In the following sections, the boxed text should

Introduction be read aloud to the players. Unless stated

otherwise, assume all NPCs have the stats of a
Shadows on the Long Road is an adventure commoner.
intended to be played in a single session.
Although it is set on the Long Road, it can be
moved to any other setting with a small
Caravan Duty
amount of work. The combat sessions have
Read the following aloud
been designed to present a tough challenge to
four 3rd level characters. It will present a less Its been some time since your last adventure -
difficult, though still enjoyable, challenge to 4th
trouble and treasure have both been
level characters.
unusually scarce.
This adventure assumes you have access to
the Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Basic But then you heard a rumor in Triboar. It
Rules, which are available for free download. seems that people have been disappearing on
However, it is recommended that you also the Long Road, on the hundred-mile stretch
purchase the Players Handbook and the between there and Longsaddle. A large number
Dungeon Masters Guide. of people now, all gone without a trace.
This adventure is designed to be run with
You joined a grain caravan heading north to
minimal preparation. Before running the
investigate. The trip to Longsaddle was quiet,
session, you should skim through the contents
of this document and also ensure you are with nothing to show for it but sore feet.
familiar with the following creatures Now your party is heading back south on your
Animated Armor own. The journey started well, but then the
Ghoul weather changed. A cold gusty wind has come
Hell Hound up along with a thick, wet fog. It seems to have
Ogre gotten dark early too.
Shadow Someone you cant remember who -
Thug suggested you push on. It was a bad idea, as
Detailed descriptions for these creatures can the road has disappeared and the ground has
be found in the Monster Manual. If you dont turned into a smelly, shallow marsh. You are
own the MM, you can find basic stats in the wet and cold, you have no idea where you are,
D&D 5th Edition Basic Rules and SRD online.
and you can only see about five feet in front of
The statistics for new monsters may be found
at the end of this document. you.

It would also be helpful if you were familiar Just as you have resigned yourself to a
with the grappling rules, and understood the miserable night squatting in the swamp
Warlock class. there, off in the distance! A warm light!
Not every loose end is tied up in the following
The party do not yet realize it, but they have
text, nor every possible reaction accounted for.
been lured onto a small demi-plane by a subtle
Be ready to improvise, and do so with
charm. The demi-plane is only a few miles
confidence!
across and turns back on itself at the ends. If
the party walk away from the light, they will creature after they dispatch it, they will notice
find themselves approaching it again after an it is wearing a collar.
hour or two.
The demi-plane is always dark, and the Guests for Dinner
ground is a cold, smelly marsh, broken only by
clumps of rock and twisted, dying trees. There If they approach the house, read this -
is thick mist everywhere, thinning a little near
the light. The manor house is shrouded in mist and is
difficult to make out fully. It is large but not
A number of ghouls roam the swamp. If the
enormous, and has an upper story. The gray
party wander around, they will encounter one
every hour or so. They will hear splashing brickwork is fractured and ancient, and a
sounds for a few moments, and then the ghoul number of the facing windows are cracked and
will leap at them from the mist, attacking broken. A short gravel path leads through the
viciously. swampy ground up to a heavy, wooden door.

