The Haunted Past:
A Halloween Trollskull
Adventure for 2nd Level
Adventure Summary
This adventure is meant to take place in Chapter 2 of
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist in place of (or alongside) the Lif
encounter. This adventure is easily modified to accomodate
any haunted house scenario outside of the published module.
The adventures are promised by Volo that he will give them
a tour of the grounds of their new estate, but is conspicuously
absent when the adventurers arrive to meet him. It's late
evening and a storm is brewing in the sky and no one is on the
streets. The characters look up to catch a flicker of a form in a
window and a strange glow coming from one of the topmost
towers. Little do they realize that some local urchins (Nat,
Jenks and Squiddly [W:DH p.63]) have wormed their way
into the manor, looking to have an adventure and play some
pranks on the newest inhabitants. In a cruel twist of fate, the
ghosts of the dead orphans killed here have come back to life,
seeking vengeance on the intruders.
Setting the Scene
Your players have recently met with Volo where he signed
over the documents to Trollskull Manor (or, if not playing
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, just substitute Volo and Trollskull
Manor with any other NPC and suitable locale.)
Read this to your players as they approach the meeting
sight in front of the manor.
You make your way down Trollskull Alley well into eveningtime.
The last rays of sunlight disappeared behind looming rooftops
hours ago and the only light is the flickering of soft streetlamps
that cast long shadows all around. There isn't a soul on street
as you stand beneath the lamp closest to the manor and wait
for your contact to arrive. Dark clouds block out the stars and
rumble with the warnings of a coming storm as tiny raindrops
begin to plop one by one upon your cheek. You look up at the
dark and foreboding manor, now yours, that seems to sway
slightly at the top as the wind picks up. Looking up you see a
ghostly light flicker from the highest window, or did you
imagine it? Raindrops are falling faster now as the wind begins
to howl. Your contact will definitely be late.
The street is well-lit from street lamps. Their candles are
enchanted with a continual flame spell. There is no one on the
street as it has begun to storm.
The players have little choice but to enter the house to seek
shelter from the storm, or return to their previous lodging. If
so, have a player spot a paper bird fluttering toward them,
dodging raindrops and arrive seconds later. The message is
from Volo, informing them that he is running late and to have
them wait for him inside the manor.
Outside of the Manor
When your players approach the manor, read aloud:
Getting close to the manor, you can see it is in horrible
disrepair. The roof is missing several shingles and the wooden
walkway leading up to the manor steps groan under the
slightest weight as if pleading for release. The house moans as
the wind whips itself through the cracks of boarded up
windows and the balconies surrounding the house sag like a
soggy hat pulled down over the head of the ancient manor. You
swear for a moment you saw it again, movement between
boarded up windows, somewhere up above. You can't shake
the feeling that someone is watching as you approach.
If players decide to walk around the manor, they find no easy
means of ingress. The windows have all been boarded up for
years, and the balconies are in poor condition.
However, a character that can fly, may head up to one of the
several balconies situated on the second and third floors.
Listed below are the several modes of entry.
Front Door - Leads to 1st Floor Tavern (Locked - DC 10)
Side Stairs - Lead to 2nd Floor (Locked - DC 15)
Front Balcony - Leads to 2nd Floor (Warped - DC 18)
Back Balcony - Leads to 2nd Floor (Locked - DC 10)
Side Balcony - Leads to 2nd Floor- (Warped - DC 15)
Any locked doors can be opened with Volo's key to the
manor which he may or may not have already given to the
party.
1st Floor Tavern
Upon entering read:
The inside of the tavern smells musty and feels slightly damp,
like the inside of a beer keg. The wooden floors are bloated and
warped from seasons of soaking spilt liquor. Cobwebs drape
themselves over tables and stools, undulating every time a
small draft blows through the room. You hear the pitter-patter
of small feet and giggling somewhere toward the back.
Lif (W:DH p.31) is here, although keeping himself invisible.
He randomly uses his Telekenetic Thrust ability to toss
players and objects around the room.
In the middle of the floor, in a 10' radius, is a spilled bag of
marbles. Any character who moves over the must make a DC
13 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. Characters with a
passive Perception of 15 or higher notice the bag and have
advantage on Dexterity saving throws to avoid falling prone.
/u/ImpossibeardROK's Trollskull Adventure 1
 Behind the Bar The Hearth
If players investigate the bar, read aloud: If the players investigate the hearth read:
There is a keg of beer set against the back wall that looks as The hearth in the center of the room looks to be in relatively
worn as the rest of the manor. Over the keg hangs a small good condition, and you can almost imagine it once setting
plaque that reads "Employee of the tenday:" with small brass this large tavern aglow with warm radiance. Resting above the
squares set in the plaque's wood frame. Inspecting the plaque mantle is a dusty photograph of a few individuals you can't
further reveals the same name written again and again on each quite make out.
brass tab: "Lif Lindgren". Beneath the keg you spot a trapdoor
that you assume leads down to the cellar storeroom. The flue to the chimney is filled with soot, which has
completed clogged it up.
