The Vanishing Castle

A Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition adventure for

4 to 6 characters of 14th to 16th level.

By Jon Zierden

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 The Vanishing Castle

O
ver one millennium ago, there was an attempt This module assumes that the DM has access to the
at war. This attempt was made by the tides of Player’s Handbook, the Monster Manual, the Dungeon
chaos to impose their dominion over the Master’s Guide, as well as Volo’s Guide to Monsters.
Prime Material Plane, and thus forever skew Furthermore, this adventure is designed with the hope that
the balance between chaos and its brother, law. it can be dropped into any setting in any world by any creative
This war was stopped before it could fully DM. Thus, there is no one set reason as to why a troupe of
begin by the lords of the Meridian Valley: seasoned adventurers might find themselves here. You, the
Bernard Blarnstaff, Prescott Parsons, and Timothy Tudolph. DM, may create any reason you would like. You could spin
The Meridian Valley was once a thriving city state ruled in this location into your world seamlessly, nicely woven into an
triumvirate by three powerful heroes. Bernard Blarnstaff was existing narrative. Or, you may treat this location as just
a renowned wielder of magic and wizard beyond compare. another that can be explored in a vast and open world, it is
Prescott Parsons was a paladin righteous and true, his entirely up to you.
martial prowess was unmatched in single combat. Finally,
Father Timothy Tudolph was a devote follower of Dunblas,
the Justice Maker, and a high cleric in his church. These three Adventure Hooks
lorded over the Meridian Valley and crafted it into a thriving For those DMs that are more strapped, for time here are a
bastion of civilization during a wild era. This peace lasted for few quest hooks to intrigue a set of adventurers. Any of these
years on end until one day demonic hordes sought to sunder quest hooks may be used, altered, or disregarded completely
the Prime Material Plane. for the sake of getting the party of adventurers interested in
Unknown to the rulers, the Meridian Valley was a location the investigation of this location.
where the Weave, the source of all magic, was uncommonly
exposed. This caused crops to grow well and luck to be in the
favor of the inhabitants of the valley. However, it also allowed Lordly Reconnaissance
Ahazu, the Seizer to bring his legions of dread into the Prime A local lord has heard tell of a magically charged valley off in
Material Plane. Bernard, Prescott, and Father Tim fought the distant wilderness. The lord feels that the magic of this
valiantly against the horrific and vile tides of chaos. Alas, the land might help his people. He has decided to hire some
city center, the Palace of the Paladin, and the Temple of adventurers to investigate and report back. They will be
Dunblas all fell. rewarded handsomely.
The final stand was made at Castle Blarnstaff. As the
demons overran the castle, Archmage Blarnstaff performed Historic Curiosity
his last great act. Not wanting the demons to take over the One of the party members knows of an ancient battle that
castle and uncover the secrets within and use those powers happened near this area long ago. It might have even taken
against the rest of the world, he summoned all his magical place in the valley just a days travel away. He or she is
might and cast a combination of spells wish, time stop, and convinced that this location contains more than meets the eye
alter reality to wrest the castle itself from the very fabric of and is worthy of invesigation.
time and space. Thus, stopping the advance of Ahazu’s forces.
He sent the castle between the dimensions and planes of Abyssal Cartography
existence. Bernard landed his castle in the same “tween On one of the recent adventures of the party they happened
dimension” that is used by psionics who excel at the major accross a rather odd map depicting a valley of ancient
science discipline of dimension walking. However, in his structures in a state of terrible decay on the corpse of a
haste, Bernard’s magic was imperfect. To this day, the castle monster they had slain. On the bottom of the map is written
phases in and out of the Prime Material Plane as well as “Beware the wizard” in Abyssal.
reality itself, forced to appear and disappear forever.
A Disturbance in the Weave
A spell caster in the party senses an odd disturbance in his or
Running the Adventure her flow of magic and by extension in the very weave itself.
To enhance the experiance of the plaers and help you do your They feel that the natural order of magic is somehow askew.
best job as a Dungeon Master, take into account the following The search for this disturbance leads the party to the valley
pieces of advice. where the spell caster is driven to find the source of this
irregularity.
Disclaimer to the DM The Damsel in Distress
If it is ever your intent to be a player character in this It is said that there is a fair maiden by the name of Cindra
adventure quit reading now, give this document to your trapped in the valley somewhere and whomever comes to her
friendly neighborhood DM, and sit quietly while waiting for aid and frees her would have their wildest wishes granted.
adventure to unfold around you. However, if your intent is to This story is the stuff of legend, and the adventurers feel
run a party of adventurers through this module as a DM, by compelled to investigate due to a recent tip about the truth of
all means, read on. This piece is intended as a standalone the legend from a friend.
adventure, a “plug and play” if you will.

1 PART 1 | INTRODUCTION
A Test of Endurance The Approach
This adventure is meant to be a test of endurance. The party As the players draw near the Meridian Valley they may notice
is meant to have immense difficulty with regard to the speed that the wilderness grows more densely than is usual in this
in which they choose to use their abilities and resources. This part of the world. Additionally, those who are prone to the
difficulty is only accentuated once the party finds themselves arcane persuasion may feel a slight arcane tingling around
stuck in the Vanishing Castle itself where they are unable to them. This tingling is not ominous, it is simply unusual. This
rest. Make sure that the adventurers are aware that they need is caused by the fallout from Bernard’s magic as well as the
not solve all problems posed in this adventure via combat. thinness of the Weave. As the players approach the peak of
Resorting exclusively to combat could very well only deplete the rugged western outcropping of the valley, read the
their power and make the rest of the adventure more difficult. following:
Due to this challenge of endurance, there are many magical
items that may only be used once, such as potions and scrolls
that may be utilized by the party. However, these items are not Viewing the expanse before you, it’s hard to draw your
meant to be used lightly. These items are provided attention away from anything other than the natural beauty of
throughout the adventure to be tools for once the party finds the massive valley. A river runs from the western heights down
themselves in the Vanishing Castle where a bit more help into the valley and out the southern end. Choking the river is a
might be needed. Use narrative tools to prompt the forest. Long has it been since the woods below have seen the
adventurers to be sparing with the use of these items until it tending of civilization. As you look more closely you see in the
is a necessity. southern portion of the valley on the river is a small, broken,
and long- destroyed town center. In some portions, the trees
come up to the edge of the decaying buildings. Further
northeast on the valley floor are the towering ruins of a castle.
Not far from the ruin of the castle is a smaller structure. This
half broken building is in the same state as its neighbor. Both
buildings are choked by the surrounding forest. Finally, you
spot the most unusual part of the valley. On the western slope
resides an immaculate towering castle that appears as if it
were built only yesterday.

The Vanishing Castle is currently phased into existence.

When it is, it appears precisely as it did on the day of the
battle against Ahazu and his tides of chaos. When it is
thematically appropriate, such as if the players decide to rest
anytime in the valley, note to them that something seems
different. The castle fades in and out of the fabric of space
and time, use this as a powerful narrative tool. If the players
view the castle when it is not in existence, read the following:
The previously pristine palace perched on the rising western
slope of the valley is no more. Standing in its place is the
rubble of a long forgotten stronghold, around which is
churning an arcane swirl of magical fallout. Bright greens meld
with vibrant purples and blues in a storm of eldritch energy
that surrounds the ruins of this sundered castle. This may be
no ordinary valley.

PART 1| INTRODUCTION 2
 The City Center
The city center lies in ruin on the floor of the valley. Next to it Inhabitant Knowledge
runs a wide and quick moving river that spills from the If any of the inhabitants of the city center are
western peak of the valley. The dilapidated city center is now interrogated by the players, they may be persuaded
home to a group of humanoids. This group is comprised of or intimidated into divulging some useful
information.
giants, trolls, ogres, and a few goblins. This unusual
assortment of creatures is held together by the iron will of The leader of this group is Chief Dak, the fire
their fire giant chieftain who by chance found his way out of giant. Nobody dares challenge his orders.
the Vanishing Castle. There are six larger still standing They think more than 20 things live in the city
buildings in the city center. The humanoids have taken up center, but they aren’t very good at numbers.
residence in these buildings. There are no discerning marks Every night, a hunting party goes out to find
on the buildings to tell what they could have been before they food. The trolls always go with.
were abandoned and reoccupied. In the center of the open The ruins in the woods to the north are scary
area is a massive fire pit that is used for cooking, which is and filled with monsters. They never go near
always tended. them. (This is in reference to the demons in the
Temple of Donblas who occasionally take a
worg, troll, or giant as prey or slaves.)
General Features The ruins on the northwestern part of the valley
The passage of time has not been kind to the city center of are dangerous and the magic is scary. They
the Meridian Valley. Over the years creatures and nature have never hunt there either. They have seen
ensured the slow and steady decay of the structures. hundreds of floating lights around it
Ceilings. The ceiling height of all of the buildings is 20 feet sometimes. (This is in reference to the hive of
unless stated otherwise. This is because of the collapsing of will-o-wisps near the Vanishing Castle.)
floors on upper levels of the buildings.
Doors. There are no doorways left intact in the city center.
The walls of buildings have been destroyed and the gaping
holes are what is now used for entry and exit. 1. Chief Dak's Manse
Construction. The construction of the buildings in the city
center is that of stone work foundations upon which is built This is where the fire giant named Dak makes his home. In
structures of timber and plaster. addition to the fire giant, in his manse resides a hill giant,
Attacks. If an attack occurs and is noticed, any creature two trolls, three ogres, three worgs, and five goblins. All of
will try to alert the rest of the camp to aid in the battle. these creatures will fight alongside the fire giant. If things
Additionally, if the battle is particularly loud, there is a 20% begin to look poorly for the giants, the goblins will attempt to
chance in the nighttime that the kidnapping party from the flee into the woods. Dak will fight to the death to preserve his
Temple of Donblas will come and join the battle. honor
Treasure. In this building, the wealth of the group is kept.
Times of Day There are coins of various types totaling 641gp. There are
Depending on the time of day, activity differs in the camp. In also three gems of notable size. There is a ruby worth 200gp,
the morning, any inhabitant that had hunted the night before an opal worth 300gp, and a rough cut hunk of jet the size of
are returning. Ogres are stoking the fire pit preparing food for the fire giant’s fist worth 800gp. In the pile of treasure there
the day. There may also be some goblins and worgs around are two potions, a potion of haste and a philter of
the fire annoying the ogres. During the daytime, there is persuasiveness (Appendix A).
general activity throughout the city center. At any time there
are 2d6 various creatures from any dwelling milling about.
Except for the trolls who sleep during the day and only come
out at night.At dusk the inhabitants are on their way out to Playing Chief Dak
hunt. There will be 3d6 creatures milling about including the Dak speaks common and is knowledgeable about
trolls which are just beginning to awaken. During the night a the main floor of the Vanishing Castle as he was
hunting party goes out to find food for the group. This group trapped there for some time and was able to luckily
includes all five trolls, a hill giant, at least two ogres, at escape. If the players attempt to speak with or
least two worgs, and at least one goblin. If the players are bargain with Dak they will have a tough time doing
resting on valley’s wooded floor,there is a 50% chance of an so due to his belief that he is too strong to be
encounter with the hunting party. defeated. He is pompous about the fact that he is
able to control an entire hoard of giant kin and
goblin kind. Any Charisma (persuasion) attempt
against Dak has a base DC of 22 and any Charisma
(intimidation) has a base DC of 28. If asked about
the Vanishing Castle, Dak will say that he would
never go back to face the Giant’s Bane. The sword
in the crystal forest (area 2) of the Vanishing castle.

