CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions

Individuals in Hulburg enlist your aid to combat an ambitious threat to Waterdeep. You are needed to infiltrate Fangjaws Hold and bring the threat’s mastermind to justice.

A Two to Four-Hour Adventure for Tier 2 Characters. Optimized for APL 8

Credits

Designer: Greg Marks D&D Adventurers League Administrators: Amy Dzura, Editing: Toni Winslow-Brill Alan Patrick, Travis Woodall, Claire Hoffman, Greg D&D Adventurers League Guildmaster: Chris Lindsay Marks, Ma’at Crook, LaTia Bryant Art: Joe Abboreno, Matt Cavotta, Chippy, Dyson Logos, Playtesters: Gary Affeldt, Richard Brown, David Krolnik, Vinod Rams, Wayne Reynolds, Ben Siekert, Francis Sean Mittelstaedt, Ben Siekert Tsai, Sam Wood Art Director & Graphic Design: Joe Abboreno D&D Adventurers League Wizards Team: Adam Lee, Chris Lindsay, , Matt Sernett

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Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. 1 CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions (v.1.0) • Bonus Objective A: Battlefield Intelligence. While in Adventure Primer the Skullsmashers’ lair, the characters need to figure out the names of Tor’vlexis’ operatives already in Waterdeep “The darkness always lies.” in order to prevent them from carrying out their mission even after the beholder has passed. This bonus objective - Anthony Liccione is found in Appendix 4. • Bonus Objective B: The Enemy of My Enemy Is Background My Enemy? While in the Skullsmashers’ tunnels, the followers of Shargaas offer the characters’ the truth TOR’VLEXIS the beholder has created a thieves’ guild in of who Da’vok really is. All the characters need to do Hulburg with the intention of gathering enough resources is assassinate the tribes’ high priest of Gruumsh. This to overthrow his hated rival: . Tor’vlexis XANATHAR bonus objective is found in Appendix 5. thought the Moonsea was far enough away from the City of Splendors that he could marshal his forces without his enemy noticing him but unfortunately for him, Xanathar is Episode Sequence not new to the game. Depending on your time constraints, play style and Xanathar’s operative, DA’VOK TORIN, has been sent environment, this adventure takes approximately two-to- by the canny crime lord to stop his foe and what better four hours to play. plan is there than to use adventurers. They love to get involved in all sorts of murder for “justice.” Da’vok has How Will You Play? previously pointed the characters at the Hulburg thieves’ The duration of your session depends on how much of guild and later, Tor’vlexis’ hideaway Sulasspryn. Now all this adventure you utilize. At the very least, your session that remains is to send them against the beholder and his will last approximately 2 hours. However, if you wish, allies among the Skullsmasher tribe. She encourages you can provide a longer experience for your players by them to eliminate the beholder once and for all. utilizing the bonus objectives. Story Objectives Only. To complete the both of the Episodes adventure’s story objectives, the characters play Episodes 1 through 3 in order. The adventure’s story is spread over three story episodes that take approximately 2 hours to play. These episodes Bonus Objectives. You can extend this adventure by are introduced by a Call to Action Episode. The adventure one- or two- hours by utilizing the bonus objectives also includes two 1-hour bonus episodes that can be provided in the appendices. These objectives branch off played if time permits, that are introduced anywhere in Episode 3, but their order is fluid—they set the scene for the adventure. the final episode and may even have an impact on the events that transpire. If you’re planning to play the entire adventure at once, you only need to introduce the Call to Action once. However, if you plan to play them over several sessions, you’ll want to revisit the Call to Action each time you play.

• Episode 1: After Hours. While on the Hulburg docks, the characters notice that they are being watched. The suspicious character flees into a nearby ship. Onboard Da’vok is waiting for them in an out of the way place for a meeting where she plans to enlist them once again. This is the Call to Action. What Was to Be and What Is • Episode 2: On the Road. The characters pursue This adventure was originally slated to be CCC- Tor’vlexis into Thar in search of the reclusive ALMOTGC-31 SKULL02-07 and debut at MyCon19 Skullsmasher tribe. The quicker they find the , as the third part of a trilogy. Unfortunately, that never the less likely the beholder is to know they are coming happened and parts 1 and 2 where the characters and begin preparations to receive them. This is Story thwart Tor’vlexis’ thieves guild in Hulburg where Objective A. never released. The folks at Cold Iron Conventions were happy to give this adventure a home as a self- • Episode 3: Behind Enemy Lines. The characters contained story. execute their plan to eliminate the threat of Tor’vlexis in the home of the Skullsmashers. This is Story Objective B. Bonus Objectives ThisSample adventure also includes two, 1-hour bonus objectives file that the characters can pursue if they have additional time to do so. These bonus objectives are found in this adventure’s appendices, as follows:

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. 2 CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions (v.1.0) Episode Flowchart

This section provides a basic understanding of not only the flow of the adventure, but also the outline of the different paths that your players may take in reaching their stated objective.

