TEXT: Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  1 
   
   
  Tales of Good & Evil 
   
  As the City of a Thousand Forges perseveres in the face of threats both internal and external, 
  the effects of the planar portal continue to make everyone uneasy. When unusual individuals 
  are drawn to the city because of the portal’s power, heroes are asked to keep the peace and 
  ferret out anyone intending to bring harm to Melvaunt. A D&D Adventurers League 
  adventure set in Melvaunt. 
   
  A 4-hour adventure for 1st-4th level characters 
   
   
   
  JAMES INTROCASO 
  Adventure Designer 
  Adventure Code: CORE 2-1 
   
  Producer: Baldman Games 
  Core Administrator: Shawn Merwin 
  Editing and Layout: Encoded Designs 
  Organized Play: Chris Lindsay  
  D&D Adventurers League Wizards Team: Adam Lee, Chris Lindsay, Matt Sernett  
  D&D Adventurers League Administrators: Robert Adducci, Bill Benham, Travis Woodall, Claire Hoffman, Greg Marks, Alan 
  Patrick 
   
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards 
  of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the 
  Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the 
  express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. 
   
  ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, 
  Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. 
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  2 
  Introduction 
  Welcome to Tales of Good & Evil, a D&D Adventurers 
  League adventure, Part One of the Misaligned 
  Trilogy. 
   This adventure is designed for three to seven 1st-
  4th level characters, and is optimized for five 3rd-
  level characters. 
   The adventure is set in the Moonsea region of the 
  Forgotten Realms, in and around the city of 
  Melvaunt. 
  The D&D Adventurers 
  League 
  This adventure is official for D&D Adventurers 
  League play. The D&D Adventurers League is the 
  official organized play system for DUNGEONS & 
  DRAGONS®. Players can create characters and 
  participate in any adventure allowed as a part of the 
  D&D Adventurers League. As they adventure, 
  players track their characters’ experience, treasure, 
  and other rewards, and can take those characters 
  through other adventures that continues their story.  
   If you’re running this adventure as a part of a store 
  event or at certain conventions, you’ll need a DCI 
  number. This number is your official Wizards of the 
  Coast organized play identifier. If you don’t have a 
  number, you can obtain one at a store event. Check 
  with your organizer for details.  
   D&D Adventurers League play is broken up into 
  storyline seasons. When players create characters, 
  they attach those characters to a storyline season, 
  which determines what rules they’re allowed to use 
  to create and advance their characters. Players can 
  continue to play their characters after the storyline 
  season has finished, possibly participating in a 
  second or third storyline with those same characters. 
  A character’s level is the only limitation for 
  adventure play. A player cannot use a character of a 
  level higher or lower than the level range of a D&D 
  Adventurers League adventure.  
   For more information on playing, running games 
  as a Dungeon Master, and organizing games for the 
  D&D Adventurers League, please visit the D&D 
  Adventurers League home at: 
   
  www.dndadventurersleague.org 
   
  Preparing the Adventure 
  Before you show up to Dungeon Master this 
  adventure for a group of players, you should do the 
  following to prepare. 
   Make sure to have a copy of the most current 
  version of the D&D Basic Rules or the Player’s 
  Handbook.  
   Read through the adventure, taking notes of 
  anything you’d like to highlight or remind yourself 
  while running the adventure, such as a way you’d 
  like to portray an NPC or a tactic you’d like to use 
  in a combat.  
   Get familiar with the monster statistics in the 
  Appendix.  
   Gather together any resources you’d like to use to 
  aid you in running this adventure--such as 
  notecards, a DM screen, miniatures, and 
  battlemaps.  
   If you know the composition of the group 
  beforehand, you can make adjustments as noted 
  throughout the adventure.  
  Before Play at the Table 
  Ask the players to provide you with relevant 
  character information: 
   Character name and level  
   Character race and class  
   Passive Wisdom (Perception)—the most common 
  passive ability check  
   Anything notable as specified by the adventure 
  (such as backgrounds, traits, flaws, etc.)  
  Players that have characters outside the adventure’s 
  level range cannot participate in the adventure 
  with those characters. Players with ineligible 
  characters can make a new 1st-level character or use 
  a pregenerated character. Players can play an 
  adventure they previously played or ran as a 
  Dungeon Master, but not with the same character.  
   Ensure that each player has an official adventure 
  logsheet for his or her character (if not, get one from 
  the organizer). The player fills out the adventure 
  name, session number, date, and your name and DCI 
  number. In addition, the player also fills in the 
  starting values for experience, gold, downtime, 
  renown, and number of permanent magic items. He 
  or she fills in the other values and writes notes at the 
  conclusion of the session. Each player is responsible 
  for maintaining an accurate logsheet.  
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  3 
   If you have time, you can do a quick scan of a 
  player’s character sheet to ensure that nothing looks 
  out of order. If you see magic items of very high 
  rarities or strange arrays of ability scores, you can 
  ask players to provide documentation for the 
  irregularities. If they cannot, feel free to restrict item 
  use or ask them to use a standard ability score array. 
  Point players to the D&D Adventurers League Player’s 
  Guide for reference.  
   If players wish to spend downtime days and it’s 
  the beginning of an adventure or episode, they can 
  declare their activity and spend the days now. 
  Alternatively, they can do so at the end of the 
  adventure or episode. Players should select their 
  characters’ spells and other daily options prior to 
  the start of the adventure, unless the adventure 
  specifies otherwise. Feel free to reread the 
  adventure description to help give players hints 
  about what they might face. 
  Adjusting the Adventure 
  Throughout this adventure, you may see sidebars to 
  help make adjustments for smaller/larger groups, 
  and characters of higher/lower levels than the 
  optimized group.  Most of the time, this is used for 
  combat encounters. 
   You may adjust the adventure beyond the 
  guidelines given. For example, if you’re playing with 
  a group of inexperienced players, you might want to 
  make the adventure a little easier; for very 
  experienced players, you may want to make it a little 
  harder.  Therefore, five categories of party strength 
  have been created for you to use as a guide. Feel free 
  to use a different adjustment during the adventure if 
  the recommended party strength feels off for the 
  group. 
   This adventure is optimized for a party of five 
  3rd-level characters. To figure out whether you 
  need to adjust the adventure, do the following: 
   Add up the total levels of all the characters 
   Divide the total by the number of characters 
   Round fractions of .5 or greater up; round 
  fractions of less than .5 down 
   
