a bear of a man with seemingly little affection for the treasure-obsessed Terence. After that, apparently the rest of Terence's plan involved disappearing without a trace sometime shortly after reaching Wytchway.
On the Way to Wytchway
The party shortly thereafter is making their way south along the Coast Way in their well-appointed and miraculously self-maintaining wagon, along with their similarly remarkable horses. On the trip, they overtake a gregarious merchant returning to Amn and Tethyr after a trip to Baldur's Gate and beyond. The fast-talking fellow introduces himself as Trevor Stellantis, Mover & Shaker, of the fine city of Riatavin. It turns out that Trevor did see Terence and Uris heading south on the Coast Way. Unsurprisingly, Uris was unable to restrain Terence from running his mouth about the purpose of their travels, with that purpose being the discovery of great treasure. When Trevor hears that the party has the same map and is on their path to the same treasure, he offers to assist in marketing and distribution if they come across a hoard they'd like to cash in on. The party politely takes one of his business cards and continues on their way.
Sleepy Clint Gets Trolled
After a couple days of safe travels, the party makes it to the foothills of the Cloud Peaks and settles in for the night at a camp site eerily reminiscent of one they encountered on the way to Baldur's Gate. On this occasion however, the party is besieged by a rampaging troll. Bunk and Celeste take the first two watches, which pass uneventfully, but during Clint's watch ... well, Clint dozed off, so who's to say what transpired for most of it. At any rate, the party is jumped by a troll, which more or less results in Creed falling out of a tree while attempting to fire off an Eldritch Blast. While Creed is somehow able to right himself spectacularly, his subsequent attempt sizzles past. Clint, after shaking off the sleep, deploys his crafty clone to distract the troll, which helps Bunk to pull off a remarkable series of maneuvers, sliding stealthily under a bridge, only to pop up and launch an arrow directly into the eye of the troll. Cornelius is crucially able to prevent the troll from healing with two well-placed Fire Bolts, while Clint and Celeste team up to trip and shove the beast while it attempted to rush Bunk. The dashing rogue finished off the troll with an arrow to the other eye, for a dramatic victory.
Between the Rock and a Hard Place
The next near encounter for the party occurred with Vanyel spotting a pack of wolves, which the party was somehow able to avoid, despite some suspect sneaking, particularly when a poncho malfunction from Clint made for some unexpected armour rattling. Luckily, the wolves were none the wiser and continued on their way. The sense of relief didn't last long, as the party was then alerted by Vanyel to the presence a giant, shirtless, bald, heavily tattooed man with an interesting attitude. While seemingly unarmed, he did unleash a barrage of insults on the party, using exotic epithets such as jabroni and rudy-poo candy asses. Other references were made to the people's elbow. For some reason, he didn't say anything about turning that sum'bitch sideways and brahma bulls, but perhaps in their next encounter those topics will come up. The thing that really chafed about this verbal assault was that the party was wholeheartedly congenial in their greeting, with Celeste even preparing some tea for this Dwayne The Rock Johnson. Bunk relaxed by reading some smut and Creed assisted Gizmo with putting on an impromptu fashion show. None of this impressed the out of place fellow, nor did Clint's poncho, and he then challenged Clint to an arm wrestling match. Clint bested him in the first round, but Dwayne came good in the second and third rounds, and with his victory, he bellowed some nonsense about smelling what he was cooking. However, there was no evidence of any cooking being done. After some more reasonable discussion, they confirmed with Dwayne that Terence and Uris had indeed passed through here en route to Wytchway, but he had not seen them since. He also intimated that Wytchway is most likely not so abandoned as has been reported, or at least there was evidence of goblin inhabitants during his most recent pass by Wytchway.
A River Runs Through It
A final small challenge was presented before reaching Wytchway, namely the fording of a small river. At this point, the party had some time ago abandoned their wagon and horses, which would surely all be safe and whole upon the party's return. Absent the wagon as a source of wood to construct a raft, the party gets creative in their attempts to ford the river. Clint goes planar and leaps, then teleports, well, most of the way across. Cornelius simply walks across the bottom of the river, like an upside down Jesus, and even has a spiritual vision of a face in the currents rushing above. Vanyel does his Vanyel things and flies over, assisting by carrying a rope to help the less mobile members of the party make their way safely across. Everyone makes it to the other side without incident.
