Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion

• An Adventure for 9th-level Characters

• Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray

• Developed by Christopher Perkins

• Written by Amy Vorpahl

In this adventure, the characters fight against a ticking clock to stop a misguided cult from launching one of Candlekeep’s towers into space, along with a small trove of valuable tomes. One of the cultists has a change of heart and tries to thwart the whole enterprise by stealing one of the books, hoping to delay the launch. This book ends up in the characters' possession after the cultist dies while carrying it.

Titled Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion, the book describes how Candlekeep was built and contains architectural diagrams for most of its structures. The book’s author, a former Keeper of Tomes named Isajar, also describes the magical wards protecting Candlekeep. Among other things, Isajar was well known for detesting the use of the letter C as a hard consonant, preferring the letter K.

Beginning the Adventure

Read or paraphrase the following to the players, adjusting to account for their location in Candlekeep, when you’re ready to begin:

You are approached by a decrepit, gray-bearded dwarf in a custodial uniform carrying a heavy, square tome bound in black leather. The weight of the book causes the old dwarf to wheeze, squint, and clench his teeth. Before he can utter a word, his knees buckle and he collapses with the book pressed underneath him.

The dwarf, Buron Sternmettle, is dead—the victim of a sudden heart attack. Because his soul doesn’t want to return, spells such as revivify and raise dead can’t restore him to life.

Buron Sternmettle was a quiet Avowed acolyte who also belonged to a secret cult called the Livestock. In the cult, Buron was known by the alias Rooster Muffin (see “area Stonky’s Cult” later in the adventure). A search of Buron’s body yields nothing of value except the book he was carrying.

Book Description

Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion is bound in sturdy black leather, with the title and Isajar’s name neatly engraved on the front cover and spine. Images of a smiling dwarf and a builder’s hammer are stamped into the front cover. Its crisp white pages, which measure fifteen inches square, are marred by an occasional smudge or tear from a reader’s thumb. A quick flip through the book reveals diagrams and descriptions of almost every location in Candlekeep.

Secrets of the Barn Door

Any character who studies the book comes across a bookmark at an unusual set of renderings for a tower known as the Barn Door. How it got that name is not explained. On the facing page is a floor plan detailing the tower’s lowest level (a small dungeon complex), which contains an array of odd mechanical devices. Any character viewing these diagrams who succeeds on a DC 25 Intelligence (Arcana) check can ascertain that the devices are designed to launch the tower into the sky—perhaps all the way to the stars.

What Next?

If the characters are alone, they can notify other members of the Avowed about the death. Acolytes remove Buron’s body, seizing the book with a firmness that makes it clear the dwarf should not have had it in his possession. If asked, the acolytes explain that the book came from the restricted vaults and is not to be viewed by outsiders.

Barn Door Inquiries

If the characters ask about the Barn Door, any friendly member of the Avowed can share what little information they know:

• The Barn Door is one of many towers in Candlekeep’s Inner Ward. Like everything else in the Inner Ward, it’s off limits to most visitors.
• The tower has been condemned for years, though the reason has become obscure. No effort has been made to tear it down or repair it.
• There have been a few recent reports of strange noises coming from the tower, but nothing to warrant great concern.

Speaking with the Dead

Characters who can cast the speak with dead spell or similar magic might be able to question Buron’s corpse. If asked the right questions, the dead dwarf can furnish the following information:

• Buron, a custodial engineer, was a member of a secret Candlekeep cult called the Livestock. In the cult, the dwarf was known as Rooster Muffin.
• The leader of the Livestock is a gnome visionary and Avowed zealot named Stonky J. Noptopper. He aims to keep Candlekeep’s most valuable tomes from falling into the hands of the unworthy (anyone who is not an Avowed).
• After reading Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion, Stonky realized that one of Candlekeep’s towers—the Barn Door—is actually a flying vehicle powered by arcane devices called rockets.
• With the help of several constructs, Stonky has spent months secretly repairing the Barn Door with the goal of launching it into space. The gnome plans to take a choice selection of the library’s books with him.
• Once he realized that Stonky was insane, Buron stole Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion, hoping to delay the launch of the tower long enough for someone to thwart Stonky’s mad scheme.

Further Investigation

Characters who offer to investigate the Barn Door are initially denied access, since visitors to Candlekeep are not permitted to enter the Inner Ward. Then a sudden new development changes everything.

Earthquake!

Rather than halt or slow Stonky’s progress, the theft of Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion has inspired the gnome to accelerate his plan to launch the Barn Door into space. Soon after the book finds its way to the characters, an earthquake rattles Candlekeep.

An earthquake causes all of Candlekeep to shudder! And then it stops as quickly as it began.

A range of emotions from calm assertiveness to outright panic spreads through the Avowed and visitors alike as folk gather in the Court of Air. No one can recall the last time an earthquake shook the library.