  You’ve now determined the average party level 
  (APL) for the adventure.  To figure out the party 
  strength for the adventure, consult the following 
  table: 
  Determining Party Strength 
  Party Composition 
   
  Party Strength 
  3-4 characters, APL less than 
  Very Weak 
  3-4 characters, APL equivalent 
  Weak 
  3-4 characters, APL greater than 
  Average 
  5 characters, APL less than 
  Weak 
  5 characters, APL equivalent 
  Average 
  5 characters, APL greater than 
  Strong 
  6-7 characters, APL less than 
  Average 
  6-7 characters, APL equivalent 
  Strong 
  6-7 characters, APL greater than 
  Very Strong 
  Running the Adventure 
  As the Dungeon Master of the session, you have the 
  most important role in facilitating the enjoyment of 
  the game for the players. You help guide the 
  narrative and bring the words on these pages to life. 
  The outcome of a fun game session often creates 
  stories that live well beyond the play at the table. 
  Always follow this golden rule when you DM for a 
  group:  
   Make decisions and adjudications that enhance 
  the fun of the adventure when possible.  
   To reinforce this golden rule, keep in mind the 
  following: 
   You are empowered to make adjustments to the 
  adventure and make decisions about how the 
  group interacts with the world of this adventure. 
  Doing so is especially important and applicable 
  outside of combat, but feel free to adjust the 
  adventure for groups that are having too easy or 
  too hard of a time.  
   Don’t make the adventure too easy or too difficult 
  for a group. Never being challenged makes for a 
  boring game and being overwhelmed makes for a 
  frustrating one. Gauge the experience of the 
  players (not the characters) with the game, try to 
  feel out (or ask) what they like in a game, and 
  attempt to give each of them the experience 
  they’re after when they play D&D. Give everyone a 
  chance to shine.  
   Be mindful of pacing, and keep the game session 
  moving along appropriately. Watch for stalling, 
  since play loses momentum when this happens. At 
  the same time, make sure that the players don’t 
  finish too early; provide them with a full play 
  experience. Try to be aware of running long or 
  short. Adjust the pacing accordingly  
   Read-aloud text is just a suggestion; feel free to 
  modify the text as you see fit, especially when 
  dialogue is present.  
   Give the players appropriate hints so they can 
  make informed choices about how to proceed. 
  Players should be given clues and hints when 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  4 
  appropriate so they can tackle puzzles, combat, 
  and interactions without getting frustrated over 
  lack of information. Doing so helps to encourage 
  immersion in the adventure and gives players 
  “little victories” for figuring out good choices from 
  clues.  
  In short, being the DM isn’t about following the 
  adventure’s text word-for-word; it’s about 
  facilitating a fun, challenging game environment for 
  the players. The Dungeon Master’s Guide™ has more 
  information on the art of running a D&D game. 
   
  Downtime and Lifestyle 
  At the beginning of each play session, players must 
  declare whether or not they are spending any days 
  of downtime. The player records the downtime 
  spent on the adventure logsheet. The following 
  options are available to players during downtime 
  (see the D&D basic rules or the D&D Adventurers 
  League Player’s Guide for more information): 
   Catching up 
   Crafting (exception: multiple characters cannot 
  commit to crafting a single item)  
   Practicing a profession  
   Recuperating  
   Spellcasting services  
   Training  
  Other downtime options might be available during 
  adventures or unlocked through play, including 
  faction-specific activities.  
   In addition, whenever a character spends 
  downtime days, that character also spends the 
  requisite expense for his or her lifestyle. Costs are 
  per day, so a character that spends ten days of 
  downtime also spends ten days of expenses 
  maintaining his or her lifestyle. Some downtime 
  activities help with lifestyle expenses or add lifestyle 
  expenses. 
  Spellcasting Services 
  Any settlement the size of a town or larger can 
  provide some spellcasting services. Characters need 
  to be able to travel to the settlement to obtain these 
  services. 
   Spell services generally available include healing 
  and recovery spells, as well as information-gathering 
  spells. Other spell services might be available as 
  specified in the adventure. The number of spells 
  available to be cast as a service is limited to a 
  maximum of three per day total, unless otherwise 
  noted. 
   
