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  Introduction 
  Of beginnings there are no end. 
    
   
   
  —Tordek the Mad 
  Temple of the Nightbringers is an introductory 
  adventure for newly created characters. It is 
  designed to be played in a single session.  
  Although the adventure is set on the Long 
  Road, it can easily be transported to any other 
  setting. The combat sessions have been geared 
  toward four 1st level characters.  
  This adventure assumes you have access to 
  the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Basic 
  Rules, which are available for free download.  
  This adventure is designed to be run with 
  minimal preparation. Before running the 
  session, you should skim through the contents 
  of this document and also ensure you are 
  familiar with the following creatures –  
   Bugbear 
   Goblin 
   Goblin Boss 
   Hobgoblin 
   Imp 
   Scout 
   Worg 
   Zombie 
  Detailed descriptions for these creatures can 
  be found in the Monster Manual. If you don’t 
  own the MM, you can find basic stats in the 
  D&D 5th Edition SRD online. 
  The names of important NPCs are given in the 
  adventure text. The following sample names 
  are supplied here for use in random 
  encounters –  
  Villager names: Darrick, Seth, Tordek, Nix, 
  Cordelia, Kelsie, Lia, Varis, Katyra, Peren 
  Goblin names: Gabox, Snox, Ket, Smakob, 
  Gaxam, Sud, Trub, Noz, Boxug, Xog 
  In the following sections, the text in the boxes 
  should be read aloud to the players. 
  Melton 
  The tiny village of Melton lies a few days north 
  of Triboar on the Long Road. It is completely 
  unremarkable. 
  —Rael Hornbar, “Travels in the North” 
  It’s cold this far north – the sort of cold that 
  sinks deep into your bones and makes you feel 
  like you’ll never be warm again. When the rain 
  starts falling and the wind comes up, it feels 
  like needles of ice are piercing your face.  
  A few days ago you were in Triboar with your 
  companions, looking for an adventure. You 
  heard tales of a tribe of goblins up north, 
  attacking travelers on the Long Road. They are 
  being led by an especially savage goblin chief. 
  “Head north up the Long Road,” you are told. 
  “Find the village of Melton – you’ll learn more 
  there.” 
  Well, this afternoon you found Melton - and 
  maybe you wish you hadn’t. To call it a 
  “village” seems generous – it’s really about a 
  dozen primitive huts and one larger building, 
  surrounded by a sturdy little palisade. There is 
  mud everywhere. 
  Melton is a village of just 50 or so souls, 
  mostly human. The village has an innkeeper, 
  blacksmith, butcher, baker and carpenter – all 
  of whom do good trade with caravans passing 
  through. The rest of the village are mostly 
  hunters and trappers, involved with the fur 
  trade.  
  All NPCs should be treated as commoners for 
  the purpose of combat, unless otherwise 
  stated. 
  
  You hurry toward the village as twilight falls – 
  at least you won’t have to spend another night 
  on the road. You slow down as you realise the 
  gates are closed. An old and grizzled face looks 
  over the palisade. 
  “I’m Frida Greatheart, constable of Melton,” 
  she says in a raspy voice. “What’s your 
  business here?” 
  The first challenge is to persuade the 
  Constable to let them in. She will question 
  them suspiciously about their background and 
  intentions. If they mention they are there to 
  hunt goblins, she will look frightened and say, 
  “We don’t need no foreigners coming here and 
  stirring up trouble with the goblins.” 
  She will finally let them in on an DC 10 
  Charisma (Persuasion) check – but make them 
  roleplay it out a bit first. If they fail the check, 
  they can try again every half hour until they 
  succeed. If they become aggressive she will 
  admit them and try and pacify them (“No 
  offense meant – it’s my job to ask questions”). 
  Most of the villagers have turned in for the 
  night – if the adventurers knock on any of the 
  huts they will be told to “go away”, and will 
  find the doors are locked. The only real place 
  for them to go is the large building in the 
  middle of Melton. This is, of course, the inn. 
  The single story building is long and low, with 
  eight shuttered windows facing the muddy 
  street. A hanging sign proclaims it to be an inn 
  called “The Weary Knight”. Noise and firelight 
  seep out from the doorway, promising warmth 
  and company.  
  As you kick the mud from your boots and 
  enter, all conversation stops. The small 
  common room is crowded with perhaps twenty 
  people across half a dozen tables. A huge fire 
  roars in the corner. 
  A wiry old man scowls at you from behind the 
  bar. “Close the door – it’s cold!” he snaps. 
  The innkeeper is Seth Grimhill - and he is a 
  bit short tempered! Ale costs 5cp/mug, the 
  goat stew is 1sp/serving, and rooms are 
  2sp/night. 
  Other people in the common room include –  
   Flint Frostforge, a dwarven blacksmith 
   Brynn Copperhold, a carpenter 
   Dain Quickfellow, a hunter 
   Thorn Farwalker, a trapper 
  If the adventurers engage the villagers in 
  conversation, they will be able to learn the 
  following facts –  
   A new tribe of goblins moved into the area 
  about 3 months ago 
   Since then, they have attacked at least half a 
  dozen caravans, preferring those that are 
  weakly guarded 
   Survivors report that the tribe is led by an 
  especially vicious goblin chief 
   A hunter named Dawn Mistwalker claims to 
  know where the goblin hideout is 
  Around about this time the Constable, Frida 
  Greatheart, will enter. When she finds out 
  