Characters who talk to witnesses and compare their own recollections of the quake can try to ascertain its nature. With a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana or Nature) check, a character is confident that the earthquake wasn’t magically created. As such, it must have been caused by a natural phenomenon.

What’s Happening?

Decades of neglect have made the Barn Door inoperable as a vehicle. But now Stonky has repaired that damage with the help of his cult, made up of members of Candlekeep’s custodial staff, as well as several homemade constructs called skitterwidgets (described at the end of the adventure). As soon as he learned about the theft of Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion, Stonky test-fired the ship’s rockets, which triggered the earthquake.

Following the test, Stonky set the Barn Door on an automatic countdown to launch. The characters have 1 hour (starting from when the earthquake ends) to deactivate the countdown timer or disable the rocket before it blasts off and launches Stonky’s cult (and its modest collection of books) into space.

Investigating the Quake

Among the folk gathered in the Court of Air is Bookwyrm the dragonborn, who was having a drink in the Hearth when the earthquake struck. Bookwyrm is the First Reader of Candlekeep (see the “area Candlekeep” section earlier in this book) and has the authority to grant access to the library’s Inner Ward.

If the characters make the case that the Barn Door should be investigated at once, Bookwyrm listens to what they have to say, then puts them in charge of the investigation, escorts them through the Emerald Door, and gives them directions to the tower. Along the way, the First Reader explains that the Barn Door was condemned years ago when sages concluded it was no longer safe for occupancy. Bookwyrm knows nothing about the Barn Door’s true nature, having never read Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion or entered the tower. He does, however, know the command word to bypass the arcane lock spell on the tower’s front door (“jeopardy”), which he shares with the party.

If asked about Stonky Noptopper, the First Reader knows that the rock gnome oversees the custodial staff assigned to clean and maintain the towers of the Inner Ward. Bookwyrm believes that Stonky would never do anything to endanger Candlekeep.

Heading to the Barn Door

It takes 5 minutes to walk from the Emerald Door to the Barn Door. As the characters begin to investigate the condemned tower, Bookwyrm meets with the Keeper of Tomes and the Great Readers to discuss next steps. None of them can act soon enough to stop the Barn Door’s launch. From this point forward, the characters are on their own.

Stonky’s Cult

The Livestock is the name of Stonky’s secret cult of custodial engineers, chosen as a play on the Barn Door tower’s name. All the cult’s members came to Candlekeep hoping to be accepted as acolytes, but the leaders of the Avowed never gave them the opportunity. The custodians recruited by Stonky are united in their bitter belief that they have been overlooked and underappreciated.

Stonky has persuaded his followers that the way to ascend in the hierarchy is to reveal that the higher-ups are not as capable of protecting the lore of Candlekeep as they should be. He dreams of delivering a solution for its protection that no Avowed has yet considered: sending the most important books in the library into space.

The cultists look to Stonky for validation and the promise of ultimate knowledge. Having finally found purpose in the triviality of their roles, the cultists take up positions in the tower when the countdown to launch begins.

Stonky has assigned aliases to the members of the Livestock. Each alias is a combination of a farm animal and a farm export, as shown in the Livestock Cult Members table. All these cultists are chaotic neutral and wear custodial uniforms.

Livestock Cult Members

The Barn Door

When the characters arrive at the Barn Door, read or paraphrase the following:

The Barn Door is a three-story stone tower topped with a roof of metal shingles painted red. The only entrance appears to be a ground-level iron door with a wooden sign bolted to it that reads in Common, “Danger! No Trespassing!”

There’s nothing outwardly peculiar about the tower. It has a retractable roof on its topmost level (see area area B4), but this feature can be noted only from above, not from the ground. The Barn Door’s rockets can’t be seen because they’re hidden underground. Characters who examine the ground around the tower find several metal shingles that came loose during the test firing.

Barn Door Features

The tower has the following features.

• Ceilings. Ceilings throughout are 10 feet high and have murals painted on them depicting humanoids with the heads of farm animals.
• Cleanliness. The interior is cleaned daily by the cultists and is free of dirt, dust, and cobwebs.
• Doors and Windows. Doors are made of iron and fitted with iron fittings and handles. The tower’s windows, which are made of a transparent metal called glassteel, can’t be opened or smashed by any mundane means.

Light

All areas of the tower are lit by lanterns holding wax candles.

Barn Door Locations

The following locations are keyed to the map of the Barn Door.

B1. Library

The tower’s front door is sealed with an arcane lock spell, the password for which is “jeopardy.” Stonky and his cultists know the password. The door can also be opened with a knock spell or similar magic, or broken down with a successful DC 30 Strength (Athletics) check.

