Trouble at Tresendar Manor

TROUBLE AT TRESENDAR MANOR

Presented by d20 Dames The town of Phandalin has seen its share of adventure. With bandits cleared out from the ruins of Tresendar Manor and coffers flowing from logging and mining, town council has sought to restore the historic site to its former glory. However, when the construction crew goes missing one night, a search party is sent to un- cover what new threat might lurk beneath the manor. A short adventure for 1st level characters

by KAT KRUGER Cover by Jen Vaughn*, Map by Meris Mullaley

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Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. TROUBLE AT TRESENDAR MANOR 1 Starting the Adventure Trouble at Tresendar Councilman Sildar Hallwinter is in the midst of gathering a search party when Ronwil “Stonerun- Manor ner” Banik enters the townmaster’s hall. He is one “My friends, let us not concern ourselves further with of the missing members of Banik Brothers’ Con- the unrest that has so plagued this estate.” struction Co., and tells of his harrowing escape —Sildar Hallwinter from Tresendar Manor. When Ronwil enters the scene, read:

A young male gnome in his forties limps into the hall, Background panting from exertion. Catching his breath, he exclaims, This mini-adventure is optimized for 1st level char- “Me brothers has gone missing. There’s a monster in acters. While the town of Phandalin is detailed in Tresendar Manor what come after us! Sildar, ye gotta the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set, this adven- help!” ture assumes the bandits have been dealt with and that their hideout in the Tresendar Manor crypts The six-person crew was hired on to restore the has been deserted. historic site to its former glory. They had started Mining and lumbering operations have made Phan- work in the past week, returning to their respec- dalin a thriving frontier town. After being laid waste tive homes in town every night. Ronwil reports that to by rampaging orc hordes and abandoned hun- they were working late when they heard noises dreds of years ago, new settlers from Neverwinter below. and Waterdeep have reclaimed the town. After making their way through the crypts a mon- ster attacked. The crew dispersed, running in all manner of directions. He managed to escape and is dismayed to discover his five brothers are still miss- Overview ing. If pressed for details, Ronwil is unable to ac- While in Phandalin, the adventuring party is re- curately describe the monster but believes it might cruited to rescue five member of the Banik Broth- have been a dragon. ers’ Construction Co. crew who went missing Sildar offers the adventuring party 50 gp for each overnight. They were working on restoration of brother who is safely returned. If Sildar joins the Tresendar Manor on the eastern edge of town when party, his objective is to protect the Banik brothers a monster attacked. One brother manages to escape who are unarmed or otherwise incapable of fight- to tell the tale of a dragon-like monster lurking in ing. the crypts. The characters find the crypts filled with traps Roleplaying Sildar Hallwinter and discover kobolds were hired to deter unwanted guests. After rescuing the last of the brothers, the A human male in his fifties, Sildar is a member of kobold employer arrives. He is a half-orc merchant the Lord’s Alliance and a retired warrior who now sits on the town council. Although he shows restraint in who had come into town two weeks prior with an- speech and mannerism, Sildar is an honorable and cestral claims to the manor but was laughed out of kind hearted soul who protects the innocent. His role town. In fact, the merchant is a thug and related to on the council is to ensure the security and prosperity the orc king who laid waste to Phandalin hundreds of Phandalin. of years prior.

What Sildar Knows Adventure Hook If asked about the history of the manor, characters can Trouble at Tresendar Manor begins with the char- learn the following useful information: acters resting the night in Phandalin. The town and • Bandits used the manor’s cellars as a secret hideout buildings are detailed in the Dungeons & Dragons until they were run out of town by another adventuring Starter Set. In the morning, a commotion at the party. townmaster’s hall draws their attention. Townsfolk • The town council decided to put funds toward restor- Sampleing the manor after a boom infile the economy from trade have gathered at the hall to voice their concerns and tourism. about six brothers who went missing overnight. • Two weeks ago, a half-orc merchant came to Phanda- lin with claims to Tresendar Manor. • The merchant, who went by the name of Olf Under- croft, was laughed out of town.

2 TROUBLE AT TRESENDAR MANOR Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Kobolds have a long-standing hatred of gnomes Tresendar Manor and are inclined to cause suffering toward them. The ruined manor is located on the easternmost When all the Banik brothers have been rescued, Olf edge of town on a low hill surrounded by thickets. Undercroft arrives via the tunnel south of area 8. The half-orc merchant is there for an unscheduled More of a castle than a manor, the building now stands inspection of the work undertaken by Sniv’s Traps in ruin. Canvas tarpaulin and wood scaffolding have & Tunnels. been erected along the collapsed walls to the north and south of the manor, clear signs of the renovation work being done by the Banik Brothers’ Construction Co. General Features