  Spellcasting Services  
  Spell  
   
   
   
  Cost  
  Cure wounds (1st level)  
   
  10 gp  
  Identify   
   
   
  20 gp  
  Lesser restoration  
   
  40 gp  
  Prayer of healing (2nd level)  
  40 gp  
  Remove curse  
   
   
  90 gp  
  Speak with dead   
   
  90 gp  
  Divination  
   
   
  210 gp  
  Greater restoration  
   
  450 gp  
  Raise dead  
   
   
  1,250 gp 
  Acolyte Background  
  A character possessing the acolyte background requesting 
  spellcasting services at a temple of his or her faith may 
  request one spell per day from the Spellcasting Services table 
  for free. The only cost paid for the spell is the base price for 
  the consumed material component, if any.  
  Disease, Death, and Recovery 
  Sometimes bad things happen, and characters get 
  poisoned, diseased, or are killed. Since you might not 
  have the same characters return from session to 
  session, here are the rules when bad things happen 
  to characters.  
  Disease, Poison, and Other Debilitating 
  Effects  
  A character still affected by diseases, poisons, and 
  other similar effects at the conclusion of an 
  adventure can spend downtime days recuperating 
  until such time as he or she resolves the effect to its 
  conclusion (see the recuperating activity in the D&D 
  Basic Rules).  
   If a character doesn’t resolve the effect between 
  sessions, that character begins the next session still 
  affected by the debilitating effect.  
  Death  
  A character who is killed during the course of the 
  adventure has a few options at the end of the session 
  (or whenever arriving back in civilization) if no one 
  in the adventuring party has immediate access to a 
  raise dead or revivify spell, or similar magic. A 
  character subject to a raise dead spell is affected 
  negatively until all long rests have been completed 
  during an adventure. Alternatively, each downtime 
  day spent after raise dead reduces the penalty to 
  attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks by 1, in 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  5 
  addition to any other benefits the downtime activity 
  might provide.  
   Create a New 1st-Level Character. If the dead 
  character is unwilling or unable to exercise any of 
  the other options, the player creates a new character. 
  The new character does not have any items or 
  rewards possessed by the dead character.  
   Dead Character Pays for Raise Dead. If the 
  character’s body is recoverable (it’s not missing any 
  vital organs and is mostly whole) and the player 
  would like the character to be returned to life, the 
  party can take the body back to civilization and use 
  the dead character’s funds to pay for a raise dead 
  spell. A raise dead spell cast in this manner costs the 
  character 1,250 gp.  
   Character’s Party Pays for Raise Dead. As above, 
  except that some or all of the 1,250 gp for the raise 
  dead spell is paid for by the party at the end of the 
  session. Other characters are under no obligation to 
  spend their funds to bring back a dead party 
  member. 
   Faction Charity. If the character is of level 1 to 4 
  and a member of a faction, the dead character’s body 
  can be returned to civilization and a patron from the 
  faction ensures that he or she receives a raise dead 
  spell. However, any character invoking this charity 
  forfeits all experience and rewards from that session 
  (both those earned prior to and after death during 
  that session) and cannot replay that episode or 
  adventure with that character again. Once a 
  character reaches 5th level, this option is no longer 
  available. 
  The Situation in Melvaunt 
  The walls of Melvaunt resemble Swiss cheese, but 
  the city still stands. While the Orc Baron of Thar and 
  his forces assaulted the city, a portal that was part of 
  a modron plot to take over Melvaunt was 
  miraculously moved outside the walls by a brave 
  group of adventurers with the assistance of 
  Truushee the Sage. That portal unleashed the 
  modron legion into the orc forces just after the 
  marauders breached the city walls in several 
  locations. The ensuing battle between the orcs and 
  modrons allowed the forces of Melvaunt to 
  successfully defend the city. 
   In the aftermath of the battle, Melvaunt is in 
  turmoil politically. The City Watch has been 
  depleted, with many of their best and brightest 
  killed in the recent events. The people of Melvaunt 
  have hastily patched up the walls and are doing their 
  best to repair them to their former strength. Beyond 
  the walls, bands of orcs and modrons still roam the 
  area, occasionally attacking the weak spots. While 
  the orcs and modrons are no longer a threat to the 
  city itself, citizens and travelers in the area have 
  been killed. Occasionally groups of modrons, 
  trapped away from their home, still attempt to 
  follow their last orders of taking over Melvaunt. A 
  pentadrone called “Sleepie” (SL33P13-773P) has 
  broken away from the modron collective and is 
  assisting the City Watch in dealing with the modrons 
  in the area. 
   Then there are the Lords. Political power has a 
  way of moving hands in the wake of disastrous 
  events. The Lord of Keys and The Lord of Waves 
  have declared themselves the temporary rulers of 
  Melvaunt, but murmurs are already starting to 
  cascade around the Merchant’s Council. Is this just a 
  temporary situation or a power play by the two 
  Lords to wrest all the power and wealth of Melvaunt 
  for themselves? To make matters worse, a Red 
  Wizard of Thay was killed during the recent events, 
  and the Red Wizards don’t approve of their own 
  being killed. An emissary of the Red Wizards has 
