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  THE HAUNTING OF TROLLSKULL MANOR 
  “Don’t fret, honey. No matter how bad it gets, we’ll 
  always have something to eat,” – Mama Esther 
   
  RUNNING THE ADVENTURE 
  The Haunting of Trollskull Manor is a short 
  adventure to be set in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist or 
  any gothic setting—any time you needed a haunted 
  manse or tavern.  
  The module spans three acts, ramping up to a single 
  macabre night. Either the spirits that have long since 
  haunted the manor are put to rest or add new victims 
  to the pile. It is an event-based adventure rather than 
  an exploratory one, being stretched across days or 
  even weeks as the adventurers renovate the manor. 
  Level. Act I of this module coincides with Chapter 
  2 of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. The adventurers will 
  be at 2nd level. Act II & III can occur later on in your 
  campaign or sooner, but before Chapter 3 begins. 
  This module can accommodate 3rd level characters 
  as well as 2nd.  
  Map. This module corresponds with the map of 
  Trollskull Manor displayed in Chapter 2 of Dragon 
  Heist as well as the map provided in appendix C. 
   
  BACKGROUND 
  Trollskull Manor has changed hands many a time, 
  but its darkest master was an old crone by the Esther 
  Greybrow. She repurposed the manor into an 
  orphanage, welcoming the lost and unfortunate into 
  her home. By all outside accounts, she was a sweet, 
  loving widow—but to her charges, the woman was 
  cruel and sadistic. It would shock all Trollskull Alley 
  to learn that a hag had crept in amongst the flock and 
  had been slaughtering the lambs one by one. 
  Nothing delighted Esther more than to trap these 
  children in a cannibalistic nightmare from which 
  there was no escape. At the height of this 
  debauchery, she had eighteen orphans, but never all 
  the same by month's end. Whenever the City Watch 
  came a-knocking, Esther insisted the child ran away, 
  but the orphans knew the black truth, although far too 
  late—for no matter how dire things got, no matter 
  how cold the winter, no matter how many coppers 
  had to be pinched, Esther could always scrounge up 
  some meat for the weekly stew. 
  Esther would face justice one day, but the shadow 
  of her crimes has haunted Trollskull Manor ever 
  since. The souls of her victims can never find rest, 
  and a sliver of her evil yet stalks the halls. 
   
   
   
  STORY OVERVIEW 
  The Haunting spans three acts, to be completed 
  across several days or weeks according to the whims 
  of your players.  
   
  THE AMBULANT DEAD 
  Malicious and tormented spirits yet haunt Trollskull 
  Manor. While they might spend years aslumber, the 
  intrusion of the living wakes the dead and reignites 
  the nightmare.  
  Lif. The poltergeist (specter) is but one of many 
  souls that haunt this wretched place. Driven mad by 
  the nightmare of this place, the half-elf committed 
  suicide. His soul has since joined the dark choir of 
  Trollskull Manor. Now in the afterlife, the poltergeist 
  seethes against newcomers—and it only so happens 
  that his antics drive new tenants out before they can 
  fall prey to the Hag-Shadow, sparing them from a far 
  worse fate.  
  Unbeknownst even to the poltergeist, his presence 
  holds shut the black gates from behind which the 
  shadow of Esther’s evil hungers. Once the poltergeist 
  is destroyed, the Hag-Shadow returns to its hunt. 
  Orphans Black. Those that were not given the 
  mercy of death were instead forced to live in this 
  nightmarish prison, watching as friend after friend 
  disappeared… and dinner always came on time. The 
  souls of three orphans can be found by the 
  adventurers and are hunted by the Hag-Shadow. 
  The Stew. While the hag dabbled in cannibalistic 
  bakery or barbeque, no other means of cooking 
  delighted her as much as dicing up her victims and 
  boiling a stew with the remains. The nightmare has, 
  in turn, spawned a manifestation (with the statistics 
  of a gibbering mouther) that appears in the then-
  flooded basement in Act II that calls for new victims. 
  The Hag-Shadow. Though Esther Greybrow was 
  torn to shreds ages yonder, a shadow of the hag’s evil 
  yet permeates this place. So long as it yet exists so 
  too can the souls of the dead never find rest. If the 
  Hag-Shadow, is destroyed, her ghostly victims 
  escape into the afterlife and the shadow of Trollskull 
  Manor withdraws. Until then, however, she stalks the 
  halls in Act III with the intention of devouring those 
  that escaped her gluttony in life: the Orphans Black. 
  The adventurers can placate the Hag-Shadow by 
  sacrificing the orphans’ souls.  
  