As the party approach, they hear the scrape of

a lock and key, and then the door opens
inward with a creak.
They are greeted by a gnome dressed in fine
but rather old fashioned clothes. He will
introduce himself as Grundy, the steward of
Saltmarsh Manor. His master, Lord Gideon
Saltmarsh, invites them to share a hot dinner
If the party approach the light, read the after their weary journey.
following Grundy will usher them through the Great
Hall into the Dining Room at location #1. If
You come to a wall of dilapidated stone,
they wish to stop and examine the Great Hall,
covered with decaying thorn. There is a read the following
wrought iron gate in the wall with a cheerless
lantern hanging from the frame. The gate This large hall is impressively decorated,
appears to be unlocked. Some distance beyond though it is also rather dirty. Paneled walls
you can see an old manor house, with dull rise to meet a tall, vaulted ceiling with a
yellow light flickering in the windows. number of lofty recessed windows. A great
hearth dominates one end of the room, while
The house is about 150 away from the gate. the remaining walls are decorated with
When the party get to within 75, they hear a tapestries, portraits of varying sizes, mounted
sudden growl and are attacked by a hell
trophies, armor and weapons.
hound. If they examine the body of the
 is standing by to top up the characters cups
Off Script with fine wine and ale.
This chapter assumes that the players follow
However, all is not as it seems. The feast is an
Grundy to the Dining Room to meet Gideon,
illusion conjured by Gideon. The party are
and later head up to the Guest Chambers.
actually eating oatcakes and drinking water. It
It is possible the players will ditch Grundy is perfectly harmless and quite filling, but not
and explore the manor on their own. They the banquet they imagine.
might also have snuck in through the back
A DC 25 Intelligence (Investigation) or
door at location #16. If this happens, go to
Intelligence (Arcana) check will enable a
the chapter titled Saltmarsh Manor below,
character to see through the illusion.
and treat the adventure as a normal dungeon
crawl. Assume that Gideon returns to his
study at location #14, and Grundy returns
to his room at location #10.

If the party follow Grundy, he takes them into

the Dining Room

This room speaks of comfort and opulence.

The interior walls are plastered with a light
stucco, carved in a most elaborate and
magnificent fashion. Atop the clean flagstones
lies a richly decorated rug, closely and
beautifully woven. The center of the room is
dominated by a long dining table, made of
dark polished wood and set with gleaming While they are eating, Gideon will ask his
silverware. guests polite questions about their home, their
family and their vocation. He does not seem
The room is well lit by a roaring fire in the especially interested in the responses.
hearth at the northern end, and a row of
If questioned about himself, he will share this
blazing candelabra suspended from the ceiling.
information
A rich feast is laid out.
his family has owned the house and estate
Sitting at the head of the table is Lord Gideon for many generations
he lives here with a number of servants
Saltmarsh, master of the house. He is a pale

he was married long ago, but his wife died

skinned human, very slender, with a bald
head and a gray beard. He will welcome the
party and insist they begin eating before the giving birth to their first child, a daughter,
food gets cold. who also died
he spends his days reading and attending to
the estate
The meal includes such delights as cod liver he receives a number of visitors, mostly lost
pastries, beef marrow fritters, salt water fish, travelers whom he is happy to help
eel puree, bacon broth and roast beef. Grundy
If asked about the hell hound in his yard, he
will note that there are wild dogs roaming the
Gideon will thank the party for their company,
swamp.
and suggest that it is time they all retired.
Grundy will show them to their rooms at
location #2
After dinner, Gideon will compliment one of
the PCs on their physique and ask if they The chamber is small, though comfortable and
enjoy wrestling. He has a manservant named well furnished. The walls are paneled with oak,
Magnus who is an excellent wrestler, and he matching the polished floorboards. A fire
suggests they try a fall or two. burns in the hearth at one end of the room,
If the PC agrees, Gideon will summon Magnus, with two beds opposite and a small table
who is actually a 6 foot tall minor flesh between them.
golem (see Monster Stats). Magnus does not
talk, and his face is a horrible mess of scars. A basin of steaming water and a pair of towels
Gideon will ask the party to ignore his sit atop the small table in each room. Grundy
appearance - the result of a terrible childhood then bows and leaves, promising to fetch them
accident. In reality, Magnus was a gift from for breakfast.
Gideons dark patron.
The players may choose to explore the
The wrestling match takes place on a rug at mansion at this time if so, go to Saltmarsh
the foot of the dining table. As per tradition, Manor. If they decide to stay in their rooms,
the wrestlers should strip down to loincloths. go to Visitors in the Night, below.
Use the grappling rules to conduct the match.
The match is over when one of the contestants
is pinned that is, they are grappled for a full
round without escaping. If everyone enjoys the
match, Gideon will propose further matches.
Gideon will also suggest they gamble, and will
stake up to 50gp per match.

