The Book of the Raven arrived at Candlekeep, fittingly enough, by way of a raven in 1282 DR, the Year of the Many Mists. The raven bore the book in its talons, set it on the ground within Candlekeep’s walls, and pecked at its covers until an Avowed acolyte, witnessing this act of defilement, scared it away. The marred book quickly found its way into Candlekeep’s archives, where it garnered little attention until a visitor named Anil Zasperdes rediscovered it sixty years later and hid a treasure map inside it.
The treasure map is a prop around which you can create your own adventure, if you choose not to run the adventure described here.
Finding the Book
Characters in Candlekeep might uncover this book and the treasure map hidden inside it while researching one of the following topics:
- The Vistani and other planar travelers
- Possible routes into and out of the Shadowfell
Alternatively, the book can be delivered to the characters by a raven. Avoiding contact with strangers, it leaves the book in a place where the characters are likely to find it. This raven contains the restless soul of a dead girl named Heluthe, who wants to frighten away the squatters in Chalet Brantifax, her former home. The raven can’t speak or make its intentions clear, but it hopes the map in the book will lead characters to the chalet, which is described later in the adventure.
Book Description
This thin book bears no title inside or out, though the keepers of Candlekeep cataloged it as the Book of the Raven based on how it was received. Its covers are cracked, unvarnished thin sheets of black oak covered with bird scratches and little indentations made by pecking beaks. Bound with black wire between these covers are thirty-three pages that have yellowed with age and wrinkled from moisture. Each page bears tiny, blotchy brown script written in an unsteady hand by an unidentified author.
If the book is left open and unattended, its pages flutter and rustle as though stirred by a silent wind.
Tale of Vistani Kindness
The Book of the Raven is the firsthand account (written in Common) of an anonymous author who, after falling off her horse and breaking her leg, was rescued and befriended by Vistani travelers who graciously nursed her back to health. The author and her horse traveled with the Vistani for three months, during which the author spent most of her time laid up in a Vistani covered wagon, where she took to writing this book to pass the time. Although a dozen Vistani are colorfully described in the tome, only two are mentioned by name: Drasha, a teenaged girl who applied bandages and poultices to the author’s wounded leg, and Darzin, a one-armed boy with a terrible fear of wolves who sang beautiful songs to help the author take her mind off the pain.
The book provides a detailed account of the Vistani way of life, with emphasis on their food and music. Their overland journey is also discussed, albeit from the viewpoint of one who spent most of it inside a covered wagon. The author describes rough roads, days of travel through impenetrable mist and thick forest, crackling fires on cold nights, wolves howling in the dead of night, and ravens pecking at the roof of the wagon in the wee hours of the morning.
Late in the book, the author writes of being able to hobble about on crutches. She describes the cheery mood of her benefactors as the Vistani caravan traveled a winding mountain road to the gates of a tall, dark castle. The book ends with a description of the castle’s dreadful countenance. The writing abruptly stops on the third-to-last page, suggesting that the book was snatched from the author in midsentence. The last two pages are blank.
Vistani Lore
Characters who read the Book of the Raven learn the following information about the Vistani:
- The Vistani are planar travelers often encountered in the Shadowfell, and they seem to be immune to the despair that besets all other visitors to that plane. They travel in horse-drawn, barrel-shaped wagons and have no permanent home.
- The Vistani display their wealth openly as a sign of prosperity, sharing their good fortune with friends and strangers alike. Vistani resolve disagreements through contests that end with reconciliatory singing, dancing, and storytelling.
- Vistani families can be big or small, but each family is a gerontocracy, with the oldest member ruling the roost. This elder has most of the responsibility for enforcing traditions, settling disputes, setting the course for the group’s travels, and preserving the Vistani way of life.
- The Vistani have the power—some say gift—to travel through the mists that lead to forlorn realms within the Shadowfell known as the Domains of Dread, where creatures born in darkness dwell. This “gift” was thrust upon them by mysterious entities called the Dark Powers, as a boon for their kindness toward strangers.
- The Vistani believe that ravens carry lost souls within them. Hence, killing a raven is considered bad luck in Vistani culture.
Map of Mystery
The mystery surrounding the Book of the Raven has to do with the map Anil Zasperdes slipped between its pages. It’s clear that the map was never part of the book to begin with. You can photocopy and distribute the accompanying handout among your players when their characters find the map.