  been sent to determine what happened and who 
  might be to blame. 
   While Melvaunt has dodged the executioner’s axe 
  this time, the city’s head still looks like it might be on 
  the chopping block. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  6 
  Adventure Background 
  Melvaunt, the City of a Thousand Forges, is on edge. 
  A mysterious planar portal recently appeared in the 
  region. While the portal is temporarily at peace, 
  there’s no telling when it could open again, exposing 
  the Moonsea to threats from beyond this world. 
   At the same time, the Orc Baron of Thar decided to 
  advance on Melvaunt. Adventurers managed to 
  momentarily halt the advance, but Thar still poses a 
  threat to the entire region.  
   Amid the chaos, various factions began to vie for 
  power within Melvaunt. The Lord of Keys and the 
  Lord of Waves have taken total control over the city. 
  They do not wish to return that power to the Council 
  of Iron. Meanwhile the various guilds in Melvaunt 
  are having trouble moving their goods via land 
  because there is so much danger in the region. 
   Many mysterious visitors recently arrived in 
  Melvaunt. A family of hard-drinking gnomes, a group 
  of monk scholars, a mad mage, a Mulmasterite 
  ambassador, an influential cleric of Waukeen, and a 
  ghost ship raise the suspicions of the city’s already 
  overworked City Watch. Are these newcomers 
  harmless tourists? Drawn to the city by the power of 
  the portal? Spies for the Orc Baron of Thar? Taking 
  advantage of Melvaunt’s citizens during a time of 
  trouble? One thing is clear. Their intentions must be 
  uncovered for the safety of Melvaunt’s terrified 
  public.  
  Overview 
  This adventure is divided into six parts. It begins 
  with an introduction where the players meet 
  Lieutenant Liza Tarheels, a lieutenant in the City 
  Watch of Melvaunt, who pays them to investigate the 
  mysterious visitors. The players can meet with the 
  visitors in any order they choose. 
   Part 1. Brea Salvadine, an ambassador from 
  Mulmaster, refuses to leave Asberyth Square with 
  her entourage. She came to Melvaunt to convince the 
  merchants to lower the price of their goods for the 
  people of Mulmaster, since their city was razed 
  during the events of the Princes of the Apocalypse 
  storyline. While the characters talk with her, an 
  angry ex-beastmaster from Mulmaster’s arena 
  attacks with his animals, seeking retribution for his 
  unfair firing. 
   Part 2. Mericor Tasgaf, a con man pretending to 
  be a cleric of Waukeen, leads expensive retreats in a 
  seaside cave outside the city for merchants. The 
  characters can expose Mericor’s fraud once they 
  brave the hazards of the cave. 
   Part 3. Parabald the Maimed sits by the dock 
  playing chess with his imaginary friends. The 
  dragonborn mage challenges the adventurers to a 
  game then reveals his true intentions. He has a score 
  to settle with the followers of Cyric. 
   Part 4. The adventures investigate the 
  Cloisternook gnomes in a camp outside a defunct 
  diamond mine called Darkglitter Depths. The hard-
  drinking family loves inventing as much as their 
  moonshine. The gnomes’ patriarch explains they 
  intend to reopen the mine, since there could still be 
  diamonds within. While the characters talk to 
  Fizzlebottom Cloisternook, one of his inventions, a 
  large drill, goes haywire. 
   Part 5. The Order of Wandering Tales is a group of 
  monks that records interesting stories for history. 
  They came to Melvaunt to record accounts of recent 
  events. Before the characters share their own tales 
  with the monks in a popular tavern, an enraged 
  merchant and his thugs break down the door, 
  seeking vengeance against the order for exposing his 
  extramarital affair. 
   Part 6. A ghost ship appears every night in the 
  harbor of Melvaunt. The characters board the vessel 
  to find it filled with skeletons who pay them no heed 
  at all. The glass-bottomed vessel is home to a 
  runaway Red Wizard who studies the effects of the 
  portal on sea life. 
  Adventure Hooks 
   Adventurers Wanted. Characters looking for 
  places where they can help or earn a copper know of 
  Melvaunt’s recent troubles and travel there. A 
  posting from Lieutenant Tarheels promises a chance 
  to aid the city and make money with some 
  potentially dangerous work. 
   Heroes of Melvaunt. Characters who have 
  adventured in Melvaunt and the surrounding region 
  have ties there. They maintained their presence in or 
  returned to the area to either keep a vigilant eye out 
  for danger or assist with the region’s recovery 
  efforts. A posting from Lieutenant Tarheels promises 
  any interested a chance to aid the city in a time of 
  need. 
   Faction Directive. The Factions know there is 
  much work to be done in the City of a Thousand 
  Forges. They directed the adventurers to Melvaunt 
  to fortify their position should the portal open or the 
  forces of Thar become active again. This is 
  particularly applicable to members of the Lords’ 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  7 
  Alliance, the Order of the Gauntlet, and the Harpers. 
  They are told to check in with Lieutenant Liza 
  Tarheels about any work that might need to get done 
  in the region. 
  Passive or Secret Wisdom (Insight) Checks 
  There are many NPCs in this adventure that are hiding 
  something from the characters. Asking for a Wisdom (Insight) 
  check can tip the players off that an NPC is hiding something. 
  Even when Wisdom (Insight) checks fail, the players know 
  something is up after being asked to make the check in the 
  first place. 
   