Wytchway, Not an Abbott and Costello Skit, and Beyond
Upon reaching the outskirts of the small hamlet, Vanyel takes to the skies for some light reconnoitering after hearing the sound of squealing pigs. Misfortune befalls him and some berries or other scavenged food items, but definitely not rations, fall out of a pouch that was not properly fastened after unloading following the fording of the river. The tasty morsels plummet directly into the pig pen, causing quite a commotion. Two goblins that were in the middle of some pig wrangling spot our owlin friend and argue over what to do. One elects to follow, while the other deals with the pigs. As he runs after Vanyel, heading away from the party, two bugbears emerge from a dilapidated building and join the pursuit.
Party Checkpoint: 2022-03-06
Introducing the First Ever "Tooth Town"
While the party can see that Vanyel has accelerated and can hear a general commotion from the pigs, they are a bit perplexed when they see him dive into a tree. After some circular sneaking, wherein Vanyel eludes Zub the goblin and his bugbear compatriots, Gruk and Brako, and is narrowly able to avoid detection by the other goblin, Kranky, and a smartly sniffing pig, a few of the party members approach and reveal themselves to the goblin and bugbear collective. Finding themselves confronted with a sizeable and highly maneuverable adventuring party, the four inhabitants of Wytchway are shortly joined by their apparent leader, an impressive bugbear with even more impressively lengthy chompers named Grrr'iska Growntooth. Grrr'iska is quite the savvy interlocutor, touting the porcine-fueled future affluence of this new manifestation of Wytchway, which he refers to as "Tooth Town". The party is obviously quite impressed with his vision, so much so that they are willing to part with 5 gp for some bits of information regarding the road ahead. Grrr'iska reveals that their business plan has experienced some setbacks due to the predatory hunger of a dragon nesting on Threetree Hill. He also notes that the chalet that happens to be the party's ultimate destination is reportedly haunted. With some parting advice from Creed to consult with a Trevor Stellantis, Mover and Shaker, on pork distribution plans should they ever encounter him, the party departs Tooth Town.
Something Wicked This Way Comes (From a Very Literally Named Hill)
As was forewarned by the dentally endowed bugbear, as the party made their way south from Tooth Town, they caught sight of a dragon-like creature alight from a perch on top of Threetree and start heading their way. While it became apparent that the beast was originally intending to head past the party, likely looking for another piggy dinner, thanks to some fumbling about in their attempts to hide, the winged creature detected the party and began what it thought would be a fruitful descent. Unfortunately, it did not count on the might of the Agents of Candlekeep, who unleashed a flurry of attacks and managed to fell what they realized was a wyvern. Intrigued by the potential properties of its parts, Clint managed to collect five of its teeth before the handle of his handaxe cracked. Fortunately, Cornelius was able to mend the thing and Creed was then able to secure some of the wyvern's scales as well. Most impressively, Bunk and Celeste teamed up to safely gather a vial of deadly wyvern poison from its inert, yet still dangerous stinger.
A Visit with the Vistani
After an uneventful crossing of the wooden bridge noted on the map, aside from the presence of a curious raven, the party continues until they reach the Scorch of the Red Wyrm. They find that, despite its ominous appearance, this smouldering crater is currently the site of an encampment. After some discreet aerial recon by Bat-Gizmo, the party is greeted by a warm fire, music, and a plenty group of gypsies, known as Vistani. An older woman introduces herself as Ana Bashelde and she is quite interested in your tale. Ana recognizes the name of the map's author as a fellow Vistani of old, but she also tells the party that their destination is an evil place, warning them of the darkness of Barovia that reaches out to engulf the chalet. Mostly, however, it seems that she is interested in bartering for a wyvern tooth, managing to exchange a gemstone that looks like a lump of coal to anyone except the person holding it. A restful night is spent in the company of the Vistani before the company departs in the morning for the chalet.
Chalet Brantifax
Finally, the party reaches the destination sought by Terence and Uris, the former home of the Baron Brantifax. Upon reaching the grounds, the party is quick to spot an unkindness of ravens upon the roof and in the graveyard. They observe the party carefully and tend to keep their distance, but Bat-Gizmo is able to infiltrate their flock, revealing to Creed that a couple of the birds are giving off a slight magical aura. In the graveyard, the party finds four tombstones, belonging to the Baron, his hound Brorn, and his two daughters, Heluthe and Sylphene. The graves of the daughters appear to have been disturbed, though it seems this may not have happened all that recently. There is a confusing set of boot prints in the graveyard, but they are too old and muddled to make any sense of them.