   
  ACT I: NEW BLOOD 
  New Blood spans several days or weeks, planting the 
  seeds from which the nightmare will bloom. The 
  paranormal nature of otherwise inconspicuous events 
  soon become clear and sinister in hindsight while 
  poltergeist’s rage mounts. 
  Changes to Dragon Heist. As described in Dragon 
  Heist, the manor must be renovated—a task that 
  requires consultation and approval of several guilds. 
  However, it is recommended that even restoring the 
  tavern cannot appease Lif, who seeks only to drive 
  away new tenants, even with violence, if necessary. 
   
  ACT II: A NIGHTMARE BEGINS 
  Days or weeks after Lif’s destruction—just enough 
  time for the adventurers to feel safe in their new 
  home—the nightmare closes its jaws around the 
  manor, cleaving the adventurers from reality into a 
  small demiplane of woe and fear. Therein, they find 
  the Orphans Black, the remnant spirits that were 
  killed by Esther but not devoured. 
   
  ACT III: WELCOME HOME MOTHER 
  On the heels of the nightmare comes the Hag-
  Shadow. It hungers for the souls of the Orphans 
  Black. Once the three have been devoured, the Hag-
  Shadow turns its wrath on the adventurers, unless 
  they sacrificed the children to her.  
  If the adventurers can destroy the Hag-Shadow, the 
  nightmare ceases forever—however, every orphan 
  soul lost to her gnashing teeth restores hit points and 
  strengthens that evil.  
   
  SEASONS 
  The season in which this module occurs influences 
  the tone of Trollskull Manor in a minor way:  
  Spring. Recent rains in the manor’s roof has rotted 
  the third story floor—although not enough to break 
  without Lif’s telekinetic influence. 
  Summer. Despite the heat wave, the manor is 
  oddly cool. Characters can feel a tangible chill and 
  see their breath whenever Lif is awaken and nearby.  
  Autumn. Every so often, riding the shrill winds, are 
  the ethereal screams of ghostly children, that can 
  only be discerned by characters with a passive 
  Perception score of 14 or above. An investigation of 
  why or how turns up nothing. 
  Winter. Until the hole in the roof is fixed, the 
  adventurers cannot find warmth on anything but the 
  first floor and must shelter before the fireplace in the 
  kitchen. Distant screams and delectable smells can be 
  perceived from the oven by a character while his or 
  her companions slumber nearby.  
  I: NEW BLOOD 
  Act I sets the stage for the nightmare to come, ending 
  with the destruction of Lif—who, in actuality, is the 
  pseudo-warden of this wretched place. In his 
  madness, the poltergeist attempts to warn off new 
  tenants in the only way he now knows: violence. Yet 
  once the poltergeist is destroyed, the true terror 
  begins. 
  When the adventurers arrive to Trollskull Manor, 
  they find it a wreck. A cursory exploration of the 
  grounds provides a chance for a few of the 
  paranormal occurrences described in below. 
  As described in Chapter 2 of Dragon Heist, the 
  adventurers are required to solicit the surveyance of 
  and approval of several guilds. While inspectors 
  make their rounds and, later, when laborers work to 
  repair the manor, more paranormal events occur.  
  Act I can span several days or weeks and has three 
  phases in which the events occur: 
  Under New Management. The adventurers inspect 
  their new property, unaware of the strange days to 
  come.  
  Last Call! Inspectors finish their surveyance and 
  laborers begin restoring the manor. Inexplicable 
  accidents, however, plague the worksite until all 
  laborers call it quits.  
  Closing Time! Lif’s murderous tendencies boil to 
  the surface, forcing the adventurers to finally 
  confront the poltergeist.  
   
  1A. UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT 
  In the days after the adventurers acquire Trollskull 
  Manor from Volothamp Geddarm, a number of 
  events occur that warn them that all is not well. Lif’s 
  rage is a slow burn, and no two events happen on the 
  same day unless several hours pass in between.  
  The events occur in the following order:  
   
  1. A LESSON FROM HEAVEN 
  That morning as you leave the front door, you hear the 
  scraping of stone from above—before you can even react, 
  a brick falls from the manor’s turret, crashing towards 
  your head! 
  While an adventurer is passing under an awning 
  within 10 feet of the Turret Peak (Area 19), a loose 
  brick falls. The character must make a DC 12 
  Dexterity saving throw or take 1d4 bludgeoning 
  damage, all while being reminded that masonry 
  should be left to bona fide professionals.  
   
