“Iniarv’s Tower” is balanced for characters of 10th level, though characters of 9th level can survive this quest if they are cautious and rest between encounters.
Location Overview
Iniarv’s Tower is a ruined stone keep. Iniarv, a mage who became a lich, first occupied the fortress over eight hundred years ago. When a war between a kingdom of goodly peoples and a horde of goblinoids broke out near the keep, it angered Iniarv. The lich called the ocean forth to destroy both armies, creating the Mere of Dead Men. He has not been seen since the incident.
Over the centuries, various bandits, thieves, orc war bands, and others used the tower as a temporary base while it fell further and further into ruin. The Chimera Crew, a group of bandits, currently occupies the lair. Ularan Mortus pays the criminals to guard a growing horde of undead that the necromancer stores in the towers for an imminent attack on Phandalin. The bandits have also decided to make some gold on the side by raiding caravans headed from and to Leilon.
Chimera Crew
The Chimera Crew is a group of bandits founded by Rega Swarn. Orphaned at an early age and raised by brigands, Rega found a baby chimera with no one to look after it. She named the baby Ashbreath and trained it to follow her commands. As the chimera grew, Rega and her monstrosity attacked caravans on the road. Soon their success had Rega running the brigand band, who renamed themselves the Chimera Crew.
If a member of the Chimera Crew is captured, the characters can get the bandit to reveal the following information with a successful DC 15 Charisma (
Intimidation ) check:
The history of Rega and the Chimera Crew’s founding.
The bandits were hired by priests of Myrkul to watch over the undead in Iniarv’s Tower’s ruins.
They do not know where the priests operate or what the priests plan to do with the undead.
Quest Goals
To complete the Iniarv’s Tower Quest (see “area The Quest Board"), the adventurers must kill or drive out the bandits living in the ruins of Iniarv’s Tower.
Travel to Iniarv’s Tower
During the twenty-mile journey from Leilon to Iniarv’s Tower, the characters experience the following encounter as they pass by the Mere of Dead Men.
Zombie Escape
Set the scene by reading the following boxed text aloud:
Groans fill the air as moaning humanoid figures covered in dried bird droppings sprint toward you on the road. As these beings near, their grayish rotting flesh becomes apparent. A pair of red-faced women in heavy armor run behind the undead crying, “Stop those zombies!”
Greater Zombie (see appendix A) that escaped from Iniarv’s Tower by smashing a hole through a tower wall are chased by Chimera Crew members Alevene Windcoat and Niri Bronzecrown, who are chaotic evil human Veteran. There are two greater zombies plus one additional greater zombie for every two members of the party (rounded down), not including sidekicks. The zombies attack the characters, fighting until destroyed.
At first Alevene and Niri help the characters fight the undead, but when only one zombie remains, they turn on the characters as the bandits do not want to leave witnesses. The brigands fight until one falls. At that point the other attempts to flee back to Iniarv’s Tower. If the characters capture one of the criminals, they reveal how the zombies escaped the ruins in addition to the information contained in the “area Chimera Crew” sidebar with a successful DC 15 Charisma (
Iniarv’s Tower Features
The ruins of Iniarv’s Tower consist of three towers: one enormous 80-foot-high main tower connected to two smaller 30-foot-high towers by walkways. The towers are surrounded by parapets at the top of the walls that create the keep.
Arrow Slits: When using an arrow slit for protection, a creature gains three-quarters cover against outside threats. A Medium or larger creature can’t squeeze through an arrow slit, but a Small creature can with a successful DC 10 Dexterity (
Acrobatics ) check. Tiny creatures can move through the slits without squeezing.Doors: The doors in Iniarv’s Tower are made of stone and have rusty iron hinges.
Light: Most of the light in the ruins comes from the sun or moon outside, but the shorter towers have hanging lanterns within which provide bright light.
Parapets: Parapets standing 3 feet high run along the outside of the keep’s wall walkways (area area I1) and the roof of the main tower (area area I6). When using the parapets for protection, a Medium or smaller creature gains half cover.
Walls: Climbing the stone walls of the ruin without equipment requires a successful DC 15 Strength (
Athletics ) check.
Arrival
As the characters approach the ruins of Iniarv’s Tower, read the following boxed text aloud:
Atop an escarpment on the eastern side of the High Road stands a crumbling keep with thirty-foot-high walls supported by a gatehouse, two short towers, and one tall tower more than twice as tall as the keep’s walls. There is a large opening in the north wall where the defenses crumbled long ago.
As the characters approach the keep, scouts atop the keep’s walls (area area I1) watch for danger. The characters must succeed on a DC 15 group Dexterity (
A 10-foot-deep ditch that was once a moat runs around the perimeter of the keep. The ditch is difficult terrain. A wooden bridge crosses the ditch and leads to the front entrance of the gatehouse (area area I3).
There are three entrances to the keep: the hole in the wall (area area I2), the gatehouse (area area I3), and the rubble-sealed crack in the main tower’s first floor (area area I5). The characters do not notice the last entrance unless they move around to that side of the keep.
Iniarv’s Tower Locations
The following locations are keyed to the map of the ruins of Iniarv’s Tower.