Zasperdes was a wereraven who had a gift for hiding things. He was also the founder of the Scarlet Sash, a group of wereravens known for stealing magic items from evil individuals and hiding evil items from the world at large. He chose the Book of the Raven as a hiding place for the map because anyone interested in its subject matter might also be interested in following the map to its destination: a ruined chalet nestled in remote highlands.
Wytchway
To use the map, the characters must first locate Wytchway, a hamlet that serves as a starting point. Its location is left deliberately vague so that you can place it anywhere you like. The characters can find it by consulting sages or old maps in Candlekeep.
Monster attacks forced the residents of Wytchway to abandon the hamlet years ago. All that remains is a broken-down wagon surrounded by rotted fences and dilapidated, fog-shrouded farmsteads overrun with wild pigs.
Following the Map
The character’s destination is Chalet Brantifax, which you can replace with some other tantalizing adventure location of your own creation. Little remains of the trail that once led to the chalet, which is depicted in the bottom left corner of the map, but the other landmarks are still present: rock formations called the Hand and the Horn, a tall outcropping of rock with three pine trees growing atop it, a river, a bridge, and a hill scorched by dragon fire.
Flesh out the journey to the chalet as you see fit, adding one or more combat encounters appropriate for the characters' level if the players are spoiling for a fight. The characters' journey ends with a slog up a lonely hill, atop which is perched the chalet.
Chalet Brantifax
This stone chalet was built for a wealthy noble named Baron Brantifax on a site chosen for its seclusion and scenic beauty. In the years following the baron’s death, the house fell prey to neglect, allowing the Scarlet Sash to lay claim to it without dispute. The wereravens chose the place because of its remoteness and its proximity to a shadow crossing, which they monitor for evil activity. See the “Shadowfell” section in the Dungeon Master’s Guide for more information on shadow crossings.
Ravenkind
During daylight hours, skittish ravens perch atop the chalet and alight on the tombstones in its graveyard. They nervously stare and squawk at visitors but pose no threat to the characters; when night falls, the ravens fly off, and an eerie silence settles over the house until sunrise, when they return.
As the characters will discover, these birds are actually Wereraven (see area the end of the adventure for their stat block). Wereravens live and travel in groups called kindnesses, and this particular kindness is called the Scarlet Sash.
Characters who observe the chalet at night can see lights moving within as members of the Scarlet Sash creep about the old house in humanoid form, using oil lanterns to light their way. These lights occasionally cluster in the upper stories of the tower (area area C14), where the wereravens spend the most time together.
The Scarlet Sash
Years after Anil Zasperdes’s death, members of the Scarlet Sash continue to use the chalet as a meeting place. They keep some robes, sandals, and scarlet sashes in the house so that they have clothing to wear while in humanoid form. They occasionally stash magic items of evil repute here until better hiding places can be found for them. Adventurers who come to the chalet expecting trouble might be surprised to learn that its current occupants are neither evil nor much of a threat.
The Scarlet Sash has eight members currently, though it has had as few as three and as many as twelve in the past. Four members are present when the characters arrive at Chalet Brantifax: Madrina Natterask, Taspar Hatchhill, Rennick Groka, and Vinique.
Madrina Natterask
Lawful good human wereraven (age 55)
A short, stocky glassblower with a modest collection of homemade bottles and flasks, Madrina sees herself as the matriarch of the kindness. She speaks calmly and matter-of-factly, and scolds those who display bad manners or foolish behavior. She can easily mimic the sound of breaking glass, which she likes to use to create a distraction.
Personality Trait
“I can be trusted with a secret and will carry that secret to the grave.”
Ideal
“Without vigilance, evil runs amok.”
Bond
“I love glass. I adore its colors and its polished gleam. Watching glass bend and take different forms reminds me that anything is possible.”
Flaw
“I love sticking my beak into everyone’s business.”
Taspar Hatchhill
Lawful good human wereraven (age 71)
The oldest member of the kindness and the chalet’s self-appointed caretaker is a tall, timid man with wispy white hair and a lazy left eye. Taspar is polite but nervous around strangers. He mimics the sound of a snorting hog to scare away treasure hunters.
Personality Trait
“Words fail me often, so I’m happy to let others speak on my behalf.”
Ideal
“I would rather eat a snake than fall prey to the trappings of the civilized world.”
Bond
“Birds can be greedy, but they’re not half as greedy as humans. I prefer to live among the birds, thank you very much.”
Flaw
“I stutter when I’m agitated.”
Rennick Groka
Lawful good human wereraven (age 22)
A morose, rail-thin figure, Rennick is cautious and wise beyond their years. They respect their fellow wereravens but are deeply mistrustful of others. Rennick frightens away unwanted visitors by mimicking the sound of creaking doors and floorboards, and bodies being dragged across the floor.