Any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelli- If the characters search the ruins, they enter the gence (History) check recalls that Sir Aldith Tres- crypts in area 1. A secret tunnel leads to area 8 and endar, known as “Black Hawk”, died fighting off an can be uncovered with a successful DC 15 Intel- orc horde in the caverns below the manor in 951 ligence (Investigation) check while searching the DR. He wielded a magical blade, its hilt shaped into woods south of the manor. a bird of prey and an inscription on the scabbard Ceilings. Unless otherwise indicated the rooms and read “Talon”. In that battle, Phandalin was laid passages are 10 feet high. waste to by the orcs and only rebuilt hundreds of Doors. All regular doorways are made of wood with years later as a frontier town for logging and mining iron hinges and handles. These are unlocked unless resources. stated otherwise. Sniv (area 12) and Meepo (area Each of the missing Banik brothers (five com- 9) each carry an iron key that can lock or unlock moner) is hidden in areas 4, 7, 8, 10 and 11. If at any door in the crypts. A locked door can be picked least one brother is with the adventuring party, and with thieves’ tools and a successful DC 10 Dexter- there is no imminent threat present, the hidden ity check. Alternatively, a locked door can be broken brother reveals himself. The brothers are unarmed. down with brute force when succeeding on a DC 20

Sample file

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. TROUBLE AT TRESENDAR MANOR 3 Strength check. 20 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the pressure Secret Doors. These areas on the map are marked plates. In order to disarm the trap a character must with an “S.” Secret doors are unlocked and made of succeed on a DC 20 Dexterity check with thieves’ stone with iron hinges that swing open. Any charac- tools, and a check of 5 or less results in triggering ter with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15 the trap. If the trap is triggered, an iron gate drops or higher and who is within ten feet of a secret door from the ceiling and bars the door from where the can detect it. Otherwise, in order to find a secret adventuring party entered. A lever in area 11 can be door a character must take the time to search the used to retract the gate. See “General Features” for wall and succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) more information on traps. check. The barrels contain salted meats, flour, sugar, ale, Light. The crypts are dark unless stated otherwise. and rotten apples. The boxed text for those locations assumes that the Cistern. The reservoir is 10 feet deep with a 2 foot characters have a light source or darkvision. rim and filled with fresh, clean water. Drain pipes Traps. A series of traps has been laid out by a com- from the roof maintain the water level. With a suc- peting kobold construction crew. Whenever one is cessful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check, a triggered, characters discover a business card left character sees movement below the water’s sur- behind crediting “Sniv’s Traps & Tunnels” for the face and shimmering objects at the bottom of the device. reservoir. Using a light source above the water or disturbing the surface in any manner attracts the Kobold Warren. Areas 9, 10, 11 and 12 have been attention of six quippers that leap to attack. mudded in to resemble an underground warren. The kobolds have also installed murder holes in Secret Door. A secret door is located in the south- the area between section 8 and 10, and an escape west corner of the room. It leads to area 8 by way of hatch in area 9 that leads to area 8 via slide. a passage that is armed with a crossbow trap. See “General Features” for more information on secret doors and traps. What the Kobolds Know If the characters intimidate or successfully question any of the kobolds, they can learn the following: Treasure • Sniv’s Traps & Tunnels is owned by a kobold inventor. The bottom of the cistern is lined with pebbles and • They have been working on restoring the manor for 10 malachite gems (10 gp each). one week, starting from the crypts. • Last night, the kobolds overheard intruders who fled from the giant lizard living in the crevasse. • Hired by a half-orc to deter unwanted guests. 2. Abandoned Barracks • In exchange for their services, the half-orc has granted the kobolds tunneling rights to the crevasse below the More barrels and crates fill the southern part of manor. the room. The storeroom also features two bunks pressed against the northern side of the room. The barrels here contain the same types of items as in 1. Cellar area 1.

Exploration of the grounds reveals construction A stench of decay wafts over you as the door swings material on the main floor consisting of wood open. The former storeroom was most recently pressed planks, hammers and nails. Characters easily find into service as a barracks of sorts. Two bunks occupy a doorway off the empty ruins of a kitchen with a the northern side with overturned barrels to the south makeshift wooden sign painted in Common with the words, “Under New Management.” spewing forth rotting meat and apples onto the stone floor. From all corners of the room, beady eyes gleam. The door opens to a 5-foot by 15-foot landing with stone stairs that lead further down into the cellar in A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) two short flights. To the north another closed door check reveals a swarm of rats occupies the room. stands between the facing stairs. There is nothing else of note in the room and the You have entered what appears to be a storage cellar — adventuring party can choose to leave them undis- turbed. a ratherSample musty one at that. A large, rectangular cistern file juts out from the middle of the western wall. Kegs and barrels are clustered along the walls on either side of it. 3. Trapped Untrapped Hall Pressure plates are installed on the tiles at the The former bandits who used Tresendar Manor as a base of the stairs. A character succeeding on a DC hideout had built a pit trap in the middle of the hall. 4 TROUBLE AT TRESENDAR MANOR Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.