Attacking Gideon
The party may choose to attack Gideon in the
Dining Room. If so, he will dodge while
screaming for help. If Magnus is not already
in the room, he will appear after two rounds
and charge into battle. Two rounds after that,
the four thugs from location #7 will join the
battle. At that point Gideon, if he is still alive,
will go on the offensive, favoring scorching ray
and eldritch blast.
Gideons statistics may be found in the About 3 hours after leaving the characters,
chapter titled Monster Stats. Grundy will return (carrying a candle) with the
four thugs from location #7. The thugs are
not especially quiet, so if the party have a set a
watch they will hear the sound of heavy feet on flagstones, while the upper story has a wooden
the stairs. floor. The interior walls are made of brick, but
this has been covered with paneling or plaster
The plan is crude, but has been effective in the
in many of the rooms (this will be mentioned
past. The thugs will attempt to grapple the
in the room descriptions).
characters while they sleep, one thug per
person. Grundy will then bind the restrained
PCs hands (it takes one round per character
for him to do this). The house is always quite dark and shadowy
because there is no daytime in the demi-plane.
If this plan fails and the characters arm
There are, however, fires in most rooms and
themselves, the thugs will draw their weapons
also numerous candles in standing holders.
and a normal melee will ensue. In combat, the
Grundy extinguishes the candles after he goes
thugs will choose to knock the PCs
to bed, and then relights them when he
unconscious rather than kill them. Once
awakes about 6 hours later. The fires will burn
combat starts, Grundy will attempt to flee
down 3-4 hours after Grundy retires.
back to his room at location #10.

The creatures in the manor will stay in their

If the party defeat the thugs and they may be own rooms, even if they hear a commotion
able to catch Grundy. If they interrogate him, from other parts of the house. Some are too
refer to the section called Grundys Tale in timid to move, some are unable to move, and
location #10. others will be preparing their position for an
assault.
This means that the party can easily take a
If the thugs manage to bind the PCs or defeat short rest when they need to. At your
them in battle, the party will be knocked out, discretion, you may even permit them to take
stripped naked, and taken to the Pen (location a long rest. If you feel they are resting too
#18). Their equipment and treasure will be much, however, send the thugs from location
stored in the Cellar (location #17). #7 out to look for the party.

Saltmarsh Manor 1. Dining Room

At some point the players will explore (and This room speaks of comfort and opulence.
clear) the manor. This will most likely happen The interior walls are plastered with a light
after the party deal with the thugs who attack stucco, carved in a most elaborate and
them in the Guest Chambers, but could also
magnificent fashion. Atop the clean flagstones
happen at other points (if the party were to
lies a richly decorated rug, closely and
sneak in via the back door, for example). Maps
for the manor can be round on the final page beautifully woven. The center of the room is
of this document. The squares are 5. dominated by a long dining table, made of
dark polished wood and set with gleaming
silverware.
The ceilings of the manor are 10 tall, except
for the Great Hall and Chapel, which are 15.
The ground floor and basement are paved with
There is no-one left in this room after dinner - smaller pictures, they will notice that many
it is a much darker room then, with all of the have grisly and macabre themes.
candles extinguished and the fire burning low.
Treasure. The ornaments on the wall could be
Treasure. The silverware (which is promptly of interest to someone decorating a large
cleaned and reset after dinner) is worth house. Together they would fetch perhaps
100gp. It is too bulky for the PCs to carry 100gp, but would be very bulky to transport.
around, however.
4. Chapel
2. Guest Chambers
The three guest chambers are all identical. Unpolished bricks line the walls of this long
and tall room. A row of hard benches leads up
The chamber is small, though comfortable and to a raised dais, atop which sits a wooden altar
well furnished. The walls are paneled with oak, and a closed, black book. There is no fireplace
matching the polished floorboards. A fire in the room, no candles, and the windows are
burns in the hearth at one end of the room, all boarded shut the atmosphere is dark and
with two beds opposite and a small table oppressive.
between them.
The book is the only item of interest in this
Treasure. There is nothing of value in these room. If the characters look closer, they will
rooms. see that the cover is made of vellum, and there
is a clasp with a small lock on it. If anyone
3. Great Hall touches the book, the cover will fly open and
three shadows will emerge and attack the
This large hall is impressively decorated, party.
though it is also rather dirty. Paneled walls If they examine the book after defeating the
rise to meet a tall, vaulted ceiling with a shadows, they will notice that the pages are
number of lofty recessed windows. A great now all blank.
hearth dominates one end of the room, while Treasure. Beneath the book they will find an
the remaining walls are decorated with eldritch symbol made of platinum and
tapestries, portraits of varying sizes, mounted embedded into the altar. It is not magical, but
trophies, armor and weapons. can easily be levered out and is worth 100gp.

