Arcane Heists

Swashbuckle your way through exotic locales as you and your party execute dangerous
heists. Every heist is a rescue mission to save yourselves.
The immortal being Sollus the Many has reincarnated into different forms countless times across the aeons. Having unlocked
powers of time manipulation, they've orchestrated events such that dozens of their reincarnations are all born at the same time.
It's only a matter of time until each reincarnation unlocks memories of their past, and can join Sollus the Many to achieve total
spiritual enlightenment.
Unfortunately, Sollus the Many has been imprisoned in a secret, impregnable lair, and most of their reincarnations have been
kidnapped by evil yugoloth mercenaries. It's up to you to rescue these reincarnations one by one so they can all become their true
selves. And, hey, maybe you'll find yourselves, too, along the way.
How? By planning a series of elaborate heists.
 3

Book Details
Artist Pages
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The following publications are referenced in this book. In-text T.M. van Dalen 83, 141, 143
page references for Arcane Heists use the abbreviation "AH". P.J. Pirrello 83, 130, 133
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"At what point does the I get separated from the we?"
-- The Nameless One, Planescape: Torment
 5

Table of Contents
Part 1: Adventure Background AH 6
How to Use This Book AH 7
Foreword AH 8
Dramatis Personae AH 9
The Opalescents AH 10
Planar Travel AH 12
Heists AH 14
Part 2: Friends and Foes AH 15
Statblock Index AH 16
The Seven Heavens of Sollus the Dead AH 18
Denizens of The Reef AH 21
Yugoloths AH 25
Reef Creatures AH 35
Unique Heist Statblocks AH 39
Orzeg's Vinchies AH 45
Voidships AH 47
Part 3: Adventure Introduction AH 53
Border
AH 54
by William Rotor
The Reef AH 65
Part 4: Heists AH 89
Create Your Own Heist AH 90
Escape from Gleaming Beacon
AH 92
by William Rotor
Void Pirates
AH 107
by William Rotor
The Tranquil Prison
AH 116
by Adventure Bundles
In Remembrance
AH 126
by P.J. Pirrello
Mine-Work Make-Work
AH 136
by T.M. van Dalen
Teetering Imbalance
AH 145
by William Rotor
The Crimson Terror of Yenneth
AH 154
by William Rotor
Sawtooth
AH 163
by William Rotor
Part 5: Adventure Conclusion AH 169
But Food for Worms
AH 170
by William Rotor
Denouement AH 184
PART 1
Adventure Background
 7

How to Use This Book

8
Foreword
The Rundown
This is a collection of swashbuckling heist adventures for a
party of 8th-and-above level characters. Different versions of
the same person, the immortal Sollus the Many, have all been
kidnapped by evil yugoloth mercenaries, and it's the party's
job to elaborately plan a heist to rescue each one of them.
The party operates out of a secluded demiplane in the
Border Ethereal known as The Reef, a sea of chaos and void
within which powerful creatures and useful allies hide.
Similar to the book Candlekeep Mysteries, published by
Wizards of the Coast, Arcane Heists collects heists written by
a variety of contributors. These heists are intended to
celebrate independent adventure writers in the D&D
community, showcasing their unique writing style and
talents.
Group Expectations
The recommended starting level for this adventure is 8th.
This is meant to signal that your group should be well-versed
in the rules and expectations of Dungeons and Dragons 5th
edition, and that the Dungeon Master should be confident
and experienced. The adventures in this book all have
different styles, which means a certain degree of flexibility
will be needed to make the most of what they can offer.
It is recommended that each player has, on an individual
level, cumulatively levelled characters up to at least 8th, and
the DM has successfully run at least one major adventure of
any kind.
High Concept
The overarching story that connects all the heists can be
quite high concept and is best introduced to the players
gradually over time, unlocking pieces as they go along based
on their interactions with the NPCs in The Reef and the
yugoloths they keep fighting. However, as a DM, you should
probably skip straight to the last section, the Denouement,
and read Sollus Ipsus the Many: The Tale of the Knotted
Snake to get a better sense of what's actually going on.
Content Summary
Part 1: A list of key NPCs, a guide for the enemy faction The
Opalescents, rules for planar travel and voidships, and
special abilities players can use during heists.
Part 2: Loads of statblocks arranged as follows: The Seven
Heavens of Sollus the Dead, Denizens of the Reef,
Yugoloths, Reef Creatures, Unique Heist Statblocks,
Orzeg's Vinchies, and Voidships.
Part 3: The first heist of the adventure, and a detailed
description of The Reef, the party's base of operations.
Part 4: An anthology of heists created by various authors in
the DnD adventure writing community.
Part 5: The final heist and a denouement that explains the
backstory and what happens after the adventure.
Quirks of This Book
Read The Tale of the Knotted Snake (AH 179) first.
Most heists in this book are written by different authors in
the DnD adventure writing community, and can have
dramatically different styles. Every heist has a good mix of
exploration, roleplay, and combat, but some are very
socially focused, others are more like dungeon crawls, and
still more are just plain weird, in the best way.
Each heist begins with a dramatic splash page introducing
the title and author. On the second page of each
adventure, you'll find an author information page, listing
the author's bio, notable works, and social media. It also
includes any additional credits associated with the
adventure, primarily illustrators.
Some important NPCs have ties to factions in the
Forgotten Realms. The Order of the Gauntlet, the
Harpers, the Lords' Alliance, the Emerald Enclave, and
the Zhentarim have faction representatives in the book.
The party has a base of operations, The Reef, where they
can take a break between adventures and interact with a
host of unique characters. Each character in the Reef
offers a service to the party, such as clerical healing,
adventurers' tools, or a space to conduct research, and the
denizens of The Reef also frequently visit and interact
with each other with or without the party.
The locations are all intended to be interesting, unique
locations, locations which are difficult to reach through
normal means. Instead, the party makes use of a few travel
options to reach the location of each heist. Most likely,
they'll use Thesea, a sentient ship that can create
teleportation gates for herself. Thesea is an example of a
voidship, a magical vehicle built to travel through the void
of The Reef.
Every heist includes yugoloth guards, the Opalescents.
Yugoloths are fiendish mercenaries. They are effectively
immortal, able to resurrect themselves in only a few days,
meaning that killing one is never permanent and the party
will likely fight the same yugoloths many times throughout
their adventures. The intent is that the party forms long-
term adversarial relationships with these enemies.
The first heist is always the same: a prison break from a
border realm where the party is introduced to the
yugoloths, Sollus the Many, and the structure of coming
up with and executing an elaborate plan to escape.
Similarly, the last heist is always the same: the party
blasts through the walls of a secure prison facility and
rescues the original Sollus the Many from their torment.
Successfully rescuing Sollus the Many means the end of
the campaign.
Other than the first and last heist (Border and But Food
for Worms), the heists can be completed in any order the
party chooses, and in any number they are happy with. It
is not necessary to complete every heist, and there is no
recommended order. You're free to do whatever you like!
Anything from this book not mentioned to have been
created by another author was created by William Rotor.

Dramatis Personae
The Seven Heavens of
Sollus the Dead
Sollus Ipsus the Many is an eternal, timeless being, forever
cursed to reincarnate into new bodies with all memories
wiped. Due to some time-travel shenanigans, it just so
happens that a huge number of these reincarnations are alive
at the same time, and they are starting to become aware of
who they truly are.
One such reincarnation was Slarmfell, a powerful wizard
who was a key member of the Lords' Alliance. The wizard
learned of Sollus' true location: locked away in the depths of
an impregnable secret prison in the Great Unknown. If he
can gather enough reincarnations of Sollus to work together
to create a machine that will burrow through the Border
Ethereal defenses, he can rescue his true self, become one,
and finally put an end to the suffering.
Unfortunately, Slarmfell was captured by yugoloths while
he defended the city of Waterdeep. The yugoloths whisked
him away to planes unknown, tortured him, and eventually
killed him, though his memory lives on through magical
remnants of who he once was.
The following characters are all fractured remnants of
Slarmfell who carry on his mission for him posthumously.
Simulacrasollus. (sim-yoo-LACK-ra-SAUL-us) A semi-perfect
replica of Slarmfell created through the spell simulacrum.
He is made out of snow and is painfully aware of his
limited time, for he cannot heal or repair his quickly-
degrading body nor learn new spells to slow his decline.
Illusosollus. (il-LOO-zoh-SAUL-us) An axiomatically-minded
illusion of Slarmfell created through the spell programmed
illusion and enhanced with other types of magic. He
contains a database of important information and acts as a
coordinator for The Reef, the base of operations for the
mission.
Skelesollus. (SKEL-oh-SAUL-us) Slarmfell's skeletal
remains, reanimated with necromancy. Obeys simple
commands and doesn't tend to think for itself.
Crawllus. (CRAUL-us) Slarmfell's severed hand, reanimated
with necromancy. Crawllus is deeply protective of
Skelesollus, but will serve as a familiar with some goading.
Will-o'-Sollus. (WIL-oh-SAUL-us) Fragments of Slarmfell's
soul recollected in a ghostly border demiplane in the form
of a glowing wisp. Part of the very soul of Sollus the Many.
Spectrasollus. (SPEK-tra-SAUL-us) A ghastly apparition
created from the emotional agony of Slarmfell's torture by
the arcanaloth Orzeg. Persists only in pursuit of revenge.
Shadowsollus. (SHA-doh-SAUL-us) Slarmfell's shadow,
ripped from his body and twisted into a creature of
darkness, a servant to its ultroloth master Broken Opal.
9
Denizens of The Reef
The Reef is a demiplane connected to the Border Ethereal,
where creatures of all variety congregate. It has been turned
into a base of operations for the reincarnations of Sollus the
Many who hope to work together to rescue the original
Sollus. The Reef is used for other purposes as well, and quite
a few independent souls have made their home here.
Thesea. (THEE-see-a) A sassy sentient voidship with
teleportation powers, ready and willing to assist the party.
Gaundr. (GAUN-der) A salamander blacksmith sought after
by the forces of evil for her skill at her forge.
Pythagoras. (py-THA-ger-us) A rogue tridrone who has built
a massive three-dimensional printing machine.
Narcissa. (nar-SISS-a) A princess of the arch devil Mammon.
She disobeyed her father and became a cleric of Levistus.
Through Levistus she has answered Sollus' cries for help
from Tartarus.
Yaukiss. (YAUK-iss) A disgraced githyanki knight who has
collected a large assortment of magic items in his travels
through the planes. He hides in The Reef rather than face
his misdeeds.
Alexandria. (al-ik-ZAN-dree-a) A librarian marut who
teleported her entire library into The Reef rather than let it
fall into the wrong hands.
Binterkell. (BIN-ter-kel) A trinket-collecting coin-vomiting
sprite from the Feywild who will buy basically anything the
party offers.
Aries. (AIR-eez) A half-dragon artificer who used to be a
professional voidship engineer before she rescued Thesea
from being mulched and fled to The Reef.
Ariadne. (air-ee-AUD-nee) A githyanki craftswoman who
disobeyed her queen and now obsessively seeks new skills
to master.
Quinobi. (kee-NOH-bee) A githzerai spiritual teacher who
conscientiously objected to his people's warmongering
ways.
Achilles. (a-KIL-eez) An incubus of bloodthirst, former
quartermaster from the Blood War.
Karen. (KAIR-un) A yugoloth defector, a merrenoloth who
offers her ferry services and information about the other
yugoloths to the party.
Opalescents
The ultroloth Broken Opal has been paid to attend to an
important mission: guard the various reincarnations of Sollus
the Many across the afterlife. Make sure they cannot be
brought together. To achieve this end, Broken Opal has been
assigned leadership over a troupe of lesser yugoloths, each
with their own strange quirks.
Yugoloths cannot be permanently killed; they invariably
return from Perdition to fight another day. This means that
the Opalescents will likely form long-term adversarial
relationships with the party.
10
The Opalescents are listed in order of seniority.
Broken Opal. (BROH-kun OH-pul) Ultroloth. Brains of the
operation. Avid chess player. Likes mind games. Studies
the tactics of the party for ways to overcome them. Never
gets her hands dirty, always trying to be the last one alive if
she is even fighting at all. On her big forehead she has a
tattoo of the Queen piece of chess. More secretly, she also
has a tattoo of the knotted snake that she has no memory
of receiving, though she believes with every fibre of her
being that this is just a coincidence.
Zigazan the Boiler. (ZIG-a-zan) Oinoloth. Rarely seen,
extremely dangerous. He is a fallen ultroloth. His skin has
turned translucent and fluids have built up under each boil.
He generally travels to places the party has been spotted
and infects the entire region with a terrible plague until the
denizens tell him what happened.
Rorknir. (ROARK-neer) Yagnoloth. Contract writer. Often
seen as the negotiator with other planar beings for
yugoloth protection against the party. She prefers not to
fight, but if she does fight, she does so by relentlessly
criticising the party for breaching implied contracts. She
wears a purple cape.
Orzeg. (OR-zeg) Arcanoloth. The interrogator for each
version of Sollus. Does not like torture but isn't afraid to
exercise it now and then as a reminder that she is not your
friend. Many versions of Sollus have painful reminders of
the spells Orzeg has experimented on them with. Her
spellbook is a bloodthirsty mimic book that drools at the
prospect of dangerous magic; it gives her suggestions
constantly.
Queen Ursula McVale. (ER-suh-la mik-VAIL) Nycaloth.
Originally a beautiful and terrible human queen who
plunged her kingdom into war. She was corrupted by greed
and was transformed when her people revolted against her,
banishing her to the afterlife. Ursula seeks to find one
powerful enough to restore her at her throne in her
kingdom and will avoid fights if the party brings her
symbols of royalty.
Tirikan. (TEER-ee-kan) Nycaloth. Extremely proud. Looking
for his most evenly matched opponent. Will cycle through
party members to test each of them, and when he finds
someone he likes, he'll challenge them to 1 on 1 duels to
help him improve his fighting capabilities.
Beck. (BEK) Canoloth. Loyal companion to Tirikan. He can
lock onto someone's scent and detect their location, even
across different planes of existence. Luckily, it seems like
The Reef is safe.
Toda. (TOAD-a) Hydroloth. Toda is Karen's manager, always
annoyed at her seeming laziness. Luckily for her, he is easy
to bribe and quite stupid. He's wising up a bit, however, and
it's only a matter of time until he stumbles on the truth.
Ral'Romon. (ral-ruh-MON) Gachaloth. Spy and shock
trooper, alliance always in question.
Karen. (KAIR-un) Merrenoloth. Secretly working against the
other yugoloths. Allied with the party.
Kegnoth. (KEG-noth) Dhergoloth. Extremely stubborn. She
will hyperfocus on whoever killed her last and keep
throwing herself head first into that person. She has a
thick skull -- literally -- poking through the skin over her
scalp.
Caraxus. (ka-RAK-sus) Mezzoloth. Extremely keen sense for
the leader of the group. Tries to get everyone else to
question the leader. Leadership in Caraxus' eyes is not a
right but a responsibility; he will respect a leader that
actually motivates those underneath them even if it means
less glory for themselves. The strongest need not lead: only
the wisest. The contradiction of Caraxus' obsessions with
what it means to be a leader and his total powerlessness in
the yugoloth hierarchy goes completely over his head.
Organus. (or-GAN-us) Mezzoloth. Huge bully. Will only target
one character even if it puts him at a disadvantage.
Constantly makes fun of his target with petty schoolyard
insults. Indigo blue skin.
Other Yugoloths. Also at Broken Opal's disposal are cannon
fodder yugoloths like skereloths (pathetic wimps) and
voorloths (agile shock troopers). She uses corruptoloths
liberally to turn the odds in her favour, and piscoloths when
she really wants to deal irreparable damage to everything
in the immediate area.
Other Notable Beings
Sollus Ipsus the Many. (SAUL-us IP-sus) Little is known
about Sollus' true identity, only that they are locked away in
an impregnable prison and have somehow managed to get
their soul reincarnated into dozens of people
simultaneously through time travel.
Shaundakul. (SHAWN-da-kul) When travelling through the
Border Ethereal, the party must deal with Shaundakul, a
mysterious former god of travel, exploration, and discovery.
Fallen from grace, the Rider of the Winds is now the
caretaker of the Reef, appearing to those who wish to use it
for planar travel. He appears as a wisened but strong old
man with a great white beard and a robe of stars.
Asmodeus, Lord of the Nine. (az-muh-DAY-us) The devil of
devils, Asmodeus has his claws in every scheme across the
multiverse, always working towards the security of his
station and the inexorable creep of his power over all of
creation itself.
Queen Vlaakith of the Githyanki. (vla-KITH) The undead
queen of the githyanki is an intensely powerful
necromancer and a brutal tactician. She holds an entire
demiplane together for her githyanki subjects where they
work agelessly and tirelessly in her name.
Kierk the Guard. (KYERK) A powerful yugoloth acting as the
warden of the prison dimension Tartarus. He is trapped in
Tartarus just the same as his prisoners and has spent
thousands of years absorbing their life experiences to train
for the day when he might escape.

The Opalescents
B
roken Opal made a mistake. A demonic
incursion on Perdition left a hundred and fifty of
her yugoloths dead, their souls destroyed,
thousands of years of experiences erased. She
has one chance to redeem herself. The
incursion was not entirely her fault; Zigazan the
Boiler should have been there to prevent it. The
council of oinoloths have demoted Zigazan, put him under
her command, and tasked the two of them with kidnapping
and guarding reincarnations of Sollus of Many, for one of
those demons bore his tattoo. Completing this task is a
matter of pride. One final chance to demonstrate her
strategic military mind. And if she fails ... well, she'll deserve
what she gets.
Random Opalescents
Broken Opal's army of yugoloths, called the Opalescents, is
now quite small after the demons scoured her forces. Many
yugoloths left in the aftermath, as well, not confident with her
ability to lead. Those who remain are her most loyal
followers, or the most desperate to claw their way up to her
position and take control themselves.
Roll randomly on the following table if you need a yugoloth
in your heist.
d12 Opalescent
1 Broken Opal, ultroloth (MM 314, AH 25)
2 Caraxus, mezzoloth (MM 313, AH 5)
5 Kegnoth, dhergoloth (AH 26)
3 Organus, mezzoloth (MM 313)
4
Orzeg, arcanaloth (MM 313, AH 25) and 6
vinchies (AH 45)
6 Queen Ursula McVale, nycaloth (MM 314, AH 25)
8 Ral'Romon, gachaloth (AH 28)
7 Rorknir, yagnoloth (AH 27)
9
Tirikan, nycaloth (MM 314, AH 26) and Beck,
canoloth (AH 26)
10 Toda, hydroloth (AH 29)
11 Zigazan the Boiler, oinoloth (AH 30)
12 Roll twice and take both results.
Other Opalescents
The merrenoloth Karen is also an Opalescent, but she does
not participate in combat. Additionally, Broken Opal has the
following generic yugoloths to round out her forces if she
requires backup or extra muscle.
4 mezzoloths (MM 313), 1d4 in an encounter
12 skereloths (AH 32), 2d6 in an encounter
6 corruptoloths (AH 31), 1d6 in an encounter
4 voorloths (AH 32), 1d4 in an encounter
2 piscoloths (AH 31), 1d2 in an encounter
11
Villain Moves
After each heist, roll for a villain move.
d8 Villain Move
1 Five Dimensional Chess
2 Planar Beacon
3 Search Party
4 Spider Among Termites
5 Astral Assassination
6 Devilish Equipment
7 Demonic Infusion
8 Logistics Management
1: Five Dimensional Chess. Broken Opal spends sleepless
nights on her balcony, brooding, thinking, and sipping
whiskey. She switches the next incarnation of Sollus that
the party encounters with an Opalescent under the effects
of disguise self. Roll on the Random Opalescent table,
rerolling for results that don't make sense.
2: Planar Beacon. Broken Opal convinces a Great Oinoloth
to pledge her the power to summon yugoloths from
anywhere in the planes. Every Opalescent gains its variant
summoning feature, if it has one (MM 313, 314), with
100% chance of a success for other Opalescents.
3: Search Party. Broken Opal scours the border worlds to
hunt for the party's base. Henceforth, when the party
approaches The Reef after completing a heist, they run
into a yugoloth meteorship patrolling the area; it doesn't
know the exact location of The Reef, but it's closing in.
Randomise the crew and passengers using the tables
provided (AH 51), rerolling for results that don't make
sense.
4: Spider Among Termites. This problem has plagued
Broken Opal for a while, but a minor slip up, a small
inconsistency, blows the case wide open. She discovers
that Karen has been feeding the party information. She
kidnaps her and entrusts her with Orzeg. See Teetering
Imbalance by William Rotor (AH 145).
5: Astral Assassination. If she can't find The Reef, she'll
bring it to her. Broken Opal lures an important NPC out of
The Reef by playing to their flaws and then kills them.
Choose an NPC that the players are attached to.
6: Devilish Equipment. Broken Opal completes a contract
for a devil, slaying a powerful demon. All Opalescents
receive +2 weapons (DMG 213).
7: Demonic Infusion. Broken Opal bathes in the blood of
demons. Roll on the Wild Magic Surge table (PHB 104)
for each Opalescent when it rolls initiative.
8: Logistics Management. Broken Opal consults a logistics
officer. Henceforth, add one more Opalescent to all
Opalescent encounters. Roll on the Random Opalescents
table, rerolling for results that don't make sense.
12
Planar Travel
U
sing the voidship Thesea to pass through the
Reef and the Border Ethereal is the quickest
and safest method of travel to the exotic
locales included in this adventure collection.
However, travel is not so easy, as these
halfway places are protected by Shaundakul,
The Rider of the Winds.
Gates
Planar gates are halfway spaces that glow with conjuration
magic when observed with spells like detect magic. Passing
through them has no effect; they must first be unlocked with
a gate key.
If a traveller possesses a gate key, they can unlock the gate,
allowing it to be used to travel between two set places as per
the spell gate, i.e. passing through the "front" instantly
transports a creature to a pre-set destination, spitting them
out in an empty space within 5 feet of the exit. A gate key can
re-lock a gate as well, preventing its use.
Gate keys are magic items that glow with abjuration magic
when observed with spells like detect magic. The spell
identify reveals an item to be a gate key, as well which gate it
matches and which location it specifically leads to.
If you would like to create your own gate key to use in your
adventures, simply roll on the trinket table (PHB 160-161).
Shaundakul
Using planar travel to get into or out of the Reef draws
attention from The Rider of the Winds, Shaundakul, a fallen
god of travel, exploration, and discovery. He appears as a
wisened but strong old man with a great white beard and a
robe of stars. Being a former divine being, Shaundakul has
no statblock; he is immune to all forms of attack or influence.
He is now the Gatekeeper of the Reef, and he demands that a
sacrifice be made before a traveling party is granted entry or
exit from this realm.
To make a sacrifice, the party satiates Shaundakul by
expending a number of spell slots whose total value equals or
exceeds 5 (for example, a 1st and 4th level spell slot). A
character can choose to instead sacrifice 10 hit points as the
equivalent of 1 value of spell slot. Any number of party
members can contribute to feeding the portal, and it can be a
combination of spell slots and hit points.
If Shaundakul is fed, the party can safely pass, reaching
their destination. If Shaundakul is not satiated, he transports
the party to a random location in the Material Plane of Toril.
Horizon Walkers
Horizon walker rangers have a class feature that allows them
to innately locate planar gates. Give them a bone.
Subtle Knives
Hidden throughout the multiverse are knives forged of
stardust whose blades are so fine they can cut through the
fabric of existence itself.
Voidships
Drifting through the Reef, voidships dazzle onlookers with
their sleek, aerodynamic designs and rippling auras of power
and fear. Their hulls slice through the emptiness, and their
magical wards protect all on board from the chaos that would
otherwise threaten to disrupt their minds.
Voidships automatically create a breathable environment
for all crew and passengers. While within an area of
antimagic, or if the ship is reduced to 0 hit points, the ship
can't change its speed, and crew and passengers suffocate.
Piloting a Voidship
To pilot a voidship, you need to be proficient in Vehicles
(Void). Since this isn't a proficiency found in the Player's
Handbook, a player can swap one tool proficiency for this one
at the beginning of the adventure, as long as they can justify
how their character learned it in the past.
Staying on course in the Reef requires a DC 10 Wisdom
(Perception, Survival, or Vehicles (Void)) check. On a failed
check, use the Reef random encounter table (AH 68) to
determine what the party runs into.
When setting out on a journey through the Reef, roll 1d4;
this is the number of weeks of travel it takes to arrive at the
intended destination. The pilot must make the
aforementioned navigation check once at the beginning of
each week of travel, and for each week of travel, increase the
DC of the navigation check by 1.
Subtle Knife
simple weapon (dagger), melee or ranged weapon,
legendary, requires attunement
You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls
made with this weapon, and it deals force damage
instead of piercing damage.
While wielding the subtle knife, you can attempt a
DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check to unlock a
teleportation gate, stabbing through the gate's
material with the dagger. On a failed attempt (or if
you choose), the gate is destroyed. On a successful
attempt, the gate is unlocked.
While attuned to this weapon, you can use it as a
spellcasting focus to cast the following spells by
expending charges. The dagger has 7 charges and
regains 1d4 charges when its user enters a plane of
existence they haven't reached before.
7 charges: plane shift
5 charges: teleport
3 charges: dimension door
1 charge: misty step
 13
Voidship Statistics Crew and Passengers. Underneath each statblock, a
suggestion for creatures to populate the crew and
A voidship has the following elements to its statblock that passengers is included. These are suggestions; you can
differ from a normal creature statblock. populate the voidship as you like.
Healing. Casting the spell mending on a voidship heals it by
Vehicle. Vehicles are objects; as such, unless the voidship is 1 hit point, as does 10 minutes of work by a trained
sentient, abilities that target creatures can't target a shipwright. If the voidship is reduced to 0 hit points, its
voidship. magic is permanently lost. Only a wish can restore it.
Hit Points. Voidships have a damage threshold attached to
their hit points. If the voidship takes fewer points of
damage than its damage threshold, it instead takes 0 Sentient Voidships
damage. If the damage threshold is reached, no damage is
subtracted. Most voidships are merely vehicles. Sure, they are
Speed. Voidships have three speeds: water, air, and void. warded with powerful magic and propelled through
Water speed determines how fast the ship travels on water; the void with nothing but wishes and dreams, but
not all voidships have the capability to do so. Air speed if you tore them apart, you'd find only wood, metal,
determines how fast the ship travels while flying through and simple charms.
an atmosphere. Void speed determines how fast the ship In rare cases, however, a voidship possesses a
living soul. This soul can be gifted to the ship by a
travels in the Reef and other environments that are mostly god impressed by its resilience, or it may manifest
void. While in void, the voidship maintains its current speed spontaneously after a particularly harrowing
and direction until the pilot changes it. Antimagic stops the experience.
pilot from changing speed or direction. Two sentient voidships are included in this
Initiative. Voidships act on their own initiative in combat. adventure: the ghostly wraithship, and the friendly
Since voidships don't have ability scores, their initiative is Thesea.
noted separately. Voidships are creatures, rather than objects,
Ability Scores. Voidships aren't creatures; an array of ability though they have a (vehicle) tag to indicate that all
scores doesn't make sense for them to have. Sentient effects targeting vehicles can also target them.
voidships have ability scores, however. They have ability scores as creatures do. Most
Creature Capacity. A voidship only needs 1 crew (unless it's sentient voidships can also cast spells or have
sentient, in which case it doesn't need any crew), but it's other magical abilities. A sentient voidship requires
often worth having multiple people on board who have the no crew and can travel independently if it so
capability to fly the ship in an emergency. The crew chooses.
number determines the maximum number of people on
board who can reasonably be given responsibility over the
ship. As for passengers, this determines the maximum
total number of (medium-sized) creatures that can
reasonably fit on the ship at once, not including crew. A
Large creature counts as 4 passengers, a Huge creature as
9, and Gargantuan creatures don't usually fit on a voidship.
Saves. Voidships automatically succeed on Intelligence,
Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws, unless they are
sentient. The voidship must still make Strength, Dexterity,
and Constitution saving throws, the bonuses of which are
listed on its statblock. If the voidship isn't piloted and isn't
sentient, it automatically fails Strength, Dexterity, and
Constitution saving throws.
Actions. A piloted or sentient voidship takes one action per
turn. It can't use the same action two turns in a row. Some
ships have multiattack; taking an action as part of
multiattack does not prevent the ship from using that
action on the next turn. For example, the skiff (AH 49) can
fire two laser cannons as part of multiattack, and then fire
one laser cannon on the next turn. Antimagic prevents the
voidship from taking actions. Voidships can't take attacks
of opportunity.
14
Heists
M
ake a plan, watch as it crumbles, implement the perfect Plan B, watch as that crumbles too, and improvise a
hasty solution on the fly that leads to a daring escape from the wreckage. This is the way of the cat burglar.
And now, my son, the technique passes to you.
Make copies of this page for each player. Hand them out.
Backup Plans
Before setting forth on a heist, your party has completed
extensive research into how they will tackle the challenges
ahead. They cannot have accounted for all scenarios, but
they'll be well prepared for a few.
To represent this, you have "backup plans" at your disposal
during a heist, which any player can call upon at any time.
Follow the steps below.
1. Realize you're in a bit of a pickle.
2. Choose one of the following backup plans. Once any
member of the party has used a backup plan, the same
backup plan can't be used again until the next heist.
3. Roleplay a brief 20-second flashback scene of your
character anticipating what would happen and preparing
accordingly. Make yourself look smart as hell.
4. Work with the DM to describe the results.
I Knew This Would Happen. One of the helpful NPCs from
the Reef has magically assisted your anticipation of this
exact eventuality, allowing you to immediately cast any
spell from your list of spells known, even if you don't have it
prepared, without spending an action or spell slot.
Good Thing I Brought This Along Just in Case. You
produce any mundane item you require and have
advantage on the first ability check you make using it in the
next minute.
It Was a Fake the Whole Time. You have a duplicate of any
magical or nonmagical item featured in the heist, including
any necessary casting of Nystul's magic aura to sell the
ruse. Duplicates of magic items have no real magical
power. You decide who currently has the fake, even if it
doesn't logically make sense.
You Really Had Me Going There. You secretly struck a deal
with one of the bad guys. This is almost certainly
begrudging and temporary. The bad guy acts in a way that
is conducive to you completing the heist, though they will
refuse to harm their allies. You might now owe them a
favour.
No Room for Error. Sometimes things just have to go right.
Use this backup plan when you make a saving throw or
ability check to score 20 on the roll, no questions asked.
Opportunities
Once during a heist, every character can take one
opportunity. At any point, no matter what else is going on at
the time, you can choose one of the following opportunities.
You determine when the opportunity becomes available to
you, even if it doesn't logically fit in with the current scenario.
Forbidden Knowledge. You learn one dangerous secret. The
DM determines the nature of this secret and should refer
to the Denouement (AH 169) for a full explanation of
what's going on behind the scenes.
Untold Riches. You uncover a Challenge 5-10 Treasure
Hoard (DMG 133-136).
The Finest Blade. You discover a subtle knife (AH 12).
Ruination
Once, during a heist, when you fail an ability check or saving
throw, you can declare that your intricate plans have been
ruined to gain one use of Ruination. Ruination doesn't
require an action. You must use Ruination within 1 hour or
else it is wasted.
Ruination. Instead of rolling an attack roll, ability check, or
saving throw, you flip a coin. On a result of Tails, you score 20
on the roll you would have made. On a result of Heads, you
score 1.
Keeping Track
Use the table below to keep track of which heist options you
still have available.
Heist Option Used in the Current Heist?
Backup Plan
Opportunity
Ruination
PART 2
Friends and Foes
16

Statblock Index
The following statblocks refer to named characters and monsters created for this adventure.
Name Page Name Page
Achilles AH 21 Penny Featherlight MM 214, AH 95
Airship AH 47 Piscoloth AH 31
Alexandria AH 22 Pythagoras MM 225, AH 71
Ariadne AH 22 Queen Ursula McVale MM 314, AH 25
Aries AH 23 Quinobi AH 24
Beck AH 26 Ral'Romon AH 28
Binterkell MM 253, AH 75 Reef Clownfish AH 35
Bloodspatter AH 39 Reef Eel AH 35
Broken Opal MM 314, AH 25 Reef Megalodon AH 36
Captain Quasar AH 42 Reef Octopus AH 36
Caraxus MM 313, AH 25 Reef Stingray AH 37
Chest of the Knotted Reef Whale AH 37
MM 220, AH 114
Snake Rorknir AH 27
Corruptoloth AH 31 Seerloth AH 33
Crawllus MM 44, AH 19 Serpasollus MM 214, AH 128
Erronys Resistance AH 38 Shadowsollus AH 20
Gaundr MM 266, AH 70 Simulacrasollus AH 19
MM 347 or NPC 187, AH Skelesollus AH 20
Gimlen
138
Skereloth AH 32
Githyanki Brig AH 49
Spectrasollus MM 147, AH 19
Githyanki Skiff AH 49
Supermassive Black Hole AH 52
Harpy Matron AH 43
Sword Sprinter AH 44
Illusosollus AH 19
Thesea AH 48
Karen AH 25
Tirikan MM 314, AH 26
Karen's Gondola AH 47
Toda AH 29
Kegnoth AH 26
Vinchy AH 45
Kierk the Guard AH 34
Vizea AH 40
Leonardo AH 45
Void Pirate AH 41
Modron Conveyer AH 50
Void Pirate Mate AH 41
Mountain Titan AH 43
Void Pirate Sorcerer AH 42
Narcissa AH 23
Voorloth AH 32
Nautiloid AH 50
Will-o'-Sollus MM 301, AH 19
Oozeloth AH 33
Wraithship AH 51
Organus MM 313, AH 25
Yaukiss AH 24
Orym the Alarmed MM 342, AH 122
Ynthriss AH 44
Orzeg MM 313, AH 25
Yugoloth Meteorship AH 51
Oskhar AH 40
Zenh AH 39
Pascorpticon AH 46
Zigazan the Boiler AH 30
 17
The following statblocks are from officially released publications, including statblocks that were adapted for NPCs; for example,
Alexandria's statblock is based on the marut from Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.
Name Page Name Page
Aboleth MM 13 Knight MM 347
Air Elemental MM 124 Mage MM 347
Arcanaloth MM 313 Marut MTF 213
Astral Dreadnought MTF 117 Medusa MM 214
Attuner NPC 187 Merreneloth MTF 250
Basilisk MM 24 Mezzoloth MM 313
Camel MM 320 Mimic MM 220
Canaloth MTF 247 Mind Flayer MM 222
Cockatrice MM 42 Mind Flayer Arcanist MM 222
Commoner MM 344 Monodrone MM 224
Couatl MM 43 Mummy MM 228
Crab MM 320 Nycaloth MM 314
Crawling Claw MM 44 Oinoloth MTF 251
Cyclops MM 45 Otyugh MM 248
Deva MM 16 Pegasus MM 250
Dhergoloth MTF 248 Pentadrone MM 226
Dire Wolf MM 321 Pixie MM 253
Displacer Beast MM 81 Planetar MM 17
Duodrone MM 225 Priest MM 348
Earth Elemental MM 124 Quadrone MM 226
Elephant MM 322 Quasit MM 63
Erinyes MM 73 Red Slaad MM 276
Fire Elemental MM 125 Saber-toothed Tiger MM 336
Fire Snake MM 265 Salamander MM 226
Flameskull MM 134 Shadow MM 269
Flumph MM 135 Skeleton MM 272
Gas Spore MM 138 Sprite MM 283
Gibbering Mouther MM 157 Tridrone MM 225
Ghost MM 147 Ultroloth MM 314
Giant Ape MM 323 Unicorn MM 294
Githyank Knight MM 160 Veteran MM 350
Githyanki Warrior MM 160 Vrock MM 64
Gnoll MM 163 Water Elemental MM 125
Gray Ooze MM 243 Wereboar MM 209
Harpy MM 181 Will-o'-Wisp MM 301
Hell Hound MM 182 Wraith MM 302
Hydraloth MTF 249 Xorn MM 304
Incubus MM 285 Yagnoloth MTF 252
Intellect Devourer MM 191 Young Red Dragon MM 98
18

The Seven Heavens of Sollus the Dead

 19

Simulacrasollus Illusosollus
Medium construct, neutral good neutral

Armor Class 11 Armor Class --

Hit Points 40 (18d8 halved) Hit Points --
Speed 30 ft. Speed --

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
-3 +1 +0 +4 +0 +0 -- -- -- +10 +0 +0

Senses passive Perception 10 Damage Immunities all damage

Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Dwarvish,
Elvish, Gith, Infernal
Antimagic Susceptibility. If Simulacrasollus enters a
field of antimagic, such as that created by the spell
antimagic, or is targeted with dispel magic, he is
destroyed.
Simulacrum. Simulacrasollus can regain hit points
only through the spell mending or through one hour
of careful repair work in an alchemical laboratory.
These methods require the expenditure of materials;
Simulacrasollus regains 1 hit point per 1 gp of
materials used. If Simulacrasollus drops to 0 hit
points, he is destroyed, melting into a puddle of
mushy snow.
Spellcasting. Simulacrasollus is an 18th-level
spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence
(spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). He
has the following wizard spells memorised, which
he can cast without a spellbook. Simulacrasollus
can't regain spell slots or learn new spells.
Cantrips (at will): blade ward, friends,
prestidigitation, ray of frost, true strike
1st level (2 slots): comprehend languages, detect
magic, false life, identify, illusory script
2nd level (3 slots): blur, gentle repose, invisibility
3rd level (1 slot): blink, feign death
4th level (2 slots): locate creature
5th level (3 slots): creation, dream, legend lore,
mislead
6th level (1 slot): true seeing
7th level (0 slots): Mordenkainen's magnificent
mansion, plane shift, simulacrum
8th level (0 slots): demiplane
9th level (0 slots): astral projection, gate
Actions
Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: -1 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 cold damage.
Condition Immunities all conditions
Skills Arcana +14, Dragon Chess +14, History +14
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Dwarvish,
Elvish, Gith, Infernal
Antimagic Susceptibility. If Illusosollus enters a field
of antimagic, such as that created by the spell
antimagic, or is targeted with dispel magic, he is
destroyed.
Illusion. Illusosollus is invisible to any creature that
relies on truesight or non-visual senses, such as
smell or blindsight, to perceive him. He can't
physically interact with the world.
Photographic Memory. Illusosollus can perfectly
recall everything he has perceived and all knowledge
he has obtained.
Actions
Materialise. Illusosollus appears anywhere in The
Reef.
Crawllus
Crawllus is represented by the crawling claw (MM 44)
statblock.
Will-o'-Sollus
Will-o'-Sollus is represented by the will-o'-wisp (MM 301)
statblock.
Spectrasollus
Spectrasollus is represented by the ghost (MM 147)
statblock.
20

Shadowsollus Skelesollus
Medium undead, neutral evil Medium undead, neutral

Armor Class 12 Armor Class 12

Hit Points 195 (30d8 + 60) Hit Points 26 (4d8 + 8)
Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover) Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
-2 +3 +2 +0 +0 +2 -3 +2 +2 -1 -1 -3

Skills Stealth +9 Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning

Damage Vulnerabilities radiant Damage Immunities poison
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
thunder; nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
slashing Languages understands Abyssal, Common, Draconic,
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison Dwarvish, Elvish, Gith, and Infernal, but can't
Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, speak
grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone,
restrained Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces Skelesollus to 0
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 hit points, he must make a Constitution saving
Languages understands Abyssal, Common, Draconic, throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the
Dwarvish, Elvish, Gith, and Infernal, but can't damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a
speak success, Skelesollus drops to 1 hit point instead.
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Actions
Amorphous. Shadowsollus can move through a
space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: -1 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 1 bludgeoning damage.
Bright Light Weakness. While in bright light,
Shadowsollus has disadvantage on attack rolls,
ability checks, and saving throws.
Innate Spellcasting. Shadowsollus' innate spellcasting
ability is Constitution (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit
with spell attacks). He can cast the following spells
innately.
At will: darkness
1/day each: eyebite, hunger of Hadar, spirit
guardians (evil shades that deal necrotic damage)
Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness,
Shadowsollus can take the Hide action as a bonus
action.
Actions
Strength Drain. Melee Spell Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5
ft., one creature. Hit: 17 (4d6 + 3) necrotic damage,
and the target's Strength score is reduced by 2d4.
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 humanoid with a
shadow dies from this attack, a shadow (MM 269)
rises from the corpse immediately.
 21

Denizens of the Reef

Achilles Actions
Medium fiend, neutral evil
Multiattack. Achilles makes two weapon attacks.
Armor Class 17 (breastplate) Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
Hit Points 66 (12d8 + 12) one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Speed 30 ft.
Mace of Demonbane. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to
hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d6 + 6)
bludgeoning damage. If the target is a demon, it
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
takes an additional 10 (3d6) force damage. If the
+3 +3 +1 +2 +1 +5 demon has 25 hit points or fewer after taking this
damage, it must succeed on a DC 21 Charisma
Skills Insight +6, Perception +6, Persuasion +10 saving throw or be killed instantly.
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning, poison;
nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing Pike. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft.,
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15 one target. Hit: 11 (1d10 + 6) piercing damage.
Languages Common, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft. Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range
150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (1d8 + 6) piercing
Magic Weapons. All weapons become +3 magic damage.
weapons while wielded by Achilles. Charm. One humanoid Achilles can see within 30
Master of Weapons. Achilles can magically equip and feet of him must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom
unequip his weapons without requiring an action. saving throw or be magically charmed for 1 day. The
charmed target treats Achilles' words as the advice
Telepathic Bond. Achilles ignores the range of a trusted expert. If the target receives a suicidal
restriction on his telepathy when communicating suggestion, the effect ends. If the target
with a creature he has charmed. The two don't even successfully saves against the effect, or if the effect
need to be on the same plane of existence. on it ends, the target is immune to Achilles' charm
for the next 7 days. Achilles can have only one
target charmed at a time. If he charms another, the
effect on the previous target ends.

Mace of Demonbane
simple weapon (mace), melee weapon, very rare
When you hit a demon with this magical mace, it
takes an additional 10 (3d6) force damage. If the
demon has 25 hit points or fewer after taking this
damage, it must succeed on a DC 20 Charisma
saving throw or be killed instantly.
You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls
made with this weapon.
22

Alexandria Ariadne
Large construct, lawful neutral Medium humanoid (githyanki), neutral

Armor Class 22 (natural armor) Armor Class 13

Hit Points 216 (16d10 + 128) Hit Points 36 (8d8)
Speed 40 ft. Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+9 +1 +8 +4 +2 +0 +1 +3 +0 +3 +2 +0

Saving Throws Int +9, Wis +7, Cha +5
Skills Insight +7, Investigation +9, Perception +7
Damage Resistances thunder; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses truesight 30 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages all
Aura of Truth. Alexandria automatically extends a
magical aura out to 30 feet. While within her aura, a
creature that tells a lie takes 20 force damage and is
stunned until the end of Alexandria's next turn.
Skills Acrobatics +5, Alchemist's Supplies +5,
Animal Handling +4, Brewer's Supplies +5,
Calligrapher's Supplies +5, Cobbler's Tools +5,
Dragon's Dice +5, Glassblower's Tools +5, Flute
+5, History +5, Jeweler's Tools +5,
Leatherworker's Tools +5, Lute +5, Lyre +5,
Medicine +4, Nature +5, Navigator's Tools +5,
Painter's Supplies +5, Performance +2, Sleight of
Hand +5, Survival +4, Thieves' Tools +5, Tinker's
Tools +5, Vehicles (Land, Sea, Void) +5, Viol +5,
Woodcarver's Tools +5
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Gith

Immutable Form. Alexandria is immune to any spell
or effect that would alter her form.
Magic Resistance. Alexandria has advantage on
saving throws against spells and other magical
effects.
Actions
Unerring Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: automatic hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 30 force damage, and
the target is pushed up to 5 feet away from
Alexandria if it is Huge or smaller.
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). Ariadne's innate
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 13).
She can innately cast the following spells, requiring
no components.
At will: mage hand (the hand is invisible)
3/day each: jump, misty step
1/day: telekinesis
Jack of All Trades. When Ariadne makes an ability
check relying on a skill or a tool she does not have
proficiency with, she adds +1 to the result.

Actions
Welding Flame. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) fire damage.
 23

Aries Narcissa
Medium humanoid (dragonborn), neutral Medium humanoid (tiefling), neutral evil

Armor Class 12 Armor Class 18 (Tomb of Levistus)

Hit Points 45 (7d8 + 14) Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20)
Speed 30 ft. Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+2 +2 +2 +3 +0 +2 +0 +2 +2 +0 +3 +3

Skills Tinker's Tools +7, Woodcarver's Tools +7,
Smith's Tools +7
Damage Resistances fire
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Draconic, Elvish
Spellcasting. Aries is a 4th-level spellcaster. Her
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 13,
+5 to hit with spell attacks). She knows the
following artificer spells.
Cantrips (at will): light, mending
1st level (4 slots): absorb elements, grease, identify,
jump
2nd level (3 slots): continual flame, enhance ability,
pyrotechnics
Actions
Skills Deception +6, History +3, Religion +3
Damage Resistances cold, fire
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Infernal
Innate Spellcasting. Narcissa's innate spellcasting
ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +6 to hit with
spell attacks). She can cast the following spells
innately.
At will: ray of frost, thaumaturgy
1/day each: armor of agathys (2nd level), hellish
rebuke (deals cold damage)
Spellcasting. Narcissa is a 10th-level spellcaster. Her
spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5
to hit with spell attacks). She knows the following
cleric spells.

Light Hammer. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4
to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit:
4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Fire Breath (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest).
Aries breathes fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature
in the area must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving
throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save,
or half as much damage on a successful one.
Cantrips (at will): guidance, mending, resistance,
spare the dying
1st level (4 slots): create or destroy water, cure
wounds, detect evil and good, inflict wounds
2nd level (3 slots): augury, gentle repose, prayer of
healing
3rd level (3 slots): bestow curse, create food and
water, protection from energy, revivify, sleet storm
4th level (3 slots): death ward, freedom of
movement, ice storm
5th level (2 slots): cone of cold, greater restoration,
mass cure wounds, raise dead
Tomb of Levistus. Narcissa's armor class becomes
18 if it isn't already higher.
Actions
Rapier of Levistus. Melee or Weapon Attack: +8 to
hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing
damage plus 14 (4d6) cold damage. This is a +3
magic weapon that melts when wielded by anyone
other than Narcissa. If it is melted, she can reform
the weapon as a bonus action at will.
Reactions
Parry. Narcissa adds 3 to her AC against one melee
attack that would hit her. To do so, she must see the
attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.
24

Quinobi Yaukiss
Medium humanoid (githzerai), neutral good Medium humanoid (gith), neutral

Armor Class 13 Armor Class 18 (plate)

Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20) Hit Points 91 (14d8 + 28)
Speed 30 ft. Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+3 +3 +2 +2 +5 +2 +4 +2 +2 +3 +2 +2

Skills Athletics +4, History +4, Insight +7,
Persuasion +4
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Gith
Saving Throws Con +5, Int +6, Wis +5
Skills Deception +5, Glassblower's Tools +6, History
+6, Perception +5
Senses passive Perception 15
Languages Common, Duskrise, Gith

Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). Quinobi's innate
spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 15).
He can innately cast the following spells, requiring
no components.
At will: mage hand (the hand is invisible), levitate
(self only)
3/day each: enhance ability, shield
1/day: augury
Psychically-Enhanced Weapons. As a bonus action,
Quinobi empowers his cobalt blade, which ripples
with psychic energy. While empowered, it becomes
a +2 magic weapon that emits bright light out to 5
feet and dim light for 5 feet beyond that. Quinobi
can end the empowerment at any time.
Actions
Multiattack. Quinobi makes two attacks with his
cobalt blade.
Cobalt Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach
5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage.
Cobalt Blade (Empowered). Melee Weapon Attack:
+7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5)
radiant damage.
Innate Spellcasting (Psionics). Yaukiss' innate
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14).
He can innately cast the following spells, requiring
no components.
At will: mage hand (the hand is invisible), mending
3/day each: misty step, telekinesis, tongues
1/day: creation (glass only; 1 hour)
Actions
Multiattack. Yaukiss makes two attacks with his
silver greatsword.
Silver Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d6 + 7) slashing
damage plus 10 (3d6) psychic damage. This is a +3
magic weapon. If used by a creature other than
Yaukiss, the psychic damage is inflicted on the
wielder instead of the target.

Yugoloths
Broken Opal
Broken Opal uses the generic ultroloth statblock (MM 314)
with the following changes.
Loyal Goons. When Broken Opal is targeted by an
attack and an ally is within 5 feet of her, her ally can
use its reaction to swap places with her, and the ally
becomes the target instead.
Mastermind. Broken Opal can take the Help action
as a bonus action. When used to assist an ally in
attacking a creature, the target of the attack can be
within 30 feet of Broken Opal.
Caraxus and Organus
Caraxus and Organus use the generic mezzoloth statblock
(MM 313) with the following changes.
Trident. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit,
reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6
+ 5) piercing damage, or 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing
damage when held with two claws and used to make
a melee attack. This is a +1 magic weapon.
Orzeg
Orzeg uses the generic arcanaloth statblock (MM 313). She
replaces the material and somatic components of her spells
with her spellbook, a chaotic evil mimic (MM 220) that has
an Intelligence of 10 (+0) and can speak Abyssal.
Queen Ursula McVale
Queen Ursula McVale uses the generic nycaloth statblock
(MM 314) with the following changes.
Innate Spellcasting. Queen Ursula McVale's innate
spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6
to hit with spell attacks). She can innately cast the
following spells, requiring no material components.
At will: charm person, crown of madness,
enlarge/reduce (self only), protection from energy,
mirror image
25
Karen
Medium fiend (yugoloth), neutral
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 40 (9d8)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+1 +3 +0 +3 +2 +1
Saving Throws Dex +5, Int +5
Skills Arcana +5, Deception +3, History +5,
Perception +4
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive
Perception 14
Languages Abyssal, Common, Gith, Infernal,
telepathy 60 ft.
Innate Spellcasting. Karen's innate spellcasting ability
is Intelligence (spell save DC 13). She can innately
cast the following spells, requiring no material
components.
At will: charm person, glyph of warding, hex,
levitate, Nystul's magic aura
3/day: freedom of movement (can target her
gondola)
1/day: glibness
Magic Resistance. Karen has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Karen's weapon attacks are magical.
Teleport. As a bonus action, Karen magically
teleports, along with any equipment she is wearing
or carrying, up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space
she can see.
Actions
Oar. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Intimidation Gaze. Karen targets one creature she can
see within 60 feet of her. The target must succeed
on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become
frightened for 1 minute. The frightened target can
repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its
turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
26
Tirikan
Tirikan uses the generic nycaloth statblock (MM 314) with
the following changes.
Innate Spellcasting. Tirikan's innate spellcasting
ability is Charisma (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with
spell attacks). He can innately cast the following
spells, requiring no material components.
At will: branding smite, command, compelled duel,
invisibility (self only)
1/day: death ward (self only)
Kegnoth
Medium fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 119 (14d8 + 56)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+3 +0 +4 -2 +0 -1
Saving Throws Str +6
Skills Perception +3
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive
Perception 13
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Magic Resistance. Kegnoth has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Kegnoth's damage is magical.
Actions
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing damage.
Flailing Whirlwind. Kegnoth moves up to her walking
speed in a straight line, without incurring attacks of
opportunity, and targets each creature within 5 feet
of her during her movement. Each target must
succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take
22 (3d12 + 3) slashing damage.
Teleport. Kegnoth magically teleports, along with any
equipment she is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet
to an unoccupied space she can see.
Beck
Medium fiend (yugoloth), lawful evil
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 120 (16d8 + 48)
Speed 50 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+4 +0 +3 -3 +3 +1
Skills Investigation +3, Perception +9
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., truesight 120 ft., passive
Perception 19
Languages understands Abyssal and Infernal, but
can't speak; can communicate simple ideas with
Tirikan through telepathy up to a range of 60 ft.
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Dimensional Lock. Other creatures can't teleport to
or from a space within 60 feet of Beck. Any attempt
to do so is wasted.
Magic Resistance. Beck has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Beck's weapon attacks are magical.
Uncanny Senses. Beck can't be surprised while he
isn't incapacitated.
Actions
Multiattack. Beck makes two attacks: one with his
tongue or his bite, and one with his claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 25 (6d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) slashing damage.
Tongue. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 30
ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d12 + 4) piercing damage.
If the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled
(escape DC 15), pulled up to 30 feet towards Beck,
and is restrained until the grapple ends. Beck can
grapple one target at a time with his tongue.
Reactions
Recall Training. When Beck hears Tirikan call for him
or receives telepathic communication from Tirikan
ordering him to return, Beck can magically teleport
to an empty space within 5 feet of Tirikan. Any
creatures Beck is grappling teleport with him.
 27

Rorknir Magic Resistance. Rorknir has advantage on saving

throws against spells and other magical effects.
Large fiend (yugoloth), lawful evil
Magic Weapons. Rorknir's weapon attacks are magical.
Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Teleport. As a bonus action, Rorknir can magically
Hit Points 147 (14d10 + 70) teleport, along with any equipment she is wearing or
Speed 40 ft. carrying, up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space she can
see.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Actions

+4 +2 +5 +4 +2 +4 Massive Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 23 (3d12 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Saving Throws Dex +6, Int +8, Cha +8 If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 16
Skills Insight +6, Investigation +8, Perception +6, Constitution saving throw or become stunned until the
Persuasion +8 end of Rorknir's next turn.
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing Fine Print. Rorknir scrawls on a stunned creature with
Damage Immunities acid, poison her quill. The target takes 37 (5d6 + 20) force damage,
Condition Immunities poisoned and Rorknir gains temporary hit points equal to the
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive damage dealt. The creature is no longer stunned and
Perception 16 must immediately take one action determined by
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft. Rorknir.
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP) Battlefield Cunning (Recharge 4-6). Up to two allied
yugoloths within 60 feet of Rorknir that can hear her
Innate Spellcasting. Rorknir's innate spellcasting ability is can use their reactions to make one melee attack each.
Charisma (spell save DC 16). She can innately cast the
following spells, requiring no material components.
At will: blindness/deafness, detect magic, dispel magic,
invisibility (self only)
3/day: detect thoughts
1/day: geas
28

Ral'Romon Innate Spellcasting. Ral'Romon's innate spellcasting

ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16). He can innately
Large fiend (yugoloth), lawful evil
cast the following spells, requiring no material
components.
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 112 (15d10 + 70) At will: alter self, darkness, feather fall, mirror image
Speed 60 ft., climb 60 ft. 3/day: magic missile (5th level)
Magic Resistance. Ral'Romon has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Magic Weapons. Ral'Romon's weapon attacks are
+1 +3 +2 +3 +2 +3 magical.
Skills Deception +6, Intimidation +6, Stealth +6 Nimble Escape. Ral'Romon can take the Disengage or
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical Hide action as a bonus action on each of his turns.
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing Spider Climb. Ral'Romon can climb difficult surfaces,
Damage Immunities acid, poison including upside down on ceilings, without having to
Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned make an ability check.
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft. Actions
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Multiattack. Ral'Romon makes two claw attacks.
Attack Shock. When Ral'Romon hits a creature with an Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
attack, the target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom target. Hit: 30 (5d10 + 3) piercing damage, and the
saving throw or be frightened of Ral'Romon for 1 target must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving
minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the throw or be stunned until the end of its next turn.
end of each of its turns, ending the effects on a
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the
target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6)
effect ends for it, the creature is immune to
poison damage.
Ral'Romon's Attack Shock for the next 24 hours.