Personality Trait
“The Scarlet Sash gives me all the love I need. I don’t need any more.”
Ideal
“Freedom is the power to become a bird, take to the sky, and leave the world behind for a while.”
Bond
“The Scarlet Sash means everything to me. I’m honored to be part of this kindness and would die to preserve it.”
Flaw
“Wickedness ruins everything, and nothing I do seems to matter. I fear we’re all doomed to suffer the insufferable. Misery has become my bosom companion.”
Vinique
Lawful good human wereraven (age 30)
Vinique brought a ghastly, evil relic (see the “Orcus Figurine” sidebar later in the adventure) to the chalet. She stashes it in an old, nonfunctional lantern that she keeps with her at all times. Gifted with a wry wit and a witch’s cackle of a laugh, Vinique mimics the happy cries of small children and the screams of a dying man to frighten intruders.
Personality Trait
“Once I make a decision, that’s it. No one can change my mind.”
Ideal
“Evil might be everywhere, but as long as there’s breath in my body, I will never stop pecking at its heels.”
Bond
“Madrina is the mother I never had. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
Flaw
“I talk over others, and I always need to have the last word.”
Roleplaying the Wereravens
The wereravens convene in area area C14 of the chalet and use their powers of mimicry to frighten strangers. They can also throw their voices to make it seem like the sounds are coming from other parts of the chalet. If you’re not sure how to handle this, you can roll a
Wereraven Mimicry
| d6 | Sound and Source |
|---|---|
| 1 | Madrina mimics glass breaking and makes it sound like it’s coming from the servants' attic (area area C16). |
| 2 | Taspar mimics a snorting hog, which sounds like it’s coming from the kitchen (area area C7). |
| 3 | Rennick mimics a creaking door, which sounds like it’s coming from one of the guest rooms (area area C10 or area C11). |
| 4 | Rennick mimics creaking floorboards or a body being dragged across the floor, which sounds like it’s coming from whichever area is directly above or below the characters. |
| 5 | Vinique mimics a laughing child, which sounds like it’s coming from the attic nursery (area area C15). |
| 6 | Vinique mimics a dying man’s scream, which sounds like it’s coming from the storage cellar (area area C1). |
The wereravens are wary of visitors, particularly armed ones, and avoid direct contact with the characters for as long as possible. When they are no longer able to conceal their presence, the wereravens greet the characters in humanoid form, clad in sandals and dusty black robes with scarlet sashes tied about their waists, and assure the characters that they mean no harm. They assume that the characters have come for one of two reasons: either to loot the chalet or to use the shadow crossing in the graveyard. The wereravens assure them that there’s no treasure to be found in the chalet. If the characters act in a threatening or violent manner, the wereravens assume hybrid form or raven form and flee the chalet by the most expedient route, returning nevermore. (Other members of the kindness are warned to stay away from the chalet as well.)
Joining the Scarlet Sash
One or more characters might try to join the Scarlet Sash. To become a member of the kindness, a character must meet the following criteria:
- The character must be a wereraven.
- The character needs endorsements from at least three members of the kindness.
Characters who aren’t wereravens but who meet the other criteria for membership must find a patron in the Scarlet Sash or some other wereraven willing to turn them into lycanthropes. Any member of the Scarlet Sash who bestows the “gift” of wereraven lycanthropy on a character becomes responsible for that character’s conduct in the eyes of the other members of the kindness; therefore, the decision to bestow the gift is not made lightly.
Getting the endorsement of Scarlet Sash members isn’t as simple as succeeding on an ability check. Earning the trust and friendship of the wereravens should require good roleplaying, and it could take days, weeks, or months for members of the Scarlet Sash to trust any characters enough to welcome them into their tight-knit circle.
Members of the Scarlet Sash have no obligations other than to support the group’s goal of keeping evil items out of evil hands. Madrina asks only that members visit Chalet Brantifax on occasion and keep her apprised of their efforts in this regard.
A character who joins the Scarlet Sash can leave the kindness at any time without fear of reprisal. If subjected to a
Encounter Locations
Chalet Brantifax stands atop a high hill overlooking fog-shrouded scrubland. It has brick walls, sturdy wooden doors with rusty iron hinges and fittings, oak floors between levels, and clay roof tiles. The wereravens come and go through holes in the roof of the attic (area areas C16 and area C17). The chalet’s doors are unlocked, although the outer door (see area area C4) can be barred from within. Most of the windows are encrusted with dirt and have drapes or wooden shutters in poor condition.
