TEXT: .
  CCC-SFBAY 01-01
  PLOTS IN MOTION
  An 8 hour adventure for characters levels 5-10
  
  Contents
  1
  Introduction
  4
  Adventure Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  4
  Adventure Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  4
  Plot Hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  5
  2
  Hofstead’s Beacon
  6
  Obligatory Bar Fight
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  6
  Interrogation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  6
  Relighting the Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  6
  Into the Storm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  7
  Meeting the Survivors
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  7
  Ship Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  9
  Departure
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  9
  Encounter: Obligatory Bar Fight . . . . . . . . .
  11
  Encounter: Struggle in the Surf
  . . . . . . . . .
  14
  3
  Journey Down the River Lis
  18
  Encounter: Seafood Buffet . . . . . . . . . . . .
  19
  4
  Thulman’s Keep
  22
  A. Main Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  22
  B. Outbuildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  22
  C. The Central Keep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  23
  D. River Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  24
  E. The Underkeep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  25
  Encounter: Three Part Harmony . . . . . . . . .
  28
  Encounter: Hen Pecked . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  30
  Encounter: Shades of Netheril . . . . . . . . . .
  31
  Encounter: The Three Hags
  . . . . . . . . . . .
  34
  5
  Detonation and Aftermath
  38
  Shake, Rattle, and Roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  38
  Return to Mulmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  40
  Other Destinations
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  41
  Plots in Motion
  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  41
  A Adventure Summary
  42
  B
  Important Non-Player Characters
  45
  C Thulman’s Keep
  46
  D Player’s Handout - Journal Entry
  47
  E
  Bibliography
  48
  In the midst of a ferocious storm, a band of merce-
  naries raids a lighthouse. Is this just a plot against trade
  with Mulmaster, or something more sinister? Journey
  down the River Lis and explore a forgotten keep in
  search of answers.
  CREDITS
  Author: Jason Denton
  Editing Assistance: Rob Spieldenner, Wrich Printz,
  Gladney Asada, Ariel Imrie
  Playtesters: Rob Spieldenner, Ken Bartrum, Michelle
  Startzman, Barry Zanone, Dennison A Milenkaya,
  Forrest McDonald, Adrian Arduini, Gladney Asada,
  Regina Schmidt, Michael Yuen
  Last Revised: September 11, 2017
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, For-
  gotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards
  of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are
  trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other
  countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wiz-
  ards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used
  with permission under the Community Content Agreement
  for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this
  work is copyright 2017 by Jason Denton and published un-
  der the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters
  Guild.
  2
  Plots in Motion
  
  Preliminaries
  Plots in Motion is an adventure for Dungeons and
  Dragons 5th edition, originally created for DundraCon
  2017. It is set in Wizards of the Coast’s Forgotten Realms
  and is intended and legal for play in the D&D Adven-
  turers League. For more information please visit the
  D&D Adventurers League home at:
  http://www.dndadventurersleague.org
  RUNNING THE ADVENTURE
  Before running this adventure, the Dungeon Master
  should read the entire adventure, including all the box
  text. Box text is often used to either provide important
  details about the environment or advance the plot, and
  the information it contains is often not repeated else-
  where in the text.
  Combat encounters appear at the end of the chapter
  in which they take place. This allows them to be laid out
  in a way that minimizes the amount of page ﬂipping re-
  quired to ﬁnd stat blocks while running the encounter.
  Because encounters may contain player box text and
  plot advancement, it may be useful to ﬂip ahead and
  read the encounters as they are referenced in the text.
  If you plan on using miniatures to run the adventure, a
  list of the miniatures required is in appendix A: Adven-
  ture Summary.
  ADVENTURE LENGTH
  This adventure is expected to take hours to run as
  written. This assumes the group stays on topic, that the
  party is consistently moving forward at a reasonable
  pace, and that each turn of combat is resolved quickly.
  If the group has trouble staying on topic, use your posi-
  tion as Dungeon Master to remind the group about the
  adventure at hand and keep the story moving. When
  the game maintains forward momentum and moves
  forward quickly the group will ﬁnd it easier to focus.
  A party that is not making consistent progress and
  is out of options will quickly become frustrated. If the
  players get lost or off track, feel free to provide hints
  or clues to get them back on track. If the characters are
  unable to overcome a particular obstacle or challenge
  they may need to be presented with additional options
  for moving forward.
  Combat should be tense and exciting. Once a partic-
  ular battle has reached the point where the outcome is
  no longer in doubt, consider calling the ﬁght. Once the
  parties opponents have lost the ability to meaningfully
  harm the party further action does not serve to advance
  the plot. Narrate the ending and keep the adventure
  moving forward.
  ADJUSTING THE ADVENTURE
  This adventure is meant for a group of ﬁve to six
  characters, of levels 5-10. It is balanced for a party of
  7th level. Parties of that level will ﬁnd this adventure
  suitably challenging if they face the Normal version
  of the encounters. Larger parties, parties with higher
  level characters, or those that work especially well to-
  gether may ﬁnd the Strong Party option of the encoun-
  ters more rewarding. If the party is smaller, has a lower
  average level, or does not have a good mix of party roles
  the Dungeon Master may need to use the Weak Party
  option to avoid overwhelming the characters.
  Player skill (not character level) can make a big differ-
  ence in how a party copes with challenges. Players new
  to the game will ﬁnd easier encounters less frustrating.
  Experienced players will be able to tackle more difﬁcult
  ﬁghts than their character level may indicate and will
  often enjoy the challenge.
  The Short Version
  If necessary, Plots in Motion can be run in only four
  hours. After the initial ﬁght in the lighthouse, the char-
  acters descend from the lighthouse to the beach safely,
  and see the mysterious stranger ﬂee into the storm.
  They are able to rescue the survivors of the wreck
  without further complications, skipping the encounter
  Struggle in the Surf. Safely back inside, the characters
  can question all possible survivors. In the morning,
  Druman Lakeman repairs the skiff for them, leaving it
  with eight hull points at the beginning of the encounter
  Seafood Buffet. In their explorations of the keep they
  discover only chickens in the chicken coop and only
  dust in the commander’s suite. The +2 Short Sword
  named “Smoke” can be found on the body in the court
  yard once the harpies and owl bears have been dealth
  with. The door to the underkeep is unlocked allowing
  the character free access to the lair of the hags.
  Plots in Motion
  3
  
  Chapter 1: Introduction
  ADVENTURE OVERVIEW
  The characters have stopped for the evening at the
  lighthouse and way stop known as Hofstead’s Beacon
  when a band of rufﬁans attacks and shuts off the light.
  The characters defeat the rufﬁans, but a ship has already
  crashed on the rocks below. Rushing to the rescue of the
  wrecks survivors, the characters witness a cloaked ﬁg-
  ure pull something from the wreckage and ﬂee. They
  ﬁght off an attack by Kuo-Toa and drag some survivors
  from the ocean. Interrogating the survivors, the char-
  acters learn the rufﬁans where hired to extinguish the
  lighthouse light. They were to meet their employer in
  the ruins of Thulman’s Keep. The staff of the lighthouse
  offer the characters a skiff for their journey. After repair-
  ing the boat, the characters set out for Thulman’s Keep.
  At the keep the characters discover the body of the
  cloaked ﬁgure, and a journal conﬁrming that he hired
  the thugs to attack the lighthouse. Whatever he stole
  is missing. Exploring the ruins, the characters discover
  a tunnel that runs beneath the river. Beneath the river
  the characters confront a coven of hags. Overcoming the
  hags, the characters ﬁnd a devastation orb about to go
  off. As time runs out, the characters must decide how to
  deal with it.
  ADVENTURE BACKGROUND
  This adventure is set in the Forgotten Realms, and
  takes place around two primary locations in the Moon-
  sea region; Hofstead’s Beacon and Thulman’s Keep.
  Hostead’s Beacon is on the coast of the Moonsea, south
  of Mulmaster. Thulman’s Keep sits on the western bank
  of the River Lis, just north of where it empties into the
  Dragon Reach.
  MULMASTER
  The city of Mulmaster is a natural starting and end-
  ing point for characters that take part in this adventure.
  The provided adventure hooks start in the city of Mul-
  master, and if the characters return there after the ad-
  venture they will come to the attention of the city au-
  thorities. However, it is not necessary for the characters
  to have any connection with the city. The adventure be-
  gins outside of the city, and the characters are free to
  travel where they see ﬁt at the adventure’s conclusion.
  If this adventure is taking place as part of a D&D Ad-
  venturers League campaign, more information about
  Mulmaster is available from the League. If the adven-
  ture takes place during the time period of season two,
  the city of Mulmaster is described in State of Mulmaster
  Article. During this time period the four elemental cults
  are actively seeking the destruction of Mulmaster. Af-
  ter the events of season two, the city of Mulmaster has
  been partially destroyed by the elemental cults. See The
  City of Danger: Reconstruction for a description of what is
  left of the city.The cults themselves, however, have been
  dealt a seemingly fatal blow, and are believed by many
  to no longer be active in the city. Whether the events of
  this adventure take place before, during, or after season
  two will likely affect how the characters perceive the
  threats present in the adventure, but does not affect the
  overall plot.
  For purposes of membership in the Cloaks, each player may
  choose for themselves whether this adventure takes place in
  the Mulmaster region, but they must do so at the beginning
  of the adventure.
  HOFSTEAD’S BEACON
  Hofstead’s Lighthouse is a long day’s ride south of
  Mulmaster. It is built on top of a high bluff which meets
  the Moonsea in a sheer cliff face. Ships traveling be-
  tween Mulmaster and the River Lis (which connects the
  Moonsea to the Dragon Reach and from there to the Sea
  of Fallen Stars) prefer to hug the coast on their voyage.
  The waters surrounding the Beacon are more shallow
  than the surrounding sea, and jagged rocks lurk below
  the surface. The lighthouse serves to warn passing ships
  of the danger, driving them out to sea for this part of
  their voyage. The city of Mulmaster maintains the light-
  house, paying the lighthouse keeper and periodically
  sending someone from the Brotherhood of the Cloaks
  to renew the magic that powers the light.
  The road between Mulmaster and the western cities
  of the Moonsea such as Elventree and Hillsfar runs a
  hundred yards from the base of the bluff on which
  the lighthouse stands. Over the years a tavern and inn,
  known as Hofstead’s Beacon, has grown up around the
  base of the lighthouse. It has passable ale, warm meals,
  and beds that are mostly bug free. At 1gp for a meal,
  mug, and bed it is somewhat overpriced but not outra-
  geously so.
  The current lighthouse keepers are Maxwell and
  Loretta Truss. Maxwell is a short, stocky man whose
  beard is now showing the grey of age. His wife, Loretta,
  looks to be a decade younger with ﬂowing blonde hair
  and ﬁne features. In truth, she is a few years older than
  her husband, but claims elﬁsh ancestry three genera-
  tions back. They are assisted in running the beacon by
  two young women, Vira and Helen, who serve drinks
  and clean rooms. The Beacon’s cook is a dwarf named
  Bori Irontongs.
  Because it is a popular way stop for travelers in the
  region, any character who passes a DC 12 Intelligence
  (History) check will be familiar with it by reputation.
  Any character who has taken the road from Mulmas-
  ter to Hillsfar or Elventree is automatically aware of the
  Beacon and its importance, and has likely stayed there
  before.
  4
  Plots in Motion
  
  THULMAN’S KEEP
  Thulman’s Keep is a ruined fortress on the western
  bank of the River Lis, at the southern end where the
  river empties into the Dragon Reach. It was built twenty
  years ago by Sembia, in an attempt to tax trade on the
  River Lis. Cormyr made its objections known with a
  midnight raid on the fortress, and it has been aban-
  doned ever since.
  Characters who wish to know the history of Thul-
  man’s keep may attempt a DC 15 Intelligence (History)
  check. Characters from either Sembia or Cormyr make
  this check with advantage. Alternatively, the staff at
  Hofstead’s Lighthouse are familiar with the history, and
  can relate the outlines of the story if the party asks. The
  sidebar The History of Thulman’s Keep describes the
  history of the keep in detail, and can be found in the
  next chapter.
  PLOT HOOKS
  The adventure begins with the characters eating sup-
  per in the common room of Hofstead’s Beacon, as out-
  side a terrible storm rages. Any reason for them to be at
  the Beacon is a suitable hook to start the adventure.
  THE COAST ROAD
  Hofstead’s Beacon is a natural rest stop on the road
  between Mulmaster and Hillsfar or Elventree. Alterna-
  tively, if the characters are traveling overland between
  Mulmaster and Sembia, or any location along the River
  Lis or in the Dragon Reach, the Beacon will be along
  their route. If the characters regularly have business in
  these places, they may simply be traveling from one city
  to another when the threatening storm inclines them to
  stop for the evening at a place with a solid roof, warm
  beds, and strong drink.
  For the last three hours, dark storm clouds have
  been gathering over the Moonsea. As the sun sets, a
  ﬁerce and biting wind picks up, blowing the storm
  inland. Fortunately, shelter is close at hand. A sign
  on the road advertises “Hofstead’s Beacon”, a well
  known rest house and tavern. The sign points up a
  hill, to a lighthouse emerging from a large inn.
  THE ZHENTARIM CONNECTION
  If one or more of the characters is a member of
  the Zhentarim black network, they can be tasked with
  smuggling cargo from the Hostead’s Beacon back to
  Mulmaster.
  Hofstead’s Beacon warns ships against the shal-
  lows as they leave the River Lis and turn towards
  Mulmaster. Only a day’s ride south, the tavern and
  inn at the base of the lighthouse are also a popular
  rest stop on the road to Mulmaster. Your associates
  in the Zhentarim have asked you to pick up a ship-
  ment of ﬁne silks they expect to “fall off” a Sembian
  ship that is expected to pass the beacon tonight, and
  to bring it back by a route that will bypass the tariff
  inspectors at what is left of Mulmaster’s harbor. You
  will be able to recognize the crate by the symbol of
  the Zhentarim which will be painted on the side; al-
  though the fact that it will be bobbing in the water
  sometime after midnight should be sufﬁcient.
  RENEWING THE BEACON
  Once a tenday the Brotherhood of the Cloaks in Mul-
  master sends a ritual caster to renew the magic that
  powers Hofstead’s Beacon. If one of the characters is a
  member, then that task can fall to them.
  A days ride south of Mulmaster is Hofstead’s Bea-
  con, a lighthouse that warns ships of dangerous
  shallows as they leave the River Lis and make the
  journey to Mulmaster. The magic which powers the
  beacon must be renewed once a tenday. Since Hof-
  stead’s Beacon is important to the commerce of Mul-
  master, the Brotherhood of the Cloaks has the re-
  sponsibility of performing the ritual. The Cloaks as-
  sign this responsibility to whichever of their number
  looks to be unduly idle, troublesome, junior, or just
  unlucky at cards during any particular tenday. It is
  now your turn to renew the light atop Hofstead’s
  Beacon.
  Plots in Motion
  5
  
