Iniarv's Tower
Location Overview
Iniarv's Tower is a ruined stone keep. Iniarv, a mage who became a lich, first occupied the fortress over eight hundred years ago. When a war between a kingdom of goodly peoples and a horde of goblinoids broke out near the keep, it angered Iniarv. The lich called the ocean forth to destroy both armies, creating the Mere of Dead Men. He has not been seen since the incident. Over the centuries, various bandits, thieves, orc war bands, and others used the tower as a temporary base while it fell further and further into ruin. The Chimera Crew, a group of bandits, currently occupies the lair. Ularan Mortus pays the criminals to guard a growing horde of undead that the necromancer stores in the towers for an imminent attack on Phandalin. The bandits have also decided to make some gold on the side by raiding caravans headed from and to Leilon.Chimera Crew
The Chimera Crew is a group of bandits founded by Rega Swarn. Orphaned at an early age and raised by brigands, Rega found a baby chimera with no one to look after it. She named the baby Ashbreath and trained it to follow her commands. As the chimera grew, Rega and her monstrosity attacked caravans on the road. Soon their success had Rega running the brigand band, who renamed themselves the Chimera Crew. If a member of the Chimera Crew is captured, the characters can get the bandit to reveal the following information with a successful DC 15 Charisma (Intimidation) check:The history of Rega and the Chimera Crew's founding.
The bandits were hired by priests of Myrkul to watch over the undead in Iniarv's Tower's ruins.
They do not know where the priests operate or what the priests plan to do with the undead.
Quest Goals
To complete the Iniarv's Tower Quest (see "The Quest Board"), the adventurers must kill or drive out the bandits living in the ruins of Iniarv's Tower.
Travel to Iniarv's Tower
During the twenty-mile journey from Leilon to Iniarv's Tower, the characters experience the following encounter as they pass by the Mere of Dead Men.Zombie Escape
Set the scene by reading the following boxed text aloud:Groans fill the air as moaning humanoid figures covered in dried bird droppings sprint toward you on the road. As these beings near, their grayish rotting flesh becomes apparent. A pair of red-faced women in heavy armor run behind the undead crying, "Stop those zombies!"
Greater zombies (see appendix A) that escaped from Iniarv's Tower by smashing a hole through a tower wall are chased by Chimera Crew members Alevene Windcoat and Niri Bronzecrown, who are chaotic evil human veterans. There are two greater zombies plus one additional greater zombie for every two members of the party (rounded down), not including sidekicks. The zombies attack the characters, fighting until destroyed.
At first Alevene and Niri help the characters fight the undead, but when only one zombie remains, they turn on the characters as the bandits do not want to leave witnesses. The brigands fight until one falls. At that point the other attempts to flee back to Iniarv's Tower. If the characters capture one of the criminals, they reveal how the zombies escaped the ruins in addition to the information contained in the "Chimera Crew" sidebar with a successful DC 15 Charisma (Intimidation) check.