3 PART 2 | THE CITY CENTER

2. The House of Slumber 4. Unstable Shack
This building is home to three ettin, two hill giants, two A hill giant and three ogres call this building home. The roof
ogres, and three goblins. Whenever there are any creatures of this building is visibly unstable. This instability can be
in these quarters, they are sleeping. However, if there is a spotted by a character with a passive Wisdom (perception) of
loud attack, the others will wake and fight. 16 or higher, or by a DC 13 Wisdom (perception) or
Intelligence (investigation) check. If 20 or more damage is
done to any wall the roof will collapse. The structure has an
3. Training Kennel AC of 14 and resistance to piercing damage, as well as
Two hill giants, an ogre, and three worgs live here. This is immunity to psychic and necrotic damage. Any creature
where the worgs are trained and ‘domesticated’ into pets and underneath the falling ceiling will take 4d6 bludgeoning
hunting companions for the group. The worgs in this building damage unless they succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity Saving
may be even more aggressive than usual as of late. Throw.

4. Troll Nest 5. Goblin Hangout

This hovel is home to three trolls, though it appears as if This is by far the smallest building with a ceiling of only 10ft
many more once lived here. These extra inhabitants have and it is home to four goblins and a worg. In this building
been kidnapped and taken by the demons of the Temple of the goblins have been secretly trying to train the worg to let
Donblas. As trolls by nature are more feral than giants, this them ride it. If a battle should break out, the worg will finally
building is nothing but a nest of putrid hides and rotting be receptive to the goblins’ attempts to use it as a mount.
meat.
Treasure. In this building, hidden within the nesting, are
two pieces of treasure: a scroll of telepathy and a potion of
heroism. These items can each be spotted by a player with a
passive Wisdom (perception) of 20 or higher, or a DC 19
Wisdom (perception) check.

PART 2 | THE CITY CENTER 4

 This room is now the home of four trolls shackled to the
The Temple of Donblas floor that have been forced into servitude of the demons who
Once upon a time, this was Father Timothy’s Temple of reside in the other parts of the temple.The trolls can be seen
Donblas. A mighty bastion of piety and faith ruined in the to be missing portions of their musculature. This is because
battle against the abyssal tides of chaos long ago. The the demons of the temple have been using the regenerative
demons that were fortunate enough to escape the Vanishing ability of the trolls to supply themselves with constant meat.
Castle now inhabit this this ruin. In addition, the minions of The demons take care to take only as much meat off of the
the demons inhabit this space as well. It is uncommon that trolls as they will be able to regenerate in a day. If a battle
anything escapes the churning arcane storm that is the takes place in this location, any other inhabitants of the first
Vanishing Castle. However, if they do manage such a feat they floor of the temple will come to join the fray. Additionally, if
usually meet death in the surrounding wilderness. This small necessary, the trolls will attempt to break the chains binding
group of demons has made the ancient Temple of Donbas them this may be accomplished by a successful DC 16
their new home. Although they find some of the residual holy Strength (athletics) check.
magic distasteful, they have found that they can obtain shelter
here and that the nearby giant kin are good to hunt and toy
with. 2. Acolytes' Chamber
This was once a sparsely decorated, but functional residential
General Features quarter for acolytes of Donblas. It is now a complete mess.
Similarly to the city center, time has not been a friend to the The new inhabitants of this room, seven dretches¸ have
Temple of Donblas. The woods choke the crumbling stone turned it into a sty.
hewn structure. Treasure. There is a small amount of treasure in this
Ceilings. Ceilings are 15 feet high unless stated otherwise. room. If the players take time to gather it from the filth on the
Doors. Apart from the rubble strewn holes in the sides of floor they will find various coins totaling 73gp. The dretches
the structure which are more commonly used than the will join any fight taking place in area 1 or 3.
doorways, the doors are made of heavy and slightly rotten
timbers unless stated otherwise.
Floor. The floors are made of dirty, but still smooth marble 3. Acolytes' Study
flagstones.
This room once served as a place of study for the lesser
Times of Day priests of the temple that lived in area 2. However, now three
The various creatures in the Temple of Donblas will be in hill giants are enslaved here. They have been successfully
different places depending upon the time of day. In the brainwashed by the glabrezu that lives in area 4a and they
morning the three hill giants will be returning from their will fight to the death for the demons.
mission from the night before. During the daytime, most Treasure. Additionally, in this room there is a secret chest
inhabitants will be sleeping. There is a 50% chance that the built into a wall that can be spotted by a character with a
glabrezu will be out roaming the nearby woods in the guise passive Wisdom (perception) score of 19 or higher or by a
of a young boy. If he encounters the adventurers, he will successful DC 17 Wisdom (perception) or Intelligence
attempt to lure them back to the temple as the sun is setting. (investigation) check. The secret chest is trapped with poison
If the players attempt to intimidate or persuade the glabrezu darts that can be spotted by a character with a passive
the DC for such a check has a base of 25. At dusk the Wisdom (perception) score of 22 or higher or with a
inhabitants are beginning to awaken, the dretches will move successful DC 20 Wisdom (perception) check. The trap can
into the main worship space to taunt and generally annoy the be disarmed by a DC 17 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) check.
trolls. At night the three hill giants are sent to attempt to Anyone within 10ft of the trap when it is sprung must
kidnap more of their kin from the city center they are very succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity Saving Throw or take 5d6
rarely successful. Additionally, all of the demons are awake at poison damage and be poisoned, as per the condition, for 1
this time. The goristro will be out in the woods within 200ft hour. In the chest is a potion of healing, a ring of fire
of the temple attempting to eat anything it can find. When resistance, and a bag containing 300gp.
approaching at this time the players have a 60% chance of
randomly encountering the goristro.
4. Cleric’s Sitting Quarters
1. Main Worship Hall This room was once the adjoined living area of the bedroom
This room has a large domed ceiling that has a sizeable in area 4a. It now wreaks of an odor so foul that it confers
portion blown out of it. Faded and partially eroded religious disadvantage on Wisdom (perception) checks that rely on
murals that depict Donblas, the Justice Maker adorn the filthy smell to anyone who passes through it for 2 hours after they
walls of this room. Centrally located on a dais is an altar. The have vacated it. The source of the stench is the goristro that
room is a mess due to the current inhabitants. However, the now lives here. The goritsro sleeps for most of the day unless
altar is in pristine condition. This is due to residual good he is called upon by the glabrezu in area 4a or he hears battle
emanating from it; the altar and everything in a 5ft radius is that he can take part in. Additionally the goristro wears a pair
under the effect of a hallow spell placed by Father Timothy of bracers of defense. The door to the hall has been
long ago. destroyed leaving a large hole in the wall through which the
goristro enters and exits the room.