  Chapter 2: Hofstead’s Beacon
  Once the characters have all arrived at Hofstead’s
  Beacon and sat down to dinner, the adventure begins.
  Unbeknownst to the characters, the lighthouse keeper is
  now at the bottom of the ocean, having been murdered
  and replaced by a doppelganger. Despite the raging
  storm the lighthouse has not been lit, and the dopple-
  ganger’s confederates are in place to ensure that it stays
  dark.
  OBLIGATORY BAR FIGHT
  The public room of Hofstead’s Beacon is brightly
  lit, with oil lanterns hanging around the room and
  two roaring ﬁre places. The wind outside is rattling
  the door and a couple of times every minute a boom
  of thunder shakes the building making conversation
  difﬁcult. The storm has been raging for over an hour
  now, and only seems to be getting worse. The coast
  of the Moonsea is no stranger to tremendous storms,
  but this will be one for the record books.
  Across the room, a half dozen rough looking men
  are huddled over their mugs, drinking hard. After
  a half dozen trips, the bar maid gives up and just
  leaves a full pitcher on the table. The biggest fellow
  promptly picks the pitcher up, and pours it directly
  down his throat. By the time the barmaid has re-
  ﬁlled your mugs from another pitcher, he is calling
  for more.
  If necessary, this is a good point for the players to try
  and introduce their characters. Play up the ambient
  noise from the storm and how it makes conversation
  nearly impossible. The barmaid will come around and
  collect the price of rooms and meals from the characters,
  1gp apiece. Once the characters have paid in advance
  and had a brief moment to chat, the adventure moves
  forward.
  Behind the bar, a stocky man with graying beard
  is having some kind of disagreement with a slender,
  blond haired woman. The storm makes it impossi-
  ble to overhear what is being said, but the body lan-
  guage says this is a domestic squabble. Finally, the
  woman throws down the rag she’s been using to
  clean, and with a look of exasperation she stomps
  across the room to the spiral stair case that leads to
  the top of the lighthouse and its beacon.
  As the woman passes by the table with the rough
  looking men, the large one stands up. He unfolds,
  fully eight feet tall and broadly build. One of his
  parents, the pretty one, was likely an orc. With a
  shrug, he back hands the blond woman, sending her
  sprawling across the ﬂoor.
  He takes a position in front of the staircase, and
  wags a ﬁnger in the general direction of the room.
  In this other hand, he hefts an enormous axe. His
  companions come to their feet, and blades come out.
  The staff of the beacon take a terriﬁed look at the
  men, and then skitter across the room, trying to put
  your company between themselves and the men.
  This begin the encounter Obligatory Bar Fight. Al-
  though the characters will have a few moments to re-
  group and cast healing spells after the ﬁght is over, they
  will not have an opportunity for short rest before the
  next encounter.
  INTERROGATION
  If any of the thugs are captured and interrogated they
  will at ﬁrst refuse to speak. They understand that if they
  are returned to Mulmaster they face execution. They
  can be persuaded to talk by a promise of release with a
  DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check. Alternatively, they
  can be threatened with further beatings and convinced
  to talk with a DC 15 Charisma (Intimidation) check.
  If convinced to talk, they say they where hired as a
  team to ensure that the beacon would not be lit. The
  doppleganger arrived this morning ahead of the rest
  of the group, then murdered the lighthouse keeper and
  threw the body over the cliff into the sea below. The rest
  of the group then arrived this evening to ensure that
  none of the other staff attempted to attune to and light
  the beacon. They understood that their attack was to
  be timed to the passage of a particular ship that was of
  interest to their employer. They where to meet their em-
  ployer at the ruins of a place called Thulman’s Keep to
  receive payment. They describe the employer as a blond
  half-elven male with a crooked nose.
  LOOTING THE BODIES
  When searched, the thugs purses contain coins worth
  78 gp and a deck of marked cards. The doppleganger
  carries a journal containing observations and notes
  about previous victims. Tucked into the pages is a map
  of the River Lis with an X on the western side of
  the southern end. A note on one of the pages reads
  “Payment for Lighthouse job, Thulman’s Keep. 100 gp.
  Each!”
  RELIGHTING THE BEACON
  The lighthouse is not lit, the doppleganger has mur-
  dered and then replaced the lighthouse keeper. Acti-
  vating the magic which powers the lighthouse requires
  someone to attune to the beacon and then speak the
  command word Shivark. This process requires holding
  the beacon crystal with both hands while singing a se-
  ries of old mariners songs, hymns to Umberlee and
  Valkur, and then reciting one lengthy rhyme about an
  6
  Plots in Motion
  
  albatross. The lighthouse keepers wife, Loretta, knows
  the process, but is in shock after it is revealed that
  her husband has been murdered. A DC 15 Charisma
  (Persuasion) check will help her pull herself together
  enough to ascend the lighthouse and being the process
  of attuning to the beacon so that it can be relit. Alter-
  natively, the staff knows where to ﬁnd a journal in the
  lighthouse keepers private quarters that explains the
  process, if Loretta is unable to do so. Attuning the bea-
  con requires an hour, and counts as one of the characters
  attuned items if attempted by a player character.
  INTO THE STORM
  Eventually the characters should realize that with the
  light out and a storm raging, any ships passing nearby
  are at risk. If the characters themselves are not con-
  cerned, then eventually the dwarvish cook will emerge
  from the kitchen to announce that there is already a ship
  on the rocks.
  As the bar staff collect themselves and shake off
  the shock of discovering that the lighthouse keeper
  Maxwell Truss has been replaced by a doppleganger,
  a stocky dwarf pokes his head out of the kitchen.
  “There is a ship on the rocks! I saw her mast dipping
  towards the water when lightning struck. When a
  second ﬂash came I saw her sails hit the water!
  Someone must go out into that storm and rescue any
  survivors.”
  Bori Irontongs, the cook, grabs a storm lantern and
  leads the way out the side door into the storm. If the
  player hesitate to follow him, the bar maids will urge
  them to follow and provide aid.
  On a bright, sunny day the path to the shore
  would be dangerously steep. Now, the rain is al-
  most blinding and pellets of hail strike your armor
  as you feel your way down through the darkness.
  Rain has made the footing treacherous, and gusts
  of wind buffet you. One false step could prove fa-
  tal. Bolts of lightning split the sky, showing you a
  ship dashed upon the rocks, its hull in pieces. Fig-
  ures struggle against the waves to reach the shore.
  Others ﬂoat motionless on the surf. The cook, Bori,
  urges you onward. “Hurry, those people need to be
  pulled out before they’re ﬁsh food.”
  Reaching the shore requires the characters to make
  three DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks. Each time
  a character fails a check they slip and fall, taking 1d6
  points of damage as they tumble down the rocky slope.
  The characters may choose to take their time and de-
  scend the slope more carefully. Doing so gives them ad-
  vantage on the check. For every check that a character
  takes their time on, that character arrives at encounter
  Struggle in the Surf one round later.
  You are nearly to the shore, when lightning again
  splits the sky. On the shore, a cloaked ﬁgure bends
  over a crate, hurling its contents onto the beach.
  When at last you reach the beach, the light of your
  lanterns shows the ﬁgure atop a spectral mount. As
  you rush forward to the beach, the mount takes off,
  galloping at a speed impossible for a ﬂesh and blood
  horse.
  Unfortunately, there is no time to worry about the
  rider. Survivors are crawling onto the beach, and
  others are still ﬂoundering in the surf. Stepping out
  of the ocean are a gaggle of ﬁsh walking on two legs.
  When the ﬁrst one reaches a struggling survivor, he
  drives his spear through the swimmer and then con-
  tinues his advance.
  This begins the encounter Struggle in the Surf.
  Once the encounter is over, Bori Irontongs will lead
  a group of survivors who made it to the beach without
  assistance plus any survivors the characters saved up
  the beach and around the cliffs back to the inn. This is
  a signiﬁcantly longer route than the treacherous direct
  path the characters took to arrive here, but it poses no
  danger. He will encourage the characters to assist him
  in leading, propping up, or outright carrying the sur-
  vivors back to the shelter of the inn. If the characters
  are reluctant to go immediately, he will pointedly re-
  mind them that the salvage from the wrecks will still be
  here in the morning.
  Regardless of when the characters loot the wreckage,
  they ﬁnd little of value. Most of the cargo consists of
  ordinary supplies for Mulmaster. The box looted by the
  rider is marked with the symbol of the Zhentarim black
  network, and contains ﬁne silks which can be retrieved
  from the surf. The silks are worth 25 gp if sold in any
  large city. Several casks of wine are bobbing in the surf.
  Bori will purchase the casks of wine for 15 gp, if the
  characters will haul them to the beacon’s cellar. If the
  character search the bodies of the Kuo-Toa the ﬁnd only
  crude weapons and crude jewelry made from shells on
  the bodies of the warriors. The archpriest carries a water
  proof scroll case, which contains a single page. The page
  contains a crude drawing of a box, with the symbol of
  Zhentarim black network in the center.
  MEETING THE SURVIVORS
  Dawn ﬁnds the inhabitants and guests at Hof-
  stead’s Beacon still awake. Loretta has attuned to the
  magic crystal that powers the lighthouse, and stood
  vigil to ensure it does not go out again. When at
  last she descends the lighthouse steps she says not
  a word, going straight to her bed.
  Plots in Motion
  7
  
  The survivors of the wreck huddle around the
  ﬁre, drinking hot tea, wrapped in blankets as their
  clothes dry. Many are still in shock. Some are sob-
  bing at the loss of their friends, family, or com-
  panions. Everyone looks tired, but only a few have
  managed to ﬁnd sleep curled up on the ﬂoor in
  front of the ﬁre. Eventually the bar maids begin to
  bring bowls of porridge around to the survivors,
  encouraging them to eat breakfast. If you want to
  speak with the survivors, over breakfast seems like
  your best chance before exhaustion ﬁnally overtakes
  them.
  Most of the survivors are too exhausted to talk but
  one survivor, Ruth Tolfest, is chatty. Three other sur-
  vivors are of note, if the characters saved them. If the
  characters saved at least one victim from the wreck, it
  is Gibbar Jusan, a Zhentarim agent. If they saved at
  least two, the second survivor is Talindra Moondown,
  a half-elven woman. If they saved all three the ﬁnal sur-
  vivor of interest is Druman Lakeman, previously the
  boatswain of the wrecked vessel. If the characters did
  not manage to save anyone from the wreck, they can
  still talk to the various passengers who made it to shore
  on their own but none of them are interesting enough
  to detail here.
  RUTH TOLFEST (ALWAYS SURVIVES)
  A young halﬁng woman, who identiﬁes herself as
  Ruth Tolfest, is practically bouncing out of her seat.
  The other survivors look like they wish she would
  shut up. “Never seen a storm like it. At mid-day the
  sky was clear and blue. But as the sun sets storm
  clouds seemed to gather from nowhere. Within a
  hour the wind and rain started, and just kept get-
  ting worse. For such a big storm, it came on awfully
  fast.”
  If asked about Thulman’s Keep, she replies:
  “I recall a ruined fortress about where you de-
  scribe. I remember it because there where two great
  piles of stone and masonry in the river at that point,
  and the captain had to steer a course between them.
  But the place was throughly ruined. Great gapping
  holes in the walls.”
  GIBBAR JUSAN (FIRST RESCUE)
  Gibbar Jusan was a sailor on the wrecked vessel. If
  approached, he will comment on the sudden ferocity of
  the storm, and praise the bravery of the lost crew and
  captain. However, if one of the characters belongs to the
  Zhentarim, they will recognize that buried in his chatter
  are phrases and signs that identify him as a member
  of the network. If the characters make the appropriate
  counter signs, he will nod, wink at the character, then
  excuse himself to the privy. Once he is alone with only
  other Zhentarim around, he will be more forthcoming.
  Yes, I am part of the network. And yes, I occa-
  sionally “liberate” boxes and crates from the hold
  of ships passing Hofstead’s Beacon. Our associates
  on the docks see to it that these boxes never make
  it onto the ships manifest, and I saw to it that the
  boxes never turned up extra when the cargo was in-
  spected in Mulmaster. Of course what was in the box
  wasn’t what the label said. At least, I assume. I don’t
  read much, but what was packed on top was never
  the same as was packed on the bottom. Drugs, poi-
  sons, cursed talismans, blades meant to remain hid-
  den until they found their mark. Contraband of all
  types. But this box was different. Came with extra
  protection, couple of bruisers in heavy armor. And
  carrying more at their belt than just a sharp knife.
  Well, I didn’t ask and they didn’t say. I thought twice
  about tossing it over, what with the storm, but they
  where real persuasive. Said the buyer wanted it over
  board no matter what. So over it went. I’d tell you to
  ask the bruisers about it, but their armor took them
  to the bottom almost as soon as the ship split open.
  TALINDRA MOONDOWN (SECOND RESCUE)
  If the party rescued at least two survivors, the second
  one identiﬁes herself as Talindra Moondown. Talindra
  Moondown is a wiry blond half-elf. She is charming,
  excitable, and if there is a big, strong, male in the party
  she will focus on that character during the conversation;
  batting her eyes at him more than is strictly necessary.
  “My saviors! I’m so grateful that you rescued me.
  I shudder to think what would have happened if
  those, those, those ﬁsh things had gotten hold of
  me. I bet I taste like caviar to them! You, you don’t
  think they’ll come back and try to get us here in the
  lighthouse do you? No? Well, you certainly showed
  them. My heroes!”
  “You should have a reward. Here, take this neck-
  lace. I insist. Its just a bauble really, but I’m afraid its
  all I saved from the wreckage. I’m sure it will fetch a
  good price in Mulmaster.”
  If the party objects, and says they cannot accept pay-
  ment for saving her, she responds:
  “Then take it anyway, and sell it and distribute
  the funds to help the other survivors. Some of them
  have lost everything! I’ll be ﬁne once I reach my par-
  ents home in Mulmaster, they’re quite well off. Its
  the least I can do to comfort my unfortunate ship-
  8
  Plots in Motion
  
  mates.”
  If the party still refuses, they discover the amulet at
  the bottom of ones of their packs when they take their
  ﬁrst long rest away from Hofstead’s beacon. The amulet
  itself is a band of gold about three inches around. In-
  side the band, a dragon made of silver curls around
  an amythest. The workmanship is exquisite. When the
  party returns to civilization with the amulet, they earn
  the story award Crown Jewels.
  DRUMAN LAKEMAN (THIRD RESCUE)
  If the characters rescue all three survivors from the
  Kuo-Toa, the third survivor is Druman Lakeman. Dru-
  man is a burly human male in his late thirties. He
  was the boatswaine for the doomed vessel, the man in
  charge of minor repairs to the ship. If he survives, he
  is able to help the characters repair the skiff in the next
  part of the adventure.
  “I’ve been at sea a lot of years, and I’ve seen
  a storm like this only once. It was just before the
  Netherese ﬂoated their cities across the Moonsea to
  attack Myth Drannor. Ha! The elves showed them!
  I hear they’re just a pile of rubble in the forest now.
  Anyways, that storm would have had my life if you
  hadn’t ﬁshed me out. I fancy myself a strong swim-
  mer, but tonight Umberlee was calling my name.”
  “On behalf of the three other crew members who
  survived, you have our thanks. Seeing as I’m now
  the ranking ofﬁcer, anything we can do for you, just
  let us know. Not that I think there’s much. We’re all
  pretty soggy, and sailings about all we know. Well, I
  guess I know a bit more. I was the boatswain. Swung
  a hammer and kept the ship in one piece. Until I
  couldn’t. Theres no ﬁxing her now. Just scavenge her
  for drift wood to keep the ﬁre nice and toasty.”
  SHIP SHAPE
  Breakfast is a bleak affair, with few words spo-
  ken. The survivors from the shipwreck mourn those
  lost in the sea, and the staff are still in shock from
  the discovery that their friend, husband, and em-
  ployer Maxwell Truss was murdered and replaced
  by a shape shifter. Once the meal is over and the
  bar maids are clearing up, Bori Irontongs ﬁnally
  emerges from the kitchen. He sits down next to you
  and speaks.
  “I know you’ll not be wanting to sit round. But
  the storm has turned all the roads to mud. You’ll not
  get two leagues, and you’ll spend the night in the
  cold and damp. It will be three, maybe four days be-
  fore the roads are dry enough to be of any use, and
  then I’ll hitch the wagon up and take the survivors
  to Mulmaster. Inform the watch about what’s hap-
  pened, and get some supplies. Maybe hire a strong
  arm to help out around the place and keep a blade
  handy. Everyone would be glad of your company
  until then. But seeing as how you saved all our lives,
  I might have another option for you.”
  “There’s an old skiff out in the barn. She’s no good
  for the open sea, but she could be just the thing to
  carry you down the River Lis. She needs more than
  a bit of paint, but you’ll ﬁnd the tools you need in
  the cellar. And we’ve got a bit of lumber around the
  back, for making repairs to the inn and lighthouse
  when its needed. Get her ﬁxed up, and she’s yours.”
  You ﬁnd the skiff in the barn, under a moth eaten
  canvas. It is in sea worthy shape, if your destination
  is Umberlee’s dock. For any other destination, this
  ship will need repairs. But ﬁrst, you will need to get
  it down to the shore. And maybe you can ask one of
  the bar maids if she can repair the canvas covering
  it, which seems to be the skiffs sail.
  The skiff is badly in need of repairs, and in the next
  encounter will take damage. It begins with three hull
  points, and if it ever reaches zero hull points, it sinks
  with consequences described later. Keep track how
  many hull points (hp) the skiff has, and record them for
  use in the encounter Seafood Buffet.
  To get the skiff down to the shore and repair it the
  characters will engage in a skill challenge. The mechan-
  ics of this skill challenge are explained in the provided
  script. It it not necessary to use this script when running
  the skill challenge, but make sure the players throughly
  understand the mechanics behind it.
  DEPARTURE
  The next morning you rise early. Bori has packed
  you some food for the journey, and everyone at the
  beacon, staff and survivors of the ship wreck, comes
  down to see you cast off. With the help of barge
  poles you navigate the rocks and point the skiff
  down the coast. As the light house recedes, you raise
  the sail and the wind pushes you towards the River
  Lis.
  Plots in Motion
  9
  