The tower’s ground floor smells of old books and has walls lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Wood-framed doors set with small, diamond-shaped panes of glass keep the books secure on the shelves, each section of which has a rolling ladder anchored to a ceiling rail.

Three custodians are working here, sweeping the floors: a human, a gnome, and a half-elf.

After Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion was stolen from this room, Stonky ordered three of his most fanatical Cultist—Alpaca Macadamia Nuts (the human), Chicken Peach (the rock gnome), and Cow Cotton (the half-elf)—to guard the remaining books. The three of them attack intruders at once and gladly throw away their lives for Stonky’s cause. Each wields their heavy broom as a weapon, using the statistics for the cultist’s scimitar attack but dealing bludgeoning damage.

After the fight, or as the characters get a better look at the room during the fight, add the following:

Against the far wall, a wooden staircase covered with green carpeting leads up. In front of the staircase rests a golden credenza with images of farm animals carved into it. A high-backed chair with burgundy cushions sits behind the credenza.

Books

Members of the Livestock have been snatching books from other parts of Candlekeep and storing them in this room for eventual transport into outer space. Although the cultists believe this collection to be priceless, most of the books are plodding dissertations of questionable value. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by title. A gap on one shelf shows where Kandlekeep Dekonstruktion was stored before Buron took it.

Credenza and Chair

These furnishings were installed in the tower when it was built. They are unremarkable, albeit finely made.

Secret Door

A secret door is built into a short stretch of bookcase. A character who searches the bookcase finds the secret door with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check. Once the door is found, closer examination identifies a false book that, when pulled, causes the door to swing open.

A narrow staircase beyond the secret door leads down to area area U1. A small wooden pedal at the top of the stairs opens the door from the inside.

Stonky and Friends

Five minutes before the launch, any members of the Livestock in the underlevel who haven’t been defeated make their way to this chamber by way of the secret door. That includes Stonky Noptopper (a rock gnome master sage; see “area Sages and Master Sages” for his stat block) and three Cult Fanatic (Pig Wheat, Ram Sugar, and Sheep Sweet Corn). Eager to get to their assigned spots in area area B4 prior to the launch, Stonky and the cult fanatics avoid combat with any characters still exploring the tower. As he runs upstairs, Stonky shouts, “To the stars, my animals! To the stars!”

B2. Main Room

The larger part of the tower’s second floor contains two staircases, which descend to area B1 and ascend to area area B4.

The scents of salted meat and dried fruit fill this area. Bookcases built into the stone walls and fronted by wood-and-glass doors are stuffed full of rations. Huge windows seal off a pair of alcoves set into the tower walls, and an inward-curving wall between the staircases has an iron door at its center.

The ceiling is braced by four wooden pillars, between which are set four pairs of stocky wooden chairs facing inward. Each chair is bolted to the floor and fitted with two lengths of rope. Four of the chairs have people in custodial uniforms tied to them—two half-orcs, a half-elf, and a dwarf.

Four Livestock Cultist have tied themselves into the chairs in preparation for blastoff, with the ropes acting as seat belts. All four are unarmed, restrained, and unable to free themselves. They go by the names Donkey Biscuit (the first half-orc), Duck Bean (the dwarf), Goat Beet (the second half-orc), and Horse Egg (the half-elf).

Despite their helplessness, the cultists are uncooperative. They refuse to talk about why they’re here, divulge Stonky’s whereabouts, or shed light on his intentions. Only if magic is used to coerce them do they reveal what they know:

• Stonky is planning to launch the Barn Door and all its books into space. The countdown has begun. (The cultists don’t know precisely when the launch is set to occur.)
• Stonky and three senior members of the Livestock (Pig Wheat, Ram Sugar, and Sheep Sweet Corn) are in the underlevel, making final preparations before launch.
• A secret door hidden in a library bookcase (see area B1) conceals the only route to the tower’s underlevel.
• The Barn Door will be launched into space by arcane devices called rockets, which are attached to the bottom of the tower.

B3. Stonky’s Study

This smaller tower is attached to the main tower’s second level. The door to this area is sealed with an arcane lock spell that only Stonky can bypass. The door can be opened with a knock spell or similar magic, or broken down with a successful DC 30 Strength (Athletics) check.

This circular chamber appears to be a private study with a large bay window. A fireplace along one wall is unlit and faced by two burgundy armchairs, one small and one large.

Tall bookcases are built into the wall opposite the fireplace, their contents protected behind wood-and-glass doors. A rolling ladder attached to a ceiling rail allows access to the highest shelves.

An oak table is bolted to the floor, flanked by two high chairs designed for shorter people and two chairs built for human-sized folk. Lying on the table is a small piece of paper.

The paper is Stonky’s task list, which reads as follows in Gnomish:

Seven Steps to Success:

Test rockets!