The elements have gained a foothold inside the chalet, causing plaster to peel, wood to rot, metal fixtures to rust, and floors to bow and creak. Whatever grandeur the chalet possessed in its heyday is gone, replaced by the sight and stench of mold and decay.
The following locations are keyed to the map of Chalet Brantifax.
Cellar (C1-C3)
C1. Storage Cellar
To reach this cellar, the characters must descend a flight of stone steps from area area C4.
This cold, damp, oddly shaped cellar has an eight-foot-high wooden ceiling and a flagstone floor. The walls are made of rough, mortared bricks. Thick cobwebs cover crates, barrels, and old furniture stacked against the north wall. To the south are a pair of closed wooden doors. The door farthest from you swings open on rusty hinges, and beyond it you see a smaller, almost sepulchral chamber.
A change in air pressure causes the door to area area C3 to swing open, and the characters hear a whisper coming from that direction. Characters who have a passive Wisdom (
The crates and barrels are empty. The old furniture includes six chairs, two hutches, an ottoman, an empty cabinet, a desk sized for a child, and a coat rack.
C2. Servants' Quarters
The door to this room is closed and stuck, having swollen in its frame. A creature can use an action to try to force it open, doing so with a successful DC 13 Strength check.
This cold, windowless room contains a pair of wood-framed beds, two narrow wardrobes, and an old rug. Mounted on the east wall between the beds is a wooden shelf supporting a pair of candlesticks. The candles in them are unlit.
This room served as living quarters for the baron’s cook and the chalet’s groundskeeper. The wardrobes are empty, and anything of value in the room was removed long ago.
C3. Haunted Well
The only feature of this damp, cold, circular room is a four-foot-diameter well in the middle of the floor. Next to this shaft sits a wooden bucket fastened to a coiled length of rope.
The bottom of the shaft is veiled in darkness. From its depths, a whispering voice says, “Brorn! Where are you, boy?”
After the death of Brorn, his beloved mastiff, Baron Brantifax was beset by spells of sleepwalking, during which he would wander about the chalet looking for his lost hound. The servants mistook his sleepwalking for temporary madness brought on by insomnia, and they assumed he was awake at the time. He was sleepwalking when he fell down the well, and he drowned before the servants could get him out. The haunting whispers of his restless spirit terrified the staff, who fled the chalet shortly thereafter. The baron’s spirit is too weak to manifest physically or cause any harm.
The rough brick walls of the well shaft can be climbed with a successful DC 11 Strength (
Treasure
Any character who spends at least 15 minutes searching the bottom of the well’s cistern finds a holy symbol of Sune (god of love and beauty) on a gold chain. The item is worth 25 gp and doubles as a cameo. It contains a tiny portrait of the baron’s wife, whom the characters might recognize from the larger framed portrait in area area C17. If this cameo is reunited with the baron (whose remains are interred in area area C9), the baron’s spirit is laid to rest, and each character responsible for this act gains a charm of heroism (see “Supernatural Gifts” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
Ground Floor (C4-C9)
C4. Cloakroom
The door leading outside has a wooden crossbar that can be lowered into iron brackets on either side of the doorframe, sealing the door from the inside. A creature can use an action to try to break down this barred door, doing so with a successful DC 23 Strength check.
Rusty iron hooks line the walls of this entrance foyer. Hanging from two of these hooks are a shovel and a rake. A dusty cloak is draped over a hook next to a round-topped door in the south wall.
Two harmless moths fly out of the cloak if the garment is disturbed. One of the cloak’s pockets contains a rusty iron key that unlocks the padlock in area area C16.
C5. Den
Light enters this spacious room through a bulge in the north wall, where cracked and broken windows look out over a foggy vale. Dusty sheets cover most of the room’s furnishings. Cobwebs stretch between the antlers, wolf heads, and other hunting trophies mounted on the walls above the wainscoting. A pale rectangle above the large fireplace suggests that a picture or a mirror once hung there.
Baron Brantifax liked to hunt. From time to time, the baron invited other hunters to join him and his hound on his merry hunts, after which they would socialize and wait for meals here. Although the trophies testify to the baron’s hunting skills, nothing in the den is particularly valuable. A painting of the baron and his wife once hung above the fireplace, but the servants took it down and moved it to the attic (area area C17) after the baron died.
A creaky wooden staircase with a beautifully carved banister climbs to a landing outside the parlor (area area C8). Near the stairs is a partially open door through which the kitchen (area area C7) can be seen. A short hallway connects to the dining room (area area C6).