  Script for Repairing the Skiff
  It is important that the characters understand
  how repairing the skiff works. To assist with this,
  you may want to consider using the following
  read aloud script when running the skill chal-
  lenge.
  Currently, the Skiff has three hull points, out of a
  maximum of ten. Before you can begin repairing it,
  you must bring it down to the shore. Everyone can
  help carry the skiff. Three of you will need to make
  Strength (Athletics) checks against a DC of 14. The
  rest of you may declare which other character you are
  assisting; this will give that person advantage on the
  check.
  If at least two the the checks succeed: You get
  the skiff to the shore without incident.
  If only one check succeeds: The skiff slips from
  your hands the crashed to the ground. It takes one
  hull point of damage.
  If both checks fail: The skiff slips from your hands
  half-way down, and then rolls and slides the rest of
  the way to the shore. It takes two hull points of dam-
  age.
  If the party rescued Druman Lakeman: Dru-
  man Lakeman, whom you saved from the wreck last
  night, assists you in repairing the skiff. Over the
  course of the day, his assistance restores two hull
  points.
  You can now begin repairing the skiff. If anyone
  has the mending cantrip, they can use it now to re-
  store one hull point. To repair the skiff, you will make
  skill checks using Wisdom (Carptentry) or Wisdom
  (Sea Vehicles) against a DC of 14. Characters with a
  nautical background make this check with advantage.
  Each success will restore one hull point to the skiff.
  You will each have two attempts to make this check,
  once in the morning and once after supper. Bards
  may distribute their full allowance of inspiration for
  each attempt. After these two attempts, further re-
  pairs to the skiff will be beyond your party’s abilities.
  Instead of making a skill check you may choose to as-
  sist another character. However, because of the way
  this skill challenge works, only the most inept charac-
  ters should choose this option.
  At the end of the skill challenge, announce to
  the characters how many hull points the skiff has
  and record this number.
  The History of Thulman’s Keep
  The characters can learn the history of Thul-
  man’s keep by asking the staff at Hofstead’s Bea-
  con. Alternatively they can attempt an Intelli-
  gence (History) check against a DC of 15. Char-
  acters from Cormyr or Sembia make this check
  with advantage.
  In the year of the Six Armed Elf (1463 DR),
  Sembia, under the direction of its Netherese
  overseers, erected a fortress at the southern end
  of the River Lis, on the western bank. Across
  the river they erected a fortiﬁed gate house.
  Two massive stone pylons were raised in the
  river. A massive crank mechanism held a chain
  strung from the fortress to the gatehouse across
  the river and through the pylons. When pulled
  taut, the chain blocked ships from traversing the
  River Lis. With control of the river secured, Sem-
  bia set out to tax every ship trading between the
  Moonsea and the Dragon Reach. They knew this
  would meet steep opposition from cities around
  both the Dragon Reach and the Moonsea. They
  calculated that, as long as the taxes were low,
  an attack on Thulman’s Keep would be difﬁcult
  enough that it would not be strategic priority.
  Less than a year later, Cormyrian war golems
  marched up from the bottom of the River Lis
  to pound the walls of Thulman’s keep. By the
  time the sun rose, Cormyrian special forces had
  seized the keep. It took nearly ﬁve days for the
  Sembian army to march re-enforcements to the
  keep. They arrived to ﬁnd the walls reduced to
  rubble, the chain mechanism and river facing
  ballistas destroyed, and the rest of fortress and
  arsenal looted. The great chain which blocked
  the river was broken in multiple pieces and sunk
  in the river. The Cormyrians had already re-
  treated into the forest of Cormanthor, spirited to
  safety by elven allies. Subsequent Sembian cal-
  culations determined that attempting to tax the
  River Lis was not a proﬁtable venture, and Thul-
  man’s Keep was abandoned.
  10
  Plots in Motion
  
  ENCOUNTER: OBLIGATORY BAR FIGHT
  Weak Party
  3
  Veteran
  700 XP each
  1
  Orog
  450 XP each
  1
  Doppelganger
  700 XP each
  Total XP
  3250 XP
  Normal Party
  5
  Veteran
  700 XP each
  1
  Orog
  450 XP each
  1
  Doppelganger
  700 XP each
  Total XP
  4650 XP
  Strong Party
  5
  Veteran
  700 XP each
  1
  Orog
  450 XP each
  1
  Doppelganger Assassin
  3900 XP each
  Total XP
  7850 XP
  SETUP
  The characters start around the table furthest from
  the lighthouse stairs. The orog starts the encounter
  blocking the passage to the stairway. The veterans begin
  around the table nearest to the stairway. The doppel-
  ganger, in the form of Maxwell, starts next to whatever
  PC is closet to the bar. Loretta, knocked to the ﬂoor by
  the orog, stays down and cowers. The bar maid starts
  the ﬁght under the middle table. The other bar maid
  and the cook are in the kitchen when the ﬁght begins,
  and do not emerge to see what is going on. The bar staff
  have 5 hit points and AC 10 if attacked, but they do not
  engage in combat.
  SURPRISE!
  Unless the characters speciﬁcally call out the light-
  house keeper as suspicious or suspect, the dopple-
  ganger’s ﬁrst attack roll is considered to have surprise.
  If a character states they are wary of the lighthouse
  keeper because of his interactions with his wife, or some
  other plausible reason, they are not surprised. If they
  request an insight check, then allow them a DC 20 Wis-
  dom (Insight) check when the doppleganger positions
  itself next to the PC before initiative is rolled. On a suc-
  cess, a character realizes the lighthouse keeper is ac-
  tually preparing to strike and may warn the targeted
  PC as combat begins. The doppleganger still beings the
  encounter next to a PC. Surprise will give the dopple-
  ganger advantage on its attack roll and boost its dam-
  age. See the stat blocks for the doppleganger in the
  weak and normal versions of this encounter, and the
  doppleganger Assassin in the strong version for how
  this affects the doppleganger’s damage.
  TACTICS
  The doppleganger attacks whomever it is standing
  next to at the ﬁrst opportunity. Either with an oppor-
  tunity attack when the PC moves away to target other
  combatants, or on its turn in the initiative order. Af-
  ter attacking its initial target once, it turns it attention
  to any obvious healers, or casters if no healer is ap-
  parent. It only moves if it may do so without provok-
  ing an opportunity attack. The orog goes after what-
  ever target it deems to be the toughest physical ﬁghter,
  equating physical size, strength, and the presence of ar-
  mor or heavy weapons with combat prowess. The Vet-
  erans then spread out, and each takes one party mem-
  ber. They leave the orog to ﬁght one on one, but if there
  is already a man on each party member they double up
  ﬁrst with the doppleganger and then with other Veter-
  ans.
  CONCLUSION
  If one of veterans is the last one standing and his ini-
  tiative comes up, he makes a lunge for the bar maid un-
  der the table with the intent of threatening her life to es-
  cape. The bar maid responds by pulling a dagger from
  her apron and running it through his eye, ﬁnishing him
  off.
  On the ﬂoor, the body of the lighthouse keeper
  seems to melt, its skin turning black as its face looses
  all features. The blond woman, staring at what she
  thought was her husband, screams in horror then
  begins to sob. The remaining staff slowly pick them-
  selves off the ﬂoor and look around in shock.
  Plots in Motion
  11
  
  12
  Plots in Motion
  
  Doppelganger Assassin
  Medium monstrosity (shapechanger), unaligned
  Armor Class 15 (leather)
  Hit Points 54 (12d8+0)
  Speed 30 ft.
  CR 8 (3900 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  10 (+0)
  18 (+4)
  10 (+0)
  11 (+0)
  10 (+0)
  14 (+2)
  Skills Acrobatics +7, Deception +8, Insight +3, Stealth +7
  Damage Immunities charmed
  Languages Common
  Shapechanger. The doppelganger can use its action to polymorph
  into a Small or Medium humanoid it has seen, or back into its true
  form. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form.
  Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts
  to its true form if it dies.
  Assassinate. The doppelganger has advantage on attack rolls
  against any creature it has surprised. Any hit the assassin scores
  against a surprised creature is a critical hit.
  Ambusher. During its ﬁrst turn, the doppleganger has advantage on
  attack rolls against any creature that has not taken a turn.
  Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The doppelganger deals an extra 13 (4d6)
  damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advan-
  tage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 ft. of an ally
  of the assassin that is not incapacitated and the assassin does not
  have disadvantage on the attack roll.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The doppelganger makes two melee attacks.
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one tar-
  get. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage, and the target must make
  a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) poison damage
  on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
  Read Thoughts. The doppelganger magically reads the surface
  thoughts of one creature within 60 ft. of it. The eﬀect can pen-
  etrate barriers, but 3 ft. of wood or dirt, 2 ft. of stone, 2 inches of
  metal, or a thin sheet of lead blocks it. While the target is in range,
  the doppelganger can continue reading its thoughts, as long as the
  doppelganger’s concentration isn’t broken (as if concentrating on a
  spell). While reading the target’s mind, the doppelganger has advan-
  tage on Wisdom (Insight) and Charisma (Deception, Intimidation,
  and Persuasion) checks against the target.
  Orog
  Medium humanoid (orc), chaotic evil
  Armor Class 18 (plate)
  Hit Points 42 (5d8+20)
  Speed 30 ft.
  CR 2 (450 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  18 (+4)
  12 (+1)
  18 (+4)
  12 (+1)
  11 (+0)
  12 (+1)
  Skills Survival +2
  Languages Common, Orc
  Actions
  Multiattack. The orog makes two greataxe attacks.
  Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  Hit: 10 (1d12 + 4) slashing damage.
  Javelin. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or
  range 30/120, one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.
  Bonus Actions
  Aggressive. As a bonus action, the orog can move up to its speed
  toward a hostile creature that it can see.
  Doppelganger
  Medium monstrosity (shapechanger), unaligned
  Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 52 (8d8+16)
  Speed 30 ft.
  CR 3 (700 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 11
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  11 (+0)
  18 (+4)
  14 (+2)
  11 (+0)
  12 (+1)
  14 (+2)
  Skills Deception +6, Insight +3
  Damage Immunities charmed
  Languages Common
  Shapechanger. The doppelganger can use its action to polymorph
  into a Small or Medium humanoid it has seen, or back into its true
  form. Its statistics, other than its size, are the same in each form.
  Any equipment it is wearing or carrying isn’t transformed. It reverts
  to its true form if it dies.
  Ambusher. The doppelganger has advantage on attack rolls against
  any creature it has surprised.
  Surprise Attack. If the doppelganger surprises a creature and hits it
  with an attack during the ﬁrst round of combat, the target takes an
  extra 10 (3d6) damage from the attack.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The doppelganger makes two melee attacks.
  Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
  7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
  Read Thoughts. The doppelganger magically reads the surface
  thoughts of one creature within 60 ft. of it. The eﬀect can pen-
  etrate barriers, but 3 ft. of wood or dirt, 2 ft. of stone, 2 inches of
  metal, or a thin sheet of lead blocks it. While the target is in range,
  the doppelganger can continue reading its thoughts, as long as the
  doppelganger’s concentration isn’t broken (as if concentrating on a
  spell). While reading the target’s mind, the doppelganger has advan-
  tage on Wisdom (Insight) and Charisma (Deception, Intimidation,
  and Persuasion) checks against the target.
  Veteran
  Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment
  Armor Class 17 (splint)
  Hit Points 58 (9d8+18)
  Speed 30 ft.
  CR 3 (700 XP)
  Senses passive perception 12
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  16 (+3)
  13 (+1)
  14 (+2)
  10 (+0)
  11 (+0)
  10 (+0)
  Skills Athletics +5, Perception +2
  Languages any one language (usually Common)
  Actions
  Multiattack. The veteran makes two longsword attacks. If it has a
  shortsword drawn, it can also make a shortsword attack.
  Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, or 8 (1d10 + 3) slashing damage
  if used with two hands.
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one tar-
  get. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
  Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 100/400
  ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d10 + 1) piercing damage.
  Plots in Motion
  13
  
  ENCOUNTER: STRUGGLE IN THE SURF
  Weak Party
  2
  Kuo-Toa
  50 XP each
  2
  Kuo-Toa Monitor
  700 XP each
  1
  Kuo-Toa Archpriest
  2300 XP each
  Total XP
  3800 XP
  Normal Party
  4
  Kuo-Toa
  50 XP each
  2
  Kuo-Toa Monitor
  700 XP each
  1
  Kuo-Toa Archpriest
  2300 XP each
  2
  Will-o’-Wisp
  450 XP each
  Total XP
  4800 XP
  Strong Party
  4
  Kuo-Toa
  50 XP each
  4
  Kuo-Toa Monitor
  700 XP each
  1
  Kuo-Toa Archpriest
  2300 XP each
  4
  Will-o’-Wisp
  450 XP each
  Total XP
  7100 XP
  TIMELINE
  Rnd
  Events
  1
  Characters who rushed reach the shore and
  enter combat.
  2
  Characters who took their time on one check
  arrive. First two wisps arrive, for normal
  difﬁculty.
  3
  Characters who took their time on two
  checks arrive. Two more wisps arrive for
  strong parties. One survivor drowns if none
  have been saved.
  4
  Characters who took their time on all checks
  arrive.
  5
  A survivor drowns if two have not been
  saved.
  6
  Thematically appropriate Kraken arrives.
  7
  The ﬁnal survivor drowns in none have been
  saved.
  FIGHTING IN THE STORM
  Visibility. The combination of storm and darkness
  reduces visibility. Characters without dark vision or
  a light source have their visibility reduced to 10 feet.
  Characters with dark vision or a light source (including
  the Kuo-Toa) have only one-half their usual distance for
  visibility. Blind sight and Tremor sense are useless in the
  storm and waves.
  Wind. The howling wind makes attacks with ranged
  missile weapons very difﬁcult to aim properly. Such at-
  tacks are made with disadvantage.
  Terrain. The combination of water depth, wind, and
  waves makes all water squares difﬁcult terrain for any-
  one who does not have a swim speed.
  SETUP
  The characters begin on the beach, and the Kuo-Toa
  begin in a ragged line in the water, 25 feet from the
  shore. The Kuo-Toa Archpriest stands ten feet behind
  the other Kuo-Toa. The ﬁrst two survivors should be
  placed between the characters and the Kuo-Toa, and the
  third is behind the Kuo-Toa’s line. The survivors should
  be placed so they are not adjacent to any of the Kuo-Toa.
  If there are Will-o’-Wisps present in the encounter, two
  arrive at the start of the second round and act on their
  initiative. If there are more Will-o’-Wisps present, they
  arrive at the start of the third round. If the characters
  took t heir time coming down to the shore, some or all
  of them may already be present when the encounter be-
  gins. They arrive from the land side of the encounter,
  behind where the characters start.
  RESCUING SURVIVORS
  Three survivors are in the immediate vicinity of
  the encounter, struggling towards the shore. They will
  drown unless the characters assist them. To assist them,
  a character must move adjacent to the survivor, and
  spend their action to grab them. A survivor that has
  been grabbed is no longer in danger of drowning, but
  is not safe yet. The character must then spend their
  own movement to get them to the shore. Only then will
  they be safe. At the start of the third round, one of the
  survivors drowns if none of them have been grabbed.
  The second survivor dies at the start of round ﬁve if
  there are two remaining survivors who have not been
  grabbed, and the third dies at the start of round seven
  if they have not yet been grabbed. Remember that if the
  characters took their time coming down to the shore,
  this counts against the time they have to rescue any sur-
  vivors.
  TACTICS
  The Kuo-Toa spread out, and try to engage oppo-
  nents one on one. They use their sticky shields to try
  and snag their opponents weapons. The Kuo-Toa Mon-
  itors attempt to gang up on anyone whose weapon is
  caught. The Archpriest stays behind the other Kuo-Toa,
  and casts spells. He opens by casting Hold Person us-
  ing a ﬁfth level slot to target four of the characters. On
  the second round, he uses Spiritual Weapon and Sacred
  Flame. If forced into melee he casts Spirit Guardians. He
  holds onto his other 5th level slots to cast Mass Cure
  Wounds when three or more of his allies are injured.
  CONCLUSION
  The encounter ends when all Kuo-Toa are dead, and
  all survivors have drowned or been rescued. Each sur-
  vivor rescued is worth an additional 50 XP for each
  party member.
  14
  Plots in Motion
  
  Plots in Motion
  15
  
  Kuo-Toa Monitor
  Medium humanoid (kou-toa), neutral evil
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 65 (10d8+20)
  Speed Speed 30ft., swim 30ft.
  CR 3 (700 XP)
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive perception 16
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  14 (+2)
  10 (+0)
  14 (+2)
  12 (+1)
  14 (+2)
  11 (+0)
  Skills Perception +6, Religion +5
  Languages Undercommon
  Amphibious. The kuo-toa can breathe air and water.
  Otherworldly Perception. The kuo-toa can sense the presence of
  any creature within 30 feet of it that is invisible or on the Ethereal
  Plane. It can pinpoint such a creature that is moving.
  Slippery. The kuo-toa has advantage on ability checks and saving
  throws made to escape a grapple.
  Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the kuo-toa has disadvantage
  on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
  on sight.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The kuo-toa makes one bite attack and two unarmed
  strikes.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
  4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
  Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
  target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage plus 3 (1d6) lightning
  damage, and the target can’t take reactions until the end of the
  kuo-toa’s next turn.
  Will-o’-Wisp
  Tiny undead, chaotic evil
  Armor Class 19
  Hit Points 22 (9d4+0)
  Speed 0 ft., ﬂy 50 ft. (hover)
  CR 2 (450 XP)
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive perception 12
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  1 (-5)
  28 (+9)
  10 (+0)
  13 (+1)
  14 (+2)
  11 (+0)
  Damage Resistances acid, cold, ﬁre, necrotic, thunder, bludgeon-
  ing, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
  Damage Immunities lightning, poison
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, poisoned,
  prone, restrained, unconscious
  Languages the languages it knew in life
  Consume Life. As a bonus action, the will-o’-wisp can target one
  creature it can see within 5 ft. of it that has 0 hit points and is
  still alive. The target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving
  throw against this magic or die. If the target dies, the will-o’-wisp
  regains 10 (3d6) hit points.
  Ephemeral. The will-o’-wisp can’t wear or carry anything.
  Incorporeal Movement. The will-o’-wisp can move through other
  creatures and objects as if they were diﬃcult terrain. It takes 5
  (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
  Variable Illumination. The will-o’-wisp sheds bright light in a 5- to
  20-foot radius and dim light for an additional number of ft. equal to
  the chosen radius. The will-o’-wisp can alter the radius as a bonus
  action.
  Actions
  Shock. Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit:
  9 (2d8) lightning damage.
  Invisibility. The will-o’-wisp and its light magically become invisible
  until it attacks or uses its Consume Life, or until its concentration
  ends (as if concentrating on a spell).
  Kuo-Toa Archpriest
  Medium humanoid (kou-toa), neutral evil
  Armor Class 11 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 97 (13d8+39)
  Speed Speed 30ft., swim 30ft.
  CR 6 (2300 XP)
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive perception 19
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  16 (+3)
  14 (+2)
  16 (+3)
  13 (+1)
  16 (+3)
  14 (+2)
  Skills Perception +9, Religion +7
  Languages Undercommon
  Amphibious. The kuo-toa can breathe air and water.
  Otherworldly Perception. The kuo-toa can sense the presence of
  any creature within 30 feet of it that is invisible or on the Ethereal
  Plane. It can pinpoint such a creature that is moving.
  Slippery. The kuo-toa has advantage on ability checks and saving
  throws made to escape a grapple.
  Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the kuo-toa has disadvantage
  on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
  on sight.
  Spell Casting. The kuo-toa is a 10th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting
  ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks).
  The kuo-toa has the following cleric spells prepared:
  Cantrips (at will): guidance, sacredﬂame, thaumaturgy
  1st level (4 slots): detect magic, sanctuary, shield of faith
  2nd level (3 slots): hold person, spiritual weapon
  3rd level (3 slots): spirit guardians, tongues
  4th level (3 slots): control water, divination
  5th level (2 slots): mass cure wounds, scrying
  Actions
  Multiattack. The kuo-toa makes two melee attacks.
  Scepter. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one tar-
  get. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 14 (4d6) lightning
  damage.
  Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
  target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
  16
  Plots in Motion
  