I1. Walls
The walls of the keep stand 30 feet high. Three human Chimera Crew Scout patrol the walls. If the scouts notice the characters approaching the ruins, they alert the Chimera Crew camp (area area I4) then call out to the characters and ask them to state their business. A character convinces the scouts they are allies with a successful DC 15 Charisma (
I2. Pit Trap
The Chimera Crew dug a 10-foot-deep pit trap with a 10-foot-square opening in the ground along the hole in the north wall. The pit is covered by a large tarp anchored on the pit’s edge and camouflaged with dirt and debris. A creature with a passive Wisdom (
Any creature that steps on the tarp falls into the pit and pulls the tarp with it, taking 3 (
I3. Gatehouse
The stone gatehouse has two stories. The first story is one interior room with a 30-foot-high ceiling. The second story has no roof.
When the characters enter the first story, they immediately smell and see oil on the floor and walls. If set ablaze, the oil burns for 1 minute. While the oil burns, each creature that enters or starts its turn in the first story of the gatehouse takes 11 (
Doors and Portcullises
The first story of the gatehouse has two sets of double doors behind iron portcullises. Each portcullis requires a successful DC 18 Strength (
The gatehouse’s front double doors are secured with an iron bar from the inside, and the back-double doors are secured with the same mechanism from the courtyard side. A creature that can reach a bar can lock or unlock the bar as an action. Forcing open a secured set of double doors requires a successful DC 20 Strength (
Murder Holes
The second story has eight 1-foot-diameter murder holes in the floor that look down into the first story of the gatehouse. When using a murder hole to fight, a creature on the second story gains three-quarters cover against threats on the first story. A Medium or larger creature can’t squeeze through a murder hole, but a Small creature can with a successful DC 10 Dexterity (
Treasure
A small iron box in the northeast corner of the second story contains two
I4. Courtyard
Most of the Chimera Crew stays in the mud-covered courtyard, which contains their tents. At any given moment, a member of the crew here could be cooking over a small campfire, drinking, eating, planning a raid, playing a game, preparing equipment, resting, or socializing. When the characters arrive, the Chimera Crew in the courtyard consists of three human scouts and one veteran for every member of the party, including sidekicks.
If the brigands in the courtyard notice intruders, they immediately attack. If combat breaks out here, members of the Chimera Crew in area areas I1 and area I7 join the battle. If only two members of the Chimera Crew remain, they attempt to remove the barricade in front of the entrance to area I5 and the chain on the door to area area I9 to flood the courtyard with undead to cover their escape.
Slippery Mud
When a creature standing in the courtyard is hit by an attack that is a critical hit, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall
I5. Main Tower
The main tower in the keep stands 80 feet tall. As the characters approach the tower, they notice it reeks of rot and animal waste.
Two entrances lead inside the tower: an entrance from the courtyard (area I4) barricaded with old wood furniture and a 3-foot-wide, 5-foot-high crack in the back wall filled with stone rubble. A creature can clear the blockage from either entrance with a successful DC 17 Strength (
The bottom floor of the tower contains Zombie and Ogre Zombie covered in bird droppings thanks to the hole in the roof above (area I6). There are two Zombie and one ogre zombie for every member of the party, including sidekicks.
Collapsed Cellar Entrance
The entrance to the keep’s cellar collapsed long ago and requires many days of work to clear. What this cellar might hold (perhaps a secret sanctum where Iniarv hides practicing magic) is up to you.
I6. Main Tower Roof
Ten Swarm of Ravens live on what remains of the main tower’s roof. They attack any creature that comes within 30 feet of the roof, fighting until the creature retreats.
If more than 100 pounds of weight are added to the remains of the roof, it collapses. Creatures inside the tower when the roof collapses must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 28 (
I7. North Guard Tower First Floor
The first floor of the north guard tower has a 30-foot-high ceiling. The floor is covered in straw, which services as a bed for Ashbreath, a chimera. Rega Swarn, a chaotic evil human master thief (see appendix A) is feeding the chimera chunks of humanoid flesh, unless they joined a fight in area areas I1 or area I4. See the “area Chimera Crew” sidebar for more information about Rega and Ashbreath.
If the characters approach Rega in a nonthreatening manner, she asks why they have come to Iniarv’s Tower. If a character claims to be an ally willing to help the Chimera Crew and succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma (
Ladder
A ladder leads to a trap door in the ceiling that leads to area I8.
Steel Box
A character with a passive Wisdom (
The box has AC 19, 18 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. The lock can be picked with a successful DC 17 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. The box can be forced open with a successful DC 13 Strength (
Treasure
The steel box contains a
I8. North Guard Tower Second Floor
The second floor of the north guard tower has a 10-foot-high ceiling. This area is stocked with trade goods (see chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook) worth a total of 300 gp that were stolen from caravans on the road.
I9. South Guard Tower First Floor
The door to this area from area area I4 is chained shut from the outside. A creature that can reach the chain can remove it as an action, or force the door open, breaking the chain by making a DC 20 Strength (
The Chimera Crew moved the Greater Zombie (see appendix A) to this location after they broke through a weakened area of the main tower (area area I5). There is one greater zombie plus one additional greater zombie for every two members of the party (rounded down), not including sidekicks.
I10. South Guard Tower Second Floor
This area has the same features as area area I8.