One picture in particular captures your

attention. It is of a young and graceful looking
woman in a wedding gown, wearing a golden
necklace. Her expression is sorrowful.

Two animated armor suits stand near the

door on the long wall. They will immediately
attack the party unless they are accompanied
by Grundy or Gideon.
The woman in the picture was Gideons wife,
Lynessa. If the characters examine some of the
5. Kitchen have created a simple barricade for themselves
out of their table and bench. They will fight
with half cover against anyone who attacks
This good sized room is clearly a kitchen. A across the barricade.
large oven occupies one corner, while two
Treasure. If the PCs defeat the thugs and
cauldrons sit over an open fireplace in the
search their bodies, they will find 120sp.
other. Two long benches cross the middle of
the room. Another corner has several open
water barrels, alongside a large bag of grain.

Magnus the minor flesh golem is here, and

never leaves unless summoned by Gideon. If
the party enter the kitchen without Grundy or
Gideon, Magnus will attack.
During dinner, 2-3 human and gnome
servants from location #9 will also be here,
preparing the food (oat cakes and porridge).
After dinner they will return to their room.
Treasure. There is nothing of value in the
kitchen.

6. Pantry The Thugs Tale

Empty wooden shelves line this small room. Captured thugs will share the following. They
Piled at one end are numerous bags of grain were lured here by Grundy many months ago
alongside several unopened barrels. Against with promises of generous pay. Now they are
the far wall is a set of wooden stairs, leading trapped afraid to wander the mists because
of the hell hound and the ghouls.
down.
Their main job is to help capture lost
The bags of grain contain only oats (Gideon is travelers, who are taken to a prison in the
an ascetic). Most of the barrels contain water basement. They dont know what happens
(drawn from an outside well), though a few after that, but imagine it is unpleasant.
contain beer. The stairs lead down to the
They have noted that they are taking many
basement level.
more prisoners in recent months. They dont

7. Guard Room know why.

This sparse room consists of several humble

8. Spare Room
beds, a crude wooden bench and table, and a
This room is covered in dust and cobwebs, and
number of scattered weapons.
reeks terribly. It is bare except for a modest

Four half-orc thugs reside here. If they have bed in the corner. There is a still figure
not already been killed, and if they have heard beneath the covers.
fighting in other parts of the manor, they will
The thugs somehow managed to capture a It is rumored amongst the servants that
ghoul and have chained it to the wall in order Gideons wife died by suicide, and that her
to torment the servants. The chain is just 5 ghost haunts the manor.
long so its possible to stay out of the
creatures reach by sliding along the far wall. If
anyone approaches the bed, the ghoul will
10. Stewards Room
throw off the covers and attack when they get This spacious room is lightly plastered and
close.
decorated with a bright and simple fresco. A
Treasure. Beneath the bed is a silver bracelet, rich vermillion rug covers the cold flagstones,
worth 30gp. and a fire roars in the hearth. A four posted
bed lies at one end of the room, and near it
sits a tidy wooden writing desk.

This room belongs to Grundy Amberkettle,

the Steward of the manor, and it is where he is
most likely to be found if he is not serving the
party dinner or leading the thugs to subdue
them (see Guests for Dinner).
9. Servant Rooms He is an old gnome, not a fighter, and will
surrender immediately if threatened. After so
This tidy room has whitewashed brick walls many years serving Gideon, he is utterly free
and a clean stone floor. Several small beds line of normal moral convictions. He is a good liar,
one side, and there is a small table and basin though, and will pretend to be serving Gideon
under compulsion.
sitting opposite them.