5 PART 3 | THE TEMPLE OF DONBLAS

Treasure. There is a small box of treasure that is almost 5. Secret Passage
completely covered by filth in this room that can be spotted
by a character with a passive Wisdom (perception) of 23 or The secret passage at the rear of the temple leads to two
higher or by a successful DC 20 Wisdom (perception) check. stairwells that descend to the lower level. The passage has
The box is filled with 89gp and among the coins is a scroll of two entrances that can be spotted by a character with a
wall of force, and a scroll of legend lore. passive Wisdom (perception) of 17 or higher or by a
successful DC 16 Wisdom (perception) check. The doors are
both individually protected by their own glyph of warding
4a. Cleric's Living Quarters with a DC of 17. Each glyph is an explosive rune that will
blast the entire hallway with cold damage if it is set off. The
This room was once the sleeping quarters of a cleric of trigger for the glyph is if the secret door is opened without the
higher station in the temple. However, this room is now the correct command phrase. The correct command phrase is “I
home of Gkenkk the glabrezu who wears an amulet of am a servant of law.”
seeming (Appendix A). The room is in a fairly well kept state
for the home of a demon. Due to the fact that this room is
connected to room 4, the glabrezu Gkenkk will be aware if
any noise is made in the adjoining room.
Treasure. There is a modest looking chest at the foot of the 6. Tim’s Sitting Room
bed in this room, it is unlocked, and inside can be found The lower level of the Temple of Donblas has remained
500pp. At the bottom of the chest there is a secret panel that untouched since the day of the attack of Ahazu’s demonic
can be spotted by a character with a passive Wisdom hordes. The players can now see how wonderful the temple
(perception) of 25 or higher or by a successful DC 21 once was. The lower levels reveal that the stone of the temple
Wisdom (perception) check. Inside the false bottom panel is a was once a sterling white which was polished to a mirror-like
small brass bell of ordinary appearance. This is a bell of shine. This room was a sitting room for Father Timothy. In
fireballs (Appendix A). Additionally, in this area is a battered this room there is a set of chairs, a table of fine woodworking,
and aged writing desk. In this desk is a leather bound and an impressive rug. If the players decide to take the
journal. The first few pages worth of entries detail the day to furniture, it could be sold for as much as 400gp in the right
day goings on in the temple a thousand years ago. After these market.
pages there is a break and a new script emerges. This writing Treasure. On a side table in the corner of the room next to
is in Abyssal and it is the day to day recollection of the a chair there is a small chest. The chest is magically locked
glabrezu. However the glabrezu’s perception of time has by an arcane lock spell. The lock can be forced open or picked
become skewed. This causes the journal entries to constantly by a DC 26 Strength check or Dexterity (thieves’ tools) check.
fraught with repletion. If an hour is spent reading this Inside of the chest is a silver letter opener worth 75gp, a
volume, the reader will gain insight into the past of Gkenkk ruby worth 200gp, a gold chalice worth 1000gp and a
and how it is tortured by the fact that this small contingent of platinum ingot worth 1400gp and some letters. Under any
demons escaped the Vanishing Castle and the rest did not. inspection, the players will see that the letters are simple
correspondence letters written to Father Timothy from the
other lords of the valley Prescott Parsons, and Bernard
Blarnstaff. Some of the notes that are dated latest detail a
sense of inexplicable dread with regard to the coming days
Playing Gkenkk being experienced by all three lords of the valley.
Gkenkk the glabrezu speaks common and serves as
a leader of this contingent of demons due to its
fierce intellect. The only reason that these demons
have not scattered to wreak havoc on the prime
material plane is because the glabrezu is unusually
7. Worship Space
loyal, for a demon, to the marilith that is still This room is barren except for a small raised dais in the
trapped in the Vanishing Castle. He will wait as middle. On the walls are simple religious murals of Donblas,
long as necessary to reunite with his mistress the Justice Maker. The room has a warm and comfortable
Cindra the marilith. If spoken to, Gkenkk still feeling to those of a good alignment. To the first character of
believes that the battle that took place centuries a good alignment who would pray to their deity in this space
ago happened only a few days ago. This belief is a spectral projection of a messenger of their deity will appear.
brought on by the time that the glabrezu has spent
in the Vanishing Castle. The irregular passage of
This messenger will answer one question without error.
time in that place has warped his perception of the
However, if the deity would not know the answer the question
passage of time. The glabrezu will try to is wasted. Additionally, if a cleric attempts to use the feature
opportunistically join any fight the temple. The divine intervention in this space the chance of success is
glabrezu may try to disguise itself and trick the doubled. As the party leaves this room three babau that
players into helping it. This is possible due to the typically live upstairs have found their way down to surprise
necklace of seeming that the glabrezu wears. and ambush the party in the hallway.

PART 3 | THE TEMPLE OF DONBLAS 6

 8. The Mural Hall 12. The Secret Treasure Lair
The stone walls of this hall are painted from floor to ceiling Upon opening the secret door into this room a portal to the
with ornate murals of Donblas, the Justice Maker. Some elemental demi-plane of ice is opened. The room is made
murals show him in the setting of a heavenly court, others entirely of ice that emanates a dim glow. Inside there is
show the god on the battlefield leading legions of law into the nothing but a large chest and a statue seemingly made of ice.
Abyss to do battle with demons, some show Donblas healing The portal closes immediately after 4 rounds, or after 4
the wounded, yet another mural shows Donblas, the Justice people have entered the room. Once someone enters the
Maker locked in single combat with Arioch, Lord of the Seven room the statue will step forward and ask “Who disturbs my
Darks and Knight of Swords. These murals are truly an slumber?” reviling itself as an ice elemental (Appendix B).
impressive sight, they must have been commissioned at a The ice elemental will wait 3 rounds for a reply. If none
great price. v comes, or the wrong reply is given the elemental will attack.
The correct response is “A servant of law.” If at any point this
10. Study phrase is uttered in the room, the ice elemental will cease
This was Father Tim’s personal study once upon a time. The attacking and resume its statuesque guard. While in the room
room is filled with fine furniture and an ornate mahogany any creature takes 1d8 cold damage every round. Whenever a
desk. If the players have a mind to take this furniture it is player moves in this room they must succeed on a DC 10
worth up to 700gp to the correct buyer. The room has various Strength (athletics) or Dexterity (acrobatics) check or else
papers, texts, and tomes sitting on side tables, the desk, the they fall prone. Since this room is in the elemental plane of
chairs, and the couch. Any investigation will tell that this is a ice, fire cannot burn, it is too cold.
haphazard and rushed attempt at demon research. Father There is only one way out of this room. There are four
Tim tried to learn as much as he could about his enemies in identical buttons in a horizontal row next to the door. The
hopes of being able to banish them back to the Abyss. buttons must be pressed in the correct order to open the
Treasure. If the players investigate the desk at all they will door. The correct order is (counting from the right) is 3,1,1,4.
see a glyph of warding with a DC of 19 on an upper drawer The door cannot be opened from the outside while there are
that is not hidden. The glyph was placed by Father Tim. In his still people in the room.
haste he was unable to hide it. The glyph is of an explosive Treasure. Inside the chest in this room there is a bag
nature dealing cold damage. In the drawer can be found a containing 3114gp that is clearly marked as such with a
medium sized journal bound in thick brown leather entitled small golden tag. Additionally in the chest is one sapphire
“A Servant of Law.” This was the personal diary of Father worth 2000gp, a potion of invisibility, and a scroll of
Tim. On the inside of the cover is written “3-1-1-4” The heroes feast, regeneration, and greater restoration.
journal details the life and times of Tim. One entry that
stands out tells of how Prescott forced Tim to stand for a
portrait. In the most recent entries, Tim became weary that
some balance shifting event may be on the horizon, he was
right.
11. Tim’s Master Bedroom.
This is a beautiful bedroom with a canopy bed and simple but
lavish sitting furniture as well as a finely carved wardrobe. If
the players have a mind to take this furniture it is worth up to
1000gp to the correct buyer. There is one painting leaned in a
corner of this room. The portrait is of a pale human with very
short black hair and no facial hair. He wears spectacles on
the tip of his rather long nose. He is dressed in plain white
robes with a golden cord as a belt. In one hand he carries a
mace that is glowing dully with divine energy, in the other he
carries a staff of knotted wood. Around his neck is a fine, but
simple, silver holy symbol of Donblas. The expression on his
face is one of boredom. Upon a small gold plate at on the
bottom portion of the frame is written “Timothy Tudolph”.
Hidden Door. In this room, there is a secret door leading
to area 12 that can be spotted by a character with a passive
Wisdom (perception) of 23 or higher or by a successful DC
19 Wisdom (perception) check. The door is on the wall next
to the bed. A DC 17 Intelligence (investigation) or a DC 19
Dexterity (sleight of hand) check is needed to open the door,
the door cannot be forced.

7 PART 3 | THE TEMPLE OF DONBLAS

 Treasure. There are various pieces of treasure from
The Palace of the Paladin unfortunate adventurers that have passed into this lair stuck
This was once the keep of the paladin Lord Prescott Parsons, in the cobwebs. There is a cumulative total of 64gp strewn
one of the original rulers of the Meridian Valley. Prescott’s about in the form of various types of coins. Additionally, a
palace is in the worst condition of the three major residences potion of flying can be found on the body of an ancient elvish
of the rulers. This was once a vast multileveled castle skeleton dressed in faded and moth-eaten maroon robes.
complete with training grounds and barracks for a standing This skeleton is all that is left of an unfortunate adventurer.
force of guards and paladin soldiers. However, receiving the
brunt of the initial attack of Ahazu’s army, it is reduced to
rubble. The castle is now inhabited by various creatures who 3. Guard Armory
have found their way in through the years. Immediately upon entry, four specters will attack the party.
These are the restless souls of soldiers that fought in the
General Features battle between chaos and law. Apart from the restless undead,
This set of buildings is in the worst condition of any yet this room contains a plethora of rusted and completely
encountered by the players. The ruins stand in a rather large useless weapons and armor that were once used by the
clearing of the woods. The trees are 60ft away at the closest. guards of the Meridian Valley.
Ceilings. Ceilings are 15 feet high with various portions of Treasure. Among the useless arms and armor there are a
structural collapse unless stated otherwise. few pieces of magical treasure that can be spotted by a
Doors. The doors are made of heavy and slightly rotten character with a passive Wisdom (perception) of 13 or higher
timbers unless stated otherwise. by a successful DC 11 Wisdom (perception) check. In a half
Floor. The floors are made of dirty, but still smooth rotted barrel in the corner wrapped in a piece of leather can
flagstones. be found a +2 arrow as well as a bottle of oil of slipperiness.
The Grand Tower
This structure was once a huge tower stretching toward the 4. Soldier Barracks
sun. It now stands in ruin. Strewn across the surrounding This room was once used as a barracks for the paladin
landscape are huge pieces of stone which once served as the soldiers commanded by Lord Prescott. It is filled with beds
building blocks of this now decrepit building. There is only and a few tables. In this room three chasme have taken up
one entrance into this area. It is on the northern most portion residence. These creatures have escaped from the Vanishing
of the outside wall of the tower. The entrance is partially Castle much like the demons that live in the Temple of
blocked by large pieces of rubble. Adventurers on the larger Donblas. They have found the dark of this ruin to be a
side of the size category medium may have difficulty passing suitable place to live while they wait for their master, the
through this tight threshold. marilith that is still trapped in the Vanishing Castle, to
escape.
1. Blocked Room Treasure. In one of the footlockers of this room there are
The door of this room is blocked by a large rock from the two potions of healing, and a potion of superior healing, as
other side. To open the door requires a successful DC 18 well as a love letter from the adoring spouse of a paladin
Strength (athletics) check to force open. Immediately after soldier.
the door is opened, all adventurers standing within 10ft of the
entry while still in the hallway must succeed on a DC 16
Dexterity Saving Throw or take 4d6 bludgeoning damage and 5. Paladin Armory
be knocked prone due to the rocks that now fall from above Other than the empty armor racks, there is no evidence to
because of the removal of the support of the rock on the other suggest that this was once an armory. This is due to the
side of the door. Inside the room there is nothing but rubble, inhabitants. Two xorn and two rust monsters that the xorn
a few cobwebs on the western side produced by the phase keep as pets have eaten all of the arms and armor in this
spiders from room 2, and a small burlap sack containing room as well as any loose boulders that looked particularly
nothing. tasty.
Treasure. In the sack are over a thousand miscellaneous The xorn and rust monsters will not immediately attack the
coins, mostly copper, totaling 121gp in value. players. Instead they will demand at least 1000 coins per
xorn and one piece of ferrous magical metal for the rust
2. Guard Barracks monsters. They will accept any type of coins. If the players do
The hall leading to this room is covered in a light film of not give the xorn what they want, they will attack. If the
spider webs. This was once the barracks area of the guard players attempt any negotiate with the xorn the base DC for a
that was captained by Prescott Parsons himself. Now this successful Charisma (intimidation) or Charisma (persuasion)
room is choked with cobwebs. The cobwebs cause all check is 23.
creatures in the room to be considered lightly obscured and
the room is difficult terrain. Hiding in the higher cobwebs are
six phase spiders waiting to attempt to ambush any visitors.