   
  
   
  2. A HARMLESS PRANK 
  While an adventurer is busy in the basement, Lif 
  plays a harmless prank by locking them in the 
  basement, preferably while the others are off running 
  errands across the city. Read: 
  The basement needs work. The old bricks molder while a 
  steady drip of water leaks from wall. The air is stale, 
  stuffy, oppressive. As you turn towards the stairs, the 
  hatch slams shut, sealing this place in darkness. 
  Lif exercises his will upon the hatch, which can only 
  be opened with a successful DC 20 Strength 
  (Athletics) check. No other harm comes to the 
  character but Lif watches invisibly. No matter how 
  long passes—hours, even days—the poltergeist 
  continues to press upon the hatch with his will until 
  the character is finally freed.  
  1d4 rats scurry and squeak in the darkness while 
  the character is trapped. Every 10 minutes, the 
  character can reattempt the Strength (Athletics) 
  check, and after 3 attempts, Lif causes the rats to 
  band into a swarm of rats to attack the character.  
   
  3. VERMINTIDE 
  The next day, as you sweep the floors upstairs, you hear 
  something in the walls—feet, claws, and frenzied 
  squeaking. Just as you turn towards the sounds, the wall 
  cracks and buckles as rats swarm forth, gnashing their 
  teeth ravenously! 
  While an adventurer is busied upstairs, they hear 
  scurrying in the walls and a chorus of shrieks. One 
  round later, a swarm of rats bursts from the wall. 
  Chased by Lif’s murderous hands and his psychic 
  cloud of hate, the terrified vermin attacks the closest 
  adventurer. After two rounds, Lif withdraws and the 
  rats flee.  
  The Carpenters’, Roofers’, and Plasterers’ Guild 
  will be required to repair the broken wall, for an 
  added 10 gp.  
   
  4. “DO IT, YOU COWARD.” 
  This event is, truly, a red herring: later, during Act 
  II’s “Pitter Patter of Little Feet” event, it serves to 
  cast doubt on whether the sounds heard by the 
  adventurers are from living children or ghosts.  
  Early in their time at Trollskull, the adventurers 
  happen across the three urchins described in Chapter 
  4 of Dragon Heist. They include: Nat, a lanky 10-
  year-old human girl; Jenks, a pudgy 9-year-old 
  human boy with dreams of being a wizard; and 
  Squiddly, a reckless 9-year-old tiefling boy.  
  The urchins don’t often visit North Ward but have 
  heard that Trollskull Manor is haunted. Unaware of 
  the adventurers’ presence, the trio stand outside, 
  daring one another to go in. Even rambunctious, 
  reckless Squiddly is too afraid to go in, and pressures  
  Jenks in. Clutching his “wand,” Jenks enters the 
  darkened taproom and screams when he encounters 
  the first adventurer. 
  The urchins know nothing of Trollskull beyond the 
  rumor that it’s haunted by the spirit of Lif, the 
  previous barkeeper, who died mysteriously. They 
  vacate the premises if warned off by the adventurers, 
  or can be put to simple work for 2 cp each, such as 
  washing windows or sweeping floors.  
  Ultimately Lif, who has a soft spot for children 
  even in his nightmarish afterlife, does not attack or 
  endanger the children and makes no appearance. 
   
  1B. LAST CALL! 
  As the poltergeist’s outrage mounts, his antics turn 
  violent, all while the dark history of this manor 
  becomes more apparent.  
  These events occur in the following order: 
   
  1. FALL FROM GRACE 
  As you mop up years of dust and dirt, the floorboards 
  beneath you begin to groan and squeal—wood splinters 
  and cracks, and gravity welcomes you to a new chapter in 
  your life.  
  While a character is on the second floor or above, Lif 
  uses his Forceful Slam attack on the floorboards 
  above. The character must make a DC 12 Dexterity 
  saving throw, otherwise they fall 10 feet to the story 
  below, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage. The hole in 
  the ceiling gapes like a jagged maw and dust chokes 
  the room they fell into.  
   
  2. HATEFUL HURL 
  While the adventurers are in another room, split up, 
  or away, Lif seizes the opportunity to attack a 
  character—either an adventurer or a laborer hired to 
  refurbish Trollskull. He uses his Telekinetic Thrust 
  ability on one character. Against a laborer, the 
  poltergeist automatically succeeds. 
  On a success, Lif hurls the character 20 feet away, 
  dealing 2d6 bludgeoning damage. If this damage 
  reduces a character to 0 hit points, it is nonlethal 
  damage. This is but another warning by the spirit to 
  vacate the premises before blood runs.  
  If the victim is a laborer and is questioned by the 
  adventurers after he regains consciousness, the man 
  can’t recall what happened. Only that a force seemed 
  to surge against him as he was working.  
   