Both rooms are virtually identical. If fighting Grundys Tale

has broken out in the manor, the servants will If questioned, Grundy will tell the following
He has served the Saltmarsh family for over
be huddling together in the far room. There are
six servants in total four gnomes and two
60 years
humans. They are responsible for cooking and
cleaning. They will be very frightened of the Gideon Saltmarsh has mystic powers
PCs, and will co-operate in any way that Gideons daughter did not die at birth, but
doesnt put them in immediate danger.
was born with hideous deformities
Treasure. There is nothing of value here. Gideon never named his daughter, and
simply calls her the Offspring
The Servants Tale
The Offspring lives in the basement
The servants were lured here with promises of
generous pay, and then found themselves Grundy does not know how to escape the
trapped. They know that Gideon does mist back to the real world
something evil with the travelers who stay, Once a month, Gideon uses his power to
but they dont know what. They have been part the mist, and Grundy goes to a local
strictly forbidden from going down into the town (Triboar) for supplies
basement.
Grundy knows more than he is letting on. He Ecclesiastical History of the Heartlands
pretty much knows every room in the house The Letters of Thoradin and Riardon
Collected Essays of Lynessa
and the perils they present. He will not share
this information, however, as he hopes one of
these dangers will take care of the party. Treasure. The book collection would be worth
perhaps 150gp to a collector in a large city
Treasure. A DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) assuming the characters can transport it there
check will uncover a small alcove where safely.
Grundy keeps his private purse. It contains
250gp. A keyring on Grundys belt has keys to 12. Ladys Chamber
every lockable door in the manor.
This door is locked. The lock may be picked
with thieves tools and a DC 10 Dexterity
check. The door is flimsy and may be beaten
down with a DC 10 Strength (Athletics)
check. Grundy and Gideon have keys to this
room.

You open the door and stop suddenly the

floor of this spacious chamber is completely
missing, and you stare into a black pit, with
no sign of the bottom.

Floating in the middle of the room is a young

lady, dressed in rags. She is slightly
11. Library translucent, and has her face uplifted and her
eyes closed as she quietly whispers to herself.
This long room is paneled with wood that has
been painted dark green. There is a large You see a thin ledge on the far side of the
hearth on one wall with an ornately carved chamber. A beautiful wedding gown sits on a
wooden mantel. A long patterned rug stretches wickerwork mannequin the, with a rich gold
across the room, and a number of plush chairs necklace about the neck.
are scattered all around. Near the door where
This wretched spirit is all that remains of
you entered are three good sized bookshelves,
Lynessa Saltmarsh, the wife of Gideon. She
crammed with books.
committed suicide soon after the birth of her
daughter, and her spirit has been bound to the
This is where Gideon spends a great deal of his
house ever since. The pit beneath her is
time, reading from his extensive library of over
actually an illusion, and is a projection of her
five hundred volumes. The books cover
misery.
history, philosophy, theology and folklore.
Following are some typical titles The illusion is very convincing. If the PCs drop
Canticles of the Blessed Tabitha
something in the pit, they will see it disappear.

The Book of the Civilized Man

If they stick a pole into the pit, it will feel as if
they are poking thin air. If a PC falls into the
Epic Poetry of the Northmen pit, they will feel as if they are falling endlessly
The Calimport Tales into a black hole (in fact, they will simply be
lying on the chamber floor). The dress is also The walls of this room are paneled with cedar,
an illusion.
and a decorated crimson rug covers the floor.
A DC 25 Intelligence (Investigation) or The room is large but only sparsely furnished,
Intelligence (Arcana) check will allow a with a writing table and chair at the far end,
character to pierce through the illusion. If flanked by a small glass-doored bookcase on
anyone physically makes contact with the
one side, and a chest on the other. The room is
spirit of Lynessa, it will disappear along with
lit only by a dim lantern on the desk.
the illusion of the black hole and dress. What
remains is a dark and dusty Ladies Chamber,
This is where Gideon will be found at any time
with a bed, cupboard and writing table.
after dinner. For a full description of his
Treasure. There is nothing of value in this abilities, see Monster Stats at the end of this
room. document.

