Foul Weather at Wayside

“Foul Weather at Wayside” is balanced for characters of 8th level, though characters of 7th level should be able to survive the encounters.

Location Overview

As the characters played the “Attack on the Wayside Inn” introductory encounter earlier in this adventure, they should be familiar with the place, as well as the key NPCs who work and dwell there. However, they probably did not learn all of its secrets!

Most of the staff employed at the Wayside Inn are cultists of Talos who follow the dark teachings of Fheralai Stormsworn, a priest of the Stormbringer. Although the inn’s owner does not know this, the bartender, Backes Dunfield, is a lieutenant of Stormsworn, fully pledged to the subjugation of the Sword Coast by his master. The rest of the cultists at the Wayside Inn see Backes as their leader however, to be protected and obeyed in any circumstance.

The local cultists have received orders to kidnap a local bard, Tarbin Tul, and then turn the Wayside Inn into a shrine to Talos. From this point, they would establish a series of shrines up and down the High Road, allowing them to bend the weather to their will and choke off travel and trade between the civilized areas of the northern Sword Coast.

As they draw power into the shrine within the Wayside Inn, the cultists summon storms to do the bidding of their master. This results in foul weather and raging skies appearing right above the inn, while the rest of the area is sunny and calm. If the adventurers can intervene in time, they can stop the ritual and save Leilon from destructive weather in their immediate future.

Quest Goals

To complete the Foul Weather at Wayside quest (see “area Leilon Quests"), the adventurers must defeat the cultists of Talos at the Wayside Inn, destroy the shrine of Talos before it is fully activated, rescue the sacrifices, and find clues to the location of the cultists' hideout at the Thunder Cliffs.

The Power of the Echo

In a D&D adventure, as in any narrative enterprise, repetition is a powerful tool. Images or symbols, when repeated, become a pattern that strengthens a story. Subtle differences in repeated scenes can add to the horror, comedy, or drama of a situation.

In this case, the characters return to the location of the first encounter in this adventure: the Wayside Inn. Some of the descriptions, details, and actions in this encounter are meant to echo that first encounter. If you remember some of the actions that the characters took in that encounter, feel free to add your own echoes.

For example, if the characters danced in the common room during their time at the Wayside Inn previously, the ritual being performed by the cultists could incorporate movement that harkens back to that dance. Although it’s a small detail that a typical player might overlook, if even just one of your players gets chills or a laugh because of the echo, it’s worth the effort.

Travel to the Inn

One morning, the adventurers awake to a beautiful, sunny day. To the north, however, in the direction of the Wayside Inn, storm clouds are gathering: very strange storm clouds in the shape of three swirling lightning bolts.

The town council sees this strange phenomenon and becomes concerned. Earlier that morning a group of settlers left to pick up supplies at the inn. The council asks the adventurers to investigate immediately.

A Violent Atmosphere

As the party is gathering their equipment and preparing to leave town, the group of settlers dispatched earlier returns, without the goods they were sent to retrieve. The group is soaking wet, and one of the larger carts is being pulled by one horse instead of two.

One of the two soldiers that was accompanying the caravan reports that when the group got within a mile of the inn, the weather became so violent they couldn’t continue. The driving rain, fierce winds, and hailstones the size of apples impeded progress to a crawl, and then one of the horses was struck by lightning and killed.

When they retreated just a few hundred yards back down the High Road toward Leilon, the weather was perfectly calm again. The group decided not to risk trying to complete the journey to the inn, but the other soldier sent to guard the caravan agreed to stay and keep an eye on the situation.

Encounters on the Way

The characters have the following encounters as they travel to the Wayside Inn.

Armor of Talos

When the characters get to the point where the bad weather starts, the soldier who stayed behind to observe is being attacked by the three suits of armor. (The characters might remember the armor from the Wayside Inn on their previous visit.)

Use the following read-aloud text to set the scene:

A wall of storms surges and howls in the distance. The sunny, mild weather gives way immediately to rain and hail, violent winds, and electrical discharges. Passing in and out of the wall are three figures in plate armor, each swinging a flail at a lone figure in splint armor wielding a longsword. The lone fighter, taking on the three in plate, wears the emblem of the Leilon garrison.