PART 3 | THE PALACE OF THE PALADIN 8

 The Treacherous Tower 2. Upper Staircase
This is a four level tower with ramparts on the top. More than In this area there is a grand spiral staircase that descends
half of the tower is missing making it look a bit unstable to into the lower level of the Strong Keep. Apart from the hole in
the casual observer. There is nothing in the tower other than the northwestern corner of the wall this room shows the
a stone gargoyle that has been perched atop it since its ornate quality of the stonework of the Strong Keep.
construction. The gargoyle will awaken if the tower falls and There is a behir that calls this staircase its home. There is
has a 50% chance of attacking if the tower topples and a 50% a 30% chance that the behir is asleep on the staircase.
chance of attempting to save a falling adventurer. Additionally there is 50% chance every time the room is
If the players decide to investigate the tower they must entered that the behir will be in it. If it is not, that means that
succeed on a DC 13 Strength (athletics) or a DC 18 Dexterity the behir is in the room that contains the lower part of the
(acrobatics) check to climb to the next floor above them. On staircase. If the behir becomes aware of the presence of the
each level there is a chance of the entire structure toppling. players, it will attempt to ambush them by hiding on the
On the first floor above the ground the chance is 10% for stairway and waiting for them to descend.
each person. This chance increases for each floor above the
first including the ramparts by 10% per person. Falling from
the tower will result in 2d6 bludgeoning damage that
increases by 1d6 for each floor above the first. 3. Library
Books related to combat, weapons, tactics, and strategy are
contained in this library. The librarian that once kept this
The Strong Keep library now keeps silent watch in the form of a ghost. The
ghost will remain inside of a bookcase watching the players
The Strong Keep used to be the heart of Lord Prescott’s until any decide to investigate of the books. In this case, the
personal residence. It is now a mound of rubble. To gain ghost will attack. The ghost will flee from battle if it reduced
access to the area the players must drop down through a hole to less than two thirds of its hit point maximum. The ghost
in the rubble on the northwest corner into room 1. To climb to will then hide inside of a wall to escape. If the adventurers
this entrance, the player must succeed on a DC 12 Strength attempt to speak with the ghost he knows everything about
(athletics) check to climb over the rubble or else they take the history of the valley and will share his knowledge
1d6 bludgeoning damage from minor falls whist they willingly. He is remorseful with regard to the battle between
scramble. law and chaos. He knows very little about the current
circumstances of a valley. The only thing that he truly he
cannot remember is his name.
Treasure. This ghost has spent his centuries of undeath as
1. Meeting Hall a hoarder. Because of this there is much treasure to be had
The entry into this room is a 10ft drop. A DC 12 Dexterity among the shelves of the library. If the players wish to search
(acrobatics) check must be succeeded to land safely. If the for this treasure, they must make an Intelligence
check is failed, the character takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage (investigation) check. If their result if lower than 10 they find
from the fall. This room has the dry fragrance of settled dust. nothing. If the result is between 11 and 15, they find a silver
An ornate but broken wooden table is the only fixture in this ingot worth 150gp and a scroll of ice knife. If their score is
room. between 16 and 20, they find a gold ingot worth 400gp that
This place was once a meeting room. The behir that now the ghost stole from area 4 and scroll of firebolt, and a
makes its home deeper in the keep is the one that broke the scroll of wall of stone in addition to the previous treasure. If
thick timber of the meeting table. The behir’s tracks are still their score is between 21 and 25, they find a jar of
somewhat visible in the dust. A Wisdom (survival) check may Keoghtom’s ointment, a potion of longevity, and they open
be attempted by any member of the party to see what broke the secret door that is hidden in a bookcase into area number
the table and left the tracks. On a score of 10 or less they gain 4 in addition to the previous treasure. If their score is
no information. On a score of 11 to17 they know that it is a between 26 and 30, they find a flawless diamond worth
large creature with more than four legs that has come and 5000gp and +1 dagger in addition to the previous treasure.
gone repeatedly and that the tracks are no more than four If their score is between 31 and 33 they find a ring of
days old. On a score of 18 or higher they gain the additional telekinesis in addition to the previous treasure. If their score
information that the tracks are from a behir. The doorway out is 34 or higher they find a manual of gainful exercise which
of this room has been broken through. The door lays off its the ghost stole from area 4 in addition to all previous
hinges on the floor amidst a small bit of rubble. There is no treasure.
treasure in this chamber.

9 PART 3 | THE PALACE OF THE PALADIN

4. Prescott’s Secret Study 5. Lower Staircase and Gallery
This room was the study of Lord Prescott when he was still This is where the grand staircase of area 2 meets the lower
alive to co-rule the Meridian Valley. In this room there are level. Depending on the luck of the party, the behir may or
bookshelves made from spectacularly carved oak from floor may not be asleep or waiting to ambush the party in this
to ceiling on the western wall as well as a massive wood location. Once at the bottom of the stairs, the characters will
carved desk and chair. This desk is worth up to 400gp to the notice that in this area the walls are covered in masterworks
correct buyer if the players decide to take it. Additionally of canvas. Unfortunately the behir’s residence in this area has
there is a huge arm chair upholstered with the hide of a green ruined some of the paintings. However, there are still many in
dragon in the corner, this chair is worth up to 1000gp to the pristine condition.
correct buyer. Next to the grand armchair there sits an ornate These paintings include massive murals of the gods as well
gold book pedestal upon which used to sit the manual of as still lives, portraits, landscapes, and one particularly
gainful exercise that the ghost in area 3 stole and hid in the beautiful portrait of a woman with long brown curly hair this
library. At the base of the portion of the pedestal upon which is Lady Paige Parsons. These paintings could be sold to the
a book might rest is a small three digit mechanical correct buyer for as much as 15000gp. One painting that
countdown. This timer was keeping track of how long the might catch the eye of the players is a full body portrait of a
manual of gainful exercise had until it was recharged. This bear of a man clad in golden plate mail wrought in the most
timer has long since been half clicking, displaying 0-0-0. On a decorative manner. Behind him is a grand window displaying
successful DC 20 Intelligence (history) check an adventurer a vista of the Meridian Valley with the still standing Castle
may recall the 100 year recharge rate of books of this nature Blarnstaff in the distance. In his right hand this massive
and apply this knowledge to the pedestal at hand. With this human carries a shortsword made of white metal that glows
new information the party may reattempt the Intelligence with a sacred aura. Strapped to his left arm is a circular
(investigation) check of area 3 with a +10 bonus. The shield emblazoned with a relief of the burning sun. A white
bookshelves seem to have been stripped of the biggest and cloak billows from his shoulders behind him. He has light
most valuable volumes, this is the work of the ghost in the brown hair that is slicked back on his head and a scar
library as well. running across his left cheek parallel to his harsh jawline.
Treasure. Against the north wall next to the book shelf Upon a small gold plate at on the bottom portion of the frame
there is a medium sized cabinet with a glass front. It is is written “Prescott Parsons.”
locked. The lock can be opened by the key that is in the top
drawer of the desk or it can be picked with a successful DC
16 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) check. Inside the cabinet are 6. Trophy Room
three bottles. The bottles can be seen from outside the This is the personal trophy room of Lord Prescott. On the
cabinet, but due to dust the bottles cannot be identified. Once walls of this room hang the heads of wild game such as stags,
the cabinet is open it is clear that all of the bottles are clearly bears, and dire wolves. Additionally there are a few trophies
labeled. There is one bottle with a very wide base that tappers of a monstrous sort. There is the head of an adult green
to a long slender neck this is a bottle of elysium elven dragon labeled “Vorlex, the Venom Fang.” This is the head of
brandy worth 800gp to the correct buyer. This brandy is now the dragon whose scales are utilized in the armchair in area
well over 2000 years old. The second bottle is a squat 4. There is a mount that contains the horns of some demonic
rectangular crystal decanter filled with a dark reddish brown entity. There is a head of a naga. There are other trophies
liquid, this is dragon breath whiskey worth 1000gp to the beyond these as well. If the party so chooses they could
correct buyer. This whiskey is now about 1100 years old. The gather the trophies and attempt to sell them. To the correct
third bottle is made of green glass and is filled with a rich buyer, the trophies would be worth as much as 7500gp. This
purple liquid. This is feywild wine worth 5300gp to the room is the only way to get to the guest room on area 7, it is
correct buyer. This bottle is now over 3500 years old. These obvious that this room was meant to serve as a way to
three bottles were intensely rare when Prescott first found impress or intimidate guests as they would have to walk
them, now they have had another millennium to age and through it frequently to gain access to their quarters.
mature.