13. Lords Chamber If Gideon has heard any noise at all, and
especially if there has been combat in the
house, he will be using One with Shadows to
A large canopy bed sits in the middle of this
hide invisibly in the corner behind the door.
commodious chamber. The walls are covered Once the entire party has entered the study,
with a beautiful, textured paper, and hung he will attempt to quietly slip back into his
over by a number of portraits and landscape bedroom, then fireball the study. He knows
paintings. A stone hearth lies in the wall that he risks destroying many valuable items
opposite you with a roaring fire. You also but he also knows the situation is desperate.
notice a pair of cupboards, a plush chair and a If the party has been extremely quiet, they
dressing table. may be able to surprise him at his writing
desk.
This is Gideons sleeping chamber. He keeps The bookcase contains Gideons occult library
the fire well stoked as it also warms his study, of about a dozen volumes. Several are written
but otherwise he spends little time here. The in supernal. Titles include things such as The
wardrobes are full of clothing, most of it once Signature of Reality, the Principia Discordia
fine but now old and worthless. and the Fourth Book of Ossander. Gideon also
Treasure. The dressing table has a number of has a small Book of Shadows which he keeps
rings and a silver necklace. The total value is in his belt-pouch.
150gp. There is a poison needle trap on the chest
latch. Whoever opens the chest takes 1
piercing damage and 2d10 poison damage,
and must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution
14. Study saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour.

This door is locked. The lock may be picked A DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check
with thieves tools and a DC 15 Dexterity allows a character to deduce the traps
check. The door may be beaten down with a presence. A DC 15 Dexterity check using
DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Grundy thieves tools disarms the trap. Unsuccessfully
has a key, as does Gideon. attempting to pick the lock triggers the trap.
Treasure. The occult books might fetch 200gp Dexterity check. It is too strong to break
from a collector in Waterdeep. If the party down. Outside the back door is a well, some
open the chest, they will find Gideons treasure old wagons and a stable with two horses. A few
2000gp and 300pp. He also has 3 potions feet beyond that is a collection of crude grave
of healing, a potion of flying and a potion of markers sticking up from the marsh.
speed.
The characters will also find a thin square of
17. Cellar
engraved pewter. The engraved words are in As the players enter the basement level, they
supernal, and say the following notice that the floor is very muddy and emits a
nasty, swampy odor. The Cellar door is locked
Master, please forgive my iniquity. (Grundy and Gideon have keys) but can be
You hold my heart in your hand, picked with thieves tools and a DC 20
now as always. If the child be Dexterity check. It may also be broken down
yours, please take her to you. If the with a DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check.
child be mine, please heal her or
give me the strength to destroy her. Read the following
Your humble servant, Gideon.
This compact room is full of goods clothing,
If Gideon fireballs the study, you must decide armour, weapons, planks of wood, scrap iron
what has survived and what has been and more beside. The floor has now turned
destroyed. Gideon has a full set of keys.
positively swamp-like, and your boots sink
down a couple of inches with every step.

Treasure. The rising damp has rendered most

of the goods useless. A DC 25 Wisdom
(Perception) check will, however, uncover a
small gold necklace that someone overlooked,
worth 90gp.

18. The Pen

The floor of this long room is covered in deep
mud and shallow pools of water. Tiny
mangrove shoots push up along the walls.

A row of iron bars cordons off one side of the

15. Linen Room room, and beyond those bars is the most
pitiful sight imaginable. A great mass of
There are a number of free-standing people, all stripped naked, are crammed into
cupboards in this room containing linen. The
the pen, wallowing in the mud and their own
stairs lead to the upper level.
filth. Some are moaning, some are calling out