   
  
   
  3. “LAST CALL!” 
  While a character is busying him or herself with 
  clearing out the debris in the taproom, Lif leaves one 
  last warning in the dust on the surface.  
  You stand upright, a hand on your hip while your back 
  groans. Wiping sweat from your brow with a rag, your 
  eyes fixate on the taproom countertop: written in ragged 
  letters in are the words, “Last Call!” 
   
  4. BONES IN THE BASEMENT 
  If the adventurers seek to refurbish the basement, 
  there is a 25% chance that the laborers from the 
  Cellarers’ and Plumbers’ Guild find the skeletal 
  remains of the children devoured by Esther 
  Greybrow.  
  If the remains are found—tossed in a hole hidden 
  beneath a loose tile in the basement—a successful 
  DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check determines that 
  they’re the bones of children. A successful DC 16 
  Wisdom (Perception) check is necessary to notice the 
  teeth marks on some bones. 
  If the bones are found, roll a d100. On a roll of 11-
  100, this dark secret is unearthed by a laborer (N 
  commoner), who can be silenced with a bribe of 2 
  gp, or a successful DC 14 Charisma (Intimidation) 
  check. On a roll of 1-10, an inspector or overseer (LG 
  commoner) is present and is compelled to report the 
  discovery, unless silenced with a DC 15 Charisma 
  (Intimidation) check. If word gets out, Trollskull 
  Tavern is investigated by the City Watch the next 
  day, and the basement is closed off for a tenday, 
  postponing the necessary work. Ultimately, no other 
  corpses are found and the City Watch blame it on 
  Esther Greybrow, relaying the grisly story of this 
  accursed manor.  
   
  5. FIRST BLOOD 
  If the adventurers hire laborers to assist in the 
  renovation, Lif makes his first lethal strike. While a 
  laborer (a commoner) is atop a ladder, the 
  poltergeist breaks one of its legs. The laborer crashes 
  to the ground, taking 2d6 bludgeoning damage.  
  If the laborer lives, he’s rushed off to an infirmary. 
  If he dies, morale for all other laborers diminishes, 
  especially as Lif continues his “pranks” until finally, 
  the entire company deserts, cursing Trollskull as a 
  “haunted coffin determined to swallow up us all.”  
  The company refuses to return, and the rumors run 
  rampant. The adventurers can find recourse in a court 
  of law for breach of contract, but that can take weeks. 
  Those that remain face Lif’s continued wrath.  
  1C. CLOSING TIME! 
  After the events of “First Blood” above, Lif resorts 
  to murder if the adventurers have not yet abandoned 
  Trollskull. That night—or the next night the 
  adventurers are within the manor—the poltergeist 
  strikes, taking one of the two methods below. 
  If reduced to half his hit points, Lif flees to the 
  Turret Peak. With its last ethereal breath, the specter 
  simply warns, “Mother.” 
   
  A. THE NIGHTMAN COMETH 
  If the adventurers have been sleeping in the manor—
  which is possible, at this point in the repairs—then 
  one adventurer awakens in the middle of the night 
  with an iron grip about their throat. Read: 
  Your dreams become a watery nightmare. The world itself 
  darkens as you plunge through the waves, the sun growing 
  distant and the sea swallows you up. Down and down you 
  go, drowning until Death’s embrace— 
  Your eyes fling open, spiriting you from nightmare to 
  another. Hands throttle your throat, but you can see no 
  attacker, can feel no weight on your bed… and as your 
  lungs bloom with pain, you hear a whisper: 
  “Closing time…” 
  Roll initiative; the adventurer can thrash away from 
  Lif, a specter (poltergeist), who attempts to grapple 
  the adventurer on his first turn. The adventurer’s 
  shrieks or shouts are enough to wake characters in 
  nearby rooms.  
  Once others arrive, Lif attacks in full force, 
  demanding that the characters “begone from this 
  place” and that they’re not welcome.  
   