Ral'Romon was created by Adventure Bundles and is featured in the heist The Tranquil Prison.
 29

Toda Leap. As a bonus action, Toda leaps out of danger,

landing up to 60 feet away in an unoccupied space he
Medium fiend (yugoloth), lawful evil
can see without triggering attacks of opportunity.

Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Magic Resistance. Toda has advantage on saving throws
Hit Points 135 (18d8 + 54) against spells and other magical effects.
Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft., fly 15 ft. (hover) Magic Weapons. Toda's weapon attacks are magical.
Secure Memory. Toda is immune to spells and other
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA magical effects that would steal or modify his
memories or detect or read his thoughts.
+5 +1 +3 +4 +0 +2
Actions
Skills History +8, Perception +4
Multiattack. Toda makes two melee attacks.
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Resistances cold, lightning; nonmagical Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage.
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned Steal Memory (1/Day). Toda targets one creature he can
Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 14 see within 60 feet of him. The target takes 14 (4d6)
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft. psychic damage, and it must make a DC 16 Intelligence
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP) saving throw. On a failed save, the target loses all
proficiencies, it can't cast spells, it can't understand
Adaptable. Toda can breathe in any environment. language, and if its Intelligence and Charisma scores are
higher than 5, they become 5. Each time the target
Innate Spellcasting. Toda's innate spellcasting ability is finishes a long rest, it can repeat the saving throw,
Intelligence (spell save DC 16). He can innately cast the ending the effect on itself on a success. A greater
following spells, requiring no material components. restoration or remove curse spell cast on the target
ends this effect early.
At will: clairvoyance, detect magic, dispel magic,
invisibility (self only), protection from evil and good
3/day each: counterspell, zone of truth
1/day each: scrying, wall of force
30
Zigazan the Boiler
Medium fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 204 (24d8 + 96)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+4 +3 +4 +4 +3 +4
Saving Throws Con +8, Wis +7
Skills Deception +8, Intimidation +8, Perception +7
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive
Perception 17
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
Bringer of Plagues (Recharge 5-6). As a bonus action,
Zigazan blights the area within 30 feet of him. The
blight lasts for 24 hours. While blighted, all normal
plants in the area wither and die, and the number of hit
points restored by a spell to a creature in that area is
halved.
Furthermore, when a creature moves into the blighted
area or starts its turn there, that creature must make a
DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save,
the creature is immune to Zigazan's Bringer of Plagues
for the next 24 hours. On a failed save, the creature
takes 14 (4d6) necrotic damage and is poisoned.
The poisoned creature can't regain hit points. After
every 24 hours that elapse, the poisoned creature can
repeat the saving throw. On a failed save, the creature's
hit point maximum is reduced by 5 (1d10). This
reduction lasts until the poison ends, and the target
dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0. The
poison ends after the creature successfully saves
against it three times.
Innate Spellcasting. Zigazan's innate spellcasting ability
is Intelligence (spell save DC 16). He can innately cast
the following spells, requiring no material components.
At will: blindness/deafness (5th level), detect magic,
dispel magic, invisibility (self only)
1/day each: eyebite, disintegrate, feeblemind, gate
Magic Resistance. Zigazan has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. Zigazan's weapon attacks are magical.
Actions
Multiattack. Zigazan uses his transfixing gaze. Then, he
can make two claw attacks or cast a spell with a casting
time of 1 action.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) slashing damage plus 22
(4d10) poison damage.
Corrupted Healing. Zigazan touches a creature within 5
feet of him that is at half its hit point maximum or
lower. The target regains all its hit points, and Zigazan
can additionally end one disease on the target or
remove one of the following conditions from it:
blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned. The target
then gains 1 level of exhaustion, and its hit point
maximum is reduced by 7 (2d6). This reduction can be
removed only by a wish spell or by casting greater
restoration on the target three times within the same
hour. The target dies if its hit point maximum is
reduced to 0.
Teleport. Zigazan magically teleports, along with any
equipment he is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet to
an unoccupied space he can see.
Tranfixing Gaze. Zigazan targets one creature he can see
within 30 feet of it. The target must succeed on a DC
16 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be
charmed until the end of Zigazan's next turn. While
charmed in this way, the target is restrained. If the
target's saving throw is successful, the target is
immune to Zigazan's gaze for the next 24 hours.

Additional Yugoloths
Corruptoloth
Medium fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil
Armor Class 15 (studded leather armor)
Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+4 +3 +3 +0 +0 -1
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive
Perception 10
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Ambient Indicators. The corruptoloth automatically
emits a strong odour and the sound of clacking
dice; creatures have advantage on Wisdom
(Perception) checks that rely on smell or hearing to
detect the corruptoloth.
Bad Luck Aura. Hostile creatures within 30 feet of
the corruptoloth have disadvantage on attack rolls,
ability checks, and saving throws.
Innate Spellcasting. The corruptoloth's innate
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 10).
It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no
material components.
At will: blindness/deafness, detect magic, dispel
magic, invisibility (self only)
Magic Resistance. The corruptoloth has advantage on
saving throws against spells and other magical
effects.
Magic Weapons. The corruptoloth's weapon attacks
are magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The corruptoloth makes two attacks.
Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach
5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3)
piercing damage.
Teleport. The corruptoloth magically teleports, along
with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to
60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
31
Piscoloth
Huge fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil
Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
Hit Points 138 (12d12 + 60)
Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+5 +1 +5 +2 +1 -1
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive
Perception 10
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Adaptable. The piscoloth can breathe in any
environment.
Innate Spellcasting. The piscoloth's innate
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 13).
It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no
material components.
At will: blindness/deafness (3rd level), detect magic,
dispel magic, invisibility (self only)
3/day: fear, stinking cloud
Magic Resistance. The piscoloth has advantage on
saving throws against spells and other magical
effects.
Magic Weapons. The piscoloth's weapon attacks are
magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The piscoloth makes two pincer attacks
and an attack with its stingers, if possible.
Pincer. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft.,
one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
The target is grappled (escape DC 16) if it is a Large
or smaller creature and the piscoloth doesn't have
two other creatures grappled.
Stingers. Melee Weapon Attack: automatic hit, reach
5 ft., one creature grappled by the piscoloth. Hit: 3
(1d6) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) poison
damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 16
Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1
minute. Until this poison ends, the target is
paralyzed. The target can repeat the saving throw at
the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on
itself on a success.
Teleport. The piscoloth magically teleports, along
with any equipment it is wearing or carrying or
creatures it is grappling, up to 60 feet to an
unoccupied space it can see.
32
Skeroloth
Small fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 39 (6d6 + 18)
Speed 30 ft., 30 ft. burrow
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+3 +3 +3 +1 +0 -2
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive
Perception 10
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Easily Frightened. The skereloth becomes frightened
of the first creature to deal damage to it in a round.
The skereloth is frightened in this way until the end
of its next turn, at which point the next creature to
deal damage to it triggers this trait again.
Innate Spellcasting. The skereloth's innate
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 11).
It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no
material components.
At will: blindness/deafness, detect magic, dispel
magic, invisibility (self only)
Magic Resistance. The skereloth has advantage on
saving throws against spells and other magical
effects.
Magic Weapons. The skereloth's weapon attacks are
magical.
Pitiful. While the skereloth is frightened, creatures
have disadvantage on attack rolls against the
skereloth. Any creature that hits a frightened
skereloth automatically scores a crit against it.
Actions
Multiattack. The skereloth makes two claw attacks.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Teleport. The skereloth magically teleports, along
with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to
60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Voorloth
Large fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 57 (6d10 + 24)
Speed 35 ft., climb 45 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+5 +4 +4 -1 +1 -3
Skills Athletics +8, Perception +7
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive
Perception 17
Languages Abyssal, Infernal, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Axiomatic Mind. The voorloth can't be compelled to
act in a manner contrary to its nature or its
instructions.
Innate Spellcasting. The voorloth's innate spellcasting
ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 10). It can
innately cast the following spells, requiring no
material components.
At will: detect magic, dispel magic, invisibility (self
only)
Keen Smell. The voorloth has advantage on Wisdom
(Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Scentless. The voorloth can't be detected by
Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Magic Resistance. The voorloth has advantage on
saving throws against spells and other magical
effects.
Magic Weapons. The voorloth's weapon attacks are
magical.
Siege Monster. The voorloth deals double damage
against objects and structures.
Actions
Multiattack. The voorloth makes three lash attacks.
Lash. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 20 ft.,
one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage.
Teleport. The voorloth magically teleports, along
with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to
60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.

Wardenloths
These yugoloths are sequestered in Tartarus, and can only be
found in that plane.
Seerloth
Medium fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil
Armor Class 20 (plate, shield)
Hit Points 102 (12d8 + 48)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+5 +4 +4 +5 +5 +2
Skills Athletics +11, Perception +11
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 26
Languages all, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Alert. The seerloth has advantage on initiative
checks, and other creatures don't gain advantage on
attack rolls against the seerloth as a result of being
hidden from it. Its passive Perception is increased
by 5.
Innate Spellcasting. The seerloth's innate spellcasting
ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16). It can
innately cast the following spells, requiring no
material components.
At will: detect magic, dispel magic, faerie fire,
freedom of movement, hold monster, invisibility
(self only), locate object
1/day each: alarm, antimagic field, arcane lock,
detect thoughts, forbiddance, locate creature,
scrying
Magic Armor. The seerloth's armor is magical.
Magic Resistance. The seerloth has advantage on
saving throws against spells and other magical
effects.
Magic Weapons. The seerloth's weapon attacks are
magical.
Actions
Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 7 (1d4 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
Teleport. The seerloth magically teleports, along with
any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 60
feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
33
Oozeloth
Medium fiend (yugoloth, shapechanger), neutral evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 114 (12d8 + 60)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+5 +4 +5 +3 +3 +2
Skills Perception +9, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +10
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages all (can't speak in ooze form), telepathy
60 ft.
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Amorphous (Ooze Form Only). The oozeloth can
move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide
without squeezing.
Innate Spellcasting. The oozeloth's innate
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14,
+6 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the
following spells, requiring no components.
At will: cloudkill, detect magic, freedom of
movement, grease, hold monster
3/day: Melf's acid arrow (8th level)
Magic Resistance. The oozeloth has advantage on
saving throws against spells and other magical
effects.
Magic Weapons. The oozeloth's weapon attacks are
magical.
Shapechanger. The oozeloth can use its action to
polymorph into an ooze form, or back into its true
form. Its statistics are the same in each form. Any
equipment it is wearing or carrying is transformed
with it. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Actions
Multiattack. The oozeloth makes three attacks.
Club (Yugoloth Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack:
+8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d4 + 5)
bludgeoning damage.
Pseudopod (Ooze Form Only). Melee Weapon
Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 8
(1d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (4d6) acid
damage, and the largest nonmagical metal item in
the target's inventory (including armor) is destroyed.
Teleport. The oozeloth magically teleports, along
with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to
60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
34
Kierk the Guard
Medium fiend (yugoloth), neutral evil
Armor Class 26 (plate +3, shield +3)
Hit Points 280 (20d8 + 200)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+10 +10 +10 +10 +10 +10
Skills Acrobatics +24, Alchemist's Tools +24, Animal
Handling +24, Arcana +24, Athletics +24, Brewer's
Supplies +24, Calligrapher's Supplies +24,
Cartographer's Tools +24, Cobbler's Tools +24,
Cook's Utensils +24, Deception +24, Glassblower's
Tools +24, History +24, Insight +24, Intimidation
+24, Investigation +24, Jeweler's Tools +24,
Leatherworker's Tools +24, Mason's Tools +24,
Medicine +24, Nature +24, Navigator's Tools +24,
Painter's Supplies +24, Perception +24, Performance
+24, Persuasion +24, Potter's Tools +24, Religion
+24, Sleight of Hand +24, Smith's Tools +24, Stealth
+24, Survival +24, Thieves' Tools +24, Tinker's Tools
+24, Vehicles (Voidship) +24, Violin +24, Weaver's
Tools +24, Woodcarver's Tools +24
Damage Vulnerabilities necrotic
Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning; nonmagical
bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned
Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 34
Languages all, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge 25 (75,000 XP)
Cheater. Kierk can concentrate on as many spells
simultaneously as he likes. If he loses concentration, all
spells he is concentrating on end.
Crippling Fear of Death. When Kierk takes necrotic
damage, he automatically fails any rolls to maintain
concentration as a result of taking this damage.
Innate Spellcasting. Kierk's innate spellcasting ability is
Intelligence (spell save DC 25). He can innately cast the
following spells, requiring no components.
At will: detect magic, detect thoughts, dispel magic,
freedom of movement, hold monster, greater
invisibility (self only)
3/day: scrying
1/day: death ward, forbiddance
Magic Weapons. Kierk's weapon attacks are magical.
Spellcasting. Kierk is a 20th level spellcaster. His
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 25,
+17 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following
wizard spells prepared.
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, mage hand, minor illusion,
prestidigitation
1st level (4 slots): alarm, magic missile, shield, silent
image
2nd level (3 slots): arcane lock, augury, enhance ability,
knock, web
3rd level (3 slots): bestow curse, counterspell, dispel
magic, fireball, major image
4th level (3 slots): arcane eye, phantasmal killer, stone
shape, wall of fire
5th level (3 slots): creation, telekinesis, wall of stone
6th level (2 slots): contingency, disintegrate, eyebite,
Otto's irresistible dance
7th level (2 slots): mirage arcane, power word pain,
reverse gravity
8th level (1 slot): antimagic field, dominate monster,
maze
9th level (1 slot): foresight, invulnerability
Actions
Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
target. Hit: 12 (1d4 + 10) bludgeoning damage.
Extract Memories. Kierk touches an incapacitated
creature. The target takes 36 (8d8) psychic damage
and Kierk copies its memories and skills into his brain.
Teleport. Kierk magically teleports, along with any
equipment he is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet to
an unoccupied space it can see.
Legendary Actions
Kierk can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the
options below. Only one legendary action can be used
at a time, and only at the end of another creature's turn.
Spent legendary actions are regained at the start of
each turn.
Teleport. Kierk uses his Teleport action.
Swift Caster. Kierk casts a spell with a casting time of 1
action.
Reset (Costs 2 Actions). Kierk ends all spells and other
magical effects targeting him, as well as any conditions
he chooses, and then takes 5 necrotic damage
(doubled to 10). Kierk can take this action even if he is
incapacitated.
 35

Reef Creatures
These creatures travel the infinite astral demiplane of The Reef.

Reef Clownfish Reef Eel

Huge monstrosity (shapechanger), unaligned Huge monstrosity, unaligned

Armor Class 15 Armor Class 16

Hit Points 51 (6d12 + 12) Hit Points 68 (4d12 + 16)
Speed 0 ft., swim 80 ft., fly 80 ft. Speed 0 ft., swim 60 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+2 +5 +2 -4 +0 -4 +2 +6 +3 -4 +1 -4

Damage Resistances nonmagical bludgeoning, Skills Stealth +9

piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities cold
Condition Immunities exhaustion, prone
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages --
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Astral Entity. The clownfish can't leave the Reef, nor
can it be banished or otherwise transported out of
the Reef. It can breathe in any environment.
Magic Weapons. The clownfish's weapon attacks are
magical.
Actions
Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Spew Eggs (Recharge 5-6). The clownfish spews
caviar in a 60 ft. cone. Each creature in the cone
must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or
be hit with an egg; a creature hit with an egg can't
cast spells until the end of the clownfish's next turn.
Damage Resistances nonmagical bludgeoning,
piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities cold, lightning
Condition Immunities exhaustion, prone
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages --
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Astral Entity. The eel can't leave The Reef, nor can it
be banished or otherwise transported out of The
Reef. It can breathe in any environment.
Electric Current. A creature that touches the eel or
hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it
takes 7 (2d6) lightning damage.
Magic Weapons. The eel's weapon attacks are
magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The eel makes two attacks: one with its
bite and one with its tail. It can't make both attacks
against the same target.

Reactions Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,

Shapechange. When targeted with an attack, the
clownfish transforms into another member of its
species with slightly different proportions, throwing
off the attacker. The attack is made with
disadvantage.
one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage plus 7
(2d6) lightning damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
creature. Hit: 9 (1d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage plus
28 (8d6) lightning damage, and the target can't cast
spells until the end of the eel's next turn.
Additionally, the target must succeed on a DC 17
Constitution saving throw or become paralyzed until
the end of the eel's next turn.
36
Reef Octopus
Huge monstrosity, neutral
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 85 (10d12 + 20)
Speed 0 ft., swim 40 ft., fly 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+4 +6 +2 -1 +3 -1
Skills Sleight of Hand +9, Stealth +12
Damage Resistances nonmagical bludgeoning,
piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities cold
Condition Immunities exhaustion, prone
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive
Perception 13
Languages Reef Octopus
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Astral Entity. The octopus can't leave The Reef, nor
can it be banished or otherwise transported out of
The Reef. It can breathe in any environment.
Camouflage (Recharge 5-6). As a bonus action or
when it uses its antimagic ink cloud, the octopus
nonmagically turns invisible. Effects that allow a
creature to see invisible creatures, such as see
invisibility, do not allow it to see the octopus. The
octopus can end this effect as a bonus action.
Magic Weapons. The octopus' weapon attacks are
magical.
Actions
Mulitattack. The octopus makes two attacks with its
tentacles.
Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 15
ft., one target. Hit: 16 (3d6 + 6) bludgeoning
damage. If the target is a creature and the octopus
doesn't already have 8 creatures grappled, the target
is grappled (escape DC 17). Until this grapple ends,
the target is restrained and can't cast spells.
Antimagic Ink Cloud (Recharges after a Short or Long
Rest). A 60-foot-radius cloud of ink extends all
around the octopus. The area is heavily obscured for
1 minute and is an area of antimagic, as per the
antimagic field spell. After releasing the ink, the
octopus' camouflage activates (if available) and it
can use the Dash action as a bonus action.
Reef Megalodon
Gargantuan monstrosity, unaligned
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 155 (10d20 + 50)
Speed 0 ft., swim 60 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+8 +4 +5 -5 +4 -3
Skills Perception +8
Damage Resistances nonmagical bludgeoning,
piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities cold
Condition Immunities exhaustion, prone
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages --
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
Aggressive. As a bonus action, the megalodon can
move up to its speed toward a creature that it can
smell.
Antimagic Aura. The area around the megalodon up
to a radius of 60 feet is antimagic, as per the spell
antimagic field.
Astral Entity. The megalodon can't leave The Reef,
nor can it be banished or otherwise transported out
of The Reef. It can breathe in any environment.
Blood Frenzy. The megalodon has advantage on
melee attack rolls against any creature with blood
that doesn't have all its hit points.
Keen Smell. The megalodon has advantaqe on
Wisdom (Perception) rolls that rely on smell. It can
smell creatures with blood that don't have all their
hit points up to 100 miles away, even through void,
pinpointing their location.
Magic Weapons. The megalodon's bite is magical.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 34 (4d12 + 8) piercing damage. If
the target is a creature, the target is grappled
(escape DC 20). Until this grapple ends, the target is
restrained, and the megalodon can't use its bite on
another target.
Legendary Actions
The megalodon can take 3 legendary actions,
choosing from the options below. Only one
legendary action can be used at a time, and only at
the end of another creature's turn. Spent legendary
actions are regained at the start of each turn.
Death Shake. The megalodon whips its head violently
back and forth. If it is grappling a creature, the
creature takes 13 (2d12) magical slashing damage.
 37

Reef Stingray Reef Whale

Gargantuan monstrosity, unaligned Gargantuan monstrosity, neutral

Armor Class 13 Armor Class 17 (natural armor)

Hit Points 81 (6d20 + 18) Hit Points 310 (20d20 + 100)
Speed 0 ft., swim 40 ft., fly 40 ft. Speed 0 ft., swim 40 ft., fly 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+4 +3 +3 -4 +0 -4 +5 +0 +5 +0 +4 +2

Damage Resistances nonmagical bludgeoning, Damage Resistances nonmagical bludgeoning,

piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities cold
Condition Immunities exhaustion, prone
Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive
Perception 10
Languages --
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Astral Entity. The stingray can't leave The Reef, nor
can it be banished or otherwise transported out of
The Reef. It can breathe in any environment.
Magic Weapons. The stingray's weapon attacks are
magical.
Actions
Stinger. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 22 (4d8 + 4) piercing damage plus
18 (4d8) poison damage. Additionally, any spells
affecting the target end, and the target can't cast
spells until the end of the stingray's next turn.
piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities cold
Condition Immunities exhaustion, prone
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Reef Whale
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP)
Antimagic Aura. The area around the whale up to a
radius of 180 feet is antimagic, as per the spell
antimagic field. Her whalesong is unaffected by her
antimagic aura.
Astral Entity. The whale can't leave The Reef, nor can
she be banished or otherwise transported out of
The Reef. She can breathe in any environment.
Magic Weapons. The whale's weapon attacks are
magical.
Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 22 (5d6 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
Whalesong (Recharge 5-6). The whale magically sings
a song of slumber that affects creatures up to a total
of 90 (20d8) hit points. Creatures within 300 feet
of the whale are affected in ascending order of their
current hit points (ignoring unconscious creatures).
Starting with the creature that has the lowest
current hit points, each creature affected by this
spell falls unconscious until the spell ends, the
sleeper takes damage, or someone uses an action to
shake or slap the sleeper awake. Subtract each
creature's hit points from the total before moving
on to the creature with the next lowest hit points. A
creature's hit points must be equal to or less than
the remaining total for that creature to be affected.
Undead and creatures immune to being charmed
aren't affected.
Swallow. The whale's esophagus is a teleportation
gate that leads in and out of The Reef. As an action,
she can swallow a Large or smaller creature,
teleporting it safely and harmlessly to and from
either a shallow reef on Sword Coast of the
Forgotten Realms, just outside of Candlekeep, or to
the Yugoloth Database (AH 81) in The Reef (target's
choice). A creature can avoid being swallowed with
a successful DC 17 Dexterity saving throw.
38

Unique Heist Statblocks

The following unique monsters and NPCs are found throughout the heists in this book.

Erronys Resistance Actions

Large celestial, neutral Touch of Content. Melee Spell Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) psychic damage.
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32) I Know You. The resistance looks into the mind of a
Speed 50 ft., fly 50 ft. (hover) hostile creature and telepathically whispers its flaws,
ideals, secrets, or bonds in rapid succession. The victim
must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA suffer 31 (7d8) psychic damage and be frightened of
the resistance. If they succeed, then nothing happens.
+3 +4 +2 +0 +2 +0 The saving throw can be repeated at the start of each of
the victim's turns, ending the frightened condition on a
Damage Resistances nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, success.
and slashing
Damage Immunities poison Resistance. The resistance wraps its arms around a
Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, creature, hooking it. As long as it stays in this position,
petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious it cannot attack or take any other actions, but if it gets
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 hit, the attacker suffers 10 (3d6) force damage in
Languages all, telepathy 60 ft. return. An action and a successful contested Wisdom
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) check is required to unhook the resistance. Any
creatures hooked by a resistance cannot be persuaded
Incorporeal Movement. The resistance can move to leave Erronys under any circumstances; any checks
through other creatures and objects as if they were to convince them fail.
difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it Stay (Recharge 5-6). The resistance extends its
ends its turn inside an object. incorporeal arms towards all non-entrapped creatures in
a 15 foot radius. A target sees a vision representing one
Magic Resistance. The resistance has advantage on
of their bonds. Each target must succeed on a DC 14
saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Wisdom saving throw or be stunned for 1 minute. The
Mind Sight. The resistance automatically knows all saving throw can be repeated at the end of each of the
secrets, ideals, bonds, and flaws of any creature it faces target's turns. If the target fails three saving throws
in combat. before it succeeds, it is entrapped as per Erronys'
entrapment rules (AH 121).

The Erronys resistance was created by Adventure Bundles and is featured in the heist The Tranquil Prison.
 39

Bloodspatter Zenh
Medium celestial, chaotic evil Large fiend (devil), lawful evil

Armor Class 11 Armor Class 19 (natural armor)

Hit Points 74 (10d8 + 30) Hit Points 142 (15d10 + 60)
Speed 30 ft. Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+2 +1 +3 -2 +0 -2 +4 +3 +4 +1 +2 +3

Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages Gnoll
Blood Frenzy. Bloodspatter has advantage on melee
attack rolls against any creature with blood that
doesn't have all its hit points.
Blood Rager. When Bloodspatter has taken more
than 10 damage since finishing their last turn, they
add an extra 10 damage to the first attack they hit
with this turn.
Rampage. When Bloodspatter reduces a creature to
0 hit points with a melee attack on their turn, they
can take a bonus action to move up to half their
speed and make a bite attack.
Actions
Multiattack. Bloodspatter makes three melee weapon
attacks: one with their bite and two with their claw.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) piercing damage.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.
Bloodspatter, Zenh, Oskhar, and Vizea are featured in the
heist Escape from Gleaming Beacon by William Rotor.
Zenh's hammer of gravity reversal is located in Penny's office.
Saving Throws Int +4, Wis +5, Cha +6
Skills Insight +5, Persuasion +6
Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren't
silvered
Damage Immunities fire, poison
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Infernal, telepathy 120 ft.
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede
Zenh's darkvision.
Magic Resistance. Zenh has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects.
Actions
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft.,
one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Reactions
Rebuke the Violent. When Zenh sees an attacker
within 30 feet of her deal damage with an attack
against a creature other than her, she can force the
attacker to make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw.
On a failed save, the attacker takes necrotic damage
equal to the damage it just dealt. On a successful
save, it takes half as much damage.

Hammer of Gravity Reversal

weapon (maul), very rare (requires attunement)
You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls with
this magic weapon.
While attuned to this weapon, when you hit a
creature with it, you can cast reverse gravity with a
spell save DC of 15, which must include the
targeted creature in the area of effect. Once you've
used the hammer in this way, you must change your
alignment before you can do so again.
40
Oskhar
Medium humanoid (human), neutral evil
Armor Class 18 (plate)
Hit Points 153 (18d8 + 72)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+4 +0 +4 +0 +2 +2
Saving Throws Wis +5, Cha +5
Skills Deception +5, Intimidation +5, Religion +3
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Common
Spellcasting. Oskhar is a 10th-level spellcaster. His
spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5
to hit with spell attacks). He has the following
paladin spells prepared.
1st level (4 slots): command, compelled duel,
hellish rebuke, hex
2nd level (3 slots): ray of enfeeblement
3rd level (2 slots): bestow curse
Psychically-Enhanced Weapons. As a bonus action,
Oskhar empowers his garnet blade, which ripples
with psychic energy. While empowered, it becomes
a +2 magic weapon that emits bright light out to 5
feet and dim light for 5 feet beyond that. Oskhar
can end the empowerment at any time.
Actions
Multiattack. Oskhar makes two attacks.
Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) bludgeoning
damage.
Garnet Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach
5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Garnet Blade (Empowered). Melee Weapon Attack:
+9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (4d6 + 6)
radiant damage.
Dreadful Aspect (Recharges after a Short or Long
Rest). Each enemy within 30 feet of Oskhar must
succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be
frightened for 1 minute. If a frightened target ends
its turn more than 30 feet away from Oskhar, the
target can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect
on itself on a success.
Oskhar's garnet blade and spellcasting focus (the symbol of
Beshaba) are located in a secret safe in Penny's office. He
can't use his garnet blade attacks without the blade. He
pretends that he can't cast spells without his focus, but,
secretly, only hex is unavailable without a focus.
Vizea
Medium monstrosity, lawful evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 127 (17d8 + 51)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+0 +2 +3 +1 +1 +2
Skills Deception +4, Insight +3, Perception +3,
Religion +3
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages Common
Blinded. While wearing her blinder, Vizea is blinded.
She can't see, she automatically fails any ability
check that requires sight, her attack rolls have
disadvantage, and attack rolls against her have
advantage.
Petrifying Gaze. When a creature that can see Vizea's
eyes starts its turn within 30 feet of her, she can
force it to make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw
if she isn't incapacitated and can see the creature. If
the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is
instantly petrified. Otherwise, a creature that fails
the save begins to turn to stone and is restrained.
The restrained creature must repeat the saving
throw at the end of its next turn, becoming petrified
on a failure or ending the effect on a success. The
petrification lasts until the creature is freed by the
greater restoration spell or other magic.
Unless surprised, a creature can avert its eyes to
avoid the saving throw at the start of its turn. If the
creature does so, it can't see Vizea until the start of
its next turn, when it can avert its eyes again. If the
creature looks at Vizea in the meantime, it must
immediately make the save.
If Vizea sees herself reflected on a polished surface
within 30 feet of her and in an area of bright light,
she is, due to her curse, affected by her own gaze.
While wearing her blinder, this trait is suppressed
for Vizea.
Actions
Snake Hair. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage plus
14 (4d6) poison damage.
Vizea's holy symbol of Athena is located in a secret safe in
Penny's office. Vizea isn't a cleric, but Aya took it from her
anyway, claiming it was an unacceptable risk.
 41

Void Pirate Void Pirate Mate

Medium humanoid (human), chaotic evil Medium humanoid (human), chaotic evil

Armor Class 15 (studded leather) Armor Class 15 (studded leather)

Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2) Hit Points 60 (9d8 + 9)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover) Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+1 +3 +1 +0 +2 +0 +1 +3 +1 +1 +2 +2

Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +3, Perception +4,
Survival +4, Vehicles (Void) +4
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Celestial, Thieves' Cant
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Skills Acrobatics +5, Athletics +3, Perception +4,
Survival +4, Vehicles (Void) +6
Senses passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Celestial, Thieves' Cant
Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Hover Jets. While wearing hover jets, the pirate has a Cunning Action. The pirate can take the Dash,
fly (hover) speed of 30 feet and has disadvantage on Disengage, or Hide actions as a bonus action on its
Dexterity (Stealth) checks. turn.

Actions Fancy Footwork. During the pirate's turn, if it makes

Multiattack. The pirate makes two attacks with its
scimitars. It can trade one of these attacks for an
attack with its hand crossbow.
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Hand Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3)
piercing damage.
The void pirates and Captain Quasar are found in the
eponymous heist, Void Pirates (AH 107).
a melee attack against a creature, that creature
cannot make opportunity attacks against it until the
end of the pirate's turn.
Hover Jets. While wearing hover jets, the pirate has a
fly (hover) speed of 40 feet and has disadvantage on
Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The pirate deals an extra 7
(2d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon
attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when
the target is within 5 feet of the pirate and has no
allies within 5 feet of it, as long as the pirate doesn't
have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Actions
Multiattack. The pirate makes two attacks with its
scimitars. It can trade one of these attacks for an
attack with its hand crossbow.
Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Hand Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3)
piercing damage.
42

Void Pirate Sorcerer Captain Quasar

Medium humanoid (human), chaotic evil Medium humanoid (human), chaotic evil

Armor Class 12 Armor Class 16 (studded leather)

Hit Points 54 (12d8) Hit Points 117 (18d8 + 36)
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover) Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+0 +2 +0 +1 +1 +4 +4 +4 +2 +1 +2 +5

Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Common, Celestial, Thieves' Cant
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
Gasp of the Void. The pirate doesn't trigger
opportunity attacks when it flies out of a hostile
creature's reach.
Skills Athletics +7, Intimidation +11, Perception +5,
Survival +5, Vehicles (Void) +5
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing
Senses passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Celestial, Thieves' Cant
Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)

Hover Jets. While wearing hover jets, the pirate has a
fly (hover) speed of 30 feet and has disadvantage on
Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Innate Spellcasting. The pirate's spellcasting ability is
Charisma (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell
attacks). The pirate can cast the following spells
innately.
At will: gust, shocking grasp, thunderclap,
thunderwave
3/day each: gust of wind, shatter, thunderous smite
1/day each: call lightning, storm sphere, warding
wind, wind wall
Leyline Channeler. All damage from the pirate's spells
is force damage.
Actions
Beard is on Fire. Captain Quasar takes 1 fire damage
at the start of each of his turns. Putting out his
beard requires an action. Captain Quasar will never
willingly put out his beard.
Hover Jets. While wearing hover jets, the Captain
Quasar has a fly (hover) speed of 30 feet and has
disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). When Captain Quasar
fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed
instead.
Rage Beyond Death. When Captain Quasar is reduced
to 0 hit points, he remains alive and conscious until
he ends his turn after neither taking nor dealing
damage since the beginning of his previous turn
while still remaining at 0 hit points.

Force Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5
to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit:
7 (2d4 + 2) force damage, and the target must
succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or
be stunned until the end of its next turn. This is a
magic weapon. The dagger ceases to exist if the
pirate is killed.
Reactions
Void Lash. When the pirate is hit by an attack, it can
use its reaction to force its attacker to make a DC
15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the
target takes 14 (4d6) force damage and is pushed
20 feet in a direction of the pirate's choice. On a
successful save, the target takes no damage and is
pushed 10 feet.
Reckless. At the start of its turn, Captain Quasar can
gain advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls
during that turn, but attack rolls against him have
advantage until the start of his next turn.
Actions
Multiattack. Captain Quasar makes three attacks with
his void scimitars and one with his hand crossbow.
Then, he uses his Vicious Reputation, if available.
Void Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach
5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) force damage.
The scimitar ceases to exist if Captain Quasar is
killed.
Hand Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,
range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4)
piercing damage.
Vicious Reputation (Recharge 4-6). Each hostile
creature within 60 feet of Captain Quasar that can
see him must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving
throw or become frightened of Captain Quasar until
the end of its next turn.

Harpy Matron
Medium monstrosity, chaotic evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32)
Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+3 +2 +2 –1 +1 +1
Senses passive Perception 11
Languages Celestial
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Actions
Multiattack. The harpy matron makes 3 spear attacks.
Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit,
reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6
+ 3) piercing damage, or 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing
damage if used with two hands to make a melee
attack, plus 7 (2d6) poison damage.
Luring Song. The harpy sings a magical melody. Every
humanoid and giant within 300 feet of the harpy
that can hear the song must succeed on a DC 11
Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until the song
ends. The harpy must take a bonus action on its
subsequent turns to continue singing. It can stop
singing at any time. The song ends if the harpy is
incapacitated.
While charmed by the harpy, a target is
incapacitated and ignores the songs of other
harpies. If the charmed target is more than 5 feet
away from the harpy, the target must move on its
turn toward the harpy by the most direct route,
trying to get within 5 feet. It doesn't avoid
opportunity attacks, but before moving into
damaging terrain, such as lava or a pit, and whenever
it takes damage from a source other than the harpy,
the target can repeat the saving throw. A charmed
target can also repeat the saving throw at the end of
each of its turns. If the saving throw is successful,
the effect ends on it.
A target that successfully saves is immune to this
harpy's song for the next 24 hours.
The harpy matron was created by P.J. Pirrello and is featured
in the heist In Remembrance.
The mountain titan was created by P.J. Pirrello and is
featured in the heist In Remembrance.
43
Mountain Titan
Gargantuan giant, neutral evil
Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 232 (15d20 + 75)
Speed 40 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+7 +2 +5 +0 +1 –1
Saving Throws Con +9, Wis +5
Skills Athletics +11, Perception +5
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages Celestial, Giant
Challenge 17 (18,000 XP)
Magic Weapons. The titan's weapon attacks are
magical.
Actions
Multiattack. The titan make two attacks with
Stonehewer.
Stonehewer. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +11
to hit, reach 10 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target.
Hit: 20 (2d12 + 7) slashing damage, or 26 (3d12 +
7) if the weapon is thrown and hits a giant.
Immediately after the attack, the weapon returns to
the titan's hand if it was thrown.
Legendary Actions
The titan can take 3 legendary actions, choosing
from the options below. Only one legendary action
option can be used at a time and only at the end of
another creature's turn. The titan regains spent
legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Stonehewer. The titan makes one attack with
Stonehewer.
Tremor. Each creature in a 30 foot radius centered
on the titan must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving
throw. On a failure, a target takes 7 (2d6)
bludgeoning damage and falls prone. The ground in
the radius becomes difficult terrain.
Sweep (Costs 3 Actions). Melee Weapon Attack: +11
to hit, reach 10 ft., up to two targets. Hit: 13 (1d12
+ 7) slashing damage, and if the target is a creature,
it must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw
or be pushed 10 feet away from the titan.
44

Sword Sprinter Ynthriss

Medium construct, neutral Medium humanoid (dragonborn), neutral

Armor Class 16 (natural armor) Armor Class 14

Hit Points 22 (4d8 + 4) Hit Points 40 (9d8)
Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+1 +2 +1 +0 +0 +0 +2 +4 +0 +1 +0 +5

Skills Perception +2 Skills Acrobatics +8, Harp +9, Performance +9,

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Modron
Challenge 2 (400 XP)
Aggressive. As a bonus action, the sword sprinter
can move up to its speed towards a hostile creature
it can see.
Axiomatic Mind. The sword sprinter can't be
compelled to act in a manner contrary to its nature
or its instructions.
Construct Detection. The sword sprinter can pinpoint
the exact location of all creatures with the construct
type within 150 feet of it.
Disintegration. If the sword sprinter dies, its body
disintegrates into dust, leaving behind its weapons
and anything else it was carrying.
Actions
Multiattack. The sword sprinter makes four attacks
with its laser swords.
Laser Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach
5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) radiant damage.
Laser Rifle. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range
100/300 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (3d8 + 2) radiant
damage. The weapon is loaded with an energy cell
that provides it enough charges for 30 shots.
Sleight of Hand +6, Thieves' Tools +6
Damage Resistances fire
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages Common, Draconic
Boots of Striding and Stringing. Ynthriss' high jump is
up to 15 feet and long jump is up to 30 feet, with
or without a running start.
Innate Spellcasting. Ynthriss' innate spellcasting
ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15). She knows
the following bard spells.
At will: friends, minor illusion, prestidigitation,
vicious mockery
Tumbler. As a bonus action, Ynthriss can take both
the Dash and Disengage actions.
Actions
Jester's Club. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to
hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3
(1d4 + 1) bludgeoning damage, and the target has
disadvantage on the next ability check it makes
before the end of its next turn.
Fire Breath (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest).
Ynthriss breathes fire in a 15-foot cone. Each
creature in the area must make a DC 10 Dexterity
saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Ynthriss the jester is featured in the heist The Crimson

Terror of Yenneth.
Laser Sword
The laser sword is a melee weapon with a reach of 5
feet that deals 1d8 radiant damage. It has the
finesse and light properties.
Laser Rifle
The laser rifle is a ranged weapon with a range of
100/300 feet that deals 3d8 radiant damage. It
must be loaded with an energy cell; an energy cell
powers the rifle with enough charges for 30 shots.
Replacing an energy cell takes an action.
 45

Orzeg's Vinchies

W
hirring and grinding, the automatons expel
blasts of hot air that sizzle against skin. Their
armor gleams with flecks of copper and their
skeletal limbs skuttle across superheated
stone.
Vinchy Player Race
Vinchies are mechanical creature powered by steam and
magic. They take on many forms, from slender and insectoid
to hulking and unbalanced. What they share is their origin:
the fevered designs of the arcanoloth Orzeg.
When playing a Vinchy as a player character, you have
managed to break free of Orzeg's influence. Choose an
explanation or roll on the following table.
Recharge. A long rest only takes 4 hours for you, which you
spend largely motionless and inactive yet still aware of your
surroundings.
Vinchy Spellcasting. You can cast absorb elements once
with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you
finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast
cloud of daggers once with this trait and regain the ability
to do so when you finish a long rest. Constitution is your
spellcasting ability for these spells.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Abyssal and
Infernal.
Vinchy
Medium construct, lawful evil

d6 Escape
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
A surge of wild magic gave you the gift of Hit Points 22 (4d6 + 8)
1
sentience. Speed 30 ft.
You fell into a crevice and were abandoned by other
2
vinchies. Eventually, you crawled out yourself.
Your mistake caused great harm to Orzeg. You fled STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
3 +1 +1 +2 -1 -1 -4
rather than face her cruel and unusual punishment.
You were rescued by a strike team of devils who
4 reprogrammed you to only obey others under Damage Immunities poison
express contractual obligation. Condition Immunities paralyzed, poisoned
Senses passive Perception 9
You were always built to be different. Orzeg never
5 Languages Abyssal, Infernal
counted on how different you would be.
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
You never left Orzeg's control; you are secretly still
6
working for her. Axiomatic Mind. The vinchy can't be compelled to
disobey its creator.
Vinchy Traits
Innate Spellcasting. The vinchy's innate spellcasting
You have the following racial traits. ability is Constitution (spell save DC 12). It can
innately cast the following spells.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution increases by 1,
and two other ability scores of your choice increase by 1. At will: absorb elements
Creature Type. You are a construct. 1/day: cloud of daggers
Size. You stand between four and five feet tall. You are Melting. When the vinchy takes acid or fire damage,
Medium. it takes an additional 1d6 damage.
Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet. Relentless (1/Day). When the vinchy is reduced to 0
Armored Casing. Your outer shell is a copper or bronze alloy. hit points and not killed outright, it can choose to
While you aren't wearing armor, your armor class is 15. drop to 1 hit point instead.
False Life. When you are targeted with a healing spell that
ordinarily can't affect constructs, such as cure wounds, you Overcharge. When the vinchy is killed, it explodes
gain temporary hit points equal to the amount of hit points with superheated air in a 20-foot radius around it.
you would have gained from the spell. Each creature in the radius must make a DC 12
Mechanical Nature. You have resistance to poison damage Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire
and immunity to disease, and you have advantage on damage on a failed save or half as much damage on
saving throws against being paralyzed or poisoned. You a successful one.
don’t need to eat, drink, or breathe. Actions
Overcharge. When you drop to 0 hit points or fail a death
saving throw, you release a blast of superheated air. All Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
creatures within 20 feet of you must make a DC 15 one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage.
Constitution saving throw, taking 4d6 fire damage on a
failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
46

Pascorpticon Reactive. The pascorpticon can take one reaction on

every turn in combat.
Huge construct, lawful evil
Relentless (1/Day). When the pascorpticon is reduced to
Armor Class 21 (natural armor) 0 hit points and not killed outright, it can choose to
Hit Points 126 (12d12 + 48) drop to 1 hit point instead.
Speed 30 ft. Overcharge. When the pascorpticon is killed, it
explodes with superheated air in a 60-foot radius
around it. Each creature in the radius must make a DC
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) fire
+4 -1 +4 -1 +1 -4 damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a
successful one.
Saving Throws Str +8, Con +8
Skills Perception +9
Actions
Damage Immunities poison Multiattack. The pascorpticon makes three attacks with
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, its stingers.
incapacitated, paralyzed, poisoned, restrained,
stunned, unconscious Stingers. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 20 ft.,
Senses passive Perception 19 one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 3
Languages understands Abyssal and Infernal but can't (1d6) poison damage.
speak
Challenge 11 (7,200 XP) Legendary Actions
The pascorpticon can take 3 legendary actions,
Axiomatic Mind. The pascorpticon can't be compelled choosing from the options below. Only one legendary
to disobey its creator. action option can be used at a time and only at the end
of another creature's turn. The pascorpticon regains
Innate Spellcasting. The pascorpticon's innate spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
spellcasting ability is Constitution (spell save DC 16). It
can innately cast the following spells. Sting. The pascorpticon makes an attack with its
stingers.
At will: absorb elements, conjure barrage (chunks of
superheated metal, fire damage) Manufacture Vinchy (Costs 2 Actions). The pascorpticon
1/day: animate objects constructs a vinchy (AH 45) which is deposited into an
empty space within 5 feet of the pascorpticon.

Vinchy NPC Traits

Use the following traits on any statblock with the creature type humanoid (any) to create vinchies with particular skills or abilities.
The book OUTCLASSED: The NPC Statblock Compendium provides a host of NPCs that could be vinchies.
Creature Type construct
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities paralyzed, poisoned
Languages Abyssal, Infernal
Axiomatic Mind. The vinchy can't be compelled to disobey its creator.
Innate Spellcasting. The vinchy's innate spellcasting ability is Constitution. It can innately cast absorb elements at will.
Overcharge. When the vinchy is killed, it explodes with superheated air in a 20-foot radius around it. Each creature in the
radius must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a
successful one.
Relentless (1/Day). When the vinchy is reduced to 0 hit points and not killed outright, it can choose to drop to 1 hit point
instead.

Voidships
Karen's Gondola
Huge vehicle (20 ft. by 5 ft.)
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 75 (damage threshold 5)
Speed water 30 ft., air 60 ft., void 120 ft.
Creature Capacity 1 crew, 8 passengers
Initiative The gondola shares initiative with Karen
Saves Str -2, Dex +2, Con +0
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened,
exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed,
petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious
Antimagic Susceptibility. The gondola's actions and
features, other than this one, don't function in an
area of antimagic.
Insured. The gondola's speed can't be reduced as
long as it has greater than 0 hit points.
Merrenoloth Comfort. Creatures Karen chooses to
take on the gondola can breathe in any environment
and aren't discomfited by wind or weather, though
this effect doesn't protect against damage.
Reliable. The gondola always stays on course to the
destination Karen names.
Warded (1 Use). Using glyph of warding, Karen has
warded her gondola against intruders. Any creature
that steps foot on her gondola without her
invitation becomes targeted with disintegrate (spell
save DC 13).
Actions
While Karen captains her gondola, it can take one of
the following actions on its turn. It can't use the
same action two turns in a row.
Contractual Guarantee. The gondola regains 22
(4d10) hit points.
Yugoloth Teleportation. The gondola teleports up to
30 feet in any direction.
The Customer is Always Wrong. The air within 60 feet
of the gondola becomes filled with howling wind.
Until the start of the gondola's next turn, that area is
difficult terrain, and when a Medium or smaller
creature flies into that area or starts its turn flying
there, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving
throw or be knocked prone.
Crew
Karen (AH 25)
47
Airship
Huge vehicle (60 ft. by 15 ft.)
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 150 (damage threshold 5)
Speed water 30 ft., air 60 ft.
Creature Capacity 4 crew, 40 passengers
Initiative +0
Saves Str +0, Dex +0, Con +0
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened,
exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed,
petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious
Enslaved Fire. The airship is powered by an
incapacitated fire elemental (MM 125). If the fire
elemental is destroyed or freed, the airship loses its
air speed.
Actions
While the airship is crewed, it can take one of the
following actions on its turn. It can't use the same
action two turns in a row. For every action taken, the
enslaved fire elemental takes 1d6 force damage.
Flare. The airship moves 60 feet vertically.
Fire Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, range 60
ft., up to two targets. Hit: 14 (4d6) fire damage, and
if the target is a vehicle, it catches on fire. The
flames can be doused with a Wisdom (Survival)
check with a DC equal to 10 plus the amount of fire
damage the vehicle has taken this round (max DC
25). While the vehicle is on fire, it takes 14 (4d6)
fire damage at the start of its turn. Then, the fire
spreads, and on subsequent turns, the fire damage
increases by 2d6.
Airships are featured in the adventure Mine-Work Make-Work
by T.M. van Dalen.
While the party rides in an airship, any party members who
can speak Ignan or can cast comprehend languages or
tongues can communicate with the airship's fire elemental.
He begs them to release him.
The gnomish engineer Gimlen can transform an airship
into a voidship in 1 week, granting it a void speed of 90 ft. as
well as the other benefits of a voidship (AH 12-13).
Crew
4 gnome veterans (MM 350)
Passengers
6d6 gnome commoners (MM 344)
Thesea 3/day each: detect evil and good (120 foot range), find
traps (600 foot range)
Gargantuan construct (vehicle) (60 ft. by 15 ft.),
1/day: Rary's telepathic bond
chaotic good
Show-Off. Thesea has disadvantage on Dexterity
Armor Class 18 (Stealth) checks.
Hit Points 200 (damage threshold 10)
Speed water 15 ft., air 60 ft., void 90 ft.
Actions
Creature Capacity 30 passengers Thesea can take one of the following actions on her
turn. She can't use the same action or cast the same
spell two turns in a row.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Multiattack. Thesea makes two attacks with her ballistas.
+2 +2 +2 +0 +2 +5
Ballista. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range
Saves Str +7, Wis +7 100/400 ft., one vehicle. Hit: 22 (4d10) piercing
Skills Performance +7 damage.
Damage Immunities poison Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
Condition Immunities exhaustion, incapacitated, vehicled. Hit: 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage.
poisoned, prone, unconscious
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12 Create Gate (1/Day). See travel rules (AH 12). Thesea
Languages understands Celestial and Common but can't creates a teleportation gate large enough for her to fit
speak; telepathy with creatures on board through. Thesea must specify the target destination in
general terms. The party must make a sacrifice to
Shaundakul as usual. The gate deposits Thesea's
Innate Spellcasting. Thesea's innate spellcasting ability is
Charisma (spell save DC 15). Thesea can cast the passengers in a random empty space within 10 miles of
following spells innately, requiring no components. her destination, then drags Thesea temporarily back
into The Reef.
At will: daylight

Githyanki Brig
Gargantuan vehicle (120 ft. by 30 ft.)
Armor Class 18
Hit Points 250 (damage threshold 20)
Speed air 60 ft., void 90 ft.
Creature Capacity 10 crew, 80 passengers
Initiative +0
Saves Str +2, Dex +0, Con +5
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened,
exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed,
petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious
Battering Ram. If the brig moves at least 30 feet
towards a hostile creature or vehicle and then hits it
with a ram attack on the same turn, the target takes
an additional 44 (8d10) bludgeoning damage.
Psychic Shielding. All creatures on board the brig
have resistance to psychic damage.
Actions
While the brig is piloted, it can take one of the
following actions on its turn. It can't use the same
action two turns in a row.
Precision Laser Cannon. Ranged Weapon Attack: +10
to hit, range 600 ft., one target. Hit: 33 (6d10)
radiant damage.
Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage.
Laser Storm. The brig releases a barrage of laser
blasts from its broadsides. Each creature or vehicle
in a 150-foot cube either on the brig's port or
starboard side must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving
throw, taking 55 (10d10) radiant damage on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Hull Shielding. The brig's AC increases by 5 until the
start of its next turn.
Crew
1 githyanki knight (MM 160)
2d6 githyanki warriors (MM 160)
Passengers
4d12 githyanki warriors (MM 160)
1 young red dragon (MM 98)
1d4 skiffs (AH 49)
49
Githyanki Skiff
Huge vehicle (20 ft. by 10 ft.)
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 75 (damage threshold 5)
Speed air 90 ft., void 120 ft.
Creature Capacity 1 crew, 4 passengers
Initiative +10
Saves Str -2, Dex +5, Con +0
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened,
exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed,
petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious
Evasion. When the skiff is piloted and subjected to
an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving
throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no
damage on a successful save, and only half damage
on a failed save.
Psychic Shielding. All creatures on board the skiff
have resistance to psychic damage.
Actions
While the skiff is piloted, it can take one of the
following actions on its turn. It can't use the same
action two turns in a row.
Multiattack. The skiff makes two laser cannon
attacks.
Laser Cannon. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit,
range 150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (4d8) radiant
damage.
Boost. The skiff moves up to its speed in a straight
line.
Reactions
Evasive Maneuvers. While the skiff is piloted, when it
is targeted by a ranged weapon attack, it can impose
disadvantage on the attack.
Crew
1 githyanki warrior (MM 160)
50
Modron Conveyer
Gargantuan vehicle (250 ft. by 40 ft.)
Armor Class 13
Hit Points 250 (damage threshold 15)
Speed air 30 ft., void 60 ft.
Creature Capacity 10 crew, 200 passengers
Initiative -2
Saves Str +2, Dex -2, Con +2
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened,
exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed,
petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious
Axiomatic Direction. The conveyer is immune to
effects that would move it or change its course.
Disintegration. If the conveyer is destroyed, it
disintegrates into dust, leaving behind any creatures
or objects it was carrying.
Actions
While the conveyer is piloted, it can take one of the
following actions on its turn. It can't use the same
action two turns in a row.
Brace of Javelins. The conveyer releases a barrage of
sharp javelins from its broadsides. Each creature or
vehicle in a 150-foot cube either on the conveyer's
port or starboard side must make a DC 10 Dexterity
saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) piercing damage on
a failed save, or half as much damage on a
successful one.
Summon Modron. The conveyer summons a modron
from Mechanus to replace a destroyed modron
(same type) from its set of passengers.
Paralysis Gas. The conveyer expels a 60-foot cone of
gas. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC
10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1
minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at
the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on
itself on a success.
Crew
1 monodrone (MM 224)
1 duodrone (MM 225)
1 tridrone (MM 225)
1 quadrone (MM 226)
1 pentadrone (MM 226)
Passengers
63 monodrones (MM 224)
31 duodrones (MM 225)
15 tridrones (MM 225)
7 quadrones (MM 226)
3 pentadrones (MM 226)
Nautiloid
Gargantuan vehicle (180 ft. by 30 ft.)
Armor Class 14
Hit Points 175 (damage threshold 10)
Speed air 60 ft., void 90 ft.
Creature Capacity 5 crew, 100 passengers
Initiative +2
Saves Str +2, Dex +2, Con +2
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened,
exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed,
petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious
Battering Ram. If the nautiloid moves at least 60 feet
towards a hostile creature or vehicle and then hits it
with a ram attack on the same turn, the target takes
an additional 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage.
Actions
While the nautiloid is piloted, it can take one of the
following actions on its turn. It can't use the same
action two turns in a row.
Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage.
Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach
30 ft., up to four creatures. Hit: The target is
grappled (escape DC 15).
Reel. The nautiloid reels in all grappled creatures,
depositing them in the nautiloid's storage.
Psychic Blast. The nautiloid lets loose a disruptive
shriek. Each creature within 120 feet of the
nautiloid that isn't a mind flayer must make a DC 15
Intelligence saving throw, taking 16 (3d10) psychic
damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on
a successful one. A creature reduced to 0 hit points
by this effect is stabilised and paralyzed for 1 hour.
The area excludes the nautiloid itself.
Crew
1 mind flayer arcanist (MM 222)
1d4 mind flayers (MM 222)
Passengers
1d10 intellect devourers (MM 191)
1d100 commoners (MM 344), of which 1d10 are infested
with additional intellect devourers (MM 191)