The soldier, a veteran named Emmalou, is fighting off three Air Elemental Myrmidon (see appendix A). These suits of armor were the same ones crafted by the Wayside Inn’s blacksmith, Teega. If the characters don’t remember seeing the armor on their previous encounter at the inn, feel free to remind them. Also, if any character stole a suit of the armor and is wearing it now, it falls off the character and animates as another hostile air elemental myrmidon!

Curse of Talos

If a character is hit with a lightning strike attack from any of the myrmidons, and then fails their saving throw and becomes stunned, a mark resembling three parallel lightning bolts appears on their head. It can only be removed by a remove curse spell, and its effects are noted later in this quest.

Note that three of these creatures is a deadly encounter, even for 6 characters of 8th level. For fewer characters, or for lower level characters, have the enemies start at half their normal hit points, and allow Emmalou to assist the characters for longer than normal by increasing her hit points.

The Creeping Storm

The combat takes place at the edge of where the stormy weather rages. The air elemental myrmidons are bolstered by the storm but are weaker when outside it. The edge of the storm expands outward at a rate of 5 feet per round, on initiative count 20.

If the myrmidons are within the storm, their melee attacks are made with advantage. If they can be tempted outside the storm’s area, they attack with disadvantage and have disadvantage on saving throws. They move out of the storm only if they have no targets to attack in melee within the storm.

Aftermath

If the characters defeat the myrmidons and Emmalou is still alive, the salty and experienced survivor of many battles can relay the following additional information:

• The stormy area is slowly growing larger. Emmalou had to retreat several hundred yards to remain outside the zone. She has no idea what is causing it, but such blatant and powerful forces of magic are nothing she wants to be involved with if she has a choice in the matter.
• When she was in the stormy area, the lightning was everywhere, but it never struck the suits of armor even though they were made of metal.
• She was almost struck a few times, but she kept repeating prayers to Talos, and she thinks that is the only thing that saved her.
• She does not want to enter the stormy area and does not do so unless a character convinces her with a successful DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check.

Lightning Strikes

When the characters enter the storm zone around the Wayside Inn, they must contend with the weather, which becomes an enemy more deadly than most they have faced.

As the party travels to the Wayside Inn through the storm, have each character roll a d6 for the number of times they are struck by lightning as they approach. If a character attempts to pray to Talos and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check, they are not hit by any of the strikes.

For each strike, a character must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) lightning damage, or no damage on a successful save.

Any characters carrying the cursed symbol of Talos from the fight with the myrmidons has disadvantage on those saving throws as well as on the checks to pray to Talos to be spared.

Arrival

When the characters arrive at the inn, use the following read-aloud text to describe the situation outside the inn:

The buffeting winds and violent precipitation grow more intense the closer you get to the inn. Your vision is hampered to the point you can only see clearly within thirty feet.

Lights coming from the inn reveal a strange scene. Six humanoid creatures stand at the main doors, the same doors that the undead creatures were attacking the first time you encountered this place. The figures seem to be pounding on the doors, although they are hampered by the weather.

The Victims

The creatures clawing at the doors are not monsters at all. The cultists have used small tridents to impale six humanoids victims to the doors, leaving them to die as offerings to power their terrible ritual.

Once characters are within 30 feet of the poor souls, they can attempt a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, with disadvantage due to the pouring rain, to realize that these people (Commoner) are staked to the doors by small tridents and trying to pull themselves off. They each only have 1 hit point and are restrained.

Unless the tridents can be pulled out with a soft touch, requiring a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) or Wisdom (Medicine) check, the removal does 4 (1d8) points of damage, and easily kills the victim.

Inside the Inn

The cultists of Talos are performing a ritual inside the Wayside Inn. The doors and windows to the building are locked but can be opened with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. Also, the doors and windows have an AC of 12 and break with 25 points of damage.

Magical runes, as per the glyph of warding spell, protect the cloak room and barn doors. If the party opens the doors without first removing or disabling the runes, they take thunder damage as per the spell.

A window at the back of the inn on the second floor is open (see “The Upstairs” below). A successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check to climb to the window gives characters access to the inn without having to go through the more dangerous front doors.

The Common Area and Courtyard

In the common area and courtyard, the ritual is underway to fully activate the statue of Talos, which is currently in the basement.

