Wave Echo Cave

Fifteen miles east of Phandalin, in the deep vales of the Rubygold Mountains, lies Wave Echo Cave. The rich mine of the Phandelver's Pact was lost five hundred years ago during orc invasions that devastated this part of the North.
In the centuries since, countless prospectors and adventurers have searched for the lost mine, but none succeeded until the Rockseeker brothers found the entrance in 7999. Unfortunately, the Rockseekers did not realise they were being trailed by spies working for Dave, the Black Spider, and they inadvertently led the drow villain to their prize. Dave and his followers dealt with the two Rockseekers who were guarding their find, then arranged for Gundren's ambush. Learning of some wayward adventurers' involvement with Gundren Rockseeker or their exploits in and around Phandalin, the Black Spider had given orders for the characters to be dealt with.
The drow is searching for the Forge of Spells, where the human mages of old Phandalin enchanted dwarven weapons and gnome gadgets. However, Nezznar's exploration has been hindered by the restless undead and dangerous monsters that lurk in Wave Echo Cave, forcing him to proceed with great caution.
The adventurers now have the chance to aid Gundren, avenge his kin, and put a stop to the nefarious schemes of the Black Spider. And of course, the hoard of powerful magic rumored to be hidden in the mines is a rich prize.

Cave Entrance

The entrance tunnel leads into a large cavern supported by a natural pillar of rock and containing three stalagmites. In the western part of the cave, behind the column of rock, are three bedrolls and a heap of ordinary supplies-sacks of flour, bags of salt, casks of salted meat, lanterns, flasks of lamp oil, pickaxes, shovels, and other gear. Amid the supplies, you see the body of a dwarf miner, dead for at least a week.
The northeastern section of the cavern has collapsed, forming a ten-foot-wide, twenty-foot-deep pit. A sturdy hemp rope is tied off around a nearby stalagmite and dangles down the side of the pit, at the bottom of which is a rough-hewn tunnel heading northwest and east.

Mine tunnels

This area consists of numerous intersecting passages. The ceilings here are only six feet high, and several of the passages end in partially excavated rock faces.

Old Entrance

The tunnel that runs south was the original entrance to Wave Echo Cave, but it was buried by the destruction that wracked the mines centuries ago. A pitched battle was fought here when the orcs stormed the mines. The dead still lie where they fell.
Many tunnels intersect at this natural, thirty-foot-high cavern. The walls are carved with simple reliefs showing dwarf and gnome miners hard at work. Below them, nearly two dozen skeletons in rusted scraps of armor are scattered across the cavern floor. Some are dwarf skeletons, while others are orc remains. Half a dozen large brass lanterns stand in niches or on ledges around the cavern, but none are lit.
Clinging to the ceiling like bats are ten stirges. The monsters find scant living prey in the mines, and they are ravenous.

Old Guardroom

This guardroom once protected the nearby entrance to the mine, but it was overrun early in the fighting when the orcs attacked.
Splintered stone benches and heaps of rubble from a partially collapsed ceiling fill this room. Amid ruined stone bunks and toppled weapon racks are the bones of several dwarves and orcs.

Assayers' Office

This chamber was once an office or storeroom of some kind. A large stone counter bisects the room, set with three dusty balance scales made of iron. Cubbyholes carved into the north wall are stuffed with dusty paper scraps. Several long-dead corpses-gnomes and orcs by their look-are sprawled across the floor.
The mine's assayers worked here, weighing and assessing ore samples and paying the minors for their labour. The centuries-old paper in the cubbyholes disintegrates if touched.

Caverns

Wave Echo Cave is mainly made up of many caverns, brought together by labyrinthine passages and natural openings.

Fungi Cavern

Dense carpets of weird fungi cover large sections of the floor in this cavern. The growth includes puffballs a foot across, weird shelf fungus growing on stalagmites, and large stalks and caps a good five feet tall. Some of the puffballs glow with an eerie green phosphorescence.

Great Cavern

Steep escarpments divide this large cavern into three sections-high ledges at either end, and a lower section in the middle. Carved stone stairs climb up to the ledges. Two large tables stand in the middle section, along with a pair of old braziers. A smaller table stands on the eastern ledge. The skeletal remains of dozens of dead warriors-dwarves, gnomes, orcs, and ogres-attest to the fierceness of the fighting that took place here long ago.

Smelter Cavern

A blast furnace and mechanical bellows powered by a waterwheel dominate this large chamber. The furnace is cold and dark, but heaps of coal are piled nearby, along with carts full of unrefined ore. The waterwheel sits in a ten-foot-wide channel cut into the floor of the room, but the channel is dry. Passages exit to the west, south, and east. The empty channel exits to the north and east. More than a dozen withered corpses are scattered around the room.

Starry Cavern

Glittering minerals in the ceiling of this large cavern catch the light and send it back to create the impression of a starry night sky. Dozens of skeletons-many crushed under fallen debris-are scattered across the floor.
The cave is large enough that it contains two freestanding structures. Each of these stone buildings is proportioned for human use, as opposed to the dwarf-sized doorways and furnishings you've seen elsewhere in the mines. Both structures have battered and blackened masonry walls, their double doors cracked and scorched. The cavern is divided by an escarpment, into which a flight of stairs has been cut.
Passages lead out of this area to the north, south, and west.

Booming Cavern

A narrow ledge overlooks a large cavern that houses a surging, seething body of water. The rhythmic booming heard throughout the mines is louder here. At regular intervals, a fresh surge of water funnels into this chamber and slams against the wall just below the ledge. The echo suggests that this cave might be one arm of a much larger cavern to the northeast.