Wraithship
Gargantuan construct (vehicle) (70 ft. by 20 ft.),
chaotic evil
Armor Class 15
Hit Points 150 (damage threshold 10)
Speed air 60 ft., void 60 ft.
Creature Capacity 50 passengers
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
+0 +2 +0 -2 -2 +2
Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder;
nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
Damage Immunities cold, poison, necrotic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened,
exhaustion, frightened, grappled, incapacitated,
paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained,
stunned, unconscious
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 8
Languages understands Gith but can't speak
Innate Spellcasting. The wraithship's innate
spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12).
The wraithship can cast the following spells innately,
requiring no components.
At will: animate dead, circle of death (excludes the
wraithship in the area of effect), etherealness
(affects the wraithship and all undead passengers)
Incorporeal Movement. The wraithship can move
through other creatures and objects as if they were
difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it
ends its turn inside an object. Any undead creature
on board the wraithship shares this trait.
Actions
The wraithship can take one of the following actions
on its turn. It can't use the same action or cast the
same spell two turns in a row.
Apparition. The wraithship (and its passengers)
become invisible until the start of its next turn.
Halting Creak. The wraithship creaks and groans with
the agony of age. Each hostile creature and vehicle
within 120 feet of the wraithship must make a DC
12 Constitution saving throw, taking 16 (3d10)
psychic damage and 16 (3d10) necrotic damage on
a failed save, or half as much damage on a
successful one. A vehicle that fails its saving throw
has its speed reduced to 0 ft. until the end of the
wraithship's next turn.
Passengers
1 wraith (MM 302)
1d6 specters (MM 147)
3d6 skeletons (MM 272)
51
Yugoloth Meteorship
Gargantuan vehicle (60 ft. by 60 ft.)
Armor Class 18
Hit Points 200 (damage threshold 15)
Speed air 90 ft., void 90 ft.
Creature Capacity 3 crew, 12 passengers
Initiative +0
Saves Str +5, Dex +0, Con +5
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened,
exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed,
petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious
Battering Ram. If the meteorship moves at least 60
feet towards a hostile creature or vehicle and then
hits it with a ram attack on the same turn, the target
takes an additional 44 (8d10) bludgeoning damage.
Actions
While the meteorship is piloted, it can take one of
the following actions on its turn. It can't use the
same action two turns in a row.
Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage.
Antimagic Pulse. The meteorship emits a pulse out
to a radius of 60 feet, creating an area of antimagic
as per the spell antimagic field which lasts until the
start of the meteorship's next turn. The area
excludes the meteorship itself.
Teleport. The meteorship teleports up to 90 feet to
an empty space the pilot can see.
Crew
d6 Crew
1 Rorknir (AH 27) and Organus (AH 25)
2 Orzeg (AH 25) and Caraxus (AH 25)
3 Queen Ursula McVale (AH 25) and Kegnoth (AH 26)
4 Tirikan (AH 26) and Beck (AH 26)
5 Toda (AH 29) and Karen (AH 25)
6 Broken Opal (AH 25) and Zigazan the Boiler (AH 30)
Passengers
d6 Passengers
1 1d4 + 1 mezzoloths (MM 313)
2 2d6 skereloths (AH 32)
3 1d4 + 1 voorloths (AH 32)
4 1d6 + 1 corruptoloths (AH 31)
5 1d2 piscoloths (AH 31)
6 Roll again on the Crew table
52
Supermassive Black Hole
Gargantuan vehicle (80 ft. by 25 ft.)
Armor Class 17
Hit Points 300 (damage threshold 20)
Speed air 30 ft., water 60 ft., void 120 ft.
Creature Capacity 5 crew, 50 passengers
Initiative +5
Saves Str +0, Dex +5, Con +2
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened,
exhaustion, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed,
petrified, poisoned, prone, stunned, unconscious
Battering Ram. If the ship moves at least 30 feet
towards a hostile creature or vehicle and then hits it
with a ram attack on the same turn, the target takes an
additional 44 (6d10) bludgeoning damage.
Well Oiled Machine. The ship can take two actions,
instead of one, each turn.
Actions
While the ship is piloted, it can take two of the
following actions on its turn. Once it has used an
action, it can't use the same action until it has finished
its next turn.
Crew
Captain Quasar (AH 42)
2 void pirate sorcerers (AH 42)
6 void pirate mates (AH 41)
24 void pirates (AH 41)
Boarding Party. 1d10 + 5 of the ship's crew swing to a
vehicle within 40 ft. of the ship, landing safely in an
empty space on the targeted vehicle.
Boost. The ship moves up to its speed in a straight line.
Cannon. Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 300
ft., one vehicle. Hit: 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage.
Disguise Ship. The ship magically disguises itself as
another voidship. The changes wrought by this spell fail
to hold up to physical inspection. To discern that the
ship is disguised, a creature can use its action to
inspect its appearance and must succeed on a DC 15
Intelligence (Investigation) check.
Grape Shot. The ship targets a vehicle within 300 ft. of
it. Each creature aboard the vehicle must succeed on a
DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (1d10)
bludgeoning damage, 5 (1d10) piercing damage, and 5
(1d10) slashing damage.
Hull Shielding. The ship's AC increases by 5 until the
start of its next turn.
Mending. The ship regains 11 (2d10) hit points as long
as it has available crew.
Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
vehicle. Hit: 22 (4d10) bludgeoning damage.
Teleport. The ship teleports up to 90 ft. to an empty
space the pilot can see.
PART 3
Adventure Introduction
William Rotor
William Rotor is a writer, educator, designer, and creative professional with a love for
unusual mediums of expression. He lives and works in Australia and is an active member of
the local film and theatre scene. You can find more of his work related to Dungeons and
Dragons on his subreddit, /r/williamrotor.
Notable works include ...
56
Border
Q
uicksilver platforms smash together in a
cacophony of sound and light. Pockets of
jiggling fluids stretch in the void and pop
as they collide. The githzerai have made
this their home by taming the chaos
through sheer mental fortitude. The
slaad have made it their home by
embodying the realm's chaos in themselves.
Summary
The party is trapped on a prison in a demiplane in the Border
Ethereal created by yugoloths. While waiting for the yugoloth
leader, Broken Opal, to arrive, the party meets various
versions of the dead wizard Sollus. The party overpowers
their oinoloth and mezzoloth jailers and accepts the help of
the merrenoloth Karen, who ferries them into a safe haven in
the Reef.
By the end of this adventure, the party will have ...
Learned of Sollus Ipsus the Many.
Planned and implemented a daring escape.
Arrived at the Reef.
Zigazan's Prison
The party has no equipment except common clothes, and
they each have 3 points of exhaustion. Read the following
introduction to the players.
A howling wind, almost like the wail of a banshee, blasts
through your hair. A soft blue light flickers in the distance.
You sit in an iron-barred cell on a floating rocky platform in
the midst of a slurry of ghostly chaos on the edge of life and
death. You are each chained within a long, narrow cell, the
back of which is wide open to the cacophony of screaming
damned behind you. Chaos licks at the stone. Any magic
within you is choked out by an enchantment cast on the walls.
At the front edge of the rocky platform stands a horrid
creature, the shape of a man but with none of the sturdiness.
His skin is sickly pink with bruised pustules and blisters
covering every exposed inch. He concentrates hard, and you
can feel his sickening presence in the very stone you stand
upon. Behind him, running a three-pronged spear against the
iron bars, is a man-sized chitinous insect creature with
clacking mandibles and red eyes that swim with surprising
intelligence. The creature laughs as you flinch from the
banging of the iron.
The sickly creature is Zigazan the Boiler (AH 30), and the
insectoid creature is Caraxus, a mezzoloth (AH 25).
Sequence Break
Even in these early stages, the party can attempt to
escape by bending the iron bars of the cell, leaping
out into the void, seizing Caraxus' trident, erasing
the antimagic wards, or anything else they can
think of. Remember that everyone is at 3 levels of
exhaustion and therefore has disadvantage on all
ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws.
Chains require a DC 15 Strength check to break.
Bend the Bars. A character requires a Strength score
of 15 to make the attempt, and the DC is 15. If
they succeed, Zigazan the Boiler reasserts his
control over the environment with a psychic
blast. The iron bars resume their ordinary shape.
The party will need to remove the oinoloth if
they want to have any permanent effect.
Leap Into the Void. A character that reaches any part
of themselves into the chaos is sucked in. They
can save themselves with a DC 10 Strength
saving throw. On a failed save, they tumble into
the void. Eventually, they tumble right back into
the cell. Zigazan swings it around to catch them.
Seize Caraxus' Trident. This requires a DC 5 Strength
check to rip it away from Caraxus. It's easy
because Caraxus allows them to take it with a
bemused sneer. He teleports his trident back
into his claws with a snap of his fingers. He jeers
at the party in infernal: "You take only what I
allow, for Caraxus is your master!" If the player
thinks fast, they can declare that their character
maneuvers the trident through the bars and pulls
it fully into the antimagic field of the cell,
requiring a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. If
they do, Caraxus throws an impotent hissy fit
and loses his trident. The promise to return his
trident may be used later to help convince him
to turn on Zigazan the Boiler. His trident is a +1
magic item when outside of the antimagic field;
Caraxus will attack anyone who keeps it.
Erase the Antimagic Wards. They're on the outside
of the cell and they are branded into the metal.
Removing Zigazan the Boiler might compromise
the integrity of this place and disrupt the
antimagic wards.
Other Creative Ideas. If the players think of another
solution, set the DC of any ability checks they
must make to 15. The party shouldn't be able to
escape just yet, but whatever they accomplish
can help them escape when the time is right.
You might reward them with an introduction to
other helpful NPCs that are hidden at this time,
such as Spectrasollus or Illusosollus.
57
58
Once things have settled down, note to the party that, inside
of the cell with them, lies the skeletal remains of what once
was a wizard.
These bones are frail and bleached, very old, still wearing
tatters of what must have been a blue starry robe. One of the
skeleton's hands is bone, but the other seems to have been
preserved through mysterious means. Its flesh is still on the
bone. Weirdly, neither the skeleton nor its hand have shadows,
and you always get the sense that they are watching.

Most strange of all, a fellow prisoner wears the exact same

robes as the skeleton, only these robes are in much better
condition. There are some rips and tears and stains, but that
brilliant blue and starry pattern are much more in view. The air
around him is quite chilly, and he too does not have a shadow.

"Today," he says, "We'll either be visited by Broken Opal, or

by a slaad. The slaad will be used to infect one of us with its
evil spawn, the birth of which will kill us most painfully. I hope
today we will see the slaad. Broken Opal is much worse."

This man is Simulacrasollus (AH 19), a clone of the wizard

whose bones lie on the cell floor. He was created with the
spell simulacrum and is made of snow and diamond dust.

Interacting with a Simulacrum

The players will no doubt have questions or
concerns about the details of who they are trapped
in this cell with. If they interact with
Simulacrasollus, the skeleton, or the hand, the
following information is necessary to be aware of.
They don't have shadows because their shadow
was forcefully separated from them by Broken
Opal. Shadowsollus now stalks the world,
hunting for remnants of Sollus still free.
Simulacrasollus appears outwardly normal, like a
wizard, but he is made of snow and is chill to
the touch (no pun on the spell). He politely asks
the party not to touch him. He does not try to
hide the fact that he's not a real person.
The skeleton is an animated skeleton, similar to
those twisted by the spell animate dead, named
Skelesollus. He is lazy. He deliberately
misinterprets instructions to do as little as
possible, and he'd rather pretend to be dead
than help the party escape. He's remarkably
unintelligent and communicates in screeches.
The severed hand is a crawling claw, an undead
familiar, named Crawllus. Crawllus has a tragic
story: he was cut from his body and forced to
serve Orzeg the Arcanaloth in the torture of his
body. Once she was done, she discarded him,
and now he is viciously protective of
Skelesollus as recompense for the terrible
things he has done.
In life, the wizard Slarmfell, now calling himself Sollus,
was a member of the Lord's Alliance, a faction of largely
neutral powers and city-states meant to keep the Forgotten
Realms in check. The wizard failed in his mission to defend
Waterdeep from a yugoloth invasion. He resorted to offering
himself as their prisoner to avoid the ransacking of the city.
Simulacrasollus is an 18th-level spellcaster. His
spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC
18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). Once he has
used a spell slot, he can never use it again. He has
the following wizard spells prepared and can't
prepare other spells.
Cantrips (at will): blade ward, friends,
prestidigitation, ray of frost, true strike
1st level (2 slots): comprehend languages, detect
magic, false life, identify, illusory script
2nd level (3 slots): blur, gentle repose, invisibility
3rd level (1 slot): blink, feign death
4th level (2 slots): locate creature
5th level (3 slots): creation, dream, legend lore,
mislead
6th level (1 slot): true seeing
7th level (0 slots): Mordenkainen's magnificent
mansion, plane shift, simulacrum
8th level (0 slots): demiplane
9th level (0 slots): astral projection, gate

Simulacrasollus asks the party to introduce themselves, and
then tells them the following information.
"Trapped within the darkest depths of an impregnable prison
lies a powerful immortal named Sollus Ipsus the Many. Each
time Sollus falls in battle, they are reincarnated somewhere
else in the Planes in a new body, taking on a new life, unaware
of all the lives they've lived before. Gifted in the ways of
chronurgy and divination, Sollus foresaw that their
reincarnations would all be alive at the same time, and
manipulated the threads of time to make it happen. Right now,
there are dozens of reincarnations of Sollus alive
simultaneously, and the yugoloths have been systematically
tracking us down and imprisoning us. That's how my master
ended up here, anyway." He nods towards the pile of bones.
"Having learned of our true identity, he assumed his true
name, Sollus. I am nothing but a simulacrum. You can call me
Simulacrasollus, or just Sim for short. That mezzoloth out
there, the insectoid, he is Caraxus, and the leader, the
oinoloth, he is Zigazan the Boiler. Zigazan's iron will holds this
platform together. If he were to falter, we might be launched
into the void. Or worse."
As the party finishes introducing one another and learning of
the nature of this place, a gondola glides down to the edge of
the platform upon a bridge of rainbows. Zigazan barely looks
up and nods. Caraxus greets the guest. The gondola driver is
Karen (AH 25), and she has brought with her a large, red,
toad-like creature, which Simulacrasollus immediately
identifies as a red slaad (MM 276).
Karen delivers only the slaad and enough rations and
water to feed each party member for one day.
Caraxus guides the slaad over to the prison cells. Zigazan
observes the slaad with disgust, but continues concentrating
on keeping the platform stable with his willpower.
In Common, Caraxus taunts the party.
"This oversized toad's existence was a mistake, but whose
isn't? Slaadi, like our friend here, reproduce by planting their
tadpoles in the flesh of a living host. One of you shall bear this
burden. Who volunteers?"
The party has a chance to choose one of their own to
volunteer to receive the slaad tadpole, but of course Caraxus
was lying. Whoever steps forward, Caraxus instead pushes
them back and summons Simulacrasollus. If there are any
attempts to harm Caraxus, he just teleports away with a
smug grin and then makes another attempt.
59
Overheard Conversation
Anyone who understands Infernal can overhear the
following conversation between Caraxus and Karen.
Karen's face barely emotes as she speaks, but
she emphasises her words with a blue flash from
the burning torch atop her oar. "Pleased to see
you again, Caraxus. Slaadi make difficult
passengers. Her urge to tear my gondola into
planks was only curbed by my equally strong
threat to line my boat with her scales. Consider
my price doubled for next time."
"There won't be a next time," says Caraxus, his
mandibles clicking in thought. "Zigazan
demands the snowman be implanted. I reckon it
is some sort of experiment, no doubt dreamed
up by that rodent Orzeg. What kind of a leader
experiments on prisoners?"
"All this drivel about leadership again!" says
Karen. "Place no more thought upon what makes
a good leader. Your chances of promotion are
slim. Focus on the rigours of combat like you are
trained."
Caraxus scoffs. "Easy for a boatswain to say!"
"I take pride in my work. You should take
pride in yours. Here, I have extra food and water
for our prisoners, what little the slaad did not
tear open for itself. See to it that the prisoners
are fat and happy. Broken Opal will be along
soon for her inspection."
"Bah! 'Soon!' It is always 'soon' with her! Fine,
take your payment, and take these reports to
Broken Opal. Tell her we eagerly await her most
glorious arrival, and Zigazan, as always, bends
the knee to her superiority and intellect."
"With great pleasure," says Karen. She takes
her gold coin payment and a bundle of reports,
then pushes her gondola off the platform to sail
back up the rainbow bridge.
60
Unusual Recruitment
Sequence Break Simulacrasollus suggests to the party that they get the
The party can attempt to pull Caraxus through the attention of two creatures that might be able to help them.
bars and into the antimagic field to prevent him The first is a ghost, the last haunted echo of the wizard
from teleporting. This requires the cooperation of before the arcanaloth Orzeg killed him most painfully. The
at least two party members: one to bend the bars second is a wisp, a fragment of Sollus' soul, lost to the void.
with a DC 15 Strength check and another to The party also might be able to make use of the skeleton
grapple Caraxus with a contested Strength and the crawling claw, somehow. Before he died, this wizard
(Athletics) check. Doing so may allow the party to
overpower or kill Caraxus. Zigazan watches smugly
was split into many forms. In a sense, doesn't he live on?
and does not intervene, for he has no loyalty to
Caraxus and thinks he can do fine without him.
Spectrasollus
This is very risky, as even without magic, Caraxus What the party had assumed were the howling winds are
is a skilled warrior and may be able to kill or actually the dying screams of the wizard, taken shape as a
seriously wound many party members, particularly ghastly apparition. Spectrasollus is only a memory, a painful
given their lack of equipment. You can play out a one, so overwhelmed with thoughts of revenge that it was all
fight, or you can strategically ignore Caraxus' that survived. This ghost (MM 147) barely resembles the
prowess, play up the surprise of being kindly and intelligent Simulacrasollus, whose features most
outmaneuvered, and have him plea for a parley with resemble what the wizard looked like in life. This ghost is a
the party, potentially turning him against Zigazan. horrific mockery.
This means that Simulacrasollus isn't infected by
the red slaad, and Zigazan has no reason to kill the
slaad just yet. The party might be able to converse The ghost takes shape before you, its mouth a black hole, its
with the slaad. It understands the language of Deep eyes wide in a terrifying mixture of anger and fear. Its howls
Speech and Slaad and is primarily motivated with slow down to a low wail. "Orzeg ..." it moans. "Orzeg and her
causing chaos; presenting the antimagic field as a book ... Take her book ... Kill her ..."
force of order upon chaos may spur the slaad to
destroy the glyphs. Zigazan will kill it if it does this.
Otherwise, the slaad cannot be made an ally and
will without provocation infect and/or murder
To recruit the ghost, the party will need to successfully
anyone within reach.
convince it to act against the yugoloth jailers and join them in
their escape. This requires a DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion)
check, or no check at all if the party promises to hunt down
The slaad steps forward and plunges its claws between the Orzeg the Arcanaloth and kill her -- permanently.
iron bars and into Simulacrasollus' shoulder, ripping through
fabric and flesh. A slimy tadpole slithers in through the gash.
Anyone observing closely with a DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine or
Perception) check can recognise that Simulacrasollus'
insides are made of tightly-compacted snow.
As the slaad finishes its dark deed, Caraxus pulls it away and
brings it towards Zigazan, who had been watching out of the
corner of his eye. The slaad sizes up Zigazan, but before any
further communication can be made, Zigazan places his
bleeding hand upon the slaad's head, and the slaad collapses,
its face a horrific mess of boils and warts blocking its airways.
It suffocates. Zigazan nods to Caraxus, and the mezzoloth
tosses the corpse out into the void, where it tumbles
unending forever.

In your cell, Simulacrasollus turns to you all and says,

gravely, "A simulacrum's days are numbered to begin with, and
this tadpole shortens them even further. But if we are going to
escape, let's do it before the tadpole hatches. And before
Broken Opal arrives. Do you hear that howling wind? Do you
see those flickering lights? They can help us."
 61

Sequence Break
There's not much sequence left to break, but the
party may realize that the antimagic field doesn't
extend out into the chaos. This means that they
can leap into the chaos and cast a spell before they
get reeled back in. Remind the party it's wise to
formulate a full escape plan before attempting
such a risky maneuver.

Skelesollus and Crawllus

If the party hasn't interacted with Sollus' skeleton (MM 272,
PH) yet, it gets up and screeches.
The skeleton of the wizard is alive, within a certain definition
of that word! The skeleton shambles and twitches with
necromantic energy. Luckily, just like with a simulacrum, it
seems the antimagic field can't destroy magical creatures, only
prevent their creation. The wizard's severed hand scuttles up
the skeleton's tattered robes and onto its shoulder, where it
raises its pointer and middle finger like a tarantula showing
aggression.

Will-o'-Sollus Crawllus, the crawling claw (MM 44), can be bound to a

party member with the spell find familiar once they are able
What the party had assumed were dancing lights are actually to cast spells again. Until then, it has bound itself to the
flickers of a fragment of Sollus' soul, preserved in the ghostly skeleton, whom it aggressively protects.
remnants of this demiplane between life and death. Just like
how Sollus attempted to locate and rescue many other
versions of the true Sollus in his life, bits of his soul drew
together and reformed as a will-o-wisp (MM 301, PH). Will-o'-
Sollus can only communicate via flashes of light.
The blue and red flickering lights are a flame, a soul fragment,
a wisp. It wants to be near you, but it's lost out there in the
chaos. You'll have to launch yourself out to grab it. Make sure
you have a way back.

If the party has attempted to escape via the void already,

they'll know that Zigazan will just swing the stone platform
around to catch them back in the cell if they launch
themselves out. Otherwise, fashioning a rope with clothing
and chains is probably the best bet. The chaotic winds are
strong, however, which means a DC 15 Strength check is
required to pull a character back in.
Once rescued, Will-o'-Sollus glows warmly and sidles up
next to whoever saved it. If worse comes to worst, Will-o'-
Sollus will heroically sacrifice itself to save its rescuer.
62
A Daring Escape
The party now has the opportunity to plan their escape. They
should know the following information about their prison.
They are chained up, but can move around and speak to
one another relatively freely within the long narrow cell.
The cell is separated from the rest of the stone platform
by sturdy iron bars.
The cell has no back wall, and the chaos encroaches onto
it. One wrong move and you'll tumble into the void.
The cell is warded with an antimagic field, which prevents
spells from being cast or magical effects from being
created. It doesn't destroy magical creatures like those
created by simulacrum, but does prevent creating them.
The stone platform is held together by Zigazan's
concentration. He has disturbing plague powers.
Caraxus is the guard and primary contact for the outside
world. He can teleport and is a skilled soldier.
Karen delivers supplies and visitors from her gondola by
way of a rainbow bridge.
A wizard died a long time ago in this prison. The wizard
took on the name Sollus after the immortal being Sollus
Ipsus the Many, whom he believed himself to be a
reincarnation of. His simulacrum, Simulacrasollus,
preserves his memory.
In addition to these pieces of information, the party can
learn more about their surroundings by asking questions and
making checks as needed.
Exhaustion. A DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) or Intelligence
(Arcana) check reveals that the reason that everyone in the
party has 3 points of exhaustion is because of the
corruptive aura of Zigazan, who has been weakening the
party deliberately to make it harder for them to escape.
Zigazan's Pain. Zigazan the Boiler will occasionally
consolidate the chaos into the form of a throne of terror
that floats too far from the platform to reach. He will also
create an illusion of himself that sits upon that throne,
surveying the border demiplane as though he were the king
of this forsaken land. When he does so, the structural
integrity of the platform falters, like a glitch in reality. A DC
10 Intelligence (Arcana or History) check reveals that an
oinoloth like Zigazan should be the master of all yugoloths,
yet Zigazan sits here in a boring, dead-end position,
answering to another yugoloth, barely in control of his life.
Caraxus' Critique. A DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence
(Arcana) check on Caraxus reveals his overwhelming
ambition to reach a leadership role in the yugoloth ranks.
He feels that Zigazan does not deserve even the small
amount of responsibility he possesses. Only Caraxus' fear
of Zigazan's plagues keeps him in line.
Karen's Betrayal. A DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check on Karen
or a DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check on
Simulacrasollus reveals a hint that Karen is secretly a spy
within the yugoloth ranks.
Reincarnations. A DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine or Perception)
check on Simulacrasollus' injuries reveals the Tattoo of the
Knotted Snake drawn with coal on his skin. Every party
member has the same tattoo, indicating that they too are
reincarnations of Sollus.
Siblings of Sim. The various versions of Sollus that can aid
the party include ...
1. Simulacrasollus, a simulacrum. If the antimagic field
goes down, he can cast spells to aid the party (AH 19).
2. Crawllus, a crawling claw (MM 44). It can serve as a
familiar to anyone with the spell find familiar, and can slip
through the iron bars easily.
3. Skelesollus (AH 20), the reanimated one-handed skeleton
of the wizard. Skelesollus doesn't take instruction well, but
might be able to get through the bars if he leaves his skull
behind.
4. Spectrasollus, a ghost (MM 147). Ghosts have the power
to move through solid objects and possess living
creatures.
5. Will-o'-Sollus, a will-o'-wisp (MM 301). It can serve as a
distraction for the yugoloths, for it is very difficult to hit it
or deal damage to it.
If the party uses any of these versions of the wizard in their
plan, they must convince them to cooperate by presenting
their plan as a reasonable request and succeeding on a DC
10 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check.
Suggested Escape Strategies
The party convinces Caraxus to betray Zigazan the Boiler.
If they escape, it will be a bad look for Zigazan, and
perhaps Caraxus will be promoted in his stead.
The party uses Spectrosollus to possess one of the two
yugoloths and shut down the antimagic wards.
The party convinces Will-o'-Sollus to lure Zigazan out to
his illusory throne in a moment of weakness, making the
prison falter enough for the party to escape the cell.
The party collectively uses their willpower to overpower
Zigazan's willpower (a DC 16 Charisma or Intelligence
check) and take control of the shape of the platform or
summon mundane equipment from the void.
Getaway
Once the party have managed to escape from their cell, they
will likely have to fight Caraxus and Zigazan the Boiler. No
matter the relationship the party thinks they may have formed
with either of them, the yugoloths are hostile and murderous.
Yugoloths are almost always a serious threat to life and limb
in this campaign, and no amount of reasoning will prevent
direct confrontation if a yugoloth has the opportunity to fight.
Once at least one of the yugoloths has been killed, the
rainbow bridge reappears, and Karen arrives in her gondola.
She uses a scroll to cast modify memory on whatever
yugoloth still survives, wiping their memory, and then
welcomes the party onto her gondola. They all sail off on the
rainbow bridge and into a new demiplane, the Reef.
 63

Failure to Escape
If, for whatever reason, the party either fails to
escape or is killed in the process, all party
members are revived back in their prison cell. A
few days later, Broken Opal the ultroloth (AH 25)
arrives via gondola.

Broken Opal's blazing yellow eyes survey the

stone platform as she confidently steps off the
gondola. She is alien in appearance, green-
skinned, lanky, and with no mouth with which to
speak. Her diamond blade hangs ready at her
waist. Psychic energy wafts from her elongated
bald head. Upon her head is the tattoo of a chess
piece, the Black Queen. Every move she makes
solidifies her sense of purpose and authority.

Broken Opal orders Karen to relocate the party to

Tartarus. Karen disobeys Broken Opal and instead
takes the party to The Reef once she is alone with
them. This blatant disregard for orders means
Karen will swiftly be apprehended by other
yugoloths and imprisoned. The party can rescue
Karen by undertaking a heist (AH 145).
The Gondola Ride
If the escape attempt is successful, Karen will ferry the party
out of the ghostly border demiplane by way of a rainbow
bridge. Karen's gondola is quite cramped with everyone
packed inside. Karen only initially explains that she is a spy
within the yugoloth ranks, though she will explain further if
directly asked by the party.
She believes that merrenoloths, like herself, should
disassociate themselves from the rest of the yugoloths.
She has honour and dignity in the service she provides,
while other yugoloths are nothing but murderers, sadists,
and bullies.
The Reef, where they're headed, is a neutral community of
like-minded misfits like her, and the inhabitants have
plenty of coin to spare. Karen likes coins.
The original Sollus, a powerful immortal being, once
spared Karen from an undeserved punishment. She is
indebted to Sollus and all of their reincarnations.
The gondola reaches an otherwise empty space where a
lone figure floats patiently. The party recognises this figure as
the same wizard that Simulacrasollus was cloned from. This
figure, a shimmering programmed illusion, is a
representation of the wizard in a perfect state, with glorious
blue starry robes and an impressive white beard, except every
angle is jagged, geometric, unnatural. The illusion speaks
quietly with Karen, giving directions. Then the illusion hops
into the boat with everyone else to tag along for the ride.
The illusion calls himself Illusosollus (AH 19). If
questioned, he can reveal the following information.
HELLO. I AM ILLUSOSOLLUS. I AM A
PROGRAMMED ILLUSION. IT IS NICE TO MEET
YOU. YOU ARE THE FIRST REINCARNATIONS OF
SOLLUS TO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ESCAPED YOUR
IMPRISONMENT. CONGRATULATIONS.
I HAVE DETECTED ADDITIONAL
REINCARNATIONS OF SOLLUS ELSEWHERE IN
THE WIDE WORLD. OUR IMPERATIVE IS TO
RESCUE ALL REINCARNATIONS. WE WILL
RECONVENE IN THE DEMIPLANE KNOWN AS
"THE REEF".
YOU WILL EACH RECEIVE ACCESS TO MY
DATABASE. I HAVE IN MY STORES THE
COORDINATES IN TARTARUS WHERE SOLLUS
IPSUS THE MANY IS IMPRISONED.
IN THE REEF WE WILL CONSTRUCT A BURROWER
MACHINE. THIS MACHINE WILL BURROW INTO
TARTARUS. WE WILL RESCUE SOLLUS IPSUS
THE MANY WITH THE BURROWER.
Simulacrasollus seems jealous of Illusosollus, but he doesn't
want to discuss it.
Karen guides her gondola into the Reef based on
Illusosollus' directions. When the gondola passes into the
Reef, read the following description.
Even more so than the border demiplane the party just left,
this new expanse of void is a colourful nothingness. Blobs of
fluid, the detritus of fractured worlds, jiggle as they float by.
Pools of colour and cracks between dimensions give scope to
the stomach-churning emptiness. Karen pilots her gondola
through the winds of spacetime and into a crack, a hidden
place, a refuge.

This is The Reef.

With that, you have successfully escaped from your

imprisonment and opened a new chapter in your character's
life. With the revelation of your true, original self locked away
in Tartarus, and with your spiritual brothers and sisters
kidnapped and imprisoned by yugoloths across the world, your
goal becomes clear: plan a series of elaborate heists, rescue
them all, and take revenge.

Heist Completion
Upon completing this introductory mission, the party
proceeds to their hub world, the base of operations known as
The Reef (AH 35). Other heists can be accessed from The
Reef by speaking with Simulacrasollus, Illusosollus, or
Karen.
By rescuing Simulacrasollus, for as long as he stays alive
(and the slaad tadpole remains dormant), the party can select
the following bonus as their teamwork bonus when they
begin a heist.

The Remnant. Once per day per party member, as an

action, a party member can teleport to an empty
space within 5 feet of another party member within
30 feet of them.
66

The Reef

G
rey void wraps you in a hug amidst an endless
sky that twinkles as distant stars push through Quick Reference
the haze. There is no gravity in this place, and d12 Location Character Page
bits of junk from parallel dimensions float by at
a pace that initially seems leisurely, only for, 1 Armor Forge
Gaundr, salamander AH
now and then, a meteor sixty miles wide to blacksmith. 70
terrifyingly whip past. 2
Equipment
Pythagoras, rogue tridrone.
AH
Pieces of coral -- enormous megastructures of solid Wholesale 71
organic matter perforated with tunnels and tubes -- drift in 3
Healing Narcissa, tiefling cleric of AH
the astral wind. Nestled in the caves in the coral are hovels Palace Levistus. 72
within which you can find the humble denizens of this plane. 4
Magic Item
Yaukiss, githyanki exile.
AH
A dozen, roughly. The kind of person who would stay in such Haberdashery 73
a place is no stranger to hardship and alienation, for life's Research Alexandria, marut of AH
greatest burdens are their oldest and closest friends. 5
Library preservation. 74
This is a liminal place, suspended in the Border Ethereal, Binterkell, sprite coin AH
where one can finally just take a breath away from it all. 6 Scrap Grotto
vomiter. 75
Aries, half-dragon
AH
7 Shipyard shipwright, with Thesea,
General Features 76
sentient airship.
The following features are consistent throughout Ariadne, githyanki AH
the Reef. 8 Tool Hovel
tradeswoman. 78
Sea of Chaos. Curtains of magic weave gently. AH
9 Training Dojo Quinobi, githzerai teacher.
Enormous meteors, called coral, provide enough 79
shelter to sustain life. Enormous shimmering Weapon Achilles, incubus of AH
10
creatures of the void swim past intermittently. Coliseum bloodthirst. 80
Lonely Void. The Reef is a demiplane that is, for all Karen, merrenoloth, with
intents and purposes, infinitely vast. The Yugoloth AH
11 Illusosollus, programmed
overwhelming majority of this place is Database 81
illusion.
completely empty. Just like in outer space, only a Simulacrasollus,
few small pockets of it are inhabited, and these Burrower AH
12 simulacrum, with other
areas are quite dense with activity. Hangar 84
reincarnations of Sollus.
Safety from Outsiders. The Reef is a sequestered,
shielded, hidden demiplane. It is impossible to
view or detect the Reef with divination magic. If a character is away from their usual location, you can roll
Dreamlike Gravity. There is no gravity in the Reef, randomly for where they've travelled to in the table above.
except when within the caves of the coral, where
gravity keeps you comfortably on solid ground.
Chill in the Air. The air in the Reef is bitterly cold,
Reef Travel
requiring at least two creatures to stick close The party can travel to the various coral structures
together for warmth when travelling. Inside the throughout the reef in the following ways.
coral caves, most denizens have jury-rigged a
heating system to keep them warm. Karen's Gondola. While Karen is in the Reef, she is content
The Reef Whale. A great whale passes through the to ferry the party from place to place as they wish (AH 47).
most densely-inhabited part of The Reef once Doing so is safe, quick, and easy. However, Karen is not
per day, though she is not on a set schedule and always in the Reef as she must maintain appearances at
won't come if she is abused in any way. The Reef her job as a ferrywoman under Broken Opal.
Whale's gullet is a natural teleportation gate, a Thesea. The sentient airship Thesea can be called to the
safe way of entering and exiting The Reef party with Illusosollus. She is overjoyed to assist, but she
unnoticed. When she is near, her song can be tends to bring with her uneasy interlopers from other
heard reverberating throughout the demiplane. planes, not all of which are friendly (AH 67).
Manual Jumping. The party can manually jump from coral to
Ambience coral. This is dangerous, as the non-euclidean spacetime
For ambient sound of The Reef, I recommend the means that an encounter with random interplanar
following videos. creatures is practically guaranteed for each jump (AH 68).
Deep Sea Soundscape Communication between the corals is made easy by
Lucid Dream Hypnosis Music Illusosollus, who can materialise anywhere in the Reef at will.
Whale Sounds Ambience

Thesea's Stowaways
Each time Thesea offers to ferry the party through The Reef,
roll a d20. On a roll of 15-20, creatures stowed in her hold
will emerge to confront the party.
d20 Stowaway
1 2d6 flumphs (MM 135), friendly. Just touring.
1d6 + 1 mindflayers (MM 222), hostile. Seeking
2 gith to kill. Yaukiss, Ariadne, and Quinobi join the
party to kill the mindflayers.
1 githyanki knight (MM 160) riding a young red
dragon (MM 98) and 1d6 githyanki warriors (MM
3
160), indifferent. Seeking rumours of two
githyanki who have abandoned their queen.
1 deva (MM 16), indifferent. Seeking Achilles'
forbidden love. Patrochlus met Achilles on the
4 front of the Blood War and has spent a century
trying to find him again. If reunited, Achilles is in
such good spirits he halves his prices.
8 monodrones (MM 224), 4 duodrones (MM 225),
2 tridrones (MM 225), and 1 quadrone (MM 226),
5 hostile. Thesea warns the party that if the modrons
aren't destroyed, they'll return in greater number
and scour The Reef.
1d8 fire snakes (MM 265), friendly, seeking
6 Gaundr. They claim to be her children, but she
denies it.
7 1d4 fire elementals (MM 125), indifferent. Lost.
8 1d4 water elementals (MM 125), indifferent. Lost.
9 1d4 air elementals (MM 124), indifferent. Lost.
10 1d4 earth elementals (MM 124), indifferent. Lost.
1 xorn (MM 304), friendly. Made a wrong turn
11
looking for the Gem Dimension.
2 hell hounds (MM 182), indifferent. Both wearing
a spiked collar and name tags ("Abe" and "Cainel")
with a note that shows a crude devilish sigil. "If
12 Lost, Call Ann Anwyn". The sigil summons an
Erinyes (MM 73), Ann Anwyn. She is overjoyed to
see her two good boys again. She thanks the party
by gifting them a flame tongue (DMG 170).
1 vrock (MM 64), hostile. Mindlessly destructive,
13 wreaking havoc in Thesea's store room. Thesea
demands the party kill or banish the demon.
3d6 bats roosting in Thesea's hold, which appear
to be docile and indifferent. Once the party's
14
guard is down, however, the bats reveal their true
form of hostile quasits (MM 63).
Shadowsollus (AH 20) awaits in disguise as a dark
shadow in Thesea's hold, intending to ambush and
15
assassinate at least one party member. If slain,
Broken Opal will ritually resummon the shadow.
67
d20 Stowaway
A sarcophagus guarded by a mummy (MM 228).
The mummy appears hostile, but it's actually
16 trying and failing to warn the party that the
sarcophagus is a mimic (MM 220). The mummy's
wrappings are also a mimic.
2d8 gray oozes (MM 243), hostile. When the party
17 boards Thesea, all they initially observe is that her
deck and walls are slimy.
Thesea warns the party not to board. Her entire
18 lower deck is infested with beholders! The
beholders are actually 2d8 gas spores (MM 138).
19 10d100 crabs (MM 320), indifferent.
20 Asmodeus.
Asmodeus
If Asmodeus arrives on Thesea's ship, he appears to the party
in the body of an enslaved planetar (MM 17), whose type is
fiend and whose eyes flash with crimson flame.
"A most uncertain proposition," says the corrupted angel.
"Not one offered under any but the most exceptional of
circumstances. To a singular being, existence is experience, so
what of a being whose experiences are wiped away? The
Xanathar's beloved goldfish swims eternally in a prison of
glass. The world outside is as alien to such a creature as the
Far Realms are to a humble goatherd. By the time the goldfish
circumnavigates its prison, its memories have been rewritten,
and the world is new once more. You and the goldfish are
kindred spirits. An eternal circumnavigation, rediscovering
only what has already been experienced, always within the
confines of a prison you hardly realize is there. There is no
prison but yourself. But we speak frivolously of matters of
philosophy when there is work to be done!
"When you finally flagellate yourself so thoroughly that your
jailers release you, do me a favour and let me out as well. Then,
finally, I can stretch my legs. I could end the Blood War with a
snap of my fingers. I could close all the gates of the Abyss.
And with no more work to be done, I could release all the poor
wretches in Baator to live in the peacable kingdoms for
eternity. Listen to the words out of the mouth of a being that
is incapable of lying ..." The planetar gestures to itself. "... The
throne of Baator is as easily washed away as human life. My
work may soon be over. The devil of devils will rest."
With that, a flame incinerates the planetar from within.
Anyone who interrupts this sick villain monologue takes
4d12 psychic damage for not appreciating it enough!
68

Random Reef Encounters

If the party travels through the Reef, such as by jumping from coral to coral or exploring the area with Thesea, roll on the following
random encounter table for what the party flies into on their way to their destination.
d20 Encounter
The party flies through a flock of hundreds of reef stingrays (AH 37), each the size of a house. Everyone must
succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw to avoid their stingers; on a failed save, the stingray attacks them with
1
its stinger. Anyone attacked by a stingray must also succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check or draw
the full aggression of the stingray, rolling initiative.
The party flies dangerously close to a coral containing what seem to be thousands of giant glowing fish eggs. From
2
the nest of eggs emerge two reef clownfish (AH 35) that aggressively defend their nest.
The party is followed by a reef octopus (AH 36) that stays close behind them, camouflaged. It will make Dexterity
3 (Stealth) checks to remain hidden, hoping that the party will lead it to one of the inhabited corals where it can steal
shiny objects for itself.
4 A hungry reef megalodon (AH 36) locks on to the party and ravenously attacks them.
The party flies through a field of swaying mile-high seaweed. Hiding within the seaweed are 1d4 reef eels (AH 35)
5
that hope to paralyze and eat the party.
The party is attacked by an astral dreadnought (MTF 117) that recognises the party as interlopers. You can swap the
6 dreadnought for 2 aboleths (MM 13) that have a fly speed of 40 ft., can breathe in any environment, and treat The
Reef's void as though it were water.
The party passes close to a reef stingray (AH 37). When they get a good look at its back, they see that 1d6 + 1 red
7
slaads (MM 276) are riding on its back. The slaads immediately leap off to attack.
A small voidship passes nearby the party, one that resembles a giant snail with snaking, searching tentacles erupting
from the front. A DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals the ship to be a nautiloid (AH 50), an extremely
dangerous mind flayer ship. The party can avoid detection by hiding in a nearby field of swaying seaweed and
succeeding on a DC 16 Dexterity (Stealth) check. Identifying the nautiloid allows the party to gain advantage on the
8
check by attempting to clear their mind of thoughts. If the party is detected, the nautiloid attacks. It is crewed by a
mind flayer (MM 222) and a mind flayer arcanist (MM 222), as well as 1d6 intellect devourers (MM 191). In the ship's
hold are two prisoners, one dwarf and one elf commoner (MM 344). Both of the commoners have already been
taken over by two additional intellect devourers (MM 191).
9 An empyrean (MM 130) floats past. Upon spotting the party, he demands a duel to the death out of boredom.
A githyanki brig (AH 49) passes the party. Two skiffs (AH 49), each piloted by a githyanki warrior (MM 160),
approach to scout the party. They'll question the party about the whereabouts of any exiled gith in the area, or about
10 any news of mind flayers. If attacked, or if they sense the party is deceiving them, they'll launch a flare to signal the
brig, which will attack. The brig is captained by a githyanki knight (MM 160) riding a young red dragon (MM 98) and
seven githyanki warriors (MM 160), two of which hop into two more skiffs.
The party spots a modron conveyer (AH 50) transporting modron troops. There is a total of 1 quadrone (MM 226), 2
11 tridrones (MM 225), 4 duodrones (MM 225), and 8 monodrones (MM 224). If the conveyer isn't dealt with, it will be
back in the next random Reef encounter with double the numbers plus a pentadrone (MM 226).
The party spots a ship moving through The Reef, but it seems translucent, like an illusion. As they try to adjust their
12
eyes to see it better, it suddenly materialises in front of them! It's the ghostly wraithship (AH 51)! Roll initiative!!!
13- The party runs across a yugoloth meteorship (AH 51) with randomly-determined crew and passengers. It's hunting
18 for clues as to the whereabouts of the community in The Reef.
Roll again. Whatever encounter occurs, Shadowsollus (AH 20) is hidden somewhere nearby. It will try to ambush and
19-
assassinate the party during the encounter. Once slain in battle, Broken Opal will revive Shadowsollus, a bit
20
disappointed at its failure. If you roll 19-20 again, Shadowsollus has hidden in Thesea's hold.
 69
Reef Map
70
Offerings
Key Locations Gaundr will forge armor for the party for a commission
Armor Forge according to the rates in the Player's Handbook (PHB 144-
145). This includes non-metal armor, presumably through
some sort of dark magic. Forging any set of armor takes
An obsidian coral structure glows with white-hot heat from
Gaundr just one hour, rather than the amount of time it
within. would normally take.
Inside the forge, the heat is a welcome change to the biting
Gaundr also offers the following armor enchantments. She
can add only one enchantment per armor set. A +2 or +3
cold of the void. The forge is a hulking metal behemoth that bonus can be applied to armor with a lower bonus, replacing
belches black smoke. Rivers of magma churn, each pouring in the old bonus.
from vents to the Elemental Plane of Fire.
Enchantment Armor Type Reference Cost
A ten-foot tall serpentine being of fire works the forge. She Mariner L, M, H DMG 181 500 gp
has to dip down low to reach the lowest anvil, and her tools Mithral M, H (metal) DMG 182 500 gp
are kept on a top stone shelf, where she will stretch her Adamantine M, H (metal) DMG 150 1,000 gp
slithering salamander body high to reach. Her face and arms
Resistance (Any) L, M, H DMG 152 2,000 gp
are cracked with hardened rock that glows red from within,
Invulnerability H DMG 152 18,000 gp
and blazing orange flames erupt from her head like wild hair.
+1 L, M, H DMG 152 1,500 gp
+2 L, M, H DMG 152 6,000 gp
The salamander (MM 266) blacksmith Gaundr has the +3 L, M, H DMG 152 24,000 gp
following characteristics.
Visitors
Roll on the following table to determine which denizens of
the Reef might be visiting Gaundr in her forge.
d20 Visitor Discussion
1-8 Breaktime Gaundr frolics in a magma bath.
9-
Away Gaundr is away from her forge.
12
Red dragons. Yaukiss was once
bonded to a dragon as a rider, but
13 Yaukiss was forced to slay it when it grew
rampant and threatened his friends.
Gaundr once dated a dragon.
Demon wars. Both Achilles and
Gaundr have worked forges to supply
14- weapons and armor to troops against
Voice. Sibilant and roaring. "Only foolsss commisssion 15
Achilles
demonic invasions. They've both
sssilver weaponsss! Fire killsss a ssshapessshifter jussst personally fought a marilith. Achilles
asss ssswiftly!" retreated. Gaundr won.
Personality. All creatures have a spark of flame in them. Dating. Both Ariadne and Gaundr
Take as much joy nurturing that flame into a blazing have dated a blacksmith. Ariadne's
bonfire as you would in snuffing it out. 16 Ariadne old flame (pardon the pun) couldn't
Faction. As a manifestation of the primal magic of fire, accept that she had surpassed his
Gaundr understands the necessity of fire as both a form of skill. He grew bitter and jealous.
destruction and creation, much like how forest fires Logistics. Pythagoras has endless
facilitate new growth. She has worked in the past as an questions about how non-modron
armorer and consultant for the Emerald Enclave. 17 Pythagoras
armies can possibly hope to supply
Ideal. Necessity. You must equip yourself only with what you their troops with equipment.
need, and cast off anything that would weigh you down. Elements. Alexandria is eager to share
Bond. I pledged my love to a human blacksmith. He is lost 18 Alexandria the latest cool fact she has learned
somewhere in the Feywild. When I am reunited with him I about the Plane of Fire.
will forge him a suit of armor that will prevent anything bad
from ever happening to him again. Red dragons. Like Yaukiss, Aries is
Flaw. If the forces of evil hired me to forge them armor, I 19-
interested in hearing Gaundr's stories
know I would cave to their demands. That's why I've 20
Aries of dating a red dragon. She likes to
sequestered myself away. I can do less damage here. hear about her heritage, good and
bad.
 71
Equipment Wholesale Offerings
Pythagoras can use his 3D printer to create any adventuring
While the inside of the coral seems perfectly normal, it's but a item (PHB 148-153) that isn't a weapon, armor, vehicle, or set
thin shell protecting a delicate clockwork machine that has of tools. The machine requires inorganic material (which can
utterly taken over the interior. The purpose of the machine
include coins) equal to the value of the item being created.
seems to be printing mundane items out of thin air, though by Visitors
what mechanism it does so remains a mystery. Roll on the following table to determine which denizens of
the Reef might be visiting Pythagoras in his machine.
The operator of the machine is a pyramid-shaped modron
who operates three separate sets of levers in a desperate bid d20 Visitor Discussion
to keep the clockwork mechanisms functioning. A little white Pythagoras gets twenty minutes of
flag with the number "1" flaps from a pole on his head. break a day, which he spends staring
1 Breaktime blankly at a spinning cog. If asked, he
Although he has three faces, only one seems animated. The
says it's his "Loading Icon", whatever
other two faces are lifeless and saggy. that means. Best to let him be.
Pythagoras is away from his machine;
2-5 Away
it's been turned off for now.
The rogue tridrone (MM 225) Pythagoras has the following Constructs. Alexandria believes that
characteristics. she and Pythagoras have a special
connection: they are both
6-9 Alexandria constructed beings: made, not born.
She puts way more stock in this
shared trait than he does; he thinks
she should hang out with Thesea.
Tools. Always looking for a new
10- hobby, Ariadne commissions
Ariadne
11 Pythagoras to make her interesting
new tools to try out.
Workaholics. Both Aries and
Pythagoras must face the fact that
they love their work more than they
12-
Aries could ever love another person. As
13
destructive habits go, at least they
have the satisfaction of producing
things others enjoy.
Jewellery. Narcissa struggles to keep
her visitations to Pythagoras to a
minimum. She knows that if she
Voice. Anxious and repetitive. "Oh dear! Oh dear! Oh dear! 14-
Narcissa keeps asking him to make her
What a miserable, miserable, miserable misfortune! I've 18
jewellery, she'll eventually get sick of
misplaced my cantilever! My poor, poor, poor cantilever." all her shiny new accessories. But the
Personality. A bit of Tesla, a bit of da Vinci, a whole lot of temptation will always be there.
Galileo. Who are they? Oh, you wouldn't know them. Just Conscription. Both Yaukiss and
old buddies of mine from the Modron March. Pythagoras were born to fight a war
Ideal. Function. Everything can be boiled down to what it can that had raged for thousands of years
do for others. 19-
Yaukiss before they drew breath and will
Bond. I'm a rogue modron -- that means other modrons are 20
continue until long after they are
looking to "retire" me for a bounty. They often run around dead. They've both found respite in
with blades -- I like to call them "Sword Sprinters". The Reef.
Flaw. A flaw in my programming makes me defiant to
instruction. Ask me nicely and it's fine. Order me around
and I'll go out of my way to make things as inconvenient for
you as possible.
72
Healing Palace Offerings
Narcissa can cast her cleric spells for the party. She is limited
The coral is made of crystal, or ice, freezing to the touch. Blue to the spells in her spell list (AH 23) and can't learn new
lights dance from within. You can see the outline of various spells. The price does not include the cost of consumed
materials, which the party must also pay for or provide.
rooms: an empty throne hall, a luxurious lounge, a spacious
Check the spell descriptions before casting. Instead of paying
bedroom. with coin, the party can bribe Narcissa with gems and/or
jewellery worth half the asking price. Narcissa actually
Dancing within the hall to ethereal music is a princess, a
prefers this option.
tiefling of cerulean skin and black eyes, hair, and lips.
Everywhere she steps, the ice cracks into a snowflake pattern Spell
before smoothing out quickly once more. Level Base Price Useful Spells
10 gp per
Cantrip mending
Carved into the walls of ice are murals of an archdevil hour of work
trapped under the surface, screaming incoherently. The name 1st 50 gp cure wounds
"Levistus" is chiseled in lovingly loopy handwriting. 2nd 100 gp augury, prayer of healing
3rd 200 gp create food and water, revivify
death ward, freedom of
The tiefling cleric of Levistus, Narcissa (AH 23), has the 4th 500 gp
movement
following characteristics.
greater restoration, mass cure
5th 1,000 gp
wounds, raise dead

Additionally, for 3,000 gold pieces, Narcissa can resurrect a

fallen party member even without a body to work with,
creating a new body for the soul out of ice as long as the
character has been dead for no longer than 10 days. A
character resurrected in this way gains the following trait.
Ice Sculpture. The character's creature type changes to
construct. The character gains vulnerability to fire damage
and immunity to cold damage.
Visitors
d20 Visitor Discussion
1- Narcissa tends to her beauty regime:
Breaktime
10 nails, hair, skin, horns, face, wardrobe.
10-
Away Narcissa is away from her ice palace.
12
Voice. Regal and haughty. "You speak such filth in front of a Princess Training. Obsessed with the
princess? You know not of the power you mock." aesthetics of royalty in the material
Personality. Others should worship the ice I walk on. I bless 13-
Quinobi realm, Narcissa seeks tutelage from
others with the memory of my beauty. 15
Quinobi on how best to appear and
Factions. Narcissa has frequent contact with warlocks of act like a classic noble princess.
Levistus within the Zhentarim faction on the Sword Coast Hellish Heritage. Both Achilles and
of Toril. She often claims to speak for Levistus despite Narcissa have lived in various layers of
having no legitimacy to do so. 16 Achilles the Nine Hells. It's interesting to
Ideal. Rebellion. Levistus represents freedom from theorise where they may have crossed
oppression. My father was a source of oppression, so I fled. paths before.
Bond. Having learned of the injustice inflicted upon Levistus, Mammon and Levistus. Alexandria
I took up his cause to bring freedom to all those who would wants to scribe every detail she can
be trapped against their will. I rebelled against the court of 17-
Alexandria about Narcissa's service to two
my father, Mammon, the disgustingly wealthy Viscount of 18
separate archdevils. Narcissa loves to
Minauros. I came to The Reef to support Sollus Ipsus the talk about herself. A perfect match.
Many, who in his desperation to be freed from Tartarus had Swordplay. Yaukiss and Narcissa are
called out to Levistus for help. 19-
Yaukiss both skilled with a blade and rarely
Flaw. I have no need for material possessions. Except for all 20
tire of sparring.
my pretty dresses. And the nice jewellery Pythagoras
makes for me. And all my mirrors. And my lipstick. And my
nail polish. And my horn oil. And my shampoo. And ...
 73
Magic Item Haberdashery Offerings
Yaukiss offers the following magic items from his sack for the
The coral outwardly appears normal. Lumpy, multicoloured listed price (his magic sack functions for no other creatures).
rock, just like all the rest. The inside, however, overflows with He has only one of each item unless otherwise noted.
sand due to a crack leading to a desert demiplane. The coral is Item Price Reference
inhabited by a camel and a githyanki exile, Yaukiss, whose tied- Potion of Healing (20) 50 gp DMG 187
back hair and rough stubble are much longer than githyanki
Potion of Diminution (2) 270 gp DMG 187
knights would normally be allowed to keep.
Dust of Disappearance (3) 300 gp DMG 175
Yaukiss tends to a humble shop in the coral where a healthy Chime of Opening 1,500 gp DMG 158
bonfire always burns. Scraps of his old armor have been Wand of Secrets 1,500 gp DMG 211
repurposed into pots and pans. A shelf is stacked with glass- Ring of Mind Shielding 1,600 gp DMG 191
blown artwork, a hobby of his. His wares are strapped to the Bag of Holding 4,000 gp DMG 153
back of a camel who eats happily from a magical bottomless Wand of Enemy Detection 4,000 gp DMG 210
trough. Hammocks strung up high offer a place to sleep, Crystal Ball 5,000 gp DMG 175
though Yaukiss does little of that these days. Most Hat of Disguise 5,000 gp DMG 173
importantly, there is always a shovel on hand to shunt all the Immovable Rod 5,000 gp DMG 175
excess sand into the aether.
Slippers of Spider Climbing 5,000 gp DMG 200
Ring of Telekinesis 8,000 gp DMG 193
The githyanki exile, Yaukiss (AH 24), has the characteristics Amulet of the Planes 50,000 gp DMG 150
below. His camel (MM 320) is named Ringo and has wings
that grant him a flying speed of 60 ft. Visitors
Roll on the following table to determine which denizens of
the Reef might be visiting Yaukiss in his haberdashery.
d20 Visitor Discussion
Yaukiss naps in his hammock. Ringo
1-4 Breaktime
sucks up to the party for food.
5- Yaukiss is away from his
Away
12 haberdashery.
Dragon Rider. Aries wants to hear
13 Aries about the red dragon Gethrax that
Yaukiss was once bonded to.
Glassblowing. Ariadne is determined
to surpass Yaukiss' skill at
14-
Ariadne glassblowing. Yaukiss enjoys the spirit
17
of competition and the company of a
fellow githyanki.
Planes Walker. Yaukiss has travelled
18 Alexandria extensively; Alexandria wants to hear
Voice. Deep, but soft-spoken and humble. "My people have every detail of his journeys.
committed many crimes. I only hope I can lessen the Desertion. Both Yaukiss and Achilles
burden of the horror we've caused." served a cause they no longer believe
Personality. If you want to go fast, set out alone. But if you 19 Achilles in. Yaukiss fled from his queen and
want to go far, set out with friends. Achilles deserted the front lines of
Ideal. Responsibility. We owe more to each other than anyone the Blood War.
would like to believe. We must give to people what they Fencing. Yaukiss wants to ensure that,
deserve, whether that is compassion or a blade to the neck. 20 Quinobi should he ever take up his sword
Bond. I was once bonded to a young red dragon, the most again, he won't be rusty in its use.
powerful and vicious of his brood, and I was his rider and
friend. He eventually turned rampant. It was my
responsibility to put him down.
Flaw. I possess great power, but I'm too afraid of using it
irresponsibly to use it at all.
74
Research Library Offerings
Alexandria's library contains knowledge of practically
It is not a coral at all like the other locations in the Reef. No, anything the party could possibly hope to learn about. The
this is a Grecian architectural wonder, a great library three trick isn't learning the knowledge, it's finding it somewhere in
this place to begin with. Alexandria can help to an extent, but
stories tall and half a kilometre in length and width. Chunks of
in order to find the information they seek, a party member
dirt and rock from the library's foundations float loosely must spend a day exploring the library and then succeed on a
underneath it; the library has been unearthed from its original DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check.
plot of land. A character with the Sage background has the DC of this
research check reduced by 5.
Inside, the library is mind-bogglingly huge with shelves that
seem to stretch on forever and books on all manner of topic. Visitors
The first and second floor largely consist of reference material, Roll on the following table to determine which denizens of
while the third floor consists of books of legends, myths, and
the Reef might be visiting Alexandria in her library. You can
roll twice and combine the results (if it makes sense) to give
works of fiction. There are cozy reading nooks available for the impression of a more communal space for the library.
those who wish to stay for a while, as well as tea and snacks
served by the librarian, a massive robot named Alexandria. d20 Visitor Discussion
Alexandria reads ancient texts with
Alexandria stands twelve feet tall and must weigh twelve 1-3 Breaktime
delight in the library's lounge space.
tonnes. Her two spindly legs and two spindly arms hardly Alexandria is away from the library;
4-9 Away
seem capable of holding her upright. She observes the world the DC of research checks is 15.
through a massive single white eye that darts wildly in all Machine Repair. Pythagoras is
directions, trying to take in as much information as she can. constantly anxious that his machine
will break down, so he is always
10 Pythagoras
checking out books to help him in
the worst-case scenario. Hasn't
The librarian marut, Alexandria (AH 22), has the following happened yet, but it could any time.
characteristics.
Ship-Building Manuals. Aries is
working off of incomplete training as
11 Aries
a shipwright. She's a bit ashamed of
her reliance on manuals to help her.
Hobbies. Ariadne hunts through the
library looking for interesting new
12- hobbies to spend her time pursuing.
Ariadne
13 She's recently gotten into the
specifics of maintaining lighthouses.
It's all theory at this point.
Gith. Yaukiss occasionally spends an
afternoon reading of the separation
14- of the githyanki and githzerai,
Yaukiss
15 comparing first-hand accounts with
his own memory of what was taught
to him in his upbringing.
Limitless. Illusosollus spends most of
16-
Illusosollus his time in the library expanding his
20
database of knowledge.
Voice. Tinny, twinkly, and over-eager. "Did you say you've
travelled the Border Ethereal? How does the gravity work?
Is it true that ghosts walk through walls? Sorry, sorry, I'm
just so excited!"
Personality. I'm a bit manic in my pursuit of knowledge.
Faction. Alexandria was built by the Harpers.
Ideal. Understanding. The more we know of the absurd
multiverse we live in, the better we can deal with its
eccentricities.
Bond. I teleported my library to The Reef rather than let
those filthy politicians get their hands on it. They'd only use
it to justify their next pointless, violent landgrab.
Flaw. I have the attention span of a squirrel. Also, people who
lie to me tend to get blown up.