  what the adventurers have been discussing, 
  she will try very hard to dissuade them from 
  their quest. Her reasoning is that the goblins 
  have so far left Melton alone – any kind of 
  attack might provoke a hostile response 
  toward the village.  
  This sets off an argument, some agreeing with 
  Frida and some disagreeing. If the characters 
  ask, someone will point out where Dawn 
  Mistwalker lives.  
  There are plenty of rooms available should the 
  characters decide to stay at the inn. 
  Dawn Mistwalker is an Elven hunter who lives 
  with the butcher’s family. If the adventurers 
  try to see her that night, the butcher will tell 
  them to come back the next day and refuse to 
  unlock the door.  
  When they meet Dawn in the morning, she will 
  happily tell them what she knows. She was 
  following an old game trail several weeks ago 
  when she came across a cave in a small hill, 
  and saw a number of goblins enter and leave 
  it. She concluded this was their hideout. 
  The cave is about a day’s travel east of Melton. 
  Dawn will take them to the cave and wait for 
  them outside, but she will not enter the cave 
  herself. She is willing to begin the journey 
  right away. 
  If the adventurers want to talk to anyone else, 
  they will discover that most of the hunters and 
  trappers (including Frida Greatheart) have left 
  for the day.  
  Follow the Trail 
  To step out into the wild, to leave behind the 
  cloying securities of civilisation – there is 
  nothing like it in the world! 
  —Ulgar the Unready, Memoirs 
  You leave Melton and Dawn leads you into the 
  light woods to the east of the village. She soon 
  spots the game trail she told you about – it is 
  barely visible to your eyes. She sets a brisk 
  pace, and you stop only briefly for lunch. 
  It is mid-afternoon when the trail is 
  interrupted by a shallow, rocky creek with 
  steep, overgrown banks. A fallen tree provides 
  a natural bridge, and Dawn lightly leaps upon 
  it and begins crossing. 
  There is a sudden roar from the far side – 
  “That is Wuzig’s bridge! You can’t use it!”  
  A large bugbear crashes out from the wood, a 
  club in his hand and a nasty snarl on his face. 
  