Iniarv's Tower Features
The ruins of Iniarv's Tower consist of three towers: one enormous 80-foot-high main tower connected to two smaller 30-foot-high towers by walkways. The towers are surrounded by parapets at the top of the walls that create the keep. Arrow Slits. When using an arrow slit for protection, a creature gains three-quarters cover against outside threats. A Medium or larger creature can't squeeze through an arrow slit, but a Small creature can with a successful DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Tiny creatures can move through the slits without squeezing. Doors. The doors in Iniarv's Tower are made of stone and have rusty iron hinges. Light. Most of the light in the ruins comes from the sun or moon outside, but the shorter towers have hanging lanterns within which provide bright light. Parapets. Parapets standing 3 feet high run along the outside of the keep's wall walkways (area I1) and the roof of the main tower (area I6). When using the parapets for protection, a Medium or smaller creature gains half cover. Walls. Climbing the stone walls of the ruin without equipment requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Arrival As the characters approach the ruins of Iniarv's Tower, read the following boxed text aloud: Atop an escarpment on the eastern side of the High Road stands a crumbling keep with thirty-foot-high walls supported by a gatehouse, two short towers, and one tall tower more than twice as tall as the keep's walls. There is a large opening in the north wall where the defenses crumbled long ago. As the characters approach the keep, scouts atop the keep's walls (area I1) watch for danger. The characters must succeed on a DC 15 group Dexterity (Stealth) check to approach the keep unseen. A 10-foot-deep ditch that was once a moat runs around the perimeter of the keep. The ditch is difficult terrain. A wooden bridge crosses the ditch and leads to the front entrance of the gatehouse (area I3). There are three entrances to the keep: the hole in the wall (area I2), the gatehouse (area I3), and the rubble-sealed crack in the main tower's first floor (area I5). The characters do not notice the last entrance unless they move around to that side of the keep. Ruins of Iniarv's TowerIniarv's Tower Locations
The following locations are keyed to the map of the ruins of Iniarv's Tower.I1. Walls
The walls of the keep stand 30 feet high. Three human Chimera Crew scouts patrol the walls. If the scouts notice the characters approaching the ruins, they alert the Chimera Crew camp (area I4) then call out to the characters and ask them to state their business. A character convinces the scouts they are allies with a successful DC 15 Charisma (Deception) check, and the scouts allow the characters to enter through the gatehouse (area I3) then bring them to Rega Swarn in area I7. If the scouts attack the characters, the rest of the Chimera Crew in areas I4 and I7 join the fray.I2. Pit Trap
The Chimera Crew dug a 10-foot-deep pit trap with a 10-foot-square opening in the ground along the hole in the north wall. The pit is covered by a large tarp anchored on the pit's edge and camouflaged with dirt and debris. A creature with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14 or higher notices the pit. Any creature that steps on the tarp falls into the pit and pulls the tarp with it, taking 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage and landing prone. The bottom of the pit contains a swarm of poisonous snakes. Climbing the walls of the pit without equipment requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.I3. Gatehouse
The stone gatehouse has two stories. The first story is one interior room with a 30-foot-high ceiling. The second story has no roof. When the characters enter the first story, they immediately smell and see oil on the floor and walls. If set ablaze, the oil burns for 1 minute. While the oil burns, each creature that enters or starts its turn in the first story of the gatehouse takes 11 (2d10) fire damage. Doors and Portcullises. The first story of the gatehouse has two sets of double doors behind iron portcullises. Each portcullis requires a successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check to lift and immediately slams back down when the creature that lifted the portcullis stops holding it. A portcullis has AC 19, 27 hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage, and a damage threshold of 5. The gatehouse's front double doors are secured with an iron bar from the inside, and the back-double doors are secured with the same mechanism from the courtyard side. A creature that can reach a bar can lock or unlock the bar as an action. Forcing open a secured set of double doors requires a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. Each door has AC 19, 27 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Murder Holes. The second story has eight 1-foot-diameter murder holes in the floor that look down into the first story of the gatehouse. When using a murder hole to fight, a creature on the second story gains three-quarters cover against threats on the first story. A Medium or larger creature can't squeeze through a murder hole, but a Small creature can with a successful DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Tiny creatures can move through the holes without squeezing. Treasure. A small iron box in the northeast corner of the second story contains two flasks of alchemist's fire, which the Chimera Crew can throw down the murder holes to set the oil on the first story ablaze.I4. Courtyard