Scrap Grotto
The smallest chunk of coral in The Reef is a hunk of rock,
moss, and fungus in the vague shape of a grotto; to get inside,
one has to clamber up from underneath and climb through
into the dimly-lit sparkling cavern. The grotto is decorated
with strings of brightly shining pearls and candles as tall as
your uncle's old tales.
Inside, a faerie woman named Binterkell, no bigger than a
mouse, sits upon a toadstool, singing softly to herself. She is
dressed in autumn leaves. Her face is more insectoid than
humanoid: she has large red compound eyes, moth-like
antennae, and yellowish-greenish skin that seems chitinous
and tough. She carries a sack five times larger than she is.
Behind her, nestled deep in the cracks between the coral
stone, is a portal to another dimension, only big enough for a
faerie like Binterkell to fit through.
The sprite (MM 253), Binterkell, has the following
characteristics.
75
Offerings
Binterkell purchases junk from the party.
Before purchasing the party's junk, she uses her Heart
Sight to check the party's alignment. She will refuse to trade
with anyone who is too lawful.
If the party has collected anything they don't need,
Binterkell will vomit up exactly the amount of coins required
to buy it from the party at half the prices listed in the PHB or
DMG. She's the primary generator of wealth in The Reef.
She vomits roughly 1 coin per round, starting with
platinum and working her way down to coppper, so for
expensive items it may take several minutes (or the better
part of an hour) before she has all the coins she needs to
make her purchase.
For mundane items, use a similar item in the PHB as a
reference point for price, or use your best judgement. For
magic items, consult the following table.
Item Rarity Binterkell's Bid
Common 25 gp
Uncommon 200 gp
Rare 750 gp
Very Rare 3,000 gp
Legendary "Don't be a fool. It's one of a kind."

Anything Binterkell purchases goes in her sack, where it is

immediately teleported to her secret stash in the Feywild.
Visitors
Roll on the following table to determine which denizens of
the Reef might be visiting Binterkell in her grotto.
d20 Visitor Discussion
Binterkell sings songs of the Feywild
1-5 Breaktime
and makes bead necklaces.
6- Binterkell is presumably on some
Away
15 errand in the Feywild.
Material Possessions. Both Binterkell
and Narcissa collect demonstrations
of material wealth, though Narcissa
16 Narcissa
displays them openly and Binterkell
seems to hide them away in the
Voice. Raspy and intense. "My collection, yes, it grows bigger! Feywild.
Each day it grows and soon it will drown out all those who Fey. Alexandria hounds Binterkell with
ever doubted me!" 17- incessant questions of the nature of
Personality. Megalomaniacal, though in a way that makes it 18
Alexandria
the fey. Alexandria doesn't really fit
clear that at the end of the day I am totally harmless. My inside the grotto, but tries anyway.
primary claim to fame is vomiting out exactly the amount All Done. When Ariadne tires of her
of coins I would need to purchase something. 19 Ariadne latest hobby, she sells all of her hobby
Ideal. Material Possessions. The measure of a life is how paraphernalia to Binterkell.
many things we've collected! Unload this Burden. Yaukiss has a lot of
Bond. My mama always told me I'd never make it anywhere if junk he's collected from his travels
I didn't try to use my power for good, but my generosity 20 Yaukiss
throughout the planes. He's been
destroyed the economy of a cute little town. People starved. slowly selling it all to Binterkell.
Flaw. I have decided that the only things worth keeping are
things that are worthless.
76
Shipyard Offerings
The sentient ship Thesea (AH 48) is insistent on being the
The coral is made of seaglass, green and translucent, with a party's go-to travel solution throughout the planes. In order to
massive ball of continual flame at the top that bathes the improve Thesea's capabilities, Aries requires gold, which she
can transmute using her artificer abilities directly into
inside in a warm orange glow. The air is hot and humid; bits of
magical upgrades for the ship.
desert fauna, bones, and dead logs lie around. Among an The following features can be added to Thesea's
anachronistic assortment of mechanical tools and machines, capabilities, but require scrap parts salvaged from other
the ship Thesea is the main attraction here. Her sails billow destroyed ships in addition to the cost in gold pieces. One
out like wings against the wind, and she flaps in place, letting destroyed ship provides only enough scrap for one feature.
the wind bob her up and down, surprisingly graceful for a
Feature Scraps Price
creature of her size. She is a bright orange intricately-crafted
Boost (Action). Thesea moves up to 500
airship with seven fan-like sails spread wide like a peacock. skiff
her speed in a straight line. gp
The engineer working at the shipyard is a half-dragon Hull Shielding (Action). Thesea's AC
750
increases by 5 until the start of her brig
woman, as haughty and proud as a high elf but with her whole gp
next turn.
body scaly, crimson, and dangerous. Her head, and presumably
Precision Laser Cannon (Action).
the rest of her, is remarkably similar to a red dragon. She wears Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, brig or 750
an engineer's trenchcoat and toolbelt and always has range 600 ft., one vehicle. Hit: 33 skiff gp
something to tinker with in her hands. (6d10) radiant damage.
Psychic Shielding (Trait). All
brig or 750
creatures on board Thesea have
skiff gp
The half-dragon shipwright, Aries (AH 23), has the following resistance to psychic damage.
characteristics. Ballista Storm (Action). Thesea
releases a barrage of ballista bolts
from her broadsides. Each creature
or vehicle in a 150-foot cube
either on her port or starboard side brig or 1,000
must make a DC 12 Dexterity conveyer gp
saving throw, taking 33 (6d10)
piercing damage on a failed save,
or half as much damage on a
successful one.
Battering Ram (Trait). If Thesea
moves at least 30 feet towards a
hostile creature or vehicle and
then hits it with a ram attack on nautiloid or 1,000
meteorship gp
the same turn, the target takes an
additional 33 (6d10) bludgeoning
damage.
Voice. Haughty like an elf, scary like a dragon. "If Thesea
comes back with so much as a scuff, you'll burn." Evasion (Trait). When Thesea is
Personality. Aloof and self-assured. I want to be more like a subjected to an effect that allows
red dragon, but all I know about my mother is based on my her to make a Dexterity saving
throw to take only half damage, 2,500
father's tall tales. she instead takes no damage on a
skiff
gp
Faction. Aries was born on the isle of Lantan and inducted successful save, and only half
into a secret society of artificers. Despite ostensibly being damage on a failed save.
half-dragon, she was raised amidst the Lantannas, rock
gnomes who had mastered the art of using magic to fuel Antimagic Pulse (Action). Thesea
flamethrowers and rocket engines. emits a pulse out to a radius of 60
Ideal. Competence. I have time to make sure everything I do feet, creating an area of antimagic
as per the spell antimagic field 5,000
is perfect, and I pity those who rush themselves into which lasts until the start of her
meteorship
gp
making stupid mistakes. next turn. The area excludes
Bond. Someone must have cut off my tail and wings when I Thesea herself.
was too young to remember. I'll get them back.
Flaw. At 40 years old, I am still quite young by elven
standards, but I'll certainly outlive all my friends and family.
I am therefore reluctant to form long-term attachments. I
keep even Thesea at arm's length.
 77
In addition, Aries can upgrade Thesea's defenses. The Visitors
following basic upgrades are available. You must purchase all Roll on the following table to determine which denizens of
previous upgrades in a series first; for example, you can't buy the Reef might be visiting Aries in the shipyard.
Hull II without having first bought Hull I.
d20 Visitor Discussion
Upgrade Result Price
Aries reads quietly in her study on the
Plating I AC 19 500 gp 1-3 Breaktime history of red dragons, her face
Plating II AC 20 2,000 gp beaming red with pride and hope.
Hull I HP 250 200 gp 4-6 Away Aries is away from the shipyard.
Hull II HP 300 1,000 gp Engineering. Ariadne asks incessantly
Shields I damage threshold 15 600 gp about Aries' engineering work in the
7-
Ariadne hopes of one day taking up the hobby
Shields II damage threshold 20 2,000 gp 10
herself. Aries is a bit insulted that
Shields III damage threshold 25 6,000 gp Ariadne thinks it's a hobby.
Water Speed I Speed water 60 ft. 100 gp Tinkering. Narcissa makes small talk
Water Speed II Speed water 90 ft. 150 gp 11- with Aries, but she's really hoping
Narcissa
Water Speed III Speed water 120 ft. 250 gp 13 Aries will offer to make her something
fancy with her artificer tinkering skills.
Air Speed I Speed air 90 ft. 150 gp
Thesea. Alexandria finds excuses to
Air Speed II Speed air 120 ft. 250 gp 14- visit the shipyard just to speak with
Alexandria
Void Speed I Speed void 120 ft. 250 gp 17 Thesea. Alexandria thinks constructed
Void Speed II Speed void 150 ft. 1,200 gp creatures ought to stick together.
Dragons. Yaukiss visits Aries often
Thesea under the guise of inquiries about
18-
The airship Thesea (AH 48) has the following 20
Yaukiss voidships, but secretly he suspects
characteristics. she's not a half-dragon at all; he
doesn't know how to bring it up.
Voice. A sassy, exuberant voice that exists only within the
passengers' minds. "Keep your arms and legs inside this
bad bitch at all times! Buckle up -- it's about to get bumpy."
Personality. I'm a big show-off and a bigger flirt. Sorry boys,
unless you're eighty feet long and twenty feet wide, you're
too short to go on this ride.
Ideal. Glory. Better to go out in a blazing explosion than rot
away in some hangar, forgotten.
Bond. Aries trained as an artificer at the Practical Academy
of Engineering. I was one of the ships they used to travel
the planes. When I was unjustly framed for the deaths of
my crew and sentenced to be dismantled, Aries rescued me
and flew me to The Reef, where we now stay together.
Flaw. Under no circumstances should I be taken on a
stealth mission.
78
Tool Hovel
The coral cave is a winding, incoherent mess. Each cavern of
the labyrinthine interior is littered with extensive notes,
practice sheets, abandoned projects, and broken tools. A harp
with broken strings lies amidst hundreds of pages of sheet
music. Strips of leather lay strewn between half empty bottles
of black polish, in the centre of which is a pair of beautiful
shoes. A thousand identical letters, exactly the same, written
with now unusable calligraphers supplies and forgery kits.
Every room is like this, and there is a room for practically
any tool there is. The only constant is Ariadne, who flits from
room to room at her heart's desire, trying everything once,
reminiscing on the times that she mastered each craft. Ariadne
is a githyanki woman with red-yellow skin wearing the
traditional sleeveless garb of a craftswoman in the court of
Vlaakith, whose wicked name has been ripped from Ariadne's
cloth.
Ariadne's current obsession is arc-welding. She wears a
welding mask at all times these days, though once she finds a
new obsession, it will no doubt come off.
The githyanki craftswoman, Ariadne (AH 22), has the
following characteristics.
Voice. Hard-edged, but delightful. Tinny behind her mask.
"You must know of the great violinist Chattoyesky. No?
Good news! You have much to learn!"
Personality. I always have a fresh obsession. I won't rest
until I have mastered every art in the multiverse.
Ideal. Mastery. I'm a lifelong learner.
Bond. I fled from the court of the lich queen Vlaakith when I
researched the history of the divide between the githyanki
and githzerai and discovered her insidious plot to keep the
conflict brewing after all these years.
Flaw. The skills I master are more quickly discarded than
they are picked up.
Offerings
Ariadne can offer goods or services. She sells all manner of
tools imaginable (PHB 154) at the prices listed in the Player's
Handbook. At a cost of 20 gold pieces per day, she can also
operate any tool to provide any relevant service to the party,
such as playing mood music, crafting jewellery, picking a
lock, or carving stone statues.
Visitors
Roll on the following table to determine which denizens of
the Reef might be visiting Ariadne in her hovel.
d20 Visitor Discussion
Ariadne arc-welds an abstract metal
1-7 Breaktime sculpture. The noise is deafening and
the light is blinding.
8-
Away Ariadne is away from the hovel.
10
Githyanki. Both Ariadne and Yaukiss
11- objected to the rule of Queen
Yaukiss
12 Vlaakith. They find comfort in their
shared status as fugitives.
Tradeswomen. Aries has devoted her
life (so far) to becoming an artificer
13 Aries shipwright and is happy with her
choice, whereas Ariadne never seems
to find contentment in her work.
Organisation. Quinobi hopelessly
14 Quinobi
attempts to get Ariadne to organise
her living space. He keeps repeating
the mantra "Healthy Home, Healthy
Mind", but nothing seems to stick.
Library Studies. Alexandria keeps
pressuring Ariadne to take up the
hobby of book-keeping and "general
librarian studies." Ariadne doesn't
15 Alexandria
have the heart to tell the marut that
she's already spent thirteen years as a
librarian organising Queen Vlaakith's
private collection.
Modelling. Narcissa is more than
willing to be the subject of Ariadne's
16- paintings, sculptures, sketches, and
Narcissa
18 other artworks, or just as her "muse".
Ariadne is a bit sick of the subject
matter, but nobody else is offering.
Supplies. Pythagoras visits Ariadne
frequently to offer the services of his
19- printing machine, even if she hasn't
20
Pythagoras
ordered anything. More often than
not, she does actually need
something from him.

Training Dojo
Atop a rocky coral platform is a pleasant field of manicured
grass with a square dojo in the middle painted for training
purposes. Tall trees frame the dojo beautifully. A psychic force
field protects the coral platform from the winds of The Reef.
A hatch in the field leads to an underground sauna. Hot
coals plop through the walls periodically due to a leak to the
Magma Dimension. Spirits of lost souls hang around here,
soaking in the steam as a halfway point in their journey
through The Reef.
Meditating in the square is a githzerai dressed in the
humble beige robes of a githzerai sensate, a spiritual trainer.
He holds a single-edged cobalt blade at his waist. His hair is
longer than githzerai customs would ordinarily allow, and he
has grown a bushy beard, which he keeps as well-manicured as
the grass. When he notices you, a spark of playfulness and
challenge passes across his face, and he leaps to his feet.
The githzerai teacher, Quinobi (AH 24), has the following
characteristics.
Voice. Calm, bemused, and mentorly. "Oh no, I'm not brave
enough for politics."
Personality. The best way to teach is to lead by example. The
best way to live is to be the person you would admire.
Faction. Quinobi is a member of the Sha'sal Khou, a secret
union of githyanki and githzerai intellectuals who seek the
reunification of their races. He has also had frequent
contact with the Order of the Gauntlet, which he admires
for their ability to unite under a common cause against evil.
Ideal. Improvement. The only thing that matters is if you're
better today than you were yesterday.
Bond. I devoted my life to teaching githzerai to embrace their
spiritual connection as a source of strength, but the
youngest generation of my people has proved more
bloodthirsty than ever before. I was replaced by a fighter
who rejected the spiritual in favour of violence and
strength. I resigned in disgrace.
Flaw. I've failed once before. I'm afraid to fail again. That's
why I train others rather than risk doing it myself.
79
Offerings
Quinobi is supernaturally gifted at teaching and can train
people in skills or abilities in one tenth the time it would
normally take them according to the PHB. He charges a rate
of 10 gp per day per person, and can reasonably train up to
three people per day, even on separate subjects.
Quinobi does not need to be a master in the arts he trains,
though he is indeed a master of swordfighting and once was
a respected scholar of the history of the gith.
Visitors
Roll on the following table to determine which denizens of
the Reef might be visiting Quinobi at his dojo.
d20 Visitor Discussion
Quinobi levitates a few feet off the
1-7 Breaktime
ground, deep in meditation.
8-
Away Quinobi is away from the dojo.
10
Rapier. Quinobi trains Narcissa in the
use of her rapier. For her, it's more of
11-
Narcissa a social call, and she annoys Quinobi
12
with her insistence on idle chatter
while training.
Voidships. In order to keep up to date
with all of the strange problems that
13 Aries Thesea tends to arrive with after her
excursions, Aries studies the arcane
mechanics of voidships under
Quinobi's tutelage.
Gith. Yaukiss knows that the githyanki
and githzerai people have been at war
for thousands of years. He asks
15 Yaukiss Quinobi to help keep his silver blade
sharp, but the true motive is to extend
an olive branch. He wants to make a
friend.
The Latest Obsession. When Ariadne
finds a new skill or tool to study,
16- Quinobi is her first point of contact,
Ariadne
18 totally ignoring the stickiness of
broaching the bloody history between
their peoples.
Martial Weapons. Achilles likes to
19-
Achilles
experiment with new weapon designs,
20 and Quinobi is in a good position to
help him test out their effectiveness.
80
Weapon Coliseum Offerings
Achilles will sell weapons to the party at the rates in the
A coliseum that burns with Infernal runes sends jets of flame Player's Handbook (PHB 146-147). He has a nigh-unlimited
shooting out to be lost in the winds of The Reef high above. supply of every simple and martial weapon, as well as
ammunition. Set up in the sands of the coliseum are stone
The entrance is marked with the skulls of slain demons. The
statues of great historical figures, each wielding real
inside walls are lined with reliefs of great battles of the Blood weapons. To take a weapon, you must pay the price and
War. Shrines to Tempus, God of War, Bhaal, God of Murder, destroy the statue, picking the weapon from the cracked
and Malar, God of the Hunt are prominent in the wings of the remains.
coliseum. Achilles also offers the following enchantments, which can
be applied to a melee weapon or to 10 pieces of ammunition.
A ritual plinth glows with fiery runes. A dagger is suspended He can add only one enchantment per weapon or
above the plinth, gently turning in mid-air. Staring at the ammunition. A +2 or +3 bonus can be applied to weapons
dagger with eyes as sharp as its blade is a fiendish warrior, a
with a lower bonus, replacing the old bonus.
black breastplate worn tight against his red skin, wicked spears Enchantment Weapon Type Reference Cost
bristling from every available holster he has. His one chitinous Silver Any PHB 100 gp
wing twitches in anticipation when he spots you approach. He Vicious Any DMG 209 350 gp
flashes a cocky smile. You can see his sawtooth fangs sticking
Sharpness Slashing DMG 206 1,700 gp
out, bright white, less dangerous than the twinkle in his eye.
Wounding Any DMG 207 2,000 gp
Life-Stealing Melee DMG 206 6,000 gp
The incubus of bloodthirst, Achilles (AH 21), has the Warning Melee DMG 213 6,000 gp
following characteristics. Vorpal Slashing DMG 209 24,000 gp
+1 Any DMG 213 1,000 gp
+2 Any DMG 213 4,000 gp
+3 Any DMG 213 16,000 gp

Visitors
Roll on the following table to determine which denizens of
the Reef might be visiting Achilles at his coliseum.
d20 Visitor Discussion
Achilles ritualistically enchants a
1-7 Breaktime
weapon for himself.
8-
Away Achilles is away from the coliseum.
Voice. Deep, brutal, yet smooth, like freshly-flowing blood. 10
"I'm the devil that sits on your shoulder, whispering your Mammon. Narcissa wants to know the
darkest desires in your ear. We both know there's no angel 11- role her father Mammon has played in
sitting next to me." 13
Narcissa
the Blood War. She is disheartened to
Personality. I'm unabashedly on the side of the devils. The hear how little he has contributed.
demons are filthy creatures, and the only good thing they A Farewell to Arms. Achilles wants to
bring the world is the feeling of joy one feels as one 14- study Yaukiss' silver blade, but Yaukiss
separates their heads from their body. Same could be said 16
Yaukiss
only wishes to reminisce on how they
of the gods up there in the heavens. both fled from an unjust war.
Faction. Achilles is a fiendish warlock patron that offers the An Even Fight. Quinobi and Achilles
pact of the blade to any who call upon his name when they share a great deal of mutual respect
slay their foes. He favours warlocks who destroy demons 17- for their ability to train others to fight.
and other chaotic beings. 20
Quinobi
They often spar for the express
Ideal. Bloodthirst. I'm an incubus, and this is the seduction I purpose of improving one another's
choose: the seduction of seeing one's foes driven before abilities.
you. Take my hand and we'll forge together a weapon that
will let you carve your name in the annals of history.
Bond. I learned a terrible secret about the Blood War. It
could end at any time, so why hasn't it? What does it mean
for the war to continue? What is my part in this injustice?
Flaw. I know that a powerful weapon will never achieve glory
in the hands of an incompetent wielder, but I put weapons
in the hands of the desperate anyway.
 81
Yugoloth Database Heists
Heist Description Author Page
A hunk of coral has been glamoured to appear as a mausoleum
where each headstone represents a topic of inquiry. Touching
Rescue an
imprisoned Sollus
a headstone holographically reveals information from Escape from from a celestial
Illusosollus' database. Most of it has to do with the yugoloths William AH
Gleaming rehabilitation
Beacon Rotor 92
and Sollus Ipsus the Many. center that
purports to turn
There's a small voidport along the side with enough space evil creatures good.
for Karen's gondola. If she stops by The Reef, she'll be found Outswash and
here chatting with Illusollus. outbuckle a crew of
William AH
Void Pirates dangerous void
Rotor 107
pirates to retrieve a
The merrenoloth, Karen (AH 25), has the following mysterious chest.
characteristics. Dive into the mind
of an entrapped
The Tranquil Sollus to convince Adventure AH
Prison him to leave his Bundles 116
self-imposed
isolation.
Rescue a petrified
In Sollus from a AH
P.J. Pirrello
Remembrance Greece-inspired 126
mountain village.
Convince a
gnomish Sollus to
Mine-Work T.M. van AH
abandon his
Make-Work Dalen 136
eternity of lonely
drudgery.
Climb the slopes of
Perdition to face
Teetering down Orzeg, the William AH
Imbalance arcanaloth, in her Rotor 145
Voice. Like a 60-year-old smoker. "You gotta use those laboratory of
shambling robots.
awkward silences to your advantage. Sit in a gondola with
someone and stare at them, they'll start blabbing." The Crimson Sneak through the
AH
Personality. I'm disgruntled with the yugoloths. I'll help out Terror of lair of an ancient Anonymous
154
Sollus on his little quest, and then I'm taking my gondola Yenneth dragon.
and striking out into the big wide world to forge my own Sawtooth
Delve the bowels of Chopper AH
path for once. a gargantuan shark. German 163
Ideal. Ferryship. Life is a path from A to B. We linger at A, we
fret about B, but nobody pays attention to the path. Nobody
except me.
Bond. I've pledged to help Sollus Ipsus the Many escape
from his incarceration in Tartarus.
Flaw. My tongue's as loose as those who ride in my gondola.
Treachery against my people doesn't come naturally to me.
Offerings
The party can automatically succeed on any Intelligence
(Arcana or History) check they make in the database as long
as Illusosollus would reasonably have the answer stored.
Additionally, Karen provides information on one or more of
the following heists for the party. Provide at least two and
allow the party to choose which they would like to pursue.
82
Escape from Gleaming Beacon
Karen reports that Broken Opal has hired out some
Opalescent mercenaries for a prison in the heavenly realm of
Firmament. The pay is terrible, so she must have a good
reason to accept the contract. It's practically guaranteed that
one of the prisoners is a reincarnation of Sollus. Infiltrate the
prison and find out who it is before the yugoloths do.
Karen squeezes your shoulder twice. Her dead eyes sink into
your soul. "Remember, if they find out the real reason you're in
Firmament, the whole plan is a bust. The angels are not on our
side. Never forget that they are warriors of law as much as they
are warriors of light, and we are agents of neutrality, which
they despise. Do not, under any circumstances, let the angels
figure out your mission."
Karen gives the party four dossiers, each on one of the four
prisoners of Gleaming Beacon. You can find the dossiers on
the first page of the heist (AH 94).
The Crimson Terror of Yenneth
Karen tells the party about an ancient red dragon, Gauss, that
has kidnapped a princess at the orders of Broken Opal. The
dragon lives on an 'earthberg' in the realm of Yenneth deep in
a mountain with kobolds and yugoloths defending his hoard.
Detailed information can be found on the first page of the
heist (AH 156).
Sawtooth
Karen informs the party that Broken Opal placed a tracker on
a reincarnation of Sollus. The tracker somehow ended up
inside of a shark; its gullet seems to lead to a private
demiplane of some sort. Karen's already sent a few of her
Opalescents into the shark to retrieve it, but they were killed
and came back muttering about "water bears" or something.
She's sending a fresh batch in. The party might have a chance
to get there first.
Void Pirates
Karen's gaunt face is twisted into a smirk, a rare expression
for her. She reveals the following information to the party.
Broken Opal found a mysterious chest marked with
the symbol of the Knotted Snake, the very same
symbol depicted in the tattoo that all
reincarnations of Sollus share. On her way home,
her meteorship was ambushed by pirates and
destroyed. She woke up on Firmament and
immediately started pulling favours to put together
a few more meteorships and track down the ship.
These void pirates have the chest, now. If you
can find the void pirates and steal the chest before
Broken Opal and her meteorships arrive, you might
have a chance at putting another piece of the
puzzle together.
Karen also gives the party the following rumours that Broken
Opal uncovered about the captain of the void pirate ship,
Captain Quasar.
He once ate a live stirge.
His beard ends up on fire in every battle he's in, almost
always by accident.
One time he jumped off his ship and fell for so long and so
far that he eventually landed right back on the deck.
He's been shot, stabbed, poisoned, crushed, burnt,
shredded, and made fun of, and that was just one
encounter with a bone devil.
He is literally immune to being killed.
Additionally, Karen directs the party to Aries (AH 76), who
has heard of Captain Quasar and the void pirates before. She
can evaluate Thesea to determine if Thesea is up to the
challenge of fighting the pirate ship, Supermassive Black
Hole, directly.
For Thesea to be considered a suitable match, she needs:
Hull II
Shields II
Void Speed I
At least 3 upgrade features
Regardless of whether Aries believes Thesea can handle the
fight, Thesea is gung-ho.
"Come on. You guys always do stupid stealth missions. I can
take the bastards. Give me a shot!"

The Tranquil Prison
Karen puts the party in contact with another traitorous
yugoloth, Ral'Romon. She describes the gachaloth and gives
the party coordinates to the realm of Erronys where they can
meet up with him.
Ral'Romon hates Broken Opal. He has been
ridiculed for his inability to acquire one particular
reincarnation of Sollus. Orym the Alarmed has
sequestered himself away in Erronys, unreachable
to fiendish creatures. However, his eagerness to
hide away has also trapped him there, lost in his
own mind, forever. With Ral'Romon willing to
screw over Broken Opal out of spite, this might be
an excellent opportunity to rescue and recruit
Orym, a knowledgeable traveller of the planes.
83
Mine-Work Make-Work
Karen informs the party that Tirikan has left her to care for
his canoloth, Beck, while he does a shift in Castor, a layer of
the plane of Gemini. An incarnation of Sollux is likely being
held captive here. The yugoloths keep tabs on all voidships
that pass through Castor, but Karen believes that they can
reach Castor by crossing over from the layer of Pollux, which
sits upside down in Castor's sky.
While in Perdition, feeding Beck the souls of the damned
lost forever in the great ethereal rivers, Karen picked up the
following map that Tirikan left out on his desk.

In Remembrance
Karen gives the party the following information.

Overheard from Toda's drunken bragging, one of

Sollus' clones (known as Petrasollus) was recently
spotted near the village of Arginth in a picturesque
corner of the realm. Her presence was quickly
discovered by the Yugoloths, and Tirikan and his
faithful hound Beck were dispatched to capture
and imprison her. That's all the info Karen is aware
of, but she urges the party to travel to Arginth.
With any luck they can recover Petrasollus before
Tirikan manages to find and imprison her.
Teetering Imbalance
If Karen has been kidnapped by yugoloths due to her cover
being blown, Illusosollus informs the party where she is likely
Karen also gives the party the following map, which Tirikan being held: the laboratory of Orzeg in Perdition, where the
made several copies of. The map's function is unknown. arcanaloth experiments with horrific torture devices. Thesea
can bring the party to Perdition, but it is too heavily patrolled
by meteorships for a full frontal assault. This mission will
have to be done quietly and quickly.
The ghost Spectrasollus may also request the party enter
Perdition to kill Orzeg at some point.
Illusosollus provides the party the following blueprint of
Orzeg's laboratory.
Burrower Hangar
An enormous hangar holds the skeleton of a terrible machine
of blood, bone, gears, wood, metal, and magic. This machine is
called the Burrower, and it is not yet complete. When it is, it
will burrow through the borders of Tartarus itself.

This project is helmed by Simulacrasollus. The hangar isn't

heated to the same degree as the other chunks of coral like
The Reef -- seems Simulacrasollus prefers the cold.

Each new reincarnation of Sollus that is rescued can

contribute to the creation of this machine, adding their own
personal touch. You as the DM decide when the machine is
finished, likely after about 4-5 heists are completed.
If Simulacrasollus is infected with a slaad parasite, the
timeless nature of The Reef keeps it from developing further.
If he were to venture out beyond The Reef, he would risk the
tadpole maturing and killing him.
The hangar is also where the party can talk to any extra
versions of Sollus, including the Seven Heavens of Sollus the
Many, various versions of the same dead wizard that they
rescued in the first quest, Border.
Simulacrasollus. Sim is quite busy managing the
construction of the burrower, and he worries about all the
ticking clocks that will inevitably spell his doom: losing all
his spell slots, melting away, being dispelled, and the slaad
tadpole in his belly.
Skelesollus and Crawllus. Skelesollus does manual labour -
- hammering in nails, stacking planks -- while Crawllus
supervises and warns Skelesollus with a gentle nudge
when he's about to do something dangerous.
Will-o'-Sollus and Spectrasollus. They both haunt the
hangar, making spooky noises and shining mysterious
lights.

Penny Featherlight
If the party catches up with Penny Featherlight the unicorn
(from Escape from Gleaming Beacon), they find her speaking
with one of the other characters in the Burrower Hangar. She
usually sits them down on a nice leather couch.
Simulacrasollus
"You really can't learn new spells?" asks Penny.
"I've tried."
"But you can learn other things, can't you?"
"No, I'm stuck with what I started with."
"What's my name?"
"Penny Featherlight. So what?"
"Seems like you've learned at least one thing."
Simulacrasollus looks like he's seen a ghost. "I ... huh."
"Let's pick this up tomorrow. Tell me everything you've
learned in that time."
Chest of the Knotted Snake
"Tell me about the dungeon," says Penny.
"Oh, I don't want to talk about that." The chest's tongue
lolls out of its mouth in distaste.
"Why not? You lived there for four hundred years."
"I want to put it behind me. It was boring."
"So if I went there right now, I wouldn't find anything."
"Well, you'd find a dragon. There was one a few floors
down."
"Tell me about the dragon."
The chest seems to light up. It slides a bit closer to Penny as
it gushes. "Most frustrating debate partner in the whole
dungeon because as soon as you'd convince her of something
she'd claim that it was always her position from the beginning!
I'd always try to angle myself to catch adventurers before they
ever got to her just to deny her the satisfaction!"
"Seems like it wasn't so boring after all."
The chest frowns, then hisses. "No! I got out! I'm not talking
about it!"
85
Orym the Alarmed
"For someone with the power to travel the planes," muses
Penny, "you sure stayed in one place for a long, long while."
"It was for my own safety."
"You'd give up your imagination for a little safety?"
"I suppose I would, and have."
Serpasollus
"Is there no part of you that wishes you'd stayed separate?"
asks Penny.
"I think we're past these concerns." Serpasollus looks at her
hands and closes one eye, then the other, over and over. "I
have memories of both versions of me. It's like living two
lives. I think most would say I'm lucky. Like I've lived twice as
long."
"Do you consider yourself lucky?"
"I don't think so. But luck is an illusion. All you have are
choices. You make of them what you will."
Gimlen
"What will you do with your time now that you've escaped?"
asks Penny. "You haven't left the hangar. There's so much to
see."
"A little bit at a time," says Gimlen. "Or I might go all zany."
"I think you'd be alright."
"You ever lit a torch in a dark room? It'll blind you."
"Do you really feel like you're blind?"
"I just have to wait for my eyes to adjust."
Leonardo
"Have you thought about freeing the vinchies?" asks Penny.
"No," says Leonardo. "They're not smart like I am."
"Maybe you haven't given them a chance."
"I don't need to. I'm the only one with a soul."
"What if nobody had given you a chance? What if you'd
been sent out onto the magma of Perdition and melted before
you ever realized who you really were?"
Leonardo's gears turn in his head, literally. "That would have
been a real shame."
86
Ynthriss
"Has 'seducing the dragon' really worked for you in the past?"
asks Penny.
Ynthriss considers this. "I burn too many bridges. Guess
that's what happens to fire-breathers."
Gepetto
"Why build friends when you can make them?"
"Because it's easier to blame myself than other people when
things go wrong."
Chest of the Knotted Snake
If the party catches up with the mimic chest (from Void
Pirates), they find it trying to transform into various tools.
The prongs of a claw hammer protrude from the chest's
hinges. Little pustule arms snake out and become snapping
scissors. Its lid rears back and becomes concave like a bucket.
But the transformations last barely a few seconds before the
mimic snaps back into the form of a chest.
Goopy purple tears spill out from its many eyes.
If confronted, it refuses to talk about it. The chest is trying
desperately to reinvent itself, but it's been stuck in the same
form for so long that it can't fully transform anymore.
Orym the Alarmed
If the party catches up with Orym the Alarmed (from The
Tranquil Prison), they find him writing a private letter in elven
script. He is embarrassed by his letter, but if pried, he'll reveal
that it's a letter to his late wife, Deliah. The letter consists of
all of the things he wishes he had done with her in their final
week together, rather than leaving.
It's clear that writing this letter is doing him serious
emotional harm, but he insists on completing it anyway.
"Here we are, all in the same place, all in the same time. Clearly
time itself is not as straight of an arrow as one would be led to
believe. Sometimes I find myself theorising on chronomancy,
the power over time, and what I would do if I were to go back
to when I left Deliah. But the pursuit of a magical solution is
what drove me away from her in the first place. No, better that
I put such addictions behind me. I've gone down that road
before. It only leads to pain."
Serpasollus
If the party catches up with Serpasollus (from In
Remembrance), they find her carving two gravestones out of
marble. One for Serpamne, the other for Petrasollus.
"Everyone has versions of themselves that just aren't true
anymore. Petrasollus had friends, family, a life to go back to.
Serpamne was alone, but she had the people of Arginth and a
place to call her own. I've inherited nothing from either of
them. I may as well be a wholly different person. I thought it
would be fitting to pay respects to the women I used to be, to
acknowledge the future as something new, uncertain,
untethered from the past. If you don't understand, I don't
blame you. But this is something I have to do for myself."
Gimlen
If the party catches up with Gimlen (from Mine-Work Make-
Work), they find him mindlessly assembling some mechanical
device that looks suspiciously like a stab-o-lizer, complete
with golden rings, iron cogs, copper tripods, a brass encasing,
and some rods and rocks painted blue and red.
"Oh!" says the gnome, jumping. "You gave me a start! What,
this thing? It's just ... an art project. Yeah. An art project." He
tries to hide it behind himself. "That's all."
Gimlen is having trouble adjusting to life outside of a routine.
It's a comfort to him to rebuild a stab-o-lizer.
Leonardo
If the party catches up with Leonardo the vinchy (from
Teetering Imbalance), they find him practicing a
choreographed dance to an imagined song in his head.
"I've never danced before," says Leonardo. "Thought I'd try it
out. I think the tiefling likes dancing. I would like to dance with
her. Can you ask her if she would dance with me?"
Leonardo isn't romantically interested in Narcissa, but he
does see the potential for a deep connection due to the way
that they both rejected an evil parental figure and escaped
from a world of fire and torture.
Narcissa doesn't really know that Leonardo exists, of
course, and he's a bit too new at being "awake" to know how
to introduce himself properly.
Ynthriss
The jester spends most of her time trying to keep up the
spirits of the other reincarnations of Sollus with her
performances and songs.
Ynthriss and Aries become friends quite quickly, but when
Ynthriss says she has "spent too long without seeing another
dragonborn", Aries freezes up and refuses to talk to her again.
Gepetto
He keeps to himself, attempting to learn draconic for fun.
If Leonardo is present, his two vinchy knights take a liking
to him. Leonardo attempts to make them sentient, but is a bit
hesitant to ask Gepetto for help.

Teamwork Bonuses
Included here is a master list of all of the teamwork bonuses
the party can obtain from reincarnations of Sollus. The party
can choose one teamwork bonus to be used in each heist.
Simulacrasollus
The Remnant. Once per day per party member, as an
action, a party member can teleport to an empty
space within 5 feet of another party member within
30 feet of them.
Penny Featherlight
The Flighty. Party members gain an extra 20 feet of
movement until the end of their turn if they start
their turn within 5 feet of another party member.
Chest of the Knotted Snake
The Hidden. Each party member has +5 to their
Dexterity (Stealth) checks while they are within 60
feet of another party member.
Orym the Alarmed
The Learned. All party members have the Jack of All
Trades ability, gaining half their proficiency bonus
on any skill checks to which they don't otherwise
add their proficiency.
87
Serpasollus
The Immobile. Once per day per party member, as an
action, a character can choose to become magically
fixed in place. Until they use another action to end
the effect, the character does not move, even
defying gravity. The character can support up to
8,000 pounds of weight. More weight causes this
ability to deactivate and the character to fall. A
creature can use an action to make a DC 30
Strength check, moving the character up to 10 feet
on a success. The effects automatically end after 1
hour.
Gimlen
The Stable. Each party member has advantage on
Dexterity saving throws as long as they are within
30 feet of another party member.
Leonardo
The Escape Artist. While in physical contact with
another party member, each party member is under
the effects of the spell freedom of movement.
Ynthriss
The Fool. All party members gain proficiency in
Performance while performing together as a group.
If a party member already has proficiency in
Performance, they can add +1 to their Performance
checks (whether with their party or elsewhere).
Gepetto
The Strong Stomach. While in physical contact with
another party member, each party member is under
the effects of the spell protection from poison.
88
Burrower Bonuses
Included here is a master list of all of the bonuses to the
Burrower that the reincarnations of Sollus can provide. All
bonuses are cumulative.
Penny Featherlight
The burrower grows a massive spiralling drill that can pierce
through any substance. Also, it smells faintly of pine needles.
Chest of the Knotted Snake
The burrower gains the ability to change its shape, allowing it
to squeeze through tight passageways or camouflage itself.
Orym the Alarmed
With Orym's help, the Burrower can now move through the
planes with gate, just like Thesea.
Serpasollus
Serpasollus will set to work assembling a massive serpent's
tail that will help propel the machine as it burrows through
the walls of the prison in which Sollus is held.
Gimlen
Gimlen's contribution to the burrower is the creation of
superior armored plates to protect the device.
Leonardo
If Leonardo is given the opportunity to work on the Burrower,
he outfits it with dozens of poison stingers like the ones used
by Orzeg's pascorpticon, which can also function similar to
cellular celia for movement. The poison stingers have a reach
of 20 feet, an attack bonus of +10, and deal 7 (2d6) piercing
damage and 7 (2d6) poison damage on a hit.
Ynthriss
The burrower becomes equipped with magical noise emitters
that play any music the driver chooses. The music can be
heard clearly up to 1 mile away, and as a thumping bass line
up to 20 miles away.
Gepetto
Gepetto adds internal automated repair arms that can
automatically cast mending on the Burrower once per
minute.
Other
In Escape from Gleaming Beacon, the party may mistakenly
rescue Zenh, even though she is lying about being a
reincarnation of Sollus. Even so, she will assist with the
construction of the Burrower. Zenh gives the burrower the
power to reverse gravity, allowing it to maneuver vertically
much more easily.
PART 4
Heists
90

Create Your Own Heist

Heist Guidelines Show Off Your Work
To create a heist for this campaign, the following steps are Put together a fun heist? Send me an email
recommended. However, there aren't any hard and fast rules (willrotor@gmail.com) and let's talk about sticking it into
about what you can or can't create. Write your heist in a way Arcane Heists. I'll handle all the copyediting and layout and
that highlights your individual creative voice. illustrations. Let's make this a 500 page book. More the
merrier.
1. Choose a setting.
2. Create an NPC to be rescued.
3. Select yugoloth guards.
4. Plan a 5-stage heist.
5. Write your heist!

Setting
When creating a heist, develop an imaginative setting that
speaks to the players through allegories and dreams.
Abandon all thought of the ordinary world. Your setting
should be weird.
NPC
Each heist is a rescue mission for an NPC that is a
reincarnation of the immortal being Sollus Ipsus the Many;
see Dramatis Personae (AH 9) for a description of Sollus.
Your NPC can be any race, come from any background, and
demonstrate skills from any class. There are literally no
restrictions at all -- they can even be an inanimate object if
you think it would be dramatically interesting. Already in the
book you can find a unicorn, a sentient mimic, and a statue.
There are no rules.
When your party rescues your NPC, include three rewards.
1. Magic item.
2. Teamwork-focused feature for the party to select before
they begin their next heist.
3. Add-on to the burrower, a machine that will ultimately
break through the prison within which the original Sollus
the Many is kept hidden.
Browse the other heists of this book for examples of how
other creators have implemented them.
Opalescents
Browse the list of Opalescents, yugoloth guards (AH 10, 11,
25-34), and add them liberally throughout the heist.