C6. Dining Room
This circular chamber at the base of the tower contains a large oak dining table surrounded by six high-backed chairs carved with images of stags. Suspended above the table is a gaudy chandelier tied off with ropes. Puddles of water on the flagstone floor are the result of moisture seeping in through three narrow, broken windows evenly spaced around the tower wall. A fireplace set into the wall is blackened by soot.
A search of the room yields nothing of value. Members of the Scarlet Sash don’t use this room very often, so there are no signs of traffic or other recent disturbances.
C7. Kitchen
The ghostly scent of meals past still haunts this kitchen, forever trapped in the wood of its tables, the soot in its hearth, and the grime in its pots, many of which hang from hooks about the room. Almost everything you would expect to see in a kitchen of this size can be found here, including dish-filled cupboards, cleaning supplies, and cooking utensils. Mice scurry across the floor, trying their best to avoid you.
It’s clear that the kitchen still sees use. Members of the Scarlet Sash store rations and spices in some of the pots and cauldrons, to keep them away from the mice, and a few dirty dishes are stacked near a washbasin, waiting to be cleaned.
C8. Parlor
The centerpiece of this parlor is a gold-inlaid low table, around which a handful of overstuffed chairs and sofas are neatly arranged. Other furniture includes a cabinet full of glass decanters and wine goblets, and a six-foot-tall gilded harp standing in the northwest corner. A staircase in the northeast corner ascends to the second floor, and several dusty sheets lie in a small heap nearby.
The harp and the table, though obviously valuable, are heavy and awkward to transport.
The wereravens removed the sheets that covered the furniture in this room so that they could use the space from time to time. They left the sheets in a heap by the spiral staircase.
C9. Graveyard
A seven-foot-tall wrought iron fence encloses a small graveyard south of the chalet. Set into the north side of the enclosure is a gate with the name BRANTIFAX worked into an arch above it. In the yard are four graves, each marked with an engraved headstone.
The elements have eroded the lettering on the headstones, so characters must be within 5 feet of one to read its weather-worn inscription. From north to south, the headstone engravings (in Common) read as follows:
Baron Brantifax
Husband, Father, Hunter
“Let No Man Stand Above Another”
BRORN
Hound of Brantifax
Faithful to the End
HELUTHE
Our Pride and Joy
Lost Too Soon
SYLPHENE
Beloved Daughter
May She Find Peace at Last
The characters can use the shovel in area area C4 to dig up the graves if they so desire. Buried six feet under each headstone is a rotting wooden coffin containing the moldy bones of its occupant, or something more terrifying. The baron’s two daughters, Sylphene and Heluthe, perished at the ages of six and nine, respectively, and for different reasons (see area area C12 for details).
A hag stole Heluthe’s corpse a few years ago and replaced it with a scarecrow and two Crawling Claw that try to murder anyone who releases them. If exhumed, Syphene’s skeleton shows signs of hideous deformities. Brorn, the baron’s mastiff, died of old age shortly before the death of its master. Characters who stand on Baron Brantifax’s grave feel a harmless chill run through them.
Treasure
Baron Brantifax had no heirs when he died, so he was buried with his gold signet ring (25 gp), which bears the silhouette of a stag.
Using the Shadow Crossing
Sylphene’s grave is a shadow crossing, which the characters can use without offending members of the Scarlet Sash. Characters who befriend the wereravens can learn how the shadow crossing works (see the “area Shadow Crossing” section at the end of the adventure).
Second Floor (C10-C14)
C10. Guest Room
The door to this room is open.
This bedroom hasn’t been disturbed in years, as evidenced by the thick dust and cobwebs covering everything.
Furnishings include a narrow bed with a moldy mattress and an elegantly carved headboard, an empty wooden dresser, a nightstand, a coat rack, and a padded armchair. An oval mirror hangs on the wall next to the door.
C11. Guest Room
This room is similar to area C10, except that its door is closed.
C12. Study
Against the west wall stands a handsome rolltop desk, north of which two leather-padded armchairs face a fireplace carved with images of wolves and stags. Draped over each chair is a wolf skin. A narrow spiral staircase choked with cobwebs winds up the east wall.
The spiral staircase leads up to the attic nursey (area area C15). The staircase hasn’t been used in years.
The rolltop desk is locked, and its key is missing. A character can use an action to try to pick the lock using thieves' tools, doing so with a successful DC 13 Dexterity check. A character can also smash the desk’s lock with a blunt weapon.