7. Guestroom
This room was once a guestroom. It is filled with modest
furnishings that are covered in a thick layer of dust. The room
is now home to three grey oozes that will attempt to ambush
the party if they remain unseen on the ceiling of the room.
When the party is attacked by the oozes, if they retreat out
the door and into the trophy room the oozes will not follow
for fear of encountering the behir, even if the behir is no
longer alive. There is no treasure in this room. If the oozes
are slain, the party may rest here with the door shut. If they
do, they will not be attacked by any creatures during their
rest.

PART 3 | THE PALACE OF THE PALADIN 10

 8. Family Room 9. Prescott’s Bedroom
This sitting room is furnished rather luxuriously. It contains a This was once the bedroom of Lord and Lady Parsons. The
small table inlayed with gold filigree, a high backed armchair furnishings of this room are as lavish as the family room,
upholstered with naga hide, two low backed armchairs through the secret door, in area 8. There is a large bed with
upholstered in the same. To the correct buyer this furniture furs as blankets, the woodwork of the frame is carved with
could be worth as much as 2300gp. On one of the side tables various reliefs of heroic deeds accomplished by Prescott.
there is a set of knitting needles and a ball of yarn, these These include slaying a green dragon, wrestling a minotaur,
items once belonged to Lady Parsons. In the south wall of defeating a group of naga, as well as others. Next to the bed is
this area is a large painting of Lord Prescott, his wife Lady a small night stand that has an ancient note on it. The note is
Parsons, and a small boy dressed in fine clothes. This boy is addressed to Prescott, it rather informally tells Prescott of a
not older than 8 years old in the painting. He is the son, Peter, small will-o’-wisp problem near Castle Blarnstaff. It asks if
of the Lord and Lady. Prescott would be so kind as to lead a team of paladins down
In this room resides a treacherous nothic (Appendix B) into the cave to clear out the problem. This note is signed
with an unusual set of traits. The nothic has been changed Bernard Blarnstaff.
due to its natural eldritch origins combined with its Treasure. There is a massive wardrobe filled with a variety
investigations of the area around the Vanishing Castle as well of moth eaten dresses however, there is one dress that still
as its prolonged exposure to an area where the Weave is so looks fresh and new. This is a dress of eloquence (Appendix
exposed. Unfortunately for the nothic, this exposure has A). On the side of the room opposite the bed and wardrobe is
turned him a bit insane. The nothic will use its invisibility to a small personal training area. This area is partially
remain unseen while gaining information about the party via collapsed, some of the combat targets.
its weird insight ability. It will use this information via
telepathy to attempt to disrupt the party’s actions as it
believes that they are there to capture and torture him. The
nothic will at all times try to pry information out of the
players about the Vanishing Castle and what happened there,
even if the party knows nothing about it. If the nothic does
not start to gain the information it seeks it will attempt to sow
discord within the party. The nothic will only join in combat if
it can get a few of the members of the party to turn against
the rest of the group.
Hidden Door. Hidden behind the family painting is a
secret door to area 9. This door can be spotted by a character
with passive Wisdom (perception) of 17 or higher or by a
successful DC 15 Intelligence (investigation) check. The door
is revealed once the painting is swung outward. The secret
door is locked. It can be opened with the key from the desk in
area 4 or by a DC 16 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) check.

11 PART 3 | THE PALACE OF THE PALADIN

The Vanishing Castle 1. The Courtyard
Upon approach, the Vanishing Castle is phased into This courtyard is littered with the bodies of demons and
existence. This is a magnificent castle to behold. It looks as soldiers that fought in the battle between law and chaos over
though it were completed only a few months ago. That is a millennium ago. Due to the irregular passage of time in and
except for the fact that the outer wall has a huge breach in the around the Vanishing Castle the bodies are still warm, the
southern portion. This castle originally belonged to one of the blood is still fresh, and the fires still burn from the battle. All
co-rulers of the Meridian Valley, Archmage Bernard Blanstaff. of the best equipment has been picked over by either beings
The final confrontation between law and chaos happened from the castle or creatures brave enough to venture this
here over one thousand years ago. However, looking at the close to it.
castle you would think it happened only yesterday. As the adventurers enter the courtyard, they hear a
resounding crack. Nothing appears to have changed, except
General Features for the fact that now the castle seems to be floating in a grand
This castle perched on the side of the valley is truly vista of black with distant stars in what appears visually
wondrous. The white stonework stretches high into the sky similar to a moonless night sky. Everything beyond the
above. perimeter of dislocation is gone. The Vanishing Castle has
Ceilings. Inside the Vanishing Castle the ceilings are 20 now phased out of existence with the players in it.
feet high unless stated otherwise. Now in the courtyard ten manes, three tanarukk, and a
Doors. The doors are made of heavy timbers unless stated balor can be seen. Invisible perched on a column is the
otherwise. marilith’s familiar a quasit whose job it is to supervise the
Floor. The floors are made smooth and polished white others. They are milling about fruitlessly attempting to
flagstones. scavenge anything that they can from the courtyard to bring
Exterior Walls. The exterior defensive walls of the castle back to their master the marilith. If these demons are
are 20 feet thick and 30ft tall. attacked the quasit will not fight instead it will use its
Guards and Wards. The majority of the Vanishing Castle’s telepathic link to the marilith to commentate on the battle. At
ground level is under the effect of the spell guards and wards initiative 25 on the third round of the battle two nalfeshnee
as marked on the map. Because of this, all hallways are will join the fray. These demons have been sent by the
shrouded in magical fog causing everything to be heavily marilith to dispatch the adventurers. If any of creatures sent
obscured. The fog also causes a 50% chance of confusion and to support the minor demons are reduced to half health or
misnavigation at intersections of corridors. All stairways are less, the marilith will send more support. Two turns of
under the effect of a web spell. Also, all doors have a 50% combat after this, two babau will join the battle from within
chance to be effected by the spell arcane lock with a DC of 18. the castle, once again, sent by the marilith. If the tide of the
Time. Once inside the perimeter of dislocation as marked on battle goes against the demons, the quasit will flee back to its
the map, time passes in a completely irregular and foreign master.
fashion. Because of this, any time the players attempt to rest,
they gain no benefits of the rest. 2. The Crystal Forest
Creatures. Due to the instability of the ‘tween’ dimension The entranceway to the Vanishing Castle proper is a marvel
and the altogether foreign passage of time in the Vanishing to behold. This room is filled with light fog spilling over from
Castle, its creatures all suffer from ‘glitches’. On occasion a the corridors from the guards and wards spell. The fog is
portion of a creature such as a head, arm, torso, or a piece of mingled with giant trees made of clear crystal that fill the
equipment that a creature is carrying or wearing will jerk or room and appear to hold up the ceiling. The walls are lightly
catch as if it was momentarily stuck between two planes in enchanted to give the appearance that the forest goes on for
the middle of a motion or a line of speech. This jerk or catch miles upon miles. Anything more than a quick glance will
is almost imperceptibly quick and does not impact the show this to be an illusion. Floating through the room are
statistics of the creature. small butterflies and lightning bugs that shed light. These are
Exit. There are three ways in which to regain entry to the a the only sources of light in the room. They provide just
regular plane of existence from the Vanishing Castle once it enough light for the room to be considered brightly lit.
has phased out of existence and into the ‘tween’ dimension. Treasure. Apart from the magical and architectural marvel
The first is to wait for it to phase back into existence. This in this room there is one curious feature. Stuck to the trunk
may take seconds, or centuries. The phasing of the castle is of one of the massive trees is a two handed sword which has
completely random. The second way is to escape through the pinned a fire giant to the tree. This is the sword of the
hive of the will-o’-wisps that have unknowingly burrowed favored enemy. This sword is known as “Banger” or “Giant’s
under the castle and taken advantage of the exposure to the Bane” to the giants that reside in the castle. This sword
Weave and have actually created a permanent entrance and requires a successful DC 30 Strength check to remove from
exit to the Vanishing Castle. The third is utilization of the its position in the tree. If a ranger attempts to remove it, the
planar door in the cave of the wizard. sword will slide out with ease.