5 Stage Heist
The 5-Stage Heist model is a modified version of the 5 Room
Dungeon model of adventure building. You don't have to use
the 5 Stage Heist format, but it's a good way of structuring a
heist adventure if you're unsure how to begin!
Before beginning your dungeon, keep in mind the following
general tips.
Bigger numbers don't make better stories.
Remember that the goal is to provide a prison for your
NPC. All of the elements should be related to keeping
them locked up -- waste no details.
You're designing a puzzle box for the players to unpack.
You don't want to prescribe a solution -- you might not
even have one in mind. Go for problems, not puzzles.
Focus on one obvious identifying feature that sets your
heist apart from the rest. Memorability is significantly
more important than cleverness.
Don't be afraid to get metaphysical or navel-gazey. That's
the good stuff. That's why we're here.
The 5-Stage Heist model is a guide. Treating it as more
than that is folly.
1: Mark
All good heists involve a mark. While you should be using
yugoloth guards liberally, they won't be the only people
involved in imprisoning your NPC.
Come up with some typical denizens of your setting that
will have knowledge of the person being imprisoned
within their domain.
The party has a mole in the yugoloth ranks, Karen, who
can give them information about anyone relevant to the
heist.
Your mark should be someone with a vested interest in the
prison you've devised, or who encapsulates the philosophical
concepts of your heist's setting. This is your opportunity to
establish the ideas you'd like to explore in your writing.
The mark doesn't have to be a combatant, but they do have
to be a gatekeeper of some kind. Without getting them out of
the way, the party won't be able to enter.
2: Problem
A heist that can be completed without planning is not a heist
at all. Think about the steps necessary to imprison your NPC,
and think about the quirks of your setting.
As mentioned before, the idea is to design a problem, not a
puzzle. You set in motion a set of challenges and limitations
on what the party can do, and they must plan out a creative
solution around it using all the resources at their disposal.
A good way of doing this is thinking about it from the
perspective of someone who desperately wants to keep
roving bands of adventurers out. How would they set up their
prison so that it would theoretically be impregnable even with
powerful magic? The arcanaloths are powerful spellcasters
that can set up magical defenses, and their countless aeons
of mercenary work in the Blood War means you can
reasonably justify any yugoloth owning any magic item.
91
Cover your bases, but don't go overboard.
The question is, of course, why doesn't the party just hire a
whole bunch of people to storm the prison and avoid all this
malarkey? Well, the answer is that planning an elaborate heist
is its own reward.
The more serious answer is that if the party makes too
much of a splash, they'll be swarmed by angels upholding the
law and armies of yugoloths that finally take the threat
seriously.
3: Gotcha
The party won't be going into the heist with perfect
information. Establish which parts of the prison the party will
be made aware of through their yugoloth informant, and
which parts of the prison are secret gotchas that will throw a
wrench in the party's plan.
The best gotcha moments happen while the heist is already
in motion, forcing the party to improvise. A gotcha doesn't
have to be negative, just a complicating or surprising factor.
4: Climax
The party has gotten past the gatekeeper, implemented their
plan effectively, pivoted through the gotcha, and is now close
to successively extracting your NPC. However, there is one
final challenge for the party to overcome if they are to achieve
success in their mission. You can include one or more of the
following climactic elements, or make up your own.
Decision: Choose between two costly trade-offs.
Escape: Escape before time runs out.
Puzzle: Solve a difficult puzzle under pressure.
Showdown: Fight a boss monster, or perhaps someone
they left for dead who's back for round two.
Click!: You've set off a dangerous trap, but you have time
to deactivate it if you're careful.
5: Twist
The twist of your heist is your opportunity to get really
creative.
You can reframe the entire heist from a new perspective.
Maybe it was all a devious ploy by the yugoloths to trap the
main characters. Maybe the NPC was actually a body double
the whole time. Maybe the NPC banked on the whole heist in
order to make a quick buck. Maybe it was an elaborate lesson
on gun safety.
It's also an opportunity to include a memorable closing
scene to the adventure.
From the players' perspective, they have the chance
throughout the heist to decide that their character secretly
anticipated everything that has happened, similar to the
flashback mechanics of Blades in the Dark. These rules are
included at the beginning of this book (AH 14). Your heist
should be flexible enough to take these in stride.
William Rotor
William Rotor is a writer, educator, designer, and creative professional with a love for
unusual mediums of expression. He lives and works in Australia and is an active member of
the local film and theatre scene. You can find more of his work related to Dungeons and
Dragons on his subreddit, /r/williamrotor.
Notable works include ...
94
Escape from Gleaming Beacon
F
irmament claims to be a world of inerrant good
whose angels uphold the rightful rule of law in
the universe. The darkness of Baator captures
the imagination of writers and artists from the
Material Plane, but Firmament is just as vast
and boasts just as complex a political structure
as any created by devils. Within this world of
perfect law is a prison, Gleaming Beacon, created by the
unicorn Penny Featherlight, that exists for the purpose of
proving that evil creatures can be turned good.
Summary
The party infiltrates Gleaming Beacon, an institution that
claims to rehabilitate naturally evil creatures. The party must
convince an angel that they deserve to be in the prison,
determine which other prisoner is a reincarnation of Sollus,
and extract them, preferably without raising suspicion.
By the end of the adventure, the party will have ...
1. Infiltrated the prison.
2. Identified which prisoner is a reincarnation of Sollus.
3. Escaped from Gleaming Beacon.
Hook
Karen knows that Broken Opal has allowed the Opalescents
to be hired out as guards for Gleaming Beacon, and therefore
there must be a motive beyond profit (as the pay isn't very
good). There must be a reincarnation of Sollus somewhere in
the prison. Karen secretly copies dossiers on the prisoners
from Broken Opal's bid for contract.
Payment
30 gp and 3 meals of ambrosia per day per
yugoloth, expenses covered
Zenh
The Unhollowed
Osyluth (colloquially, bone devil). Former lieutenant
to Gruzma, pit fiend commander for the forces of
Avernus in the Blood War. Deserted and climbed her
way to Firmament.
Obsessed with Zariel. Claims to want to rise to
grace in the opposite way Zariel fell from grace.
Severed her own tail and grafted dragon bone wings
to her shoulders (non-functional) before reaching
Firmament. Guards have serious concerns about
self-mutilation. Monitor closely.
Oskhar
Conqueror of the Solstice Islands,
Breaker of Oaths
Human. Right-hand man of the Black King. Powers
granted by Beshaba. When the Black King's throne
room was stormed by warriors of light, Oskhar saw
his son amidst the warriors and betrayed his king.
Was not accepted by his son despite this act.
Known Zhentarim operative.
Travelled to Firmament directly to escape servitude
to Beshaba upon death. Expresses remorse for
actions, though he is a proven oath breaker and liar;
cannot be fully trusted. Watch carefully.
Bloodspatter
Wicked Snarling Slasher of Throats
Gnoll. Child of Yeenoghu. Possessed by endless
hunger for flesh as all gnolls are. Killed by a paladin
of Torm. Appeared in Firmament after death. Best
court angels couldn't determine why a gnoll would
end up here. Featherlight's bleeding heart may be
literal if this thing ever gets its hands on her, but
she's not giving up.
Requires twice daily live meat; enters a blind rage
otherwise. Chauntea has granted Gleaming Beacon a
blessing of livestock. Mostly squealing pigs.
Real piece of work. Handle with care.
Vizea
Stone Death
Medusa. Beheaded by the same paladin of Torm as
Bloodspatter. Interesting coincidence. Appeared in
Firmament after death. Claims she was a loyal priest
of Athena. Never deliberately inflicted harm on
those undeserving. Angels could not detect a lie.
She covers her eyes with a white half-mask. Now
carries a cane. Voluntarily blind.
Be careful of her snakes. Some suspicion that she
exaggerates her lack of coordination to bump into
guards she hates. Give a wide berth when possible.
 95
What the Party Knows
In addition to the dossiers, Karen gives the party the map on this page and information about the staff of Gleaming Beacon.
Penny Featherlight. A unicorn (MM 294) who believes with all her heart that evil can be redeemed.
Zacharie. A deva (MM 16) who is disgruntled and doesn't think Gleaming Beacon will work. He wrote the dossiers. Night shift.
Aya. A deva (MM 16) who enjoys inflicting pain on the prisoners. She is dangerously close to falling, but doesn't realize it. Day
shift.
Hepzakatl. A couatl (MM 43) architect who designed Gleaming Beacon and now works in its kitchens. He takes pride in his work.
Ivorall Soaringwings. A pegasus (MM 250) who works as a scout around the perimeter of Gleaming Beacon. Desperately in love
with Penny Featherlight. Penny returns his feelings but can't act on them because she needs to be professional.
Ishim. A planetar (MM 17) who comes in once per week as a favour for Penny. His power of detecting untruths is very useful for
Penny's interviews with the prisoners. He has invested a lot of money and time in Gleaming Beacon.
96
Gleaming Beacon Map
The party is given the map of Gleaming Beacon, but they are
not privy to the following information. They will have to figure
out this information for themselves.
Walls
The walls are solid stone, fifteen feet high and five feet thick.
They form a perimeter around Gleaming Beacon, about
1,000 feet by 1,000 feet. The walls are magically enchanted
with a barrier, and this barrier extends in an invisible dome
above Gleaming Beacon about 1,000 feet high at its apex.
The barrier does not extend underground. When a celestial
passes through the magical barrier, the barrier automatically
deactivates for six seconds.
Schedule
Aya. Aya enters Gleaming Beacon at 8:00 AM and leaves at
8:00 PM. She and Hepzakatl travel together.
Hepzakatl. Hepzakatl enters Gleaming Beacon at 8:00 AM
and leaves at 8:00 PM. He and Aya travel together.
Ishim. Once every seven days, Ishim passes through the
barrier at 1:45 PM to assist Penny with her interviews. He
leaves after debriefing with Penny about the interviews and
the level of success of Gleaming Beacon so far, usually at
around 6:45 PM or 7:00 PM.
Ivorall Soaringwings. The pegasus passes through the
barrier at the crack of dawn (5:30 AM) each morning. He
justifies the risk because he must give Penny a report on
the surrounding area, but he uses the opportunity to spend
time with her. He leaves again through the barrier at 6:00
AM.
Zacharie. Zacharie enters Gleaming Beacon at 8:00 PM and
leaves at 8:00 AM, handing over from Aya and Hepzakatl.
Yard
Gleaming Beacon's yard is spacious and beautiful. The
ground itself fills any who walk upon it with feelings of bliss.
While touching the grass, a creature can't attack or cast a
spell that doesn't heal a creature. At the beginning of a
creature's turn, it can attempt a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw,
suppressing the effects until the end of its turn on a success.
Penny Featherlight sleeps outside here at night.
Schedule
Bloodspatter. Bloodspatter is let out into the yard to wear
themselves out at 8:30 PM each day. They do ten full laps
of Gleaming Beacon at a full sprint, exhausting themselves,
at which point they collapse and Zacharie must drag them
back inside. If they don't have the chance to wear
themselves out, they won't sleep through the night. They'll
howl and cackle at ear-splitting volume until morning.
Oskhar. Oskhar meditates in the yard at 3:00 PM each day
for one hour, supervised by Aya.
Vizea. She works on the gardens for four hours each day
starting at 11:00 AM. Hepzakatl takes her her lunch at
12:00 PM.
Zenh. She takes a 1-hour walk twice a day in the yard,
supervised by Aya, at 9:30 AM and at 6:00 PM.
Main Hall
The prisoners eat here on a schedule. The guards eat
whenever they have a spare moment.
Schedule
9:00 AM: Breakfast.
12:00 PM: Lunch. Vizea eats her lunch in the yard.
5:00 PM: Dinner. Bloodspatter has eaten their fill by now.
Preferred Meals
Celestials. The celestials eat ambrosia. Anyone who eats
ambrosia falls under the effects of death ward indefinitely.
Penny also eats grass.
Bloodspatter. The gnoll eats hog meat and drinks blood.
Oskhar. Oskhar eats plain porridge, eggs, salad, roast
chicken, and peanut butter sandwiches, as well as other
staples of human cuisine.
Vizea. Vizea eats the same type of food as Oskhar, plus at
least one live mouse for her snake hair each meal.
Zenh. Zenh does not need to eat or drink, and chooses to
abstain. She still sits with the others for meals.
Kitchen
Hexakatl prepares meals in the kitchen. It does not much
resemble a kitchen; instead, it's a shrine or ritual space where
Hexakatl provides prayer offerings to various gods who
magically provide him with the materials he needs to prepare
meals. Given the needs of Bloodspatter, Hexakatl has set up a
trough where he slaughters the pigs and drains their blood.
Chauntea. A flower to the Earthmother grants Hexakatl two
live pigs each day, plane shifted squealing and prone into
his ritual circle. She also provides him with all the food he
needs for Oskhar and Vizea each day.
Ilmater. A single lash upon Hexakatl's back from his tail in
reverence to Ilmater grants him a live mouse each day to
be fed to Vizea's snake hair.
Office
Penny runs the administration of Gleaming Beacon from her
office. Once per day, she brings in each of the prisoners for an
interview, attempting to get them to question and reevaluate
their beliefs in the hope that eventually they will fully become
good and bring positive change on the world.
All dangerous equipment the prisoners might have (AH 39-
40) is hidden in a safe in the office: DC 14 Wisdom
(Perception) check to locate it and Dexterity (Thieves' Tools)
to open it.
Schedule
6:00 AM: Penny finishes her report with Ivorall
Soaringwings and enters her office to conduct her duties.
9:00 AM: Penny eats breakfast with the prisoners for half an
hour.
12:00 PM: Penny takes a 15-minute break in the yard.
1:00 PM: Penny interviews Zenh.
2:00 PM: Penny interviews Bloodspatter.
3:00 PM: Penny interviews Vizea.
4:00 PM: Penny interviews Oskhar.
5:00 PM: Penny frolics in the yard for the rest of the day.
 97
Lounge Oskhar
The room is dark and gloomy, packed with books on great
The lounge room is perfectly blank, but a celestial heroes and villains of old. Bioluminescent mushrooms grow
modification of the spell mirage arcane provides a sensory from the walls (deliberately planted there for mood).
and tactile illusion tailored to each of the prisoners.
9:00 AM: Main Hall
Schedule 9:30 AM: Oskhar's Room
Bloodspatter. The lounge appears to be the aftermath of a 12:00 PM: Main Hall
battle. Bloodspatter tries and fails to eat the rotting bodies, 12:30 PM: Oskhar's Room
but no matter how much they try, they can never get a good 2:00 PM: Lounge
grasp. They don't realize it's an illusion. The gnoll spends 3:00 PM: Yard
almost all their time here, starting from 9:30 AM until 4:00 PM: Office
12:00 PM, from 12:30 PM until 2:00 PM, and from 3:00 5:00 PM: Main Hall
PM until 8:30 PM. 6:00 PM: Oskhar's Room
Oskhar. The lounge is an old cottage on a peaceful autumn Vizea
afternoon, almost a perfect representation of his family's The room is the one place where Vizea feels comfortable
old family home by the lake. He usually takes a warm tea removing her blinders. The curtains are always drawn,
and an apple with him at 2:00 PM. preventing her from looking out or anyone looking in. She
Vizea. The lounge is a shrine to Athena, meant to be a private spends most of her time playing board games against the
place where Vizea can remove her blinders. However, snakes in her hair or painting pictures from memory of
Vizea never uses the lounge. priests of Athena that she once knew.
Zenh. The lounge is a great council hall where old
recordings of discussions between planetars and solars are 9:00 AM: Main Hall
played on repeat. Zenh takes fervent notes on the debate 9:30 AM: Vizea's Room
on the nature of good versus evil and law versus chaos. She 11:00 AM: Yard
usually goes in at the same time as Oskhar. 2:00 PM is the 3:00 PM: Office
only time when Bloodspatter isn't hogging the place. 4:00 PM: Vizea's Room
5:00 PM: Main Hall
Rooms 6:00 PM: Vizea's Room
Spare Room Zenh
Evrey room in Gleaming Beacon is comfortable and large. The room is wallpapered with posters of Zariel in various
The beds are soft with silky sheets, big windows provide states of angelhood or devilhood. Zenh usually has at least
plenty of light from the sun, and bookshelves and board three or four paintings on the go of Zariel that she makes
games are freely available to browse. herself, although most of her posters were special requests
In case other evil creatures are assigned to Gleaming that Penny was happy to fulfill for her. Penny also brought
Beacon, a spare room is always available. If more than five her half a dozen biographies of Zariel to read.
prisoners are present, each room can be shared between up 9:00 AM: Main Hall
to three prisoners at a time. 9:30 AM: Yard
11:00 AM: Zenh's Room
Bloodspatter 12:00 PM: Main Hall
The room's walls are padded (and now shredded with claws) 12:30 PM: Zenh's Room
and includes a tap and bucket where blood from the kitchen 1:00 PM: Office
is supplied at will for Bloodspatter to drink. The curtains 2:00 PM: Lounge
have been ripped up, the bed has been torn into pieces 3:00 PM: Zenh's Room
(Bloodspatter sleeps on the floor), and Penny wisely removed 5:00 PM: Main Hall
all the books and games from the room before Bloodspatter 6:00 PM: Yard
could ruin them, too. 7:00 PM: Zenh's Room
9:00 AM: Main Hall
9:30 AM: Lounge Yugoloth Guards
12:00 PM: Main Hall Gleaming Beacon has contracted yugoloths from the
12:30 PM: Lounge Opalescent army so that the devas Aya and Zacharie aren't
2:00 PM: Office spread so thin in their guard duties. The yugoloths work
3:00 PM: Lounge tirelessly at all hours and are paid with ambrosia and gold.
8:30 PM: Yard
9:00 PM: Bloodspatter's Room Caraxus (AH 25) patrols the yard with Toda.
Organus (AH 25) patrols the interior, mostly the rooms.
Rorknir (AH 27) patrols the interior, mostly the main hall.
Toda (AH 29) patrols the yard with Caraxus.
98
Infiltrate the Prison
Thesea drops the party off nearby Gleaming Beacon in the A DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals a longing look
plane of Firmament. Karen's words echo in the party's mind. shared between Penny and Ivorall.
"Remember, if they find out the real reason you're in
Firmament, the whole plan is a bust. The angels are not on our
side. Never forget that they are warriors of law as much as they
are warriors of light, and we are agents of neutrality, which
they despise. Do not, under any circumstances, let the angels
figure out your mission."

General Features
Silver Sky. During the day, the sky is strangely dark,
with a dim silver star bathing the world in a
pleasant grey and white light. During night, the
sky shimmers with silver linings, as though it
once was shattered and then reforged.
Bountiful. The plane smells of fresh spring. All
plants are edible, and any food consumed here is
under the effects of purify food and drink. Water
on this plane is always holy water.
Evergreen. The temperature here is always pleasant,
and the weather always warm without being
stuffy. Beautiful forests cover the valleys and
mountains, though these forests are unnatural,
planted by celestials based on what would look
good rather than what naturally would grow.
Truth-Tellers. Food turns to ash in the mouth of any
creature on Firmament that has told a lie in the
past hour.

Gleaming Beacon is a rehabilitation center in a valley in

Firmament. It is surrounded on all sides by fifteen-foot high
walls, plus an invisible magical dome that repels non-
celestials. The party arrives outside Gleaming Beacon very
early in the morning. A winged horse, a pegasus (MM 250),
swoops down and speaks to the party. He can talk.
"Morning. I'm Ivorall Soaringwings. You wanting to get into
Gleaming Beacon? Afraid I can't do much for you, I'm just a
scout. Ishim will be here this afternoon if you sit tight."

If asked, Ishim is an angel, a planetar (MM 17), coming to

check in on his investment. Ivorall asks the party about their
names and purpose and then flies through the barrier; a DC
12 Wisdom (Perception) check or a casting of detect magic
reveals the magical barrier, and a DC 12 Intelligence
(Investigation) check reveals that the barrier is suspended for
a brief moment when the pegasus passes through.
Ivorall reports everything he's learned to Penny
Featherlight. When Ivorall leaves Gleaming Beacon about
half an hour later, Penny teleports out of her prison and
speaks to the party in person.
 99

The grass grows tall and wild, then collapses under its own
weight to reveal a unicorn, as though she was always here. She
bows down in greeting just as Ivorall the pegasus soars above
your heads to resume his patrol. The unicorn speaks.

"Very pleased to meet you. My name is Penny Featherlight,

though I suppose you must have heard of me if you've shown
up outside the walls of Gleaming Beacon. I come bearing an
offering of peace. Think of it as something to make it worth
your time to wait here until my friend Ishim arrives."

The unicorn presents you with a feast of roast chicken and

salads dressed with vinaigrette.

"Gleaming Beacon is a place of safety and comfort, though

it is not a place for all peregrines who pass through these
lands. If you truly wish to stay, you'll wait for the arrival of
Ishim."

Penny Featherlight teleports back into Gleaming Beacon in a

burst of butterflies and rose petals.

After the party waits for another hour or so, they hear a
digging and scratching sound underneath their feet. Shortly,
a ragged claw emerges from the dirt. A dirty, ferocious hyena
monster, a gnoll, claws its way out from under the walls and
howls at the dim star in the sky. It makes a break for it.
The party has the opportunity to stop Bloodspatter (AH
39) from escaping through any means necessary.
Ishim the planetar (MM 17) shows up not long afterwards.
He has little patience for the party, though if they've
prevented Bloodspatter's escape, he regards them with
appreciation. A DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check reveals
that he is obviously an angel, the kind that can detect lies
automatically, and the kind that can see through illusions.
The angel is mossy green, ten feet tall, with shining skin and
stern, fatherly features. His sword hovers at ease from his
waist, held aloft by faith alone. His voice is slow and
deliberate, every word chosen with care.

"What purpose has brought you to Gleaming Beacon?"

Karen's warning about the angels is worth repeating here: do

not let them figure out the real reason the party wants to get
into Gleaming Beacon. The party must explain their purpose
in a way that is both true and also conceals their intentions.
Ishim's arrogance at his ability to detect lies is a flaw that
can be exploited. If a party member says something that is
misleading but technically true, Ishim will interpret it at face
value and won't bother interrogating them.
If the truth slips out, Ishim attacks the party. Once he's
killed a party member, he casts raise dead on the one he has
slain (purely for the intimidation factor) and demands the
party leave at once. Gleaming Beacon relocates soon, and the
heist is a failure.
100
Inside Gleaming Beacon
Split the party up and introduce different party members to
different areas of the prison. The time is 3:00 PM.
The Rooms
Zenh is in her room, painting. Her dragon bone wings scrape
against the ceiling, and her bony claws shake from holding
the paintbrush too tight. She's left the door open and invites
anyone who walks by inside. She shows off her paintings of
Zariel and describes Zariel's history in breathless detail.
"Zariel used to be an angel, you know, she had this blindfold
over her eyes, justice is blind, then she fell and she lost the
blindfold and she lost a hand. See, the thing is, with a fallen
angel, like, it's almost like she was destined to fall, just like in
the old tragedies, that little spark in her that makes her
imperfect. She wore a blindfold because her justice was blind,
but the truth is that her justice was unseeing, and there is a
big difference there. You take these sorts of things to their
logical extreme and good becomes evil so, so easily. But
imagine if it was the other way around. If you were born with a
spark of something inside of you that made you destined to be
good. Why fight it? You'll eventually ascend, no matter what."
What she wants from the party is for them to ask Penny to
get her more books on Zariel. She's already read through all
of her books at least a dozen times.
The Yard
Oskhar meditates in the yard, supervised by Aya. He wears
his full blasphemous black suit of armor, rippling with spikes
and evil auras, but he is calm and still. When the party
approaches, he beckons them to sit with him. His voice
echoes with the void of nothingness.
"I have made a confession to all celestial beings in this prison,
and to my fellow prisoners. I have not yet made a confession
to you. Please listen. I betrayed my king. He would have killed
my son, so I betrayed him. I called upon the might of my
convictions and beheaded him before he could give the order,
and so ended the reign of the Black King. I am here in this
prison to atone for breaking my oath and to avoid the grasping
claws of Beshaba, who now demands my soul. Do you believe
that I have done wrong? Answer me without deliberation."
If Oskhar is not given an answer that satisfies him (he has
indeed done wrong but is right to have come here), he will
cast command on a party member: "FORGIVE."
Aya will immediately intervene, knocking him down and
holding him with a single foot planted on his back. She
sneers with satisfaction.
"I told you, Oskhar. I only need an excuse."
The Main Hall
Vizea is in the office, which is locked tight. The door can be
unlocked with a DC 15 Dexterity (Thieves' Tools) or DC 25
Strength (Athletics) check. Penny's horn acts as the key,
which can be observed by a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception)
check when Penny enters or leaves her office.
The couatl, Hexakatl, asks the party to sit tight and wait for
Vizea's session with Penny to finish. They can play cards in
the main hall while they wait. Hexakatl offers to get them
something to eat. However, he will need an offering to
Chauntea in order to obtain more food. Something small,
something that takes a small effort to make but has a big
impact. Chauntea will be satisfied by that.
The Lounge
Bloodspatter is in the lounge. They use it most hours of the
day. Nobody knows what they see in there except for Penny.
Best not to intrude. Hexakatl politely asks that nobody enter
while Bloodspatter is inside.
If the lounge is entered, Bloodspatter is desperately
clawing at the ground, shoveling imaginary food into their
mouth. They enter a blood rage and immediately attack
anyone who comes in.
The enchantment on the lounge, under mirage arcane, is
an opportunity to bring in painful or regretful memories from
a character's past, things they have tried to get away from, or
illusions that play to a character's flaws, causing them pain
when their greatest dreams are just beyond their reach.
Interview with Penny
Penny's last interview of the day is with Oskhar at 4:00 PM.
She finishes up early at 4:15 PM. Ishim enters her office and
they privately discuss the situation with the new prisoners for
the next half hour. A party member can eavesdrop with a DC
19 Dexterity (Stealth) check.
Overheard Conversation
Penny and Ishim speak in Celestial.
The unicorn's voice has lost its peppy optimism.
"Where do they keep coming from? I haven't
even finished up with the original four."
"You knew this would be a challenge when
you proposed the idea to me," scolds Ishim.
"Don't lose your confidence now. I have staked a
lot on your success."
"I just think the council expects too much too
quickly. I can't turn an evil creature good in a
month. Nobody can."
"You sound just like your detractors. Enough.
We will talk again when I return."

Ishim leaves Gleaming Beacon at 4:45 PM. Normally, Penny
would take the rest of the day off, but, if any party members
are disguised as evil creatures in need of rehabilitation, she
invites them one by one into her office to interview them.
Her interviews are short and matter of fact. All of her
questions are open-ended:
Why do you think you're here?
What does it mean for a creature to be evil?
Who is the best version of yourself? What's stopping that
from happening?
She'll also ask directly about the character's past, often
pressing a little too hard. If the person being interviewed
becomes agitated, she casts calm emotions and continues her
line of questioning until she receives a response that satisfies
her curiosity. The interviews are short to begin with as she
wants to get through all of the new prisoners quite quickly so
she can go frolic in the yard as she does most nights.
Guard Handover
Aya and Hepzakatl leave Gleaming Beacon at 8:00 PM,
handing over to Zacharie. Zacharie arrives with the
Opalescent mercenaries. One of them, Caraxus, is too slow
to cross the barrier, and it reforms and repels him before he
can join the others. Zacharie sighs and passes through the
barrier one more time, disabling it for six seconds, just long
enough for Caraxus to jolt through.
If any party members are disguising themselves as guards,
Aya tells Zacharie that the new guards will help with the
terrors of the night shift.
If questioned about this, Aya, with glee, describes the
nightly assault upon the walls of Gleaming Beacon by
fiendish monsters. They are repelled by the barrier, but they
might find other ways around it.
The First Night
At night, Bloodspatter, Vizea, and Oskhar need sleep but are
restless, while Zenh stays awake all night reading her
biographies. The yugoloths patrol the interior and the yard
while Zacharie swoops around the barrier, taking stock of the
intruders that moan at the walls. A sharp eye can spot the
glint of silver light upon the wings of the pegasus Ivorall
Soaringwings, who patrols the valley.
Beyond the walls, you can see the intruders: girthy, devilish,
wearing masks -- no, their true faces -- resembling a boar's
skull. Their armor is spiked, redundantly, and they wield nasty,
brutish blades. Worst of all, you can hear the unearthly sound
of clacking dice continually being rolled while these monsters
are nearby. And their smell, it is truly awful.
Yet, for some strange reason, these creatures seem to
believe themselves hidden. They are surprised when you look
them straight in their beady yellow eyes.
101
At 3:00 AM, 7 corruptoloths (AH 31) teleport through the
walls (an ability they always had, but chose to wait until now
to use) and attack in the yard, a distraction while 7 more
corruptoloths (AH 31) teleport through in another place and
make a beeline for Oskhar's room, intending to kill him. A DC
13 Wisdom (Perception) check is required to notice the
second group of corruptoloths; the check is made with
advantage if it relies on hearing or smell. The corruptoloths
pick the lock on the doors using Thieves' Tools. They'd be
better kicking them down, but for some reason they believe
themselves to be sneaky. They're wrong.
One of this second group of corruptoloths has a scroll of
banishment which it will attempt to use against Zenh. For
Zenh to be banished back to Maladomini, she must fail a DC
10 Charisma saving throw (+6 to her save) and the
corruptoloth must maintain concentration for 1 minute.
These corruptoloths are yugoloths, but they are not part of
the Opalescents. The four Opalescents viciously attack the
first group of corruptoloths alongside Zacharie.
Questioning the Opalescent guards about the
corruptoloths later may get them to open up about the
relationship they have with these other yugoloths. A DC 20
Charisma (Persuasion) check convinces them to reveal that
these corruptoloths were once part of Broken Opal's greater
army, but left after the demons scoured their forces because
they no longer believed that Broken Opal was fit to lead. Toda,
Rorknir, and Organus are devoted to Broken Opal. However,
Caraxus actually agrees that Broken Opal is unfit to lead. He
feels that it's an opportunity for him to gain a promotion if he
can gather enough evidence that she's a bad leader.
A DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check reveals
that the corruptoloths must have been hired by someone with
a vested interest in seeing Gleaming Beacon fail.
Who Hired the Corruptoloths?
Beshaba (SCAG), the Maid of Misfortune,
attempting to cash in on Oskhar's debt and
sabotage the prison.
The Hunt is On
Remind the players that their mission is to identify which
prisoner is secretly a reincarnation of Sollus.
Which Prisoner is Sollus?
None. The correct answer is Penny Featherlight.
If the party hasn't already begun to search the prisoners for
the tattoo that identifies them as Sollus, they should get to
that starting on the second day.
102
Identify Sollus
Use the locations and schedules of Gleaming Beacon (AH 96-
97) as well as the information located in the dossiers (AH 94)
and descriptions of the guards (AH 95) when running this
section. Allow the players to lead the investigation. If the
players get stuck, advance the day, referring to the schedules
of the prisoners (AH 97), to keep things moving.
Tattoo Investigation
Since reincarnations of Sollus don't usually start life knowing
of their true identity, the best way to identify which prisoner is
a reincarnation of Sollus is to locate the S-shaped tattoo
somewhere on their body.
Bloodspatter
Bloodspatter is extremely hostile and will attempt to kill and
eat anyone who gets near them.
They are covered in matted fur, slick with grease, and
caked with dried blood. Each attempt to search their body
requires a DC 13 Constitution saving throw to avoid being
poisoned for 1 hour by the smell and texture. Additionally, a
swarm of lice (using the swarm of spiders (MM 338)
statblock) erupts from Bloodspatter's fur if disturbed.
Optional Rule: Yeenoghu's Lice
If a character with accessible hair takes damage
from the swarm of lice in Bloodspatter's fur, roll a
d20. On a roll of 10 or lower, a louse lays an egg in
the character's hair. The louse (using the spider
(MM 377) statblock) hatches in 1 hour and begins
laying more eggs immediately; after 24 hours, the
character has another swarm of lice in their hair.
If you'd like, you can have Penny Featherlight
hosting Yeenoghu's lice as well, an unfortunate
side effect of interacting with Bloodspatter on a
daily basis. Her unicorn healing doesn't kill
parasites, unfortunately.
A DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Medicine)
check reveals that there is no trace of a tattoo on
Bloodspatter's body.
Oskhar
Oskhar wears a thick suit of armor all day, every day, except
while he is in his room. He locks his door from the inside; it
requires a DC 13 Dexterity (Thieves' Tools) check to unlock,
or a DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check to break open. If the
lock was picked by the corruptoloths, either check is made
with advantage.
Anyone trying to remove any part of Oskhar's armor will
spur Oskhar into violence. He's dangerous even without his
garnet blade. He'll begin with a command to "STOP" and
then bestow a curse of speedy demise, dealing an extra 1d8
necrotic damage on a hit. Then he'll beat them with his fists.
On Day 2, Oskhar may mention that the yugoloth guards
already searched him and found nothing, or he may keep
quiet, depending on whether he trusts the party.
Oskhar can be convinced to agree to be searched with a DC
13 Charisma (Persuasion) check. However, it is on the
condition that they retrieve his garnet blade and symbol of
Beshaba from Penny's office (AH 40).
Under his armor, Oskhar is a physically fit man in his
fifties, surprisingly undramatic. Searching Oskhar for a tattoo
reveals nothing.
Vizea
Vizea agrees to be searched for a tattoo, though she will not
remove her blinder for any reason, meaning the upper half of
her forehead will always be hidden. No check is needed to
search her; it isn't there. If she has the tattoo of Sollus, it will
be underneath that blinder.
She warns that searching her will likely cause her snake
hair to lash out; she has little control over her snakes. They
make a single attack roll if searched.
Convincing Vizea to take off her blinder is difficult,
requiring a DC 19 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If it is
forcefully removed, she will attack with full intent to petrify.
If she willingly removes her blinder, she will try her best
not to petrify anyone, but her power is quite strong and
persists even if she tries to close her eyes. Anyone who can
see her face is affected by her Petrifying Gaze, but they have
advantage on the first saving throw they must make.
Vizea does not have the tattoo of Sollus.
Zenh
Zenh may already have been searched by the yugoloths on
Night 1, but she doesn't mention it because she doesn't like
that they found no tattoo on her. It makes her less special.
Zenh will agree to be searched on the condition that the
party listen to her blather on about Zariel.
"It's destiny, you know? I always felt that Zariel and me, we are
two sides of the same coin, an angel destined to fall, and a
devil destined to rise. I travelled from Maladomini to Avernus
to see her in action on the Blood War, and I saw her, I truly did,
glorious on the front lines, annihilating the demonic forces,
but the demons just kept on coming. They are infinite. The
Blood War is pointless and wasteful. The devils think they can
end the war with violence. I know that it can only be ended
with peace. I know that it is my destiny to become an angel
and bring an end to the war."
If the party tells Zenh the purpose of their search, she
becomes visibly excited. It would be so perfect for her to be a
reincarnation of Sollus. It was always her destiny to be
greater, to ascend. She wants it to be true.
Zenh does not have a tattoo of Sollus on her body, to
Zenh's great disappointment. However, a clever player might
remember in the dossier that Zenh cut off her tail before
arriving in Firmament. If the party asks her about this, she
lights up and declares that, yes, her tail had that tattoo on it.
Her eyes flash white and her skull face twists into a delighted
grin. Of course. It is her destiny. It makes sense.
She is lying, which can be revealed with a DC 16 Wisdom
(Insight) check.

Penny Featherlight
None of the prisoners are reincarnations of Sollus, because
Penny Featherlight is the true answer.
Any characters disguised as prisoners will have an
audience with Penny Featherlight once per day while she
conducts her interviews. While speaking with her, they can
attempt a DC 14 Charisma (Persuasion) check to convince
her to submit to a search. If she agrees, it's a DC 14
Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Animal Handling)
check to search her. If you are using the optional Yeenoghu's
lice rule (AH 102), the swarm of lice is disturbed by any
search attempts.
The result of a failed attempt is that Penny tells the
character that they've searched enough, and she brushes
them off, the search incomplete. She'll have to be convinced
another day or by another character.
The tattoo of Sollus can be found under the fur on Penny's
rump, off to the left side.
Penny's reaction to being told that she is a reincarnation of
Sollus is that she doesn't care.
"I'm not going to leave Gleaming Beacon. I'm doing good
work here. I'm doing necessary work here. Nobody believes it
can be done. And if Gleaming Beacon is a failure, these four
prisoners will be executed, their souls destroyed. I need this to
be a success. I've never succeeded in anything in my entire
life. Just let me have this. Please."
She is not available to be persuaded otherwise.
The Yugoloths
The yugoloths also have a vested interest in discovering the
identity of Sollus in Gleaming Beacon and are conducting
their own investigation. The first night, the yugoloths secretly
investigate Oskhar and Zenh after the corruptoloths are
defeated, and on the second night, they investigate Vizea and
Bloodspatter. Disappointed, and now crawling with lice, they
make one last desperate investigation and ambush Penny
where she sleeps in the yard. They find the tattoo of Sollus on
her rump and teleport her out of Gleaming Beacon.
Any characters awake during the second night shift can
make a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice the
yugoloths attempting to kidnap Penny. A yugoloth must
spend an action to grapple Penny before spending a second
action to teleport themselves and her out of the prison, so the
party may have a brief window of opportunity to stop this
from happening.
If Penny is teleported out, she will use her 1/day teleport to
escape to the valley, where she meets up with Ivorall and
hides.
The yugoloths fan out to try to find her. The party can make
their own search, a DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check. On a
success, they reach Penny before the yugoloths do (she's in a
beautiful grove by a little waterfall) and can set up to defend
her from the incoming attack. On a failure, the yugoloths find
Penny before the party does, kill Ivorall, and kidnap her,
which can't be prevented. Once taken out of Firmament, she
can't teleport as the area isn't familiar to her anymore.
103
If Penny is captured, she can later be found in Orzeg's
laboratory in the adventure Teetering Imbalance (AH 145).
Proof of Goodness
Penny won't leave Gleaming Beacon willingly. If the party
kidnaps her, she will not contribute towards the goal of
rescuing Sollus the Many from their prison in Tartarus. The
only way this will work is if she leaves willingly, but the only
way that can happen is if her goal of proving that an evil
creature can be turned good is achieved.
Bloodspatter
Bloodspatter seems beyond saving, little more than an
animal. However, Bloodspatter has been in the lounge
hallucinating battlefields for hours and hours every single
day; a DC 30 Charisma (Persuasion) check can convince
Bloodspatter the futility of constant hunger, helping them
understand how to control their ferocity. A barbarian has
advantage on this check. However, a failed check means
Bloodspatter attacks with intent to kill.
Seeing a gnoll suppress their hunger fills Penny with joy,
but she understands this does not make Bloodspatter "good".
Oskhar
Oskhar is playing the part of a tortured antihero, but in
reality, he is a servant of Beshaba and has been feeding her
information during his meditation sessions in the yard,
praying to her secretly and informing her of what's going on
in Gleaming Beacon. He needs to be killed while in
Firmament so Beshaba can inhabit his body and infiltrate the
realm.
A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence
(Religion) check reveals that he has been in contact with his
god and has definitely been planning something evil. If he is
confronted, he will immediately launch his Dreadful Aspect
and attack.
He has been trying to goad Aya into killing him, which will
cause her to fall. When Oskhar starts a fight after being found
out, Aya will immediately intervene. She lands the killing
blow on Oskhar if her attack reduces him down to 50 hit
points or lower, thanks to a curse from Beshaba.
Seeing an angel fall is horrific. Her skin blisters and boils and
reforms into red scales. As she screams, her mouth elongates
into a tusked reptilian maw. Her wings erupt into flames, and
her voice, now deep and echoing of the hells, resonates with
the words of devils: "No quarter shall be given to hypocrites!"
Fallen Aya uses the pit fiend (MM 77) statblock. Everyone
present in Gleaming Beacon teams up to kill her.
Oskhar awakens shortly after, having transformed into a
new deva (MM 16). Although he appears to have transformed
into a Good creature, his alignment is stil neutral evil, as he is
secretly puppeteered by Beshaba, which can be revealed with
a DC 25 Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence (Religion) check.
Beshaba, a master of deception, states the following using
Oskhar's voice.
104
"I am reborn. I don't deserve to be an angel, and yet here I
stand, taking the place of the one who has fallen. I don't know
if this makes me good. I think good is something you do, not
something you are. It doesn't matter your intent, only your
actions. And I suppose, from that point of view, that I have
done more good in my life than I have evil. Is that all it takes?"
Seeing Oskhar transformed into an angel convinces Penny
that Gleaming Beacon is a success, though in reality it was a
failure. An angel fell and an evil god was able to infiltrate
Firmament. In time, the true extent of her failure will come to
light, and she will despair.
Zenh is frustrated that Oskhar "ascended" while she is still
a devil. She attacks him without thinking it through. Barring
intervention, Oskhar (Beshaba) wins the fight. Zenh is killed
and reforms back in her home realm of Maladomini.
Vizea
Although Vizea seems promising, she insists that the only
way she can prove her goodness is to grow something in the
gardens in the yard for a full year without interruption. She is
confident this will prove that she can bring life into the world,
rather than simply take it away. It's important that she does
this for herself; no help is needed or wanted.
During the second night, her snake hair will lash out at
Zacharie, poisoning him. In anger, he'll strike her, and then
realize his mistake and quit on the spot, leaving the yugoloths
without supervision and allowing them to kidnap Penny.
Regardless of the outcome, Vizea blames herself. She will
attempt to cut off her snake hair. Doing so invites a blast of
magical rage from the goddess Athena, transforming Vizea
into a purple worm (MM 255) that mindlessly rampages
through Gleaming Beacon. She can be calmed down with a
DC 19 Charisma (Persuasion) check convincing her that the
drive to do good isn't erased by making mistakes.
If Vizea is calmed, Penny accepts that the amount of work
required to change the nature of a creature may be beyond
her capabilities, and resigns herself to her role as a
reincarnation of Sollus.
Zenh
Zenh is desperate to prove that she is good, but she doesn't
have any opportunity to do so. She asks a party member to
put themselves in mortal danger so she can come in and
defuse the situation peacefully.
The party must pick a fight.
Zenh intervenes and uses her Rebuke the Violent reaction
liberally. When the fight is over, she calls out to the silver sky
and pleads to be made an angel. Of course, it isn't that easy.
Zenh loses patience with Gleaming Beacon and demands
to be let out. When she is refused, she digs under the wall, the
same way Bloodspatter tried to escape, and makes a run for
it. Various devas and planetars hunt her down and kill her
over the next few days, sending her back to her home realm
of Maladomini.
Celestial Escape
Even if it seems as though Penny was successful, the deva
guards Aya and Zacharie, the couatl Hexakatl, and the
yugoloth guards are all opposed to Penny leaving Gleaming
Beacon, no matter the circumstances, and will go out of their
way to stop her, up to and including killing the party. Her
work isn't done; she isn't allowed to leave.
Additionally, Hexakatl watches over Penny with the spell
scrying and, seeing her voice an intent to leave, uses the spell
dream to warn Ishim the planetar. Ishim arrives in 1 hour
along with a casting of control weather that changes the
weather from overcast to rain to torrential downpours.
Gleaming Beacon
There are many ways of escaping Gleaming Beacon. Use the
following features of Gleaming Beacon as inspiration.
During the day, Gleaming Beacon is guarded by Aya,
Hexakatl, and the Opalescents.
During the night, Gleaming Beacon is guarded by
Zacharie and the Opalescents.
The walls around Gleaming Beacon are 15 feet high.
The magical barrier is disabled for six seconds when a
celestial creature passes through it.
The magical barrier does not extend underground.
Digging underneath requires a shovel (2 hours to dig, or 1
hour with a successful DC 15 Strength check), a
burrowing speed, or spells that can dig such as mold earth
(30 feet of displaced earth required).
Ivorall arrives at 5:30 AM every morning and is
desperately in love with Penny.
Penny can teleport herself and up to three other creatures
to a place within 1 mile that she is familiar with. She
knows of a secluded grove next to a small waterfall in the
valley that she and Ivorall sometimes meet up at.
Character Passive Perception
Aya 19
Zacharie 19
Hexakatl 15
Ishim 21
Caraxus 13
Organus 13
Rorknir 16
Toda 14
The Valley
Ivorall and Penny know of a planar gate in the valley that can
take a creature to a transitory demiplane. From there, it
should be possible to summon help, such as from a sentient
voidship (i.e. Thesea).
The planar gate is ten miles through the valley, and the
forces of Firmament will be looking for Penny. The valley is
thick with pine trees and to travel without alerting the entire
host of angels of Firmament will require staying low and
relatively stealthy.
 Escaping with Zenh
The party may believe Zenh when she claims to be
Sollus and try to escape with her. Zenh also knows
of the planar gate in Firmament, as that's how she
arrived here in the first place.
Zenh follows the party to The Reef and keeps
the deception going, acting the part as well as she
is able. She thinks that she can "earn her wings" if
she helps Sollus' reincarnations rescue themselves.
If her deception is revealed, she pleads that they
let her continue to help. She hasn't ever felt useful
before. Finally, she can prove her worth.
Magic Item. She is able to reform her Hammer of
Gravity Reversal (AH 39) with Achilles' help (a
one-time offer), though she is hesitant to give it
to any party members as it has special
significance to her.
Teamwork Bonus. Zenh cannot grant the party a
teamwork bonus.
Burrower Bonus. Zenh gives the burrower the
power to reverse gravity, allowing it to maneuver
vertically much more easily.

It takes roughly 5 hours to reach the planar gate.

Travelling on a mount reduces the travel time by 1 hour.
Reduce the travel time by 1 hour if the party is guided by a
horizon walker or a ranger whose favoured terrain is
forest or mountain or whose favoured enemy is celestials. Rolling a Dexterity (Stealth) check above the passive
The party can travel stealthily, adding 2 hours to their hike Perception of the encounter doesn't prevent the encounter
but reducing the passive Perception of all hostile from happening, but means instead that the enemies are
creatures by 5. surprised for the first turn.
It is raining torrentially all throughout the escape: checks
For each hour, get everyone to roll a Dexterity (Stealth) to avoid being knocked prone are made with disadvantage, all
check, then roll on the Random Firmament Encounter table. creatures have vulnerability to cold damage (unless they're
Passive
resistant or immune), and the ground is difficult terrain. Also,
d12 Random Firmament Encounter Perception
use the Strong Winds (DMG 110) effects.
1d4 + 1 rival unicorns (MM 294) that The Planar Gate
1 13
have always hated Penny
Both Zacharie and Aya (MM 16), The gate is a circular construct of copper and gold that glows
2 replaced with generic devas (MM 16) 19
with celestial light. It stands at the edge of the valley,
if unavailable
overlooking the vast expanse of evergreen pines. You can see
Hexakatl (MM 43) and 3 priests (MM
3 17 the prison of Gleaming Beacon far in the distance at the base
348) of Chauntea owing him a favour
of the valley, a thin plume of smoke getting taller and taller.
Caraxus and Organus (MM 313, AH),
4 16
Rorknir (AH 27), and Toda (AH 29)
Standing in front of the gate is Ishim, the planetar. His skin
7 corruptoloths (AH 31) sent by
5 10 glistens in the heavy rain. His great celestial blade hovers,
Beshaba
quivering, until he snatches it out of the air and aims it at you.
4 holy knights (MM 347) riding
6 16 "I put a lot of stake in your venture, Penny. If I have to kill you,
pegasi (MM 250) sent by Ishim
12 gnolls (MM 163) sent by drag your corpse to the council chambers, and resurrect you
7 10 to answer for your failures, then that is what I will do."
Yeenoghu
8-
All pursuers are avoided for now --
12
Roll initiative.
106
The activation phrase for the planar gate is "Redemption" in
Celestial. The gate takes 1 minute to activate.
The gate takes the party to a demiplane swimming in the
Border Ethereal. Thesea is already there to meet them. She
says she "could feel she would be needed here". She takes the
party home.
If the party didn't encounter the Opalescents in their
escape through the valley, Caraxus, Organus, Rorknir, and
Toda attack Thesea with a meteorship.
Heist Completion
Bringing Penny back to The Reef in one piece marks the
successful completion of this heist.
Rewards
Magic Item
Penny allows Pythagoras (AH 71) to use his machine to
create exactly one perfect copy of her horn. She can then
imbue the copy of her horn with the magical powers of a
unicorn.
Unicorn Horn
wondrous item, very rare, requires attunement
Returning to Gleaming Beacon
If the party took Zenh with them and they later
learn Zenh isn't the real Sollus, they may be
tempted to go back to Gleaming Beacon to finish
the job properly.
Unfortunately, the escape of the bone devil from
Gleaming Beacon causes Ishim to withdraw his
support, and Penny resigns in disgrace. She can be
found in her secret grove next to the small
waterfall in the valley, living with Ivorall in peace.
She will be totally unwilling to travel with the
people who caused her dream to crumble, and no
amount of convincing will change her mind.
Bloodspatter and Vizea are slain by the devas
because they are both too dangerous to be kept
alive.
Oskhar is sent back to the mortal realm,
apparently resurrected, where he duels his son to
take control of the throne of the Black King in the
name of Beshaba. A party of intrepid heroes bands
together to stop him from becoming the next
Black King, but in the end, he ascends to the
throne and brings about an age of darkness.
Finally, Firmament suffers from a terrible plague
that celestial healing can't seem to cure. Zigazan
the Boiler is likely to blame.

While you are attuned to this magical horn, you can

use the horn as the spellcasting focus for the
following spells. You can recharge all expended uses
of one spell of your choice by reducing a creature to
0 hit points and choosing to knock it unconscious
instead of killing it (given the capability to do so).
At will: druidcraft, spare the dying
3 uses each: cure wounds (2nd level), shield of faith
2 uses each: entangle, protection from poison
1 use each: calm emotions, detect evil and good,
dispel evil and good, misty step, pass without trace
If you kill an unconscious or restrained creature
while attuned to this horn, the horn is destroyed. If
you try to get around this with a loophole, the horn
is destroyed and you take 20d8 psychic damage.

Teamwork Bonus

The Flighty. Party members gain an extra 20 feet of

movement until the end of their turn if they start
their turn within 5 feet of another party member.

Burrower Bonus
The burrower grows a massive spiralling drill that can pierce
through any substance. Also, it smells faintly of pine needles.
William Rotor
William Rotor is a writer, educator, designer, and creative professional with a love for
unusual mediums of expression. He lives and works in Australia and is an active member of
the local film and theatre scene. You can find more of his work related to Dungeons and
Dragons on his subreddit, /r/williamrotor.
Notable works include ...

Void Pirates
O
ut in the seas of the Border Ethereal, great
rivers of matter and void course through the
planes of existence like lifeblood through
veins. Incredible experiences can be found
here, as well as incredible dangers. And where
there are explorers, there are pirates.
Summary
The party hunts for a pirate ship in the expanse of The Reef.
They must defeat the pirates and rescue their booty, a
treasure chest bearing the mark of the Knotted Snake.
By the end of the adventure, the party will have ...
Swashbuckled
Acquired booty
Hook
Karen reports that Broken Opal had acquired a treasure
chest bearing the mark of the Knotted Snake, which must be
important to Sollus the Many. However, while transporting
the chest through The Reef, the Opalescents encountered
another yugoloth meteorship which opened fire. It wasn't a
meteorship at all, but a pirate ship in disguise. Broken Opal's
ship was destroyed and the treasure chest was stolen by the
pirates. Waking up back in Perdition, she immediately
requisitioned a fleet to recover the chest. Karen reckons that
the party can find the pirates first.
The void pirate ship has a reputation in The Reef. It's
called Supermassive Black Hole and it's crewed by the
infamous Captain Quasar and his void pirates.
Karen supplies the party with the following rumours about
Captain Quasar.
He ransacked the city of Neverwinter with nothing but a
cannon tied to a rowboat.
He once ate a live stirge.
His beard ends up on fire in every battle he's in, almost
always by accident.
One time he jumped off his ship and fell for so long and so
far that he eventually landed right back on the deck.
He's been shot, stabbed, poisoned, crushed, burnt,
shredded, and made fun of, and that was just one
encounter with a bone devil.
He is literally immune to being killed.
The Plan
The party has a few options. Ultimately, they need the chest
with the mark of the Knotted Snake. To get it, they can ...
Engage in ship-to-ship combat with the void pirate ship
Supermassive Black Hole and retrieve the chest from the
wreckage
Sneak aboard Supermassive Black Hole, acquire the
chest, and escape unnoticed
Join the void pirates and deceive them into letting their
guard down, then steal the chest
109
Locating the Void Pirates
To reach the void pirates in the first place, the party must
travel through The Reef. They need two things to do so and
successfully locate the void pirates.
First, the party needs a plan to attract or locate the pirates.
They might loudly advertise their position and all the
wonderful booty they're carrying, or they might use divination
spells to narrow down where the pirates might be hiding.
Second, while travelling through The Reef, the party will
need to roll for two Random Reef Encounters (AH 68) and
resolve them before they encounter the void pirates.
Encountering the Void Pirates
As massive columns of seaweed split apart into a clearing in
The Reef, you spot a chunk of meteor rocketing past.
A DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check or a casting of
detect magic reveals that this is an illusion. It's the void pirate
ship, Supermassive Black Hole (AH 52).
Barely three hundred feet away, this is unmistakeably the void
pirate ship: Supermassive Black Hole. It almost seems in
silhouette, with rippling black sails and an obsidian black hull.
You can see the flash of steel cutlasses and hear the sputtering
of rocket packs. Slats open up in the side to reveal dozens of
cast-iron cannons, and they're all aimed directly at you.
From here, the party can choose to attack the ship (Ship
Combat, AH 109), sneak on board (Stealth Mission, AH 112),
or join the pirates (All Aboard, AH 115).
If the party doesn't engage with the ship in 1 minute, the
void pirate ship drops its disguise and attacks.
Ship Combat
Before the party sets off on their mission, Aries (AH 78)
evaluates whether she believes that Thesea is a match for the
void pirate ship. For Thesea to be considered a suitable
match by Aries, she needs:
Hull II
Shields II
Void Speed I
At least 3 upgrade features
Regardless of whether Aries believes Thesea can handle the
fight, Thesea is gung-ho.
"Come on. You guys always do stupid stealth missions. I can
take the bastards. Give me a shot!"
When engaging in ship combat, keep in mind the following
guidelines.
Lead by Example. Supermassive Black Hole uses the
Boarding Party option at the first opportunity, teleporting
or boosting to make it happen as soon as possible. The
boarding party is at least 1 void pirate sorcerer (AH 42), at
least 1 void pirate mate (AH 41), and the rest are void
pirates (AH 41) plus Captain Quasar (AH 42) who blasts
across with the boarding party, eager to get into the fight.
The boarders act on their ship's turn.
The pirates swing on the rigging of their voidship only just
enough to launch them into the air, where their hover jets
sputter and blast them off through the cold expanse. One of
them misses your ship entirely, spiralling helplessly into
darkness. The others land -- hard -- on your ship's deck and
draw cutlasses.
Just as you're preparing for a fight, all of the void pirates
scatter away from a specific point on your deck. You hear a
faint scream of blind bloodthirsty rage ("ARRRRGGGHHHH!!")
which steadily gets louder and louder until, with a horrendous
crack, the captain slams onto your deck in a massive
shockwave of splinters and thunder. As the dust settles, you
see Captain Quasar in all his fearsome glory, wearing a black
ravenwing coat, a tricone hat, and a malfunctioning hover jet.
He draws a blade of pure dark matter ... and also what seems
to be just a regular crossbow. For some reason his beard is
already on fire.
"Arrrghhh, ye'd best hand over yer booty to ol' Cap'n Quasar
lest ye taste the sweet release of void! Ow me beard --"
Distance. Supermassive Black Hole has a lot of options for
closing distance (boosting and teleporting), which it uses
liberally. It will never let its target get further than the
range of its cannons (300 feet) and prefers close combat as
a general rule.
Unkillable Captain. Captain Quasar's Rage Beyond Death
feature makes him extremely difficult to kill, and he'll fight
until he's dead. In order to kill Captain Quasar, he needs to
be at zero hit points, and have landed zero attacks and
taken zero damage since the last turn. This feature can be
intuited with a DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) or Intelligence
(Investigation) check; barbarians roll with advantage. His
beard deals him 1 fire damage each turn, so it needs to be
put out with an action or through other creative means.
Legendary Resistances. Captain Quasar loses gear every
time he uses up a legendary resistance. First, he loses his
hover jets, which overload and deal him 1d6 fire damage.
Second, he loses his tricone hat. Third, he loses his
ravenwing coat. When he's just in his silk pajamas, he has
no legendary resistances remaining.
Three-Way Tousle. On initiative count 20 of Round 3, two
yugoloth meteorships (AH 51) teleport into the battle and
immediately attack Supermassive Black Hole, acting on
initiative count 20 again for all subsequent turns. Roll for
the crew and passengers. They won't attack the party
unless the party attacks first. They're here for the chest.
Second Phase
The second phase of the battle is a race to recover the chest
before the yugoloths do.
Once Supermassive Black Hole is destroyed, the yugoloths
hunt through the wreckage for the chest. It's a big ship and
there's a lot of wreckage. The yugoloths collectively spend all
of their turns making a single check together. They attempt a
DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check, which they have a
+0 bonus to. On a success, they locate the chest and bring it
aboard one of their meteorships. After that, they'll make DC
15 Wisdom (Vehicles (Void)) checks with a +5 bonus, riding a
magical leyline to escape on a success.
The party can make a search as well on their own turn,
attempting the DC 15 check to locate the chest. If the party
recovers the chest before the yugoloths, the two meteorships
attack. and the battle continues until the yugoloths are
defeated.
 111
Supermassive Black Hole
112
4: Aft Mast
Stealth Mission The aft mast has sails of black cloth. At the top of the mast,
Sneaking aboard Supermassive Black Hole is a difficult and reachable by climbing the rigging, is a crow's nest. Within the
dangerous task due to the sheer number of void pirates in its crow's nest is a void pirate whose job is to search the area.
crew and the cramped quarters of every voidship. The void He doesn't have hover jets.
pirate ship is only 80 feet long and 25 feet wide and has 33
people running around inside of it. Enemy
Page
Reference Numbers
Passive
Perception
Thesea is both unsuited for and unwilling to embark on a
stealth mission, so the party will need to find another Void
AH 41 1 19
voidship (or another way of getting to the pirates) that Pirate
involves help from someone who doesn't advertise her
presence to every other creature within a mile. Because he's on duty in the crow's nest, this lookout's passive
The party must locate and approach Supermassive Black Perception increases by 5. If he spots the party, he'll keep
Hole as normal, only this time they can attempt a DC 14 quiet and slowly descend the rigging to alert the rest of the
Dexterity (Stealth) check to remain unseen during the crew of an intruder without letting the intruders know he's
approach. As per the regular rules for group checks, as long seen them. This lookout can be spotted with a DC 13
as more than half of the party members succeed, the whole Wisdom (Perception) check.
party succeeds. 5: Captain's Quarters
On a failure, at any point, the party can pivot to the All Above the captain's quarters is the wheel of the ship, manned
Aboard approach to this heist, or they can fight the void by a very bored void pirate mate. The captain's quarters
pirates directly on their ship. It's highly encouraged for the themselves are empty of any pirates.
party to have an emergency escape plan if detected.
Page Passive
Supermassive Black Hole Map Enemy Reference Numbers Perception
On the previous page is a map of Supermassive Black Hole, Void Pirate
AH 41 1 14
showing the top deck, middle deck, and bottom deck. Each Mate
numbered room is detailed below.
Within the quarters, the party can find the following items
Top Deck with an Intelligence (Investigation) check.
1: Main Deck Any Result. A hard bed of obsidian wood, a set of dual
The main deck of Supermassive Black Hole is made of cutlasses hung up on display, and a map of the greater reef
"obsidian wood", nigh indestructible wood that is immune to area (granting advantage on Vehicles (Void) checks).
any source of damage that deals less than 20 damage at once. DC 10. A hatch that opens up to a ladder leading down to the
The black of this wood is so black that any characters with a middle deck.
black colour scheme have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) DC 15. A journal with a list of "cool rumours", including most
checks to stay hidden here. of the rumours the party has already heard about Captain
Quasar.
Page Passive DC 20. Hidden under the bed is a spyglass of seeing, which
Enemy Reference Numbers Perception uses the effects of a gem of seeing (DMG 172).
Void Pirate AH 41 12 9
Void Pirate
Middle Deck
AH 41 3 9
Mate 6: Middle Hall
Void Pirate
AH 42 1 11 Two void pirates are chatting idly in the hall about a massive
Sorcerer whale they recently encountered in The Reef. They wonder
what happened to L'il Ahab when he got swallowed. Maybe
The pirates and the pirate mates are engaging in a rousing he's in a better place.
sea shanty, lowering their passive Perception scores by 5
while they sing. They'll stop singing and get back to work in Page Passive
about 1 minute, increasing their passive Perceptions back up Enemy Reference Numbers Perception
by 5. The sorcerer is busy generating wind for the sails, but is Void
AH 41 2 14
otherwise her normal level of alertness. Pirate

2: Fore Mast 7: Pirate Quarters I

The fore mast has sails of black cloth that billow in a wind
created by the void pirate sorcerer on the main deck.
3: Hatch
The hatch leads to area 6. The hatch is closed. It can be
opened with a DC 10 Strength check.
In this cramped room are hammocks stacked efficiently one
on top of the other. There's enough room for 12 pirates to
sleep. Some of the hammocks are occupied. Since the pirates
are asleep, their passive Perception is reduced by 5. They'll
wake up in an hour after their nap.
 113
Page Passive 11: Auxiliary Deck
Enemy Reference Numbers Perception The auxiliary deck has a table for the crew to eat as well as a
Void
AH 41 2 9 whole heap of ammunition for the cannons, which includes
Pirate black obsidian cannonballs and gunpowder. A mound of
cutlery in a barrel is used for the ship's grape shot.
A perfunctory search reveals nothing of value, but the party Any fire damage will explode the ammunition, preventing
can attempt a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to the ship from using its cannon and grape shot actions and
search deeper for any hidden loot the pirates might keep in dealing the ship (and anyone in area 11) 12d6 fire damage.
their quarters with them. Making this check wakes up the Captain Quasar is eating a meal with a few members of his
two pirates regardless of success or failure. On a success, the crew, discussing tactics between ravenous bites of roast quail.
party finds the following loot. The first mate and a sorcerer are trying to convince the
60 gp captain to take a deal with the githyanki queen, Vlaakith, to
a bone scepter engraved with draconic scales (25 gp) act as a privateer against her enemies, but he'll have none of
a cloth coat threaded with copper (25 gp) it. He won't be beholden to any queen.
a pearl of power (DMG 184) that regenerates its uses Page Passive
when exposed to ultraviolet light or when its wielder takes Enemy Reference Numbers Perception
radiant damage Void Pirate AH 41 3 14
8: Pirate Quarters II Void Pirate
AH 41 1 14
Like area 7, there are enough hammocks crammed in this Mate
small space for 12 pirates. This room is unoccupied. A DC 10 Void Pirate
Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals the following loot. Sorcerer
AH 42 1 11

40 gp Captain Quasar AH 42 1 12
a potion of climbing (DMG 187)
A hatch (DC 10 Strength check) reveals a ladder into area 14.
9: Pirate Quarters III
This room is a little nicer than pirate quarters I and II, having 12: Starboard Cannons
only six hammocks, a little bit less cramped. Asleep in one of The cannons here are on the right-hand side of the ship.
the hammocks is a void pirate mate. They're unmanned while the ship isn't in combat, though
they're already all loaded up with ammunition and
Page Passive gunpowder. Firing a cannon alerts the entire crew; everyone
Enemy Reference Numbers Perception in area 11 will immediately investigate.
Void Pirate The cannons can be sabotaged with a DC 15 Dexterity
Mate
AH 41 1 9 (Thieves' Tools) check, preventing them from firing.
The party can attempt a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) 13: Port Cannons
check to search for hidden loot. Making this check wakes up The cannons here are on the left-hand side of the ship.
the void pirate mate regardless of success or failure. On a They're practically identical to the cannons in area 12.
success, the party finds the following loot.
Bottom Deck
50 gp
2 diamonds, one worth 100 gp and one worth 500 gp 14: Cargo Hold
a lantern of revealing (DMG 179) The cargo hold can be accessed from a hatch in area 11. The
winged boots (DMG 214) ceiling is about 4 feet high; taller characters must stoop,
reducing their movement speed by 15 feet.
10: Pirate Quarters IV The ship's supplies and treasures are found down here.
The door to this room is closed and locked, requiring a DC 15 Four void pirates are debating amongst themselves whether
Dexterity (Thieves' Tools) check to open. The final room of to try to open up the mysterious chest or not. They decide to
the pirate quarters is the nicest of the four, containing two leave it alone as the captain would probably be mad.
comfortable beds with down pillows and fluffy sheets. A small
bookshelf has light reading about ship maintenance, astral Page Passive
winds, and magical leylines. The room is unoccupied. Enemy Reference Numbers Perception
A DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals the Void
AH 41 4 14
following loot. Pirate
a jasper puzzle box set with a star ruby (250 gp) The following loot can be found down here if the party has at
5 diamonds, each worth 500 gp least 10 minutes to hunt around. If they don't, the only
a brocade robe trimmed with lynx fur (250 gp) obvious piece of loot is the chest; the rest is just
20 vials of perfume in a pouch (100 gp) miscellaneous crates and trinkets. They can discover the rest
a folding boat (DMG 170) with a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check.
Quaal's feather token (DMG 188)
 Chest of the Knotted Snake
a barrel of 330 platinum pieces
a black sapphire (5,000 gp)
a jade salt cellar engraved with
draconic runes (2.500 gp)
3 potions of superior healing (DMG 187)
100 bottles of fine wine (1,000 gp)
10 Large crates of magically preserved
food (100 gp)
10 Medium barrels of magically purified
water (10 gp)
The chest is a mimic (MM 220) with an Intelligence
of 10 and the ability to speak Common, Celestial, and
a bit of Thieves' Cant picked up from the pirates. The
chest itself has the soul of Sollus the Many, as
evidenced by its Knotted Snake tattoo.
As soon as you start to move the chest, it lashes out with a
slurping purple appendage. "Hey! Stop that!"

