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Introduction
n a seaside city, dark forces move in the shadows.
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The adventurers have been hired by an enigmatic Meeting Johan Lonstadt
noble named Johan Lonstadt as last-minute When everyone has had a chance to introduce
muscle for a job tonight. themselves, or at a suitably dramatic moment, introduce
Johan has lost an important parcel. The devious Johan.
Cult of the Maw has stolen the contents, three
vials of alchemically manipulated human blood.
The adventures must investigate the city for traces of
the cult, culminating in a showdown with their nefarious
leader and his summoned demons.
This adventure is designed to be setting agnostic.
Pick your favorite seaside city and run this adventure
there! Great examples include Waterdeep, Seaside,
Meletis, or Luskan. This is an adventure for a party of
1st level characters and will take three to eight hours of
play time.
Read the following paragraph aloud to the players to
introduce them to the adventure.
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Right now Joahn is trying not to seem desperate and Exploring the City
reveal the importance of the parcel to him. Johan Once the players accept the job their first order of
informs the player characters of the specifics of the job business will most likely be to seek out the Sunrise and
with the information below: interrogate its crew. However, clues to the location of
Johan expected to receive the parcel earlier today, the parcel can be found throughout the city. Ask the
delivered directly to his estate. party where they would like to investigate first.
The parcel is a small, wooden box with an engraving At this point the player characters should have the
of a rose and dagger on the top. freedom to roam wherever they please. You can use the
A ship named the Sunrise was carrying the parcel. City Locations table to guide the players towards the
Johan knows the Sunrise docked at the city’s port adventure. If the players are having trouble deciding
last night, yet the parcel was never delivered. where to go next, prod them towards the dock district or
Johan expects trouble with the crew of the Sunrise. roll on the City Locations table.
They have a reputation for taking unscrupulous jobs If the players stray too far from the path, consider it
and being belligerent. Johan elusively says he is an opportunity to flex your improvisation skills. If the
worried about going himself or sending his men, so players are not having fun with an improvised
he’s hiring the characters as a show of force. adventure, you can always break the fourth wall and
Johan says the parcel’s contents are personal and simply ask your players to follow the material you have
embarrassing. As part of the job he asks the prepared.
characters not to look inside the wooden box before
bringing it to him. City Locations
Johan promises 50 gold each for the return of the d8 Location Event
box, not peeking into the box, and staying quiet 1 Noble Anyone with a passive Wisdom (Perception)
about the whole job. If the player characters try to District check of 13 or better notices someone is
haggle, Johan initially stays firm on the payment following them. It’s Mercy, who quickly dashes
amount. If the characters refuse to budge, Johan off to the dock district.
eventually relents and pays more. 2 Temple Any player character that venerates a god here
Johan is devious and ill-intentioned. It’s possible that can make a DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check.
your characters will at some point in the adventure try On a success they experience a vision of a lone
to enact violence on Johan. If combat breaks out, Mercy ship on a dock, a tavern made of an upside
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The Dock District
Wenry is actively looking out for trouble but wouldn’t
mind a chat with the adventurers to pass the time. If the
When the player characters decide to travel to the city’s players engage her in conversation this is what they can
harbor read the following description: learn:
Wenry is protective of her crew. Before anything else
she’ll spend some time in the conversation assessing
the adventures. She won’t give out any information if
she thinks it will lead to her crew being harmed.
Wenry instantly recognizes the description of a
wooden box with an engraving of a rose and dagger.
The parcel was picked up on an island a little west of
the city. The same island that Ash Ears hails from.
They got the parcel from an alchemist named
Morrow. He has a bad reputation and Wenry is
happy to have the box off of her ship.
There are a few locations in the dock district that the Wenry has no idea what is in the parcel. Her orders
players might want to check out, chief among them is were not to look into the box and she followed them.
finding the transport ship, the Sunrise. The crew of the Sunrise are part time pirates and
much of their cargo is illegitimate. Wenry would
The Sunrise rather not have anyone official taking a close look at
The Sunrise is anchored at the far end of the district, her ship.
away from crowds and prying eyes. Finding it is not too Upon arriving at the city Greeny volunteered to
difficult. Most anybody at the docks could tell the player deliver the parcel. As Greeny is usually quite lazy,
characters where the ship is. If a character is searching Wenry was happy to be able to give him a job to do.
without any help, they can make a DC 10 Intelligence She gave Greeny the parcel to deliver to Johan.