  B. BEGONE, SPIRIT! 
  If the adventurers never present an opening for Lif, 
  such as sleeping in the manor, the poltergeist dances 
  around the manor until he can corner one to attack. 
  Once Lif attacks, read the following: 
  A shrill cry pierces the night: “Begone from this place!” 
  The dust in this place rustles as some figure moves 
  unseen, and out from the dark comes hurtling an object 
  with lethal force! 
  Lif opens with a telekinetic thrust using an object. 
  His tactics include hurling creatures through 
  windows with the same action option.  
  Unless destroyed, Lif attacks any creature that 
  enters the manor with lethal intent. It takes 2d4 
  weeks for the poltergeist’s rage to subside, after 
  which he returns to less deadly antics. Inevitably, 
  however, this cycle of violence is doomed to repeat 
  until the spirit is destroyed.  
  
   
  II: A NIGHTMARE BEGINS 
  Act II begins days or weeks after Lif’s destruction—
  just enough time for the adventurers to feel safe and 
  secure, unaware of the shadow above. By now the 
  adventurers may have reached 3rd level by 
  completing other Dragon Heist quests. 
  Grand Opening. If the adventurers intend to open 
  the tavern to the public, rather than repurpose the 
  manor for something else, Act II begins on the eve 
  before the grand opening.  
  Dark Dreams. The nightmare is heralded by 
  darkened dreams that plague at least one character; 
  others are woken by other insidious sounds echoing 
  throughout the manor. Choose at least one 
  adventurer for each event and allow them to 
  investigate the disturbances.  
  Setting the Scene(s). Narratively, you as the 
  Dungeon Master can “jump between” separate 
  scenes of each event. Don’t be afraid to tell the party 
  wizard, “As you’re studying by candlelight in the 
  library, you hear a whisper…” or anything of the like 
  so as to set the scene.  
   
  1. DARKENED DREAMS 
  An adventurer is woken from troubled sleep, but not 
  before the last whispers of a nightmare warn of the 
  horrors to come: 
  The nightmare has you in its jaws. Down through the 
  depths you fall, tasting salt and blood on your lips while 
  water rushes into your lungs. The depths are dark but not 
  empty and the dead wail together as one haunting chorus. 
  As the seas churn and drag you deeper, you burst free 
  from the nightmare with a sheen of sweat on your flesh. 
  The night is cold. Try as you might, there’s no more 
  sleep for you tonight so long as you can taste that blood 
  on your tongue and the salt on your lips.  
  Should that character see themselves in a mirror, they 
  find blood on their face—the sea was a cruel 
  mockery of Esther Greybrow’s cooking pot. Read: 
  As you try to drift off to sleep, your tongue scrapes against 
  something in your mouth—a chunk of flesh. Salted, wet 
  flesh. And it isn’t yours. Sickness blooms in your belly as 
  you reach into your mouth and pull out a small, wet 
  chunk. You hold it up to the moonlight—and sure enough, 
  its viscera. Actual viscera.  
  The flesh is metaphysical, a manifestation of the 
  nightmare with the taste and texture of actual human 
  flesh. The character must succeed on a DC 14 
  Constitution saving throw or become so repulsed 
  they must wretch. On a failure, the character has one 
  round to reach either privy on the second floor, 
  otherwise they vomit in their space at the end of the 
  turn, likely all over themselves. 
  2. A TALE TOLD LONG AGO 
  A studious or restless adventurer is reading the 
  library when a memory of the past plays itself 
  nearby: Esther Greybrow reading a faery tale—
  Three Billy Goats Gruff—to the orphans. Read: 
  You find yourself in the library, studying by candlelight. 
  Midnight has come and gone. As you pour over old tomes 
  and scrabbled notes, your eyes begin to droop. As 
  darkness presses in on your vision, a chill wind sweeps 
  through the library… And on it, rides a voice: 
  "'Who's that trip-trapping over my bridge?' roared the 
  troll," an old woman crows to a crowd of restless, aweing 
  children. "'Why, I'm off to eat sweet, green grass!' said 
  Little Billy Goat Gruff. 'No, you're not,' roars the troll, 
  'Because I'm gonna gobble you up!'" 
  The library erupts into a tangle of children's shouts and 
  surprise as the old woman snatches up a youngster, 
  laughing, cackling—but when you lift your eyes from the 
  desk, you find nothing and no one in the library but you. 
  Was it all but a dream?  
  A cursory exploration of the library finds a tome 
  open on the floor: A Hundred Tales of Fae, and it's 
  opened on Three Billy Goats Gruff. No harm befalls 
  the character, but a wind sweeps through the hall 
  when a character picks up the tome, causing all the 
  pages to flutter to an inscription written on the first 
  page. It reads, "Children, know that Mama Esther 
  will always love you." 
   