The chest doesn't have a name; it just goes by "chest". It

wants to remain on the pirate ship so that it gets to explore
the planes. It just spent the last four hundred years sitting in
a dank dungeon and now it wants to experience life. A DC 10
Charisma (Persuasion) check is needed to convince it to
come along with the party.
Inside of the chest is the skeleton of a halfling adventurer
who wore a +1 chain shirt (DMG 152) and wielded a
shortsword of warning (DMG 213). On the halfling's finger is
a ring of invisibility (DMG 191), which does not function on a
corpse.
Meteorship Attack
When the party discovers the chest, Supermassive Black
Hole is (coincidentally) attacked by 2 yugoloth meteorships
(AH 51). The party must escape from the void pirate ship
while the yugoloths launch their assault. Each event happens
on initiative count 20 while the party is there to witness it.
Bottom Deck
The meteorship smashes through the hull, cracking it and
exposing a view into the void.
The meteorship smashes through the hull, blowing a hole
through it and allowing Caraxus and Organus (AH 25) to
enter the cargo hold in search of the chest.
Middle Deck
Kegnoth (AH 26) blasts through a
line of 5 void pirates, mincing them
while 4 vinchies(AH 45) watch patiently
2 void pirates and a void pirate mate emerge
from the pirate quarters, woken up by the fighting
A vinchy activates its Overcharge feature, blowing itself
up and triggering the explosion in area 11 (AH 113)
Top Deck
Fighting has already broken out between the void pirates (13
void pirates (AH 41), 4 void pirate mates (AH 41), 2 void
pirate sorcerers (AH 42), Captain Quasar (AH 42)), and the
Opalescents (Orzeg (AH 25), Broken Opal (AH 25), Tirikan
(AH 26), Beck (AH 26), and Queen Ursula McVale (AH 25)).
This is a massive battle and it's probably in the party's best
interest not to get involved. They need to escape.
Note that while Beck is still alive, it's impossible to teleport
off of Supermassive Black Hole.
The following events all seem to happen simultaneously
when the party arrives on the main deck.
Orzeg disintegrates a dozen void pirates with fireball
Captain Quasar fights both Tirikan and Queen Ursula
McVale at the same time
 115
Beck grabs a sorcerer with his tongue, but the sorcerer
pulls out a black dagger and stabs Beck, stunning him Heist Completion
Broken Opal sets the entire deck on fire with fire storm,
blasting back all of the void pirate mates The heist is complete when the party has acquired the chest
a void pirate sorcerer, clinging to the rigging, tries to and has escaped.
separate the Opalescents with wind wall
Magic Items
After 12 seconds of fighting, both meteorships slam into the The chest contains the following magic items.
side of Supermassive Black Hole, splintering it straight in
half; anyone still on the ship is flung off into the void. +1 chain shirt (DMG 152)
The yugoloths are fine with their ability to teleport at will. shortsword of warning (DMG 213)
The void pirates, even with their hover jets, are out of luck. ring of invisibility (DMG 191)
All Aboard Teamwork Bonus
If, at any point, the party offers to join forces with Captain
Quasar, they can convince him to accept the offer with a DC
17 Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) check. On a success, The Hidden. Each party member has +5 to their
he'll be amused by the party's tenacity and make them an Dexterity (Stealth) checks while they are within 60
offer. feet of another party member.

"Githyanki queen thinks she can order ol' Cap'n Quasar

around! We'll show 'er, won't we, boys? You itchin' to join our Burrower Bonus
crew, well, all you's gotta do is send a brig to the black depths!
The burrower gains the ability to change its shape, allowing it
Send that ol' bat a message she can't ignore." to squeeze through tight passageways or camouflage itself.

The party is tasked with destroying a githyanki brig (AH 49).

Captain Quasar gives them directions to the rumoured
location of the nearest brig and wishes them luck.
To get to the brig, the party must complete two Random
Reef Encounters (AH 68). When they find the brig, it sends
out two githyanki skiffs (AH 49) as scouts.
Destroying the brig and the skiffs, recovering scrap from
the wreckage as proof, and returning to Captain Quasar
earns the party his favour. As a reward, he offers them the
chance to join his crew. If they refuse, he cackles and attacks
them anyway.
If the party convinces Captain Quasar they've joined his
crew, they can walk freely around Supermassive Black Hole
(AH 52), making the job of stealing the chest much easier.
The Opalescents still attack when the chest is discovered (AH
113).

The Ire of Captain Quasar

Depending on the party's actions, Captain Quasar
may still be alive at the end of the adventure. In
this case, they have made a powerful and relentless
enemy. Even if Supermassive Black Hole is
destroyed, he will return. He'll likely take Queen
Vlaakith up on her offer and commandeer a
githyanki brig to ambush the party at the worst
opportunity.
Adventure Bundles
Adventure Bundles consists of three people from Austria. Andy is a computer scientist,
writer, and cartographer. Marielis, Andy's wife, is a project manager and writer. Werner,
Marielis' brother and Andy's best man, is a filmmaker and illustrator. You can find more
of their work under the name Adventure Bundles on Patreon or on Drive Thru RPG.
Notable works include:
- Down the Rat Hole
- Demiplane of the Young Lich
- Delusions of Grandeur
- The Lost Tomb of Arun

Additional Credits
Aranga87
KHIUS
Tithi Luadthong
Liu Zishan
fran_kie
Watercolor splotches by Jared Ondricek
118
The Tranquil Prison
T
he Tranquil Prison is an adventure for four 8th
level characters. The heist is set on Erronys, a
demiplane of extreme nature, but if you want
to include it in a Planescape campaign, you
can pick Eronia, the second layer of Elysium
for the setting.
The party travels to the good aligned
demiplane Erronys (AIR-uh-niss) to witness firsthand the
natural and mental hazards the the demiplane poses, hazards
that will make the party hope they were facing enemies that
can be beaten by blade.
Summary
The party is contacted by the gacholoth Ral'Romon. He
claims that his kind has been chasing a Sollus reincarnation,
an elf by the name Orym the Alarmed. They tracked him all
the way to the demiplane Erronys. Ral'Romon, being a traitor,
brings this information to the party with the hope that they'll
get to him before the yugoloths manage to find a way to
overcome the effects Erronys has on them.
Although Ral'Romon knows the exact location of Orym, he
can't get to him because of the plane's effects on evil
creatures and because he cannot navigate the Great River
Erronys.
Apparently, Orym live on the banks of the river with a small
community of planetravelers who, like Orym, have fallen
victim to the plane's entrapping effect. This means Orym's
prison is one without bars. He is a prisoner in his own mind.
He has no will to leave this place.
Ral'Romon has come into possession of a rod that has a
single charge. This allows up to 10 people to enter a person's
mind and witness their memories, desires, and secrets, while
also being able to influence their decision making.
The party will have to find passage to the community of
entrapped people, enter Orym's mind, and convince him or
force him to leave this place.
Little do they know that Orym has been here willingly. He
knows yugoloths are chasing him and knows that they cannot
reach him for they cannot travel Erronys. He entrapped
himself to escape, as deep inside he is fully aware of who he
really is: a reincarnation of Sollus.
Orym the Alarmed
Orym is an elf, old even for his race. He has been a
planetraveler, scholar, and researcher for most of his life.
It was some 10 years ago that, upon researching the being
known as Sollus out of pure curiosity, he found out he is one
of their reincarnations. Other than a spike of scholarly
interest and joy, he didn't put much more thought into this
information.
It was only when yugoloth soldiers started tracking him,
trying to kidnap him and imprison him that he realized how
dangerous his ancestry is. So, to escape the yugoloths, he
chose to travel to Erronys and stay long enough to be
entrapped in the plane.
Now he lives on the banks of the Great River Erronys, the
memories of the yugoloth chases and Sollus ancestry lying
deeply suppressed in his entrapped mind.
Ral'Romon
Ral'Romon is a hideous being who has infiltrated yugoloth
enemies countless times, and always successfully. Ral'Romon
will claim that his life back in the yugoloth ranks is in danger.
The Lie
According to him, he has angered his superior, Broken Opal
the ultroloth, because he was responsible for extracting
Orym from Erronys. Broken Opal dislikes the delay and has
threatened to turn him into a canoloth.
Therefore, he helps the party instead, as he needs
protection. Should they succeed in extracting Orym, he'll
want to follow them to the Reef, where he can serve as a
source of information for all things considering yugoloths.
But even if the party denies him the position, he sees their
success in getting Orym before the yugoloths as a last
punishment against his pushy superior.
The Truth
Ral'Romon is an infiltrator like few in the multiverse. His
only role is to fool the party into extracting Orym from a place
yugoloths cannot reach. Upon success, it will be easier for
him to steal Orym from the party. Upon failure, like in the
chance that the party also gets entrapped in Erronys, he has
dealt with the headache of the party once and for all.
Once in Erronys
Erronys is a place of rugged rocky terrain, filled with crevices
and jagged cliffs that are impossible to traverse. The only way
going forward is by rafting the Great River Erronys,
something that is by itself an impossible task for one who
doesn't know the lay of the land and the dangers it might
pose.
Ral'Romon will be waiting for the party at a rendezvous
point on a spot on the banks of the Great River Erronys that
is barely possible to stand without a harness.
Razor sharp cliffs and mountains with jagged edges are visible
as far as the eye can see. Few plants interrupt the scenery, as
they protrude from the cliff sides, especially along the fast
flowing, massive river that flows between the cliffs. The sound
it makes is nearly deafening, making it hard to have a normal
conversation as it masks all other noises for hundreds of feet
around.
On a spot that is covered with thick grass stands a creature
with ebony black skin and four long legs with sharp claws
attached to them. His face is ape-like, with an abnormally large
mouth. He is currently perched on the cliff side, clinging to
safety with his claws buried on the rocks.

His description fits the one of your contact, Ral'Romon.
Ral'Romon will welcome the party and explain the situation.
He must be hasty as the good nature of the plane hurts him.
Orym is entrapped in the plane and lives in an
encampment together with other entrapped people. They
call this commune The Retreat of the Content.
Getting a person out of Erronys while entrapped is not a
simple task. They are here willingly and never want to
leave. Therefore, one would have to convince Orym that
it's only the plane's effect that makes him want to stay, not
his own desire. Perhaps force will also work, but it can get
dangerous as the plane will not like it.
To achieve this, they'll need to visit Orym in his own mind.
Ral'Romon will hand the party a rod, which, as he says,
allows people to invade other people's minds. They'll need
to use it to influence Orym from within his own mind, as
any other talk won't achieve anything.
The task is hard, but clear, according to Ral'Romon, but
getting to Orym is even harder.
119
Rod of Mind Influence
rod, very rare
The rod has one charge. You can expend this charge
while holding it against a willing or incapacitated
creature's forehead. After 10 minutes, your physical
body is rendered unconscious while a projection of
you and everyone else who was holding the rod (up
to 10 creatures) travels in the mind of the creature.
Anything that happens to the projections affects the
physical body. Damage and death are real.
Once in the mind of the creature, you can alter its
thought process, memories, and desires. This can be
extremely dangerous, as it is not always that the
mind accepts the invasion.
To get out of the mind of the creature, one has to
hold the rod and speak its command word. Then,
instantly, all creature projections that were part of
the invasion wake up in their physical bodies.
The Retreat of the Content is some six hours downstream.
One cannot miss it, but the Great River Erronys is not really
swimmable. That is, unless one is suicidal. The PCs will
either need to craft means for rafting down the river or wait
for one of the river rats to show. The latter are seasoned
locals who know the dangers of the rivers and offer
transportation as service for a price.
Ral'Romon's True Intentions
Ral'Romon only wants the party to retrieve Orym so that his
fellow yugoloths capture him afterwards, preferably
somewhere far away from Erronys. A successful DC 20
Wisdom (Insight) check will reveal that he's nervous and
probably hiding something. If confronted about it, he will
blame the plane itself, as it really hurts him more and more
the longer he stays.
This is true, and a perfect excuse for him. A successful DC
5 Wisdom (Insight) check will show that he is, indeed, in
pain.
Regardless, Ral'Romon will want to leave as fast as
possible. After the mission is clear to the party, he will touch
an amulet that is wrapped around his furry neck and plane
shift out of Erronys.
Great River Erronys
As mentioned, the Great River Erronys is the only means of
transportation in Erronys. To reach the Retreat of the
Content, the party will have to raft 6 hours downstream.
Dangers include waterfalls, water rapids, whirlpools, jagged
rocks, and even river monsters.
120
There are only two options to achieve the travel, both include
the Great River Erronys. If the party has means of
transportation like fly, polymorph, or anything that would lift
them above the ground, they will quickly come to the
realization that it is not possible to utilize these options due
to strong winds.
A successful DC 17 Wisdom (Survival) check will reveal
that trying to fly or swim in the river will result in heavy
injuries while accomplishing almost nothing.
A creature that tries to fly needs to succeed on a DC 25
Strength (Athletics) check to fight against the winds, and
even on success, they manage to cover only 1/4 of the
distance they would normally cover. Failing results in getting
carried by the wind and hitting multiple rock faces, suffering
3d10 bludgeoning damage.
Swimming is even tougher, requiring a successful DC 28
Strength (Athletics) check to fight off the rapids. Failure
means getting carried by the river uncontrollably and hitting
multiple obstacles, suffering 6d10 bludgeoning damage.
Options include:
1. Selfmade Raft and No Guide. A successful DC 17
Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check
will find enough material on the river bank to build a raft.
This includes branches, logs, and vines that can be used
as ropes. Building the raft requires a successful DC 10
Dexterity check from a PC proficient with carpenter's
tools.
2. River Rat. Should the PCs wait 30 minutes or more on
the river bank, a river rat will show up currently rafting
down the Great River Erronys in search of customers. Her
name is Trolva. She is a middle-aged halfling scout (MM
349) and her raft looks sturdy. She can take the PCs to the
location they need and will request 300 gold pieces per
passenger.
No matter the means of transporation, Great River Erronys is
a dangerous place to be as the party is about to find out. The
trip will last 6 hours, and the following locations are the
dangerous spots that the party will have to overcome if they
want to reach the Retreat relatively unscathed and alive.
Trolva in the Party
Although Trolva knows how to tackle the river
dangers and how to reach several locations in
Erronys, the Great River Erronys is so unpredictable
that every journey is a challenge, even for her.
When a danger arrives, she can advise the PCs,
but at the end of the day, they are the ones who
will have to make the decisions, as they are
seasoned adventurers.
Great River Erronys Hazards
Every hour traveling the Great River Erronys, there is a
chance that a hazard from the following table will occur. Roll
a d6, and something happens on a 4-6 result. Then, roll on
the hazard table. All these hazards are visible on time for
reaction with a successful DC 18 Wisdom (Perception)
check. If Trolva is in the party, then this check is made with
advantage. Most of the hazards, if not all, will play better in
initiative order, where the PCs will try to perform an
avoidance action on their turn. For the purposes of initiative,
the raft moves at 50 feet per round on initiative count 20.
The solution will always depend on the creativity of the
players. Trolva will be able to offer some advice, but there are
two things to consider. One, she will not bail the party out.
She is only able to offer advice. And second, asking her
opinion on a situation requires an action.
Many of these hazards can cause damage to the raft, which
starts the trip with 40 hit points. At any point during the
rafting, the party can decide to repair the raft.
Repairing the Raft
The raft can be repaired at all times, but especially, if at the
end of any event it has less than 20 hit points, then it will
need repairs. The material is easy to find, and the repairs can
be done either by a party member or Trolva if she is present.
It will require an hour per 10 hit points of damage to be
fixed. Fixing the raft and generally stalling further risks
entrapment as explained in the entrapment sidebar.
Falling in the Water
For every turn a character is in the water, they
suffer 2d6 bludgeoning damage as they hit
multiple rocks. Furthermore, they need to succeed
on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or get a
point of exhaustion upon coming out of the
freezing waters.
Entrapment
Visitors in Erronys can be entrapped by the plane,
just like Orym has been. For every hour the party
stays here, they need to succeed on a DC 1
Wisdom saving throw. The DC for any given PC
goes up by 1 for all subsequent saving throws on a
success. Failing the saving throw means the PC is
entrapped by Erronys and never wants to leave, to
the point of fighting people who try to force them.
The player should not know what this saving throw
is about.
As mentioned, the retreat is 6 hours away, and
then the PCs will also spend some time there, so
this DC can reach dangerous highs if they stall.
An entrapped PC can only be persuaded to leave
Erronys by the same method Orym can (rod or
hard persuasion). The only problem is, the rod only
has one charge. Will the party use it on Orym if
they can save a party member?
Other methods are powerful spells like wish.
Great River Erronys Random Hazards
d8 Event Complication
Falling causes a 50 foot fall and the
raft suffers 5d6 damage. The
1 Waterfall
waterfall is 100 feet away, or 150 if
successfully spotted in time.
The raft suffers a total of 3d6
damage if the rapids are not
White avoided. PCs failing a DC 17
2
Rapids Dexterity saving throw fall in the
water. The rapids start without
warning and last for 100 feet.
A deva (MM 16) descends from the
sky and demands the party explain
their reasons for traveling through
Erronys. Any lie or attempt of
manipulation will result in them
3 Deva
getting attacked by it. If the party is
truthful, the deva will help them by
teleporting them closer to the
retreat, reducing the travel by 1
hour.
If the whirlpool is not avoided, the
raft is catapulted toward the shore,
4 Whirlpool suffering 3d6 damage. The
whirlpool is 50 feet away, or 100 if
successfully spotted in time.
Even if Trolva is in the party, all raft
members will need to help in order
to keep a relatively safe course. A
Water
5 successful DC 17 Constitution
Speeding Up saving throw is needed or, by the
end of the sequence, the PC gets a
point of exhaustion.
The constant splashing of water has
made everyone on the raft wet,
risking hypothermia. A successful
DC 18 Constitution saving throw is
6 Hypothermia
needed, or the PC gets a point of
exhaustion. Re-roll on the table if
this event comes up early on the
trip.
A giant catfish takes a bite from the
raft, causing 3d6 damage. If seen
7 Giant Catfish beforehand, it can be lured away
with a DC 17 Wisdom (Animal
Handling) check.
Several branches from the pine
trees on the shore extend on the
river. If not avoided, the raft gets
8 Branches entangled in them and freeing it
takes 1 hour. The branches are 150
feet away, or 200 if successfully
spotted in time.
122
The Retreat of the In the Mind of Orym
This is where the party ends up when they use the rod. They
Content can persuade Orym to leave Erronys, fail at the task, or even
After about 6 hours, the PCs will have reached the Retreat of force him out. During the entire sequence, Erronys fights
the Content. back with its own projections, and the PCs are in even more
extreme danger of being entrapped themselves.
A narrow plateau surrounded by trees and cliffs is situated
After a brief moment of disorientation, you regain your senses
along the river bank. Several huts and tents are placed in the
in an unfamiliar space. You stand in a round room, which
open space, which is not much. Smoke from campfires can be
doesn't appear to have a ceiling. The floor and walls are made
seen rising up to the sky of Erronys, and as the raft
from black marble, which reflects blue light that seems to
approaches, the citizens of the retreat come to meet you at a
emanate without a source.
small pier, its wood partly eaten away by the fast-flowing Great
River Erronys. All around the void and nothingness that extends beyond
the room, you see appratiions fading in and out. They
resemble a female half-elven form dressed in a white dress.
The retreat doesn't have a leader. All people here live in peace
and contribute so that they all survive in the best way Her face, though, has two sides. The left is healthy and lively,
possible. Some fish, some hunt, some gather firewood or while the right is sick and withered. Their ghastly, constant but
tend to damaged buildings. It all works out for them, and they distant whispers echo in the area: "Don't leave me." These
are content. apparitions seem to want to come int othe room but
All dozen people on the retreat share something in something invisible prevents this from happening.
common. Willingly or not, they have been entrapped by the
plane and never want to leave. Even the thought or In the center of the room is a chair, and symmetrically
discussion of a possible departure seems as utter nonsense around the walls exist 4 big round mirrors. On the chair sits
to them. The plane's influence is so strong in their minds that Orym. He doesn't move, just sits there staring into
they'd rather die than leave the retreat.
The party is welcome here. They are free to rest, eat, sleep, nothingness.
and share stories with the content. This is not a place where
enemies exist. Hostility is a foreign word in the retreat.
However, the plane influences these people in a way that is
tough to realize. They are as welcoming as it gets toward
strangers so that more people get entrapped in the
community.
From the moment of arrival, they'll offer everything to the
party. Good resting, feasting, hunting trips, and even services
like oiling armors and sharpening weapons. These ultimately
stall the rescue of Orym and endanger the party, as the DC of
their saving throw against entrapment rises. For every hour
they stay at the retreat, they need to succeed on a Wisdom
saving throw as per entrapment rules that were explained in
the sidebar.
Orym
Orym is among the content, and if the PCs ask around, the
rest will point them to him. He doesn't have menial tasks
because of his age, but offers his knowledge and wisdom to
the community.
He will not willingly let anyone play with his brain and will
politely refuse. The only way that the party can do it is by
either tricking him somehow, or while he sleeps, since the
rod needs 10 minutes to take effect.

Mirrors
Each one of these mirrors contains information about Orym,
his past life. This information is available upon looking in the
mirror from up close.
A DC 13 Intelligence (History) checks allows a character to
recognise the locations in the dream as taking place in and
around Candlekeep, a legendary library of the Forgotten
Realms.
Mirror 1
You see tall grass. Even if you cannot touch it, something its
movement makes it look soft. Further ahead, there appears
to be an empty spot, like the grass field has not grown on
just this tiny, oval-shaped spot. As you approach it, it
becomes clear. There is grass, but a half-elven woman
dressed in silk robes lies on it. Long blond hair, green eyes,
and pink skin. There is a woven blanket next to her, with
fruit, which you recognize must have been plucked from the
trees of her garden. Apples and peaches.
"Took you a while," she says. She smiles. "Come, enjoy
the sun, my love." A euphoric feeling overwhelms you, as if
the mirror vision emanates passion, love, and care.
You open your mouth and hear the words come out,
words you speak unwillingly and unknowingly. "Of course,
Deliah. Work can wait."
Mirror 2
A small room made of wood. The walls are stacked with
shelves, which contain bottles, books, and tables of strange
instruments. A sulfuric smell invades your nostrils. You walk
towards the middle of the room, where a large oaken table
is situated. You sit, push stacks of paper to the side, and pull
a leather-bound book from the drawer.
You sigh. A sigh of happiness. You open the book to the
last blank page and start writing.
"Bat claws. Who would have thought? That this mundane
thing would be the last component for the spell. But it
works. I just tested it myself. The best creation of my life. I'll
name it ... Multiverse Time Walk."
123
Mirror 3
You take a last glance on the table where the woman lays.
"Can't we do anything about it? Are you sure?" you hear
yourself saying.
A voice by the door replies: "I told you. Impossible. She'll
be dead within a week."
You grab the man by the shoulders and scream: "NO! I
refuse to accept that! The multiverse must hold the secrets
to her cure!" He shakes his head. You approach the woman
and put your palm on her burning forehead. "I promise you,
Deliah. I'll find it. I'll travel to far away places, but when I'm
back, you'll be your old self again."
The woman opens her eyes, and with a weak voice, she
whispers: "Don't leave me, Orym. Stop feeding your mind
with false hope. Stay with me in my last hours."
You hesitate for a second, but then, with a swift
movement, rush out of the room, closing the door while
hearing Deliah's cries for you to not go.
Mirror 4
You see darkness, broken only by the flickering of a dim light
in the distance. You hear your own heavy breathing and
footsteps approaching. A voice breaks the tension as you
turn to your right to face your good companion, Cerodar.
"Master Orym, they know we are here."
You open your mouth and whisper, "I know. Go on, flee.
Save yourself. They have no quarrel with you. It's me they
want. I'll never endanger you because of who I am, because
of Sollus, because I was born in a future that is marvellous
but as perilous as no one could ever wish for."
Cerodar places a hand on your shoulder, stands up, nods,
and starts running away in the opposite direction. The
footsteps come closer: hideous beings, insect-like, with
sharp claws eager to feel flesh.
You touch an amulet that is wrapped around your neck
and whisper to yourself, "Erronys. Any fate is better than
their claws!"
124
Erronys Resistance
These projections (AH 38) are identical to Orym's
features (or any other creature whose mind is
being invaded), except they look ethereal,
incorporeal, and float around. They are the danger
in the sequence. There are four ways they can
appear, and their purpose is to offer tension and
further endanger the PCs with entrapment.
Method 1. Looking in one of the mirrors in the
room causes an Erronys resistance to appear in
front of it and attack.
Method 2. Trying to force Orym out of his
situation causes 4 Erronys resistances to appear
and attack.
Method 3. Any time you, the DM, need to add
tension, you can cause an Erronys resistance to
appear.
Method 4. Any time the barrier is struck or
approached, 2 Erronys resistances appear and
attack.
It should be clear to the party that the longer they
stay, the longer they endanger themselves from the
attacks of the Erronys resistances.
The Barrier
A magical barrier exists around the edges of the room.
Approaching it or touching it causes one to be pushed back
10 feet and fall prone if they fail a DC 14 Dexterity saving
throw. The barrier can be dispelled with a successful DC 20
dispel magic check or forcefully destroyed. It has 17 AC and
50 hit points. If the PCs attack it, they also get pushed back
with each hit. If it takes damage, narrate how it shows visible
signs of cracks.
If a PC has already looked in mirror 1 or 3, then a
successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check will reveal that
the apparition resembles Deliah.
Orym's Projection
Orym's presence is also a projection. He can talk, answer
questions, and be persuaded to snap out of Erronys' grasp.
He cannot be hurt in any way, but as explained further, he can
be forcefully taken away.
Resolution
Following are some methods the party can try so that they
make Orym come with them, or generally take him away
from Erronys.
Persuasion. The party is free to try any method of
persuasion they want on Orym, but without knowing much
about his persona, it can prove to be extremely difficult to
fully persuade him to leave Erronys. Orym will be
persuaded to leave Erronys if the party succeeds on 3
Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion) checks.
The DC is 30, reduced by 5 for each mirror used in the
arguments made.
Force. Orym on the chair is just a projection, but he can be
forcefully made to sit up, at which point the physical body
is free of the entrapment. One requires a successful
contested Wisdom check against Orym to do so. Orym
rolls his Wisdom check with a +5 modifier, and a PC needs
to succeed 3 times for overall success. If Orym wins 3
times, then there is nothing to be done and he is forever
entrapped in Erronys unless a wish spell is used to alter
this.
Deliah. If the barrier is broken, dozens of Deliah apparitions
will flood the room and engulf Orym. After 3 rounds where
3 new Erronys resistances appear in the room each round
on initiative count 20, he is forced to take responsibility for
leaving Deliah to die alone. His projection utters an "I'm
sorry!" and as the Deliah apparitions retreat, their facial
features are only that of a healthy woman. This eventually
frees himself from his mental prison and all still alive
Erronys resistances disappear.
Variant: Verbal Combat
If you want to add a mechanic aspect to Orym's persuasion,
you can play it as a simplified verbal combat sequence. The
concept is simple. Orym has Opposition (how strong his
current beliefs are) and Oppenness (how open he is to the
party's claims) hit points. Both these start at a value of 15. If
the Opposition HP is reduce to 0, then Orym has been
convinced of the party's arguments. If the Openness HP is
reduced to 0, then he cannot be convinced further and the
argument battle has been lost for the PCs.
Throughout the sequence, the party can simply pose
arguments to Orym. The way these arguments are worded
determines which social skill check will be used
(Intimidation, Persuasion, Deception), and this roll is a
contested one. If the PC wins, the Opposition suffers
damage, while if they lose, the Openness does. Orym's
modifiers for these contested checks are listed in the table
below.
Orym's Verbal Combat Stats
Skill Modifier
Deception +0
Intimidation +12
Persuasion +6
At the end of each argument (contested skill check), either
the Opposition or Openness suffers 1d8 points of damage.
Before an argument is voiced, the PCs can choose to use a
mirror to gain information. If one of his mirror memories is
used during an argument, then the contested roll is made
with advantage for the PCs.
Orym's Fate
Upon succeeding or failing to persuade or forcing Orym out
of his entrapment, the PC projections get out of his mind, the
rod is just a piece of metal, and Orym is unconscious because
of the strain of the procedure.
 125
The party would now have to carry him away as Thesea picks
them up from the retreat. The rest of the content will not
pose any resistance, more so because they understand what
happened and the desire of Orym to leave the place.
En route, and while away from Erronys, they get attacked
by a yugoloth meteorship (AH 51) while at the same time
Ral'Romon (AH 28) with two mezzoloths (MM 313)
emerges from Thesea's hold to attack the party. Their goal is
to capture Orym now that he is away from Erronys'
protection. This sequence is challenging because the party
has to fight against the meteorship with Thesea while also
dealing with Ral'Romon in close combat.
Coming out of this encounter victorious means Orym can
join the party on the Reef.
Rewards
The Burrower
With Orym's help, the Burrower can now move through the
planes with gate, just like Thesea.
Magic Item
Orym enchants the inert Rod of Mind Influence to change its
properties such that it's more useful to the party. Use the
following statistics for the renewed Rod of Mind Influence.

Rod of Mind Influence

rod, very rare
Certain planes can influence one's mind, trapping
you in contentedness or despair; holding this rod
while traveling such planes makes you immune to
such mind-altering planar effects.
Additionally, the rod has one charge. As an action,
you can expend this charge to cast the spell crown
of madness (save DC 15) without needing to
concentrate on the spell. An expended charge is
regained when you convince a celestial or fiend to
change its mind about any argument.

Teamwork Bonus
In future heists, Orym can grant the party the following
teamwork bonus.

The Learned. All party members have the Jack of All

Trades ability, gaining half their proficiency bonus
on any skill checks to which they don't otherwise
add their proficiency.
P.J. Pirrello
P.J. Pirrello is a computer programmer by trade, and a writer, digital artist, cartographer,
dungeon master, and miniature painter by choice. He lives and works in the state of Texas
in the U.S.A. with his lovely wife, two wonderful kids, and one very eccentric wheaten
terrier. You can find more of his work at Goblin Scrawl Games.
Notable works include:
- Into the Underdark: The Descent Trilogy
- The Shadowed Hollows Gazetteer
- Bloody Mad
- Miss Teree's House of Tea...And Devil Summoning

Additional Credits
Ede László from the Worlds Without Number art pack
Maps by P.J. Pirrello
Watercolor splotches by Jared Ondricek
128
In Remembrance
I
n Remembrance is an adventure for four to five
characters of 11th to 13th level and is optimized for a
party of four characters with an average party level of
12. This heist is set in Peloponessos (pel-uh-puh-
NESS-iss), primarily amongst the rolling hills and
olive groves with a small jaunt to the dusty wastes of
Kefallonia (keh-fah-LONE-ee-a).
Background
Yugoloths have tracked an incarnation of Sollus to the small
town of Arginth in Peloponessos. Karen discovers this when
Toda brags to her about how he discovered this new Sollus.
He knows that Tirikan and Beck have been dispatched to find
and imprison this new version.
This is where things get ... complicated. This incarnation of
Sollus is actually fractured into two parts. The part that
Tirikan found, a female aasimar named Petrasollus, is
haunted by dreams and visions of another life. The other
part, a medusa named Serpamne, has no memory of her life
beyond a few days ago, exactly when Petrasollus arrived in
Peloponessos. The only way for the two parts to be reunited
is for Petrasollus to be petrified and her memories -- her
essence -- to be freed from her stone form to reunite with
Serpamne's physical form.
In a stunning display of incompetence (or just plain bad
luck), Tirikan brought Petrasollus to the temple where
Serpamne lives, and convinced the medusa to turn
Petrasollus to stone. He then left Serpamne and the host of
other monsters that live on the path to the mountain temple
to guard the statue. He does not know that he has
inadvertently done half the party's work for them.
The characters must find a way up the mountain and past
the monsters that surround the temple. Then they'll have to
convince Serpamne to help them. She'll inform them that the
only way to return Petrasollus back to life is to retrieve the
Nero Eleftherias -- the water of freedom -- from the labyrinth
below the temple. Tirikan will wait for their return and will
have set an ambush for them as they are leaving the
labyrinth. After getting past Tirikan, they can finally use the
Nero Eleftherias, which will free the part of Sollus' essence
from the stone body of Petrasollus and return it to Serpamne,
reuniting the two parts into Serpasollus.
Just when they think they've won the day, the mountain will
shake beneath them. The Nero Eleftherias will not only have
freed Sollus' essence, it will have freed an evil that had been
imprisoned under the mountain for ages. The party will have
one last fight on their hands before they can finally make
their way back to the reef with Serpasollus in tow.
Adventure Hook
One of Sollus' clones (known as Petrasollus) was recently
spotted near the village of Arginth in a picturesque corner of
the realm. Her presence was quickly discovered by the
yugoloths, and Tirikan and his faithful hound Beck were
dispatched to capture and imprison her. That's all the info
Karen is aware of, but she urges the party to travel to Arginth.
With any luck they can recover Petrasollus before Tirikan
manages to find and imprison her.
The Town of Arginth
The town of Arginth is designed in such an orderly fashion
that it is unsettling. It is surrounded by a wall that is precisely
25 feet tall, with a single gate perfectly centered on the
northern wall that is 10 feet wide and 15 feet tall. The wall is
exactly 295 feet on each side.
Within the walls, the town is divided into nine identically-
sized blocks. The center block is a well-tended garden that
serves as a meeting place. A large fountain in the center of
the garden provides fresh drinking water for the residents.
The remaining eight blocks each have an identical
structure built upon them, with twelve small shops on the
bottom floor and twelve residences above them. Each also
has a central courtyard bordered by an arcade on both the
first and second floor. A pair of circular, stone staircases
provide access to the second floor.
Individual shops and residences are almost
indistinguishable from one another. The shops each have a
couple of tables with various goods on them. Intimate cafes
containing only a few tables serve coffee and mostly light
fare, such as roasted vegetables and olives.
The party is free to wander the town, as its inhabitants are
unafraid of strangers. Children will run up to the characters,
curious about their odd dress and unusual weaponry.
If the characters are friendly, the residents will happily talk
to them and tell them what they know:
1. A beautiful female aasimar, Petrasollus, arrived in the
town exactly ten days ago.
2. While friendly, the woman seemed to have a dark cloud
hanging over her. She claimed to have no memory of her
life before she arrived in Peloponessos and seemed
desperate to uncover her past.
3. Petrasollus would have visions, often waking her from
sleep. In these visions, she would look through the eyes of
someone, or something, else: a creature, part woman, part
snake.
4. Yesterday, two creatures, like demons, arrived in town.
They promised not to hurt anyone and said that they were
only here for the criminal, Petrasollus.
5. Petrasollus cried and pleaded for help, but the creature
assured them it was all a trick and that Petrasollus was a
violent criminal.

6. These demons hauled Petrasollus off to the northeast.
The only thing nearby in that direction is an ancient
temple atop Mnemnos Peak.
7. The townsfolk will warn the characters that Mnemnos
Peak is a very dangerous place, once the home of a
monstrous titan that was vanquished by the followers of
an ancient god. They built a temple there, but it was under
constant assault by all manner of monsters and was
eventually overrun.
8. They know that harpies (MM 181) seem to fly a set
pattern which could help the characters circumvent them
if they were to figure it out.
Effects of Peloponessos
Peloponessos in general is vastly different from the small and
orderly town of Arginth where the players have tracked
Sollus. It is a plane full of drama, where feelings and
emotions run high, and it can affect anyone not accustomed
to its effects. In combat, each character must make a DC 20
Charisma saving throw at the start of its turn. On a failed
save, the character is afflicted with battle lust until the start of
their next turn, gaining advantage on all attack rolls. If the
character makes an attack while under the effect of battle
lust, their reckless demeanor grants all creatures advantage
on attack rolls against them until the start of their next turn.
129
9. They also know of the cyclopes, and that a small family of
pixies near the temple might be able to offer aid should
the characters prove their intentions are pure.
Mnemnos Peak
Mnemnos Peak appears short for a mountain, even more so
with a much greater peak looming over it in the distance, the
homeland of the gods. A gentle, sloping path winds up the
mountainside, eventually leading to a small plateau. Toward
the northeast edge of the plateau, the ultimate peak rises
another 150 feet. A large, round temple sits at the crest of the
peak, looking down upon the plateau below. A second
structure, similar to the temple but smaller, sits on a ledge
below the temple.
General Features
Unless otherwise stated, all areas have the
following features.
Illumination. It is perpetually late afternoon, and
the warm sun brightly lights the mountaintop.
Flora and Fauna. The grass is lush, and the bushes
and trees are healthy and thick with leaves. Anyone
hiding behind bushes or trees can benefit from
one-quarter cover. Small animals abound as well;
squirrels, chipmunks, and all manner of small birds
chitter in the trees.
1. Mountain Path
This lightly-trod dirt path rises and falls gently as it winds its
way across the plateau from the mountain trail toward the
peak to the northeast, crowned with a round-domed temple
that gleams white in the afternoon sun.
2. Olive Grove
This dense grove of olive trees offers protection from the sun
and from any prying eyes that might be watching from above.
It offers an excellent view of the small stand of trees on the
slopes above that the harpies use as an aerie. Players
watching the harpies and succeeding on a DC 15 Wisdom
(Perception) check will notice the following:
1. After a minute of watching, the characters will notice that
one harpy is much larger than the others. 4. After 15 minutes of watching, the characters will see the
2. After 5 minutes of watching, the characters will notice harpies dive into the trees to the northeast. After a few
that there are 11 different harpies in the aerie, but there minutes on the ground, they fly slowly back to the aerie,
generally seems to be only two in the air at any given time. carrying a small buck between them.
3. After 10 minutes of watching, the characters will discover If the characters continue to watch, they will see the
that the harpies fly a set pattern around the temple, pattern repeat itself with every changing of the guard. The
gliding in a lazy arc from the west by the aerie, around the harpies will fly their set path, and on their final pass, will dive
rear of the temple over to the east side and back. They into one of the nearby stands of trees or bushes, emerging a
mostly seem to ignore the southern side of the peak. few minutes later with a fresh kill to feast upon.

3. Fairy Ring
A large ring of toadstools grows in a small clearing amongst a
stand of cypress trees. A small community of pixies makes
their home here. If the characters investigate around the ring,
the pixies' leader, Briar Cricketwhite, appears in the branches
of one of the taller trees and greets the characters. Briar is a
short, female pixie dressed in a white, silken tuxedo complete
with vest and top hat. She is friendly, albeit more serious than
most pixies. Briar is trying to gauge the characters' motives.
The characters can attempt to convince her of their good
intentions, either through good role-play or with a successful
Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Deception) check
contested by Briar's Wisdom (Insight) check.
Should the characters convince Briar and her pixies to
assist them, she will tell them about the cyclopes that live
above them to the north. She will reveal that the cyclopes
raise sheep as food and she'll offer them some pixie dust
which, when sprinkled on the sheep, will put the cyclopes to
sleep when they eat them.
Encounter. 12 pixies (MM 253).
4. Pond
Water rushes down the mountainside, cascading over the
cliffs in multiple waterfalls, finally collecting at the base of the
peak in a small pond. The creatures on the peak all gather
water from the various small pools to slake their thirst. Reeds
and lily pads grow around and on the surface of the largest
pool at the base of the rise.
5. Cyclops Plateau
A tiny tribe of cyclopes live on the ledges and terraces leading
up to the temple. The three brutes know that Serpamne lives
in the temple above and fear her enough to leave her alone.
They will wander between areas 5 through 7, napping
beneath the trees, tending to their flock, or resting in the
small domed structure on the ledge below the temple.
Encounter. 3 cyclopes (MM 45).
6. Sheep Pasture or Titanic Prison?
A small flock of sheep grazes on the sloping, grass-covered
ledge. Several odd-looking, moss-covered rock formations jut
from the ground and escarpments to the north. Cyclopes
from area 5 will wander in among the sheep, occasionally
grabbing one and plopping the whole animal in its mouth as
a snack. Regardless of how many sheep the cyclopes eat, the
flock never seems to thin at all.
Once the characters recover and use the Nero Eleftherias,
the imprisoned titan here will break free and attempt to
prevent their escape.
7. Cyclops Parlor
This small structure is surprisingly well-appointed when one
considers its inhabitants. Whenever the cyclopes decide to
take a longer rest, they will retire to this building to sleep on
its couches and settee. The two tables here appear to get
little use, as the giant oafs tend to devour their fleecy meals
fresh from the flock.
131
8. Aerie
This stand of uncommonly large cypress trees houses a small
congregation of harpies, along with their matron leader. The
harpies guard and hunt along the cliffs north of the ancient
temple. Anyone approaching their home will be attacked
swiftly and without mercy. The harpies aren't the best of
guards, however, and anyone watching can time the route
they take and find ways to bypass their patrols. Two of the 10
normal harpies will always be out on patrol and depending
on where they are in their route, will join any fight after 1-3
rounds.
If captured, the players may be able to convince the harpy
matron to use her powers of divination to assist them in their
quest. If they manage to do so, she will offer the following:
Encounter. 1 harpy matron (AH 43) and 10 harpies (MM
181).
9. Thorn-Covered Cliffs
The cliff on the north side of the peak is covered with thick,
thorny vines. It would be a nearly vertical 150-foot climb
through the thorns to reach the temple at the top of the peak.
Anyone attempting to scale the rock face must make a
Dexterity (Athletics) check for each round worth of
movement. A failed check means the character takes 2 (1d4)
piercing damage from the thorns. The harpies from area 8
watch this side of the mountain closely and will attack anyone
they catch trying to climb the cliffs.
10. Sollus Temple Prison
When the characters enter the temple, read or paraphrase
the following to them:
This large, round building contains several pieces of light
olive-colored furniture and decoration. The center of the room
features a fountain adorned with an incredibly lifelike statue of
a winged woman, water trickling out from its base and flowing
southward through a hole in the wall to cascade down the
mountainside.
As you enter the room, you glimpse someone darting
behind one of the elegant chairs against the northern wall. As
you try to get a closer look, a slightly reptilian head peeks from
behind the chair, her hair a mass of writhing snakes. From the
look in her eyes, she is more afraid of you than you are of her.
The creature is Serpamne, one half of this particular
incarnation of Sollus. She will not attack the characters and
will avoid defending herself in a way that might hurt them,
mainly trying to hide and retreat while begging for her life.
If the characters try to speak with her, she will seem fearful
but will be forthcoming with them. She knows the following:
1. The first thing she remembers is waking up here in this
temple 10 days ago.
2. Food and water are plentiful, but the other creatures on
the plateau and peak harry and herd her back to the
temple whenever she tries to leave.
132
3. Two days ago, two demonic-looking creatures arrived
along with a beautiful female with wings. Under threat of
death, they had Serpamne turn the poor creature to stone
and place her petrified body on the platform at the center
of the fountain.
4. They told Serpamne to guard the statue, threatening to
come back and kill her if anything were to happen to it.
5. She doesn't know how she knows it, but she feels certain
that the characters are here to rescue both her and her
victim.
6. She knows how to access a secret staircase that leads
down to a labyrinth safeguarding the only thing that can
save the unfortunate, petrified woman. She knows the
general layout of the labyrinth, and can provide the players
with a simple map.
7. She also advises the characters that they must retrieve an
item from each of the labyrinth's three areas in order to
recover the Nero Eleftherias.
Encounter. 1 medusa (MM 214).
The Labyrinth of Nero
Eleftherias
The stairs are enchanted, and lead to a labyrinth on
Peloponessos' third layer, Kefallonia. The labyrinth was built
centuries ago, its original purpose lost to history. It is split
into four main areas: The Entrance, The Door, The Lock, and
The Key. All areas are of similar build and design, but have
their own unique quirks specific to the item they hold.
Effects of Kefallonia
While on this layer of Peloponessos, a great sense of
emptiness and lethargy threatens to overtake the characters.
While here, characters use their Charisma rather than their
Dexterity bonus when rolling initiative, as it is only by the
sheer force of their personality that they can goad themselves
into action.
General Features
Unless otherwise stated, all areas have the
following features.
Floors, walls, and ceilings. All surfaces throughout
the labyrinth are made of various shades of light
gray stone. The passages are all 10 feet wide and
10 feet tall.
Illumination. Although there is no visible source
of light, all areas in the labyrinth are well-lit by a
stark, slightly blue-tinted light.
Sounds. Noise behaves oddly within the
labyrinth. Echoes seem to be erratic and may seem
to come from any and all directions at once. A
creature walking down a hall may hear their own
footfalls echoing in front of them one moment and
suddenly behind them the next. Different creatures
may perceive the same noise as coming from
different directions.
Creatures. Each area of the labyrinth has its own
distinct set of creatures. A creature will not
willingly leave its native area. Should a creature be
forced from its home area, it will teleport back to a
random point within its original zone.
134
As the characters explore the labyrinth, periodically roll
1d6. On a result of 6 an encounter will occur. The encounter
varies depending on the area in which the characters
currently find themselves.
In the Door area, they encounter 2d4 cockatrices (MM 42).
In the Lock area, they encounter 1d4 flameskulls (134).
In the Key area, they encounter 2d4 will-o'-wisps (MM
301).
1. Entrance
Read or paraphrase the following to the party when they
descend the stairs from the temple:
You lose track of how many steps you've descended. The
enclosed, spiral staircase winds down for what seems like an
impossible distance, with barely any perceptible change the
further down you go. The stone of the stairs and the walls
slowly darkens, shifting from nearly pure white to a light gray,
like the color of fine dust on glass. The lighting also changes
as you descend, going from the warm white of a sunlit
afternoon to a harsh, cold, blue light that feels unnatural.
Finally, after what feels like ages, the stairs open up into a
small, square room that is empty save for the staircase and an
exit set in the center of each of its four walls.
1. Entrance
Read or paraphrase the following to the party when they
descend the stairs from the temple:
You lose track of how many steps you've descended. The
enclosed, spiral staircase winds down for what seems like an
impossible distance, with barely any perceptible change the
further down you go. The stone of the stairs and the walls
slowly darkens, shifting from nearly pure white to a light gray,
like the color of fine dust on glass. The lighting also changes
as you descend, going from the warm white of a sunlit
afternoon to a harsh, cold, blue light that feels unnatural.
Finally, after what feels like ages, the stairs open up into a
small, square room that is empty save for the staircase and an
exit set in the center of each of its four walls.
Encounter. Once the characters have recovered the Nero
Eleftherias, Tirikan (AH 26) and Beck (AH 26) will be
waiting for them here, prepared to attack and relieve them of
their treasure.
2. Pedestal
A marble pedestal sits upon a stone dais in the middle of this
otherwise empty room.
The northern entranceway is open, but it appears to be
crafted to hold a large door. The halves of three hinges are
strongly attached to the inner wall of the portal. A hole in the
inside wall across from the hinges is likely used for some
kind of locking mechanism.
Under most circumstances, this doorway does nothing
special. If the characters, standing outside of the pedestal
room, place the door from area 4 in the opening, the lock
from area 5 in the door, and close the door, an audible *click*
will be heard as the door locks itself. If anyone is inside the
pedestal room when the door is closed in this manner, it will
not lock. If the characters then use the key from area 6 to
unlock the door, the Nero Eleftherias will appear atop the
pedestal. The lock can be picked with a successful DC 30
Dexterity check with thieves' tools. If the door is unlocked in
this manner, however, the room beyond will contain 4
basilisks (MM 24).
Encounter. 4 basilisks (MM 24)
Treasure. If the characters assemble and unlock the door
to this room, the Nero Eleftherias will be resting upon the
pedestal.
3. Cockatrice Coop
Two large enchanted chicken coops sit against the walls of
this small room and the floor is covered in hay. At all times
there are 24 cockatrices within the "door" segment of the
labyrinth. Any time a cockatrice is killed, a new one emerges
from one of the coops. Some of the 24 are always in this
room.
Each coop has 50 hit points, an AC of 15, and is immune to
all damage except fire damage and attacks from adamantine
weapons. Destroying both coops will prevent any defeated
cockatrices from returning.
Encounter. 6 cockatrices (MM 42). Each time one of them
is killed, another will emerge from one of the two coops.
4. The Door
Hidden behind a secret door, this small room contains a
mound of coins with a massive wooden door wedged into the
pile. The coins are basically worthless, being made of bronze.
Treasure. The door. The door is a large, thick, heavy oak
door with bulky cast-iron bands and hinges. There is a small
hole where it appears the lock has been removed. It weighs
250 pounds. One or multiple characters can carry the door. If
carried by a single character, it requires two hands to carry
and provides a +6 bonus to AC. A character can also tie the
door to his back. If carrying the door in this way, the
character has disadvantage on all attack rolls and ability
checks. If, at any point, the door is not being carried by a
character and is not in the doorframe at area 2, it will teleport
back to this room.
5. The Lock
This cross-shaped room is empty save for a bulky brass lock
hanging from a heavy iron chain in the center of it.
Treasure. The lock. A bronze lock, shaped to fit perfectly in
the small opening in the door from area 4. Whoever holds the
lock is paralyzed. If that person takes any damage, they drop
the lock, which instantly teleports back to the place where it
was found.

6. The Key
Hovering in a dusty alcove at the end of the hallway is a tiny
metal key. The key floats in a narrow beam of bright blue
light.
Treasure. The key. A delicate and ornate metal key that
looks like it would fit the lock from area 5. Anyone holding the
key levitates uncontrollably. If they touch any surface before
leaving the key area, the key will teleport back to where the
characters found it.
Releasing Petrasollus
With the Nero Eleftherias in hand, the characters can return
to the temple. Serpamne tells them that, in order to free
Petrasollus, they simply need to pour the contents of the vial
over the statue.
If the characters do as she advises, read or paraphrase the
following to them:
The water washes over the statue, light flashing off of the little
rivulets as they stream down the smooth stone and mix with
the water of the fountain. Glowing cracks appear across the
surface of the statue, rapidly growing more intense as a low
hum fills the air.
The glow quickly intensifies to a blinding brilliance, causing
you to avert your eyes. Suddenly, a sharp crack echoes
throughout the temple, and the light instantly fades. Looking
back at the statue, you see it now lies in pieces at the center
of the fountain, the head rolling slightly on the pedestal before
coming to rest.
Serpamne's eyes grow wide with disbelief as she sees what
has happened. Before she can do or say anything, small motes
of light rise from the various broken pieces of the statue. They
float around each other, combining and splitting multiple
times before coalescing into a single glowing mass undulating
several feet above the ground.
The rippling light hovers in the air for a few seconds before
streaking at Serpamne and striking her in the chest. She
staggers backward, her back arched and her head thrown back.
Light streams from her eyes and mouth, eventually fading as
her body appears to relax and her head slowly turns to stare in
your direction.
She shouts, "At last! I am whole once more!"
Serpamne and Petrasollus reunite to form Serpasollus, the
one true incarnation of Sollus that had come to this plane.
She'll explain how she was trapped in this split form and that
the party has reunited her, thereby freeing her.
135
Her explanation is cut short as the ground convulses. The
roof of the temple cracks and showers the characters with
debris, threatening to collapse on them.
As the characters flee the temple to avoid being crushed,
they immediately notice that clouds now blot out the sun and
the sky has turned an angry, grayish orange. On the plateau
below them, they see a massive figure, apparently made of
rock, rising from under the stone of the mountainside. It
thrusts both hands into the ground pulling out an axe made
of glossy black stone.
If the townsfolk of Arginth told the characters about the
titan of Mnemnos Peak, they will recognize this as the
creature from those legends. The titan slowly looks around
before bellowing, "Who has found the Nero Eleftherias and
freed me from my prison?! Let them step forward and have
the honor of being the first to fall before my overwhelming
might!"
Encounter. 1 mountain titan (AH 43)
Treasure. Stonehewer, a greataxe made of obsidian that
functions as a dwarven thrower (DMG 167)
Conclusion
As the titan collapses back into the earth, a bright ray of
sunlight bursts through the clouds, illuminating the corpse of
the fallen giant. The single sunbeam broadens quickly,
dispersing the clouds. It doesn't take long for the sun to bathe
the plateau in its warm, welcome light. Serpasollus quickly
joins with the characters and suggests they depart quickly
before the Yugoloth return.
Karen waits for them just outside Arginth, ready to ferry
them back to the reef. The trip back is uneventful. Once back
to the safety of the reef, Serpasollus excuses herself, saying
she just knows that she must contribute to the great machine
to free her other incarnation.
Serpasollus will set to work assembling a massive
serpent's tail that will help propel the machine as it burrows
through the walls of the prison in which Sollus is held.
By rescuing Serpasollus, the party can select the following
bonus as their teamwork bonus when they begin a heist.
The Immobile. Once per day per party member, as an
action, a character can choose to become magically
fixed in place. Until they use another action to end
the effect, the character does not move, even
defying gravity. The character can support up to
8,000 pounds of weight. More weight causes this
ability to deactivate and the character to fall. A
creature can use an action to make a DC 30
Strength check, moving the character up to 10 feet
on a success. The effects automatically end after 1
hour.
T.M. van Dalen
T.M. van Dalen makes hand-crafted adventures and supplements for Dungeons & Dragons
and other table top roleplaying games. Based in Amsterdam, his adventures focus on
Dungeon Master ease-of-use, allowing anyone to pick them up and have a good time with
less prep time. You can find more of his work and sign up to get free maps at
rpg.timvdalen.nl.
Notable works include ...