Forge of Spells

Here is where the wizards allied with the dwarves and gnomes of the Phandelver's Pact channelled the magic of these caverns to enchant dwarven arms and gnome gadgets. The northernmost door is scorched and cracked, its iron hinges partially melted. The western double doors are just as damaged but stand slightly ajar.
This large workshop was badly damaged by the ancient spell battle that laid waste to the mine. Worktables taking up two corners of the room are scorched, and the plaster has been burned off the masonry walls. In the middle of the room, a stone pedestal holds a small brazier in which an eerie green flame dances and crackles. The brazier and its pedestal appear to have been untouched by the forces that destroyed this area.

Temple of Talos

Six cracked marble pillars line the walls of this hall, at the north end of which stands a nine-foot-tall statue of a dwarf seated on a throne, a mighty stone warhammer across his lap. Large emeralds gleam in the statue's eyes.
The dust and debris covering the floor has been swept to one side, and a campsite of sorts now spreads in front of the statue. Half a dozen bedrolls and packs are neatly arranged around a rough-built fire pit. A wooden table stands on the west side of the room between two pillars.
The statue depicts Talos, the ultimate god of dwarves. Any character who has any knowledge of religion would recognise the deity. The statue is beautifully carved, and its emerald eyes appear extremely valuable. However, the jewels are clever fakes made of worthless glass, as close inspection reveals. Nevertheless, a powerful spell protects them, and a Detect Magic spell reveals a strong aura of Abjuration magic surrounding the statue.

RUINED STRUCTURE
7490

Type

Mine

Parent Location

The Shadowed Vale

Included Locations

• Forge of Spells

General Features

The mine is cold, damp, and surprisingly drafty. A noticeable breeze blows through many of its passages. Tunnels are 10 feet high unless noted otherwise. Rooms have 20-foot-high ceilings, while natural caverns have 30-foot-high ceilings dotted with stalactites. All doors are 6 feet tall, 4 feet wide, and made of six-inch-thick cut slabs of stone fitted with iron handles and hinges. The doors are low and wide-perfect for dwarves. The walls are hewn stone. In a few areas, they are dressed with well-fitted stone blocks. All floors are smooth, natural stone. There are no light sources unless otherwise indicated. Found in many of the natural caverns, stalagmites rise up from the floor and can be used for cover.

Booming Waves

All good dungeons have characteristics that make them unique, and Wave Echo Cave is no exception. The rhythmic thunder of pounding waves echoes throughout the mine, loud enough to make the stone underfoot shiver. Waves come about two minutes apart, growing louder toward the northeast.
Wave Echo Cave is nowhere near the ocean, but a water-filled cavern deep in the mine is connected to an underground hot spring. That spring boils over continuously to produce a surge that slams into a narrow funnel, making a sound like breaking surf.

The Myth of the Lost Mine

More than five hundred years ago, clans of Shadar dwarves and halflings made an agreement known as the Phandelver's Pact, by which they would share a rich mine in a wondrous cavern known as Wave Echo Cave. In addition to its mineral wealth, the mine contained great magical power. Human spellcasters allied themselves with the dwarves and halflings to channel and bind that energy into a great forge (called the Forge of Spells), where magic items could be crafted. Times were good, and the nearby human town of Phandalin prospered as well. But then disaster struck when orcs swept through the east and laid waste to all in their path.
The Rockseeker brothers failed in their attempts to keep a hold on Wave Echo Cave, and had to hire adventurers for backup. Baby McBaby, Deer, Nym, Veo, Nick Nara, and Myrddin were in Obsidian City when their dwarf patron and friend, Gundren Rockseeker, hired them to escort a wagon to Phandalin. Gundren had gone ahead with a warrior, Sildar Hallwinter, to attend to business in the town while the adventurers followed with the supplies. They were also promised 10 gp each by the owner of Barthen's Provisions in Phandalin when they deliver the wagon safely to that trading post.
The adventurers were on the road to the town of Phandalin when they stumbled into a goblin ambush. They discovered that the goblins (who belonged to the Cragmaw tribe) had captured Gundren and Sildar. They dealt with the ambushers and then followed their trail back to the goblins' hideout. They rescued Sildar and learned from him that Gundren and his brothers discovered a famous lost mine. Sildar knows only that Gundren and his map have been taken to somewhere called Cragmaw Castle. The adventurers took several short adventures in the region around Phandalin as they searched for more information about the Black Spider and the dwarves' lost mine. Several of these leads pointed to Cragmaw Castle, which was the stronghold of King Grol, leader of the Cragmaw goblins. Here the adventurers discovered that the Black Spider was a drow scientist named Dave, and that the Cragmaw goblins worked for him. More importantly, they recovered Gundren Rockseeker's map to the lost mine.
Following the map or the directions to the lost mine brought them to Wave Echo Cave. That lost underground complex was now overrun by undead and strange monsters. Dave was there with his loyal followers, exploring the mines and searching for the legendary Forge of Spells. The adventurers had the opportunity to avenge Gundren Rockseeker, to ensure the prosperity and security of Phandalin by clearing the rich mine of its monsters, and to put an end to the troublemaking of the Black Spider. It is unknown what happened at Wave Echo Cave, and the Black Spider was presumably killed, bringing peace to Phandalin and securing Wave Echo Cave and the Forge of Spells. However, it is known that whatever happened in Wave Echo Cave led to the adventurers splitting up for good.
With hard work and a little luck, the adventurers cleared Phandalin of the ruffians who threatened its people and reclaimed the lost mine of Wave Echo Cave. Their deeds would be long remembered in this corner of Terra Caelum. In years to come, the restored mines of the Phandelver's Pact would bring great riches to Phandalin and help establish peace and prosperity in the area.
Nundro Rockseeker, having been rescued by the adventurers after being a hostage of Dave, took over administration of the new mine. Even though the adventurers chose to split up and move on in search of new adventures, they'd always have a warm welcome in Phandalin.