  Kuo-Toa
  Medium humanoid (kou-toa), neutral evil
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor, shield)
  Hit Points 18 (4d8+0)
  Speed Speed 30ft., swim 30ft.
  CR 1/4 (50 XP)
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive perception 14
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  13 (+1)
  10 (+0)
  11 (+0)
  11 (+0)
  10 (+0)
  8 (-1)
  Skills Perception +4
  Languages Undercommon
  Amphibious. The kuo-toa can breathe air and water.
  Otherworldly Perception. The kuo-toa can sense the presence of
  any creature within 30 feet of it that is invisible or on the Ethereal
  Plane. It can pinpoint such a creature that is moving.
  Slippery. The kuo-toa has advantage on ability checks and saving
  throws made to escape a grapple.
  Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the kuo-toa has disadvantage
  on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
  on sight.
  Actions
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
  3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage.
  Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or
  range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) piercing damage, or 5
  (1d8 + 1) piercing damage if used with two hands to make a melee
  attack.
  Net. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 5/15 ft., one Large
  or smaller creature. Hit: The target is restrained. A creature can use
  its action to make a DC 10 Strength check to free itself or another
  creature in a net, ending the eﬀect on a success. Dealing 5 slashing
  damage to the net (AC 10) frees the target without harming it and
  destroys the net.
  Reactions
  Sticky Shield. When a creature misses the kuo-toa with a melee
  weapon attack, the kuo-toa uses its sticky shield to catch the
  weapon. The attacker must succeed on a DC 11 Strength saving
  throw, or the weapon becomes stuck to the kuo-toa’s shield. If the
  weapon’s wielder can’t or won’t let go of the weapon, the wielder is
  grappled while the weapon is stuck. While stuck, the weapon can’t
  be used. A creature can pull the weapon free by taking an action to
  make a DC 11 Strength check and succeeding.
  Plots in Motion
  17
  
  Chapter 3: Journey Down the River Lis
  The storm has caused the River Lis to overﬂow
  its banks. Tree branches, and the occasional small
  tree blown over by the storm ﬂoat down the river
  with you. The current is rapid and tumultuous. You
  make good time but must be wary of debris. At mid-
  day you ﬂoat past what is left of Fort Dalton. You
  catch a glimpse of something large and scaled mov-
  ing amongst the ruins, and adjust the sail on your
  skiff to take you towards the other shore. As the sun
  sets, you drag the skiff onto the muddy shore and
  settle in for a well deserved rest; already more than
  half-way to your destination.
  The current is slower in the morning, but by mid-
  day the eastern bank turns into the swampy marsh
  known as the Flooded Forest. An hour later the wa-
  ter takes on a sickly yellow shine. You dip a barge
  pole over the side, and it comes back covered in
  thin slime. Your skiff slows as you ﬂoat through it.
  Alert to the possibility of danger, you lock your eyes
  on a pair of slick, well rounded boulders ahead of
  you in the river. The tension rises as you drift closer,
  weapons out. It is almost a relief when one of them
  twitches and you spring into action. Then there is a
  thump, and the back end of the boat is lifted out of
  the water, sending you scrambling across the deck
  as it tilts. With a splash the back end drops back
  into the water. The thing that has surfaced behind
  you might be described as lobster like, if lobsters
  were twelve feet tall and sprouted tentacles from
  their mouths. One of its gigantic pincers has latched
  onto the skiff, and is slowly crunching through it.
  The other waves menacingly at you. As the ﬁght be-
  gins, the water beings to churn. Fish with massive
  jaws and sharp, jagged teeth leap across the surface
  of the water, looking for food.
  This begins the encounter Seafood Buffet.
  If the boat survives the ﬁght with the Chuuls, the rest
  of the trip is smooth sailing. Nightfall ﬁnds the char-
  acters close to their destination, and nothing troubles
  their sleep. They can sail or hike into Thulman’s Keep
  as suits them in the morning. Reaching Thulman’s Keep
  with the skiff intact earns the characters 150 XP each.
  If the boat does not survive the ﬁght with the Chuuls,
  the characters are forced to trek through the wilderness.
  It should be obvious that the Flooded Forest on the east-
  ern bank is dangerous and difﬁcult to traverse on foot;
  the characters are best served by sticking to the west-
  ern bank and the Cormanthor forest. The undergrowth
  is thick, and it will take the characters an additional day
  to reach Thulman’s Keep.
  Fort Dalton
  The ruins of Fort Dalton lie between Hofstead’s
  Beacon and Thulman’s Keep. They are on the
  eastern side of the river, a dozen miles north of
  Thulman’s Keep in the Flooded Forest. It was
  once a thriving city known for its learned sages
  and powerful magic. Then it was razed by drag-
  ons. In the past explorers and treasure seekers
  looted vast riches and powerful magic from the
  ruins. Now, however, the ruins have been picked
  clean. Still, rumors of undiscovered hoards per-
  sist and brave adventurers might be tempted to
  try their hand at claiming their own share of Fort
  Dalton’s treasure.
  It is possible the characters may have previ-
  ously foiled the plot of an evil elemental water
  cult in the ruins of Fort Dalton, in the tier one
  adventure DDEX 2-12 Dark Rites at Fort Dalton.
  18
  Plots in Motion
  
  ENCOUNTER: SEAFOOD BUFFET
  Weak Party
  1
  Huge Chuul
  2900 XP each
  2
  Swarm of Quippers
  200 XP each
  1
  Chuul
  1100 XP each
  Total XP
  4400 XP
  Normal Party
  1
  Huge Chuul
  2900 XP each
  3
  Swarm of Quippers
  200 XP each
  2
  Chuul
  1100 XP each
  Total XP
  5700 XP
  Strong Party
  1
  Huge Chuul
  2900 XP each
  4
  Swarm of Quippers
  200 XP each
  4
  Chuul
  1100 XP each
  Total XP
  8100 XP
  SETUP
  The Huge Chuul starts the encounter adjacent to the
  back of the boat. The other two Chuuls start within ten
  feet of the forward end. The quipper swarms spread out
  around the front end of the boat, within ﬁfteen feet of
  the boat. The party may place themselves as they like
  on the boat.
  TACTICS AND THE SINKING SHIP
  The Huge Chuul does two hull points worth of dam-
  age to the skiff when it emerges from the river (before
  initiative is rolled). Every round there after, it takes the
  multi-attack action and use one of its two attacks to au-
  tomatically do one more point of hull damage to the
  skiff. If no character is in melee range (10 ft.) it uses
  the other attack to do another point of damage to the
  skiff. Otherwise, it chooses a character in range to di-
  rect its other pincer at. It does not move unless it sinks
  the skiff. The remaining Chuuls attack whichever char-
  acters are closest to them. If they succeed in grappling a
  character, they use their movement to back away from
  the skiff, pulling the character off the boat and into the
  water. Remember that they their speed is halved while
  grappling. The quippers circle in the water and wait for
  someone to fall in, swimming underneath the boat if
  doing so makes it easier to reach a character in the wa-
  ter.
  IN THE WATER
  If a character gets dragged into the water, or the boat
  sinks, they quickly realize the water is deep enough at
  this point in the river that they cannot touch the bot-
  tom (about seven to eight feet). Characters wearing no
  or only light armor have no problem treading water.
  Characters in medium or heavy armor have disadvan-
  tage on all attacks rolls and ability checks as they strug-
  gle to stay on the surface. Characters that can breathe
  water or have a swim speed ignore these penalties. For
  characters without a swim speed, treat the water as dif-
  ﬁcult terrain for purposes of movement. The quippers
  immediately swarm any character who is in the water.
  Remember that the quippers (and any sinking charac-
  ters) are underwater, so they take half-damage from ﬁre
  based attacks and spells, and have advantage on saves
  versus ﬁre-based effects.
  THAT SINKING FEELING
  If the boat sinks, a number of quipper swarms equal
  to the initial number of swarms should be added at the
  edges of the map. They then move forward and attack
  on the same initiative as the other quippers. The char-
  acters do not receive any additional XP for defeating
  quipper swarms attracted by the sinking boat.
  CONCLUSION
  If the boat is in onepiece when all the chuuls are dead,
  the encounter ends when all characters are aboard. If
  the boat sinks, the encounter ends when both the chuuls
  and the quippers have been defeated, or the characters
  have reached the safety of the shore. Assume the near-
  est bank is 60 feet from the edge of the map. Most char-
  acters, with 30 foot of movement and no swim speed,
  will need two rounds to reach the shore if they take the
  dash action.
  Plots in Motion
  19
  
  20
  Plots in Motion
  
  Chuul
  Large aberration, chaotic evil
  Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 93 (11d10+33)
  Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
  CR 4 (1100 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 14
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  19 (+4)
  10 (+0)
  16 (+3)
  5 (-3)
  11 (+0)
  5 (-3)
  Skills Perception +4
  Damage Immunities poison
  Condition Immunities poisoned
  Languages understands Deep Speech but can’t speak
  Amphibious. The chuul can breathe air and water.
  Sense Magic. The chuul senses magic within 120 feet of it at will.
  This trait otherwise works like the detect magic spell but isn’t itself
  magical.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The chuul makes two pincer attacks. If the chuul is
  grappling a creature, the chuul can also use its tentacles once.
  Pincer. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
  Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (es-
  cape DC 14) if it is a large or smaller creature and the chuul doesn’t
  have two other creatures grappled.
  Tentacles. One creature grappled by the chuul must succeed on a
  DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. Until
  this poison ends, the target is paralyzed. The target can repeat the
  saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the eﬀect on
  itself on a success.
  Swarm of Quippers
  Medium swarm of Tiny beasts, unaligned
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 28 (8d8-8)
  Speed 0 ft., swim 40 ft.
  CR 1 (200 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., ppassive perception 8
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  13 (+1)
  16 (+3)
  9 (-1)
  1 (-5)
  7 (-2)
  2 (-4)
  Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
  Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, grappled, paralyzed,
  petriﬁed, prone, restrained, stunned
  Languages None
  Blood Frenzy. The swarm has advantage on melee attack rolls
  against any creature that doesn’t have all its hit points.
  Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature’s space and vice
  versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for
  a Tiny quipper. The swarm can’t regain hit points or gain temporary
  hit points.
  Water Breathing. The swarm can breathe only underwater.
  Actions
  Bites. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 0 ft., one creature
  in the swarm’s space. Hit: 14 (4d6) piercing damage, or 7 (2d6)
  piercing damage if the swarm has half of its hit points or fewer.
  Huge Chuul
  Huge aberration, chaotic evil
  Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 171 (18d10+72)
  Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
  CR 7 (2900 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 16
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  20 (+5)
  10 (+0)
  18 (+4)
  6 (-2)
  11 (+0)
  6 (-2)
  Saving Throws Str +8
  Skills Perception +6
  Damage Immunities poison
  Condition Immunities poisoned
  Languages understands Deep Speech but can’t speak
  Amphibious. The chuul can breathe air and water.
  Sense Magic. The chuul senses magic within 120 feet of it at will.
  This trait otherwise works like the detect magic spell but isn’t itself
  magical.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The chuul makes two pincer attacks. If the chuul is
  grappling a creature, the chuul can also use its tentacles once.
  Pincer. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target.
  Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage. The target is grappled (es-
  cape DC 15) if it is a huge or smaller creature and the chuul doesn’t
  have two other creatures grappled.
  Tentacles. One creature grappled by the chuul must succeed on a
  DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. Until
  this poison ends, the target is paralyzed. The target can repeat the
  saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the eﬀect on
  itself on a success.
  Plots in Motion
  21
  
  Chapter 4: Thulman’s Keep
  Two stone pillars rise out of the River Lis, dividing
  it roughly in thirds. On the eastern bank is a ruin
  that was likely once a fortiﬁed tower. On the western
  bank, Thulman’s keep looms over the river. A tall
  tower, with a gaping hole just above the waterline,
  still over looks the river. Most of the fortress’s wall
  still stands, but the many gaping holes in it render it
  useless as a defensive fortiﬁcation.
  The current condition of Thulman’s Keep means that
  the characters can enter almost anywhere. If the charac-
  ters take the time to scout the exterior of the keep before
  entering provide them with the map from Thulmans
  Keep. If they enter through the hole in the river tower
  the ﬁnd themselves in D2: Mechanism Room. If they
  enter from anywhere other than the main gate, nudge
  them towards the clue and encounter at the main gate.
  This is best done by having one of them spot the body
  from a distance while the party is wandering around
  the exterior of the keep. Otherwise, the characters are
  free to explore the keep. When they reach the entrance
  to the tower, either from the keep’s courtyard or by exit-
  ing D2: Mechanism Room, they spot the tracks leading
  to the steel door which guards the entrance to E. Under-
  keep. The key to the door is in the D3: Commander’s
  Suite, on the third ﬂoor of the tower. Once the charac-
  ters are through the door, they are ready for the ﬁnal
  encounter with The Three Hags.
  A. MAIN GATE
  The portcullis that once protected the entrance
  to Thulman’s Keep is twisted and bent, as if some
  mighty giant set its strength against it. At the cen-
  ter of the portcullis the bent and broken bars make
  an opening large enough for something twelve feet
  tall or more to walk right through. The wooden
  doors that once stood behind the portcullis have
  been torn from their hinges. Great gaping holes have
  been knocked through the walls in numerous places.
  Towers that once protected the approach have been
  torn down and are now just piles of rubble. Thul-
  man’s Keep is no longer defensible in any meaning-
  ful way.
  Just inside the portcullis lies a body. It is dressed in
  leather breeches, a woolen cloak, and riding boots.
  On inspection, it appears to have been a blond half-
  elf, his nose a bit crooked. His belly has been torn
  open, his guts and entrails are splayed around him
  in a bloody mess. His eyes have been pecked out,
  and one leg is missing from the thigh down. It is
  difﬁcult to tell, but the body seems to be the right
  height and weight to be the rider you saw in the
  storm. A pack lies to one side, its contents dumped
  on the ground. As you inspect the carnage, an entic-
  ing melody stirs the air, demanding your attention.
  Approaching the main gate and inspecting the body
  causes a harpy to start singing, triggering the encounter
  Three Part Harmony.
  After the party has dealt with the Harpies and the
  Owlbears, they can search the body, the pack, and the
  monsters dens and nests. The rider’s purse contains
  75 gp, a journal, and a spellbook. The journal contains
  musings, arcane scribblings, and gloating about vari-
  ous misdeeds. However, one particular page appears
  to deal with the attack on the lighthouse, as detailed
  in Player’s Handout - Journal Entry. The contents of
  the spell book can be found in the appendix Adventure
  Summary, under Rider’s Spellbook. The harpies’ nests
  contain a gold braclet worth 50 gp and a matching gold
  necklace worth 75 gp.
  B. OUTBUILDINGS
  The keep contains a number of outbuildings, which
  the character encounter as they explore the area inside
  the walls.
  B1: CHICKEN COOP
  This wooden out building is a chicken coop. In the
  yard outside several of the birds are scratching in
  the dirt. Inside, feathers and birds are everywhere,
  as lean looking hens sit in rotting nesting boxes and
  cluck in your general direction. A rooster screeches
  at you from the far end of the coop. The ugliest baby
  chick you have ever seen charges the group, chirp-
  ing and wagging its scaly tail. Suddenly, the entire
  ﬂock takes ﬂight, cackling and screeching, pecking
  and clawing at whatever exposed bits of ﬂesh they
  can ﬁnd.
  The ﬂock contains both chickens and cockatrices. When
  the characters enter the chicken coop and draw the at-
  tention of the ugly chick, they trigger the encounter Hen
  Pecked.
  If the characters defeat the cockatrices without using
  area of effect magic, whatever is left of the ﬂock con-
  tinues to squawk at them but they are free to search the
  chicken coop for loot. They ﬁnd a half-dozen small eggs
  in the nesting boxes with which to supplement their
  rations. They also ﬁnd a single, larger, leathery, green
  egg. If they pack it carefully they may sell the cocka-
  trice egg to an alchemist or similar individual for 100
  gp when they return to civilization. Hatching it requires
  specialized knowledge and constant care, and so they
  will not be able to hatch it themselves. If the characters
  destroyed the chicken coop with area of effect magic
  22
  Plots in Motion
  