Separate Barn Door from foundation!

Set correct coordinates!

Set countdown timer for 60 minutes!

Evacuate underlevel!

Tie self to command chair!

Blast off!

Books

One or more of the other books described in this adventure anthology might be found here at your discretion, having been purloined by Stonky. The remaining books are mostly dull treatises with titles that tickled the gnome’s fancy. The books are arranged by color rather than some more useful system, but characters who make a quick survey of the shelves discover three tomes that warrant further examination:

Heroes' Feast: A Cookbook. This richly illustrated book of recipes was written by a trio of culinary enthusiasts named Wyk Nenmael, Nojen Eptros, and Imrit Welachwe. Any creature that spends a short rest poring over the book’s recipes gains a supernatural charm called the charm of the heroes' feast. This charm allows you to cast the heroes' feast spell as an action, no components required. Once used, this charm goes away. See “Supernatural Gifts” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide for more information on how charms work. The book teleports to a secret vault in Candlekeep after bestowing its charm on a creature.

Stonky Noptopper’s Spells o' Plenty. Stonky’s fat little spellbook contains the following wizard spells: alarm, animate objects, arcane lock, banishment, chain lightning, clairvoyance, detect magic, dispel magic, fabricate, fireball, flesh to stone, fly, globe of invulnerability, glyph of warding, grease, knock, legend lore, levitate, locate creature, locate object, mage armor, planar binding, polymorph, programmed illusion, protection from evil and good, scrying, see invisibility, sending, shield, telekinesis, and true seeing.

Trobriand’s Machinations, Vol. X. This hefty tome, written by the mad wizard Trobriand of Undermountain, describes the processes by which he creates animated metal constructs. The book is filled with the wizard’s ravings and drawings of his contraptions. Characters who compare those drawings with Stonky’s skitterwidgets can tell where the gnome got the inspiration for his mechanical creations.

Navigation Notes

A slip of paper tucked into Stonky’s spellbook is covered with the notes he made while studying the possible settings for the steering wheel in the observatory (see area B4). A character who examines the notes and succeeds on a DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) check discerns that Stonky has identified 626 through 666 as an important range of numbers, but he doesn’t yet understand what those numbers refer to.

B4. Observatory

An iron door at the top of the staircase from area area B2 leads into the observatory on the third level of the tower. The door is closed but not locked.

Read or paraphrase the following boxed text when the characters arrive here for the first time:

The top level of the Barn Door is an observatory with three wide, windowed alcoves. The chamber houses a large telescope mounted on a revolving dais. A small chair is bolted to the dais under the telescope, with an iron lever jutting up from the floor next to it, topped by a perfectly round ruby. A small wooden steering wheel attached to the chair is adorned with glowing numerals at its copper-plated center.

Three larger chairs along one wall have likewise been bolted to the floor, all facing the telescope. Two lengths of rope are fastened to each chair, including the one on the dais.

Chains and wheels attached to the tower’s conical metal roof suggest that the strong, tightly fitting panels can be retracted, enabling the telescope’s user to peer into the starry heavens on clear nights.

This observatory doubles as the control room for the rocket ship. Stonky’s chair is the small one on the dais. The other three chairs are reserved for his cult fanatics, Pig Wheat, Ram Sugar, and Sheep Sweet Corn.

If anyone other than Stonky tampers with the telescope or the steering wheel, three Lightning Golem are conjured to appear next to the dais and attack anyone who isn’t Stonky or a member of the Livestock. These golems resemble humans made of crackling lightning. They use the flesh golem stat block but deal lightning damage instead of bludgeoning damage with their slam attacks, and they lack the Aversion to Fire trait. The golems can’t leave the observatory.

Lever

Stonky has placed a glyph of warding spell on the red ruby atop the lever. Any character who inspects the lever and succeeds on a DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check spots the tiny, nearly invisible glyph. If any creature other than Stonky moves the lever, the glyph activates to fill the room with magical lightning. Each creature in the room must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The glyph disappears once the spell is triggered, rendering the lever safe to use.

The lever can be moved to fit into one of three slots, which are labeled Coop, Shed, and Stable, all in Common. The lever is currently in the notch labeled Stable. When the countdown timer in area area U7 reaches zero, the rocket reacts according to the lever’s position:

• Coop. The launch is aborted when the countdown timer reaches zero. The engines under the tower shut down and remain inoperable for 24 hours.
• Shed. The countdown is paused and the Barn Door’s launch is delayed for as long as the lever remains in this position.
• Stable. The Barn Door blasts off when the countdown timer reaches zero.

Steering Wheel

This wheel sets the rocket’s trajectory. Its glowing numerals currently read 646; this number scrolls up if the wheel is turned clockwise and down if the wheel is turned counterclockwise. Any setting from 626 to 666 is sufficient to launch the Barn Door into space.