Entering the Chalet
The chalet is breached by the party via the main entrance at the northeast corner. The immediately find themselves in a cloakroom containing a shovel, a rake, and a moth-eaten cloak with a rusty iron key in one of the pockets. There is also a door that descends to a lower level, which one would assume the party will return to investigate later. The adjacent room to the west is a lovely, but very dusty den. The den contains a number of hunting trophies, but seems to be missing a picture or mirror that once hung on the wall. After the den, the party enters the kitchen and dining room. While the latter is wholly un-noteworthy and has no appearances of recent use, the kitchen is found to contain pots of rations and spices, as well as recently dirtied dishes. It is also in the kitchen where the party hears the first of a number of auditory disturbances they will encounter during their time in the chalet. Their final destination on the ground floor is the parlor, which most notably contains a large, lovely, gilded harp. It also has some very nice and comfortable furniture that shows some signs of recent use. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the parlor also contains a staircase to the second floor and that parlor should be spelled parlour.
Going Up!
Reaching the second floor, our fine crew finds itself in a study. Bunk is able to deftly unlock an antique rolltop desk to reveal a set of calligrapher's supplies and a journal belonging to the wife of Baron Brantifax. Bunk is able to discover the following information from the journal:
- Baron Brantifax was an avid hunter and often invited guests to the chalet to hunt with him. The baroness admired his generous nature and his vigor.
- The baron loved his trusty mastiff, Brorn, as much as he did his wife and children. The baroness disliked it when the baron fed the hound scraps from the dining table.
- The baroness felt too isolated at the chalet. She much preferred the trappings of civilization and city life.
- Sylphene, the couple’s firstborn daughter, was bedridden, having been born with terrible physical deformities. The baroness was glad that Sylphene could be housed in the chalet, to keep her far from the public’s eye. A nursemaid was hired to watch over the child while the baroness was away. The baroness describes Sylphene’s death at the age of six as “merciful,” and there’s some indication that the baroness had a hand in it.
- Heluthe, the younger daughter of the baron and baroness, was a tomboy—more like her father than her mother. Heluthe was slain on her ninth birthday, killed by a wolf while out hunting with her father. The baroness doesn’t blame her husband for Heluthe’s death, but neither does she absolve him of his guilt.
- Both daughters were buried in the chalet’s graveyard, at the baron’s insistence. In her final journal entry, the baroness speaks of “evil whispers” in the graveyard and makes plans to leave Chalet Brantifax, vowing never to return.
There is also a cobweb-covered entrance to a spiral staircase on the eastern wall, but given that it looks as though no one has passed that way for some time, the party ignores it for now. Next, heading westward down a corridor, the party next discovers what appear to be two identically appointed guest rooms on the north side. Neither are remarkable in any way and are coated in thick layers of undisturbed dust. Taking a southward corridor, the party enters the master bedroom of the of the chalet. This room, unlike the guest rooms, appears to have been recently used. Cornelius' keen investigative talents lead to the discovery of a rotating post on the bed, which, when turned, reveals a secret door. This reveals the next level of the tower. What is immediately striking in this room is a gaping hole, apparently blasted through the outer wall if the layer of soot is any indication. What used to be a third floor, along with the staircase wrapping along the outer wall, has largely been destroyed. Fortunately, Vanyel can fly and Celeste can flip and they easily make their way to what is left of the third level. They find an unlocked wooden chest containing a potion and a number of random trinkets. At this point, there is another cacophony from elsewhere in the chalet.
What's Left to Explore?
With these new noises, the party reassembles and dashes up the spiral staircase on the western side of the chalet and emerges in a new room, wherein the party finds two unusual creatures.
Party Checkpoint: 2022-03-20
Why yes, Creed, those are your magical ravens ... wereravens! Fortunately, they're lycanthropes of the rare friendly variety. (Side note, back in 2e they had rules for lycanthropic rangers and I had a delightful werebear character. Ah, to be young! Now back to your recap ...) After a satisfactory explanation of your intentions, they introduce themselves as members of the Scarlet Sash, an ancient order of which the erstwhile cartographer, Anil Zasperdes, was a member. Their goal is to take malevolent and otherwise dangerous magical items out of circulation. Given that Chalet Brantifax is reportedly haunted and thus, generally avoided, they have found it a useful base of operations and temporary hiding place for such items. At present, they only have a berserker axe, which they would rather not part with for reasons they explain.
Before I ramble on further, I should note that the two wereravens in the room are Taspar, an elderly gentleman, and Vinique, a fiery young woman who seems more likely to do a bit of adventuring. Conversation regarding the whereabouts of Terence and Uris reveals the other reason that the Scarlet Sash has taken up residence in Chalet Brantifax: the presence of a crossing to the Shadowfell. The order also monitors this location for incursions by the fell denizens of that wicked realm. They also apparently occasionally dispose of irritating treasure hunters there. Taspar and Vinique reveal that Terence and Uris, relentless in their hunt for treasure, were directed to the crossing. This was not entirely disingenous, as there was a higher probability of the unlikely pair finding treasure in the Shadowfell. Since they made the trip, however, they have not returned and are presumed to be deceased. The party determines that it's probably worth making the crossing to try to retrieve definitive proof of their quarry's whereabouts. They invite Vinique to join them as a guide and, with her martial inclinations, it's not a hard sell. That does, however, unleash a third wereraven, Madrina, from the adjoining room. Somewhat of a mother hen, so to speak, she is very concerned about Vinique venturing once again into the Shadowfell, but does relent and allow it.