If the players take a look at the
If the players try to inspect the plaque further, Lif sends it photograph they see a middle-aged elen man beaming form
flying off the wall toward the nearest player. A cry of anguish ear to ear. He is flanked by a cheerful halfling on one side and
rises up and have all characters make a DC 14 Perception a dwarf on the other.
check. for a brief moment, you are able to see the saddened Upon grabbing the photograph, if Lif has not been placated,
face of a middle-aged elven man with a bartowel thrown over he hurls the photograph into the hearth and a fire suddenly
his shoulder. erupts within it. The smoke begins to billow and fill the tavern.
If the players try to communicate with Lif, he will write The room becomes lightly obscured.
phrases like "Last Call!" in the dust and grime of the taverns A player with a Passive perception of 15 or higher that is
countertops. If the players can succeed on a DC 16 crawling under the smoke notices a small, childlike form run
Persuasion check to convince Lif that they are the new past the bar, giggling.
proprieters and they will restore the tavern to it's former glory, The Kitchen
he will stop combating them and start to write forboding As the players enter the kitchen read:
messages in the grime like "She is here....above us..." and
"Please....save the children...".
The pantry has been ransacked by rats long ago, leaving

nothing but droppings around the room. The hearth here didn't
fare as well as the one in the common area, and you can see
How Lif Died where the stone has been split by temperature and age. the
This isn't really made clear in the text of Waterdeep: hearth, you see a small doll, smudged with soot, resting amid
Dragon Heist, but we can define it here for the sake the ashes.
of our narrative. Trollskull Manor was once an
orphanage run by a Hag as a front to eat orphans.
There was a large fire where part of the orphanage There's nothing of any value here. In the cabinets and drawers
burned down and the guards who came to the there are some rusty knives and some other utensils, but
scene of the fire discovered what had been mostly everything else has been taken.
occuring there all along. She was put on trial and In the hearth is a talking doll. If doll is picked up, a small
hung for her deeds, but her spirit and the spirit of Spectreling crawls out of the flue and reaches for it. It will
her orphans still plagued the house. They always actively pursue and attack any character holding the doll. If
haunted the manor, but on the 1st of Eleint, the day given the doll, it climbs back up the chimney flue and out of
of her hanging, their spirits come in full force. sight. If carried, the talking doll utters programmed phrases.
Lif became aware of these activities within his
first few months of his employment and convinced The Talking Doll
the owner to shut down once a year on that day for Trigger Voice Phrase
a worker's holiday. Soon word got out that the
haunted manor was vacant on the first day of "Who's been a
When picked up Motherly
autumn every year and young children started wicked child?"
daring each other to go in.
About 5 years ago, one child foolishly went up When brought near the "Someone's ready
Motherly
above the tavern, to the manor. Lif caught the hearth for the stewpot!"
child's friends hanging around the stairs and he When taken through the "Don't worry, we'll
rushed up to the manor as quick as he could. He Motherly
doorway take care of her."
pulled the child from the spectral hag's clutches,
but in doing so signed his own death warrent. He "I hope I don't wake
Randomly Childlike
died protecting the city of Waterdeep in the tavern up"
that he loved. "Please don't hurt
Since that horrific day, the tavern closed down If intentionally damaged Childlike
me!"
and Lif's ghost, full of guilt and self-blame,
remained shackled to it, trying to keep the hag from If placed into a stewpot or
Motherly "Delicious"
claiming another human soul. other cooking pot

2 /u/ImpossibeardROK's Trollskull Adventure

The Basement
If players head to the basement, read:
It's dark and dank down here. No light shines through and the
only sound is your beating heart pulsing in your ears.
The characters can find a small box in the corner with a DC
15 Investigation check. Inside the box is 10gp, 4sp, a
bartender's smock, and a small, worn diary. If read, the diary
says:
"1934 DR, 15 Flamerule - It's a happy day. I have found
employment at the Trollskull Tavern. It's in close proximity to
my home and word on the street is it is a rather fine
establishment. I'm hoping I can best utilize..."
"1936 DR, 18 Eleasias - Looking into the matter of this
establishment's past has caused me some great concern. I
have to speak with the master right away. Elient is right
around the corner...."
"1936 DR, 1 Elient - No one shall believe me unless they
saw it themselves, but I know what I saw. That hung hag
haunts this manor still...in spirit but still a threat. We mustn't
allow children anywhere near..."