The desk holds a set of calligrapher’s supplies and a leather-covered journal with a stylized wolf’s head on the front cover. The journal belongs to Baron Brantifax’s wife and contains her delicate handwriting. In it, she describes her visits to the chalet, which she hated, and the tribulations of her daughters, whom she adored. Any character who spends an hour reading the journal learns the following:
- Baron Brantifax was an avid hunter and often invited guests to the chalet to hunt with him. The baroness admired his generous nature and his vigor.
- The baron loved his trusty mastiff, Brorn, as much as he did his wife and children. The baroness disliked it when the baron fed the hound scraps from the dining table.
- The baroness felt too isolated at the chalet. She much preferred the trappings of civilization and city life.
- Sylphene, the couple’s firstborn daughter, was bedridden, having been born with terrible physical deformities. The baroness was glad that Sylphene could be housed in the chalet, to keep her far from the public’s eye. A nursemaid was hired to watch over the child while the baroness was away. The baroness describes Sylphene’s death at the age of six as “merciful,” and there’s some indication that the baroness had a hand in it.
- Heluthe, the younger daughter of the baron and baroness, was a tomboy—more like her father than her mother. Heluthe was slain on her ninth birthday, killed by a wolf while out hunting with her father. The baroness doesn’t blame her husband for Heluthe’s death, but neither does she absolve him of his guilt.
- Both daughters were buried in the chalet’s graveyard, at the baron’s insistence. In her final journal entry, the baroness speaks of “evil whispers” in the graveyard and makes plans to leave Chalet Brantifax, vowing never to return.
C13. Master Bedroom
This spacious bedroom has walls decorated with wainscoting and rusty oil lamps. A four-poster stands against the south wall, its bedposts carved to look like stags and wolves. Opposite the bed is a stone hearth with a black marble mantel that has a pair of elk antlers mounted above it. A bare, dust-covered writing desk is set against the west wall under a pair of tall windows flanked by burgundy drapes. Other furnishings include a tall wardrobe in the northeast corner and an empty dog kennel in the southeast corner.
The wereravens share this room, which belonged to Baron Brantifax and his wife. The bed is the only piece of furniture that’s bolted to the floor, as one of its bedposts unlocks a nearby secret door.
Secret Door
Characters who search the room for secret doors find one along the southwest wall. The bedpost closest to the secret door can be twisted counterclockwise; doing so causes the secret door to swing open, revealing area C14 beyond. A character can use an action to try to open the secret door using thieves' tools, doing so with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.
C14. Baron’s Loft
Members of the Scarlet Sash gather in this part of the tower to hatch their secret plans (see “area The Scarlet Sash” earlier in the adventure). If they are here when the characters arrive, note their presence before reading the boxed text to the players:
An explosion of some kind damaged the two uppermost levels of this tower, creating a gaping hole between them and covering the area with soot. A curved wooden staircase that once rose along the outer wall has been destroyed, leaving no easy way to reach what remains of the tower’s topmost floor. All that’s left of the staircase are a few jagged shards of wood that jut out from the wall at different angles.
What’s left of the staircase is not fit to climb. The explosion that destroyed it and much of the uppermost floor was triggered accidentally by the wereravens. Baron Brantifax dabbled in alchemy, and the characters can find some damaged and worthless alchemist’s supplies if they search through the wreckage on the lower level.
Scarlet Sash Conference
If they are encountered here, the members of the Scarlet Sash are in the midst of discussing where best to hide the figurine of Orcus that’s in Vinique’s possession (see the “Orcus Figurine” sidebar). If this conference is allowed to play out, the wereravens conclude that the chalet is the best place to hide the figurine temporarily, whereupon Vinique buries it under some rubble in this room. See “area The Scarlet Sash” earlier in the adventure for tips on how to roleplay the wereravens.
Secret Door
The secret door leading to area C13 can’t normally be opened from this side. Even so, a character can use an action to try to open the door using thieves' tools, doing so with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.
Treasure
On the uppermost level of the tower, not visible to characters on the lower level, is an unlocked wooden chest with a scorched lid and clawed iron feet. Its interior is divided into small compartments, one of which contains a
Stuffed in the chest’s other compartments are six trinkets that the wereravens picked up in their travels and which they won’t give up as readily as the potion. Determine each trinket randomly by rolling on the Trinkets table in the Player’s Handbook.
