Circle of Thunder

“Circle of Thunder” is balanced for characters of 6th level, though characters of 4th or 5th level can weather its challenges if they are cautious.

No quest leads the party to this location. However, characters who brave Dragon Barrow might come here with Xanth the centaur, while those who raid the Woodland Manse might be led here by Grannoc’s map. In the aftermath of the counterattack on Falcon’s Hunting Lodge (see “Counterattack!” on page 47), characters can follow Gorthok’s trail back to the Circle of Thunder, where that creature was summoned.

Location Overview

The reclusive anchorites of the Circle of Thunder gather on this hill to make sacrifices to Talos the storm god. In stormy weather, the anchorites also perform rituals to summon Gorthok the Thunder Boar, a destructive force they can unleash against their enemies. A circle of standing stones atop the hill helps to focus the anchorites' magic to make the summoning of Gorthok possible.

Three anchorites—Flenz, Narux, and Yargath—defend the hill. When not performing rituals in the circle of standing stones, they patrol the surrounding woods, forage for food, and lurk in caves dug out of the hillside. When the characters arrive, the anchorites are gathered on the hilltop. If Gorthok has not been defeated yet, the anchorites are in the midst of summoning the great boar. Otherwise, they are conjuring a storm.

Cave Descriptions

Three caves are set beneath the hilltop, each serving as the lair of an anchorite of Talos. The caves are dug out of the earth, with each cave mouth braced by two rectangular stone slabs topped with a heavy lintel stone. All the caves have 7-foot-high ceilings and crude wooden gates for doors. Each cave features a different layout but has similar contents.

A: Entryway: Situated in the middle of this intersection, facing the cave mouth, the skull of a boar rests atop a pile of humanoid and animal bones. A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check can ascertain that the bones are a warning to stay away.

B: Boar Pen: The gate to this room is lashed shut with rope. It holds a boar that is the anchorite’s companion and garbage disposal. The boar can’t harm anyone while trapped in this room. If the gate is opened by anyone other than an anchorite of Talos, the boar tries to flee the cave, attacking anyone in its path.

C: Cell: The gate to this cell is lashed shut with rope. The cell is used to hold animals doomed to be sacrificed in rituals to Talos. There’s a 25 percent chance that a harmless deer is trapped inside. Otherwise, the cell is empty.

D: Anchorite’s Retreat: This unfurnished room serves as the anchorite’s quarters. Niches in the walls hold clay dishware, wooden utensils, gathered berries, bundled herbs, and creepy totems. In area areas C2 and area C3, the anchorites have hidden treasure buried under the earthen floor in a random 5-foot square. See those areas for details of the treasure.

E: Secret Exit: This tunnel slopes up to a secret trapdoor that is plainly visible from the underside.

Travel to the Circle

Characters traveling to the Circle of Thunder have the following two encounters en route.

Tree Trap

This encounter can occur anywhere in Neverwinter Wood. Set the scene by reading the following boxed text:

You come upon a sixty-foot-wide forest clearing, in the middle of which is a black, needle-like spire—a forty-foot-tall pine tree ravaged by fire long ago, its limbs burned off. Tied to the dead tree near its base are several ghastly dolls made of twigs bound with black hair.

Ten twig dolls are bound to the charred tree, all within easy reach. A detect magic spell reveals an aura of transmutation magic emanating from the tree and the ground in a 60-foot radius around it.

Close examination of a twig doll reveals something wrapped inside it. By breaking a doll apart, characters can see that it contains a still-beating pig’s heart. Any damage to a heart kills it and causes the dead tree’s roots to magically animate and erupt from the ground.

When the constricting roots erupt, each creature standing in the clearing must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (2d4) bludgeoning damage and be restrained. The creature takes this damage again at the start of each of its turns until it escapes. A creature can use an action to free itself or another creature within its reach with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check, or by dealing 5 or more slashing damage against a root with a single melee weapon attack. The roots have AC 13 and immunity to all damage except slashing.

Yargath’s Patrol

As they move through the forest, the characters are beset by Yargath, an anchorite of Talos, and a band of Orc—two orcs per character in the party, including sidekicks. Set the scene as follows:

As you make your way across uneven ground rising to a ridge, several hulking orcs ascend a similar ridge across from you, separated from you by a sixty-foot-wide, ten-foot-deep gully. The orcs unleash terrible battle cries as they are joined by a humanoid with elongated claws.

On the first round of combat, Yargath casts {@spell bless} on up to three orcs. Meanwhile, the orcs charge across the ravine and close to melee range

Treasure

Yargath carries a potion of greater healing. If the characters acquire this potion, give the players the Potion of Greater Healing card or they can reference it in the Magic Items Listing.

Arrival

Characters coming from the Woodland Manse approach the Circle of Thunder from the south. Describe the location to the players as follows:

Ominous storm clouds gather in the sky as you approach a ninety-foot-tall hill with trees spreading across its slopes. Atop the hill is a large ring of standing stones. Two ghastly figures dance within this henge, surrounded by a number of smaller capering creatures.

The standing stones and the dancing figures are described in area C1. Characters who circle the hill before climbing it spot three caves (area areas C2, area C3, and area C4) near the hilltop.

Circle of Thunder Locations

The following locations are keyed to the map of the Circle of Thunder.

C1. Henge

Atop the hill is a ring of eight upright stone structures, each one consisting of two 10-foot-high vertical stone slabs spaced 5 feet apart and topped with a 3-foot-thick flat lintel stone. These uprights can be toppled by creatures with a combined Strength score of 80 or higher.

In the middle of the circle, two humanoid figures dance around a deer carcass, each wearing the rotting head of a boar as a mask. These foes are Flenz and Narux, two Anchorite of Talos. They are joined by frolicking Twig Blight—two blights for each character in the party, including sidekicks. Flenz and Narux are either performing a ritual to summon Gorthok the Thunder Boar, or they are making a sacrifice to appease Talos and call forth a storm. If the characters have not yet defeated Gorthok, the boar arrives once both anchorites are dead, appearing out of nowhere in the middle of the circle with a thunderclap. Gorthok fights to the death.

Secret Trapdoors

Any character who searches the hilltop and succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check finds one of three flimsy wooden trapdoors hidden under the grass and dirt. Below these trapdoors are tunnels leading to areas C2, C3, and C4.

C2. Northwest Cave

Carved into the lintel stone above the cave mouth is a picture of a boar chasing after a stick-figure humanoid.

Treasure

Flenz hides a potion of invulnerability in his quarters, buried in a random square beneath the floor. If the characters obtain the potion, give the players the Potion of Invulnerability card or they can reference it in the Magic Items Listing.

C3. Northeast Cave

The lintel stone above the mouth of this cave is bare.

Treasure

Narux hides a +1 shield in his quarters, buried beneath the floor. If the characters obtain and identify it, give the players the +1 Shield card or they can reference it in the Magic Items Listing.

C4. Southeast Cave

Carved into the lintel stone above the mouth of this cave is a pictograph depicting three stick-figure humanoids being struck by lightning. Yargath keeps no treasure here.