The rest of it is too faded or dissolved to make out.
A Cry From Above
At any point while the characters are exploring the tavern, you
can read the following text:
A loud bong echoing from the floor above calls out the time:
midnight. As soon as the clock call subsides, a foul chill fills the
air and you hear the distant sound of a mad cackle followed by
a piercing shriek of fear.
2nd Floor Estate
Entering the second floor can happen a number of ways, but
regardless point of entry, read the following:
The estate portion of Trollskull Manor is in better condition
than the tavern, but the emptiness somehow breeds a new kind
of terror in your heart. The dark sky gives no light and the room
is enveloped in darkness. You hear the soft pitterpatting of
children's feet and imagine for a moment something tugging at
your fingertips.
If the players make their way through the west corridor, they
find a spectreling standing at the other end of the corridor,
eyes glowing like hollow white beams and long black hair
dragging on the ground. The spectreling tries charming the
party and then calls a shadow in a fit of rage if any of them
resist.
Thumping around the second floor is Jenks, clutching his
owlbear "familiar", Hobbson, in one hand and waving his toy
wand around in the other. He has stuck one of the continual
flame candles onto the end of his wand which has given him
enough light to see. He is running around to avoid a pursuing
spectreling and shadow.
When rescued, he informs the party that his friends and him
had overheard the manor was bought and thought this was
their last chance to explore it and look for treasure. They'd
heard the old ghost stories about it, but he had no idea there
was any truth behind them. He tells the party that his friend
Squiddly, a young tiefling boy with an eyepatch, was captured
by an old hag that appeared. She had taken him up to the 3rd
floor and is probably going to cook him.
He's searching for their leader, Nat, so they can mount a
rescue mission, but she doesn't seem to be anywhere on this
floor.
3rd Floor
Read upon ascending the stairs:
Each stair groans heavily under your weight and you can feel
the darkness bearing down on you. Everywhere the footsteps
and giggles of mischevious children haunt you. You all bunch
up, trying to limit your blind spots as you move up the stairs.
There are 2d4 spectrelings on this floor that try to ambush
the characters. When one party member is looking away, they
appear from the darkness and try to charm them, then draw
them away from the rest of the party and into the darkness.
These spectrelings often appear from unlikely places like
the inside of the privy or under a stairwell.
A wooden toy sword sits at the base to the tower and Jenks
immediately recognizes it at Nat's.
The Manor Tower
Upon climbing the ladder, read:
You throw back the hatch and look around you. Between
lightning flashes, you make out the form of a small child,
hunched over beside some boxes. As you approach, you can
tell she is human, and trembling. The human child stares up at
you fiercly, clutching a small shriveled token in her hand.
The child is Nat, and she is unable to speak. She gestures
emphatically to the party in a kind of code you can't figure out.
If Jenks is with you, the two start up a conversation of coded
hand signals.
Jenks explains that Nat can't speak, but that's okay because
that means they get their own secret language that no one else
knows. He informs the party that Nat found something
important to the hag, something that should destroy her. Nat
shows the party the token she had been clutching. It's a
shriveled green hand grasped around a shriveled organ that
pulsates weakly. They found it under some floorboards while
they were playing marbles in the tavern.
The children don't know what to do with it, but know it's
important to the hag and are adamant about saving their
friend.
Playing the Children
Nat and Jenks are scared, but willing to fight for
their friend. All the children have 6 hit point and
deal 1 damage on a hit with their toy weapons.
/u/ImpossibeardROK's Trollskull Adventure 3
 The Garrets
Read upon ascending the stairs from the 3rd floor:
You hear a wild cackling to the south and Nat and Jenks bolt for
the door, unafraid. You chase after them and open the south
door to a room covered with windows. Rain slams against the
glass panes as lightning flashes all around, illuminating the dark
room. The silhouette of a spectral old hag floats hauntingly in
the center of the room, her form translucent. Splashing about
in a black cauldron is a young tiefling boy with an eyepatch.
Spectral mist swirls out of it and onto the floor. Looking around
you suddenly notice several pairs of glowing eyes all around
you, their diminutive forms lurching forward. "Yes, that's it my
sweets. Bring our new friends to the bath," the hag cackles.
The Hag Husk controls all six of the spectrelings, and is
difficult to damage in her incorporeal form. She cackles
insanely about how long she has waited to taste the flesh of a
child again and attacks the party without hesitation. Squiddly
sits in the boiling pot taking 1 fire damage a round.
If the party drops the shriveled hand into the cauldron, the
bubbling water beings to turn to blood and the Hag Husk
becomes fully corporeal. She begins to shriek and curse the
party as she realizes all of the spectrelings are turning on her.
After she is defeated, read:
The shrieking and howling slowly began to soften and
disappear as the hag sank into the ground. The rainstorm
outside slowed to a light drizzle as everything became quiet.