Orcus Figurine
Vinique the wereraven stole this
Orcus Figurine sculpture from an evil merchant before it could be sold at auction in a major city. Carved from an ogre’s petrified heart, the gray figurine depicts the Demon Prince of Undeath in ghastly detail, clutching his skull-topped wand in one hand and three severed heads by the hair in the other. The figurine smells like decaying flesh, and this scent is detectable out to a range of 5 feet.The figurine is a Tiny object with AC 17, 3 hit points, and immunity to all types of damage except radiant damage. A
detect evil and good spell or similar magic reveals that the figurine has been desecrated. As long as it has at least 1 hit point, the figurine has the following magical properties:
Undead within 30 feet of the figurine can’t be turned.
Dead creatures within 30 feet of the figurine can’t be brought back to life.
A creature that holds the figurine while praying to Orcus for at least 1 hour has a 10 percent chance of summoning a smoky avatar of the demon lord. Once this avatar is summoned, it can’t be summoned again for 30 days. Orcus’s avatar has the statistics of a wraith except that it’s chaotic evil. It attacks all non-undead creatures it encounters, and it disappears after 1 hour or when reduced to 0 hit points.
Third Floor (C15-C17)
C15. Attic Nursery
This attic has a peaked roof that slopes down toward the east and west. Dust blankets everything in the room, including a stone hearth in the middle of the north wall, an oval mirror mounted above it, and an oval rug on the floor. Against the west wall, half hidden behind curtains of cobwebs, is a bed sized for a young child, a rocking chair, a shelf lined with dolls, and a washbasin. A niche to the south contains a small wooden cradle, a wooden playpen, and a window box. Suspended above the playpen is a mobile made of colorfully painted fish on the ends of hooks.
Baron Brantifax had two daughters, both of whom died young (see area area C12 for more information). This room was set aside for them. If characters disturb any of the dolls on the shelf, the spirit of Sylphene manifests in the room as a poltergeist that uses the specter stat block, with the modifications in the “Variant: Poltergeist” sidebar that appears alongside the stat block in the Monster Manual. It tries to frighten away the characters and discourage further exploration of the nursery.
C16. Servants' Attic
The door that closes off this room from the staircase is stuck, having swollen in its frame. A creature can use an action to try to shoulder it open, doing so with a successful DC 13 Strength check.
Two gaping holes in the peaked roof expose this attic to the elements. Shattered clay roof tiles, splinters of wood, dry leaves, and bird droppings cover the floor, which has begun to rot in a number of places. The rafters are home to several birds' nests formed out of twigs and straw.
Two wooden bed frames stand against the north wall. Built into the window box between them is a wooden storage trunk sealed with a rusty padlock. Other furnishings in the room include a pair of tall, narrow wardrobes.
The floor groans and creaks ominously when stepped on, but it’s not in danger of collapsing.
One of the beds belonged to the baron’s personal valet and hunting companion; the other was used by a maid.
Padlocked Trunk
The padlock on the window box storage trunk can be opened using the key found in area area C4 or smashed with a solid hit from a bludgeoning weapon. A character can use an action to try to pick the lock using thieves' tools, doing so with a successful DC 12 Dexterity check. The trunk contains some of Baron Brantifax’s hunting paraphernalia: a suit of
Wardrobes
Members of the Scarlet Sash come here and hang up their robes and sashes before taking raven form, storing them and their extra clothes in the wardrobes and using the holes in the roof as their principal way of entering and exiting the chalet. Characters who search the wardrobes find five dusty black robes, five pairs of leather sandals, and five scarlet sashes.
C17. Storage Attic
You can see the sky through two large holes in the peaked roof of this attic. Much of the area has fallen prey to the elements, causing the objects stored here to rot. The room is filled with old chairs, tables, benches, hunting trophies, rolled-up rugs, a standing mirror, and similar unwanted decor. Leaning against the east wall are six flat, rectangular objects wrapped in canvas sheets—framed pictures or mirrors, one might venture to guess.
As the characters search this room, a tiny bird flutters out of hiding and flees through a hole in the roof. The bird is harmless.
Treasure
The framed objects wrapped in canvas are two gilt-framed mirrors, one of which is cracked, and four wood-framed oil paintings. The unbroken mirror is worth 50 gp, as is each painting.
One painting depicts three deer grazing on a hilltop, backlit by the dawn. Another shows a gray mastiff with a dead duck in its mouth. A third depicts an armored human knight on a hippogriff, both shown in profile; the knight’s shield bears the holy symbol of Torm (god of courage and self-sacrifice). The fourth painting is a portrait of Baron Brantifax seated in a chair, with a gray mastiff sleeping at his feet, and his wife standing by his side. Brantifax is depicted as a stout, well-dressed man in his fifties, with bags under his eyes. The baroness is shown as a tall, thin woman in her fifties. One of her hands rests gently on the baron’s shoulder, while the other grasps a small bouquet of roses. The painting expertly captures the nobles' aristocratic bearing and the genuine love they bore for each other.