  3. THE PITTER PATTER OF LITTLE FEET 
  On the eve of the nightmare, the spirits of the dead 
  come back to cower from the Hag-Shadow. 
  On your way to the privy, you hear the ceiling groan under 
  the pitter patter of little feet upstairs. Have the urchins 
  come back for yet another dare? Or have cat burglars 
  infested your manor? 
  The footsteps come from upstairs; every time a 
  character tries to investigate, the steps lead them on 
  until finally terminating in the attic. Therein, they 
  meet the Orphans Black, the ghostly survivors of 
  Esther Greybrow's carnage and the target of the Hag-
  Shadow's ravenous hunger. Read: 
  Your eyes narrow on children: their very flesh seems to 
  shift, not wholly transparent but not wholly solid. Their 
  voices come from another world, echoing off every 
  floorboard and wall with an ethereal quality.  
  The three orphans are Gron, a nervous half-orc boy 
  of 8; Matilda, an 11-year-old human girl; and Victor, 
  a 13-year-old human boy. All are hiding behind old 
  furniture or behind sheets. Unless calmed with a 
  successful DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check, they 
  won't willingly come out of hiding and try to run 
  from the adventurers. In this form, they are solid.  
  
   
  Roleplaying the Orphans. The orphans are scared 
  witless, for they know deep in their hearts that the 
  Hag-Shadow has come to finish the job. Victor tries 
  his best to keep the others come but is doing a piss-
  poor job of it. He constantly promises the others that 
  "All will be well." The orphans do not yet know 
  they're dead, nor that this ethereal night was repeated 
  before Lif died. If questioned, they can explain that 
  "Mama Esther" has been eating the other children 
  and that she's come home to finish the job. Their only 
  hope is to wait until "the grown-ups" (the City watch) 
  arrive as they did last time. 
   
  4. THE SONG FROM THE BASEMENT 
  As you try to drift off to sleep, you feel a vibration running 
  through your headboard and from the wall. Something is 
  sounding off in the distance but cannot discern its nature. 
  Dare you investigate it? 
  A character is woken by a strange song or hears it as 
  they go to bed. A successful DC 12 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check can lead the character downstairs 
  to the taproom. Read: 
  Through the manor you creep, the gloom pressing in from 
  all directions while that noise—a song, you’re certain—
  babbles from the dark. Craning your ear, you can tell that 
  it echoes from the taproom below. 
  No interior staircase connects the ground floor of the 
  manor to its second- and higher levels. The character 
  must brave the outside night, the weather of which is 
  determined by the season: 
  Spring. Rain crashes against the cobblestone 
  streets while thunder rumbles above.  
  Summer. Cicadas screech in some shivering choir, 
  drowning out all other noises.  
  Autumn. Autumn winds howl like frenzied ghouls 
  as the character ventures outside.  
  Winter. The wind leaves strange shapes in the 
  snow as the character passes through the alley.  
  When the adventurer reaches the taproom, the 
  noise leads the character to the hatch that opens upon 
  the basement. Read: 
  That dreadful noise leads you through the taproom. The 
  very floorboards shudder from that unnatural song. A foul 
  stench drifts up from between the cracks and water drips 
  loudly below. The hatch to the basement rattles in its 
  frame as the song draws you closer and closer.   
  The basement has been flooded not by water, but 
  ectoplasm spilled from the weakening between the 
  Material Plane and the Hag-Shadow’s demiplane. 
  Once a character descends into the basement, the 
  gibbering mouther lairing there sings and babbles 
  incoherently, making use of its Gibbering feature. 
  The character must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving 
  throw or fall prey to the madness.  
  The gibbering mouther is an amalgam of the 
  orphaned souls cooked by Esther Greybrow, all 
  screaming in some unnatural soup animated by the 
  Hag-Shadow’s ravenous hunger. It pursues creatures 
  from the basement but can’t use the doors to teleport 
  to the other floors like the adventurers can; it’s 
  effectively confined to the basement or first floor. 
   