(Investigation) check to find the Sunrise. Wenry knows what Greeny looks like. Perhaps more
importantly, she knows that he likes to drink at the
Silver Doubloon.
Exploring the Sunrise
The player characters may wish to infiltrate the Sunrise
and snoop around to look for clues. To do so they will
have to either sneak past Wenry or convince her to let
them aboard.
To slip past Wenry roll a contested check between the
The figure is the captain of the Sunrise, Wenry player character’s Dexterity (Stealth) check and her
Kegbacker. See the Crew of the Sunrise sidebar for Wisdom (Perception) check. Wenry will attempt to stop
more information on her and her crew. She’s decided to any character she sees sneak onto her ship, but will try
stay with the boat while the rest of her crew enjoys the to avoid violence if possible. Wenry doesn’t want anyone
city. finding her ill-gotten goods and will need a successful
DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check from the
characters to allow anyone on board her ship. Even
then, she will insist on accompanying them.
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The only member of the crew of the Sunrise currently
aboard the ship is Ash Ears. He sticks out like a sore
thumb in the city and was ordered to stay out of sight on
the ship to avoid drawing attention.
Ash Ears is a big sweetheart. Whenever he meets the
players characters his first inclination is to invite them
to play a game of dice with him and ask if they want
anything to eat. Even if the players are sneaking around
he will first try to make friends before reporting them to
Wenry. Ash Ears has been through a few scraps and is
hard to intimidate. However, if anyone makes friends
with Ash Ears he will tell them everything he knows.
Ash Ears knows that Greeny took the box with the
rose and dagger on it.
The Cult of the Maw is an organization that Ash Ears
knows well. He grew up among many of its members
on his home island.
Ash Ears knows that the parcel and the Cult of the
Maw have something to do with each other. After all,
they both had a presence on his home island.
Unfortunately, that’s the extent of his deductive
capabilities. He hasn’t figured out exactly how
they’re connected.
The players can gather information about the parcel
from physical clues around the ship. As the players are
exploring the ship, have them roll DC 12 ability checks.
Example ability checks include a Wisdom (Perception)
check to look around, an Intelligence (Investigation)
check to find specific details, a Dexterity (Thieves’
Tools) check to get past a locked door, a Strength
(Athletics) check to break open a crate full of trade
goods, or any other check you think is applicable. For
each successful check give them one piece of
information from this list:
Many of the crates in the ship’s hold have false
bottoms. One of the false bottoms contains a cache
of unmarked shortswords.
One of the hammocks on the ship contains a short
note saying, “deliver the box to us.” A symbol of an
open maw with many sharp teeth is drawn on the
paper.
Several empty bottles are scattered throughout the
ship, suggesting a fair number of the crew like to
drink heavily.
A log in the captain’s quarters details the reception
of the parcel from an alchemist named Morrow,
confirming that it was once on the ship.
Also in the captain’s quarter is Wenry’s journal. The
most recent entry contains a line about how one
member of her crew, Greeny, showed
uncharacteristic initiative today. He even volunteered
to make one of their deliveries to the noble district.
A delicious smell is currently coming from the ship’s
galley. Anyone who investigates runs into Ash Ears
who is currently preparing a meal.
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The Silver Doubloon
The Dockmaster’s Office
If the players are looking for someone in charge, you This tavern is the premiere place for sailors to drink,
can direct them to the dockmaster. galavant, and rest in the city. The Silver Doubloon used
to be the largest ship sailing the seas. One night it was
caught in a horrible storm and, unable to see the shore,
its captain capsized the vessel when it ran aground. The
upside down ship was then converted into the tavern it
is now.