  If you prefer to avoid asking for Wisdom (Insight) checks in 
  such situations, here are two methods you can try. 
   At the beginning of the adventure, ask for each character’s 
  passive Insight score. To calculate a character’s passive 
  Insight score simply add 10 to the character’s Wisdom 
  (Insight) modifier. Use this score as the result of a 
  character’s Wisdom (Insight) check. Share only the results 
  of successes with the players. 
   At the beginning of the adventure, ask for each character’s 
  Wisdom (Insight) modifier. Roll Wisdom (Insight) checks 
  for the character in secret. Share only the results of 
  successes with players. 
  If a player wants a character to make a Wisdom (Insight) 
  check, allow them to do so as normal. Only use passive scores 
  and secret rolls in situations where characters are being 
  deceived and the players don’t suspect it.  
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  8 
  Introduction: A 
  Lieutenant’s Plea 
  Lieutenant Liza Tarheels’ Office 
  Expected Duration: 10-15 minutes 
  The adventurers find themselves in the office of 
  Lieutenant Liza Tarheels. They came because they 
  saw a posting in which the Lieutenant offers a 
  chance to help the people of Melvaunt and make 
  some money. (See Handout 1.) 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to Liza 
  Tarheels’ office: 
   Sounds. A murmur of activity can be heard in the 
  halls outside the office as law enforcement officials 
  chat about the start of the day and the end of the 
  nightshift. 
   Surrounding Activity. Law enforcement officials 
  preparing for the day suit up in armor, check 
  equipment, and chat about what’s on their agendas. 
  Night shift officers gather their belongings, file last-
  minute reports, and head home. 
  A bright sun burns through the dusty window on the wall 
  opposite the door in Lieutenant Liza Tarheels’ cramped office 
  in Asberyth, Melvaunt’s government campus. A large desk 
  dominates the tiny room, covered in disorganized piles of 
  letters, warrants, and reports. A din of activity mumbles 
  through a closed door as Melvaunt’s finest start their shifts. 
   
  That din grows to a quiet roar as the door swings open. A 
  haggard middle-aged human woman with an unkempt nest 
  of gray-brown hair, dark skin, and bags under her eyes 
  lurches to sit behind the desk as the door shuts behind her, 
  quieting the noise of the hall. She is dressed in the wrinkled 
  regalia of Melvaunt’s Lieutenant. Without speaking Liza 
  Tarheels motions for all of you to sit. 
   
  Once you’re settled she says, “You here about the job?” 
  and hands you a piece of paper that you’ve already seen 
  posted throughout the streets of the city. 
  At this point give the players Handout 1. Inform the 
  characters this is the same posting they saw that 
  drew them to Liza’s office in the first place. Once 
  they’ve had time to look it over, proceed by reading 
  the following boxed text: 
  The tired Lieutenant looks up at you. “Here’s the deal. We’re 
  overworked. A nearby portal has everyone in Melvaunt more 
  scared than a sun elf in a city of drow. It doesn’t help that the 
  Orc Baron of Thar decided to march on us Moonsea folk 
  either. Even though the portal is closed and the Baron is 
  halted, people haven’t calmed down. We’ve got our hands 
  full trying to keep the peace. Now all these mysterious 
  strangers are showing up.” Liza rummages through the 
  papers on her desk, muttering about needing a second 
  assistant, before she hands you another paper. 
  Give the players Handout 2 and then continue by 
  reading the following boxed text: 
  “My assistant is checking your references. Frankly we need 
  this job done yesterday, so I don’t care if your 
  recommendations come from Asmodeus. You’re hired.” The 
  Lieutenant grabs a cup of day-old tea from her desk and 
  swigs it down before continuing. 
   
  “I need you to find out why everyone on that list is here in 
  Melvaunt. They’ve done nothing illegal, but they’re poking 
  around, asking questions, demanding meetings with 
  influential leaders, and making the city’s people more 
  paranoid than they already are. Even that weird boat isn’t 
  doing anything wrong, but it is giving folks the willies. 
   
  “I want a thorough questioning of each of these 
  newcomers by tonight. Find out why they’re here. If they’re 
  up to no good, arrest ‘em. Do that and 250 pieces of gold are 
  yours to split. Everything I know is in the document. Your first 
  newcomer on the list is right outside.” 
   