  they ﬁnd nothing of value in the rubble.
  B2: STABLES
  This long, low building is obviously a stable.
  There was once a fence around the area in front
  of the building forming a corral, but now only a
  few posts remaining standing. Inside, stalls are ﬁlled
  with rotted hay. On the walls, a few pieces of tack
  have decayed beyond usefulness.
  A through search of the stables turns up two iron horse
  shoes and three iron nails.
  B3: WELL
  In the middle of the courtyard is a stone well. The
  winch mechanism has been broken, and rope and
  bucket are missing.
  The well is 40 foot deep, and if the characters pull up
  a bucket or water or descend into the well themselves
  they discover that the water in the well is foul and
  muddy.
  B4: LATRINES
  A long, low building make of wood hugs the back
  wall of the keep. Half-a-dozen doors line line the
  front face of the building. If you really feel the need,
  this might be a good place for a short break.
  If the characters search the latrine, they ﬁnd nothing.
  Lowering a light source through one of the holes reveals
  a deep pit with the expected muck at the bottom.
  C. THE CENTRAL KEEP
  In the middle of the fortress is the central keep.
  It is a two story stone ediﬁce, with a north and
  south wing extending from the central portion of the
  building. Two large wooden doors, standing open,
  lead into the center of the building. At the front of
  each of the wings a smaller door leads directly into
  that part of the building.
  The center door of the keep opens into C3: Desecrated
  Chapel. The door to the south wing opens into C1: Bar-
  racks. C2: Arsenal sits behind the barracks. The door to
  the north wing opens into C4: Mess Hall, and from there
  the characters can reach C5: Kitchen.
  C1: BARRACKS
  This was once a barracks. Rows of beds line the
  walls, and at the foot of each bed sits a small wooden
  chest. Most of these chests are open, their contents
  strewn across the ﬂoor. Vermin infest the mattresses
  and skitter across the ﬂoor.
  Anything of value is long gone, and if the characters
  continue searching after the encounter they ﬁnd noth-
  ing.
  C2: ARSENAL
  This room was once the keep’s arsenal. Rows of
  weapon racks run up and down the length of the
  room, and hooks for larger weapons decorate the
  walls, but any armaments that once hung here are
  long gone. A thick coat of dust covers everything in
  the room.
  If the characters search the room they discover that one
  of the hooks on a sword rack wiggles and twists when
  pulled. If the characters pull hard on the hook the sword
  rack comes away from the wall and comes crashing
  down around them.
  C3: DESECRATED CHAPEL
  This was once a chapel. The remains of an altar are
  spread across the far end of the room. Half a dozen
  pews ﬁll the rest of the room. A portion of the back
  wall is charred and blackened, as if someone delib-
  erately took a ﬂame to it. At the edges, bits of paint
  suggest there was once a mural here before the van-
  dals scorched it. In the center of the blackened area
  someone has crudely painted the symbol of Selune
  upon the wall. On another wall, the same artist has
  crudely rendered the symbol of Torm.
  Any character interested in the chapel may make a DC
  12 Intelligence (History) check. On a success, they know
  that when this keep was erected Sembia was under the
  control of Netheril, with the worship of Shar as the state
  religion. Shar is the evil goddess of trickery, secrets,
  loss, and destruction. Her worship is banned in civi-
  lized places. A DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check will
  remind a character that Shar is opposed by her sister
  Selune. Torm is the deity of duty and loyalty, and is fre-
  quently venerated by knights and paladins of various
  orders.
  In keeping with Shar’s connection with secrets, the
  room is actually ﬁlled with secret nooks and hidden
  crannies. If the players search the room, ask them each
  to make an Intelligence (Investigation) check, and con-
  sult the table below. Each treasure can be found only
  once, and ﬁnding it requires an investigation check that
  meets or exceeds the given result. Each check can ﬁnd
  Plots in Motion
  23
  
  only one treasure.
  CHAPEL SEARCH TABLE
  DC
  Find
  Worth
  14
  Platinum chain behind a lose brick
  100 gp
  17
  5 black pearls in hollow pew leg
  150 gp
  20
  Oil of Sharpness in a torch sconce
  C4: MESS HALL
  Rows of tables and benches run the length of this
  room, and several large ﬁreplaces line one wall. Each
  ﬁreplace is equipped with a spit for roasting meat.
  At one end, an elevated platform holds another long
  table. The chairs around this one are arranged so
  that those seated there would have been able to
  watch the rest of the room. A thick layer of dust cov-
  ers everything.
  C5: KITCHEN
  Like the rest of the keep, the kitchen is covered
  in dust. Several large stoves are present, and every-
  where there are utensils, pots, pans, wooden plates
  and clay mugs. One door leads to the mess hall. An-
  other leads outdoors. A trap door in the back corner
  leads to what is presumably a cellar.
  If the characters take the time to search the room they
  ﬁnd nothing of value. There are plenty of tin forks,
  spoons, and knives. When the keep was destroyed the
  raiders carried off anything of real value, including
  fancy dinner ware and anything sharper than a butter
  knife. Likewise, the cellar is empty of anything of value;
  any food left here when the keep was raided has long
  since been eaten by scavengers.
  D. RIVER TOWER
  At the far end of the keep, a three story tower
  overlooks the river. The remains of a large wooden
  door lie in the doorway at the base of the tower. Sev-
  eral holes have been knocked into the walls at vari-
  ous points on the second and third story. At the top,
  several of the crenelations have been demolished.
  The ground level door leads to D1: Tower Entrance.
  From there the characters can reach D2: Mechanism
  Room and E1: Tunnel Entrance is on the ﬁrst ﬂoor of the
  river tower. The second ﬂoor holds small private rooms
  for the junior ofﬁcers. The third ﬂoor contains D3: Com-
  mander’s Suite and quarters for the other ofﬁcers. The
  top of the tower holds ballistae that used to point down
  at the river, now smashed to kindling.
  D1: TOWER ENTRANCE
  Inside the tower, a large steel door has been torn
  from its hinges and now lies in the hall outside of a
  central chamber. To one side, a set of stairs spirals up
  into the tower. On the other side, a second steel door
  remains intact. A thick layer of dust covers the stairs
  leading up, but muddy foot prints show someone
  has recently entered the tower. These footprints end
  in front of the remaining steel door.
  The steel door leads to E. Underkeep. The door is
  locked, a character with proﬁciency in thieves tools may
  attempt to pick it by making a Dexterity (Thieves Tools)
  check against a DC 20. If the check fails by more than
  5 points, a trap within the door triggers and breaks the
  pick. This trap is entirely concealed within the door and
  cannot be seen. A character who fails to pick the lock
  but does not trigger the trap should be told that there is
  some kind of additional mechanism embedded within
  the lock. The trap only resets when the key is turned in
  the lock, so if the characters have a second set of thieves
  tools they may continue attempting to pick the lock. A
  key for this door can be found in D3: Commander’s
  Suite; see the description of that room for details.
  The doorway with the ruined steel door leads to the
  D2: Mechanism Room.
  D2: MECHANISM ROOM
  A massive steel door once guarded the entrance
  to this room, but it has been torn from its hinges
  and now lies in the hall outside. In the center of this
  room stands a large wooden post, almost three feet
  in diameter and capped with steel. A thick coating
  of grease is smeared across it. The ﬂoor of the room
  is ﬁlled with broken timbers that might once have
  been part of a giant wheel. A few links of massive
  chain lie on the ﬂoor, each link twisted by some great
  force and broken open. A gaping and ragged hole
  in the exterior wall gives a clear view of the river
  which is ten feet below the opening. Looking out,
  you can see the massive stone pillars and iron rings
  which once supported the chain across the river. It
  was from this room that the massive chain which
  guarded the river was raised and lowered.
  When the keep was operational, the chain blocked the
  opening to the river and prevented anyone from using
  this as an entrance to the keep. With the chain destroyed
  it is possible to enter and exit the keep from here. It is
  ten feet from the opening to the ground, but characters
  can easily boost someone up to the top to get in or hang
  by their hands to drop down without risk of injury.
  24
  Plots in Motion
  
  D3: COMMANDER’S SUITE
  These might once have been well appointed
  rooms, but now they have been thoroughly looted.
  What was once a ﬁne oak desk has been broken
  in two. Hooks and pins in the wall show where
  paintings or tapestries once provided decoration. A
  ﬁne divan has been slashed open and its stufﬁng
  pulled out in the search for hidden treasure. Several
  wardrobes, chests, and sets of drawers are open, the
  contents spread about the room. The sheets, blan-
  kets, and pillows still on the bed show two distinct
  pools of blood, where the commander of the keep
  and his companion died in bed.
  These rooms where once the private quarters of the
  commanding ofﬁcer of Thulman’s Keep. His throat was
  slit by Cormyrian inﬁltrators before the main assault be-
  gan, and he and his mistress still haunt the chamber. If
  the characters enter the room and take more than a mo-
  ment to look around, read the following box text as they
  trigger the encounter Shades of Netheril.
  As you look around the room, the temperature
  suddenly plunges. All the doors in the suite slam
  shut, and ghostly ﬁgures rise from the ﬂoor.
  If the party returns to searching the room after the ﬁght,
  they discover the magical short sword “Smoke” lying
  under one of the pillows. Smoke is a +2 short sword
  and is described in appendix A. Adventure Summary.
  In one of the drawers of the broken desk is a key ring
  with a half-a-dozen iron keys. One of these keys will
  open the steel door in D1: Tower Entrance that leads to
  E1: Tunnel Entrance.
  E. THE UNDERKEEP
  Once the characters get past the steel door and into
  the E1: Tunnel Entrance, they have a straight path to the
  conclusion of the adventure. A trap door leads to an E2:
  Underground Passage, which in turn leads to the E3:
  Lair of the Three Hags. After the party has dealt with
  the hags, they will immediately have to address a dev-
  astation orb on the verge of detonation. The party will
  then be able to escape by following the tunnel to reach
  the E5: Eastern Tower on the other side of the River Lis.
  Along the way, they will meet Corbin Tusslefoot, whom
  they can rescue or abandon.
  E1: TUNNEL ENTRANCE
  Beyond the steel door is a small chamber, no more
  than ten feet on a side. Set into the ﬂoor is a trap
  door made of steel. A pair of iron rings on either side
  of the trap door allow the trap door to be barred,
  but no bar is in evidence. The trap door itself is
  open, revealing a narrow shaft. The sides of the shaft
  have been ﬁtted with metal rungs, forming a ladder
  which descends into the darkness below.
  E2: UNDERGROUND PASSAGE
  When the ladder ﬁnally reaches the ground a
  long, dark passage stretches before you. Most of
  the passage appears to be naturally occurring, but
  in a few places appears to have been artiﬁcially
  widened. The passage runs almost due east, beneath
  the river and sloping gently down.
  The passage runs for about 150 feet, before opening into
  the E3: Lair of the Three Hags.
  E3: LAIR OF THE THREE HAGS
  Ahead of you, the passage opens up into a much
  larger cavern. Deep in the cavern, you see a ﬂicker-
  ing light, as if from a campﬁre. Three elderly female
  voices are bickering.
  “Hurry ﬁnish packing. We should have left hours
  ago.”
  “Don’t blame me, you’re the one who wanted to
  ﬁnish the stew. Said the child would be stringy if we
  rushed it.”
  “You’re the one with the bad teeth who can’t
  chew.”
  “Why do you think they went to all this trouble?”
  “I think they want to destroy the trade routes,
  cut the cities of the Moonsea off from the Dragon
  Reach.”
  “Well, I think they’re trying to ﬂood the under-
  dark. Collapse the river bed so it ﬁlls up the caverns
  underneath.”
  “Can’t it be both?”
  “That’s a stupid idea. It can’t be both.”
  “You’re stupid. You should just keep your opin-
  ions to yourself.”
  “You two are the stupid ones. I don’t know why
  I’m even in a coven with you two.”
  The hags are busy arguing with each other, and if the
  characters are not using a light source and take steps to
  conceal their approach they can sneak up on them. If the
  characters are sneaking, have them make a group Dex-
  terity (Stealth) check. If the majority of the party beats
  a DC 18 (the Night Hags passive perception), they suc-
  cessfully sneak up on the hags and get a surprise round.
  Surprised or not, the encounter The Three Hags begins
  as soon as the characters actually enter the chamber.
  The Orb and the Box
  Once the ﬁght with the hags is over, the tunnel the
  party entered by will have collapsed behind them. The
  Plots in Motion
  25
  
  characters will have no choice but to move forward.
  They will then encounter the haﬂing Corbin Tusslefoot,
  and a devastation orb, now removed from the box that
  will keep it from going off.
  You press deeper into the cavern, past the hags ﬁre
  and into the darkness beyond. A halﬂing sits on the
  cavern ﬂoor, his back to a massive pillar of stone, a
  dazed expression on his face. “Break the box”, mum-
  bles the halﬂing, “break the box.” At his feet is an or-
  nate wooden box. The box’s lid, once attached with
  silver hinges, has broken off. The halﬂing raises a
  rock, and then smashes it down on the upturned
  box. He does not do much damage, but he keeps hit-
  ting the box in a steady, mindless rhythm. A yard or
  so from the box is an orb, perhaps a foot in diameter.
  It is made of black stone and on its surface arcane
  runes glow with a pale green light. As you watch,
  one of the runes suddenly changes from green to
  red, and a low rumble shakes the cavern.
  The orb is an earth devastation orb. An Intelligence (Ar-
  cana) check against a DC 10 will allow a character to
  know that the orb is about to release powerful magic,
  and that the box has been speciﬁcally crafted to prevent
  that. As soon as the orb is placed back in the box, read
  the following :
  The orb settles into the box, ﬁtting snuggly into
  the depression in the boxes padding. For a long mo-
  ment you stare at the orb, but the runes on its sur-
  face stay green. Only when you exhale do you re-
  alize that you have been holding your breath. And
  then, one of the runes starts to slowly fade, taking
  on a reddish tint. You have bought yourself some
  time, but you will still need to act quickly.
  It should be obvious that the damage to the box means
  that it is not functioning as it should. Removed from the
  box, the orb detonates in ﬁve minutes. Returning the
  orb to the box delays detonation for approximately two
  hours, giving the characters to get it somewhere else be-
  fore it detonates. See the next chapter, Detonation and
  Aftermath for descriptions of what happens depending
  on where the orb is when this happens.
  An Intelligence (Arcana) check against a DC of 18 will
  tell a character that having the orb in the box will buy
  them about two hours. Alternatively, the spells identify
  or divination will reveal the exact amount of time left
  before detonation. A half-hour before it goes off the orb
  will throb twice, sending out vibrations that can be felt
  by anyone with within ten feet. Five minutes before it
  goes off, the orb will begin to vibrate violently, and the
  runes on the container will ﬂare with arcane energy as
  they begin to fail.
  Devastation Orbs
  A devastation orb is a magical bomb, created
  from one of the four primal elements. A dev-
  astation orb measures one foot in diameter and
  weighs 10 pounds. Once created, a devastation
  orb must be contained within a special container,
  inscribed with runes and symbols for the op-
  posing element. Once removed from this con-
  tainer, it detonates within 1d6 minutes. Devas-
  tation orbs are described in Princes of the Apoca-
  lypse.
  The orb appearing in this adventure is an
  earth devastation orb. When it detonates, it af-
  fects everything within a one mile radius with
  the effects of an earthquake spell for one minute.
  The spell save for this effect is DC 18. See chap-
  ter Detonation and Aftermath for details about
  what happens when the orb goes off.
  Charmed, I’m Sure
  The halﬂing, Corbin Tusslefoot will continue trying
  to break the box so long as it is visible, unless forcibly
  restrained. Corbin, will not, however, attack the char-
  acters. Corbin will also not communicate, other than
  to mindlessly repeat the phrase “Break the box”. If the
  characters take the box away, Corbin will follow at a
  slow walk. If the character attempt to attack, restrain,
  carry, or otherwise move Corbin, he does not resist.
  Corbin is charmed, and will remain charmed for the
  next twelve hours. Alternatively, the charm can be bro-
  ken with Dispel Magic, Remove Curse, Greater Restoration,
  or similar magic.
  Once Corbin is no longer charmed, he is confused.
  He is not aware of where he is or where he has been, or
  even what he has been doing. His last memory before
  the charm lapses is of being on board a ship from Saer-
  loon, bound for Telﬂamm. If he is rescued and escorted
  back to civilization he is grateful to the characters for
  saving his life. A skilled linguist, he can tutor the char-
  acters in one of the many languages he knows. Saving
  Corbin earns the characters the story award Language
  Tutor Corbin Tusslefoot.
  E4. EASTERN TOWER
  Beyond the hags cavern the tunnel runs for sev-
  eral hundred yards before ending in a steel door.
  No lock is evident, but a heavy steel bar holds the
  door closed from inside the tunnel. Removing the
  bar, you emerge into a small chamber where a lad-
  der leads up through a trap door. You ﬁnd yourself
  inside a crumbling stone tower. Along one wall, a
  window large enough to step through faces the river,
  and across it you can see the large tower and wall
  of Thulman’s keep. Opposite the opening, a huge
  26
  Plots in Motion
  
  metal ring has been set into one wall. The door to
  the tower is missing, and through the open doorway
  you can see the swampy terrain of the ﬂooded forest.
  This tower once held the opposite end of the chain
  used by the keep to control river trafﬁc. There is noth-
  ing of interest besides the entrance to the tunnel under
  the river. Once the characters reach this point they have
  escaped Thulman’s keep and are free to ﬂee or deal with
  the orb as they choose. Possible outcomes depending on
  where the orb is when it ﬁnally detonates are described
  in the next chapter, Detonation and Aftermath.
  Plots in Motion
  27
  