Under the Barn Door

Stonky and his cult fanatics are in the process of evacuating the chambers beneath the tower, having set the Barn Door on a programmed countdown to launch. But their evacuation has been delayed by an unforeseen complication: Stonky can’t find his ring of telekinesis and doesn’t know where he left it. It’s a race against time to find the ring before the four of them must go up to the Barn Door’s observatory, secure themselves to the chairs there, and blast into space along with the rest of their cult and their collection of “priceless” books.

Before running this part of the adventure, determine how much time has elapsed since the earthquake. That tells you how much time the characters have left before the 60-minute countdown timer reaches zero. What happens then depends on the position of the lever in the observatory (area area B4). See that area and the “area Conclusion” section for details.

Underlevel Features

The Barn Door’s underlevel is hewn from solid rock and has the following features.

• Ceilings. Ceilings are 20 feet high and flat.
• Debris. The floor in all areas was once littered with scraps of metal, most of which have been swept out of the way and piled near the walls.
• Doors. Doors are made of thick iron and fitted with iron fittings and handles.
• Light. The underlevel is lit by oil-burning lanterns that hang from iron hooks embedded in the walls.

Underlevel Locations

The following locations are keyed to the map of the underlevel.

U1. Descending Staircase

This hidden staircase can be reached by way of the secret door in area area B1.

As this unlit stone staircase curves downward, the air in the stairwell grows warmer.

The staircase’s inner wall eventually gives way to an iron bannister, affording an unobstructed view of area U2 as the characters complete their descent.

Wall of Stone

When the countdown timer reaches zero, a wall of stone magically appears on the stairs at the point marked on the map, as if created by the spell of the same name. The wall seals off the underlevel as the tower soars into the sky.

U2. Rocket Boosters

A four-section rocket engine is attached to the underside of the tower above this area and protrudes down through the ceiling. The embers falling from the rocket fill the area with bright orange light.

At the bottom of the stairs, a thirty-foot-diameter room opens up directly underneath the Barn Door tower. Four ten-foot-long metal cylinders protrude from the twenty-foot-high ceiling, glowing with intense heat and shedding bright embers that rain down on the floor. Four mechanical constructs resembling wolf-sized, dog-headed cockroaches march in a circle around the perimeter of the cylinders.

The constructs are four Skitterwidget (see area the end of the adventure for their stat block). They have orders to attack anyone approaching the double doors who is not a Livestock member. They break off their attack if the characters take one or more kiddywidgets as hostages (see “Kiddywidget Nests” below). The skitterwidgets won’t do anything that might harm their young.

If the characters are eager to fight the skitterwidgets, run that combat now. Otherwise, describe the rest of the room:

The floor of the room is covered in scorch marks that grow darker and more intense closer to the center. Two sections of wall have crumbled, one on the staircase and one opposite it, where stone cornices, molding, and carved panels have collapsed to rubble. Near the foot of the stairs, an iron double door stands closed.

Cylinders

The four metal cylinders jutting from the ceiling are rocket engines attached to the base of the Barn Door. There is 10 feet of clearance between the floor and the cylinders, which put out a lot of heat. Any creature that moves into the area beneath the cylinders for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 14 (4d6) fire damage.

Double Door

If Stonky has not yet evacuated the underlevel, the iron double door to area U3 is locked. The complex lock can be opened with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves' tools, but any such check takes 1 minute. A character can also use an action to try to force the doors, doing so with a successful DC 22 Strength (Athletics) check.

Kiddywidget Nests

The fallen sections of wall collapsed when the Barn Door’s rockets were test-fired, exposing cavities behind the walls. Characters who investigate find one kiddywidget (see area the end of the adventure for its stat block) in each cavity. These offspring of the skitterwidgets chirp loudly if disturbed by anyone other than their parents.

Stonky and his cultists are unaware of the kiddywidgets, and they would be surprised to learn that skitterwidgets can procreate. Stonky would be even more surprised to find that he can’t control kiddywidgets by using his ring of telekinesis. (Seearea area U5 for more information about Stonky’s ring.)

U3. Unlit Hallway

Beyond the double door is a dark, twenty-foot-wide hallway with three iron doors leading off it: two on the right side of the hall and one on the left.

Stonky has reprogrammed the illusion magic that protects this hallway, which functions similarly to a programmed illusion spell. The magic triggers when any creature except a member of the Livestock enters through the double door, creating the illusion of a giant silverfish at the east end of the hall, beyond the range of most characters' darkvision. As one or more characters enter the hall, the monster scuttles toward them threateningly:

Out of the darkness comes a giant, wingless arthropod ten feet tall and thirty feet long. The creature’s head has two long feelers and multifaceted eyes, and its carapace gleams with a silvery sheen. Its tapered body swishes from side to side as it crawls toward you!