  III: WELCOME HOME MOTHER 
  The nightmare closes its jaws as the Hag-Shadow 
  returns to stalk the spirits and adventurers. Soon after 
  encountering the Orphans Black and/or the gibbering 
  mouther, Act III starts.  
  Once Act III begins the adventurers cannot leave 
  Trollskull Manor until the Hag-Shadow has been 
  destroyed or all three orphans devoured; the spirits 
  carve them from one world into the cruel mockery of 
  another: a demiplane of woe and abject fear. The 
  characters find that all windows are bricked up and 
  all doors to the outside open upon new hall ways that 
  lead only to another door in the manor while outside 
  a violet storm rages, embodying the chaos and 
  carnage that plagued Esther Greybrow’s orphanage.  
  The following changes occur to the manor: 
  • The windows are all bricked up and impervious to 
  the characters’ attacks and spells.  
  • The interior walls of the manor become brittle and 
  rotten. Rats scurry within. 5-foot sections of a wall 
  can be destroyed (5 hit points, AC 10, immunity to 
  poison and psychic damage), releasing a swarm of 
  rats that attack the nearest character before 
  dispersing.  
  • Whenever a character opens a door to the outside 
  (with exception of the front doors to the Taproom, 
  described below), such as to get onto the balcony, 
  roll a d6 to determine where the door leads, 
  referring to the table below.  
  • The front doors to the Taproom open onto the 
  Common Room on the second floor, and vice 
  versa, as no interior staircase connects the taproom. 
  • Only the hatch to the Turret Peak can open on the 
  outside. A character that surmounts the peak 
  beholds a swirling maelstrom of light (centered on 
  the turret) that bathes Trollskull Alley in hues of 
  violet and sickly yellow. That character must 
  succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or 
  become frightened until it leaves the turret peak for 
  the “safety” of the manor.  
   
   
  
   
  DOORS TO NOWHERE 
  d6 
  Door leads to… 
  1 
  Kitchen (1st floor) 
  2 
  Library & Study (3rd floor) 
  3 
  North Privy (3rd floor) 
  4 
  Master Bath (3rd flor) 
  5 
  Bedroom (2nd floor) 
  6 
  Attic Bedroom (4th floor) 
   
  THE HAG-SHADOW 
  The shadow of Esther Greybrow’s evil walks yet 
  again to hunt both the dead. While the Hag-Shadow 
  will defend herself against attackers, her goal is to 
  devour the three Orphans Black: Gron, Matilda, and 
  Victor. She has no interest in the living—not tonight, 
  at least.  
  The Hag-Shadow can be placated or defeated in 
  several ways: 
  Sacrifice. The Hag-Shadow hungers; if the 
  adventurers offer a live sacrifice of a humanoid, 
  preferably one of size Small or smaller, the Hag-
  Shadow ends the nightmare. The sacrifice must be 
  stuffed in the oven or burned to death in the fireplace 
  of the kitchen. 
  Fire. If the adventurers raze Trollskull Manor, the 
  souls of the dead are freed, and the Hag-Shadow 
  banished. However, if a new building is constructed 
  on the foundation, the souls are wrenched back into 
  this nightmare after 2d6 months.  
  Destruction. If the Hag-Shadow is reduced to 0 hit 
  points, the entity is shattered. The souls of the dead 
  are then free to escape to the afterlife.  
  Full… For Now. If the Hag-Shadow succeeds in 
  devouring all three orphans’ souls, she dissipates and 
  the storm outside ceases. The boundaries between the 
  demiplane and the Material Plane settle into their 
  correct positions.  
   
  MAMA’S HOME 
  The Hag-Shadow heralds her presence by singing a 
  nursery rhyme. Read: 
  A crone’s voice slips through the manor—both a whisper 
  and thunder, both omen and off-key: 
  “Hush little orphans, don’t cry no more—Mama 
  Esther’s at the door. Winter’s quite long and money’s 
  tight, but Mama made dinner for to-night.”  
  If any adventurer is with an Orphan Black, the spirit 
  begins to scream and thrash. They can be calmed 
  with a DC 14 Charisma (Persuasion) check. 
  The children scream, clinging to your limbs or hiding 
  behind furniture as Matilda warns, “Mama’s home! 
  Mama’s home!” 
  Meanwhile, the Hag-Shadow's song continues: 
  The crone continues that wretched song as the 
  floorboards—all floorboards—squeal and groan and the 
  winds outside worsen into a gale: 
  “So, hush little orphan, the stew is hot. Hush little 
  orphan, get in the pot. Hush little orphan, Mama’s got 
  you. I’ve got you right where I want you.”  
  The Hag-Shadow starts from the kitchen but can 
  ooze through the floorboards of the ceiling to reach 
  the second floor via her Amorphous feature—a noise 
  that sounds like squealing stairs and groaning wood. 
  She makes her way towards the attic, or the location 
  the orphans screamed from if they moved elsewhere.  
  Unless calmed, the orphans bolt from the room 
  upon hearing the Hag-Shadow's song: Gron hides in 
  the north privy on the third floor; Matilda cowers in 
  the bathtub of the Master Bathroom; Victor prefers 
  the attic but might chase after a friend.  
  When the Hag-Shadow is first seen by the 
  adventurers, read: 
  Out from the gloom comes a form half of shadow and half 
  of a corpse: a hunched old woman that staggers on, a 
  ravenous smile painted her ripped lips. Her eyes are 
  cloudy discs of red and milky white, and her voice gets 
  your very skin crawling: 
  “They’re mine,” she whispers, “they’ve always been 
  mine. Now and forever.” Her smile stretches as she calls 
  out, “It’s suppertime, children!” 
  The Hag-Shadow hungers for children but won’t 
  ignore dangers to reach them. If an adventurer places 
  itself between her and a spirit, she will fight. When 
  hurt, she prioritizes reaching an orphan to use her 
  Devour Spirit ability so as to restore hit points. If she 
  successfully devours an orphan, read: 
  The Hag-Shadow’s withered hand snatches at the 
  screaming. The crone’s jaws unhinge and stretch 
  impossibly far as she swallows up half the child, ripping 
  and tearing at flesh that turns to smoke. With a sigh, the 
  crone smacks her lips and whispers a single word: 
  “More.” 
   