  ENCOUNTER: THREE PART HARMONY
  Weak Party
  3
  Harpy
  200 XP each
  2
  Owlbear
  700 XP each
  Total XP
  2000 XP
  Normal Party
  3
  Harpy
  200 XP each
  3
  Owlbear
  700 XP each
  Total XP
  2700 XP
  Strong Party
  3
  Harpy
  200 XP each
  4
  Owlbear
  700 XP each
  Total XP
  3400 XP
  SETUP
  The harpies remain hidden on the tops of the ruined
  towers. They have full cover, and cannot be seen from
  below. The Owlbears are in their dens in the base of
  the tower, and are not visible until a character enters
  the tower. This gives the ﬁrst harpy to sing a surprise
  round, her song triggers the ﬁght. Have each player
  roll a savings throw against the song before initiative
  is rolled. If they fail, they begin the combat affected.
  Those affected by the song of the harpies move towards
  the singer. In this case, that means into the base of the
  tower where the harpy is singing. Two of the harpies
  are in one tower, one is in the other. The owlbears are
  likewise split between the towers.
  TACTICS
  The harpies remain at the top of the tower and con-
  tinue to sing. The second and third harpies do not
  start singing until their turns on the second or third
  turns respectively. They are smart enough to know that
  this gives them the best chance of affecting the whole
  party. Remember that a character who saves against one
  harpy can still be affected by the others on their next
  turn. The harpies do not expose themselves to ﬁre from
  the ground, although they can be hit by area of effect
  spells that target the top of each tower. As soon as some-
  one reaches the top of either tower or harms one of the
  harpies, all three ﬂee on their next turn. They do not
  return.
  The owlbears remain in their dens for three rounds,
  waiting for their meals to come to them under the inﬂu-
  ence of the harpies. They only emerge afterwards if no
  one has wandered into their dens.
  Owlbear
  Large monstrosity, unaligned
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 59 (7d10+21)
  Speed 40 ft.
  CR 3 (700 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 13
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  20 (+5)
  12 (+1)
  17 (+3)
  3 (-4)
  12 (+1)
  7 (-2)
  Skills Perception +3
  Languages None
  Keen Sight and Smell. The owlbear has advantage on Wisdom (Per-
  ception) checks that rely on sight or smell.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The owlbear makes two attacks: one with its beak and
  one with its claws.
  Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.
  Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) piercing damage.
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) slashing damage.
  Harpy
  Medium monstrosity, chaotic evil
  Armor Class 11 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 38 (7d8+7)
  Speed 20 ft., ﬂy 40 ft.
  CR 1 (200 XP)
  Senses passive perception 10
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  12 (+1)
  13 (+1)
  12 (+1)
  7 (-2)
  10 (+0)
  13 (+1)
  Languages Common
  Actions
  Multiattack. The harpy makes two attacks: one with its claws and
  one with its club.
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  Hit: 6 (2d4 + 1) slashing damage.
  Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
  3 (1d4 + 1) bludgeoning damage.
  Luring Song. The harpy sings a magical melody. Every humanoid
  and giant within 300 ft. of the harpy that can hear the song must
  succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed until the
  song ends. The harpy must take a bonus action on its subsequent
  turns to continue singing. It can stop singing at any time. The song
  ends if the harpy is incapacitated.
  While charmed by the harpy, a target is incapacitated and ignores
  the songs of other harpies. If the charmed target is more than 5 ft.
  away from the harpy, it must move on its turn toward the harpy
  by the most direct route. It doesn’t avoid opportunity attacks, but
  before moving into damaging terrain, such as lava or a pit, and
  whenever it takes damage from a source other than the harpy, a
  target can repeat the saving throw. A creature can also repeat the
  saving throw at the end of each of its turns. If a creature’s saving
  throw is successful, the eﬀect ends on it.
  A target that successfully saves is immune to this harpy’s song for
  the next 24 hours.
  28
  Plots in Motion
  
  Plots in Motion
  29
  
  ENCOUNTER: HEN PECKED
  Weak Party
  4
  Cockatrice
  100 XP each
  Total XP
  400 XP
  Normal Party
  8
  Cockatrice
  100 XP each
  Total XP
  800 XP
  Strong Party
  12
  Cockatrice
  100 XP each
  Total XP
  1200 XP
  Due to the unusual nature of this encounter, it is
  strongly suggested it be run using the theater of the
  mind, rather than on a combat grid.
  FLOCKING TOGETHER
  The chicken coop is home to both regular chickens
  and cockatrices. The cockatrices are hidden in the ﬂock
  of chickens, and may not be targeted by attacks or spells
  until they are spotted. In order to spot a cockatrice, a
  character must ﬁrst spend their bonus action to make
  a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check. On success, they
  may target a cockatrice with melee, ranged, or spell at-
  tacks until the end of their turn. On failure, they may
  still attack the ﬂock. Roll 1d6, and if the result is a
  six they manage to target a cockatrice by sheer luck.
  Otherwise, assume they automatically kill an innocent
  chicken. Spells which target individuals but require the
  victim to make a savings throw, such as Frostbite, follow
  the same rules. Initially there are three dozen chickens.
  When the number of cockatrices equals the number of
  chickens, they can no longer hide in the ﬂock and may
  be targeted normally.
  Area of effect spells kill two chickens for every square
  they would normally target on a grid map, and one
  cockatrice will be affected for every three squares. Be-
  cause the ﬂock is swarming all the over the party, it will
  be necessary to cast these spells such that the party is
  caught in the area of effect. If the caster has some means
  of excluding party members from an area of affect spell
  (such as an evoker’s Sculpt Spell ability), they may
  avoid hitting party members. Otherwise, assume that
  one randomly determined party member is affected for
  each cockatrice caught in the area of effect. Any area ef-
  fect spell will have the side effect of totally destroying
  the chicken coop, preventing it from being looted after
  the ﬁght.
  As long as there are at least as many cockatrices as
  characters, each character is attacked by one cockatrice
  each round. When there are fewer characters than cock-
  atrices, determine randomly which characters they at-
  tack. Each character is attacked by a cockatrice only
  once each round, regardless of how many cockatrices
  remain.
  TAKING FLIGHT
  If the characters decide not to bother with the chicken
  coop and retreat, the last three characters to leave each
  draw a single attack of opportunity from the cockatri-
  ces. After that, they are not pursued and the ﬂock goes
  back to pecking in the dirt.
  SPELLS VS. FLOCK
  Spells
  Chickens
  Cockatrices
  Burning Hands
  12
  2
  Thunder Wave
  18
  3
  Shatter
  32
  5
  Fireball
  All
  All
  Spirit Guardians
  All
  All
  Cockatrice
  Small monstrosity, unaligned
  Armor Class 11 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 27 (6d6+6)
  Speed 20 ft., ﬂy 40 ft.
  CR 1/2 (100 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 11
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  6 (-2)
  12 (+1)
  12 (+1)
  2 (-4)
  13 (+1)
  5 (-3)
  Languages None
  Actions
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit:
  3 (1d4 + 1) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC
  11 Constitution saving throw against being magically petriﬁed. On
  a failed save, the creature begins to turn to stone and is restrained.
  It must repeat the saving throw at the end of its next turn. On a
  success, the eﬀect ends. On a failure, the creature is petriﬁed for 24
  hours.
  30
  Plots in Motion
  
  ENCOUNTER: SHADES OF NETHERIL
  Weak Party
  1
  Wraith
  1800 XP each
  1
  Banshee
  1100 XP each
  Total XP
  2900 XP
  Normal Party
  1
  Wraith
  1800 XP each
  1
  Banshee
  1100 XP each
  3
  Shadow
  100 XP each
  Total XP
  3200 XP
  Strong Party
  1
  Wraith
  1800 XP each
  1
  Banshee
  1100 XP each
  7
  Shadow
  100 XP each
  Total XP
  3600 XP
  SETUP
  Allow the characters to place themselves as they wish
  in the rooms, spreading out as they search the area. If
  they choose to stay together, remind them that this is
  a inefﬁcient way to search the room. If they insist on
  standing close together, do not feel bad about catching
  all of them in the banshee’s wail.
  The encounter begins with the banshee and the
  wraith ﬂoating through the ﬂoor, which gives them a
  surprise round. The banshee positions herself to catch
  the maximum number of characters with her wail. The
  wraith chooses the most intimidating physical warrior
  as his opponent. If present, the shadows ooze out from
  under and behind the furniture on their initiative (they
  do not get a surprise round) Place them in the main
  chamber and side chambers in rough proportion to the
  number of characters in each location.
  LOCKED IN
  When the banshee wails all doors in the tower slam
  shut and will not open. They can be broken open with a
  DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check. Alternatively, they are
  destroyed when they take 30 points of damage. Spell
  and melee attacks automatically hit, and the doors auto-
  matically fail saves against spells. They are immune to
  ranged missile attacks. The banshee and the wraith can
  phase through the doors and walls as needed, and the
  shadows can squeeze under the doors without penalty.
  CONCLUSION
  The ﬁght ends when all of the undead are dead or
  turned. When this happens the doors in the tower re-
  open.
  Plots in Motion
  31
  
  32
  Plots in Motion
  
  Wraith
  Medium undead, neutral evil
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 67 (9d8+27)
  Speed 0 ft., ﬂy 60 ft. (hover)
  CR 5 (1800 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 12
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  6 (-2)
  16 (+3)
  16 (+3)
  12 (+1)
  14 (+2)
  15 (+2)
  Damage Resistances acid, cold, ﬁre, lightning, thunder; bludgeon-
  ing, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t
  silvered
  Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed,
  petriﬁed, poisoned, prone, restrained
  Languages the languages it knew in life
  Incorporeal Movement. The wraith can move through other crea-
  tures and objects as if they were diﬃcult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10)
  force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
  Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the wraith has disadvantage
  on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely
  on sight.
  Actions
  Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one crea-
  ture. Hit: 21 (4d8 + 3) necrotic damage. The target must succeed
  on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is
  reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction
  lasts until the target ﬁnishes a long rest. The target dies if this eﬀect
  reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
  Create Specter. The wraith targets a humanoid within 10 feet of it
  that has been dead for no longer than 1 minute and died violently.
  The target’s spirit rises as a specter in the space of its corpse or
  in the nearest unoccupied space. The specter is under the wraith’s
  control. The wraith can have no more than seven specters under its
  control at one time.
  Banshee
  Medium undead, chaotic evil
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 58 (13d8+0)
  Speed 0ft., ﬂy 40ft.
  CR 4 (1100 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  1 (-5)
  14 (+2)
  10 (+0)
  12 (+1)
  11 (+0)
  17 (+3)
  Saving Throws Wis +2, Cha +5
  Damage Resistances acid, ﬁre, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning,
  piercing, and slashing from non magical weapons
  Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled,
  paralyzed, petriﬁed, poisoned, prone, restrained
  Languages Common, Elvish
  Detect Life. The banshee can magically sense the presence of living
  creatures up to 5 miles away. She knows the general direction they’re
  in but not their exact locations.
  Incorporeal Movement. The banshee can move through other crea-
  tures and objects as if they were diﬃcult terrain. She takes 5 (1d10)
  force damage if she ends turn inside an object
  Actions
  Corrupting Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
  target. Hit: 12 (3d6 + 2) necrotic damage.
  Horrifying Visage. Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of the
  banshee that can see her must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving
  throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A frightened target can repeat
  the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage
  if the banshee is within line of sight, ending the eﬀect on itself on a
  success. If a target’s saving throw is successful or the eﬀect ends for
  it, the target is immune to the banshee’s Horrifying Visage for the
  next 24 hours.
  Wail (1/day). The banshee releases a mournful wail, provided that
  she isn’t in sunlight. This wail has no eﬀect on constructs and un-
  dead. All other creatures within 30 feet of her that can hear her must
  make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, a creature
  drops to 0 hit points. On a success, a creature takes 10 (3d6) psychic
  damage.
  Shadow
  Medium undead, chaotic evil
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 16 (3d8+3)
  Speed 40 ft.
  CR 1/2 (100 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  6 (-2)
  14 (+2)
  13 (+1)
  6 (-2)
  10 (+0)
  8 (-1)
  Skills Stealth +4
  Damage Vulnerabilities radiant
  Damage Resistances acid, cold, ﬁre, lightning, thunder; bludgeon-
  ing, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
  Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed,
  petriﬁed, poisoned, prone, restrained
  Languages None
  Amorphous. The shadow can move through a space as narrow as 1
  inch wide without squeezing.
  Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the shadow can
  take the Hide action as a bonus action. Its stealth bonus is also
  improved to +6.
  Sunlight Weakness. While in sunlight, the shadow has disadvantage
  on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.
  Actions
  Strength Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
  one creature. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) necrotic damage, and the target’s
  Strength score is reduced by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces its
  Strength to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target ﬁnishes
  a short or long rest.
  If a non-evil humanoid dies from this attack, a new shadow rises
  from the corpse 1d4 hours later.
  Plots in Motion
  33
  
  ENCOUNTER: THE THREE HAGS
  Weak Party
  1
  Hell Hound
  700 XP each
  1
  Night Hag
  2900 XP each
  1
  Green Hag
  1800 XP each
  1
  Sea Hag
  1100 XP each
  Total XP
  6500 XP
  Normal Party
  3
  Hell Hound
  700 XP each
  1
  Night Hag
  2900 XP each
  1
  Green Hag
  1800 XP each
  1
  Sea Hag
  1100 XP each
  Total XP
  7900 XP
  Strong Party
  5
  Hell Hound
  700 XP each
  1
  Night Hag
  2900 XP each
  1
  Green Hag
  1800 XP each
  1
  Sea Hag
  1100 XP each
  Total XP
  9300 XP
  SETUP
  The characters start in the tunnel entrance, and the
  hags start around the ﬁre. The hell hounds start in a
  group on the side of the room, between the characters
  and the hags.
  TACTICS
  The Hell Hounds rush the party, putting themselves
  between the party and the hags. They use their breath
  weapon immediately, and as often as they can.
  The hags are a coven as described in the side bar. If
  one of them dies, or they are ever more than 30 feet
  from each other, they lose the ability to cast their shared
  spells. Through out the ﬁght they try to stay close to
  each other and out of melee combat. At the ﬁrst op-
  portunity the green hag or the sea hag cast Hold Per-
  son, targeting as many characters as possible using an
  appropriate level slot (up to ﬁve characters with their
  sixth level slot). The other two hags use their spells as
  possible, maneuvering to hit multiple characters with
  lightning bolt. In the second round, the hag not concen-
  trating on Hold Person casts Polymorph on the night hag,
  turning her into a giant ape. The night hag then closes
  to melee with the party while the others fall back. The
  coven tries to remain within 60 feet of any obvious cast-
  ers so that they can use Counterspell to neutralize them.
  If a character ever closes to melee range, they cast Be-
  stow Curse on that character. They choose the option that
  requires the victim to repeat the save or waste their ac-
  tion every turn, and cast it using a ﬁfth level spell slot
  so that it lasts for eight hours and does not require con-
  centration.
  CONCLUSION
  The ﬁght ends when all enemies are killed. Once all
  enemies are dead, the hags have one last surprise for
  the characters.
  The last hag raises her head, spitting blood.
  “Break the box!”. From the back of the cavern, there
  is the sound of something breaking. With an evil
  grin the hag, ﬁnally expires. At the back of the cav-
  ern, a red and green glow bounces across the ﬂoor. It
  lies there in the darkness, just beyond the ﬂickering
  light cast by the hags ﬁre.
  A shudder runs through the cavern. With a
  mighty crack, the tunnel by which you entered col-
  lapses in a shower of pebbles and dust. You cannot
  return the way you came.
  34
  Plots in Motion
  