  Wuzig the bugbear has moved into the area 
  recently. Unless the players can somehow 
  calm him down, he will charge across his 
  “bridge” and attack them. Dawn will fight 
  alongside the party – her stats of those of a 
  scout. 
  The Temple  
  Few people understand how truly depraved are 
  the teachings and worship of the goddess Shar. 
  —Gonthar Grim, Concise Religious Dogmatics 
  The shadows are long and faded; twilight is 
  upon you. 
  “There it is, ahead,” whispers Dawn. 
  You see it now, a low rocky hill pushing up 
  from the surrounding trees. A large natural 
  cave is plainly visible near the base. As you 
  creep closer to the entrance, you see a set of 
  stairs just inside the entrance, hewn from the 
  rock and descending into the earth.  
  The players are in luck, as there are no goblins 
  around the hill or cave mouth. Dawn urges the 
  characters to wait until the next morning 
  before they descend the stairs. Under no 
  circumstances will she accompany them. 
  The goblins are hiding out in an abandoned 
  Temple which was built by the Nightbringers, 
  an especially depraved sect of Shar, goddess of 
  darkness. (See final page for the map – 
  squares are 10’). 
  The ceilings are 10’ high in the corridors and 
  smaller rooms, and 20’ high in the larger 
  rooms. Narrow shafts to the surface fill the 
  temple with a dim light during the day. It is 
  much darker at night, though there are fires in 
  most of the inhabited rooms due to the cold. 
  The corridors are long and the doors are thick, 
  so fighting in one room will likely not be heard 
  from the others. In addition, the goblins do not 
  move about much – they are used to spending 
  long stretches of time between raids just 
  eating, drinking and sleeping. There should be 
  ample opportunity for the party to take short 
  rests when needed, and even a long rest. 
  A large room lies at the bottom of the stone 
  steps, and it is full of dust and rubbish. The 
  only other exit from the room is a wide 
  corridor to the north, flanked on either side by 
  dark statues.  
  A single goblin lies near the bottom step, 
  snoring loudly. 
  The goblin is named Pox and he is meant to 
  be on guard duty, but he has fallen asleep. 
  The party will be able to sneak up on him 
  easily – use the grappling rules if they wish to 
  restrain him. If they question him (he speaks 
  only Goblin), he will tell them that the “big 
  
  boss” is in a room up north, that there are 
  many goblins in the temple, and that there is 
  also lots of “bad magic” around. If the party 
  force him to come with them, he will 
  constantly try to escape.   
  The two statues flanking the corridor are 
  identical – they are made of obsidian, are 
  about 3 feet tall and depict a fully cloaked 
  humanoid with the face hidden by a cowl. On 
  the bases of the statues is inscribed “Love is a 
  lie. Only hate endures.” A Medium Intelligence 
  (Religion) check will reveal that this phrase is 
  one of the dogmas of the goddess Shar. 
  Treasure. Pox has 15sp.  
  A short corridor opens out into a small room. 
  The odor of canine refuse assaults your 
  nostrils immediately. Amidst a den created 
  from smashed furniture and old linen are two 
  enormous worgs! They growl and stare at you 
  with intelligent, malevolent eyes. 
  The two worgs are allied to the goblins and 
  accompany them on their raids. Their keen 
  sense of smell means they cannot be surprised 
  while in their den. If one of the adventurers 
  speaks Worg or Goblin, they might possibly 
  make a deal with them. Otherwise, they will 
  attack.  
  Treasure. Hidden in their den is a silver 
  necklace worth 80gp – make a DC 15 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check to find it. 
  It appears that this room has not been visited 
  for a long time. A thick layer of dust hangs 
  over the smashed crates, barrels and shelves.  
  Treasure. A DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check 
  will uncover an unusual item – an obsidian 
  disk about 18 inches across and an inch 
  thick. The goblins found this when they 
  trashed the room, but did not realise it was 
  valuable. It is actually the key to the magical 
  barrier in room 6.  
  This large room contains two rows of beds as 
  well as a few benches and tables. Three of the 
  beds are occupied with goblins, who appear to 
  be dozing.  
  The party may be able to surprise the goblins. 
  Otherwise they will quickly rise and arm 
  themselves as soon as the party enters. 
  Treasure. If they search the room they will find 
  65sp. There is also a soft felt bag with four 
  rubies worth 200gp in total. The bag has a 
  note tied to it, written in common. It says, 
  “Melton”. 
  The door to this room has been jammed shut 
  with iron stakes, and the word “Danger!” in 
  goblin has been scrawled across it in chalk. A 
  DC 15 Strength check is required to force it 
  open. 
  The walls of this room are lined with shelves, 
  most of which have been smashed. In one 
  corner lies a charred pile of books and scrolls. 
  The rest of the floor is covered in dust, ashes 
  and scraps of parchment. 
  Standing in the middle of the floor are four 
  undead monstrosities. Humanoid in shape, 
  their flesh is putrid and rotting. They stare at 
  you for a moment through diseased eyes, then 
  begin shambling forward.  
  These four miserable creatures are zombies, 
  and they will attack the party immediately.  
  They were originally prisoners captured on one 
  of the raids and the goblins, for their own 
  