Squiddly scrambled out of the cauldron quickly, running over to
his friends for a soggy hug. "Guys, are you crying? Don't worry!
It's not the first time I've been it hot water!" Everyone gives a
light laugh and the black forms of the haunted children
hesitate. Slowly, their skin changed transluscent and they took
on individual features, each of them looking like a young girl.
They continued to fade until they were barely visible. Then
suddenly, a smile from each of them before they were gone for
good. One last spectral form rises from the ground below. A
middle-aged elven man with a bar-towel gives the party a brief
glance, then a smile, and then he too is gone. The room is filled
with silence and serenity. Then, suddenly...you hear a loud
thumping from several floors below and a familiar voice yelling
up: "Friends, apologies for my lateness, is everything alright?!"
The party can return down to the 2nd floor where Volo is
soaking wet and waiting. He is deeply apologetic for being so
late and when the party recounts what happened here he is
extremely upset he missed out on such an excellent chapter
for his book.
He is late because he brought a friend to help inspect the
premises and offer advice. Renaer Neverember isn't the least
bit surprised that the party can't seem to stay out of trouble.
4 /u/ImpossibeardROK's Trollskull Adventure
Spectreling
small, neutral evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 15 (3d8)
Speed 25 ft., fly 30ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
1 (-5) 12 (+1) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 14 (+2)
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lighting, thunder;
nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled,
paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained,
unconscious
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands Common, but can't speak
Challenge Challenge 1/2 (100xp)
Incorporeal Movement The spectreling can move
through other creatures and objects as it they were
difficult terrain. It takes 5(1d10) force damage if it
ends its turn in an object.
Actions
Charming Grin. The target must succeed on a DC 14
Charisma saving throw or become charmed by the
spectreling. A creature charmed in this way tries to
move toward the spectreling and protect it from
harm.
Shade Summon/1 day: Once per day the spectreling
can call for protection from the abyss. Roll a d6. On a
5 or 6, the spectreling calls forth a shade to protect
it. The shade disappears if the spectreling is ever
destroyed.
Light Life Drain. Melee Spell Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5
ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d6) necrotic damage. The
target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving
throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an
amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction
lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target
dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to
0.
Hag Husk
medium, neutral evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 52 (7d8+21)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
1 (-5) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 14 (+2)
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lighting, thunder;
nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled,
paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained,
unconscious
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands Common and Fey
Challenge Challenge 2 (450xp)
Horrific Reveal (Corporeal Form Only) When the hag
becomes corporeal, every humanoid must make a
DC 11 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the
creature is Frightened for 1 minute. A creature can
repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its
turns, with disadvantage if the hag is within line of
sight, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Ancient Fragility (Corporeal Form Only). The hag loses
all damage resistances and immunities.
Innate Spellcasting. The hag's innate spellcasting
ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 12, +4 to hit
with spell attacks). She can innately cast the
following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: Charm Person, Produce Flame
1/day: Crown of Madness, Hold Person, Sleep
Actions
Charming Grin. The target must succeed on a DC 14
Charisma saving throw or become charmed by the
spectreling. A creature charmed in this way tries to
move toward the spectreling and protect it from
harm.
Shade Summon/1 day: Once per day the spectreling
can call for protection from the abyss. Roll a d6. On a
5 or 6, the spectreling calls forth a shade to protect
it. The shade disappears if the spectreling is ever
destroyed.
Light Life Drain. Melee Spell Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5
ft., one creature. Hit: 3 (1d6) necrotic damage. The
target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving
throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an
amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction
lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target
dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to
0.
Shadow
medium, chaotic evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 16 (3d8+3)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
6 (-2) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 8 (-1)
Skills Stealth +4
Damage Vulnerabilities radiant
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning,
thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from
nonmagical qttacks
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened,
grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone,
restrained
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands Common and Fey
Challenge Challenge 1/2 (100xp)
Amorphous The shadow can move through a space
as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the
shadow can take the Hide action as a bonus action.
Sunlight Weakness. While in sunlight, the shadow has
disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and
saving throws.
Actions
Strength Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) necrotic
damage, and the target's Strength score is reduced
by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces its Strength to
0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target
finishes a short or long rest.
If a non-evil humanoid dies from this attack, a new
shadow rises from the corpse 1d4 hours later.
Acknowledgements
The talking doll in this adventure was taken from
/u/Enchelion's reddit post.
The collaborative efforts of redditors on
/r/WaterdeepDragonHeist were a huge inspiration.
Appendix
I've created some basic maps for Trollskull Manor
that can be found here
/u/ImpossibeardROK's Trollskull Adventure
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