16. Back Door in terror, and others merely rock back and
forth in silent anguish.
The back door is locked, though it can be
picked with thieves tools and a DC 20
There are nearly 70 prisoners crammed into Treasure. One of the prisoners has managed to
this space. The majority are human, though keep a gold necklace hidden, worth 75gp. She
there are also a number of elves, dwarves, will give it to the PCs in gratitude if freed.
gnomes and half-orcs. Some have been there
for months, and are on the brink of madness.
The coherent ones tell the same story they
19. Butchery
got lost on the Long Road in a strange mist, A truly gruesome sight greets you in this room.
sought shelter in the manor, and then were
Blood splatters cover the wet, slick walls while
overpowered in the night and dragged into the
nauseating piles of gore float on the swampy
Pen.
floor. In the middle of the room is a massive
Every day or so, an ogre (known only as the
wooden table it is very bloody and several
Butcher) comes into from the next room,
enormous butchers cleavers are embedded in
selects an unlucky prisoner and drags them
back to his room. The sound of heavy it. A crude nest of clothes lies in a corner,
chopping and screaming follows, then silence. alongside several wooden barrels.

If the party free the captives, a great many of

There is an ogre in this room, dressed in old
them will rush back toward the cellar stairs.
rags and an enormous leather apron. He is
The Butcher will hear the noise and will come
known only as the Butcher, and his job is to
in to investigate from location #19.
slice up the prisoners and feed them to the
Offspring in location #21.
If the Party Are Captive
He will stare at the party in astonishment
Its possible the party were captured in the
when they enter, then rush to attack them
Guest Chambers (location #2). If so, they
with his enormous cleaver, which does 2d8+4
awake in this room, naked like the rest of the
slicing damage. He has a key to the Pen in
prisoners. They have several options for
location #18 tied to his belt.
escape
When the Butcher comes in to select a Treasure. If the party search the nest of
prisoner, they could try and overpower him clothes in the corner, they will easily find the
barehanded, or charge past him ogres stash. He has 500sp, 150gp and 4

They could use sleight of hand to pick the

emeralds worth 200gp total. He also has a
Wand of Secrets which he found in the
key from the Butchers belt
possession of a prisoner long ago (and which
Someone may be able to pick the lock with somehow escaped Gideons notice). He has no
a hairpin that one of the prisoners still has. idea how to use the wand, of course, and
A DC 20 Dexterity check would be required treats it simply as a pretty stick.

A couple of the bars near the edge of the

pen are loose, and a character could work
them out of their frame with a DC 15
Strength check
Any remotely plausible escape plan should
work. The PCs equipment is in the Cellar
(location #17).
20. Infernal Gateway
As you trudge down the corridor, the muddy
water grows deeper and deeper, until it is
indistinguishable from marshland. The
mangroves cluster thicker and thicker against
the walls and even the ceiling, and its no
longer possible to catch a glimpse of the
underlying stone. A dozen paces more and the
twisted mangroves begin to thin. Yet instead of
revealing stone, to your astonishment you
glimpse open air. A few more steps and you
emerge into the open, blinking in the light. A
vast swamp, endless and vile, stretches before
you, beneath a nauseating sky of churning
ochre clouds. The mire before you is littered
with foul carrion, and is broken only by piles 21. Nursery
of rotting soil and warped vegetation. Clouds of The door is barred from the outside.
green-yellow gas drift lazily across the surface.
As the door opens and you peer into the room,
A cruel wind suddenly picks up, and a
you are greeted by the stuff of nightmares, a
smattering of acidic rain burns your flesh. The
horror beyond anything you have seen in your
smell is utterly stomach-churning.
adventuring career. Seated at one end of this
In the distance you can see harsh metal cell, squatting on the swampy floor amidst the
towers rising from the mire, and a cluster of mangrove-covered walls, is a pale figure, vast
winged atrocities wheeling above the horizon. and loathsome. With its leathery skin, ridged
The vista feels alien, powerful and malevolent. forehead, clawed hands and fanged maw, its
parentage seems more infernal than human. It
The PCs have discovered a gateway to looks up expectantly as the door opens. A
Minauros, one of the levels of Hell. You should
severed leg dangles from its mouth and blood
probably try to discourage them from
dribbles down its chest. The creature looks
exploring. If they insist, quietly shut your
rulebook and say, And they were never heard momentarily confused, then roars in anger
from again. and lurches clumsily toward you.