Shadow Crossing
Sylphene, the baron’s deformed daughter, was a tortured soul. After she was interred, her grave became a shadow crossing—a gateway to the Shadowfell. To use this gate, the characters must first open Sylphene’s grave and remove the coffin (see area area C9). In the darkest hours of the night, fog leaches into the open grave and fills it. Any creature that lies down in the fog-filled grave at night is instantly transported to a similar dug-up grave in the Shadowfell. There’s nothing on the Shadowfell side of the crossing as grand as Chalet Brantifax, but the topography is similar, with a matching burial site situated in the middle of a large necropolis full of open graves, tilted headstones worn bare of inscriptions, and plundered mausoleums. The necropolis, which is roughly circular and 300 feet in diameter, is home to a host of creatures that attack the characters in waves:
- Two Gargoyle roost atop a stone mausoleum located 30 feet north of the shadow crossing. The gargoyles have an unobstructed view of the entire necropolis and keep a close eye on the shadow crossing.
- If the gargoyles are destroyed or if the characters move more than 30 feet from the shadow crossing, twelve Ghoul hiding in open graves converge on the characters in four groups of three, each group approaching from a different cardinal direction. They hunger for flesh.
- A wight named Drovath Harrn inhabits the mausoleum atop which the gargoyles perch. Drovath emerges from his crypt to join the ghouls in battle. On his right hand, Drovath wears a
ring of jumping that he uses to leap onto the rooftops of the mausoleums, from where he can pick off enemies with his longbow.
Drovath and the ghouls can move freely about the necropolis day or night due to the persistent gloom of the Shadowfell, but a curse prevents them from leaving the place. Characters who defeat these creatures are free to continue their exploration of the Shadowfell, having survived their first brush with death in this ghastly realm.
Harrn Mausoleum
Beyond the mausoleum’s unlocked gate lies a central chamber strewn with the skulls and bones of three warhorses that were entombed here with their riders. Two of the mausoleum’s three sarcophagi are closed and contain inanimate human bones. The third is open, its lid lying broken on the floor behind it. This sarcophagus, which once held the corpse of Drovath Harrn, now appears to be empty.
Treasure
A hidden compartment in the base of the open sarcophagus can be found with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (
Back to the Material Plane
Characters can use the shadow crossing to return to Chalet Brantifax’s graveyard, but only in the gloomy hours of the morning. Given the chance, however, members of the Scarlet Sash take the time to fill in Sylphene’s grave, holding no hope of the characters' return. In a darkly humorous turn of events, characters who use the shadow crossing to try to get back to Chalet Brantifax might find themselves buried under six feet of earth! A character can use an action to try to crawl out of the grave, doing so with a successful DC 13 Strength (
Wereravens who are friendly toward the characters are eager to hear about their experience in the Shadowfell and can also provide a hook that leads the characters to their next adventure, depending on what direction you want the campaign to go next.
Wereraven
Wereraven are secretive and wary of strangers. They keep mostly to themselves, respect local laws, and strive to do good whenever possible. They are reluctant to attack with their beaks in raven or hybrid form for fear of spreading their curse to those who don’t deserve it or would abuse it.
A Kindness of Wereravens
Wereravens refer to their tightly knit groups as kindnesses. Not surprisingly, wereravens get along well with ravens and often hide in plain sight among them.
Charitable Collectors
Wereravens collect shiny trinkets and precious baubles. They are fond of sharing their wealth with those in need and, in their humanoid forms, modestly give money to charity. They take steps to keep magic items out of evil hands by stashing them in secret hiding places.
Wereraven Lycanthropy
The lycanthropes entry in the Monster Manual has rules for characters afflicted with different forms of lycanthropy. The following text applies to wereraven characters specifically.
A character cursed with wereraven lycanthropy gains a Dexterity of 15 if their score isn’t already higher. Attack and damage rolls for the wereraven’s beak are based on whichever is higher of the character’s Strength and Dexterity. The peck of a wereraven deals 1 piercing damage in raven form (no ability modifier applies to this damage), or
1d4 piercing damage in hybrid form (the character’s ability modifier applies to this damage). This attack carries the curse of wereraven lycanthropy.