  Plots in Motion
  35
  
  Sea Hag
  Medium fey, chaotic evil
  Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 52 (7d8+21)
  Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft.
  CR 4 (1100 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 11
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  16 (+3)
  13 (+1)
  16 (+3)
  12 (+1)
  12 (+1)
  13 (+1)
  Languages Aquan, Common, Giant
  Amphibious. The hag can breathe air and water.
  Horriﬁc Appearance. Any humanoid that starts its turn within 30
  feet of the hag and can see the hag’s true form must make a DC 11
  Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is frightened
  for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of
  each of its turns, with disadvantage if the hag is within line of sight,
  ending the eﬀect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw
  is successful or the eﬀect ends for it, the creature is immune to the
  hag’s Horriﬁc Appearance for the next 24 hours.
  Unless the target is surprised or the revelation of the hag’s true form
  is sudden, the target can avert its eyes and avoid making the initial
  saving throw. Until the start of its next turn, a creature that averts
  its eyes has disadvantage on attack rolls against the hag.
  Actions
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage.
  Death Glare. The hag targets one frightened creature she can see
  within 30 ft. of her. If the target can see the hag, it must succeed
  on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or drop to 0
  hit points.
  Illusory Appearance. The hag covers herself and anything she is
  wearing or carrying with a magical illusion that makes her look like
  an ugly creature of her general size and humanoid shape. The eﬀect
  ends if the hag takes a bonus action to end it or if she dies.
  The changes wrought by this eﬀect fail to hold up to physical in-
  spection. For example, the hag could appear to have no claws, but
  someone touching her hand might feel the claws. Otherwise, a crea-
  ture must take an action to visually inspect the illusion and succeed
  on a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that the
  hag is disguised.
  Giant Ape
  Huge beast, unaligned
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 157 (15d12+60)
  Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft.
  CR 7 (2900 XP)
  Senses passive perception 14
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  23 (+6)
  14 (+2)
  18 (+4)
  7 (-2)
  12 (+1)
  7 (-2)
  Skills Athletics +9, Perception +4
  Languages None
  Actions
  Multiattack. The ape makes two ﬁst attacks.
  Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit:
  22 (3d10 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
  Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 50/100 ft., one
  target. Hit: 30 (7d6 + 6) bludgeoning damage.
  Green Hag
  Medium fey, neutral evil
  Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 82 (11d8+33)
  Speed 30 ft.
  CR 5 (1800 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 15
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  18 (+4)
  12 (+1)
  16 (+3)
  13 (+1)
  14 (+2)
  14 (+2)
  Skills Arcana +4, Deception +5, Perception +5, Stealth +4
  Languages Common, Draconic, Sylvan
  Amphibious. The hag can breathe air and water.
  Innate Spellcasting. The hag’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma
  (spell save DC 13). She can innately cast the following spells, re-
  quiring no material components:
  At will: dancing lights, minor illusion, vicious mockery
  Mimicry. The hag can mimic animal sounds and humanoid voices.
  A creature that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations with a
  successful DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check.
  Actions
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
  Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.
  Illusory Appearance. The hag covers herself and anything she is
  wearing or carrying with a magical illusion that makes her look like
  another creature of her general size and humanoid shape. The illu-
  sion ends if the hag takes a bonus action to end it or if she dies.
  The changes wrought by this eﬀect fail to hold up to physical in-
  spection. For example, the hag could appear to have smooth skin,
  but someone touching her would feel her rough ﬂesh. Otherwise, a
  creature must take an action to visually inspect the illusion and suc-
  ceed on a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check to discern that
  the hag is disguised.
  Invisible Passage. The hag magically turns invisible until she attacks
  or casts a spell, or until her concentration ends (as if concentrating
  on a spell). While invisible, she leaves no physical evidence of her
  passage, so she can be tracked only by magic. Any equipment she
  wears or carries is invisible with her.
  Hell Hound
  Medium ﬁend, lawful evil
  Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 45 (7d8+14)
  Speed 50 ft.
  CR 3 (700 XP)
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 15
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  17 (+3)
  12 (+1)
  14 (+2)
  6 (-2)
  13 (+1)
  6 (-2)
  Skills Perception +5
  Damage Immunities ﬁre
  Languages understands Infernal but can’t speak it
  Keen Hearing and Smell. The hound has advantage on Wisdom
  (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
  Pack Tactics. The hound has advantage on an attack roll against
  a creature if at least one of the hound’s allies is within 5 ft. of the
  creature and the ally isn’t incapacitated.
  Actions
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:
  7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) ﬁre damage.
  Fire Breath (Recharge 5-6). The hound exhales ﬁre in a 15-foot
  cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 12 Dexterity
  saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) ﬁre damage on a failed save, or half
  as much damage on a successful one.
  36
  Plots in Motion
  
  Night Hag
  Medium ﬁend, neutral evil
  Armor Class 17 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 112 (15d8+45)
  Speed 30 ft.
  CR 7 (2900 XP)
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive perception 18
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  18 (+4)
  15 (+2)
  16 (+3)
  16 (+3)
  14 (+2)
  16 (+3)
  Skills Deception +9, Insight +8, Perception +8, Stealth +8
  Damage Resistances cold, ﬁre; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
  from nonmagical weapons that aren’t silvered
  Condition Immunities charmed
  Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal, Primordial
  Innate Spellcasting. The hag’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma
  (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). She can innately
  cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
  At will: detect magic, magic missile
  2/day each: plane shift (self only), ray of enfeeblement, sleep
  Magic Resistance. The hag has advantage on saving throws against
  spells and other magical eﬀects.
  Actions
  Claws (Hag Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5
  ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage.
  Change Shape. The hag magically polymorphs into a Small or
  Medium female humanoid, or back into her true form. Her statistics
  are the same in each form. Any equipment she is wearing or carrying
  isn’t transformed. She reverts to her true form if she dies.
  Etherealness. The hag magically enters the Ethereal Plane from
  the Material Plane, or vice versa. To do so, the hag must have a
  heartstone in her possession.
  Nightmare Haunting (1/Day). While on the Ethereal Plane, the
  hag magically touches a sleeping humanoid on the Material Plane.
  A protection from evil and good spell cast on the target prevents this
  contact, as does a magic circle. As long as the contact persists, the
  target has dreadful visions. If these visions last for at least 1 hour,
  the target gains no beneﬁt from its rest, and its hit point maximum
  is reduced by 5 (1d10). If this eﬀect reduces the target’s hit point
  maximum to 0, the target dies, and if the target was evil, its soul
  is trapped in the hag’s soul bag. The reduction to the target’s hit
  point maximum lasts until removed by the greater restoration spell
  or similar magic.
  Hag Covens
  When hags must work together, they form
  covens, in spite of their selﬁsh natures. A coven
  is made up of hags of any type, all of whom are
  equals within the group. However, each of the
  hags continues to desire more personal power.
  A coven consists of three hags so that any ar-
  guments between two hags can be settled by
  the third. If more than three hags ever come to-
  gether, as might happen if two covens come into
  conﬂict, the result is usually chaos.
  While all three members of a hag coven are
  within 30 feet of one another, they can each cast
  the following spells from the wizard’s spell list
  but must share the spell slots among themselves:
  1st level (4 slots): identify, ray of sickness
  2nd level (3 slots): hold person, locate object
  3rd level (3 slots): bestow curse, counterspell, light-
  ning bolt
  4th level (3 slots): phantasmal killer, polymorph
  5th level (2 slots): contact other plane, scrying
  6th level (1 slot): eye bite
  For casting these spells, each hag is a 12th-
  level spellcaster that uses Intelligence as her
  spellcasting ability. The spell save DC is 12+the
  hag’s Intelligence modiﬁer, and the spell attack
  bonus is 4+the hag’s Intelligence modiﬁer.
  A hag coven can craft a magic item called a
  hag eye, which is made from a real eye coated
  in varnish and often ﬁtted to a pendant or other
  wearable item. The hag eye is usually entrusted
  to a minion for safekeeping and transport. A hag
  in the coven can take an action to see what the
  hag eye sees if the hag eye is on the same plane
  of existence. A hag eye has AC 10, 1 hit point,
  and darkvision with a radius of 60 feet. If it is
  destroyed, each coven member takes 3d10 psy-
  chic damage and is blinded for 24 hours.
  A hag coven can have only one hag eye at a
  time, and creating a new one requires all three
  members of the coven to perform a ritual. The
  ritual takes 1 hour, and the hags can’t perform it
  while blinded. During the ritual, if the hags take
  any action other than performing the ritual, they
  must start over.
  Plots in Motion
  37
  
  Chapter 5: Detonation and Aftermath
  Eventually the devastation orb will go off, unleashing
  an earthquake. Assuming the character survive, they
  will then need to decide where to go next. If they return
  to Hofstead’s Beacon, they will be greeted as heroes. If
  they return to Mulmaster they will ﬁnd that the author-
  ities there have learned of their adventures and would
  like to speak with them.
  SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL
  What happens when the orb ﬁnally goes off depends
  on where it is. Having it underground causes the most
  devastation, and having it on the surface will ﬂatten ev-
  erything around it. Having it surrounded by water or
  air will mitigate the affects. Use the following scenarios
  as a guide to determining what happens at detonation.
  If the characters get the orb to any location other than
  the underground cavern where they ﬁnd it, they foil the
  plot and keep the River Lis open for shipping. This will
  earn them 300 XP each.
  LEFT IN PLACE
  If left in place, the orb will destroy the cave in the
  ﬁrst moments after detonation. The pillar will collapse,
  and then the cave itself will collapse into the under-
  dark. The River Lis will ﬂow into the cavity, ﬂooding
  this region of the underdark. The result is a whirlpool
  stretching across the mouth of the River Lis. While it ex-
  ists, trade between the Dragon Reach and the Moonsea
  will be disrupted. Some trading houses in Sembia will
  go bankrupt, others will send their ships elsewhere but
  still see their proﬁts greatly diminished. Trade between
  the cities of the Moonsea and the regions of the south
  will be reduced to the trickle that can go by overland
  routes through the Cormanthor forest. Many in Mul-
  master with starve, and the rebuilding of Phlan will
  stall as the materials required become unavailable or
  too expensive. Eventually, the cavern of the Underdark
  will ﬁll and the river will return to its course, but the
  process will take several years. There after the River Lis
  will be home to strange creatures and aberrations which
  emerge from the depths of the underdark.
  Any characters still in the cavern when the orb deto-
  nates will not survive. Even if they are fortunate enough
  to survive the initial cave in, they will be pinned under-
  neath tons of stone. Then the waters of the River Lis
  will seep through the cracks and drown them. Charac-
  ters in the vicinity of the keep will not survive either.
  The quake will bring down the keep, and a large por-
  tion of it will slide into the sink hole that has opened
  beneath the river. The combination of shaking, falling
  debris, and rushing water is fatal for any living creature
  in the vicinity of the keep.
  If the characters returned the orb to the box before
  ﬂeeing and leaving it underground, they get a good
  look at the devastation up close but survive.
  The ground rumbles, and keeps on rumbling. The
  stonework of the keep is shaken apart, the tower fac-
  ing the river falls over. And then, with a great crack,
  it seems that the river itself disappears. The water
  keeps rushing forward though, and as the rumbling
  subsides a mighty whirlpool stretches across the en-
  tirety of the River Lis. The water ﬂows down and
  down with no end in sight. It would seem that the
  River Lis is now impassable, cutting off the cities of
  the Moonsea from the Dragon Reach, at least by sea.
  EASTERN SIDE OF THE RIVER
  If the characters ﬂee the cavern with the orb, the
  emerge from the tower opposite Thulman’s Keep on the
  eastern side of the river. The eastern side of the River Lis
  is a swamp known as the ﬂooded forest. If the charac-
  ters carry or hurl the devastation orb into the swamp, it
  will eventually detonate with little effect, other than to
  knock over some trees and create a few minutes worth
  of large waves. See below for details on what happens if
  they leave the orb where they emerge from the eastern
  tower.
  If the characters enter the swamp, you can read the
  following description.
  All around you is the swamp known as the
  ﬂooded forest. What might once have been maple
  trees emerge from the bog, and the air reeks of decay.
  Your feet sink into the muck, and the water reaches
  your waist. Insects swarm in the air, and at the edges
  of your vision you catch ﬂeeting glimpses of motion.
  If the characters are still in the swamp when the orb
  detonates, they get pounded by the resulting waves but
  otherwise come through unharmed.
  You are deep inside the Flooded Forest when the
  box containing the orb ﬁnally fails. The orb gives one
  ﬁnal pulse of energy, and then A great tremor rolls
  through the marshy ground. Great waves sweep
  over you, sweeping you under the water. You strug-
  gle towards the surface, but for what seems like an
  eternity it eludes you. Your feet scrape the bottom,
  and then get stuck in the mud. Frantically you push
  off the bottom. At last you break the surface and
  gulp air before the waves wash over you again. But
  in a moment your head is above water again. As the
  waves subside it becomes easier to stay aﬂoat, until
  you are once again able to stand amidst quickly sub-
  siding waves. A few minutes later, the only sign that
  the orb detonated is that a few more trees have gone
  from upright to ﬂoating in the bog.
  38
  Plots in Motion
  
  WESTERN SIDE OF THE RIVER
  Thulman’s keep sits close to the mouth of the River
  Lis, where the river is 400 feet wide and the current is
  very swift. Characters using magic such as dimension
  door or water walking can cross it without difﬁcult, but
  it should be clear to them that attempting to make a raft
  will likely take more time than they have before the orb
  detonates. It should be clear that attempting to swim
  the river is very dangerous, although a strong charac-
  ter could do it without their armor. If the skiff survived
  the trip to the keep, that character could then use it to
  retrieve the party from the other bank. If they choose to
  swim, be sure to remind the characters that quippers in-
  habit the water. If the characters do cross the river, they
  can can carry the orb into the Cormanthor forest, and
  away from the keep.
  You are deep inside the Cormanthor forest when
  the box containing the orb ﬁnally fails. The orb gives
  one ﬁnal pulse of energy, and then the ground be-
  gins to tremble violently. The shaking goes on and
  on, and around you trees are uprooted and fall to the
  ground. When at last the ground stops shaking, the
  forest has been ﬂattened for as far as the eye can see.
  You stand admist a circle of toppled trees. The forest
  is strangely silent, any creature who can has ﬂed. It
  may be best if you too ﬂed the area, before the elves
  who hold the forest sacred come to investigate.
  IN THULMAN’S KEEP
  If the orb is brought to the surface before it detonates,
  but left in Thulman’s Keep or the immediate vicinity,
  the keep is destroyed when the orb detonates. This in-
  cludes the eastern tower, on the opposite side of the
  river from the keep proper. The earthquake and col-
  lapse of the keep causes the river to rush in and ﬂood
  the area. Anyone in the area will end up shaken and
  wet, but unharmed. The site of Thulman’s keep be-
  comes a wide spot in the River Lis.
  With a ﬁnal pulse, the orb disintegrates and a
  wave of energy pulses through the keep. The ground
  trembles, and then buckles. The keep shakes itself
  apart, and you must dodge falling debris as it comes
  down around you. The ground splits apart, and you
  must dash for safety as the ground cracks open and
  swallows Thulman’s keep. For a split second you
  think you have dashed to safety, but ground contin-
  ues to collapse into a sinkhole, and the river rushed
  into to ﬁll the void. You try to run again, but the river
  over takes you. At last the shaking stops and you
  come up for air. Coughing and gasping you drag
  your self out of the churning waters and onto the
  newly formed bank of the river. For many minutes
  you watch the river as it violently adjusts to its new
  course, but at last the waters resume their normal
  ﬂow. There is now a small lake, surrounded by up-
  rooted trees, at the southern end of the River Lis, but
  at least the river remains passable for ships. The dev-
  astation wrought by the orb could have been much
  worse.
  IN THE AIR
  If the characters have the means of taking ﬂight, they
  can carry the orb aloft, and allow it to detonate in the
  air. So long as they are at least a mile above the surface,
  there are no effects on the ground. Whoever is carrying
  the orb, and anyone nearby, will experience a little tur-
  bulence and get tossed around, but this is not life threat-
  ening. Surrounded by only elemental air, the power of
  earth is much abated. This is the safest option for dis-
  posing of the orb.
  High above the earth, the box holding the orb
  trembles, then disintegrates. The orb crumbles, and
  a wave of energy passes through your body. There
  is a loud boom, and then another and another. For
  the next minute the air around your rumbles and
  you are tossed about by the sudden turbulence. And
  then all is still once again. Surrounded by its oppos-
  ing element, the power of the orb has been defeated
  and it detonating has come to naught. Whatever ne-
  farious purpose the orb has meant to fulﬁll has been
  thwarted.
  ON THE WATER
  If the skiff survived the trip to Thulman’s keep, the
  orb and its box can be carried out into the Dragon
  Reach. If the sails are properly set and tied in place the
  skiff can be pushed out to sea without a crew. An hour
  later the orb detonates, sending huge waves to beat
  against the shore. As there are no nearby settlements,
  there is no damage.
  You watch as the wind blows your skiff into the
  waters off the moonsea. Eventually, it becomes just
  a tiny blob on the horizon. Then the blob is gone.
  A few moments later a huge wall of waters comes
  hurtling towards the shore, and you scramble for
  higher ground. For several minutes huge waves
  pound the beach, but then they subside. The orb has
  detonated without causing any lasting harm. You
  have a long walk back to civilization, but whatever
  nefarious purpose the orb has meant to fulﬁll has
  been thwarted.
  If one or more characters choses to sail the boat them-
  selves, the boat gets a little further out into the Moon-
  sea before the orb detonates. When it does, it shakes the
  Plots in Motion
  39
  