PART 4 | THE THE VANISHING CASTLE 12

 3. Administrative Office 6. Bar
In this room there are a number of dead unarmed bodies that The bar and lounge area of Castle Blarnstaff can be found
seem to be ancient. (Time works in strange ways in the here. This room is meant to serve as a place of reprieve for
Vanishing Castle.) This was once the main administrative any guests tired of the ballroom. However, every bottle of
office for the servants of Castle Blarnstaff before the battle liquor, ale, beer, or wine has been smashed by the single
that wrenched it from the fabric of space and time. In the dretch that now inhabits this room. The dretch can be found
corner of this room is a fire giant that is cowering in fear. He splashing in the puddle that he has made. The dretch is
is muttering about demons and a deadly sword. The fire giant drunk and thus has disadvantage on attack rolls. Additionally,
is suffering quite heavily from the ‘glitching’ that creatures in upon the opening of this door a suggestion spell effect with a
the vanishing castle are prone to. The giant is afraid, as per DC 17 from the guards and wards spell happens. The mind
the condition, of leaving the room. of the players are filled with the low voice of a tired man
The flagstone just inside the door to this room triggers one saying “Please, leave my bar alone.” This is the voice of
of the magic mouth functions of the guards and wards spell. Bernard Blarnstaff.
The mouth of the spell appears on the floor of the room
where the trigger is. The mouth will scream in a demonic
voice “WE MUST RETREAT! LEAVE THIS PLACE! THERE 7. Kitchen
IS ONLY DEATH FOR US HERE!” This message was This room was once a kitchen fit to provide food for an entire
intended to trick the demonic hordes of the battle long ago to ball at a moment’s notice. It has now been ransacked by the
leave the castle. If the magic mouth spell is triggered, the giants and demons so many times that it is mostly destroyed.
giant will noticeably flinch and let out a small scream. The The players may attempt a DC 14 Wisdom (survival) check to
giant will not start a fight with the players, but if they start scrounge the area for any unspoiled leftover food. On a
one, he will fight back to the best of his ability. success they regain 3d4 + Constitution modifier hit points as
they find the last of the non-spoiled food.
4. Ballroom
This was once the ballroom of the castle. It still has tables set 8. Mess Hall
and candles lit as if a ball were just about to take place. As
the door is opened to this area, it sets off another magic There are signs that the demons once spent much time in
mouth spell. This spell’s mouth appears on the opposite wall this mess hall. Now it is empty apart from a few long, now
from the grand double doors and whispers “Flee.” This magic partly ruined tables as well as general filth from the demons.
mouth is combined with one of the suggestion spell effects The demons ate here to relieve the boredom of their
from guards and wards as well. The DC for this spell is 18. imprisonment more than any other reason.
On the dance floor of the ballroom arguing with each other
are three fire giants. These fire giants are arguing over how
long they have been stuck in the castle. One giant is 9. Vrock’s Nest
convinced that it has been only minutes. Another is fervent This room appears to be a completely ruined barracks. All of
that is has been a couple of weeks. The third fire giant has a the beds have been torn apart to create some sort of nest in
much longer beard than the other two and looks much older. the center of the room which are currently occupied by two
He is quiet with his argument, but he believes that they have vrock A successful DC 14 Wisdom (survival) check will make
been stuck in the castle for a century or more. Due to the it apparent to the players that this used to be the sleeping
high tension already in this room the giants will attack the area of the vrock from the courtyard.
players on sight. The elderly fire giant has only 80 hit points Treasure. If the players take time to search for anything of
and has a movement speed of 20 ft. This causes his challenge use, a character with passive Wisdom (perception) of 17 or
rating to drop to 7 (2900XP). higher or a successful DC 14 Intelligence (investigation)
check will yield 124gp as well as a potion of greater
healing.
5. Wrecked Guard Room
This room was once a guardroom of the castle. Now
everything in the room has been destroyed. Various pieces of 10. Meeting Room
furniture, weapons racks, weapons, and armor all lay The door to this room always has an arcane lock spell effect
sundered, burnt, and in some cases partially melted on the from the guards and wards spell where as other doors only
ground. In this room resides a fire giant and two hell have a 50% chance for such an effect. If the door is opened a
hounds. The giant is in the process of training the hell magic mouth spell from guards and wards will appear on
hounds. He is intensely frustrated with the hounds because the center of the magnificent table in the center of this room.
they seem to randomly and without warning forget everything The mouth will tell the players in Bernard Blarnstaff’s low
that he has taught them. voice “Leave this place if you should care to continue your
Treasure. The fire giant carries a wand of command meager existence!”
(Appendix A).

13 PART 4 | THE THE VANISHING CASTLE

Around the table from which the mouth appeared are three 13. Guest Room
chairs. One chair is a high backed armchair upholstered with
green dragon hide. This chair is in front of a portion of the This room looks as if it were prepared only yesterday. The
table which has been enchanted to spell out the word sheets on the modest bed are clean and the room is freshly
“Prescott” in dully glowing golden letters. The second chair is dusted. If the adventurers look into this room again later, it
a low backed wooden chair of fine make with a silver pillow will appear as nicely put together as it was originally, but it
on the seat. This chair is in front of a portion of the table that will have a thousand years’ worth of dust covering the entire
has the word “Timothy” in dully glowing white letters. The room. If the players look a third time, it will be back to the
third chair is a very squat purple velvet upholstered recliner. pristine condition it was in the first time that the players
This chair is in front of a portion of the table that has the viewed it. The condition of the room will continue to change
word “Bernard” in dully glowing blue letters. This furniture every time that the players view it.
could be sold to the correct buyer for as much as 2200gp. Treasure. In a cabinet above a small desk in the corner are
This was once a meeting room for the three rulers of the two potions of healing.
Meridian Valley.
Hidden Door. A character with passive Wisdom
(perception) of 16 or higher or a successful DC 12 Wisdom 14. Guest Room
(perception) check will reveal a secret door leading to area 11 This guest room has the same modest furnishings as area 13.
on the eastern wall. The door is noticeable because it was left However, this room starts in the state of being dust covered
ever so slightly ajar. and is always in the opposite state of the room next door.
Thus, if the adventurers leave the room and chance a glance
in later it will be in pristine condition and it will keep
11. War Room switching to be different every time it is viewed.
Treasure. In the cabinet above the desk is a jar of
This room contains a huge table magically enchanted to Keoghtom’s ointment.
display a top down view of the Meridian Valley as it looked
one thousand years ago. The map is also stuck in a loop of
about two minutes showing a condensed version of the 15. Gentlemen’s Bath
assault on the Meridian Valley and the resistance that the
forces within the valley put up. The magical animation ends This bath chamber was once one of great splendor. Now it is
with Castle Blarnstaff being torn from the valley by some utterly disgusting. The demons have gotten into this bath to
magical means. do nothing but destroy it. The fine stonework of the chamber
Hidden Door. In this room there is a secret door that is is cracked and the water in the bath is a putrid black. The
magically protected which leads to area 24. A character with statues that are present in the chamber are smashed. The
passive Wisdom (perception) of 24 or higher or a successful demons have scratched insults and obscenities into the walls
DC 21 Wisdom (perception) check will be able to spot the in Abyssal and in Common. There is nothing of value in this
door. This door opens to a staircase leading down into area room.
24, the chessboard.
16. Ladies’ Bath
12. Nalfeshnee’s Quarters This ornate bath chamber is still in its original condition. It is
beautiful. There are statues flanking large warm pools of
This was once a barracks similar to the one in area 9. In this water. These waters had been blessed by Father Tim long
room, all of the bunks have been pushed together to form one ago. If the players spend time to wash themselves, they will
huge bed. A successful DC 14 Wisdom (survival) check will regain 3d8+ Constitution modifier hit points. They also gain
make it apparent to the players that this used to be the advantage the next time would make an attack roll, a skill
sleeping area of the nalfeshnee from the courtyard. check, or a saving throw.
Treasure. There is a chest of medium size in the corner of
this room. Inside the chest is 543gp worth of silver pieces.
17, 18, and 19. Cleared Rooms
These rooms on the upper level of the castle used to be
guestrooms and sitting areas. However, they have all been
completely emptied of all furniture and any goods whatsoever.
A successful DC 13 Intelligence (investigation) check will
yield the information that all of the items in these rooms have
been dragged down the hallway to area 23 and area 22.

PART 4 | THE THE VANISHING CASTLE 14

 20. Library 21. Treasure Room
Unlike the other libraries of the Meridian Valley, this library is The door to this room is locked and can be unlocked by the
of the completely mundane sort. It is meant for nothing other key which the marilith in area 23 keeps on her person, or it
than entertainment. There are books in this library on the can be unlocked by a DC 33 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) check.
subjects or sport, etiquette, cooking, history, games, and This room is where the marilith has moved all of the treasure
many others. Out on a research table can be found a rather that she could find in the Vanishing castle.
interesting volume. It is the personal diary of Cindra, the Treasure. In a mound on the floor are coins of various
mariltih that resides in area 23. This diary details every single types totaling 10452gp, gems of various types and sizes
day of the marilith’s stay in the Vanishing Castle all the way totaling 5000gp worth, and various art pieces such as
back until the original assault on the Meridian Valley. The sculptures, paintings, and other master craftworks worth
diary regards it as a triumphant fight, a massacre of weak a total of 14000gp to the correct buyer. There are a few
and unworthy mortals. The journal details when the fire magical items in this pile that the marilith Cindra deemed
giants happened upon the Vanishing Castle, and how she has worthless to her. These items are a periapt of wound
been working to enslave them. The diary also details that the closure, a lantern of revealing, gauntlets of ogre power,
marilith knows that there must be a way out of this forsaken and a +1 trident.
castle, but she cannot find it. It is this daily journaling that
has allowed the mind of Cindra to remain unwarped by the 22. Giant Sleeping Arrangements
irregularity in the passage of time in the Vanishing Castle. Some of the furniture removed from areas 17, 18, and 19
If the players search the rest of the library, a successful DC have been relocated into this chamber. The furniture has
21 Intelligence (investigation) check will reveal the presence been rearranged into two massive beds for the enslaved fire
of a very used and thick tome on the subject of chess playing. giants. There are no inhabitants in this room currently. There
All of the pages are well used, but there is one page that has a is no treasure in this room.
corner folded down to mark it. This page shows the quickest
way to force an opponent into checkmate. The instruction
detail a strategy by which, first the white player opens the 23. Bernard’s Master Bedroom
game by moving his king’s pawn forward one space. Then the This room was once the master bedroom of Archmage
black player moves his king’s bishop’s pawn forward one Bernard Blarnstaff one of the original three rulers of the
space. After this, the white player moves his queen in to put Meridian Valley. Now it is home to the cruel marilith Cindra,
the black player in checkmate. If this strategy is employed, her quasit familiar, and her pet goristro.
the wizard’s chessboard in area 24 will let the white player This room is furnished with a huge canopy bed with purple
win and pass through the board. Archmage Blarnstaff used to and blue blankets and a pink silk veil. There is a large
utilize this tactic to get past the chessboard quickly when he wooden table against the western wall as well as a makeshift
needed to. bed for the goristro created from furniture that was removed
When the players exit this room they are ambushed by two from areas 17, 18, and 19. In the center of the room is a large
fire giants that the marilith has sent from area 23. The giants fire that is always kept smoldering. The smoke from this fire
may be heard upon their approach to the room based on their causes the entire room to be considered lightly obscured and
Dexterity (stealth) check while approaching. If the door to the dimly lit.
library is closed while they are attempting to approach the On the northern wall there is a large canvas with multiple
giants have an additional +5 to their check. The fire giants holes pierced in it. These holes were created by the marilith
also have long chains that are connected to collars on their as the subject of the painting vexes her so dearly. The man in
necks. This is because of their enslavement to the marilith. If the painting is of medium stature. He has salt and pepper
a player so chooses, they could attempt to grab the chain as hair that is grown out to just past his shoulders. This man
an action. They can attempt to restrain the giant by the chain has a mustache curled at the ends, along with a short and
via a Strength (athletics) competition. If one giant dies or very sharp beard that comes about an inch off of his chin.
both are reduced to less than half of their maximum hit Upon his head is perched a circlet with a small sapphire in
points, they will attempt to flee back to area 23 and await the the center. He also wears a cloak colored like the night sky.
players there. Under his cloak can be seen a fine doublet made of blue satin
and regular brown pantaloons. Clutched in his hand before
him is a thin brass staff that has runic engraving scrolled
upon it. Upon a small gold plate at on the bottom portion of
the frame is written “Bernard Blarnstaff.”
Treasure. Cindra wears her crown of compulsion and she
also carries the large iron key that unlocks the door into area
21 the treasure room.