  Before you leave, Liza makes clear the exact location of all 
  six groups she has asked you to investigate. 
  Liza truly doesn’t know much other than what’s 
  contained within Handout 2. She can tell the 
  characters the legend of the Bloody Dawn if they ask 
  about it as described in Part 6, but she thinks it is a 
  bunch of hogwash. 
  Roleplaying Liza Tarheels 
  She is overworked, assertive, and blunt. Many long hours 
  have left her a little jaded and a lot exhausted, but she’s good 
  at what she does and has the safety of Melvaunt’s people at 
  heart. While roleplaying Liza Tarheels, you might: 
   Lean back in your chair. 
   Sigh before answering a question. 
   Rub your face like you’re tired. 
   Speak in a loud, boisterous voice. 
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  9 
  Part 1. Mulmaster 
  Ambassador 
  Expected Duration: 20-30 minutes 
  The adventurers talk with Brea Salvadine, an 
  ambassador from Mulmaster, in Asberyth Square. 
  While they chat, an angry animal wrangler with a 
  score to settle attacks Brea and her entourage. 
  Asberyth Square 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to Asberyth 
  Square: 
   Light. Sunshine or moonlight fills the area with 
  bright light. 
   Smells and Sounds. Brea and her retinue of 
  nobles chant protests in the square, demanding to be 
  seen by the Council of Iron. The square is outdoors 
  and smells of Melvaunt’s forges and metalwork. 
   Surrounding Activity. Government officials and 
  employees walk through the square on their way 
  from one duty or meeting to another. Some citizens 
  of Melvaunt with government business (e.g. 
  registering a guild, filing for a marriage license, etc.) 
  wait to be seen. 
  Asberyth is Melvaunt’s square-shaped government center. 
  The central plaza is a large open area called Asberyth Square. 
  “The Unnamed Merchant,” an iron statue of a trader 
  traveling with a cart of goods, stands proudly in the middle of 
  the square. As you enter, your nose burns with the reek of 
  smelting and metallurgy that are a staple of the City of a 
  Thousand Forges. The air tastes of industry. 
   
  In front of the statue, a dozen human men and women 
  dressed in noble finery chant protests. “The council must see 
  us! The council must see us!” they cry. A noblewoman in her 
  thirties dressed in purple robes leads the crowd. Her auburn 
  hair falls down her shoulders as she raises her hands to quiet 
  the mob. She begins singing Mulmaster’s city anthem in a 
  clear voice as the rest of her group joins in. 
  Brea Salvadine and her eleven friends (all LN 
  nobles) are from Mulmaster. If the characters start a 
  conversation with Brea, she breaks away from the 
  rest of the group to talk with them while her friends 
  continue to demonstrate and protest. 
   
  Roleplaying Brea Salvadine 
  Brea, a human in her mid-30s, is a natural leader, but she 
  hasn’t always used her talents for good. Before the Cults of 
  Elemental Evil exploded devastation orbs in Mulmaster, Brea 
  used her talents for personal gain, climbing the ranks of 
  Mulmaster’s nobility without care for anyone else. 
   
  The destruction of the City of Danger changed her. Brea 
  now cares for others, and her fiery passion for her people 
  keeps her honest, energetic, and voracious. While roleplaying 
  Brea, you might: 
   Sit forward in your chair and listen to what others say 
  intently 
   Speak very quickly and passionately 
   Be quick to anger when something offensive is said 
   Be overly grateful for favors 
  Brea Salvadine 
  Brea freely shares the following information with 
  the characters: 
   She is an ambassador from Mulmaster. Her city 
  still lies in ruin after the attack of the Cults of 
  Elemental Evil. 
   The citizens of Mulmaster desperately need goods 
  from Melvaunt to rebuild. The merchants of the 
  City of a Thousand Forges raised their prices to 
  take advantage of Mulmaster’s predicament. 
   Brea and her band of nobles came to Mulmaster a 
  tenday ago to petition the Council of Iron, 
  Mulmaster’s governing body, for cheaper goods. 
  No one has seen them yet. They are protesting in 
  the square until a meeting is granted. 
   Brea mentions one excuse has been given for not 
  being able to meet with the Council of Iron: many 
  of their number are away on an inspirational 
  retreat led by Mericor Tasgaf, a moon elf cleric of 
  Waukeen, goddess of trade.  
  While interacting with Brea, a DC 13 Wisdom 
  (Insight) check reveals she feels guilty when 
  speaking about the current state of Mulmaster. A DC 
  13 Charisma (Persuasion) check convinces Brea to 
  share why she feels this way: 
   Brea didn’t always have the best interest of 
  Mulmaster at heart. She rose through the nobility 
  by investing heavily in the city’s gladiatorial arena. 
   The night the Cults of Elemental Evil razed the City 
  of Danger, Brea watched her fellow citizens perish. 
  She remained safe behind guards and walls 
  purchased with gold she gained from the deaths of 
  hundreds of gladiators. She realized she was no 
  better than the cultists razing the city. 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  10 
   After the attack, Brea took her money out of the 
  arena, gave it to survivors displaced by the 
  destruction, and invested in a few morally sound 
  businesses to keep funds flowing. Now she gives 
  all she can to the rebuilding efforts but feels 
  nothing can undo the damage she’s already done. 
   For that reason, Brea will stay in Asberyth Square 
  until the Council of Iron agrees to see her. 
  Hecklo Prett 
  While or immediately after the characters speak to 
  Brea, read or paraphrase the following boxed text: 
  A sudden, ear-splitting roar drowns out the chorus of 
  protestors. An enormous tiger crouches menacingly in one of 
  Asberyth’s archways. Another throaty sound brings your 
  attention across the square to the opposite arch where a 
  white bear lumbers forward on its hind legs, jaw snapping. 
  Before you have time to comprehend, bestial laughter draws 
  your eyes to a pair of enormous orange apes climbing down 
  the side of Asberyth. 
   