Sample file

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. 3 CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions (v.1.0) Episode 1: After Hours (Call to Action)

Estimated Duration: 20 minutes Area Information The characters have just closed a tavern next to the Hulburg docks. If they have not previously adventured This area features: together, they have met this night at the Hook and Anchor. Dimensions & Terrain. The characters begin on Being the last of the patrons, they are standing around a dockside street, but assuming they follow onto the outside the tavern when the character with the highest Onyx Star, they quickly find themselves inside the large Passive Perception notices a hooded figure on one of the Captain’s cabin. There is a chair for each character and piers watching the party. The figure is standing in the Da’vok is already sitting at the head of the table with a distant shadow, trying to casually go unobserved without map of the nearby region spread out on top. actually hiding. Lighting. It is poorly lit with just a few torches here and • Operatives of Da’vok Torin. If the characters have there on the street and none on the docks themselves. played previous adventures with Dav’ok Torin, the The docks themselves are in dim moonlight. figure gives them a knowing nod, and proceeds up the gangplank to a ship named the Onyx Star. If the Creatures/NPCs characters do not follow, the figure looks around to make sure no one else is watching before lowering her Da’vok (human) is very secretive. She implies without hood and allowing them to see it is Da’vok, whom they specifying, that she works for Lord Hulmaster. Indeed, have previously met. she has “carelessly” left a coat with the heraldry of his Lordship embroidered on the lapel on her chair, where it If the characters have never met • Convenient Rubes. can be noticed with a Passive Perception of 13 or higher. Da’vok before, she knows that adventurers are nosey and likely to investigate anything suspicious. So, she She welcomes the characters like friends if they have “sneaks” aboard the ship expecting that they see her met before and if they haven’t, she congratulates them on and involve themselves. their curiousness and offers them the chance to be of aid to Hulburg. Objectives/Goals. Da’vok is hoping to convince the characters to kill Tor’vlexis for her. What Does she Know? Da’vok tends to speak in incomplete truths, avoiding outright lying, but occasionally omitting details that might lead back to who she really is. She imparts the following:

• She is an operative for someone who has an interest in protecting the city. She has previously worked with adventurers (possibly the characters) in order to investigate a new thieves’ guild forming in Hulburg. In the process, her allies uncovered that the guild was organized by a beholder called Tor’vlexis. The beholder was building a guide with plans on eventually spreading its grasp from the collapsed city of Sulasspryn to take over the guild in Waterdeep run by another beholder known as Xanathar. • In the process of chasing the beholder to Sulasspryn, her allies determined that the beholder had already abandoned that lair in favor of one in Thar somewhere between here and Glister with the reclusive Skullsmasher tribe of orcs. • In the name of saving the good people of Hulburg and Waterdeep, she begs the characters to locate the Skullsmasher tribe and the beholder’s new lair; preferably as fast and stealthy as possible in order to make the next part of the mission easier. • Once there, she wants the characters to sneak into the lair and either capture or kill the beholder. She Samplerealizes that is very unlikelyfile the characters are able to bring the beholder back to stand trial, especially given that he is hiding in the middle of a large

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. 4 CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions (v.1.0) Treasure & Rewards In order to reward the characters, Da’vok suggests that the city plans to be very generous with compensation should they bring the beholder or it’s body back as proof of their deeds. Until such time, she gives them some things to aid them. She offers them a chest with the following items:

• 50-ft. of hemp rope with grappling hook • Disguise kit • Spell scroll of invisibility • Spell scroll of silence • Potion of diminution Call to Action The characters mission at this point includes two to three objectives:

• Locate the Skullsmashers encampment, preferably with both speed and stealth. (Story Objective A) • Find and eliminate Tor’vlexis. (Story Objective B) • While in the Skullsmashers’ lair, uncover information identifying Tor’vlexis’ operatives already in Waterdeep. (Bonus Objective A) Learning About the Skullsmashers and Thar Some characters might want to ask around about the Skullsmashers or the land of Thar. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (History) or Charisma (Persuasion) recalls or tribe of orcs, so in this case, there may be no choice but finds out the following details: to kill him. • Thar is also known as the Great Gray Land. It is largely • Tor’vlexis is an EXTREMELY dangerous opponent. made of rocky moors and covers thousands of square Da’vok leaves it to the characters to determine the miles stretching from the Galena Mountains to the best way to accomplish their mission, but notes that Stojanow Vale and the Quivering Forest. stealth and speed seem the best option. Some gathered intelligence also suggests that there may be some orcs • It is well-known to be filled with feral tribes of orcs, who do not appreciate the beholder taking over their goblinoids, and ogres who constantly war with one tribe, despite the approval of the orcs’ leadership. There another. may be some allies among the orcs. • The Skullsmashers are a tribe from Thar who reside • If using Bonus Objective A: While her allies disrupted somewhere in the hills east of the trade path from the new guild’s plan locally, they learned that the Glister to Melvaunt. They fly banners of a skull with beholder had already sent some minions to Waterdeep. the crown smashed in. They are violent raiders and It is key to determine who these operatives are so as to known to be a large tribe whose leaders are particularly disrupt any plan against Waterdeep already in progress. cunning. Da’vok wants the characters to find information in the • The tribe was known to previously been led by ogres out Skullsmashers’ encampment that might be used to of the Fangjaws Hold, but fewer and fewer ogres have identify them. been seen in recent years and more orcs are among • This mission is meant to be a secret to the people their number as they have grown more reclusive and in general as the populace will panic if they know a insular. beholder leader group of rogues and orcs had infiltrated the city. Da’vok notes that because of this, neither If the characters need anything, they are welcome to herself nor the leadership of the city are able to publicly shop in Hulburg using items normally available in the acknowledgeSample them. Player’s Handbook, but Da’vok recommendsfile they get on the road as soon as possible before the beholder’s spies learn that they are coming for him. When the players are ready to leave for Thar, proceed to Episode 2.

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. 5 CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions (v.1.0) Episode 2: On the Road (Story Objective A)

Estimated Duration: 40 minutes to being able to see only a few feet while climbing a rocky defile. Use it to your advantage based on the type of story Thar the players seem most interested in. Lighting. Light varies with the time of day and the The land of Thar is bleak, rocky, windy, and generally weather. It is clear the first day, overcast the second, and miserable. The area where the Skullsmashers live is stormy on third. particularly hilly but dry, being away from the low-lying Wind. The howling wind makes it difficult to hear as wetlands found in the west. It is early fall, so the days are it wipes through the rocks. Wisdom (Perception) checks chilly and the evenings cold; with temperatures ranging based on sound are made with disadvantage. from 65 ˚F to 40 ˚F at night. This episode is made up of three scenes that the Finding the Way and Not Getting characters must navigate. Noticed The characters need to choose how they are traveling. Do they emphasize being careful or going fast? Do they choose stealth or travel in the open so they don’t get lost? These choices have effects on how they deal with the rest of parts of this scene. Care. If the party is traveling with care, they gain advantage on the saving throw to avoid the rockslide in Scene A. Open. If the party is traveling in the open, they gain advantage on Wisdom (Survival) check made to arrive early, however the orcs in Scene B automatically spot them before they get close. Speed. The characters arrive quickly enough that they avoid the lightning storm in Scene C. Stealth. If traveling with Stealth, the characters gain advantage on the Dexterity (Stealth) check to arrive undetected. At your discretion, magic or certain class features provide additional benefits. Once the characters have made their choices, play through these three scenes and once completed, have them attempt two group checks.

• The first is a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check. If half or more of the characters succeed, at the end of the three days the characters make it to the Fangjaws Hold early, before defenses are raised. • The second is a DC 15 Dexterity (Stealth) check. If half or more of the characters succeed, at the end of the three days the characters are not spotted by Prerequisites Skullsmasher scouts and make it to the Fangjaws Hold The characters pursue this path any time after meeting undetected, without any alarm being raised. with Da’vok. Story Objective A Scene A. Day One – The characters must locate Fangjaws hold and the Finding the Road Skullsmasher tribe. While the cluster of hills where Fangjaws Hold is Area Information located is generally known, the characters still need to find their way there while avoiding the natural dangers of ThisSample area features: the area. file Dimensions & Terrain. The land is all rocky hills with ample places to hide. The loose gravel is difficult on mounts not adapted to it (such as goats). Visibility varies, with being able to see for miles from the top of some hills Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. 6 CCC-CIC-16 Open Ambitions (v.1.0)