15 PART 4 | THE THE VANISHING CASTLE

 There are 4 empty spaces on the white side of the
Playing Cindra chessboard a pawn, the queenside rook, the kingside knight,
Cindra was a head lieutenant of Ahazu’s in the and the kingside bishop. These spots must be filled by
assault of chaos on the valley. She earned this members of the party. Each chess piece appears as a large
position through her innate ability to cast spells and ornate marble sculpture but the statistics of each chess
and her ruthlessness. However, Cindra will not piece are as follows:
immediately fight the party. She is intelligent
enough to have realized that the party may be her
best hopes of escaping imprisonment in the
Vanishing Castle. She will offer to work with the White Pieces
adventurers. She believes that there might be a way Piece Stat Block
out of the castle through the basement, but it is
filled with puzzles and traps. Cindra knows the Pawn Kight
quick win to the chessboard in area 24 through Knight Gladiator
trial and error; and she knows the correct pattern
to the pain squares in area 27 which she tortured Bishop War Priest
out of a servant of the castle early on. She will keep Rook Earth Elemental
this knowledge to herself as long as possible.
Cindra is normally a cynical and sinister type that Queen Abjurer
views herself as being above working with mere King Champion
mortals. But, she is willing make an exception. If
the adventurers work with Cindra, she will
opportunistically attempt to kill them once they
have led her out of the castle. Cindra has a base DC
of 25 for any Charisma based checks that the party Black Pieces
may attempt to make against her. If Cindra is Piece Stat Block
forced to fight she will begin by casting haste in a
last ditch effort to be rid of the adventurers. Pawn Cult Fanatic
Additionally, the marilith wears a platinum tiara Knight Helmed Horror
called the crown of compulsion. This magical item
is how she keeps her tyrannical rule over the other Bishop Necromancer
demons in the vanishing castle. Rook Earth Elemental
Queen Evoker
King Blackguard

24. The Chessboard

The staircase behind the secret door in area 11 leads to this
large open chamber with a ceiling of 60ft. In this room there 25. The Deceiver
are two sets of stands for spectators and a massive
chessboard with the white pieces on the northern side of the This room is nothing but a simple stone hallway that dead
room and the black pieces on the southern side of the room. ends into a sizable painting of a large woman dressed in fine
Behind the black pieces stands a door with no handle that attire. Above the painting the following is engraved into the
cannot be opened except by winning a game of chess. stone “The password is ‘a lawful man.’” Once the entire party
If at any point the players call out a legal chess move, the is in the hallway the doorway from the area 24 will close and
white pieces will begin to move in accordance with the lock. When this happens the painting begins to move and will
command, and thus the black pieces will follow. If the players tell the players “I answer all questions truthfully.” This
utilize the ‘quick checkmate’ that the book in the library in statement is absolutely true. The painting will answer any
area 20 describes, the black pieces will let the white win the question posed to her truthfully and to the best of her ability.
game. Once the black king is in checkmate, the door at the She is content to have conversation with the players for hours
southern end of the room will open. If white loses, the game on end. She will be very friendly and polite. She is glad to
resets. If the game ends in a stalemate, the game resets. This have a chatting companion as it has been years since she has
chessboard was used by Bernard as both a means of spoken to anyone but the marilith Cindra, whom she loathes.
protection for the inner sanctum of his workshop and as a The only way to escape this room is to get the painting to say
means of entertainment. However, this is no regular game of “a lawful man.” If the painting says this it will swing forward
chess. Whenever a piece attempts to take another, the two revealing the door to the next room as well as unlocking the
pieces must fight each other in single combat to the death door back to area 24, the chessboard.
without leaving the board to determine which piece wins the
contested space. Checkmate need not be fought over and if
the king is ever destroyed in battle the game is over. If
another creature or adventurer intervenes, the game is
immediately reset.

PART 4 | THE THE VANISHING CASTLE 16

 26. The Arabian Market 30. The Wizard’s Cave
As the players open the door to this room they are This massive cave is the inner sanctum of Castle Blarnstaff.
immediately immersed in a completely fantastical illusion of This was once the workshop of Archmage Blarnstaff himself.
an Arabian port side market bazaar with a fountain in the The vast openness of this cave is completely dark except for
center. This market is completely immersive and packed with five areas that look as if they are lit with spotlights.
people. 10ft in front of them is a small fountain. Additionally there is one feature of the cave that is more
The players must make a DC 25 Wisdom Saving Throw recent that is not illuminated.
upon entering the room. On a success, the player can see
through the illusion and know that the room is just a stone A. The Planar Door
chamber with a small simple fountain in the center. On a The first feature of interest is a massive doorway standing
failure the character is immersed in the illusionary mirage. 25ft tall. In front of the doorway is a circle in the soft packed
The way to escape the mirage is to drink from the fountain. gavel of the cave floor. In this circle is a small button on the
The DC to dispel this effect on one target via the spell dispel ground. The doorway is covered in a large sheet of glass.
magic is 28. When this door was first created, it was a perfect doorway to
any plane of existence. Now the doorway flickers between
27. Pain Squares planes at random every second or two, the Prime Material
This room has 5ft square tiles that span the entirety of the Plane is not among the options. The button in the circle when
room. On the wall opposite the entrance the following is depressed will cause the glass covering the doorway to slide
engraved in the wall “Each row has three.” Every time a down into the floor of the cave or back up to cover the
marked tile on the map is stepped on, it shocks the character doorway.
dealing 1d10 lightning damage. Every time a character is B. The Illusionary Garden
shocked the damage for a wrong step increases by 1d10. The At first glance, this area appears to be a small pavilion
adventurers can beat the system by having multiple people mimicking savannah grassland with wild grass as high as an
step on the tiles at once in order to keep the damage low as average human’s hip. If a character steps into the grass they
they attempt to cross the room. will feel the warmth of the savannah hit their skin and then
begin to fade as the landscape around them begins to shift
28. Switch Trickery and mimic whatever they desire it to be. The illusion is
Once all of the adventurers are in the room the door will slam completely immersive apart from the easily accessible 10ft
shut and cacophonously loud voice will start to count down gap leading back to the rest of the cave. When the illusionary
from ten as the light in the room flashes between normal and garden is not in use, it will always appear as a savannah.
red repeatedly. The only thing in the room other than the two
doors is a large switch in the center of the room. If the switch C. The Pools of the Weave
is thrown, the countdown will restart. If the countdown is Here clustered together are five pools of water that seem to
allowed to reach zero, the flashing lights stop and both doors be natural to the cave floor. All of the pools are roughly 10ft
unlock. deep. Each pool has a different magical effect.
Pool of Healing. This pool bubbles slowly and emanates a
29. The Hall of Heros welcoming warmth. If a character drinks from the pool it will
cause them to regain one hit point. If the character decides to
This room has the carcasses of several fire giants splattered enter the pool, it will cause the player to regain hit points at a
on the floor and the walls. Additionally there are six large rate of one per round. If a player remains in the pool for ten
stone statues that stand in rows of three flanking the pathway minutes scars start to fade from their body. If a player
to the door on the other side of the room. These statues are remains in the pool for thirty minutes one disease ailing them
actually five stone golems (the golem nearest to the entrance will be cured. Another disease will be cured every thirty
on the right hand side is cracked in half.) These golems bare minutes thereafter.
the resemblance of the three lords of the Meridian Valley. Pool of Healing (spoiled).This pool used to be the same
Just a few feet into the chamber is a raised plinth. This as number 1 but Blarnstaff’s magic during the final battle of
plinth is magically enchanted to read “Hello” followed by the law and chaos spoiled it. The pool is now a greyish brown
full name of each character at the threshold of the chamber. and smells of sulfur. If the water is consumed it will cause the
The only way to progress through the chamber without being character one point of necrotic damage. If the player decides
attacked by the golems is to address the statues by name. The to enter the pool they will be dealt one point of necrotic
two statues nearest to the entrance, one of which is partially damage per round. If a player remains in the pool for ten
destroyed, are carved in the likeness of Timothy Tudolph. The minutes open sores will begin to appear. If a player remains
second set of statues are carved in the likeness of Prescott in the pool for thirty minutes they will contract one random
Parsons. Finally, the third set are carved in the likeness of disease. Another disease will be contracted every thirty
Bernard Blarnstaff. minutes thereafter.

