10. Helping Spugnois find the Cache - Hommlet

Spugnois, a young and ambitious mage recently arrived in Hommlet, has uncovered a lead on the location of a lost wizard's laboratory near Emridy Meadows. This laboratory, once belonging to a powerful wizard, has since been taken over by cultists serving the Temple of Elemental Evil, specifically the Air Temple. Spugnois seeks the help of the PCs to explore the dungeon and retrieve the arcane treasures hidden within. In return, he asks for first access to any magical scrolls or spellbooks they find, offering to split the rest of the treasure equally.

Quest Hook

Spugnois has been quietly observing the PCs since they arrived in Village of Hommlet, assessing their capabilities. Whether or not he has previously joined their party, he approaches them one evening at the Inn of the Welcome Wench. With a mixture of excitement and urgency, he reveals that his sage master recently decoded a map pointing to the location of a forgotten laboratory near Emridy Meadows. Spugnois believes this could be a treasure trove of ancient magic, and he offers to guide the party there in exchange for their help in overcoming whatever dangers might still lurk within.

Key Locations

• Emridy Meadows: The historic site of a great battle against the Temple of Elemental Evil. The lab is hidden in a remote, overgrown area on the outskirts, largely forgotten by time.
• The Wizard's Laboratory: A small, four-room dungeon that has become a minor outpost for the Temple of Air.

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TEMPLE OF AIR

Room 1: The Summoning Chamber

The first room the PCs enter is large and dimly lit, with intricate markings on the stone floor forming a summoning circle. The walls are adorned with a faded mural that contains the formulae for a magic circle spell. The air is thick with dust and smoke, which seems to swirl unnaturally.

Enemies

• Dust Mephit (100xp): This mischievous creature will try to blind and irritate the PCs with its Dust Cloud ability.
• Smoke Mephit (100xp): The smoke mephit will use its Cinder Breath to obscure vision and make the battle more chaotic.
• Tactics: The mephits are not particularly intelligent and will rely on hit-and-run tactics, using their breath attacks to disrupt the party's formation.

Room 2: The Laboratory

This room, once a place of arcane research, is now cluttered with dusty alchemical tools and mouldering books. A large, ancient forge dominates one corner, and the smell of sulfur and burnt materials lingers in the air. On a central table, a recently completed +1 magic dagger glints ominously.

Enemies

• Air Cultists (2) (50xp each): These fanatical followers of the Air Temple are rummaging through the books, searching for useful texts. They are startled by the PCs' arrival but quickly move to defend their master's laboratory.
• Tactics: The cultists will try to use the laboratory’s layout to their advantage, positioning themselves near the forge to threaten the PCs with its heat or to hurl alchemical concoctions if the fight goes poorly.

Treasure

• 2 Potions of Gaseous Form
• Potion of Healing
• Potion of Flight
• +1 Dagger
• 38 cp on the cultists.

Room 3: The Fountain Room

The third room features a cracked and ancient fountain, now repaired and filled with cold, clear water. The floor is stained green from algae, and the air is damp. A cauldron sits over a long-extinguished fire pit, and decayed foodstuffs line the shelves, indicating the room was once a place for brewing and cooking.

• Interaction: There are no enemies in this room, but the fountain's water has a strange property. If a character drinks from it, they must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a success, they gain 1d4 temporary hit points. On a failure, they take 1d4 poison damage from the tainted water.

Room 4: The Gnome's Quarters

This final room is a cramped, musty bedroom, clearly designed for a small occupant. The furniture is gnome-sized and in poor condition, with mildew staining the wood and fabric. The cultists have moved in, setting up bedrolls on the floor, and a locked cabinet stands in one corner, the lock badly battered from repeated attempts to open it.

Enemies

• Air Cult Fanatic (450xp): The leader of the small cultist group, this fanatical figure is hiding in the room, ready to strike. If he hears the PCs fighting in the previous room, he will try to ambush them.
• Tactics: The cult fanatic will fight to the death, using his spells and abilities to protect the spellbook at all costs. He is fervently devoted to the Air Temple and will curse the PCs as he fights.

Treasure

Coin: 16 ep on the cultist leader.
Spell Scrolls: Fog Cloud, Silent Image, Gust of Wind, Misty Step.
Locked Cabinet: Contains a Spellbook with the following spells:

• 1st Level: Feather Fall, Fog Cloud, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Protection from Good and Evil, Sleep, Silent Image, Tenser's Floating Disc, Unseen Servant.
• 2nd Level: Gust of Wind, Levitate, Misty Step, Rope Trick.
• 3rd Level: Fly, Gaseous Form, Magic Circle, Sleet Storm.

Conclusion

Once the PCs have cleared the dungeon, Spugnois will be eager to examine the spellbook and scrolls. If the PCs allow him, he will thank them profusely and offer to help identify any other magical items they found. He will split the rest of the treasure fairly, keeping his promise to let the PCs have their share. The PCs might also earn a loyal ally in Spugnois, who will offer his arcane services and knowledge in future adventures.

Plot type

Adventure dungeon crawl

Parent Plot

Hommlet - Local Side Quests

Related Characters

• Spugnois

Related Locations

• 7. The Inn of the Welcome Wench
• Emridy Meadows
• Village of Hommlet

AirCult-Room 1 - Summoning Chamber by 3orcs

AirCult-Room 2_ The Laboratory by 3orcs

AirCult-Room 3 The Fountain Room by 3orcs

AirCult-Room 4 The Gnome's Quarters by 3orcs