  A KITCHEN OF DELIGHTS 
  Should the adventurers find themselves in the 
  kitchen, they notice several changes, reflecting 
  Esther Greybrow’s orphanage: 
  • The fireplace is lit, if it was not already. 
  • Atop the stove, a stew boils. Characters that open 
  the pot find bones floating in blood and broth. 
  Opening the pot emits a foul stench; creatures 
  within 10 feet must make a DC 10 Constitution 
  saving throw or use their action to wretch. The 
  disturbance causes a handful of eyeballs to the 
  stew’s surface.  
  
   
  EPILOGUE 
  The ending of this module is determined by the 
  actions (or failures) of the adventurers.  
   
  THE ORPHANS RED 
  If the adventurers fail to keep the children from the 
  Hag-Shadow’s clutches, and do not destroy the Hag-
  Shadow, it dissipates but does not fully leave 
  Trollskull Manor. After 1d4 months, she awakens 
  again to feed on the living, repeating the nightmare 
  until she’s finally destroyed.  
   
  THE ORPHANS WHITE 
  If the Hag-Shadow is destroyed, any surviving 
  orphan souls escape to the afterlife, but not before 
  thanking the adventurers for this salvation. The 
  nightmare ceases and the bleeding lines between 
  worlds dry up, delivering the adventurers from the 
  demiplane back to the real world.  
  The shadow over Trollskull Manor is cleansed. 
  Nevermore will the dead toil in misery, nor do the 
  living fear it. Over the next week, rumors of “the 
  haunted pub” spread across Waterdeep and curious 
  patrons show up to see it for themselves. The 
  character experience a surge of business for their 
  grand opening, and can add an additional 20 to their 
  profit roll, as described in the Tavern Keeping 
  Expenses sidebar in Chapter 2 of Dragon Heist. 
  Stonemarrow Stops By. A few days after the 
  events of the adventure, Ulkoria Stonemarrow (a 
  female shield dwarf archmage) checks out the 
  tavern. (For more information, see “Open for 
  Business?” in Chapter 2 of Dragon Heist).  
  Ulkoria relays the dark history of the tavern, 
  clearing up any questions or doubts the adventurers 
  may have. Read: 
  The dwarf leans back and sips at her ale. “Back in the day, 
  you know,” Ulkoria says, “I used to own this place. Did 
  pretty well with it too, I think, but the time to move on 
  came and I sold it to a family of shield dwarves. They 
  didn’t do well, and sold it to a woman by the name of 
  Esther Greybrow.  
  “The crone turned the manor into an orphanage, but the 
  kids kept going missing. Turned out that Esther was a 
  hag… And no matter how many pennies had to be 
  pinched, there was always meat for the stew.” 
  REWARDS 
  Before departing, Ulkoria tells the adventurers that 
  she hopes they can make something good out of 
  Trollskull Manor and leaves them a 50 gp tip.  
  If the adventurers reveal to Ulkoria that they 
  defeated the Hag-Shadow, the archmage also 
  inscribes a glyph of warding on Trollskull Manor 
  imbued with a spell of detect evil and good and warns 
  them to activate it with the command word 
  ("Shalgaddah") if they ever suspect that Esther 
  Greybrow's evil has returned.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  APPENDIX A: NPCS 
  The following creatures are used in this module: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Wyatt Trull/Dragon Heist, The Haunting at Trollskull Manor.pdf