Have the players roll initiative for their characters. The illusory monster acts on initiative count 15 and does nothing except approach the characters, moving at a speed of 30 feet on each of its turns and making no attacks. This illusion is intended to scare away intruders, though characters might be tricked into attacking it or wasting spells on it.

A character can use an action to examine the creature, discerning its illusory nature with a successful DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Physical interaction with the giant silverfish also betrays its true nature, since it has no substance and objects pass right through it. If the illusion is not dispelled (DC 16), it disappears after 5 minutes. The magic then resets, triggering again the next time one or more intruders enter the hall.

U4. Forge

A stone forge stands at the back of this dark room, which contains four stone tables apparently meant to serve as workstations. Smith’s tools are spread across the tables, protective aprons and helmets hang from hooks on the walls, and pieces of sheet metal and weapons are stacked up in the corners of the room.

The components of the Barn Door’s rocket engines were built here, and Stonky made use of this room when he and his cultists repaired the rockets.

Treasure

A quick search of the room yields four sets of smith’s tools. Characters who spend 5 minutes exploring the room find a 4-inch-tall mechanical owlbear figurine (750 gp) tucked in the pocket of a leather apron. The key used for winding the figurine sticks out of the owlbear’s back. Using an action to wind the figurine causes it to walk in a straight line at a speed of 5 feet for 10 minutes. At the end of every minute of operation, the owlbear changes from walking on all fours to walking on its hind legs. It turns 180 degrees whenever it hits a barrier, reversing its course.

U5. Stonky’s Missing Ring

A five-foot-diameter well enclosed by a two-foot-high stone rim stands in the center of this room. An iron lever juts up from the floor next to the well, resting in a position that points it toward the door.

The well is 30 feet deep and contains a 10-foot-deep pool of corrosive acid that Stonky uses to dispose of malfunctioning skitterwidgets. Any creature that enters the pool of acid for the first time on a turn or that starts its turn there takes 21 (6d6) acid damage.

Pulling the lever so that it angles away from the door causes valves to open at the bottom of the well, draining it in 1 minute. Returning the lever to its previous position seals the valves but doesn’t refill the well. Once the well is emptied, it’s easy to see the corroded remains of a dead skitterwidget at the bottom of it.

Treasure

Hidden amid the acid-pitted wreckage at the bottom of the well is an undamaged ring of telekinesis that Stonky accidentally dropped while working here.

Stonky’s ring doubles as the control ring for the seven Skitterwidget he has created (the four in area area U2 and the three in area U6). Without the ring, he can’t command them to do anything other than what they’re programmed to do: attack intruders on sight. Any character who attunes to the ring gains control of Stonky’s creations, though the skitterwidgets ignore commands spoken more than 30 feet away from them. The ring cannot control the kiddywidgets in area area U2, even if they become skitterwidgets.

A character needs to spend a short rest attuning to the ring, and a short rest is at least 1 hour long. This means that unless the countdown is delayed or aborted, the Barn Door will launch before the character attunes to the ring.

U6. Workshop

Eight lanterns hang from the ceiling of this spacious workshop, filling the area with light and shadow. Marble molding and columns embellish the stone walls, while the far wall is made of riveted iron plates with an iron door set in the middle of it. A copper sign bolted to the door reads “Control Room” in Common.

The room contains five stone tables that hold unfinished mechanical constructs, all in various stages of completion. Components and parts are scattered across the tables and the floor. Skittering around in the debris are three creatures that look like oversized, dog-headed cockroaches made of articulated metal.

If Stonky’s three cult fanatics have not yet been encountered (see area area B1), add the following to this area’s description:

In addition to the metal constructs, three figures in custodial uniforms—a halfling, a dragonborn, and a human—are crawling around on the floor as though searching for something.

The insectoid creatures are three Skitterwidget (see area the end of the adventure for their stat block). They are programmed to attack intruders on sight. A character attuned to Stonky’s ring (seearea area U5) can issue commands to these skitterwidgets, which follow those commands to the best of their ability.

The figures crawling on the floor are three Livestock Cult Fanatic who go by the names Pig Wheat (the halfling), Ram Sugar (the dragonborn), and Sheep Sweet Corn (the human). As a dragonborn, Ram Sugar has resistance to fire damage and the following additional action option:

Breath Weapon (Recharges after a Short or Long Rest): Ram Sugar exhales fire in a 30-foot-long line that is 5 feet wide. Any creature in the line must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

The cult fanatics are trying to help Stonky find his ring of telekinesis, which he has lost. They fight alongside the skitterwidgets as soon as the characters enter this area, and they gladly throw away their lives “for Stonky!”