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Rumors Greeny was magically contacted by the Cult of the
Maw. All he heard was a light, male voice giving him
d8 Rumor
directions. He followed those directions out of fear
1 Humanoids with heavy cloaks and wicked daggers have
for what might be done to him if he did not.
been seen by several civilians. Everyone who’s seen them
Greeny does not know what’s inside the parcel. He
says they give off a bad vibe.
was too scared of what might be inside to peek into
2 A large hairy man was spotted today near the end of the
the box.
dock district. They say he had a snout like a dog’s.
When delivering the package Greeny went to the
3 The dock master has been mercifully lenient recently, he’s
cult’s hideout, a cave outside of town. If he can be
probably just overworked and missed a few things.
convinced to do so, he’ll tell the party where the
4 A tavern patron’s friend hasn’t been seen all day. The patron
hideout is.
is worried that their friend has been kidnapped.
Greeny did not go inside the hideout. He left the
5 The tariffs for the city’s docks have been recently raised by a
parcel at the cave entrance. For that reason he
flat rate. All of the sailors are upset. They believe the city’s
nobles care much more about profit than the sailors doesn’t know who or what might be inside the cave.
working at the docks. Greeny is fearful of what his decision to side with the
6 Johan Londstadt is the patriarch for the family responsible Cult of the Maw and betray the crew of the Sunrise will
for maintaining the docks. He’s recently been absent in his mean for him. He has an unconscious compulsion to
duties, suggesting he’s found something else to occupy his confess, making him more talkative than might be wise.
time. Greeny responds more strongly to intimidation and
7 There’s a weird guy on the first floor of the tavern. He’s aggressive negotiations as his actions are largely
completely covered in tattoos and keeps staring out the
window.
motivated by fear.
8 A sailor is claiming the crew of the recently docked Sunrise
are pirates. His says his ship was recently attacked by the
Sunrise. The enemy ship wasn’t flying any colors and all its
crew were wearing bandanas as masks, but he’s still pretty
sure it was the Sunrise.
Scream Fight Any close inspection reveals the manes have inhuman
proportions, are covered in sores, and are each wearing
As the player characters traverse the city they come into a leather collar.
contact with the main antagonists of this adventure: the The elf is Elluin (NG male elf commoner). He was
Cult of the Maw. When in the adventure this encounter simply walking home after his work on the docks. He
occurs is flexible. Consult the When to Fight sidebar for has no idea who these people attacking him are, only
suggestions on when to begin this encounter. When that each of them are somewhere marked with a symbol
you’re ready, read out this description: of an open mouth lined with sharp teeth.
Two of the cultists focus on capturing Elluin, shoving
him into their rowboat while trying to bind and gag him.
They are attempting to secure a sacrifice for their
demon summoning rituals. Once Elluin is secured, they
attempt to flee the battle. The rest of the cultists charge
If anyone goes to investigate read: the players, with the manes in front.
If the fight seems to be going against the cultists, they
do not fight to the death. Rather they attempt to run,
preferring to escape on their rowboat with Elluin.
Fight Resolution
At the end of the fight either the cultists have gotten
away or have been defeated by the player characters. If
Elluin has been saved, he unfortunately doesn’t have
If the players attempt to call out to the cloaked figures much information for the players. As far as he is
or intervene in any other way, they respond by attacking. concerned this was a random mugging and he would
Having everyone at the table roll for initiative! just like to get home.
The group of cloaked figures consists of cultists and If the cultists were killed, the player characters can
manes demons. There are a number of cultists equal to search their bodies. They have on them a dagger each,
the number of players. There are two manes demons their robes, a grand total of 6 gold, and various knick
who are disguised by wearing heavy cloaks. knacks. Each of them has the symbol of the open maw
with rows of teeth either on one of those knick knacks,
or carved into their flesh.
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Any cultist that is captured first attempts to fight their
way out. They fight like wild animals, clawing and biting
at their captors. If asked what they were planning to do
with Elluin they would lie, saying that they were going
to sell him into slavery in another town.
