Phandalin's Bedtime Rhyme

The adventure takes place in the Firefly Cellar, Phandalin, a windowless basement beneath the Stonehill Inn, so named because its only light comes from lamps lit by swarms of fireflies. After spending the night here, adventurers woke up in the morning with the same tune in their heads, and each one hummed it under their breath. They soon discovered that the tune had "spread" to the Firefly Cellar's other occupants, and the citizens of Phandalin instituted a quarantine to contain what was actually a curse. A series of unfortunate events unfolded while the adventurers were quarantined in the Firefly Cellar with a handful of the library's attendants, in an attempt to keep Shemshime's curse from spreading throughout the entire library. The events described Shemshime's growing supernatural influence and how people dealt with the mounting pressure of confinement under dangerous circumstances.

Background

Centuries ago, a family living in a remote water mill endured a string of unfortunate events. A malevolent spirit called Shemshime attached itself to the family and caused the "accidents." The daughter finally destroyed Shemshime by crushing it under a millstone that had been blessed by a travelling halfling cleric of Zudris. The story became a local legend, a cautionary tale meant to warn people to keep their attention on their chores. When a travelling gnome bard heard the tale, he was so intrigued that he set the story down in the book, Shemshime's Bedtime Rhyme. By doing so, he inadvertently created a conduit through which Shemshime could return. Yowen Pilt procured the book from an adventurer who discovered it among the debris of a shipwreck. He brought the mechanical book to Candlekeep, and prior to the adventure, it had just been sent to Firefly Cellar for safekeeping, to be repaired and kept safe. The kenku, Crinkle, loves to collect all kinds of curios and baubles. Shemshime's Bedtime Rhyme, with its intricate mechanical workings and charming music box, was too tempting to resist. After years as an Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep, she discovered the book when it was selected to have its spine repaired as part of a restoration project. Before the adventurers arrived at the Firefly Cellar at the beginning of the adventure, Crinkle brought the book to her room and opened it. The music box started to play, and she became the subject of Shemshime's curse.

Firefly Cellar

Looking for someplace to rest in Phandalin, adventurers Tira, Euanthe, Thimdul, Edmond Dantes, Felicity and Tabitha settled upon the Firefly Cellar, beneath Stonehill Inn. The characters descended into the Firefly Cellar through the hatch in the ceiling. When they arrived, they found the elderly elf Varnyr precariously balanced on a ladder while arranging a few of the flowerpots on top of one of the bookcases. She was engrossed in her work. Before the characters said anything, she started speaking without looking at them. "Ebder, are you back?" "I never left!" grumbled a voice from below. "Oh?" The elf looks down and seems surprised at your presence. Then she says, indicating the room around her, "Ah. Visitors. I'm Scribe Varnyr. Sorry for the state of things. As you see, the restoration project is a work in progress. I'll be with you shortly." She returned to her work. A moment later, she said, "Actually, would you mind bringing that stack of books downstairs to Ebder? I'll meet you there." She pointed to a small pile of books on a stool. "Thanks so much." Tabitha brought the pile of books down to Ebder, who was vaguely thankful. After receiving the pile of books, he pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh and explained that the books were not for him but for the other guest, K'Tulah, who was staying in one of the rooms below. He gave the characters directions to her room and asked them to deliver the books.

The Curse

After their first night in the Firefly Cellar, the residents gathered around a table in the centre of the collection's main floor. It was quiet until they noticed that their companions were humming a melody under their breath—the same tune that had been stuck in all of their heads since they woke up. After a moment, they realised that they too were humming along. They were humming Shemshime's bedtime rhyme. They didn't know it by name, and though they all hummed it perfectly, they were not entirely certain they knew it before that day. Unknown to the characters, the cursed tune spread to them when Gailby Smallstone sang it in the hall outside their rooms after she heard it from Crinkle. The cellar was locked to put the residents into quarantine and prevent the curse from spreading. After a series of misadventures and escape attempts, the adventurers realised they had to repair the book. After being repaired, the book trembled, and its mechanical inner workings squeal to a halt for a moment before whirring back to life. The adventurers heard clicks, and shadows bursted forth from the book like steam from a kettle, collecting along the ceiling until wisps of darkness outlined a vaguely humanoid figure. Meanwhile, the scenes inside the book transformed, creating an entirely new picture that included tiny cutout figures of the adventurers. Repairing the book summoned the demon Shemshime. To defeat Shemshime, it had to be crushed by an object weighing at least 1,000 pounds, which the adventurers did by using simultaneous castings of Earth Tremor to knock a bookshelf on him. Saving Firefly Cellar of the curse earned the adventurers the title of Hero of Phandalin.

Date of Setting

9th of February, 8009

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