Treasure

A thorough search of the room requires 10 minutes and yields four metal gizmos worth 250 gp each. These gizmos serve no function on their own, but their value can be used toward the cost of constructing an iron golem or a similar metal construct.

Stonky Noptopper

Stonky J. Noptopper (“the J is for genius!") is chaotic neutral and proud to a fault. He is particularly braggadocious once the countdown to launch has begun, but once his adrenaline is pumping, he is bound to panic and let his true colors show. Stonky’s main goal is to protect the books he has collected. In his warped mind, a few deaths are a small price to pay for success.

Personality Trait: “I don’t like most people, which is why I relish the thought of spending the rest of my life in the cold darkness of space, surrounded by books and skitterwidgets.”

Ideal: “Knowledge is power, and most people are undeserving of it. Not me, though. I am knowledge incarnate!”

Bond: “Won’t someone please think of the books?!”

Flaw: “I am burdened with the curse of being right all the time.”

U7. Stonky’s Command Center

The door to this room is sealed by an arcane lock spell that members of the Livestock can bypass. The door can be opened with a knock spell or similar magic, or broken down with a successful DC 30 Strength (Athletics) check.

This chamber contains an iron safe roughly five feet on a side and a low metal console with a slanted top. The safe’s thick door stands open on its iron hinges. The console, which is securely bolted to the floor, has a countdown timer and a blinking red button built into it. Suspended above the console are four wireframe windows, each displaying a projected image.

Unless the characters have already encountered him (see area area B1), Stonky is here. The intrepid gnome master sage (see “area Sages and Master Sages” for his stat block) is currently crawling underneath the console, looking for his ring of telekinesis. (The ring is in area area U5, but it hasn’t yet occurred to Stonky to search there.)

If anyone knocks on the door, the distracted Stonky opens it, expecting to see his cultists on the other side. As soon as he sees the characters instead, he attacks them in a panic. See the “area Stonky Noptopper” sidebar for additional guidance on how to portray him.

Stonky carries an iron key that unlocks the double door between areas area U2 and area U3. See “Treasure” below for his other possessions.

Stonky’s Plots

If he’s captured and interrogated, Stonky is delighted to share his master plan with his captors. That plan entails launching the Barn Door into space, thereby keeping Candlekeep’s most precious books out of the hands of all who are unworthy of such knowledge. (Stonky makes it clear he considers the characters part of that group.)

The gnome can’t take credit for building the rocket ship, but he takes great pride in having made it operational once more. “Once the countdown timer reaches zero, WHOOSH!” He also divulges that the only way to abort the launch once the countdown has begun is to shift the lever in the tower observatory (area area B4), and that he has placed a spell on the lever to keep others from tampering with it.

Console

The blinking red button indicates that the Barn Door is on a countdown to launch. If the timer on the console reaches zero, the tower blasts off. Pushing the button has no effect while the countdown is in progress. If the characters delay the launch by using the lever in area B4, the countdown timer pauses. If the launch is aborted, the timer resets and the red button stops blinking.

The wireframe windows mounted above the console are magic projection screens that act as security cameras, showing the interior of the tower (areas area B1, area B2, area B3, and area B4, respectively). Stonky has been too busy searching for his ring to pay any attention to them. Casting a dispel magic spell on the console causes these projected images to vanish, as does destroying the console.

The console is a Large object with AC 19, 27 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Destroying the console doesn’t stop a launch in progress.

Safe

The iron safe is empty. It sports a combination lock with a dial that displays tiny images of farm animals in place of numerals—bull, cat, cow, dog, donkey, falcon, goat, hen, horse, llama, ox, pig, pigeon, rabbit, rooster, sheep, and turtle. Only Stonky knows the safe’s combination: pig, goat, llama, hen, rooster. The safe’s door locks automatically when it closes and can’t be opened from the inside except by a knock spell or similar magic. A character outside the safe can spend 1 minute trying to find the combination with a successful DC 25 Dexterity (Perception) check. Thieves' tools are of no benefit in opening the combination lock, since its mechanisms are inaccessible; what’s needed here is a delicate touch and a keen ear.

See the “Variant: Skills with Different Abilities” section in the Player’s Handbook for guidance on how one makes a Dexterity (Perception) check.

Treasure

In addition to the key in his possession, Stonky carries a wand he uses as a spellcasting focus, a brass locket with a broken chain (5 gp), and a scrap of paper. The locket contains a painted portrait of Stonky on one side and a sketch of a rocket ship with little hearts surrounding it on the other. Scribbled in Gnomish on the scrap of paper are the following word pairs:

Coop—Abort

Shed—Delay

Stable—Blastoff!

These words provide clues to how the lever in area area B4 works. Stonky wrote them down as a reminder to himself.

Conclusion

Depending on what actions the characters took to affect the impending launch, this adventure can end in a few different ways.