  skiff to pieces. Whomever is on board ends up in the
  water, far from shore. Unless they have magic or some
  other means of transport they will eventually make it
  back to shore, but are forced to abandon any armor they
  are wearing to the depths. They reach dry land with
  four levels of exhaustion. They have a long recovery
  ahead of them and will delay the parties return to civi-
  lization, but the orb has been safely disposed of.
  RETURN TO MULMASTER
  If they retrace their steps, they discover Hofstead’s
  Beacon has some additional and not entirely welcome
  defenders. In Mulmaster, the authorities are eager for
  the whole matter to be forgotten, and make their wishes
  known to the party. Investigations into the Zhentarim’s
  role in the whole affair hit a dead end.
  HOFSTEAD’S BEACON
  If the characters return to Hofstead’s beacon, they re-
  ceive a warm welcome from the staff, but also discover
  that a small contingent of the Mulmaster watch is now
  permanently assigned to provide the beacon.
  Your return to Hofstead’s Beacon is welcomed by
  Lauretta, Bori, and the rest of the staff. You are given
  a hero’s welcome, and treated to the ﬁnest meal and
  best wine they have available. They eagerly listen to
  the tale of your adventures in Thulman’s Keep. But
  there are other listeners now as well. A small garri-
  son has taken up residence at the Beacon. It is clear
  from their demeanor and the way the staff give them
  a wide berth that they do not represent the ﬁnest ex-
  amples of Mulmaster’s watch. The additional secu-
  rity they provide is welcome, but also a constant re-
  minder that things will never again be the same.
  ENTERING MULMASTER
  When and if the characters return to Mulmaster they
  are stopped by the Hawks, the city’s secret police. After
  several hours of questioning they are released, with a
  warning not to talk further about their exploits lest they
  create a panic.
  Shortly after you pass through the gates of Mul-
  master a stern looking woman steps into your
  path. She parts her cloak, showing the badge of
  the Hawks; Mulmaster’s dreaded secret police. You
  hear the conspicuous rattling of steel, and realize the
  a number of previously inconspicuous bystanders
  now have their hands on swords. The woman gives
  you a grim smile, and jerks her head in the direction
  of the Tower of Blades. “Lets Chat”.
  Your “chat” with the blades is cordial. They are
  even complimentary of your efforts on behalf of the
  lighthouse. Their questions about Thulman’s Keep
  and what you found there take hours. Each ques-
  tion is asked at least three times in different ways
  through out the course of the conversation as they
  try and trip you up. At last they are satisﬁed with
  your answers. “Citizen, I hope I do not need to ex-
  plain the unfortunate consequences if you should
  discuss this matter outside of this room. The city
  is still recovering from the last round of attacks us-
  ing these weapons, and we cannot risk having panic
  spread through the populace. If you start bragging
  about your exploits there could be unfortunate con-
  sequences. I’m sure you understand. You are free to
  go.”
  THE ZHENTARIM CONNECTION
  If one or more of the characters had the plot hook the
  Zhentarim connection, they discover upon their return
  that there has been some turn over in the Zhentarim
  smuggling operation.
  Tobin Nine-Fingers was in charge of Zhentarim
  smuggling operations in Mulmaster. Any clandes-
  tine shipment in and out of Mulmaster went through
  him or his subordinates. He was one of the most
  important and wealthy members of the Zhentarim
  in the Moonsea. But yesterday he was found sitting
  on a latrine, his throat slit. Eventually, word reaches
  you that the chief smuggler in Harrowdale, Honest
  Balten, fell from a pier and drowned. Odd, given
  that he came from a long line of pearl divers; but he
  was forty-ﬁve, so perhaps the half-elf wasn’t as spry
  as he was in his younger days. Self-arranged pro-
  motions are a fact of life in the Zhentarim, and they
  often happen in batches as people see opportunities.
  Shipping was overdue for some turnover, and these
  deaths are not overly suspicious. But the demise of
  both men means that any information about the orb,
  who paid to have it brought to Mulmaster, who sent
  it, and who was receiving it, is lost. The trail is as
  cold as Tobin’s seven ﬁngered corpse.
  INQUIRY AT THE TOWER
  Characters who are members of the Brotherhood of
  the Cloaks may wish to make their own inquires about
  devastation orbs at the Tower of Arcane Might. Such in-
  quiries go nowhere, but do draw the attention of rank-
  ing members of the cloaks, who discourage the charac-
  ters’ search.
  Your search for information about devastation
  orbs at the Tower of Arcane Might turns up little.
  There are some promising hints, but quickly you dis-
  40
  Plots in Motion
  
  cover that the tomes and volumes you need are not
  on the shelves. As you look for them, you are visited
  by one of the senior cloaks.
  “Your quest for arcane knowledge and power is
  commendable, but you have wandered into danger-
  ous territory. No good can come of looking into such
  dangerous magic, and it will only bring suspicion on
  you. Drop the matter, and do not speak of it further
  least you be accused of belonging to one of the cults
  that has so recently brought ruin to the city.”
  OTHER DESTINATIONS
  If the heroes do not retrace their steps, they have sev-
  eral options. If they trust their survival skills they can
  brave the Cormanthor forest and go northwest to reach
  Elventree or Hillsfar. The bustling Sembian city of Har-
  rowdale is two days ride to the south. The ruined city of
  Ylraphon sits at the southern edge of the Flooded For-
  est. Intrepid entrepreneurs are attempting to rebuild Yl-
  raphon and will certainly have work for heroes willing
  to brave the ﬂooded forest.
  PLOTS IN MOTION
  Who was trying to bring the devastation orb into
  Mulmaster? Was it one of the elemental cults, still intent
  on the city’s destruction? Where did the orb originate?
  Who has such power? And who commissioned the theft
  of the orb? Clearly the Hags were merely carrying out
  instructions from some other power. It seems that many
  plots are afoot, all of which might spell destruction for
  the inhabitants of the Moonsea.
  Plots in Motion
  41
  
  Appendix A: Adventure Summary
  FIGURES NEEDED
  If you plan on using miniatures to run the combat
  encounters in this adventure, you will ﬁnd it useful to
  have the following ﬁgures on hand. It may be possible
  to run the adventure with fewer ﬁgures of some type,
  but you will not need more than is shown in the table
  so long as the party does not attempt to take on two
  encounters at once.
  FIGURES NEEDED
  Figure
  # Required
  Banshee
  1
  Chuul
  4
  Cockatrice
  12
  Doppelganger
  1
  Doppelganger Assassin
  1
  Giant Ape
  1
  Green Hag
  1
  Harpy
  3
  Hell Hound
  5
  Huge Chuul
  1
  Kuo-Toa
  4
  Kuo-Toa Archpriest
  1
  Kuo-Toa Monitor
  4
  Night Hag
  1
  Orog
  1
  Owlbear
  4
  Sea Hag
  1
  Shadow
  7
  Swarm of Quippers
  4
  Veteran
  5
  Will-o’-Wisp
  4
  Wraith
  1
  EXPERIENCE TABLES
  The following table gives the experience for each en-
  counter, by encounter difﬁculty. The ﬁnal row gives the
  experience earned by a party if they defeated every en-
  counter at the same difﬁculty level.
  ENCOUNTER EXPERIENCE BY DIFFICULTY
  Encounter
  Weak
  Normal
  Strong
  Obligatory Bar Fight
  3250
  4650
  7850
  Struggle in the Surf
  3800
  4800
  7100
  Seafood Buffet
  4400
  5700
  8100
  Three Part Harmony
  2000
  2700
  3400
  Hen Pecked
  400
  800
  1200
  Shades of Netheril
  2900
  3200
  3600
  The Three Hags
  6500
  7900
  9300
  Total XP
  23250
  29750
  40550
  If the party completed every encounter at the same
  difﬁculty level, the following table gives the experience
  earned by each member of the party, based on party
  size.
  EXPERIENCE BY PARTY SIZE
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  Weak
  7750
  5812
  4650
  3875
  3321
  Normal
  9916
  7437
  5950
  4958
  4250
  Strong
  13516
  10137
  8110
  6758
  5792
  If the characters accomplished any of the following,
  they each receive the listed addition experience points.
  XP FOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
  Accomplishment
  XP
  Rescued Gibbar Jusan
  50
  Rescued Talindra Moondown
  50
  Rescued Druman Lakeman
  50
  Skiff survives
  150
  Prevented Destruction of River Lis
  300
  Total XP
  600 XP Each
  Regardless of monsters defeated, objectives accom-
  plished, and party size the minimum XP award is 4150
  and the maximum XP award is 10750.
  TREASURE
  TREASURE BY VALUE
  Thugs purses
  78.0
  Silks
  25.0
  Casks of wine
  15.0
  Rider’s purse
  75.0
  Gold braclet
  50.0
  Gold necklace
  75.0
  Cockatrice egg
  100.0
  5 black pearls
  150.0
  Platinum Chain
  100.0
  Total Value
  668 gp
  If the party earned, found, looted, or otherwise ac-
  quired all cash rewards in the adventure, the table be-
  low gives the split of the treasure based on party size.
  TREASURE BY PARTY SIZE
  Party Size
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  Total GP
  222.67
  167.00
  133.60
  111.33
  95.43
  MAGIC ITEMS
  Smoke
  Magical Short sword (Rare)
  You have a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made
  with this magic short sword.
  42
  Plots in Motion
  
  This thin blade is a foot and a half in length, and
  scorched black. No amount of oiling, scrubbing, or
  cleaning will remove the stain or brighten the blade. It
  ends in a jagged, broken edge, as if it was once much
  longer. The hilt is protected by a fencer’s basket guard.
  The pommel has a socket, as if for a jewel, but it is
  empty. This short sword cuts easily through ﬂesh and
  bone, and leaves the faint smell of smoke in it’s wake.
  CONSUMABLES
  Oil of Sharpness
  Potion (Very Rare)
  This clear, gelatinous oil sparkles with tiny, ultrathin
  silver shards. The oil can coat one slashing or piercing
  weapon or up to 5 pieces of slashing or piercing ammu-
  nition. Applying the oil takes 1 minute. For 1 hour, the
  coated item is magical and has a +3 bonus to attack and
  damage rolls.
  NOTABLE ITEMS
  RIDER’S SPELLBOOK
  If the characters recovered the body of the mysterious
  rider at the gates of Thulman’s keep, they ﬁnd and may
  claim his spellbook.
  1st level : Disguise Self, Fog Cloud, Grease, Identify
  2nd level : Blindness/Deafness, Locate Object, Mirror
  Image
  3rd level : Nondetection, Phantom Steed
  ADVENTURERS LEAGUE REWARDS
  DOWNTIME AND RENOWN
  For successfully completing this adventure, each
  character receives 20 downtime days and 2 renown.
  DM REWARDS
  For running this adventure the Dungeon Master may
  add 2600 experience, 1300 gold, and 20 downtime to
  one character of their choice.
  STORY AWARDS
  If the players rescued at least two of the survivors
  during the Struggle in the Surf, the second rescued
  survivor is “Talindra”, and they earn the story award
  Crown Jewels when they return to a large city and at-
  tempt to sell the amulet she gave them.
  If the characters save Corbin Tusslefoot and help him
  return to civilization, they earn the story award Lan-
  guage Tutor.
  SFBAY01
  Crown Jewels
  Talindra’s Brooch is an exquisite piece of art-
  work. A silver dragon curls around a piece of
  amethyst. A ﬂeck of ruby is set in the dragons
  eye, a circle of gold enclosing the whole piece.
  It is a piece of jewelry ﬁt for Cormyrian royalty.
  They will be very glad to get it back.
  The jeweler to whom you sought to sell the
  piece to immediately closes his shop and sends
  out his assistant while he appraises the piece. He
  hems and haws over the value, checking ledgers
  and showing you drawings of other pieces and
  what those pieces sold for in comparison. But he
  does not have to stall long; the assistant returns
  with a full company of the watch in short order.
  They even bring magical support.
  You spend the next three days in jail, as
  you plead your innocence and deny all knowl-
  edge that the brooch had been stolen from the
  Corymyrian Royal Vaults. Apparently, it was
  quite the theft. The most powerful divination
  magic of Cormyr’s famed wizard college failed
  to turn up any clues. But eventually your story
  checks out. The staff at Hofstead’s beacon con-
  ﬁrm that a woman matching Talindra’s descrip-
  tion was pulled from the wreck and went with
  the other survivors to Mulmaster.
  From Mulmaster the trail goes cold. No one
  there remembers seeing her, even though you
  spend several days and no small amount of gold
  trying to locate her. Even divination magic fails.
  She has slipped through your grasp for now. But
  the Cormyrian authorities remain wary of you
  and circulate your description.
  When you get this story award, immediately
  deduct ﬁve downtime days and 25 gold pieces from
  your character. Until another story award instructs
  otherwise, you have disadvantage on all Charisma
  checks with Cormyrian ofﬁcials.
  This is a Cormyrian Heist story award.
  Plots in Motion
  43
  
  SFBAY02
  Language Tutor Corbin Tusslefoot
  Corbin Tusslefoot, traveler and linguist owes
  you his life. In gratitude, he will suspend his
  travels and waives his usual fees to help you
  learn a new language. Corbin speaks and can tu-
  tor you in Dwarvish, Elven, Giant, and Draconic.
  Normally it costs 250 downtime days to learn
  a new language. With the help of a language tu-
  tor you may learn a new language by spending
  only 200 downtime days. Alternatively, if you al-
  ready have another means of reducing the num-
  ber of downtime days required to learn a lan-
  guage, such as a faction beneﬁt, you may reduce
  the cost by 25 days. You may use multiple lan-
  guage tutors to reduce the cost of learning a lan-
  guage, but each tutor may only help you learn
  a particular language once. If you earn multiple
  copies of a particular language tutor award, that
  tutor may help you learn one new language for
  each instance of the award you have. Use of a
  language tutor story award may not reduce the
  cost to learn a language to less than 100 down-
  time days.
  44
  Plots in Motion
  
  Appendix B: Important Non-Player Characters
  Bori Irontongs
  Dwarf, Male, Cook
  Bori is a stocky, middle-aged dwarf, with red hair and
  beard, and a dry wit. He is the cook at Hofstead’s bea-
  con, where he has become an especially ﬁne cook of
  seafood; a speciality lost on other dwarves.
  Corbin Tusslefoot
  Halﬂing, Male, Linguist and scholar
  Corbin Tusslefoot is a spry but aging halﬁng. Gray is
  beginning to show at his temples, and wrinkles are ap-
  pearing around his bespectacled eyes. Corbin is well
  traveled and widely read, and makes his living as a tu-
  tor in other languages. He speaks Dwarvish, Elven, Gi-
  ant, and Draconic.
  Druman Lakeman
  Human, Male, Sailor and boatswain
  Druman Lakeman is a burly man in his late thirties. Af-
  ter a chilhood apprenticed to an abusive carpenter, we
  ran away to sea. He has made a career of sailing the
  Moonsea and the Dragon Reach. His skills as a carpen-
  ter have allowed him to become a boatswain; the ofﬁcer
  in charge of repairs to the ship.
  Gibbar Jusan
  Human, Male, Zhentarim agent
  Gibbar Jusan is a lanky young man with too much
  grease in his jet black hair. He is obviously trying to
  grow a goatee. A member of the Zhentarim and a pass-
  able sailor, he is frequently employed aboard merchant
  vessels where his entrepreneurial spirit ﬁnds opportu-
  nities for personal proﬁt.
  Loretta Truss
  Human, Female, Lighthouse keeper
  Loretta is thin, with ﬁne features and ﬂowing blond
  hair. She appears to be in her late thirties, but is actu-
  ally nearly ﬁfty. She claims elvish ancestry three gener-
  ations back (making her 1/8th elven). Loretta is sullen,
  joyless, and hard working. She is the lighthouse keeper
  of Hofstead’s Beacon, and the proprietor of its inn and
  tavern.
  Ruth Tolfest
  Halﬂing, Female, Unlucky survivor
  Ruth Tolfest is a young halﬂing, with brown eyes, black
  hair, and a sparkling disposition. Always cheerful and
  optimistic, she has set out to see the world. Ruth has
  roamed the Sea of Fallen Stars and the Moonsea region
  extensively, constantly being involved in disasters. She
  always seems to come out unscathed.
  Plots in Motion
  45
  
  Appendix C: Thulman’s Keep
  46
  Plots in Motion
  
  Appendix D: Player’s Handout - Journal Entry
  Plots in Motion
  47
  
  Appendix E: Bibliography
  Marks, Greg. “State of Mulmaster Article”. Published
  by Wizards of the Coast, 2015. Available from D&D
  Adventurers League.
  http://dndadventurersleague.org/wp-
  content/uploads/2015/04/State-of-Mulmaster-with-
  Logsheet.pdf
  Patrick, Alan. “The City of Danger: Reconstruction”.
  Published by Wizards of the Coast, 2017. Available
  from DMsGuild.
  http://www.dmsguild.com/product/202483/City-Guide-
  Mulmaster
  Adducci, Robert. “DDEX 2-12 Dark Rites at Fort
  Dalton”. Published by Wizards of the Coast, 2015.
  Available from DMsGuild.
  http://www.dmsguild.com/product/170487/DDEX212-
  Dark-Rites-at-Fort-Dalton-5e
  Baker, Richard. “Princes of the Apocalypse”. Published
  by Wizards of the Coast, 2015. Available from Amazon.
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786965789
  48
  Plots in Motion
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/Adventure League/Convention Created Content/FarWest MiniCon (SFBAY)/CCC-SFBAY-01-01 - Plots in Motion.pdf