  The nobles in the square panic, running in every direction 
  as a humanoid figure clad in leather armor painted with tiger 
  stripes appears on top of Asberyth. He calls down to the 
  nobles, “Brea Salvadine, you ruined my life. Now I’ll take 
  yours!” 
  Hecklo Prett, a male half-elf scout with a +6 bonus to 
  Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks, lost his job as an 
  animal wrangler when Brea stopped funding the 
  arena. Hecklo and his animals started a new life in 
  Melvaunt as street performers, but so far they have 
  barely scraped by. He heard Brea was in town and 
  decided this was his moment for vengeance. Hecklo 
  attacks with his longbow from the roof while his two 
  apes, polar bear, and tiger pounce. The animals are 
  trained to go after the purple-clad Mulmaster nobles, 
  but if a character deals damage to an animal or gets 
  in its way, the beast attacks the character. The 
  animals are trained to fight to the death. Hecklo 
  Prett tries to flee if all of his animals die. 
   Animal Control. A character can attempt to calm 
  an animal who can see and hear it. As an action the 
  character chooses a beast and makes a Wisdom 
  (Animal Handling) check and so does Hecklo (as a 
  reaction, provided the beast can see and hear him). If 
  the character succeeds, the animal does nothing on 
  its next turn other than take the Dodge action. 
   If the animal can’t see or hear Hecklo, a DC 12 
  Wisdom (Animal Handling) check convinces the 
  animal to stop attacking people. The animal takes 
  the Dodge action, backs away from the fight, and 
  returns to its cage out in a nearby street as Hecklo 
  trained it to do. If the animal takes damage or is 
  commanded to attack by Hecklo, it rejoins the fray. 
   Nobles. Roll initiative for the twelve nobles. At 
  first they run in random directions, taking only the 
  Dash action and panicking. 
   Walls of Asberyth. Asberyth’s walls can be 
  climbed with a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. 
  Asberyth is 30 feet tall. 
  Adjusting the Encounter  
  Here are recommendations for adjusting this combat 
  encounter. These are not cumulative.  
   Very weak party: Remove the apes and tiger and replace 
  the polar bear with a black bear 
   Weak party: Replace the tiger with a panther and the 
  polar bear with a black bear 
   Strong party: Replace the tiger with a saber-toothed tiger 
   Very strong party: Replace the tiger with a saber-toothed 
  tiger and replace the scout with a bandit captain 
  Part 1 Interview Assessment 
  After speaking with Brea, it should be clear to the 
  characters she’ll do no harm to Melvaunt’s citizens. 
  Her peaceful protests will end once the Council of 
  Iron meets with her. This report satisfies Lieutenant 
  Tarheels. 
  XP Awards 
  If Brea Salvadine survives the encounter, award each 
  character 30 XP. 
  Treasure 
  If Brea Salvadine survives the encounter, she thanks 
  the characters for protecting her by giving them 50 
  gp. 
   The characters could feel moved to help Brea meet 
  with the council. Lieutenant Tarheels is their best 
  connection to Melvaunt’s governing body. If they 
  promise Brea to convince Liza to put in a good word, 
  Brea thanks the characters by giving them a potion 
  of healing she keeps on her person in case of 
  emergency. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  11 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  12 
  Part 2. Waukeen’s Retreat 
  Expected Duration: 40-50 minutes 
  Mericor Tasgaf leads his religious retreat in a 
  seaside cave outside of Melvaunt. The characters 
  must brave the cave’s dangers and find out what 
  Mericor’s intentions are. If they discover the truth, 
  that he is a con man, it is up to the characters what 
  to do with Mericor. 
  C1. Seaside Cave Entrance 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to the seaside 
  cave entrance: 
   Ceiling. The ceiling is 10 feet high. 
   Light. Sunshine or moonlight fills the cave 
  entrance with bright light. 
   Smells and Sounds. Salty air is thick in this cave, 
  since it is filled with seawater lapping lazily at the 
  rocks. The smell of garbage and industrial waste is 
  also prevalent here. 
   Surrounding Activity. Crabs climb on the rocks. 
  Small fish and crustaceans swim in the water. 
   Water. The water is 10 feet deep and opaque. The 
  cave is close to the City of a Thousand Forges and 
  the industrial pollution dumped into the sea gets 
  caught here, making it difficult to see through. 
  Creatures submerged in the water are blinded. 
  This seaside cave reeks of salty spray and industrial waste. A 
  lake of seawater and pollution fills most of the cave, with a 
  five-foot-wide ledge of glistening black rock poking above the 
  murk on the cavern’s eastern side. At the north end of the 
  room, a portcullis covers a narrow opening less than four feet 
  wide, allowing the water to flow into a dark cavern where the 
  sun cannot reach. 
  Mericor takes his patrons into the cave via canoe, the 
  only boat narrow enough to navigate the opening 
  blocked by the portcullis. Other boats, including 
  rowboats, are too wide. Canoes can be purchased in 
  Melvaunt for 100 gp each. A single canoe is 3 feet 
  wide, 15 feet long, 50 pounds, can hold up to three 
  Medium or Small creatures, has AC 11 and 30 hit 
  points and is immune to psychic and poison damage. 