Blastoff!

The characters can use the lever in area area B4 to abort or delay the launch. If they fail to do that, you must determine when the launch occurs based on your estimation of how much time has elapsed since the earthquake. If the characters take a short rest or otherwise waste time, the Barn Door launches at the end of the 60-minute countdown. When that happens, the entire tower flies into the sky, soaring along its preset trajectory. It leaves behind a cloud of smoke large enough to engulf the entire Inner Ward of Candlekeep (treat the area as heavily obscured for 1 minute). Any creature in area area U1 or area area U2 takes 132 (24d10) fire damage from the rocket engines as the tower lifts off.

Any creatures clinging to the outside of the tower when it launches are shaken off, while those inside are borne upward at phenomenal speed. Creatures in the tower that are not tied down when it launches are thrown about, taking 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage and falling prone at the start of each of their turns until they find some way to secure themselves.

If the Barn Door’s trajectory is altered enough to prevent it from reaching outer space, it crashes and explodes in a remote location of your choosing, dealing 88 (16d10) bludgeoning damage plus 56 (16d6) fire damage to each creature aboard. If it reaches space, the tower begins to orbit the planet, as magical wards kick in to provide occupants with artificial gravity and a continuous supply of air and heat.

If the characters were inside the Barn Door for the launch and have come along for the ride, you can decide what measures might allow them to return to the world, from reprogramming the tower’s controls and the rocket engines, to having a spell scroll of teleportation circle found amid Stonky’s books. If Stonky and his cultists take off alone, the tower’s supply of rations keeps them fed for a year, after which they turn to cannibalism.

Launch Delayed or Aborted

If the characters use the lever in area area B4 to delay or shut down the launch, they can continue exploring the tower and its underlevel without fear of the Barn Door launching into space. They can also let the Avowed deal with Stonky and his cultists. The Avowed aren’t likely to punish Stonky severely for his transgressions, since there are technically no laws against launching rocket ships in Candlekeep. But the gnome and his minions are forbidden from entering the Barn Door thereafter, and the structure is placed under the protection of a guards and wards spell to discourage further exploration of the place.

Skitterwidget Problem

If any of Stonky’s skitterwidgets or their kiddywidget offspring were left to their own devices after the characters' excursion into the Barn Door, those constructs might become a problem for Candlekeep. Any pair of skitterwidgets—including any left undestroyed in area U6, which survive even if the Barn Door launches into space—can mate and give birth to kiddywidgets. Those tiny constructs soon grow to be as big as their parents, and they can make kiddywidgets of their own in turn. If the construct population isn’t culled, Candlekeep might one day be overrun by the creatures.

Stonky’s ring allows a character to control his original seven Skitterwidget (the four in area area U2 and the three in area U6). No others, including the offspring of the original skitterwidgets, can be controlled using the ring. The Avowed permit skitterwidgets under the characters' control to remain in Candlekeep, but not in the Inner Ward. Stray skitterwidgets are eventually hunted down and destroyed.

New Monsters

This section provides stat blocks for the two new creatures encountered in the adventure: the skitterwidget and its offspring, the kiddywidget. The stat blocks appear after the creatures' descriptions.

Skitterwidget

A skitterwidget is made of metal and bears a passing resemblance to a giant dog-headed cockroach. No two skitterwidgets look exactly alike, but all are surprisingly cute.

Language of Squeals

Skitterwidgets speak their own simple language, which is composed of high-pitched, vowel-heavy squeals.

Control Ring

A skitterwidget that was created is bound to a magic control ring and must obey the commands of whoever is attuned to that ring. It understands the ring wearer’s commands as though they were spoken in the skitterwidget’s language. Up to seven created skitterwidgets can be linked to the same control ring.

Protective Parents

Skitterwidgets have the ability to mate and breed, producing Kiddywidget that are even cuter than their parents. A skitterwidget strives to protect nearby kiddywidgets, whether it gave birth to them or not. If it receives a command from its master that would endanger the life of one or more kiddywidgets in its care, a skitterwidget can make a DC 5 Charisma saving throw, ignoring the command and all other commands from its master for 1 minute on a success.

Kiddywidget

A skitterwidget that gives birth to a kiddywidget can’t procreate for 3d6 days afterward. Still, given that skitterwidgets are constructs with no natural life span, there is no telling how many kiddywidgets a pair of skitterwidgets can produce.

Growth Cycle

It takes 3d6 hours for an impregnated skitterwidget to give birth to one kiddywidget. A newborn kiddywidget magically grows into a full sized skitterwidget in 10 days.

Autonomous

Unlike skitterwidgets that are created rather than born, kiddywidgets aren’t beholden to the wearer of a control ring, even after they grow to become skitterwidgets.