The Ritual

Backes (Illuskan human gladiator) leads the chanting in the common area as Cult Fanatic (one for every two characters rounded down, excluding sidekicks) walk back and forth between the common area and the courtyard, making sure the ritual is progressing according to plan. Spread out between the two areas are Cultist (one per character) with tridents, guarding several bound victims who will be sacrificed at the conclusion of the ritual.

The ritual takes 10 minutes to complete after the characters arrive on the scene. If they do nothing but watch, describe how the chanting from inside gets louder, how the weather gets darker and even more dangerous, and how terrible faces appear in the clouds. If this doesn’t urge them to act, the ritual will be completed, and the adventurers must deal with the consequences (see “Aftermath” below for details).

Upstairs

The cultists believe they cleared the rooms of all guests, using them as sacrifices to power their ritual. However, one sneaky individual avoided capture.

In the posh room at the end of the hallway (Room C on the map), a gnome apprentice wizard named Cray Onderquill hides beneath the bed. She was traveling from Neverwinter to Waterdeep on an errand for her master, and she decided to stay the night. When the cultists began grabbing people, she used disguise self to imitate a cultist, and then snuck away here to hide. She thought about climbing out the window but is afraid the fall might kill her. She is willing to help the characters in an assault on the cultists, if only by lending her expertise in Arcana to figure out what’s happening with the ritual.

Cray also reveals that not all the captives taken by cultists were impaled on the doors: the inn’s owner, Martisha Vinetalker, was dragged into the basement, and a local bard, Tarbin Tul, was taken away on horseback. Cray thinks the cultists had strict orders to capture the bard alive, as he heard them talking about being careful with Tul.

The Basement

The basement houses the shrine to Talos, where the energy from the ritual is being focused. When the characters lower themselves through the trap door into the basement, use the following read-aloud text to set the scene:

Crates, barrels, and other containers holding food and drink have been pushed aside to make room for a large copper statue at the far side of the room. The statue depicts a four-armed storm god holding lightning bolts in each hand.

Before the statue stands Teega the smith. In the corner behind the statue, Martisha, the inn’s owner, is bound with rope. Her face is bruised and bloodied, but she bears no mortal wounds.

Teega (female Illuskan berserker) stands proudly before the statue. The statue of Talos (see appendix A) moves toward the characters, its face twisted in rage.

The Connection

The ritual has created a connection between Teega and the statue. Until the statue is deactivated, Teega cannot be dropped below 1 hit point.

Describe lightning flowing between the statue and Teega as a clue to this connection. With a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana or Religion) check, the details of the connection are understood. Also reveal that the corresponding lightning bolt symbols on the statue and Teega’s bracers power this connection. As an action, a character within 5 feet of either the statue or Teega can attempt a DC 20 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. On a success, the connection is broken, Teega drops to 0 hit points immediately, and the statue takes 4d10 force damage from the lost connection.

Help

Martisha Vinetalker, owner of the Wayside Inn, is bound in the corner, watching the proceedings with a mix of anger and terror. If the adventurers free her, she joins the battle to help the party defeat the threat. Although she’s now a respectable innkeeper, Martisha is a former bandit captain who’s weapons are close at hand.

Aftermath

If the characters can defeat the cultists and the statue before 10 minutes have elapsed, the storms gathering above the inn dissipate immediately, returning the calm and peaceful weather to the area.

Failure

After 10 minutes have passed, the ritual has been completed. The characters can still defeat the enemies, but they must now deal with the weather. Until they defeat Fheralai Stormsworn, the weather along the Sword Coast grows more and more volatile. Land travel becomes difficult as the days pass, and the seas become rough. You, as the DM, can make the consequences of this foul weather as great or severe as you wish.

Treasure

In sacks stored in the basement, the party finds 500 gp, 5 Potion of Greater Healing a spell scroll of call lightning, and a ring of water walking. More importantly, they find a clue to the location of the local headquarters of the Cult of Talos.

Clues

The map shows a sketch of the Sword Coast between Waterdeep and Neverwinter. Dozens of points are highlighted on the map, representing places where the Cult of Talos hopes to establish shrines. A defeat here sets those plans back months, if not years.

If used in conjunction with the magical lenses found in the following “area Aid from Phandalin” quest, the characters can pinpoint a key location in the Cult of Talos' plans: the Thunder Cliffs.