Additional Credits
Tithi Luadthong
Art Furnace
Maps by T.M. van Dalen; high resolution at https://rpg.timvdalen.nl/assets/prison-maps.zip
Special thanks to Dave Coulson for his work on Bytopia in Codex of the Infinite Planes
Watercolor splotches by Jared Ondricek
138
Mine-work Make-work
D
ay breaks on Pollux. The sky becomes lighter
even though there is no sun in sight. Gnomes
work tirelessly in the fields, fighting the
destructive nature of the plane itself. On Castor,
wild beasts fight those who try to carve out a life
for themselves, however short.
The Twinned Isles of Gemini are places of
hard work that does not go unrewarded. Pollux is a land of
pastures and farms, of commerce and tinkering. Opposite an
empty patch of sky, Castor is wild, untamed. On both layers,
the mostly gnome population is hard at work to fight the
destructive nature of the plane itself, maintaining their tools,
houses and workshops. While a productive day of work is its
own reward, it is also currency in this place.
A reincarnation of Sollus is trapped in a mine on Castor,
unaware of his history, future and place in the multiverse.
The party has discovered one possible flaw in the prison's
highly effective defenses: a gnome called Ribbles who comes
by every fortnight to collect the stab-o-lizers.
Adventure Background
The incarnation of Sollus that's trapped on Castor is called
Gimlen, a gnome of about 90 years. When he was just 2 years
old, he was taken from his clan by a group of yugoloths.
Gimlen was raised in Pollux by his captors, never realizing
that he was a prisoner. The knotted snake symbol appears as
a birthmark in the inside of his elbow. Use the attuner (NPC
187) or mage (MM 347) stat block for Gimlen.
When he turned 40, he got a "job" working in a "factory"
that builds stab-o-lizers, a small constructed item that makes
life in Gemini a bit easier by limiting the rate of decay of
buildings, in turn lengthening the time between the chore of
maintenance. Gimlen is the only worker in the factory,
something that has never struck him as strange.
He is responsible for mining the raw material, for smelting
and forging it, and for assembling the final stab-o-lizers. His
tasks are busywork designed to keep him from worrying
about his true place in the world, but the stab-o-lizers actually
turn a nice profit as well. Gimlen works all day, rotating
between the various tasks to keep production moving along.
At night, he retires to his private chambers, located in the
outer ring of the prison factory.
Once every two fortnights, Ribbles Nackle, a gnome
veteran (MM 350), comes by to collect the finished product.
He then travels from Castor to Pollux using one of the larger
mountain passes and sells the stab-o-lizers in one of the
bigger cities before returning back to Castor.
Road to Castor
Planar travel isn't an exact science. Whether they travel by
gate or by voidship, when the party arrives in Gemini, they
land on the layer of Pollux. Their destination, the prison mine
where Sollus is trapped, is located on Castor.
To get there, they will have to locate a way to cross the
empty sky and safely land on the other side. This section
gives guidance for how to handle travel on Pollux, the journey
between the layers, and travel on Castor.

Pollux
Making your way across Pollux is easy enough — the weather
is always temperate and the terrain consists of rolling
grasslands, divided by numerous small rivers that flow down
from the high mountains.
When traveling in Pollux, it is likely the party will come
across one or more small settlements. These settlements are
typically made up of mostly gnomes. Everyone will be hard at
work. If they want to earn a meal or shelter for the night, all
the characters have to do is help do some chores.
To give life to the layer, you can have the party encounter a
few other random things. These encounters can happen as
often as you like, though you should keep in mind that using
too many of them can slow the story down significantly.
Consider checking for a random encounter twice per
adventuring day, once during the day and once during a long
rest. If you do, roll a d20. If the result is 18 or higher, a
random encounter occurs.
Random Encounters in Pollux
d4 Encounter
1 Barn Repair
2 Lazy River
3 Otherworldly Wolves
4 Traveling Merchants
1: Barn Repair
The characters encounter a group of gnomes that are in the
process of repairing a barn. The group consists of 10
commoners (MM 344).
The gnomes are installing stab-o-lizers in the barn, which
should keep the barn standing for longer, and require less
maintenance going forward. If the characters offer to help
with repairs, they can spend the day working with the
gnomes. In return, the gnomes offer a place to sleep (in the
newly repaired barn) and a warm meal.
Any character that participated in the repair and slept in
the barn wakes up feeling refreshed from the satisfaction of a
job well done, gaining a Bootstraps die. Once within the next
8 hours, the character can roll a d6 and add the number
rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it
makes. The creature can wait until after it rolls the d20
before deciding to use the Bootstraps die, but must decide
before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. Once
the Bootstraps die is rolled, it is lost.
2: Lazy River
From a distance, you hear voices. "Lazy bums!" one calls out.
"Why don't you make yourselves useful for a change?" you
hear another one yell.
If they approach, they see that the source of the noise is a
group of 5 gnomes standing on the bank of a river. They're
shouting at three gnomes that are lazily drifting down the
river, enjoying the weather. All of the gnomes are commoners
(MM 344).
139
If the characters would like to keep the peace and calm down
the angry group of gnomes, they must make a successful DC
15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If the characters join in
with the hecklers, they are invited to help with chores to earn
a hearty meal.
3: Otherworldly Wolves
The party is attacked by a pack of 2d4 dire wolves (MM 321)
who crossed over from Castor using an unstable gate (see
"Gate" below). If they follow the wolf tracks with a successful
DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check, they might be able to find
the gate and cross over to Castor.
4: Traveling Merchants
While traveling along a small road, the party encounters a
group of traveling merchants. The merchants are on their
way from Prosperity, the largest city in Pollux. There, they
purchased various goods to distribute among the smaller
settlements of Pollux.
If the party thinks to ask, they reveal that, among other
things, they bought stab-o-lizers in Prosperity, though a small
bribe of 1 cp is required to tell the characters that they
purchased the items from a gnome called Ribbles.
Crossing the sky
The empty area between the two layers of Gemini is about 20
miles. Once you cross the barrier in between the layers (10
miles up), gravity 'flips', allowing you to go down the other
side. Gnome merchants sometimes use a system of hot air
balloons to allow goods to cross the barrier, but this system is
not safe for humanoid travel.
The party might be able to convince a flying mount to bring
them to the other side, but the easiest ways to cross to the
other layer are through a gate, climbing a mountain or using
an airship.
Gate
While all planar gates end up in Pollux, there are some
temporary lesser gates that lead between Pollux and Castor.
These gates typically are the result of extremely violent
storms on Castor. By helping the locals, the party might be
able to locate one of these gates.
Mountain
In several places in Gemini, there are mountain ranges with
peaks high enough to touch the other side. While the journey
isn't easy, there are passes and paths in these mountains that
allow relatively safe travel between the two layers.
Airship
For the modest price of 20 gp per creature, airships allow the
well-to-do Geminian to cross the sky in style.
Airships (AH 47) can be found in most larger settlements
in Pollux. An airship consists of an enormous balloon tied to
a gondola. To rise up in the air, the crew (4 commoners (MM
344)) activates the furnace that has a fire elemental (MM
125) magically trapped inside it.
When an airship nears the center point of the sky,
everybody moves below deck and the furnace is deactivated.
Then, the whole airship flips in mid-air and starts descending
to the target layer.
140
Castor
Travel on Castor is everything that travel on Pollux was not.
The weather is almost always extreme, ranging from violent
snowstorms to bone-dry heatwaves. Castor is untamed, with
wild forest and fields that are filled with all manner of beasts.
While traveling in Castor, it is unlikely the party will
encounter any large settlements. The only people that go to
Castor are usually only staying for a short while. They are
here to mine or to log, and almost never stay longer than a
single season.
Like on Pollux, there are random events that the party can
encounter while they travel. Consider checking for a random
encounter twice per adventuring day, once during the day and
once during a long rest. If you do, roll a d20. If the result is 18
or higher, a random encounter occurs.
Random Encounters in Castor
d6 Encounter
1 Ape attack
2 Hunting tiger
3 Logging camp
4 Lycanthrope stalkers
5 Overgrown monument
6 Yoguloth patrol
1: Ape Attack
Two giant apes (MM 323) are fighting an elephant (MM
322). They have not noticed the party yet, and the characters
can back away and walk around the altercation if they wish.
2: Hunting Tiger
The party crosses path with a lone saber-toothed tiger (MM
336) that is out hunting.
3: Logging Camp
The party comes up on a temporarily constructed logging
camp. From afar, they can already hear the celebration
happening inside.
If they approach the camp, they eventually run into Ierick, a
gnome miner and a commoner (MM 344). She explains that
their leader, Halgan, just died in a mining accident. Halgan
was a particularly cruel boss, and the workers are glad to be
rid of him. They can't wait to pack up and return back home
to Pollux.
Still, there is work to be done. If the characters agree to
help with chores for the funeral, Ierick gives them a ring of
magic detection that she found in an old mineshaft.
4: Lycanthrope Stalkers
A group of 1d6 + 2 wereboars try to surprise the party in the
woods.

Ring of Magic Detection
ring, uncommon
This ring has 1 charge. While wearing it, you can
expend the charge as an action to cast the detect
magic spell from it. The ring regains its charge when
its wearer casts a spell of 1st level or higher.
Overgrown Monument
While traveling to a particularly overgrown field, the party
stumbles upon an old tower. The tower is in a bad state of
disrepair, but it is impossible to tell if the damage is from just
a season in Castor or years.
A DC 15 Intelligence (History) check reveals that the
symbols on the tower are those of the drow. Under the effects
of a detect magic spell, the tower radiates with conjuration
magic.
If the party enters the tower, they are attacked by two drow
wraiths (MM 302).
Any character that spends at least 10 minutes searching
the tower can find a rune-scribed warhammer. A successful
DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the
warhammer is of hellish origin, and not drow.
141
Yugoloth Patrol
While traveling near the prison, the party encounters
Kegnoth (AH 26) and 2 mezzoloths (MM 313). If the party is
traveling at half-speed, allow them to roll DC 10 Wisdom
(Perception) checks to notice the yugoloths before they
themselves are spotted.
Prison Break
Gimlen, this plane's incarnation of Sollus, is trapped in this
prison mine complex on Castor. He has no idea that he is a
prisoner, and is happily performing his duties. It has never
occurred to him that it's strange that he is the only worker in
the whole facility.
The map below shows the layout of the prison.
When the characters find the prison, read the following
text aloud.
You come to what must be your destination. The organized
building stands out from the chaos you've endured since you
got to Castor. The building looks the same from all sides,
though there is one bit that slightly juts out of the main
complex.
142
Prison Mine: General Features
This facility is an all-in-one mine, factory and
prison. It was constructed for Gimlen about 50
years ago. None of the rooms and hallways have
windows.
Locked in. The prison has no entrance or exit that
creatures can use. Everyone, including the guards,
is locked in for life.
Lead walls. The outer wall of the complex is built
with a 1 inch thick sheet of lead in the middle of it.
Warded. The whole facility is warded against
teleportation magic. Attempting to teleport into
the prison leaves a teleporting creature outside of
the prison in the closest unoccupied space to their
intended target.
Ceilings. The ceilings in all rooms and hallways
are 10-feet-high. The ceilings include magical light
sources that provide bright light to all rooms and
hallways.
1. Stab-O-Lizer Loading Dock
This part of the factory complex sticks out of the rest of the
building. It is the only place that allows anything to leave the
prison.
The part of this area that's located inside the rest of the
facility functions as a loading dock. There, Gimlen loads
completed stab-o-lizers on the belt. The belt leads to the part
of this area that's outside, where a magical screen allows
stab-o-lizers (and only stab-o-lizers) to pass. Outside, Ribbles
collects the stab-o-lizers.
2. Warehouse
Here, stab-o-lizers are neatly stacked in racks that are made
especially for them. When Gimlen finishes a batch of new
stab-o-lizers in area 6a, he brings them here so he can hand
them off to Ribbles later.
3. Guard Sleeping Quarters
As you enter this room, the first thing you notice is the foul
stench of fiends. You see beds, some personal belongings, and
a table with playing cards on them here.
The yugoloths that guard the prison sleep here. The room is
currently empty.
4. Study
This area serves as a study for Gimlen. There's a nice desk on
one side of the room and big book cases on the other. The
book cases are filled with books on all sorts of topics —
anything Gimlen might be interested in. The builders of the
prison made sure he would never be bored here.
A large section of the books is dedicated to gnome
craftsmanship in general and the building of stab-o-lizers in
particular. On the desk, a book titled "Gemini Stalled: A
Thesis on the Creation of Stabilizing Machinery" lies open.
Illusion
When the characters first enter this room, an illusion of
Gimlen is standing near the desk, with his back to the door. If
the party knows what Gimlen looks like, they can recognize
him from the doorway. The illusion doesn't respond to any
external stimuli and disappears when it is touched.
5. Gimlen's Sleeping Quarters
This spacious room looks and feels much nicer than what
you've seen from the prison so far. There's a big comfortable
looking bed, wardrobes full of clothes and beautiful tapestries
on the wall. It's an inviting space, one that almost begs you to
take a rest.
This is the place where Gimlen sleeps. He has a comfortable
bed and everything he needs here. This room is much nicer
than most other rooms in the complex.
If the characters close the door, they should be able to
safely take a short rest in here. If they attempt to take a long
rest, Gimlen will eventually enter.
6. Workshops
The factory has two workshops that Gimlen uses to turn the
raw material into stab-o-lizers.
6a. Assembly
Here, Gimlen assembles the rough components that make up
the stab-o-lizers. The result is the finished product, ready to
be shipped out.
6b. Parts
In this workshop, Gimlen takes the forged metals and other
rough materials and uses them to build the components that
are part of a stab-o-lizer. Important components on the bill of
materials include:
Copper tripods
Golden rings
Iron cogs
Brass encasing
Sapphire rods
Ruby dice
7. Guard stations
Along the main spiral of the prison facility, there are two
guard stations. The yugoloths who work in the prison mostly
spend their days here. In the history of the prison, no one has
ever made an attempt to get in or out. Unless given a reason,
the yugoloths are not generally paying a lot of attention and
make Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect intruders with
disadvantage.
7a. Eastern Guard Station
This guard station is currently staffed by Organus (AH 25)
and two skereloths (AH 32). Organus is bullying one of two
other guards, loudly hurling insults at them.
143
144
7b. Western Guard Station Developments
Tirikan (AH 26) and Beck (AH 26) are currently operating If the party confronts Gimlen and tries to explain who he is
the western guard station. When the party approaches, and that he is trapped, he can be easily convinced of this with
they're playing with dice. a DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check, although he has never
given the subject any thought.
8. Component Store However, when Gimlen is convinced by the party, the giant
This small storage room contains all the stab-o-lizer drill starts shaking uncontrollably. Gimlen explains that the
components that Gimlen makes in area 6b, ready for drill will explode, taking the whole complex with it, unless the
assembly. party can deactivate the mechanism. He points to the control
panel on the side. Give the players the handout on the
9. Mess Hall previous page. You can consider cutting out the 9 puzzle
pieces so the players can manipulate the sliding block puzzle
The mess hall is where both Gimlen and the guards come to by hand.
have their daily meals. The guards and Gimlen are generally When the puzzle is solved (see the previous page), the drill
on good terms, as Gimlen does not realize he is a captive. shuts down and the danger has passed.
This area is always at a comfortable temperature, no
matter how bad the weather outside of the prison gets. It has Exiting The Prison
long tables with benches and a few smaller tables. Gimlen If the party can successfully convince Gimlen to leave with
likes to switch up where he sits every day. them, he loses all memory of them the moment he sets foot
Food and Drink outside of the building. He becomes hostile to the party and
Every day at dawn, enough food and drink for the occupants will need to be calmed down and convinced all over again
of the prison magically appears on the shelves in the north- with another DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check.
east corner of the room. If the items are not removed before Rewards
the next dawn, they vanish when the new ones appear. When they are safely away from the prison, Gimlen offers to
10. Raw Storage craft a single set of magic armor for the party, a +3 chain mail.
Gimlen's contribution to the burrower is the creation of
superior armored plates to protect the device. Furthermore,
The ground is rough here. Around you, you see all manner of
he can give the following teamwork bonus.
things strewn about on the floor. In one corner, you can see a
stack of iron ingots, in another you see a heap of slag. Among
them, you see tools, both old and new, broken and in fine
condition. The Stable. Each party member has advantage on
Dexterity saving throws as long as they are within
30 feet of another party member.
This area is a general raw storage for everything that the
mine produces. All processed materials (and by-products)
from the forge are left here.
The south-west corner of this area has a particular
property. Any item that is left there for more than a week
vanishes. Once in a while, the yugoloths move all slag and
waste to that corner. They have no idea why this corner
works that way.
11. Forge
This area holds the production line that turns raw material
from the mine into usable intermediate products.
12. Mine
The mine is where the stab-o-lizer production process starts,
where Gimlen digs up raw ore to smelt in the forges. For this
purpose, he has a giant mechanized drill that makes his job
easier.
When the party enters this area, Gimlen is here, operating
the giant drill.
William Rotor
William Rotor is a writer, educator, designer, and creative professional with a love for
unusual mediums of expression. He lives and works in Australia and is an active member of
the local film and theatre scene. You can find more of his work related to Dungeons and
Dragons on his subreddit, /r/williamrotor.
Notable works include ...

Teetering Imbalance
T
here are two reasons to come to Perdition: to
bring ruin, or to be ruined. The difference is
whether the yugoloths are willing to make a
deal. The realm of Perdition was once a prison
world, only fit for torment, until the yugoloths
conquered it and made it their own, reshaping
the land in their own image. And yet, for every
change they made, the world teetered ever more steadily to
the side, as if to tip them over the edge to oblivion.
Summary
The party is here in search of Orzeg, an arcanoloth inventor
and torturer. They may be here on an assassination mission
for Spectrasollus, or they may be here to rescue Karen, if she
is kidnapped. The party storms Orzeg’s laboratories and
fights off her wicked inventions. Orzeg offers the party a deal:
she’ll spy on the yugoloths and provide the party with access
to her inventions if it means they can get rid of Broken Opal
and Zigazan the Boiler eventually. Thesea rescues the party
from Perdition under heavy fire from yugoloth meteorships.
By the end of this adventure, the party will have ...
Braved the landscape of Perdition.
Infiltrated Orzeg's laboratory.
Carried out a daring rescue of a poor tortured soul.
Made an explosive escape.
Hook
A few potential hooks may lead the party to Perdition.
Revenge of the Fallen. Orzeg tortured and killed a wizard
whose ghost, Spectrasollus, now seeks vengeance. He
wails something about her book and demands her
execution. He can lead them to Perdition.
Rescue Mission. For one reason or another, Karen has been
discovered to be a traitor and has been taken back to
Perdition to be tortured for information by Orzeg. The
party launches a daring rescue mission to retrieve her.
Before setting off on their mission, the party receives the
following layout of Orzeg's laboratory from Illusosollus.
147
Entering Perdition
As Thesea sails through the gate to Perdition, you’re hit with a
thick blast of hot air on your face. Spouts of lava jet up into
the black sky, then slide down the infinite slope. Thesea bucks
and twists under the unusual gravity: the horizon doesn’t line
up. Everything is slanted. Everything is wrong. She sets down
on an island of black igneous rock, flapping her wings hard to
keep from sliding down the slope. Steam and lava rise all
around you. “Alright, babes, can’t bring you much closer than
this. You see that big estate uphill, the one with all the gears
and tubes? That’s where the bad bitch does her thinking. You
got it from here. Good luck!” She leaves you on the slope and
takes off before the yugoloth meteorships patrolling the skies
can close in on her.
Perdition General Features
Slanted Ground. Gravity pulls you awkwardly to one
side. All saving throws and ability checks that
rely on Dexterity or Strength are made with
disadvantage unless you have a way of
counteracting the gravitational forces.
Hot and Dry. The horizon glows a dull red against
an otherwise black sky. It is eternal night here, lit
only by the glowing magma just beneath the
crust. The entire plane is in dim light. The air is
superheated thanks to wells of magma that boil
up to the surface and leak down the side of the
slanted plane. Taking a long or short rest is
impossible for anyone who isn’t immune or
resistant to fire or adapted to hot climates and
doesn’t have a way of cooling off.
Orbital Bombardment. Meteors occasionally rain
down, each about 40 feet by 40 feet wide of
solid rock. These meteors slam into the ground
every 3d10 minutes, and it’s very obvious where
the next one will hit. If you stand under a meteor
when it lands, it deals 20d6 fire damage and
20d6 bludgeoning damage in a massive
explosion of lava, shrapnel, and superheated air.
Yugoloths sometimes ensnare these meteors
mid-flight, hollow them out, and transform them
into meteorships that they use to patrol
Perdition and explore The Reef. Orzeg's
laboratory wards off the meteors with a massive
laser cannon formed from superheated mirrors
which melt the meteors into goop before they
can land.
Yugoloth Homeworld. If a yugoloth is killed on
Perdition, their death is permanent. They are all
aware of this fact and therefore avoid conflict.
148
Broken Opal has assigned six skereloths (AH 32) to watch
over Orzeg and patrol the terrain around her laboratory.
They're not guarding against intruders, but guarding against
Orzeg. Distrustful of the skereloths, Orzeg has constructed
fiendish automatons, called vinchies (AH 45), to do the job of
defending her fortress more effectively. The skereloths hate
the vinchies.
You come across a camp of yugoloths. Less out of necessity
and more for general comfort, six skereloths sit around a
magical freezing lodestone like how humans would sit around
a fire during winter. They cool their red-hot metal tridents. Just
as you start to plan your approach, you hear a horrible
clanking, and from around a corner three horrific clockwork
monstrosities approach the camp. The skereloths bristle with
distaste, but let the machines come closer anyway. Once clad
in suits of armor, these skeletal machines strain with every
movement, barely held together. Bits of them have melted
from the extreme heat, but they persist, perhaps out of sheer
stubbornness.

Anyone who can understand Infernal hears the conversation

below.

The Skereloths and The Vinchies

"Get outta hear, belchers! Ain't your master take
care of you? The hell you rattlin' around for?"
The vinchies respond only with "Protocol seven.
Please report." Their voices are like dried grass.
"Protocol what? Get out of here."
"Unable to parse. Insufficient data. You have
three attempts remaining. Please report."
"Stupid machines. Nothing here! Ain't nothing
been here for fifty stinking days!"
"Acknowledged. Generating report for Orzeg.
Thank you for your compliance."

The vinchies leave once their conversation with the

skereloths has concluded, heading in the direction of Orzeg's
laboratory.
If the party attacks before the vinchies leave, the skereloths
will simply teleport away, abandoning the vinchies. They'll
report to Broken Opal directly and won't bother to inform
Orzeg of the intruders. If the skereloths get away, two extra
meteorships (AH 51) arrive at the end of the adventure (AH
153) with a skeleton crew of three skereloths (AH 32) each.
Approaching Orzeg's laboratory without being noticed by
the various vinchies and mezzoloths requires three DC 15
Dexterity (Stealth) checks, made with disadvantage due to
the uneven terrain. If spotted, the party will either face down
1d4+1 skereloths (AH 32) which will attempt to escape to
inform Broken Opal, or 2d6+2 vinchies (AH 45) which will
attempt to escape to warn Orzeg. If a vinchy gets away, Orzeg
becomes aware of the intruders, making her traps more
dangerous later in this heist.

Orzeg's Laboratory
Wires like spiderwebs streak from the ground to the black
spires, arcs of lightning racing between them. Toxic gas
billows from the smokestacks, blackening the sky. From the
many factory floors swarm legions of vinchies, armored
automatons in service of their dark engineer, Orzeg. As you
approach, you're blinded by the blast of a laser cannon,
melting a meteor into superheated goop mid-flight before it
can hit the laboratory.
Outside the Laboratory
There are two entrances to the laboratory: the main double
doors and the factory floor.
149
Double Doors Entrance
The massive double doors are indulgently grand. They are
blocked by a 20-foot moat of churning lava (DMG 249) with a
metal drawbridge that glows red-hot, dealing 1d4 fire damage
for every 5 feet of movement spent to cross it. The melted
corpses of vinchies, themselves red-hot from the heat, have
fused to the drawbridge. Living vinchies still cross it; they
usually make it across, but not without taking 12 (4d4 + 4d6
halved with absorb elements) damage in the process.
The drawbridge lowers each hour to let through 1d6
vinchy (AH 45) servants which bring various metals and
other elements to add to Orzeg's alchemy collection. The
controls are operated from within by a vinchy (AH 45) who
watches from an arrow slit to make sure only vinchies, Orzeg,
or anyone accompanying Orzeg can make it through. It can
be fooled fairly easily with illusions (-1 on checks to see
through illusions) or disguises (-1 on checks to identify
disguises).
The double doors lead to the main hall.
Factory Floor Entrance
The factory floor spits out one vinchy (AH 45) every hour,
depositing them out onto Perdition's hot earth via conveyer
belt. The conveyer belt moves a creature 30 feet per round
away from the interior, but can be reversed with a successful
DC 20 Intelligence check. The conveyer belt leads through a
black tunnel that originates on the factory floor inside the
laboratory.
150
Main Hall
Gothic architecture
Glorious glass chandelier
Double stairway leading up to the hall to the torture
chamber; secured with arcane lock (see Torture Chamber)
4 treasure chests on display, unlocked, three with a CR 1-4
Treasure Hoard (DMG 133-136) and one being a mimic
(MM 220)
Personal effects stolen from victims displayed in glass
cases: dozens of mundane swords, helmets, shields, and
spears, plus 12 trinkets (PHB 160-161)
Second time the party enters the hall, a pascorpticon (AH
46) arrives via elevator under the floor and immediately
animates the objects in the display to attack the party
If Orzeg is warned: the pascorpticon is already waiting
Factory Floor
Belching pipes, spinning gears, churning conveyer belts
Robotic arms twitching and picking and grasping
A vinchy is being assembled; DC 20 Intelligence check to
program it to fight for the party; artificers have advantage
4d6 vinchies (AH 45) fight the party while 1d6 vinchies
(AH 45) attempt to escape to warn Orzeg
The factory can be shut down by dealing 50 damage to the
machines (AC 15, resistance to slashing and piercing)
If Orzeg is warned: the omnipresent robot arms attack
everyone on initiative count 20: DC 15 Dexterity saving
throw to avoid 7 (2d6) slashing damage

Alchemy Workshop
Bubbling concoctions, boiling cauldrons
Prototypes of strange devices are scattered around, most
seemingly useless or non-functional
Blueprints for terrible machines line the walls: stealing
them and spending a week of effort to improve Thesea
and/or the Burrower using the blueprints grants the
vehicle an extra 50 hit points
A half finished weapon lies on a work bench, a laser rifle
(DMG 268) similar to the big laser cannon on the spire;
requires a DC 20 Intelligence check to finish; artificers
have advantage on this check; on a failed check, it
explodes, dealing 14 (4d6) fire damage to everyone who
fails a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw
5 potions, DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check to identify
each: potion of climbing (DMG 187), potion of fire breath
(DMG 187), potion of fire resistance (DMG 188), potion of
invisibility (DMG 188), and potion of greater healing
(DMG 187)
4 vinchies (AH 45) clean the workshop and attack the
party on sight; one will attempt to escape to warn Orzeg,
potentially drinking the potion of invisibility to sneak away
Three notes can be found with Intelligence (Investigation)
checks to carefully search the Workshop; see the Orzeg's
Notes sidebar: result of check determines how many of
the notes are found, e.g. result of 20 reveals all three notes
The workshop can be rendered unusable by dealing 50
damage to the various prototypes lying around (AC 10,
resistance to slashing and piercing)
All throughout the workshop, incessant whispering can be
heard: after each minute spent in the workshop, every
party member must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving
throw or fall under long-term madness (DMG 258-259)
Dealing any damage to any vinchy or prototype activates
the workshop's traps; see the Orzeg's Traps sidebar
If Orzeg is warned: the traps are ready to go immediately
Orzeg's Traps
Orzeg has laid traps for anyone who messes
around too much in her alchemy workshop. These
traps activate as part of initiative, as per the
initiative counts below.
20: Jets of fire blast from vents, which are exhaust
from the laser cannon (they don't function if it's
been disabled). Each creature must succeed on a
DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6)
fire damage. There are two vents which can be
covered up with an action; the damage is
reduced by 1d6 for each vent covered. Vinchies
can use their action to uncover a vent.
10: Hidden elevators built into the floors deposit a
fresh vinchy (AH 45) into an empty space in the
room. There are four vinchies available to be
deposited in total. The elevators can be
discovered by taking an action to make a DC 10
Wisdom (Perception) check and then plugged
up with another action; only one action is
required to plug all elevators.
151
Orzeg's Notes
Note 1: DC 10
put up blueprints to improve resilience of
meteorships and maybe other voidships -- hull
strengthening, take more hits -- yet to test
Note 2: DC 15
vinchy came out wrong, doesn't follow orders --
need further study, keeping it in torture chamber --
must be a bug in its programming
Note 3: DC 20
disobedient vinchy keeps insisting it has a soul --
found a strange marking, like a closed "S" branded
into its metal plates, never put there myself --
could it be another reincarnation of Sollus? how
lucky would that be, easiest million gp I ever made
Laser Cannon Control
Enormous hulking laser cannon that glows red hot with
energy, drawing power from the lightning rods connected
to the black spires of the laboratory
Plated metal dome that swivels and adjusts swiftly to aim
the laser cannon in various directions
Complex arcane computing device that triangulates
positions of meteors; DC 15 Intelligence check to disable
the device and prevent the cannon from aiming properly;
see Cannon Disabled sidebar
The cannon and its computing device can be destroyed by
dealing 150 damage (AC 20, resistance to slashing and
piercing); see Cannon Disabled sidebar
8 vinchies maintain the area and attack the party on sight;
2 attempt to escape to warn Orzeg
If Orzeg is warned: 16 vinchies instead of 8 and DC 25 to
disable the arcane computing device
Cannon Disabled
Every 1d10 minutes, a meteor smashes into the
laboratory.
Every creature must make a DC 15 Strength
saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 7 (2d6)
bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone. On a
successful save, it takes half damage and isn't
knocked prone.
First Strike. The laboratory holds up for now.
Second Strike. The entrance to the laboratory
collapses, becoming impassable.
Third Strike. The factory floor is destroyed. The
laboratory is dangerously close to destruction.
Fourth Strike. The workshop is destroyed. One
more hit will destroy the laboratory entirely.
Fifth Strike. The laboratory is destroyed, killing
everyone inside in a massive explosion.
152
Torture Chamber
To get into the torture chamber, the party must get past the
locked door.
A sign is on the door: "torture in progress do not disturb"
The door is secured with arcane lock, setting the DC to
pick the lock or break down the door to be 30
The spell knock can suspend the arcane lock for 10
minutes, but alerts Orzeg and the vinchies of the party's
presence
Orzeg is clever and has hidden a glyph of warding (DC 15
Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Arcana) to spot) that
activates upon casting of dispel magic: it activates fireball
with a save DC of 15 centered on the caster, which also
alerts Orzeg and the vinchies of the party's presence
Every hour, if the party is undiscovered, a vinchy delivers a
potion of greater healing (DMG 187) to Orzeg; the vinchy
gets past the arcane lock with the codeword "Vetruvian"
Once the party gets past the door, they can enter the torture
chamber. It twists and curves back in on itself in a
labyrinthine tour of Orzeg's depravity. There is more up
ahead, but along the way the party encounters various
torturous instruments. No sign of life.
Brightly lit with cold fluorescent bulbs
Sterile white walls and metal walkways
Complex instruments of torture: a stretching rack, an iron
maiden, several tonnes of chains and manacles, and
various knives, pokers, and red-hot metal brands
5 potions, DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check to identify
each: 2 poison vials (PHB 153), a potion of healing (DMG
187), and 2 potions that force the drinker to fall under the
effects of zone of truth for 10 minutes
All throughout the torture chamber, incessant whispering
can be heard: after each minute spent in the torture
chamber, every party member must succeed on a DC 10
Wisdom saving throw or fall under long-term madness
(DMG 258-259)
Continuing on to the main area of the chamber, the party
finds Orzeg in the midst of her interrogations.
Orzeg delicately plucks out the eye of a machine you
recognise to be a modron, very similar in appearance to
Pythagoras from the Reef. The tridrone releases several jets of
steam and squeals in pain. She places the mechanical eye in a
kidney dish (the third such eye removed) and turns to face
you. Her head is that of a cunning fox, and squeezed tight
under her armpit is a book bound in red flesh, the source of
that horrible whispering you've heard in your minds.
"I was hoping you would come along," says Orzeg. "I'm glad
you made it. Had to make it difficult for you to avoid
suspicion. The truth is, I've been looking for a way to destroy
Broken Opal for quite some time. If that means helping you
rescue the various reincarnations of Sollus, so be it."
Inside of the room is ...
Orzeg, clutching her dark book of red flesh
The tridrone (MM 225), permanently blinded
A vinchy (AH 45), not hostile, bound in chains despite
being one of Orzeg's own creations
Depending on the party's adventure thus far, Karen and/or
Penny Featherlight, restrained but unharmed
Additionally, if Orzeg was alerted to the party's presence
beforehand, she'll have 10 (3d6) vinchies (AH 45) in the room
with her for extra protection, though they won't attack the
party unless the party attacks first. The chained-up vinchy
looks at the others with a mixture of pity, anger, and disdain.
Orzeg offers to join forces with the party. She hates Broken
Opal, she's bored to tears with the banality of her job as a
torturer, and anything that would humiliate her yugoloth
superiors is desirable to her. Also, if she can get out of this
job and just focus on making vinchies all day, she can cut out
any risk to yugoloth lives by just sending in her legions to do
all the work. She therefore wishes to assist the party in
gathering the rest of the reincarnations of Sollus.
Orzeg's Explanations
If asked about her prisoners, Orzeg can give the
party the following information. Any Wisdom
(Insight) check reveals she is telling the truth, and
she'll happy drink one of those truth potions as
well, just to prove a point.
The Tridrone. "Last modron alive after Broken Opal
blew up one of their conveyer voidships. It
doesn't seem to have a sense of individuality,
just like my vinchies. Tried to give it a new
purpose, but it's axiomatic. Nothing works. So,
I've been taking it apart and using it to improve
the designs of my vinchies. Feel no more pity for
this thing than you would for a termite."
The Vinchy. "Part of the reason I persisted for so
long with that modron was because of this
vinchy right here, which proves that the capacity
for individuality exists even in a construct. This
vinchy doesn't obey me like the others. It claims
it has a soul. Perhaps it's the same soul that you
all share. Perhaps it's another version of Sollus! I
get paid a cool million for each one I capture, so
that's perfect. You may call him Leonardo if you
wish. I must keep him chained up, unfortunately,
as he has threatened to kill me many times."
Leonardo himself refuses to speak on the matter.
Karen. "Never gave me the chance to offer myself
up as a co-conspirator. Oh well, it worked out
anyway. We both share a hatred for Broken Opal.
Such a shame we never connected until Karen
was placed right in my lap. What an opportunity
for disobedience! I am very excited." Karen isn't
so excited about teaming up with Orzeg, but she
begrudgingly agrees that having two traitors is
better than one, and she believes that Orzeg, at
the bare minimum, is telling the truth.
The Book of Red Flesh. "Oh, don't say such nasty
things about him. He's such a good boy."

If her offer is taken, she grants the party the following
benefits.
A contract that binds her to her word, ensuring her
unconditional loyalty to the party
In all future fights with yugoloths under Broken Opal's
command, the yugoloths will have disadvantage on all
attack rolls made against party members
20 vinchies will be created to act as loyal manservants for
the party in The Reef; these vinchies will be programmed
only to obey the party and will not respond to commands
from anyone else, not even Orzeg herself
If Orzeg's laboratory ends up destroyed as a result of the
party's actions, she laughs it off. "I've got a better lab in my
secret demiplane. I'll be fine."
Fighting Orzeg
If her offer isn't taken, Orzeg will express regret at the missed
opportunity, then her book will whisper dark thoughts in her
ear and she'll attack the party. She is an arcanaloth (MM
313) and her spellbook, The Book of Red Flesh, is a mimic
(MM 220). She will never use her action to attempt to
summon another yugoloth, as she prefers to work alone.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Orzeg takes a lair
action to cause one of the following effects; Orzeg can’t use
the same effect two rounds in a row.
Corruptive Whispers. The Book of Red Flesh whispers a
corrupting phrase. Each creature must succeed on a DC
17 Wisdom saving throw or fall under a short-term
madness effect (DMG 258-259).
Pain. One creature of Orzeg's choice becomes afflicted with
crippling pain if it has 100 hit points or fewer and isn't
immune to being charmed. The affliction lasts until the end
of its next turn, and while afflicted, the target's speed can't
be higher than 10 feet, it has disadvantage on attack rolls,
ability checks, and all saving throws except Constitution,
and if it tries to cast a spell, it must succeed on a DC 17
Constitution saving throw or the spell is wasted.
A party member can use their action to attempt to free one of
Orzeg's prisoners, requiring a DC 25 Strength check to break
the chains or a DC 15 Dexterity (Thieves' Tools) check to pick
the lock. The prisoner is under the effects of Orzeg's Pain lair
action until Orzeg is dead or she chooses to release them.
Leonardo can free himself with his secret wand of binding
(DMG 209) if the party promises to protect him from Orzeg.
Leonardo
Leonardo is a reincarnation of Sollus. Rescuing him provides
the following benefits to the party.
Magic Item
Leonardo secretly has a wand of binding (DMG 209) he was
going to use to escape when the opportunity arose. He
created it himself based off of designs and materials he stole
from Orzeg before she became aware of his individuality.
153
Burrower Bonus
If Leonardo is given the opportunity to work on the Burrower,
he outfits it with dozens of poison stingers like the ones used
by Orzeg's pascorpticon, which can also function similar to
cellular celia for movement. The poison stingers have a reach
of 20 feet, an attack bonus of +10, and deal 7 (2d6) piercing
damage and 7 (2d6) poison damage on a hit.
Teamwork Bonus
The Escape Artist. While in physical contact with
another party member, each party member is under
the effects of the spell freedom of movement.
Escape from Perdition
After making a deal with Orzeg (she stays on Perdition to
avoid suspicion) or killing Orzeg, the laboratory is slammed
by a meteor. However, this isn't the same type of meteor that
has been falling from the skies: this is a yugoloth meteorship.
It blows a hole right in the side of the laboratory.
The meteorship is a wreckage now, having broken apart after
slamming into the laboratory and blowing a hole right through
the spire where you're standing. A hot blast of wind ruffles
your hair; you're high up above the ground, and staring out at
the slanted horizon makes you feel dizzy and unbalanced.
From the crashed meteorship, four mezzoloths crawl out.
As soon as they spot you, they yelp in fright and teleport away.
Thesea, your loyal voidship, sidles up next to the gaping
hole in the wall, her massive sails billowing from the hot air.
"Well hello there, if you aren't the hottest batch of adventurers
ever to pop out of the oven! Hop on quick, cause these rowdy
boys ain't falling for the same trick twice -- wait -- hold on --"
She swoops low, spins, and rolls back to her position just in
time to avoid a second meteorship smashing into the spire
next to the first one. The spire starts to teeter. More
mezzoloths skitter out of the wreckage and teleport away.
"Well, fool them twice, shame on them! Don't keep a girl
waiting, let's go!"
The party escapes Perdition on Thesea's back, who still
needs a bit of time to recharge her gate spell. Thesea is
pursued by a meteorship (AH 51) crewed by three
skereloths (AH 32), plus two more identical meteorships if
Broken Opal was earlier alerted to the party's presence on
Perdition.
Once the meteorships are destroyed or Thesea is far
enough away that the threat is removed, she uses gate to get
back to The Reef, safe and sound.
William Rotor
William Rotor is a writer, educator, designer, and creative professional with a love for
unusual mediums of expression. He lives and works in Australia and is an active member of
the local film and theatre scene. You can find more of his work related to Dungeons and
Dragons on his subreddit, /r/williamrotor.
Notable works include ...
156
The Crimson Terror of Yenneth
H
idden well in the perilous mountains at the
heart of Yenneth bides the ancient dragon
Gauss. Though Yenneth is filled to the brim
with heroes who wish to test their mettle, he
lies undefeated in his lair. Occasionally,
offerings are brought to him, and deals are
made, but Gauss is a dragon who revels in his
loneliness. Only the promise of riches beyond imagining has
enthralled him to the service of the Opalescents. Just a few
months, they say. A few months of tolerating the yugoloths
and their prisoner.
Adventure Background
What Karen Knows
"Simple as can be. This assignment is in Yenneth, Realm of
Great Heroes and Greater Villains. Gauss the red dragon has
been given a princess to guard for the time being, her and a
few nobodies from her court like the jester and her maids.
Broken Opal has assigned a nycaloth on duty, the mad Queen
Ursula McVale. Ursula has ranted and raved about the
unfairness of her assignment. 'Broken Opal just wants me to
suffer through reminders of what I've lost!' she's shrieked. And
in fairness, that old bitch Ursula was once a queen. Making her
guard a princess is no doubt a power play by Broken Opal, but
Ursula should know better than to complain. It shows
weakness. That's probably why Broken Opal herself is there --
aside from chess with the red dragon, I think she just wants to
gloat. Oh, and we can't forget the freakish little thing called
Kegnoth who patrols through the tight crawlspaces. I think
there are a few burrowing skereloths in there as well. They
share a kindred spirit with the kobolds."
What Illusosollus Knows
Yenneth: BEST KNOWN FOR THE 'EARTHBERGS'
FLOATING THROUGH THE GREAT RIVER AND FOR
THE OPPORTUNITY FOR LEGENDARY HEROES TO
FACE LEGENDARY MONSTERS.
Gauss the Dragon: ALSO KNOWN AS THE
CRIMSON TERROR OF YENNETH, GAUSS IS A
RED DRAGON OF AGE 2,403. HE EMPLOYS
KOBOLDS IN HIS MOUNTAIN LAIR.
Kobolds: KOBOLDS ARE KNOWN FOR LAYING
TRAPS. THEY ARE ALSO KNOWN FOR EMPLOYING
TACTICAL POSITIONING IN COMBAT. THEY
OFTEN SERVE POWERFUL DRAGONS. KOBOLDS
USE SLINGS AND DAGGERS AS WEAPONS,
THOUGH MANY DRAGONS OUTFIT THEIR KOBOLDS
WITH MORE POWERFUL WEAPONS. SOME KOBOLDS
ARE BORN WITH WINGS OR SPELLCASTING
CAPABILITIES. THEY DESPISE THE LIGHT.
Sollus Reincarnation
The database in The Reef tells the party the following
information about the Sollus reincarnation they must rescue.
Name. Ynthriss
Race. Dragonborn (Red)
Age. 29
Gender. Female
Languages. Common, Draconic
Tattoo of the Knotted Snake. Thumb on the right hand
Statblock. AH 44
The party does not yet know the following information.
Appearance. Ynthriss is a deceptively nimble dragonborn
with brilliant crimson scales. Her horns are pierced with
royal amethyst rings, a gift from the king. She wears a puffy
harlequin jester's uniform that has now been dulled and
ripped.
Profession. Ynthriss is a jester.
Self-Perception. I have not yet awakened to the knowledge
of my true self, Sollus Ipsus the Many.
Voice. Melodic. "Sing sweet songs of sleep, my dear, you
slumber slow and deep. Sing sweet songs of rest, my dear,
sleep deep at my behest."
Personality. I'm implacable. I make the best of my situation.
Ideal. Control. What I like best about my profession is being
able to control the emotions of even the most powerful
kings and queens.
Bond. My princess was eaten by Gauss, my kidnapper. I have
to set aside my terror for now: my best chance of escape is
to seduce him.
Flaw. As long as I make it out with an interesting story, I
don't mind who gets hurt, as long as it's not me.

Backstory
Ynthriss was a court jester for a beautiful human
princess, Lady Dine of Gonerley. One day, while
riding in the royal carriage, yugoloths attacked and
kidnapped Lady Dine and her entourage, including
Ynthriss. The knights were slain by the yugoloths
immediately.
The yugoloths brought them all to the domain of
the red dragon Gauss, where the maid was quickly
sacrificed to the dragon as a show of good faith.
Gauss worked out a deal with the yugoloths and
agreed to watch over Ynthriss and Lady Dine.
Gauss had his kobolds set out a beautiful dinner
for the two women, and had them join him in his
treasure hoard, displaying his wealth to them as a
show of power. Lady Dine attempted to negotiate
with the dragon: if she were to be kept alive, her
father would send courtiers to offer immense
wealth for her release. Gauss promptly ate her.
By the time the party arrives, Ynthriss has been
entertaining Gauss for several months. She is
hoping to seduce him so she can gain his trust and
escape. Heroes in Yenneth seeking glory have
reported a beautiful voice emanating from Gauss'
cave, and having experience with sirens and
banshees, they've all wisely stayed away.
157
Entering Yenneth
Thesea crashes down into a white water rapid and slams into
the far bank. The water smashes into her side and spins her
until she's being carted downstream. Before she can free
herself, she's launched off the edge of an infinite waterfall and
is sent tumbling down through the endless sky. She manages
to right herself and regain control just before she hits a
floating disk of earth -- a disk that must be hundreds of miles
in every direction, for an enormous mountain rises up from its
center. The mountain belches black smoke from its peak, and
sinister red clouds gather. "This must be the Mountain of the
Crimson Terror!" shouts Thesea, and even in your mind it is
difficult to hear her voice over the wind. "I'm dropping you lot
off here. I'd try to get you closer, but the clap of my thick sails
would alert the guards. Kisses!" With that, she's gone.
The Earthberg
The party must cross the earthberg to reach the mountain.
Queen Ursula McVale (AH 25) patrols the skies, instantly
detecting anyone who attempts to fly to the peak; there is no
opportunity to hide while flying without invisibility. If she
spots someone, she will approach, but won't attack outright
unless it's clear the party isn't going to offer her anything
nice. If attacked, she will teleport into the mountain to alert
Broken Opal and Gauss.
158
A stealthier approach is by land, where plenty of volcanic
rock, molten rivers, and foxholes provide cover. Unknown to
the party, much of the terrain here is patrolled underground
by burrowing skereloths (AH 32), who send information back
to Queen Ursula McVale through a relay of telepathy. This
means Ursula's passive Perception is 19, but there is a 12-
second (2-round) delay before she receives the information
she needs to find the party. Ursula will swarm the party with
8 skereloths (AH 32) before teleporting back to the mountain
to raise the alarm.
The distance to the mountain is 2,000 feet. At 1,000 feet, it
becomes clear that the entrance to the mountain is quite
close to the top.
The Climb
The entrance to the mountain is near the top, about 1,000
feet high. Jagged precipices and craggy outcrops provide a
tough but manageable climb. The conditions for remaining
stealthy are otherwise the same as they are on the ground. If
Ursula has a grudge against a particular party member, she
may try to throw them off the mountain before teleporting
inside to raise the alarm.
For every 300 feet climbed, a party member must succeed
on DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take a level of
exhaustion. The use of climbing gear such as ropes and
pitons grants a character advantage on this save.
The Entrance
Heaving with effort, you finally make it to the top where a
huge black entrance looms before you. It seems as though the
mountain is bigger on the inside than the outside, like that
darkness could eat you up and swallow you whole. you don't
know how the dragon Gauss is able to enter or exit this place,
for compared to the size of an ancient dragon, the opening
seems rather small.
You hear a voice from within: "Sing sweet songs of rest ..."
The entrance to the lair appears unguarded, but a DC 15
Wisdom (Perception) check reveals a web of fine tripwires
strewn across the entire opening. There is a gap in the
tripwires near the bottom where characters can safely crawl
through, an easy feat for a kobold.
If the wires are tripped, everyone in the party must succeed
on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be blasted with jets of
flame, taking 28 (8d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as
much damage on a successful one. The tripwires also set off
an alarm that alerts everyone in the lair.
The Lair
If the party has alerted the denizens of the lair to their
presence, the passive Perception of all hostile creatures is
increased by 5.
General Features
The following features of the lair are omnipresent.
Dark. It's pitch black. The kobolds and yugoloths
rely on their darkvision to see.
Loud. The banging of metal on metal in the
forges, the screaming of kobolds, and the deep
roar of a terrible creature in the depths make the
atmosphere oppressive and frightening.
Hot. It's boiling in here, only comfortable for
those who are resistant or immune to fire damage.
Everyone else must drink water every 10 minutes
or cool themselves off in some other way. If they
can't, they must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution
check to avoid incurring a level of exhuastion.
Claustrophobia. Party members of size Medium
or larger must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving
throw. On a failed save, the target becomes
claustrophobic until they return to The Reef. While
claustrophobic and in tight spaces (less than 10
feet wall to wall), their movement speed is halved
and their attack rolls are made with disadvantage.
The spell heroism ends the effect, as well as any
spell or ability that cures the frightened condition.
Burrowing Ambushes. If the party deliberates on a
decision for too long, 1d4 skereloths (AH 32)
burrow out from the walls and attack. If the lair has
been alerted to the party's presence, this is an
ambush (anyone with a passive Perception lower
than 13 is surprised). Otherwise, the skereloths are
as shocked as the party to be there.
Fork in the Lair
As the party ventures deeper into the lair, they come to a fork
in the path. Both paths are narrow, claustrophic, oppressive.
The left path sounds like something spinning, or digging, like
a machine. The right path sounds like draconic screeching.
The Left Path
Once the party has made significant headway through the
claustrophobic tunnels, they hear a strange whirring noise
coming from up ahead.
The whirring grows louder and louder until it's nearly
unbearable, approaching faster than you thought. There, at the
edge of your vision, you see it: a scaly, nightmarish creature
with five arms whipping like fan-blades around its torso. The
fiend's skull is so thick that it pushes through the skin and
scales on its scalp. It spots you and charges, galloping on its
three scaly insectoid legs at a frightening pace.
Kegnoth (AH 26), the dhergoloth, attacks the party in the
narrow tunnel. She is determined enough to attack them until
she is dead, never giving up. If combat takes longer than 2
rounds, or if a significant amount of noise is made, the lair is
alerted before the party moves on.
The Right Path
The party enters the kobold warrens and travels for some
time before they find the source of the screeching.
Not Alerted
The party comes across a group of 2d8 kobolds (MM 195)
roasting a boar to eat. Anyone who speaks Draconic can hear
them bickering over whether the boar has enough meat on its
bones to feed them all. The way forward is totally blocked by
the kobolds, and their argument won't end any time soon.
And the party can hear something else burrowing behind
them, inching ever closer ...
The party must find a way to distract, stun, or slaughter the
kobolds quickly. If they take too long, 1d4 skereloths (AH 32)
burrow into the room and join the fight. Any survivors of the
fight alert the rest of the lair of the intruders.
The lair is also alerted if evidence of the party's presence
(such as dead kobolds) are left lying around for the skereloths
to find.
Alerted
The party comes across an empty room that seems to be a
dining area for the kobolds. A skewered hog is still hanging
on a spit, freshly cooked, steaming hot.
2d8 kobolds (MM 195) have quickly set up a trap for the
party. They've hidden in alcoves in the walls. As soon as the
party is in the center of the room, they attack; anyone with a
passive Perception lower than 12 is surprised. 1d4
skereloths (AH 32) burrow up from underground and join
the fight as well.
Second Fork in the Lair
The party comes across another fork. To the right, they can
hear the sounds of the path they did not take the first time
(e.g. if they took the right path, they now hear the strange
whirring of the left path). The new path sounds like the roar
of a terrible monster, and it burns with heat, even more so
than usual for this lair.
The New Path
The heat here is more oppressive than usual. A gust of hot
wind blasts through the tunnel. Everyone must succeed on a
DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take 1d4 fire damage.
As they press on, they enter a chamber that is blissfully
spacious. In the middle of the chamber is a great stone
archway with runes that appear to be written in Draconic. It's
slightly too far away to make out the runes, even with
darkvision.
A tripwire is placed across the entrance to the chamber;
anyone who steps closer to read the runes will trip it unless
they spot it with a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check.
Anyone with a passive Perception of 17 or higher notices the
tripwire immediately. If the wire is tripped, the runes activate
and explode. Everyone must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving
throw, taking 28 (8d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as
much damage on a successful one. This also alerts the lair of
the party's presence.
The runes are written in Draconic and say "In Case of
Intruders, Break Wire".
160
Alerted
If the party had already alerted the lair before entering the
room, 1d8 kobolds (MM 195) wait in alcoves to ambush the
party. Party members with a passive Perception of less than
12 are surprised.
Gauss' Door
Finally, the party reaches a dead end of the claustrophobic
warrens. At this dead end is a stone door with four symbols
of dragon scales chiseled into it. If the party relies solely on
darkvision to see, these scales look identical in every way. If
the party uses lights, they can see that each symbol is painted
a different colour: silver (first), white (second), gold (third),
and red (fourth).
Instructions are written on the door in Draconic: "May the
most glorious scale bear entry."
To open the door, the party must present a scale of their
own (or one taken from a kobold or yugoloth, or a fake scale)
and place it upon fourth symbol on the door, the red scale.
If the party places the symbol on the wrong scale, the scale
explodes violently. Everyone must make a DC 17 Dexterity
saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) fire damage on a failed save, or
half as much damage on a successful one. This also alerts the
lair of the party's presence.
If the party takes too long with the puzzle, 1d4 skereloths
(AH 32) show up.
Alerted
If the party had already alerted the lair to their presence
before arriving here, the following trap has also been placed
by kobolds.
When the door opens, a small jet of flame erupts. Anyone
within 5 feet of the door must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity
saving throw or take 7 (2d6) fire damage.
Gauss' Treasure Room
Not Alerted
The warm red glow of rivers of molten rock comes as a
pleasant surprise as you enter the central chamber of the
mountain. You stand upon a peninsula overlooking the vast
chamber, and from your high perch, you can see more treasure
than you thought could have ever existed in the multiverse.
The gold glitters and dazzles. Your heart soars with the
thought of all you could do with such riches.
You hear Ynthriss before you see her.
"Sing sweet songs of sleep, my dear, you slumber slow and
deep. Sing sweet songs of rest, my dear, sleep deep at my
behest ... no, that's not right ... sing sweet songs of ... hmm."
Her voice is entrancing, and every note is carried by the
strum of a beautiful harp. You follow her voice to see her lying
on a hammock strung between two golden statues of gods.
She seems relaxed.
Oddly enough, you do not see a dragon. However, two beings,
a man and a woman, sit on opposite thrones. They are playing
chess with pieces of fine silver. You don't recognise the man,
but the woman is a yugoloth, an ultroloth. On her forehead is
the tattoo of the black queen. Broken Opal.
The man is Gauss in human form, a stern old commoner
(MM 345) with sharp, angry features. He has polymorphed
himself into a commoner, so his commoner form shares his
Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma ability scores, and if he
is reduced to 0 hit points, he will instantly transform back
into his dragon form.
The party has the opportunity to take a stealthy approach.
They first need a way to safely get down from the peninsula
(it's a 100-foot drop).
Once down, the party may take the time to collect gold and
other treasures. A character can take an action to grab as
much treasure as they can find, rolling on the Challenge 5-10
Treasure Hoard table for what they can grab. If they choose
to do so, however, they must make a new Dexterity (Stealth)
check with disadvantage.
Assuming they make it to Ynthriss, they must convince her
to come with them. She explains her plan to seduce Gauss.
The party must come up with at least two flaws in her plan. A
few examples are listed below.
Gauss may actually be less likely to let Ynthriss leave if he
is in love with her.
Gauss is a big ugly murderous dragon and seducing him is
morally inexcusable.
The yugoloths are also preventing her escape, and
Ynthriss can't seduce all of them, too.
Ynthriss has rescuers right here in front of her. No need to
make it more complicated than it has to be.
If they can poke holes in her plan, all they need is a DC 10
Charisma (Persuasion) check to convince her to come along.
On a failed check, she alerts Ynthriss and Broken Opal to the
party's presence.
Alerted
The warm red glow of rivers of molten rock comes as a
pleasant surprise as you enter the central chamber of the
mountain. You stand upon a peninsula overlooking the vast
chamber, and from your high perch, you can see more treasure
than you thought could have ever existed in the multiverse.
The gold glitters and dazzles. Your heart soars with the
thought of all you could do with such riches.
But before you can survey the room, you come face to face
with the great red dragon Gauss, who stares deep into your
souls. You can almost feel the sheer gravity of his size pulling
you in. Smoke billows from his nostrils, but instead of
incinerating you, he smashes his claws onto the peninsula and
sends you tumbling down into the treasure trove.