17 PART 4 | THE THE VANISHING CASTLE

Pool of Gazing. This pool is impeccably clear. It functions as The second level of the tower is a workshop. In the workshop
a crystal ball of legendary rarity when gazed into. there can be found a set of +2 elven chain that also functions
Pool of Gazing (spoiled). This pool was once the same as as a cloak of elvenkind, a ring of regeneration, a ring of
pool number 3. Now it has gone bad. It appears the same, but three wishes that has no charges, and a strange project that
once it is peered into it functions as a mirror of opposition. is half finished. It seems as if Bernard was in the process of
Pool of Improvement. The water of this pool has a slight trying to combine a Canaith mandolin and a Cil lyre. A
golden tint. The water also smells of roses. If a character sucessful DC 22 Dexterity (tinker’s tools) or Intelligence
drinks from the pool it will raise one ability score of their (performance) check may be made to separate the two
choice by one and the maximum of that score will be raised instruments and reassemble one, but only one.
by two. If the player drinks from the pool again the ability Also on this floor is a mannequin that keeps ‘glitching’ and
score that was improved upon the first sip is now lowered by flickering a robe and a suit of plate armor into and out of
five. If the character drinks a third time they make a DC 25 existence on its frame. If the spell planar binding is cast on
Wisdom Saving Throw. On a success they are reduced to 0 the robe/plate armor/mannequin, one of the items may be
hit points. On a failure the character dies. bound to this odd plane. There is a 60% chance the robe is
bound, a 30% chance the armor is bound, and a 10% chance
D. Mushroom Patch that the mannequin stops ‘glitching’ and both items are lost.
This patch of mushrooms has four distinct color variations: The robe is a robe of the archmagi and in its pocket is The
red, white, green, and blue. When eaten each different color Deck of Many Things, the armor is +3 demon armor.
of mushroom grants resistance to a different type of damage
for 1 hour. Red grants fire resistance, green grants acid F. The Hive
resistance, white grants cold resistance, and blue grants This is a small hole in the side of the cave wall from which
lighting resistance. can be heard a soft buzzing. A successful DC 26 Wisdom
A successful DC 19 Wisdom (nature) check shows that (survival) or Intelligence (arcana) check reveals that the
these mushrooms could be dried and stored indefinitely. source of the buzzing to be many will-o’-wisps. This opening
Another Wisdom (nature) check is necessary to complete the leads into the hive of the will-o’-wisps that have nested under
drying process. On a score of 5 or lower, one mushroom of the Vanishing Castle and have by chace excavated a path into
each type is successfully dried. On a score of 6 through 10, a the wizard’s workshop through an extremely exposed portion
total of eight mushrooms of the player’s choice can be of the Weave. This is the same nest of will-o’wisps that the
successfully dried. On a score of 11 through 15, a total of ten note in Lord Prescott’s bedroom from Archmage Blarnstaff
mushrooms of the player’s choice can be successfully dried. mentions.
On a score of 16 through 20, a total of twelve mushrooms of If the players pass through the hole they will feel an odd
the player’s choice can be successfully dried. Finally on a sensation, as if they were passing through a thin, but
score of 20, or higher 10 a total of fifteen mushrooms of the obstinate, veil of arcane energy. This veil is the Weave itself.
player’s choice can be successfully dried. This is the only sure way out of the castle and back to the
Prime Material Plane. In the hive lives twenty seven will-o’-
E. The Tower wisps. There is no treasure in the hive. The hive leads to a
This stone tower is made of a completely different type of cave exit outside of the walls of the Vanishing Castle that is
stone from the dark granite of the cave. This tower is made of about 50ft beyond the perimeter of dislocation.
marble. It looks as though this tower may have been
teleported here. Indeed it was, over one thousand years ago,
by Bernard Blarnstaff. The tower has a doorway but no door.
The tower has two levels. The ground level is a laboratory. In
the laboratory.
Treasure. The party may spend time searching for potions
by making an Intelligence (arcana) check. On a score of 5 or
lower, they find a potion of healing. On a score of 6 through
13, they find four potions of healing, a potion of greater
healing, and a vial of midnight tears in addition to all prior
treasure. On a score of 14 through 19, they find two potions
of healing, three potions of greater healing, and a vial of
purple worm poison in addition to all prior treasure. On a
score of 20 or higher they find a potion of superior healing,
a potion of water breathing, and a vial of midnight tears in
addition to all prior treasure.

PART 4 | THE THE VANISHING CASTLE 18

 Appendix A: Magic Items

Amulet of Seeming Philter of Persuasiveness

Wondrous Item, Rare (requires attunement) Potion, Uncommon This silvery liquid may be comsumed as
This amulet has 5 charges, a charge may be expended as an action and grants the drinker +5 to all Charisma
an action to cast the spell seeming on yourself or one other (persuasion) checks for 30 minutes.
creature you can see as an action without any of the normal
necessary components. The amulet recovers 1d4 charges on
the new dawn. When the last charge is spent roll a d20 on a 1
or 2 the amulet crumbles to dust, on a roll of 19 or 20 all Sword of the Favored Enemy
charges are regained and the maximum amount of charges Weapon (Greatsword), Legendary (requires attunement by a
goes up by one. ranger)
To anyone other than a ranger this sword functions as only
a +1 greatsword without the requirement of attunement.
Tool of the Hunter. In the hands of a ranger, this sword is
Bell of Fireballs lightly sentient, and will display this via an emotional bond
Wondrous Item, Very Rare with its master. The sword will empathetically ‘introduce’
When this bell is rung, it will cast the spell fireball centered itself as Banger, the Bane of Giants. Banger will then attempt
on the position of the ringer. The bell has 7 charges and a to automatically attune to the ranger that has picked it up. If
charge is expended whenever the bell is struck. The bell may this would cause the wielder to be attuned to more than 3
be struck as an action, a bonus action, or a reaction. The bell items they may automatically stop their attunement with one
regains all charges on the new dawn. When the bell is picked of their other items.
up, if it is not done so carefully, the bell will cast fireball. If the Magic Weapon. Banger is a magic sword that grants a +2
bell is picked up carefully, the character who picks the bell up bonus to attack and damage rolls. Banger deals 2d8 slashing
must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity (sleight of hand) check or damage.
else the bell rings and thus fireball is cast. Giant’s Bane. Banger’s hatred for giants and Banger’s
knowledge of giants is transferred to the wielder causing
giants to become a favored enemy of the wielder.
Favored Resolve. When a ranger wielding this weapon
fights one of their favored enemies, the sword grants
Crown of Compulsion immunity to fear, advantage on attack rolls, and the sword
Wondrous Item, Rare (requires attunement) You can use an deals and additional 1d8 force damage on a hit. When in the
action to use the crown and command obedience from each presence of its wielder’s favored enemy Banger will convey its
creature of your choice that you can see within 120 feet of need to be used against it via its emotional bond.
you. Each target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving
throw or be Charmed by you for 8 hours. While charmed in
this way, the creature regards you as its trusted leader. If
harmed by you or your companions, or commanded to do
something contrary to its nature, a target ceases to be Wand of Command
charmed in this way. The crown can’t be used again until the Wand, Uncommon This wand has 7 Charges. While holding
next dawn. it, you can use an action to expend 1 or more of its charges to
cast the Command spell from it. For 1 charge, you cast the
1st-level version of the spell. You can increase the spell slot
level by one for each additional charge you expend. The wand
regains 1d6 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn. If you
Dress of Eloquence expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the wand
Wondrous Item, Very Rare (requires attunement) This dress crumbles into ashes and is destroyed.
is a fine ballroom gown of purple with gold trim. While worn
the wearer of this magical garment has advantage on all
Charisma checks and Saving Throws as well as all Wisdom
(insight) checks. Additionally, the dress grants the wearer the
ability to cast the spell charm person once per new dawn
without the regular required components.

19 PART 5 | APPENDICES
Appendix B: Monsters

Cindra, the Merilith Magic Resistance. The marilith has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects.
Large fiend (demon), Chaotic evil
Magic Weapons. The marilith's weapon attacks are
Armor Class 19 magical.
Hit Points 225(18d10 + 90)
Speed 40ft. Reactive. The marilith can take one reaction on every
turn in a combat.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Actions

18 (+4) 20 (+5) 20 (+5) 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 22 (+6) Multiattack. The marilith makes seven attacks: six with
its longswords and one with its tail.
Saving Throws Str +9, Con +10, Wis +8, Cha +10 Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft,
Damage Resistances cold, lightning; bludgeoning, one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.
piercing, and slashing from non magical weapons
Damage Immunities fire, poison Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10ft., one
Condition Immunities poisoned creature. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage. If
Senses truesight 120ft., passive Perception 13 the target is Medium or smaller, it is grappled (escape
Languages Common, Abyssal, telepathy 120ft. DC 19). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained,
Challenge 18 (20,000 XP) the marilith can automatically hit the target with its tail,
and the marilith can’t make tail attacks against other
Innate Spellcasting. The merilith's spellcasting ability is targets.
Charisma (spell save DC 19). The merilith can innately Teleport. The marilith magically teleports, along with
cast the following spells, requiring no material any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet
components: to an unoccupied space it can see.
At will: charm person, dancing lights, heat metal. Rections
1/day each: darkness, confusion, fear, haste, hex, Parry. The marilith adds 5 to its AC against one melee
scrying, slow. attack that would hit it. To do so, the marilith must see
the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.

PART 5 | APPENDICES 20
 Ice Elemental Treacherous Nothic
Large elemental, neutral Medium abberation, neutral evil

Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Armor Class 17 (natural armor)

Hit Points 192(17d10 + 90) Hit Points 80(10d8 + 30)
Speed 25ft. Speed 30ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
20 (+5) 9 (-1) 20 (+5) 6 (-2) 10 (0) 5 (-3) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 12 (+1) 16 (+3)

Damage Vulerabilities bludgeoning and fire Skills arcana +4, insight +6, perception +4, stealth
Damage Resistances piercing, slashing, from +6
nonmagical weapons Damage Immunities damage from magical weapons
Damage Immunities poison Condition Immunities melancholy
Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, Senses : truesight 120ft, passive Wisdom
poisoned, unconscious (perception) 14
Senses darkvision 60ft, passive Wisdom Languages Common, Undercommon
(perception) 10 Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Languages Common, Primordial
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP) Keen Sight. The nothic has advantage on Wisdom
(perception) checks that rely on sight.
Refreeze. Whenever the elemental takes cold
damage it regains hit points equal to the damage. Actions
Multiattack. *The nothic makes two claw attacks.
Actions
Multiattack. *The elemental can make two slam Claw. Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft, one
attacks. target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) slashing damage.
Rotting Gaze. The nothic targets one creature it can
Slam. Melee weapon attack: +10 to hit, reach 10ft,
see within 30ft of it. The target must succeed on a
one target. Hit 14(2d8+5) bludgeoning damage
DC 16 Constitution Saving Throw against the magic
plus 13(3d8) cold damage.
or take 15 (5d6) necrotic damage.
Invisibility. The nothic may cast the spell invisibility
with the range of self and without its normal
components.
Weird Insight. The nothic targets one creature it can
see within 30ft of it. The target must contest its
Charisma (deception) check against the nothic's
Wisdom (insight) check. If the nothic wins, it
magically learn so ne fact or secret about the target.
The target automatically wins if it is immune to
being charmed.

21 PART 5 | APPENDICES