Prior to departing the party does one final bit of exploration in the chalet. They return to the foyer and make their way to the cellar, where they find a well. According to the stories, the baron met his demise in this well, having slept walk his way into it while mourning the loss of his beloved mastiff, Brorn. What an indignity! With Gizmo's shape changing routine, Creed is able to detect magical emanations at the bottom of the well, which Clint proceeds to explore. He discovers a ring and an amulet. The former is a ring of absorption currently holding three spell levels and able to absorb 21 more levels. The latter is a holy symbol of Sune (god of love and beauty) on a gold chain. The item is worth 25 gp and doubles as a cameo, holding a tiny portrait of the baron’s wife. How romantic! Creed takes the ring, as the party's sole primary caster at the moment, and being a warlock, desperately in need of such an item.
Into the Shadowfell!
At the appointed time, the party makes their way through the crossing into the Shadowfell. Oh, by the way, that entails exhuming the coffin of poor Sylphene and laying in her grave until the mists pull you through. Fun, right? Anyway, shortly after making their way through the crossing, the party is assaulted by two very resilient gargoyles and a gaggle of ghouls! The fight remains closely matched for some time, with brave Vanyel nearly perishing at the hands of one of the stoney beasts. Vinique proves to be a fearless and skilled combatant, with her regenerative abilities lending her an aura of invincibility. Even Gizmo joins the fray, flinging rocks at pretty much everyone he can see. Ultimately, once the gargoyles are defeated, the battle's fortunes seem to turn the party's way. That feeling is shortlived though, as a vile wight named Drovath and his two zombie servants emerge from one of the mausoleums populating the vile necropolis. Drovath is in a pissy mood and it quickly becomes apparent to the party that the zombies are their long sought after targets, Terence and Uris. After a pitched final battle in which the party puts their full martial talents on display and takes advantage of the terrain, they dispatch all three. Fortunately, they find a signet ring and some other symbols that can serve as evidence of Terence and Uris' grisly demises.
Following the battle's conclusion, which the party senses was hastened by some invisible overseer deciding to hold back the rest of the ghouls to ensure this journey's successful conclusion in some unknown time frame, they have some time to kill, albeit less literally than the previous hour had been spent. They do some exploration of Drovath corpse and mausoleum, uncovering some useful and dangerous items. First, Vanyel obtains a ring and a longbow from Drovath, while Bunk claims his longsword. Inside the mausoleum, the party recovers 100 gp in jewelry from two previously undisturbed crypts, along with, you guessed it, another magical ring. You'd almost think the DM searched for magic rings in DDB, then didn't bother doing any more searches for magic items. Clint also elects to remove from Drovath's damaged crypt a saddle, apparently magical as well. In so doing, however, Clint triggers the animation of a warhorse skeleton. With some fancy, borderline absurd rolling, he and another party member (Celeste or Creed maybe?) are able to tame the horse, which they then bring back through the crossing when the morning finally arrives. Good grief.
In Conclusion
Given the late hour, a perfunctory wrap up of "Congrats, you did it! You make it safely back to Candlekeep and there was much rejoicing!" was delivered. And there was much rejoicing, except by Terence and Uris' respective families.
An adventure for 3rd-Level characters. Written by Christopher Perkins.
2022-03-27
References
- D&D Map of Faerün
- Anil Zasperdes' Map
- The location of Wytchway is tucked on the southern side of the Cloud Peaks, east of the Coast Way and the lake located there. See the excerpt from the Faerün map in the main text section.
Treasure
- The party has been promised 100 gp each and any magic items they discover for resolving the mystery of the map and determining the whereabouts of Terence Wallaby and Uris Stonebeck.
- 100 gp worth of jewelry
- Potion of Mind Reading
- Ring of Absorption (3-x levels current, 21 to go)
- Ring of Jumping
- Ring of Water Walking
- Saddle of the Cavalier
- Warhorse Skeleton
- Longsword
- Longbow
- Vial of Wyvern Venom
- Necklace of four Wyvern teeth
- Some Wyvern scales
- Gemstone that looks like a lump of coal to anyone except the person holding it
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