Most of the Chimera Crew stays in the mud-covered courtyard, which contains their tents. At any given moment, a member of the crew here could be cooking over a small campfire, drinking, eating, planning a raid, playing a game, preparing equipment, resting, or socializing. When the characters arrive, the Chimera Crew in the courtyard consists of three human scouts and one veteran for every member of the party, including sidekicks. If the brigands in the courtyard notice intruders, they immediately attack. If combat breaks out here, members of the Chimera Crew in areas I1 and I7 join the battle. If only two members of the Chimera Crew remain, they attempt to remove the barricade in front of the entrance to area I5 and the chain on the door to area I9 to flood the courtyard with undead to cover their escape. Slippery Mud. When a creature standing in the courtyard is hit by an attack that is a critical hit, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.I5. Main Tower
The main tower in the keep stands 80 feet tall. As the characters approach the tower, they notice it reeks of rot and animal waste. Two entrances lead inside the tower: an entrance from the courtyard (area I4) barricaded with old wood furniture and a 3-foot-wide, 5-foot-high crack in the back wall filled with stone rubble. A creature can clear the blockage from either entrance with a successful DC 17 Strength (Athletics) check made as an action. If an entrance is cleared, the undead inside come out and immediately begin attacking any creatures they notice that are not undead. The Chimera Crew do not open an entrance unless they think it will give them an advantage in combat or they are with a priest of Myrkul who can command the undead. The bottom floor of the tower contains zombies and ogre zombies covered in bird droppings thanks to the hole in the roof above (area I6). There are two zombies and one ogre zombie for every member of the party, including sidekicks. Collapsed Cellar Entrance. The entrance to the keep's cellar collapsed long ago and requires many days of work to clear. What this cellar might hold (perhaps a secret sanctum where Iniarv hides practicing magic) is up to you. I6. Main Tower Roof Ten swarms of ravens live on what remains of the main tower's roof. They attack any creature that comes within 30 feet of the roof, fighting until the creature retreats. If more than 100 pounds of weight are added to the remains of the roof, it collapses. Creatures inside the tower when the roof collapses must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures on top of the roof when it collapses take 28 (8d6) bludgeoning damage from the fall and another 28 (8d6) bludgeoning damage from fallig roof debris.I7. North Guard Tower First Floor
The first floor of the north guard tower has a 30-foot-high ceiling. The floor is covered in straw, which services as a bed for Ashbreath, a chimera. Rega Swarn, a chaotic evil human master thief (see appendix A) is feeding the chimera chunks of humanoid flesh, unless they joined a fight in areas I1 or I4. See the "Chimera Crew" sidebar for more information about Rega and Ashbreath. If the characters approach Rega in a nonthreatening manner, she asks why they have come to Iniarv's Tower. If a character claims to be an ally willing to help the Chimera Crew and succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma (Deception) check, Rega asks the characters to stick around and help raid the next caravan that passes. Otherwise she attacks with Ashbreath, fighting to the death. If a fight breaks out here, members of the Chimera Crew in areas I1 and I4 join the fray. Ladder. A ladder leads to a trap door in the ceiling that leads to area I8. Steel Box. A character with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15 or higher spots a locked steel box hidden beneath the straw. Rega has the key to this box, which is trapped with a poison needle (see "Sample Traps" in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). The box has AC 19, 18 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. The lock can be picked with a successful DC 17 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. The box can be forced open with a successful DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check. The box contains Rega's treasure. Treasure. The steel box contains a potion of diminution, 36 pp, and 1,215 gp.I8. North Guard Tower Second Floor
The second floor of the north guard tower has a 10-foot-high ceiling. This area is stocked with trade goods (see chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook) worth a total of 300 gp that were stolen from caravans on the road. I9. South Guard Tower First Floor The door to this area from area I4 is chained shut from the outside. A creature that can reach the chain can remove it as an action, or force the door open, breaking the chain by making a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check as an action. The Chimera Crew moved the greater zombies (see appendix A) to this location after they broke through a weakened area of the main tower (area I5). There is one greater zombie plus one additional greater zombie for every two members of the party (rounded down), not including sidekicks.I10. South Guard Tower Second Floor