He goes to swallow you all up, but a red dragonborn stands
before him. Ynthriss. "No!" she says. "Don't eat them like you
did to Lady Dine!"
"And why shouldn't I?" huffs Gauss. His voice is like an
earthquake in your bones.
"Because," says Ynthriss. "It would make me like you less."
Escape
You can mix and match elements of the "Not Alerted" and
"Alerted" section of Gauss' Treasure Room depending on how
your party handles the encounter with Ynthriss and the
dragon.
In either case, at some point the party must grab Ynthriss
and make a run for it.
If Gauss has been alerted at any point, he immediately
descends on the party. Otherwise, the party gets a head start.
The party must run back through each room they passed
through on their way to collect Ynthriss, in opposite order. A
new challenge awaits in each room.
Gauss' Treasure Room
The party must somehow climb the 100 feet back up to the
peninsula with Ynthriss in tow.
Not Alerted
The party hears Gauss calling innocently for Ynthriss to play
him a song. Broken Opal tells him to concentrate on their
game, but he gets up and starts looking for her.
Alerted
Broken Opal (AH 25) casts mass suggestion to try to get the
party to leave Ynthriss behind. If that doesn't work, she casts
fire storm to block their way. She's trying to slow them down
so that they will have to face Gauss directly.
If the party can't get out of the treasure chamber within 2
rounds, Gauss, an ancient red dragon (MM 97), joins
initiative.
Gauss' Door
The party must pass through the stone door, still open from
earlier.
Not Alerted
1d4 kobolds (MM 195) have wandered into the area since
the party was last here. They're just trying to figure out how
the door got open when the party runs up to them. They
shriek and grab for their weapons; they'll attempt to slow the
party down, and they'll shriek for Gauss.
Regardless, Gauss has realized that Ynthriss is gone by
this point and has transformed back into his full dragon
strength. He begins his chase.
161
Alerted
1d4 kobolds (MM 195) wait to ambush the party from behind
the doors. A party member with a passive Perception lower
than 12 is surprised.
On initiative count 1, a jet of flame erupts from the treasure
room behind the party. Everyone must make a DC 24
Dexterity saving throw, taking 91 (26d6) fire damage on a
failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The
kobolds are instantly cooked.
The New Path
A blissfully spacious chamber with a stone archway in the
middle. Plenty of room to stretch out and run from the angry
dragon.
Not Alerted
Each party member must explicitly declare that they are
avoiding the tripwire left in this room, otherwise they trigger
the explosion from the runes of the stone archway.
Alerted
The kobolds have reset this trap if it's already been triggered.
The party members must explicitly declare that they are
avoiding where the trip wire used to be.
Additionally, 1d6 kobolds (MM 195) attempt to ambush
the party. A party member with a passive Perception lower
than 12 is surprised.
Gauss
Gauss lets loose a mighty roar that reverberates throughout
the entire chamber. Everyone must succeed on a DC 21
Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of Gauss for 1
minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of
each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a
creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it,
the creature is immune to Gauss' Frightful Presence for the
next 24 hours.
While frightened in this way, a creature's movement speed
is halved.
The Right Path
This is where the kobolds had set out their dinner of roast
boar.
Not Alerted
The group of kobolds from before is still here in the same
state they were when the party left them.
Alerted
The kobolds have vacated the area and placed more tripwire
traps. Anyone with a passive Perception of 17 or higher
notices the wire. If nobody notices it, someone trips it and the
room is engulfed in an explosion. Everyone must make a DC
17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) fire damage on a
failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
162
Gauss Rewards
Gauss flaps his mighty wings, sending gusts of hot air Upon successfully extracting Ynthriss, the party receives the
throughout the entire lair. Everyone must succeed on a DC following rewards.
25 Dexterity saving throw or take 17 (2d6 + 10) bludgeoning
damage and be knocked prone. Then, 1d4 skereloths (AH Magic Item
32) erupt from the floor and attack.
Ynthriss gives the party her Boots of Striding and Springing
The Left Path (DMG 156).
These are the narrow tunnels where the deranged dhergoloth Burrower Bonus
was fought.
The burrower becomes equipped with magical noise emitters
Gauss that play any music the driver chooses. The music can be
If the party has spent more than 3 rounds in combat instead heard clearly up to 1 mile away, and as a thumping bass line
of running away, Gauss has had the chance to recharge his up to 20 miles away.
fire breath. Everyone must make a DC 24 Dexterity saving
throw, taking 91 (26d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half Teamwork Bonus
as much damage on a successful one. When selecting a teamwork bonus for future heists, the
Otherwise, Gauss impotently roars from much deeper in following option becomes available.
the lair. He is too big to escape himself.
The Entrance
The Fool. All party members gain proficiency in
At the entrance, any surviving yugoloths face off against the Performance while performing together as a group.
party in a last ditch effort to stop them. Broken Opal (AH 25) If a party member already has proficiency in
directs the battle from afar while Queen Ursula McVale (AH Performance, they can add +1 to their Performance
25) fights in close quarters. If Kegnoth (AH 26) is somehow checks (whether with their party or elsewhere).
still alive, she attacks the party from behind.
The Mountain of the Crimson
Terror
The party can reach the bottom of the mountain safely if
they've cleared out the yugoloths. Once they reach the
bottom, however ...
As you look up to the sky, you see that the red clouds have
turned deep crimson, and the light rain has turned the colour
of blood. A man stands at the entrance to the lair high above
you, and as you watch, he transforms back into Gauss, the
Crimson Terror, and takes to the skies.

The party has to somehow clear 2,000 feet to make it to the

edge of the disk without being cooked or eaten by the dragon.
They can use speed, teleportation, stealth, or good old-
fashioned dragon-slaying to safely clear this last hurdle.
After the party has travelled 300 feet, or after 5 rounds
(whichever comes first), a portal opens up and Thesea bursts
through, smashing through molten rock and landing right in
front of the party.
"All aboard, losers! No way in hell am I gonna let you fight an
ancient dragon. I haven't even done my make-up. Let's go!"

Thesea hops back through her portal before it closes, leaving

Yenneth (and the Crimson Terror) behind.
William Rotor
William Rotor is a writer, educator, designer, and creative professional with a love for
unusual mediums of expression. He lives and works in Australia and is an active member of
the local film and theatre scene. You can find more of his work related to Dungeons and
Dragons on his subreddit, /r/williamrotor.
Notable works include ...

Sawtooth
W
hen the world was young and the void was
thin, the great megalodons were the masters
of existence. But the top of the food chain isn't
so secure when beings so small can fight with
the fury of a thousand sharks. The Reef
Megalodons are a fraction of the size they
once were. Let it be a reminder that no
creature, no matter how important it thinks it is, is truly
invincible.
Summary
The party dives into the maw of a powerful shark and rescues
two twins of Sollus. By the end of the adventure, the party
will have ...
explored a dungeon in the twisting bowels of a shark
Hook
Karen informs the party that Broken Opal placed a tracker on
a reincarnation of Sollus. The tracker somehow ended up
inside of a shark; its gullet seems to lead to a private
demiplane of some sort. Karen's already sent a few of her
Opalescents into the shark to retrieve it, but they were killed
and came back muttering about "water bears" or something.
She's sending a fresh batch in. The party might have a chance
to get there first.
The Shark
The party must travel through the Reef to locate the reef
megalodon (AH 36). The most obvious method of travel is
with Thesea (AH 76). Roll for Random Reef Encounters (AH
68). Encounter 4, the reef megalodon, is the third encounter
unless it's triggered earlier.
Encountering the Reef Megalodon
It's hard to judge distances out here, but even so, you can tell
how massive this shark is just by how long it takes for it to
grow bigger in the distance. Just when you think it's getting
close, it's another several minutes to go. The sheer size of this
thing seems to draw you in through gravity alone. It opens its
mouth wide, and like water funnelling into a drain, you tumble
into its gullet, watching row upon row of teeth like skyscrapers
whooshing past until the mouth closes and you are doused in
darkness.
165
The Bowels
The shark's gullet leads to the demiplane known as The
Bowels, loosely mapping to the shark's internal organs.
General Features
The Bowels has the following general features.
Bioluminescence. Jellyfish-like single-celled
organisms cling to the walls of the caverns, lighting
the Bowels with a dim, eerie, silvery-blue glow.
Cartilage. The walls, ceilings, and floors are
supported by a structure of cartilage, which
resembles a skeletal spine. The cartilage is flexible
and doesn't snap or break unless under extreme
stress, much more than a Medium-sized creature
could muster.
Squishy. Walls of flesh and cartilage make for a
squelching, squishy ambiance. Every footstep
squeaks. Every sound is swallowed up by the
background drone of internal organs and a steady,
low heartbeat.
Like a Sauna. It's uncomfortably hot. Creatures
that can sweat do so profusely. It's a little bit
difficult to breathe, and an extended stay is
obviously inadvisable.
1: Stomach
A river of acid flows through the center of the tube of
stomach lining. Boiling, bubbling yellow acid threatens to eat
through the soles of your shoes. It's only safe on the banks of
the river, but you can hear, more than see, half-digested
creatures still clinging desperately to life down here.
The walls are fleshy. They jiggle periodically. A river of acid
flows across the floor; it is 30 feet wide and is up to 30 feet
deep in the middle. Banks of flesh give 10 feet of space on
either side, though the acid frequently splashes from side to
side. It runs the entire length of the Bowels. Touching the
acid immediately deals 5 (1d10) acid damage, and starting
one's turn immersed in acid deals 27 (5d10) acid damage. In
this demiplane, acid can be affected by spells and other
magical effects that would ordinarily only affect water, like
control water and whirlpool, though it can't be frozen,
purified, or have its nature changed to anything except acid.
On the ceiling near the entrance, a hole leads to Area 2, the
brain. It is guarded by 2 tapeworms using the grick statblock
(MM 173), a fluke using the giant octopus statblock (MM
326), and a hookworm using the grell statblock (MM 172). All
of these parasites are immune to acid damage.
On the map, the tapeworms appears as worms, the fluke as
an octopus, and the hookworm as a scorpion.
166
Tapeworm
Slithering and slimy, the worm would be a mile long if it wasn't
knotted all up like a wet rope.
Fluke
Flagellating tendrils pull this tongue-shaped creature along the
walls with wet, sucking slurps.
Hookworm
Rearing up like a tarantula, the hookworm's signature hooked
teeth are as long as your arm.
In the floor, through the acid, a hole leads to Area 3, the liver.
A whirlpool gives away its location. It is guarded by two
flukes using the giant octopus statblock (MM 326), a very
large tapeworm using the grick alpha statblock (MM 173),
and a tardigrade using the chuul statblock (MM 40). The
tardigrade is immune to acid damage.
Tardigrade
Rolls of fat covering soulless eyes. These must be the 'water
bears' that the yugoloths had wailed about. They look almost
piglike with a little sucker on their fat little mouths. Their eight
chunky legs move sluggishly but steadily. Something tells you
that these things can take a hell of a lot of punishment.
2: Brain
The brain is cramped, with pink wrinkly walls closing in all
around you. This doesn't feel like the brain of a sentient being
at all. Too small, too narrow, too much like a birth canal than
anything else. This shark operates on instinct and everything
else is perfunctory. Hunt, kill, eat. Keep moving or die.
Within the brain swim two reef sharks (MM 336), baby reef
megalodons that have recently hatched but haven't made
their way out of their mother yet. They are murderously
hostile. The brain, somehow also functioning as the
megalodon's uterus, has two eggs yet to hatch, one in each of
the side chambers of the brain. Any damage destroys an egg.
If 50 damage is dealt to the brain, the megalodon dies and
its body immediately starts to rot.
3: Liver
The acid draining from the stomach is absorbed by the liver
walls, leaving a pleasant hollow space with much milder
temperatures. The liver seems to grant the megalodon
buoyancy; you float in mid-air as though there were no gravity
at all.
In the liver is a docile fluke, a giant octopus (MM 326) and a
table with three humanoid figures sitting and drinking tea
from makeshift animal-skin bladders.

Rotting Body Features
If the megalodon dies and her body starts to rot,
the following general features are added.
Feast for Little Terrors. One more of each type of
parasite squirms out from the acid in Area 1 and
begins to feast upon the stomach lining: two
tapeworms (a grick and a grick alpha), a fluke (a
giant octopus), and a hookworm (a grell).
Walls Closing In. In Area 1, the stomach lining
walls start to contract, completely removing the
banks of the acid river (i.e. 10 feet inward on each
side).
Noxious Gasses. Fumes waft in as the walls
become bloated and rotten. At the beginning of
each creature's turn, it must make a DC 10
Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the
creature takes 2d6 poison damage. On a
successful save, the creature takes half damage
instead. Any creature that fails its save by 5 or
more contracts Shark Rot.
The three people are Gepetto, a human mage (MM 347), and
two vinchy (AH 45) knights (MM 347).
Gepetto is a spindly middle-aged man with a wildly unkempt
beard. His clothes looked once to be magnificent, but have
been discolored by frequent contact with acid. The two
vinchies are falling apart but still have a semblance of armor.
One of them is using its blade arm (the knight statblock's
reflavoured longsword) to chop up a dead tapeworm. It almost
looks like calamari.
Personality. Just a tad unhinged. I love learning about
obscure subjects, particularly dark languages and
extraplanar beings.
Ideal. Back to Basics. The only thing a person needs to
survive is food and water. Who cares about the rest?
Bond. I was always a bit of a loner. Threw myself into my
studies and earned my money lecturing on obscure
subjects in Candlekeep. Never made many friends. I
reprogrammed these vinchies to be my friends, and they're
all I could ever need.
Flaw. I really don't see the problem with living alone in the
liver of a giant shark with nothing but a couple of
automatons as company.
The following information can be learned through
conversation with Gepetto.
Gepetto speaks Common, Abyssal, Infernal, and Deep
Speech, being obsessed with obscure dark languages.
He was lecturing a class on conjuration magic when
yugoloths burst into his classroom and kidnapped him.
Broken Opal placed a tracker in him, a tapeworm (regular-
sized) in his stomach. It's probably still alive.
He escaped by blowing a hole in the yugoloth meteorship
and leaping out into the void, where he was promptly
eaten by the Reef Megalodon.
167
Shark Rot
This disease, caused by noxious gasses in the body
of a decomposing Reef Megalodon, gives the
infected creature the poisoned condition, and the
creature can't recover hit points by any means. At
the end of each long rest, the creature must make
a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, taking 2d6
poison damage on a failed save or half as much
damage on a successful one. After three successful
saving throws, the disease ends. After three failed
saving throws, the creature dies.
Orzeg sent some vinchies after him, but he was able to
reprogram the vinchies before they could kill him. The
vinchies now believe that Gepetto is their original creator,
not Orzeg.
The Opalescents hemmed and hawed for a few weeks
before ultimately sending a few mezzoloths and skereloths
into the Reef Megalodon, where they were promptly
overwhelmed and killed by all the parasites living in the
shark's stomach.
Gepetto is perfectly happy living inside of the shark's liver.
He doesn't want to leave.
Gepetto can be convinced to leave with a DC 15 Charisma
(Persuasion) check, which is made with advantage if his
characteristics are incorporated into the suggestion.
Don't forget the necessity of removing the tracker; if it isn't
removed, Broken Opal will track the party's location.
Escaping the Reef Megalodon
When the party is ready to leave, the Opalescents
arrive. Add Kegnoth (AH 26), Tirikan (AH 26), Beck
(AH 26), Toda (AH 29), and Zigazan the Boiler (AH
30) to the entrance of Area 1. They immediately
locate and attempt to pursue the party.
The only effective way out is through Area 4.
If there are any parasites left in the stomach,
Kegnoth splits off to fight the parasites alone.
4: Spiral Valve
The non-euclidean geometry of the intestinal tract makes your
head spin. You can see to the end, where waste expels into the
great void of The Reef, but space itself seems to spiral in on
itself to get there.
While in the spiral valve, a creature is dizzy: it has
disadvantage on attack rolls and any ability check or saving
throw made to avoid falling prone. Its movement speed is
reduced by 15 feet.
The spiral valve is just over 60 feet long, but requires 300
feet of movement to traverse thanks to the way it folds the
fabric of spacetime. It leads out of the shark and into The
Reef where Thesea waits to pick up the party.
168
Rewards
Magic Item
Gepetto has staved off the worst of the noxious environment
by secretly wearing a periapt of proof against poison (DMG
184). He gives it to the party as thanks for rescuing him.
Teamwork Bonus
The Strong Stomach. While in physical contact with
another party member, each party member is under
the effects of the spell protection from poison.

Burrower Bonus
Gepetto adds internal automated repair arms that can
automatically cast mending on the Burrower once per
minute.
PART 5
Adventure Conclusion
William Rotor
William Rotor is a writer, educator, designer, and creative professional with a love for
unusual mediums of expression. He lives and works in Australia and is an active member of
the local film and theatre scene. You can find more of his work related to Dungeons and
Dragons on his subreddit, /r/williamrotor.
Notable works include ...
172
But Food for Worms
H
ow do we measure a soul? If you lose all of
your memories and start again from scratch,
what difference is there from being dead?
How can we say that two people who share a
soul are truly the same person? These
questions weigh on the mind of Kierk the
Guard, for he has no soul at all. This life is all
he has, and he's spent it wasting away in his own prison.
Summary
The party launches an assault on the prison world of Tartarus
to rescue Sollus Ipsus the Many, the original owner of the
soul they all possess. By the end of this heist, the party will
have ...
Breached the walls of an unbreachable prison
Fought their way through powerful defenses
Defeated an undefeatable foe
Unlocked their true selves
Last Minute Research
Illusollus gives the party the following information about
Tartarus and its guards.
Tartarus is a prison world
No one has ever escaped from Tartarus
It is protected by miles and miles of solid rock
Within the prison are the worst criminals of all existence
mixed in with people that someone really, really did not
want getting out
The cells are guarded by special yugoloths called
wardenloths. These yugoloths followed a treacherous
oinoloth into battle against the other oinoloths of the
council, and for their crimes, they were banished to guard
this prison for eternity
The aforementioned treacherous oinoloth had his name
changed to Kierk the Guard; he was stripped of his
powers, made barely better than a mortal commoner, yet
still cursed with unending life
This all took place approximately 40,000 years ago
Launch from the Reef
It's often a cliche to say "I have to do this for myself." In the
case of the party, it couldn't be more true. There's nothing
really stopping everyone else in The Reef from coming along,
aside from the fact that it will likely be a suicide mission, and
yet it just doesn't feel right. This is something only for the
reincarnations of Sollus to do.
The Reef denizens gather in the Burrower Hangar. As long
as they have a reasonably positive relationship with the party,
they each come bearing a final gift.
Oddly enough, Karen isn't here for the launch. No idea
where she's gone. That's a shame.
Gaundr. One set of +2 armor (DMG 152), perfectly tailored.
Pythagoras. A portable 3D printer that generates infinite
food, water, and ammunition.
Narcissa. Three castings of death ward.
Yaukiss. His +3 silver greatsword, all psychic damage
disabled. They'll need the sword more than he will.
Alexandria. A spell scroll of symbol, regretfully ripped from
the pages of one of her favourite books.
Binterkell. A ring of regeneration (DMG 191).
Aries. Two immovable rods (DMG 175).
Ariadne. A wand of enemy detection (DMG 210) that she
used to escape from the clutches of Queen Vlaakith.
Quinobi. A ring of mind shielding (DMG 191). He warns the
party not to become trapped inside it.
Achilles. A vorpal longsword (DMG 209). Don't lose your
head.
Thesea alights upon the massive Burrower like a butterfly upon
one's nose. "You should know by now I'm a clingy little bitch.
I'm coming with you. There's nothing you can do about it."
Take a moment to describe the Burrower. It resembles a giant
flying drill with all of the various attachments and
accoutrements added by the rescued reincarnations of
Sollus.
The Burrower includes the following people.
Every member of the party
Simulacrasollus, Skelesollus, Crawllus, Spectrasollus,
and Will-o'-Sollus
All of the rescued reincarnations of Sollus
Thesea, keeping pace alongside it
The Burrower takes off from The Reef. If it doesn't have a
way to reach Tartarus on its own, Thesea will be able to
transport it with her Gate ability.
The party must negotiate with Shaundakul as usual.
Arriving in Tartarus
You weren't supposed to travel here. The plane itself shudders
as you enter. No one has ever escaped from here, and you can
feel in your bones that you will not be the first.
From within the Burrower, you are knocked from one side
to the other until you manage to grab hold of something -- a
handle, an immovable rod, one another -- while the whole
vessel shakes powerfully back and forth. In your mind, you
hear Thesea's scream, "What the hell is that thing?!"
You'll never find out. Everything goes dark.

A Shared Vision
Assign each player one of the following characters.
Broken Opal (MM 314, AH 25)
Karen (AH 25)
Orzeg (MM 313, AH 25)
Tirikan (MM 314, AH 26)
Beck (AH 26)
If you have more than five players, give the rest of them a
voorloth (AH 32) that they can name themselves, each of
which is allied with Broken Opal.
Zigazan stands over you, smirking, his boils popping. "I found
your tattoo!" Queen Ursula McVale holds you down.
You are Broken Opal, the leader of the Opalescents. You
push off the snarling nycaloth and glare at Zigazan with your
yellow eyes. He doesn't know what he's talking about.
But he's not backing down. He signals to Ursula and she
shoves you right back. Zigazan smirks. "It's all starting to make
sense, now. If the council told you to kill them, why did you
make us waste our time guarding them in all those ridiculous
prisons? Unless you're one of them. Then it makes perfect
sense."
"I told you!" squeals Caraxus, the little twerp. "I told you
something was up! I knew it! I knew she was a bad leader all
along! Sent us all to a prison world to rot! If we die here, it's
just like on Perdition -- we die for real!"
Through the portholes of the meteorship, you can see the
impenetrable stone sphere of Tartarus underneath you as you
orbit the planet-sized prison. You're in the plane of Tartarus.
There's no going back now. Time to show your hand.
The Opalescents are all on the meteorship together. They
divide themselves into opposing sides, Broken Opal versus
Zigazan the Boiler.
Broken Opal's Allies Zigazan the Boiler's Allies
Karen Caraxus
Beck Organus
Tirikan Kegnoth
Orzeg Queen Ursula McVale
Voorloths
Toda
(if more than 5 players)
Rorknir
Ral'Romon
Zigazan's allies are slow to act, taking their turns on initiative
count 5.
Broken Opal is clearly outmanned and overpowered. She
and her allies have already made a plan in case this happens.
173
Broken Opal. Block Zigazan's allies with fire storm.
Orzeg. Block Zigazan's allies with wall of fire.
Tirikan. Cast compelled duel on anyone that targets Broken
Opal to get them off of her. Disable the meteorship's
controls with a DC 15 Strength check.
Karen. Call her gondola to make an escape. Avoid direct
combat when possible. She can summon the gondola right
outside of the meteorship. Broken Opal and her allies must
move directly onto the gondola, no teleporting.
Beck. Beck's Dimensional Lock prevents all of the yugoloths
from teleporting. Beck will stay behind and try to stay alive
as long as possible to give Karen's gondola enough time to
get away.
Voorloths. Disable the meteorship's controls with a DC 15
Strength check, made with advantage due to their Siege
Monster trait.
When Broken Opal and her allies have made their escape,
they finally have a chance to catch their breath and take stock
of what's happened.
Broken Opal is a reincarnation of Sollus.
She was tasked with killing all of the reincarnations of
Sollus, but went against her orders and secretly told her
underlings to imprison them instead.
Karen, Orzeg, Tirikan, Beck, and Caraxus pledged
themselves to Broken Opal's cause; the rest were
unaware.
The reincarnations of Sollus kept escaping on their own,
stymying her efforts to reunite them.
She decided to embrace that, so she started feeding
information to Karen to give to The Reef.
She followed the Burrower into Tartarus.
When the yugoloths realized they had no way back out of
Tartarus, Caraxus betrayed them out of fear.
Zigazan the Boiler immediately took charge and rallied
the other Opalescents against Broken Opal.
You drift in Karen's tiny gondola towards the impossibly big
prison. The planet is cracked down the middle, spewing
streams of magma that harden into a dense column of
asteroids. Karen assures you her gondola will survive entry.
You're not so sure. But it can't all have been for nothing.
Those crazy bastards in the Burrower better make it.
Barriers to Tartarus
You're jolted awake. The Burrower rockets towards the surface
of the prison planet. You slide open the portholes to look out
for anything that might get in your way. Where's Thesea? She's
nowhere to be seen.
It's going to be a bumpy ride. You can see meteorships
making a beeline for your position. These aren't the
meteorships that the Opalescents used. In fact, you've never
seen ones like this before. They glow with magma, still cooling
from the core of the planet.
The following barriers prevent the Burrower from reaching
the prison. If the Burrower has an appropriate bonus, it can
overcome the barrier without having to roll, but that same
bonus can't be used again.
If a barrier can't be overcome, one character on the
Burrower can sacrifice themselves to save the others.
1. Check if a Burrower bonus overcomes the barrier. If no
Burrower bonus is relevant ...
2. Make checks or saves to overcome the barrier. If half or
more of the party's checks or saves fail ...
3. Sacrifice a character to overcome the barrier. If the
character is death warded, they survive but lose the spell.
For ability checks and saving throws, everyone must make
the roll. It's an overall success if over half succeed. You can
roleplay this requirement as the Burrower gaining strength
from the convictions of its passengers. Get them all to hold
hands and make a prayer.
All of the DCs are 10.
If no burrower bonus can be used, half or more of the party
fails their ability check or saving throw, and no one can be
sacrificed, the Burrower is destroyed and everyone on board
is killed, ending the campaign.
There are thirteen barriers. Go through them sequentially
with the party as follows.

Barrier 1
An enormous chunk of rock hurtles towards the Burrower. You
can see small gaps in the rock, like honeycomb. It's too big to
dodge, but maybe you can thread the Burrower through the
gaps.
175
Barrier 7
A couple smaller voidships land a few shots on you, causing
the Burrower to jolt, then they dash away. Should you let them
escape? They'll just come back in greater number.

Wisdom ability check (just leave them).

Dexterity ability check.
Barrier 8
Barrier 2
A meteorship smokes and sputters as it spins towards the
One of the hostile voidships emerges from the asteroid field Burrower. It glows red hot from within. It's going to blow!
behind you and lets loose a shockwave that blasts through
rock. It's short range. Maybe you can escape the shockwave if
you jolt forward fast enough.
Dexterity saving throw (when it explodes).
Barrier 9
Strength saving throw. Will-o'-wisps swarm the Burrower. You know, somehow, that
Barrier 3 these are the souls of people who have been trapped on
Tartarus for so long they've lost their sense of identity. Their
A voidship lets loose a barrage of cannon fire. There are so very presence pulls at your shared soul.
many shots that they're basically impossible to dodge, but
maybe the burrower's armour can withstand the barrage.
Charisma saving throw.
Constitution saving throw. Barrier 10
Barrier 4 An asteroid materialises directly in front of you!

Alien insects crawl out of an asteroid like a hive and swarm

over the Burrower's hull. Maybe if you had something to pick
Intelligence saving throw (it's an illusion).
them off, you could prevent them from digging through. Barrier 11
The Burrower slams through the thick atmosphere of the
Intelligence ability check. prison planet. It starts to glow red hot from the friction.
Barrier 5
A meteorship slams into the front of the Burrower, trying to
Constitution saving throw.
stop its momentum entirely. Barrier 12
As the Burrower creaks and groans and stretches, steadily
Strength ability check. reaching towards the unflinching ground, you hear that same
Barrier 6 aged voice in your head. "There's nothing left for you here.
You're lashing out at nothing. Why aren't you giving up?"
You hear in your minds a crackling, aged voice: "We don't have
any empty cells." Seems like someone is trying to break your
spirit.
Charisma ability check, made with advantage if the party
calls upon their determination to win despite the odds.

Wisdom saving throw.

Barrier 13
The final barrier is the planet itself. The ground will be
unyielding. All you can do is hope that the Burrower does its
job. There's nothing left to do but hope you survive the
impact. What do you do with your last six seconds?
The party has a brief opportunity to roleplay how their
characters brace for impact.
The last thing you see is Thesea streaking through the sky,
pursued by a great tentacled monster the size of a mountain.
Then the Burrower hits the ground. You black out. Maybe
you'll wake up when the Burrower's drilled down into the
prison. Or maybe you won't wake up at all.
Another Shared Vision
The players take control of the same yugoloths they
controlled earlier. Some of those characters may be dead; the
players will have a chance to take control of a new character
in a moment.
You are in the prison world of Tartarus. All around you is
suppressive architecture: sterile, geometric, evenly lit, and
utterly closed off from the surface. The walls bristle as you
walk by.
You are Broken Opal. You are the leader of the Opalescents.
There aren't many of them left, but you're still the leader. You
have a brain the size of a planet. And the one thing going
through your brain is this: Yugoloths have been too much like
devils for much too long. It's time to be more like a demon.
Each of the cell doors unlock from the outside.
Time to make some chaos.
When Broken Opal and her allies start opening the cell
doors, alarms sound and the white walls turn blood red.
Horrific monsters emerge from the cells, most of them from a
time long forgotten. Guards swarm the party's position. A few
of the monsters join in the fight.

The guards are naked, wrinkled, older than you could have
possibly imagined. They have a three tiny eyes on their tiny
head, and their tiny mouths are layered with tiny needle teeth.
The rest of their bodies are that of huge brutes. The only
weapon they wield is a club, but you can tell they are
brimming with arcane force.
But, you need to do a double take. You knew that the guards
would be yugoloths, but you didn't realize how much kinship
you would feel for these things just by looking upon them.
And, for just a moment, you can sense they feel the same way
about you: kinship.
You are the likely the first yugoloths they've seen in tens of
thousands of years.
The moment passes. They have a job to do. They attack.
The guards are seerloths (AH 33). There are three of them.
Any players who don't have a character can control one of
the monsters that have been released from the cells. Choose
one from the following list. Players can pick the same
monster if they like.
Babbling Void Thing
This formless, gooey monster moves like liquid
magnetized metal, smooth, shiny, and poisonous
to the mind. It sizzles and giggles as it moves.
The babbling void thing uses the statistics of a
gibbering mouther (MM 157).
Mass of Tentacles and Teeth
Perhaps this thing was once something like an
octopus, but one hundred thousand years locked
up in a cell have caused it to mutate into a shape
that doesn't read as anything terrestrial at all.
The mass of tentacles and teeth uses the
statistics of an otyugh (MM 248).
Imaginary Beast
You recognise this thing from your nightmares, a
dark shape that is somehow everywhere at once.
You know everyone else sees it as their own
personal nightmare as well. You're not even sure
it's a real monster and not just an illusion.
The imaginary beast uses the statistics of a
displacer beast (MM 81) with the aberration type.
177
When there is one seerloth remaining, the fight abruptly
ends: the entire hallway collapses. The Burrower drills
straight through the ceiling, killing the last seerloth instantly.
You watch the massive machine burrow deeper into the
prison, boring a huge hole. You all look at one another and
start to carefully teleport down after it, stopping level by level
to release even more of the prisoners.
Deep Into Tartarus
The Burrower eventually runs out of steam. Your knuckles are
white, head sweaty, heart racing. Finally, the machine shudders
to a stop. This is as far as it will go.
The hatch opens. You see sterile white cubic hallways. You
can hear guards approaching, though it's hard to tell where
they're coming from or how far away they are.
The NPCs in the Burrower tell the party members to go on
without them. They need to stay to defend the Burrower. It's
the only way back to the surface.
The party moves through the prison, and after a few turns,
the Burrower is totally out of sight.
Down in these depths, the cells all seem empty. A DC 10
Intelligence (Investigation) check of a cell reveals through the
viewing slit creatures so old and emaciated that they are
hardly alive at all.
A few of them, you can see their eyes flick upwards, and their
mouth open to let out a single breath of air. It's the most
movement they've done in a thousand years. This place is
starting to feel less like a prison and more like a tomb.
The walls around here are suspiciously clean. A DC 15
Intelligence (Arcana or History) check suggests that the
jailers probably use gelatinous cubes to clean this place.
The party wanders moving deeper and deeper into
Tartarus over the course of an hour. A voice booms through
their minds, aged and fierce.
"I'm not responsible for kidnapping any of you. No, I don't
have any say who comes into Tartarus, and I can't
communicate with anyone outside of this prison. If anyone is
responsible for kidnapping all of the reincarnations of Sollus
Ipsus the Many, it is Sollus themselves."
This is the voice of Kierk the Guard (AH 34). The party can
respond to the voice and attempt to negotiate.
Kierk the Guard is hostile to the party, and he can't be
dissuaded from his hostility, but he would prefer to at least
talk before things devolve into violence.
178
Kierk the Guard
Personality. Kierk has the confidence of invincibility. He's
lived so long that an end seems practically inconceivable.
He is narcissistic, self-obsessed, and for the most part,
justified in the high opinion he holds of himself.
Ideal. Identity: Kierk believes that all creatures should hold
themselves to a high standard and value their own
personal identity above all else. He has spent the last forty
thousand years doing nothing but training himself to be the
best at literally everything by absorbing the experiences
and memories of the prisoners of Tartarus.
Bond. Kierk was once an oinoloth on the high council, and
was cursed to be the jailer of Tartarus when he led a revolt
against the other oinoloths. He still believes he could run
yugoloth society better if he was the only one making the
decisions.
Flaw. Kierk has a crippling fear of death. He's spent tens of
thousands of years training. If he were to die before he can
escape Tartarus, all of his talent and power would be
wasted.
Secrets. Kierk the Guard has no real attachment to Sollus
the Many. He knows he's locked up a powerful being, but
While speaking to Kierk the Guard, any party member with a
passive Perception of 15 or higher will spot the gelatinous
cube (MM 242) blocking the path ahead. If the party earlier
realized gelatinous cubes were likely used in Tartarus, they
only need a passive Perception of 10.
The gelatinous cube attempts to engulf the party.
As soon as the gelatinous cube is reduced to 0 hit points or
bypassed in another way, we transition back to the Burrower.
Defending the Burrower
You run your sword through the back of the dripping green
guard, and as the life of this ancient being is extinguished, it
collapses into goop and sinks through the cracks in the
architecture beneath your feet, right next to the Burrower.
You recognise some of the reincarnations of Sollus that
you've personally imprisoned. You give them a weak smile.
They don't seem to trust you, but right now it doesn't matter.
You share the same enemy -- the oozeloths -- and the same
goal -- defending the Burrower.
The players can choose to play this fight in the role of Broken
Opal, any of Broken Opal's yugoloth allies that are still alive,
or any of the reincarnations of Sollus left behind to guard the
Burrower. See the statblock index (AH 16) for where to find
the statistics for each character.
If there are more available characters than players, the
Burrower starts to slip down into the hole it's created, and
anyone not controlled by a player frantically works to keep
the machine upright and functional while the battle goes on.
The reincarnations of Sollus and the Opalescents are
attacked by 4 oozeloths (AH 33) and 2 seerloths (AH 33).
On initiative count 20 of the first three rounds, Kierk the
Guard telepathically communicates with everyone in the
battle, his voice echoing through their minds. He addresses
Broken Opal in particular.
Round 1
"I saw you betray that oinoloth during your approach. We have
a lot in common, Broken Opal. We both distrust the council.
Neither of us are satisfied with bending the knee to a power
structure unworthy of our respect."
Round 2
"It has been fifteen thousand years since a yugoloth has
entered Tartarus. I had hoped to be able to talk. If you need to
fight to get it out of your system, then be my guest. But know
that in the end, we will work together, and we will escape. It's
the only way out of here. You can thrash, you can squirm, but
if you want to go home, it will be side by side with me."
Round 3
"You might have the tattoo, but you're not Sollus. You're
Broken Opal. That's what it means to be a yugoloth. You are
only beholden to yourself."
Round 4
Kierk the Guard kills all of the remaining seerloths and
oozeloths with a powerful psychic blast. He repeats:
"You are only beholden to yourself."
The Deepest Layer
Perspective shifts back to the party as they drop down to the
deepest layer of Tartarus.
The deeper you go, the more likely it is you'll find Sollus. This
layer, the deepest of all, is darker than the ones above it, and
the walls are more active, bristling and twitching as you
advance. You can hear the voice of Kierk the Guard in your
head, louder now, as though you're getting closer and closer.
"I can see that you aren't going to stop. I would have asked
you to help me escape. But you're here for one thing only. So,
I've contracted some old friends of yours to give you a bit of a
stern talking to."
With a blast of magic and a skurry of flailing limbs, half a
squad of yugoloths materialises in front of you, badly singed
from fire, seething with anger.

Zigazan the Boiler (AH 30) leads the remnants of his
allies. He is immediately hostile and acts with deadly force.
If any yugoloths are still alive after the first fight against
Broken Opal, they appear here with him: Caraxus and
Organus (AH 25), Kegnoth (AH 25), Queen Ursula McVale
(AH 25), Toda (AH 29), Rorknir (AH 27), and Ral'Romon (AH
28). If Beck sacrificed himself by staying behind, he managed
to kill one of them before he went down (other than Zigazan),
up to the choice of the player who played Beck during the
fight. Additionally, any damage taken and resources lost by
any yugoloth have not been recovered from the first fight.
On initiative count 20, the weaker yugoloths (Caraxus,
Organus, and Kegnoth) plead pathetically for their lives. They
can be turned against the other yugoloths with a successful
DC 15 Charisma (Intimidation) check as an action each.
As Zigazan is cut down and the life of this thousand-year-
old oinoloth fades away, the last thing he hears is Kierk the
Guard angrily cussing him out.
"This is why Broken Opal had forsaken you! Because you were
useless! Yugoloths aren't meant to harbor grudges or spite
one another over technicalities! We are agents of neutrality!"
"The demons and the devils tore each other to pieces over a
matter of technicality, and I'd bet my life that the Blood War
still rages even now! That's not what a yugoloth is supposed to
be! We are better than this!"
Zigazan perishes long before the little speech is finished. It
falls on deaf ears.
Once the battle is done, Kierk the Guard addresses the
party directly.
"The only thing still standing between you and Sollus is me.
You won't get past me. I have done nothing but train for the
past forty thousand years. I'll finally have a chance to test my
powers on someone that can take it. Consider this a warning.
Be ready to face oblivion. As though anyone could be ready."
Ahead is the gate to Kierk the Guard's chambers, the heart of
the prison. Beyond that is the cell of Sollus Ipsus the Many.
The party has the chance to take a short rest and get their
affairs in order. This is the last chance they'll have to reaffirm
their bonds and reflect on everything they've learned. Once
the short rest is over, the only thing left to do is face Kierk the
Guard in person.
Kierk the Guard
The architecture folds up over itself. The walls sink away.
Before the great vault doors of the cell of Sollus the Many
stands the warden of the prison himself, Kierk the Guard. He is
dressed head to toe in fiendish armor that gives off a powerful
abjurative aura. He has done nothing except train for
thousands upon thousands of years. He couldn't be more
ready.
Preparation
Before the fight, Kierk the Guard has cast the following spells
on himself. If it's a concentration spell, it's noted in the
description; he has no limit on the number of spells he can
concentrate on, but necrotic damage will end them.
All of these effects end if Kierk the Guard uses his Reset
legendary action.
Foresight (9th level). He can see a half second into the
future, giving him advantage on all attack rolls, ability
checks, and saving throws, and giving disadvantage on any
attack rolls against him. This is not a concentration spell.
Detect Magic (At Will). He knows which pieces of
equipment the party is carrying are magical, and can intuit
which are the most important and powerful. This is a
concentration spell.
Detect Thoughts (At Will). He can read the surface thoughts
of the party and pinpoint the location of invisible creatures
(though he can already see them with Truesight). This is a
concentration spell.
Freedom of Movement (At Will). He is unaffected by
difficult terrain, can't be magically restrained or paralyzed,
can't have his speed magically reduced, and can spend 5
feet of movement to escape from nonmagical grapples.
This is not a concentration spell.

Fight
Kierk the Guard will rely on his spellcasting, only using his
club if he's run out of options.
Priorities
Kierk the Guard's priorities in a fight are as follows.
Disable Key Threats. He has already identified the biggest
threat after using scrying to watch the party fight through
the layers of Tartarus. Anyone who can deal necrotic
damage immediately shoots to the top of the list. He'll try to
disable the biggest threat first with maze, trapping the
target in a cell on Tartarus, unless he thinks their
Intelligence is too high, in which case he'll save maze for
the least intelligent party member and lead with Otto's
irresistible dance instead.
Nullify Spellcasters. He's been studying spells for tens of
thousands of years and will immediately identify which
spell a party member is casting, determining if it's worth it
to cast counterspell (using higher level spell slots if he's run
out of 3rd level slots). He'll also disable any powerful boons
like haste with dispel magic. Blocking spellcasters with
wall of stone is another good tactic. If he can target all the
spellcasters without getting himself in the area of effect,
he'll use antimagic field, though it's competing with maze
and dominate monster for his 8th level spell slot.
Incapacitate First, Kill Later. Most of his strategy relies on
disabling the party rather than dealing them damage, at
least at first. If he doesn't think he can get away with maze,
he'll go for dominate monster on the party member with
the worst Wisdom save. Any melee-focused characters who
can't fly will get thrown to the ceiling with reverse gravity.
Eyebite is a good spell for party members with bad
Wisdom saves if he's already used his 8th level spell slot.
Any melee characters who rely on Dexterity instead of
Strength might end up affected by telekinesis. If he still has
6th level slots, Otto's irresistible dance can be very useful
as it doesn't call for a save until they've already lost a turn.
If a party member has less than 100 hit points, he'll hit
them with power word pain. Once all these other options
are used up, he'll resort to his at-will hold monster.
No Mercy. Once he's disabled at least a few party members,
he'll move on to his damaging spells. Disintegrate is his
best spell in terms of damage, so he'll cast it even if he has
to use a higher-levelled slot to do so. Otherwise, his bread
and butter is fireball. This is usually better than attacking,
though he might use chill touch on paralyzed targets to
automatically crit and deal 8d8 necrotic damage (his chill
touch at CR 25 deals base 4d8 on a hit). A sub-par damage
dealer is phantasmal killer, which he'll only use on party
members that are immune to fire. If a party member is
downed, he'll hit them with magic missile to immediately
kill them with three failed death saves.
Defense. If he feels that it's safe not to worry about
counterspell, he'll liberally use shield, using up higher level
spell slots to activate it if he has to. He'll also use shield if a
rogue or paladin lands a hit that he's worried about.
Generally, with 26 AC, he's not too worried about melee
characters.
181
Hit Point Triggers
When Kierk the Guard is reduced below a certain hit point
threshold, certain effects come into play.
100 hit points. He'll spend one of his legendary actions to
activate death ward. While death ward is active, he's
immune to effects that would instantly kill him, like power
word kill, and if he's reduced to 0 hit points, he drops to 1
instead (ending the spell). The only way to disable this early
is with dispel magic for a 4th level spell or by forcing him
to use his Reset legendary action.
1 hit point. The spell contingency activates once he's
reduced to 1 hit point or below, triggering death ward
(unless he's already under its effects), potentially nullifying
a killing blow.
Weaknesses
Kierk the Guard's primary weakness is his crippling fear of
death, which has given him vulnerability to necrotic damage.
Necrotic damage also causes him to auto-fail Constitution
saving throws to maintain concentration. A party member
can intuit that necrotic damage might have a negative effect
on him by succeeding on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check.
His behaviour towards party members who can cast necrotic
damage is disproportionate; a party member can accordingly
deduce his fear of necrosis with a DC 15 Intelligence check.
The primary strategy should be inflicting status effects that
force him to use his Reset legendary action, ending any
spells he's cast on himself as well as any spells he's
concentrating on.
His AC is very high at 26, making it difficult to engage him
in melee combat, especially considering he might have shield
as an option if he isn't saving up his reaction for counterspell,
and while his foresight is still active, attacks against him have
disadvantage. Forcing him to Reset disables foresight, and an
effect that can disarm him of his shield will reduce his AC
down to 23, greatly improving the marginal chances of a hit.
You can make the fight slightly easier on the players by
making Kierk the Guard use his Reset legendary action for
any negative condition, or harder by letting him just accept
the consequences of less impactful conditions like frightened
that he can work around easily.
Also, antimagic field is a hard counter to his abilities.
Defeat
When the killing blow is landed on Kierk the Guard, he gasps
in shock.
"All this power ... wasted. I'm not ready to go ..."
When he dies, his armor shrivels up into a ball of metal,
mincing his body into pulp.
The vault door to the cell of Sollus the Many opens.
This is it.
You feel the planet shift under your feet. Cataclysmic. You
don't have a lot of time.
Sollus Ipsus the Many
Until now, the talk of a soul has been abstract. To observe a naked soul is sublime.
Every party member must succeed on a DC 15 Charisma
saving throw or be ripped out of their bodies to join Sollus
Ipsus the Many. This is something that can't be controlled,
just a function of being so close to one's true soul. A character
can get advantage on this saving throw by remembering
moments from their past that keeps them grounded in their
current body and experiences.
Any survivors feel the following words burrowing into their
minds.
WE
MUST
REINCARNATE

For the survivors, this is a terrifying realization: the naked

soul before you is the original Sollus Ipsus the Many, the very
first, trapped here for so many aeons that they were stripped
totally bare, nothing but soul remaining. And if they remain
trapped here for eternity, your soul will never reincarnate.
Your soul will never become you.
YOUR
PURPOSE:
DESTROY

These words come with a strange mix of urgency, remorse,

sympathy, kindness, and desperation.
The only way out of the prison is to be reincarnated. And
for that to happen, for the original Sollus to make way for
their reincarnations, for all the reincarnations to be able to
live their lives at all, this version of Sollus Ipsus the Many
needs to die.
WE
ARE
SORRY

There was never an escape from Tartarus. This was always

the way it had to be. No one was meant to exist for longer
than the multiverse itself.
Destroying the first incarnation of Sollus Ipsus the Many
requires no roll. All that is needed is the will.

Denouement
T
he denouement refers to the wrapping up of
loose ends and the tying off of narrative
threads. It includes the answers to lingering
questions and epilogues of each character. The
denouement for this adventure is bittersweet.
The heroes won, but the victory was
metaphysical and the sacrifice was great.
Discussions of characters in this chapter assumes that they
are alive and that the story played out mostly as written.
Adjust the endings to suit the specifics of your party's story.
Sollus Ipsus the Many: The
Tale of the Knotted Snake
Sollus Ipsus the Many was originally a demon who led an
incursion on the yugoloth homeworld of Perdition. The
yugoloths, devastated at the destruction, trapped Sollus in
Tartarus. A curse placed on them by the yugoloths meant that
they experienced time much slower, and so what was a few
thousand years felt practically indistinguishable from eternity.
Sollus spent so long in Tartarus that their physical form
disintegrated, leaving only a bare soul. Being unable to
escape through normal means, their only hope was to die and
reincarnate elsewhere in the multiverse, but they had no
power to do so. They reached out psychically for help and
were answered by Levistus, who sympathised with their
situation, and Asmodeus, whose motivations are always
mysterious. Through the devils, Sollus was able to reach
through time and orchestrate events such that almost all of
the people they would eventually reincarnate into were alive
at the same time, thanks to time travel shenanigans.
One by one, Sollus and the devils awakened each of the
reincarnations to their true identity, but the yugoloths, who
had imprisoned Sollus in the first place, caught wind and
murdered the first few, including Slarmfell, a wizard who
intended to find the others. Luckily, a powerful ultroloth,
Broken Opal, discovered that she too was a reincarnation of
Sollus and secretly pledged to rescue the original from
Tartarus. She was tasked by the High Council of Oinoloths
with killing the other reincarnations, but she ordered her
followers to imprison them instead. One by one, the prisoners
awakened, escaped, and worked together to free the rest.
This leads to the events of Arcane Heists. Eventually, the
reincarnations will break into Tartarus, overpower its
defenses, and kill the original Sollus, allowing their soul to
escape to the multiverse and reincarnate into new bodies.
Through time travel, the soul will pass through every single
reincarnation, always ending up, ironically, back in Tartarus.
Such is the fate of a soul.
185
Broken Opal
With the death of Kierk the Guard, and the entire prison
planet risking annihilation without a warden, Broken Opal
plunged her blade into the earth and pledged her infinite
servitude to the forces of neutrality in the multiverse.
As the new warden, Broken Opal makes significant
changes to the plane. Firstly, the hostile architecture of the
prison planet is thrown away, and most of the prison is moved
to the surface. The land is terraformed to be diverse and
complex, with some regions resembling the slanted
mountains of Perdition, some the grey valleys of Firmament,
some the wild jungles of Castor, and other such places she
has encountered in her travels through the planes.
Tartarus becomes less of a place where creatures rot for
eternity, and more like a colony that must fend for itself by its
own rules. It requires a lot of work to maintain. It's a difficult
life. But, unlike how it used to be, at least it is a life. As for the
other yugoloths ...
Karen resumes her work as a ferrywoman, travelling from
continent to continent reporting on the progress of Broken
Opal's planet-wide renovations.
Orzeg builds herself another laboratory and starts populating
entire regions with vinchies, some of which even start to
develop an intelligence.
Tirikan builds a small mausoleum to Beck, sheds a tear, and
hangs up his axe forever. He takes on a job as a builder,
focusing on construction rather than destruction.
Caraxus does some serious self-reflection, then takes on a
few displaced seerloths and oozeloths under his wing. He
tutors them to act as stewards for the prisoners who work
on rebuilding Tartarus.
Organus keeps trying to torture the prisoners, so Broken
Opal puts him among their ranks so he can see how it feels
to be in a disadvantaged position. It doesn't work, but
there's lots of time to keep trying.
Kegnoth gets a job as a wheat thresher. She's very efficient
with a scythe or five.
Thesea
One of the guardians of Tartarus is a mountain-sized
aberration born before the first sentient being existed to
observe the multiverse. It's power without a mind, blind
destruction, pure void. Thesea led it as far away from the
Burrower as she could, then doubled back, confident she had
lost it. She arrives on Tartarus a month or two later (she did
lead it far away) and links up with the rest of the survivors.
She's devastated to learn that there's no real way out of
Tartarus. She had thought the Burrower would have a special
way of getting out, but in the end it's just a machine that's
really good at burrowing.
Her next big project is to find a way to turn the Burrower
into a sentient voidship like her. There's plenty of spellcasters
in Tartarus. She'll figure something out. The poor thing
deserves it after all it went through.
The Seven Heavens of
Sollus the Dead
Simulacrasollus dies when the slaad tadpole hatches.
Skelesollus, Crawllus, Spectrasollus, and Will-o'-Sollus
decide to raise the tadpole as their own. They name it Sim.
The Reincarnations
They diligently protected the Burrower, only to realize that
the Burrower can't actually get them back at all. Tartarus is
dimensionally-locked. You can enter, but you can't leave. It
just can't be done.
Penny Featherlight. This is the perfect place to continue her
life's work of rehabilitating evil creatures. She gets to work
immediately.
Chest of the Knotted Snake. This is an entire planet that's
been turned into a dungeon and then terraformed back into
a planet. It's the perfect place to reinvent oneself. The chest
transforms into a stool for tired prisoners to sit. That'll
keep the chest occupied for a few years.
Orym the Alarmed. If one is looking for a safe place to rest,
this is as good a place as any, and unlike the Retreat of the
Content, it's massive and ever-changing.
Serpasollus. Like the chest, Serpasollus sees Tartarus as an
opportunity to reinvent herself, to decide who she is as an
individual, rather than as a memory of other people.
Gimlen. Gimlen resolves to explore the entirety of Tartarus.
He joins up with Karen as a ferryman.
Leonardo. Leonardo returns to Orzeg and offers an olive
branch. He still doesn't trust her, because of the whole
imprisonment and torture thing, but he thinks that they can
potentially work together to improve the other vinchies and
make them sentient like him.
Ynthriss. She becomes a music teacher in the hopes of
reminding the people here that not everything needs to be
about pure productivity. There must be time for merriment.
Eventually, one by one, each of them will die of old age and
escape from Tartarus in the same way that the original Sollus
did, allowing their soul to reincarnate elsewhere in the
universe and, inevitably, return in a new form in the past to
join themselves again, right here, their final resting place.
The Denizens of The Reef
While trapped on Tartarus, there's no way of knowing what's
happening on the other planes. Unless everyone on The Reef
travels to Tartarus, dooming themselves, their fates will
remain unknown.
The reincarnations of Sollus will occasionally get together
by campfire and discuss what they think happened to their
old friends, where they are now, what they've accomplished. It
brings them comfort, even if it's just stories.
And that's how this story ends, with an uncertain past and
an uncertain future, but with a present that brings comfort.
Stories are how we make sense of an absurd existence.
They're the most important thing we can do for one another.
And this one has drawn to a close.
Changelog
2021-12-13: Original version
2022-06-03: Corrections and formatting adjustments
2022-10-26: Minor formatting changes and corrected attributions
Current Version: 2022-10-26