  sadistic amusement, locked them in the old 
  library without food or water. They soon 
  perished, but a stray trace of necromantic 
  magic caused them to revive as undead. 
  The goblins were horrified when a dull 
  thumping on the door commenced several 
  weeks later, and have too scared to open the 
  door since.  
  Treasure. A DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check 
  will uncover a spell scroll with Charm. 
  The goblins fear this room due it’s strange 
  magic. Both doors have the words “Danger!” 
  and “Keep Out!” scrawled on them in goblin. 
  This long and high room is filled with evenly-
  spaced stone benches. The walls are lined with 
  dark marble, and carved to depict scenes of 
  perversion and depravity. 
  An alcove in the northern wall houses an 
  obsidian statue of a slender, robed figure, 
  holding a wicked knife in one hand.  
  A DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check will 
  reveal that this is a statue of the goddess 
  Shar. 
  There is an invisible barrier about 5’ in front of 
  the statue, stretching from floor to ceiling and 
  wall to wall. It is impervious to any attack that 
  the party has, and cannot be dispelled by a 
  low level spell caster. 
  If the party searches the area near the barrier, 
  an DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check will 
  reveal an indentation in the floor. It is 18 
  inches across and 1 inch deep. If the party 
  place the obsidian disk they found in room 3 
  in the indentation, the barrier will disappear. 
  Treasure. A DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check 
  of the statue will reveal a secret hatch in the 
  base. Opening the hatch will reveal a stash of 
  200gp.  
  A message has been scrawled in chalk on the 
  floor of the south corridor leading into this 
  room. It says in goblin, “Keep Out!” 
  A large stone pool, three feet high and twenty 
  feet across, dominates the center of this room. 
  The water glows with a flickering, green 
  eldritch light. On the floor, a hint of mist curls 
  about your ankles. 
  This room was used by the High Priest of Shar 
  to summon infernal monsters for dark 
  purposes. The pool is primed for a summoning 
  now – anything that disturbs the surface of the 
  pool will cause an imp to materialize. After a 
  moment it will realise it has not been bound, 
  and will then immediately attack the party.  
  The pool will cease glowing once the imp has 
  been summoned.  
  
  The door to the south has been spiked shut 
  and cannot be opened. The room is noisy, and 
  the party will hear the inhabitants from 30 feet 
  away. 
  Smashed old chairs and tables are pushed up 
  against the walls of this large room, and the 
  middle has been covered with improvised 
  bedding – straw, leaves and scraps of old 
  canvas. There is an open barrel of beer in the 
  corner. 
  There are 8 goblins here, some dozing, some 
  drinking, and some chattering to each other in 
  harsh, loud voices. 
  A frontal assault of so many goblins is likely 
  to end badly. The party will need to consider a 
  more tactical approach. 
  Treasure. A search of the area will locate 
  180sp and 20gp. 
  A bubbling cauldron full of rotten meat sits 
  atop a roaring fire in a recessed hearth. 
  Wooden tables are weighed down by animal 
  carcasses in varying states of butchery. There 
  is a small well in one corner. 
  Two dirty, naked humans cower near the fire 
  place, not daring to look at you. 
  These two men were captured on one of the 
  raids, and have been forced to work in the 
  kitchen. The goblins call them “Stink” and 
  “Retch”, and these are the only names they 
  will tell the party or answer to. Their spirits 
  have been utterly broken. They will not 
  voluntarily go with the party, but can easily be 
  intimidated into moving. 
  Treasure. There is nothing of value in the 
  room. However, the men were originally from 
  wealthy families in Triboar. If they are 
  returned home, their families will gladly pay a 
  reward of 200gp for each man. 
  Hooks, spikes, pinchers and other instruments 
  of torment and persecution are hung about the 
  walls. 
  The center of the chamber is dominated by a 
  large and revolting pile of slimy goblin 
  excrement. The smell is nauseating, and there 
  are flies everywhere.  
  The goblin’s use this room as a latrine. There 
  is nothing of value here – however, it is a good 
  place to set an ambush and whittle down the 
  goblin numbers. For every 15 minutes they 
  wait, there is a 25% chance that a goblin from 
  room 8 will come to the latrine. After 2 goblins 
  have gone missing, a group of 3 will come to 
  investigate. 
  If they listen at the door, a DC 15 Wisdom 
  (Perception) check reveals voices speaking 
  goblin. The door squeaks and is hard to open, 
  so the party cannot surprise those within. 
  The door opens noisily and you find yourself 
  looking at a large sleeping chamber. Several 
  beds have been pushed against one wall, and 
  some old tapestries lie in a heap in the corner.  
  Two large and well-armoured hobgoblins sit 
  near a fire in the far wall. They look up at you 
  in astonishment, but quickly recover and draw 
  their weapons. 
  The hobgoblins will attack immediately. 
  Treasure. Searching the room will uncover 
  110gp. 
  