This area has the same features as area I8.Ruins of Iniarv’s Tower In the aftermath of the destruction of Uthtower, Iniarv retreated to his catacombs and spell libraries, where legend holds he continued his arcane studies until such time as he transformed himself into a demilich. The ruins of Iniarv’s Tower have since been explored by many bands of brave adventurers, most of whom never returned from the catacombs of the undead archmage. In the Year of the Storms (1310 dr), the Company of the Howling Wolf emerged from the dungeons beneath the site claiming to have destroyed the demilich, an assertion that remains unproven. Even after the demilich’s supposed destruction, efforts to rebuild the ruined tower have always ended in failure, which legend holds is due to the unseen hand of Iniarv. The most recent effort to rebuild the crumbling stronghold by Sir Justin Melenikus and the watchers of Helm has come to naught as well. The day before the PCs arrive on the scene, Waervaerendor devastated the structure, tearing asunder great sections of the keep’s walls. Those stone fortifications not reduced to rubble were instead scoured and pitted with the acid of his breath weapon. As the PCs approach the ruins of Iniarv’s Tower, the black dragon is perched atop the roof of the keep’s main tower cloaked by his ring of invisibility. Waervaerendor observes the PCs while remaining invisible until such time as he is either discovered or he chooses to reveal himself (as discussed in the next section). The dragon normally employs his ring of invisibility to mask his location until he’s had a chance to assess the strengths and composition of the approaching adventurers. If the PCs have visited the ruins of Iniarv’s Tower recently, they are probably familiar with the above-ground portions of the structure, and the DM Series Overview Edging along the eastern edge of the Mere of Dead Men is the High Road, a vital and well-traveled route linking Waterdeep to the northern town of Leilon and, north of that, the city of Luskan. Over the last several months, the High Road between Waterdeep and Leilon has been threatened by monsters from the Mere. Caravans report brutal attacks by lizard men on catoblepas mounts, yuan-ti, gargantuan bullywugs, and will o’ wisps. There have even been confirmed sightings of a huge black lizard skulking through the Mere. Sir Justin Melenikus, a Waterdhavian knight and paladin of Helm, has grown weary of these attacks and offered his services to the city. Sir Justin and his watchers (specialty priests of Helm) recently left Waterdeep and headed north, clearing bandits out of the ruins of the demilich Iniarv’s tower (on the edge of the Mere) and turning the site into their encampment. Melenikus and his watchers have garnered enthusiastic support from the Lords of Waterdeep, the city’s Merchants’ Guild, and the local Adventurers’ Guild, In fact, a notice has been posted prominently in the Adventurers’ Guildhall that reads: “Sir Justin Melenikus, a renowned knight of Helm, needs adventurers to help slay monstrous threats from the dreaded Mere of Dead Men. Fell creatures have been attacking caravans on the High Road, slaughtering travelers, and endangering Waterdeep’s should adjust descriptions accordingly. What remains of Iniarv’s Tower is perched atop a steep escarpment overlooking the High Road. Four stone walls shielded with parapets ring the central ward in a classic square shell keep design. A narrow path leads up from the road below to the fortress’ gate and into a narrow tunnel through the center of the wide, squat western tower. Thirtyfoot-high towers guard the northern and southern corners of the central ward as well. In the rear of the castle, the 70' high main tower looms over the bailey and fortifications below. Large sections of the stone fortifi- trade with its northern neighbors. Unless the monsters are defeated, all trade to the north could be halted. Sir Justin and his watchers have made camp in the ruins of Iniarv’s Tower, located four days’ walk toward Leilon. Interested parties should meet with Sir Justin in person." “Rewards for slain monsters will be authorized by Sir Justin. Gold will be paid by the Free Merchant’s Guild upon presentation of a stamped writ form the knight himself.” A handful of adventurers have already left the city for Iniarv’s Tower, a ruin located in the foothills east of the Mere. Sir Justin is sending several groups into the swamp to rout the monsters. This series explores several key sites where monsters are thought or known to dwell. Using divination spells, the watchers have determined that a great evil lurks in the Mere, and that the recent attacks on the High Road are somehow related. Unlike the previous four adventures in this series, Sir Justin and the watchers of Helm are no longer in control of the ruins of Iniarv’s Tower when the PCs arrive. After a great battle, the surviving followers of Helm were taken captive by the black wyrm Waervaerendor, who has temporarily taken up residence in the ruin. As such, Sir Justin is in no position to offer magical items to aid the PCs in their quest, nor can the heroes return to Iniarv’s Tower during an adventure to receive curative magics, as was the case in the previous adventures. cations have disintegrated and been rebuilt many times over the years with varying degrees of artistic and practical skill. More alarming are the signs of a recent battle between the defenders and a great beast capable of ripping apart thick stone walls with its claws and scouring the stone with acid. The smoke of smoldering fires drifts lazily above the central courtyard, suggesting that Sir Justin Melenikus and the watchers of Helm did not prevail. 1. Walls. The oft-repaired, granite walls of Iniarv’s Tower are 5 feet thick granite fortifications that have 2.
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