This is the Offspring. As Gideon has long

suspected, it is actually the progeny of his
infernal patron, who molested Gideons bride
on their wedding night in revenge for some
slight. Details of the Offspring can be found in
the Monster Stats chapter at the end of this
document.
The demi-plane the manor sits in was a gift Monster Stats
from Gideons patron, and only exists so long
as both Gideon and his legal heir (the
Offspring) are alive. Once both have died, the
manor will return to the natural world, but the Medium humanoid, chaotic evil
basement below will collapse. The party will Armour Class 14
have about a minute to return to the ground
floor while the basement shakes and Hit Points 38
crumbles. If they stay below ground, they will Speed 30 ft.
be buried alive and quickly suffocate.
Treasure. If the party spend ten or so minutes STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
digging through the Offsprings excrement,
8 (-1) 15 (+2) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 10 (0) 18 (+4)
they will find roughly 50gp worth of gold
dentures. Of course, if both the Offspring and
Saving Throws Cha +7, Wis +3
Gideon are dead, they will not have time to
search before the cave-in. Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Conclusion
Dark Ones Blessing. When he reduces a
hostile creature to 0 hit points, he gains 9
temporary hit points.
Assuming the party escaped from the
basement, they will find that Saltmarsh Manor Agonizing Blast. When he casts eldritch
has returned to the natural world. It is mid- blast, he adds his Charisma modifier to the
morning and the mist has lifted. They will have damage it deals on a hit. Note: This has
little difficulty locating the Long Road, and will already been applied in the stat block below.
discover they are about 30 miles north of Eyes of the Rune Keeper. He can read all
Triboar. writing.
There is the problem, of course, of about One with Shadows. When he is in an area of
seventy former prisoners, all naked, frightened dim light or darkness, he can use his action
and shivering in the morning sun. But the to become invisible until he moves or takes
characters have proven themselves an action or reaction.
resourceful, and will no doubt come up with a
plan Spellcasting. Gideon is a 5thlevel Warlock.
His spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell
save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). He
has two 3rd level spell slots, and knows the
following spells:
Cantrips (at will): eldritch blast, fire bolt,
poison spray, shillelagh, spare the dying,
thaumaturgy
1st level: hellish rebuke, hex
2nd level: blindness, scorching ray
3rd level: fireball, vampiric touch
Actions Hit Points 90

Eldritch blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to Speed 15 ft.

hit, range 120 ft., two attacks, one or two
targets. Hit: 1d10 + 4 force damage. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
17 (+3) 9 (-1) 15 (+2) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)

Medium construct, neutral Damage Resistance fire, poison, bludgeoning

from nonmagical attacks that arent silvered
Armour Class 9
Languages understands Common but cant
Hit Points 66
speak
Speed 30 ft.
Challenge 3 (700 XP)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Actions

17 (+3) 9 (-1) 15 (+2) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 5 (-3) Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach
5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) slashing
Damage Immunities lightning, poison damage.

Damage Resistance bludgeoning, slashing

and piercing from non-magical attacks Inspiration
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion,
This adventure was inspired by The Nameless
frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Offspring, a short story written by Clark
Senses darkvision 60 ft. Ashton Smith.

Credits & Legals

Languages understands the languages of its
creator but cant speak

Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Design: M.T. Black
Aversion to Fire. If the golem takes fire
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of
damage, it has disadvantage on attack rolls the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon
and ability checks until the end of its next ampersand, Players Handbook, Monster
turn. Manual, Dungeon Masters Guide, D&D
Magic Weapons. The golems weapon attacks Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the
are magical. Coast product names, and their respective
logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast
Actions in the USA and other countries. All characters
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach and their distinctive likenesses are property of
Wizards of the Coast. This material is
5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) bludgeoning
protected under the copyright laws of the
damage.
United States of America. Any reproduction or
unauthorized use of the material or artwork
contained herein is prohibited without the
Large fiend, chaotic evil express written permission of Wizards of the
Coast.
Armour Class 13