Any captured cultist knows the way to their cave
hideout and that the parcel was delivered there earlier
today. However, their minds have been altered by their
profane magic and many of them are insane. Finding
out this information requires a DC 20 Charisma
(Persuasion) or Charisma (Intimidation) check from the
player characters.
If the cultists manage to escape (with or without
Elluin) the players can attempt to follow them. The
cultists are not being careful and are easy to track. If the
players follow them right away, a successful DC 10
Wisdom (Survival) check leads the player characters
right to their cave hideout. If the players attempt to
track the cultists later, a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival)
check is required.
Cultist Hideout
Making it to the hideout of the Cult of the Maw and
searching it for Johan’s parcel is the ultimate goal of the
adventurers. They can find the cave hideout by either
interrogating Greeny, interrogating one of the cultists,
or following one of the cultists.
If the players have missed all the pointers to the
hideout, construct some new clue. Maybe another
cultist pops out of the shadows and leads the characters
on. Maybe a member of the Cult of the Maw has had a
change of heart and finds the player characters to help
them. Maybe Greeny attempts to sell them a map to
“treasure” that actually points towards the hideout.
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Cult of the Maw Hideout
1. Entrance
However the player characters eventually arrive at the The cultists have hidden their hideout fairly well, but
hideout, this is what awaits them. not perfectly. A DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check reveals
footprints in the sand, partially washed away by the
waves, leading up the cave’s entrance. A DC 15 Wisdom
(Perception) check reveals faint light and whispered
voices coming from the cave.
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2. Cave Tunnel
As the player characters walk into the cave, ask them
for their marching order. Knowing who’s in front and
who is hanging back can be crucial for the upcoming
fights.
Any character with a passive Wisdom (Perception)
score of 15 or more notices torch light and whispered
voices coming from up ahead if they haven’t already.
3. Hideout Guards
The cultist’s hideout is built into the stone of the cave
itself. Astute characters might notice the stonework
changing from natural cave to worked stone.
Ending
Have everyone roll initiative! If your players are already Assuming the party doesn’t fall to Zangrin and the Cult
engaged in a battle, roll initiative for just Zangrin and of the Maw, they will have recovered the wooden box
the newly summoned dretch demon. Add them to the and defeated a servant of evil. All that lies in front of
initiative order. them is returning the parcel.
Zangrin hoped to use one of the vials as a spell The box originally contained three vials of human
component to summon a powerful demon. What he got blood. The blood has been alchemically tampered with
instead was a dretch. While only a little more powerful for best demon-summoning results. This has resulted in
than a manes, the dretch and Zangrin still represent a the blood fizzing like a carbonated beverage. Zangrin
deadly threat to the adventurers. destroyed one of the vials, but there are still two left
Zangrin does not understand the power of the thing resting in velvet in the box.
he has summoned. He is beside himself with glee as he If the players decide to look into the box they are
exalts in his successful attempt to summon a demon knowingly disobeying Johan’s directions. If they do it out
that is not a manes. Crazed and having lost half his of sight of anyone else and lie well enough about doing
mind, Zangrin intends to fight to the death to destroy so, Johan has no way of knowing they took a peek.
these intruders. The party now faces a decision. Zangrin’s summoning
provided a prime example of the type of thing these vials
can accomplish. The players have to decide if they trust
Johan Lonstadt with the contents of the parcel.
Returning to Johan is easy enough. He meets them all
again at any time of night, with Mercy by his side.
At this point it’s possible that the players wish to get a
little more out of Johan before they hand over the box.
Johan is willing to further upgrade their payment by a
small amount. He does not wish to tell the players what
he intends to use the parcel’s contents for. As always,
Mercy is ready if things get violent.
Whether or not the players decide to give Johan his
parcel, this adventure then comes to an end. There are
still a few unanswered questions. Why did Yeenoghu
and his cultists pick this time and place? Are there any
other members of the Cult of the Maw out there with
malicious plans? What exactly does Johan intend to do
with those blood vials? Create your own answers to
those questions and keep on adventuring!
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Appendex A: Battle Maps
Johan Lonstadt’s Sittng Room
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Scream Fight Battle Map
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Cult of the Maw Hideout
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