  Once more, the door squeaks and scrapes, so 
  it will not be possible to surprise those within. 
  This room is much cleaner and more richly 
  appointed than any other part of the temple. 
  There are oak-paneled walls, vibrant 
  tapestries, a four-posted bed and a writing 
  desk. There is a large strongbox in one corner. 
  A squat figure in a dark cloak stands before a 
  carved fireplace, it’s back toward you. It turns 
  as you enter, and you see it is wearing a 
  grotesquely carved obsidian mask. There is an 
  enormous worg sitting at its feet. 
  “Fools!” the dark figure hisses in a raspy voice. 
  “I told you to stay away – now you must die!” 
  Use the stat blocks for a goblin boss and a 
  worg. 
  Assuming they win the fight, the party will no 
  doubt want to unmask the goblin boss. When 
  they do, they will discover - Frida Greatheart, 
  Constable of Melton! (If the party happened to 
  slay Frida in Melton, then they simply unmask 
  a goblin boss). 
  Here is the back-story (which the party may 
  never learn). About a year ago, Frida 
  discovered the temple and also found the 
  obsidian mask. The mask is called the Mask of 
  the Nightbringers, and it gives the wearer 
  certain temporary powers.  
   
  Frida was delighted with the mask, which 
  made her a much more effective hunter. 
  However, the more she wore the mask, the 
  more she fell under the sway of Shar, until she 
  was a completely devoted follower. She took 
  over a nearby goblin tribe and began raiding 
  the caravans; her intent was both to collect 
  money to restore the worship of Shar and also 
  to satisfy her own evil greed. 
  Treasure. There is a poison needle trap on the 
  strongbox latch. Whoever opens the strongbox 
  takes 1 piercing damage and 2d10 poison 
  damage, and must succeed on a DC 15 
  Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 
  hour.  
  A DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check 
  allows a character to deduce the trap’s 
  presence. A DC 15 Dexterity check using 
  thieves’ tools disarms the trap. Unsuccessfully 
  attempting to pick the lock triggers the trap. 
  Inside the box are 1100sp, 150gp and jewelry 
  worth 200gp. 
  Mask of the Nightbringers. If anyone puts on 
  the mask, they will receive the same benefits 
  as if they had just completed a short rest. 
  They will also receive +1 to all rolls for an hour 
  (so long as they wear the mask). These benefits 
  may only be used once per day. 
  Each time they wear the mask, the effect lasts 
  for one minute less. By the time they wear the 
  mask for the 60th time, they will receive no 
  benefit whatsoever. However, by this stage 
  they will be addicted to the mask and will need 
  to wear it at least once a day. 
  In addition, their alignment will have slowly 
  changed to Neutral Evil, and they will grow 
  increasingly obsessed with Shar, until they are 
  a fully converted worshipper.  
  
  Conclusion 
  An ending is really just a beginning in disguise. 
    
   
   
  —Tordek the Mad 
  Dawn Mistwalker will be waiting for the party 
  when they leave the temple. The journey back 
  to Melton is uneventful, and the villagers are 
  grudgingly appreciative.  
  The characters should have earned enough 
  experience points to move to level 2. 
  Alternatively, you may simply wish to level 
  them up without calculating experience points. 
  Now, about this mask… 
  What Next? 
  A nameless horror stalks the lands around 
  Triboar. Can you unravel the town’s dark 
  secret before more lives are lost? Download 
  Terror at Triboar today! 
  Credits & Legals 
  Design: M.T. Black 
  Cover Illustration: Jacob Atienza 
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  the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon 
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  Adventurers League, 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. All characters 
  and their distinctive likenesses are property of 
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  protected under the copyright laws of the 
  United States of America. Any reproduction or 
  unauthorized use of the material or artwork 
  contained herein is prohibited without the 
  express written permission of Wizards of the 
  Coast.  
   
   
  
   
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/M.T. Black/Temple of the Nightbringers.pdf