   Portcullis. The portcullis here is activated via a 
  lever on the opposite side of the gate to the west of 
  the portcullis (see area C2). The lever itself is hidden 
  in the darkness of area C2 and can only be seen by a 
  creature who can see in the dark or with a light 
  source. A 10-foot pole (or similar object) can be slid 
  through the bars of the portcullis and used to pull 
  the lever to raise the gate. 
   A character standing on the slippery rock next to 
  the portcullis can try to lift the gate with a successful 
  DC 20 Strength check. The portcullis has AC 19 and 
  27 hit points and is immune to psychic and poison 
  damage. 
   The portcullis only goes 5 feet under the water. A 
  Medium or smaller creature could swim below the 
  portcullis, come out on the other side, and pull the 
  lever. Any movement in the water of area C2 alerts 
  the four reef sharks there, which attack. 
   Shark Attraction. A creature who swims in the 
  water in this area has a 50% chance of attracting 
  1d4 reef sharks from area C2 each round spent in 
  the water. 
   Slippery Rocks. The 5-foot-wide ledge in the cave 
  is wet, algae-slick rock. A creature walking on the 
  ledge must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity 
  (Acrobatics) check or fall into the water. 
  Underwater Combat 
  Under water the following rules apply: 
   When making a melee weapon attack, a creature that 
  doesn’t have a swimming speed (either natural or granted 
  by magic) has disadvantage on the attack roll unless the 
  weapon is a dagger, javelin, shortsword, spear, or trident. 
   A ranged weapon attack automatically misses a target 
  beyond the weapon’s normal range. Even against a target 
  within normal range, the attack roll has disadvantage 
  unless the weapon is a crossbow, a net, or a weapon that 
  is thrown like a javelin (including a spear, trident, or dart). 
   Creatures and objects fully immersed in water have 
  resistance to fire damage. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  13 
  C2. Shark Alley 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to shark alley: 
   Ceiling. The ceiling is 30 feet high. 
   Light. This part of the cave is so far from the sun 
  that it is shrouded in darkness. 
   Smells and Sounds. Salty air is thick in the cavern 
  and so is the smell of garbage and industrial waste. 
  The water laps against the boulders in this room. 
  The occasional loud splash can be heard as a shark 
  momentarily breaks the surface. 
   Surrounding Activity. Crabs climb on the rocks. 
  Sharks hunt small fish and crustaceans in the water. 
   Water. The water is 10 feet deep and opaque 
  thanks to pollution. Creatures submerged in the 
  water are blinded. 
  A series of wet boulders, slick with algae, rise above the 
  surface of the cloudy water. These rocks dot the way to a 
  larger stone dock where three canoes painted with symbols 
  of Waukeen are tied. Beyond the boats and platform, a 20-
  foot-high natural wall rises. The cave continues in the 
  darkness above. 
  If the characters haven’t already encountered the 
  four reef sharks here, add: 
  Somewhere in this cavern there is a momentary, furious 
  thrashing in the water, like a desperate animal drowning. As 
  soon as it begins, it stops. Something is lurking beneath the 
  surface.  
  Characters who are in canoes are safe from the 
  sharks as they navigate the waters here. Characters 
  without a vessel must either swim or try to cross the 
  water by hopping from rock to rock. The sharks 
  attack anyone who swims in the water. 
   Canoes. The three canoes tied to the stone dock at 
  the end of this cavern belong to Mericor Tasgaf. He 
  uses them to transport his patrons to the cave. 
  Untying or cutting a canoe loose is an action. 
   Slippery Rocks. Each boulder can hold only one 
  Medium or Small creature at a time. 
   Jumping from one boulder to another or onto the 
  dock requires two ability checks. First, a Strength 
  (Athletics) check is made to determine if the 
  character can clear the distance between the two 
  boulders. The DC of the check is equal to the number 
  of feet between the boulders. You can use the map in 
  the Appendix to determine the distance between 
  boulders, but if a character wants to simply hop 
  from one boulder to the next closest to get to the 
  dock, a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check is required. 
  If the character fails that check, one of their jumps 
  lands short and they fall in the water. 
   After a successful Strength (Athletics) check, a 
  character must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity 
  (Acrobatics) check or lose their balance on the 
  slippery surface, and fall into the water. 
   Slippery Wall. The 20-foot-high wall is slick with 
  water and algae. Climbing it requires a DC 15 
  Strength (Athletics) check. A character who fails this 
  check by 5 or more falls, taking 3 (1d6) bludgeoning 
  damage per 10 feet fallen (rounded down) and 
  landing prone as normal. At the top of the wall there 
  is a curled-up rope ladder that can be thrown down 
  as an action. Climbing the rope ladder requires no 
  check. 
  Adjusting the Encounter  
  Here are recommendations for adjusting this combat 
  encounter. These are not cumulative.  
   Very weak party: Remove two reef sharks 
   Weak party: Remove one reef shark 
   Strong party: Add three reef sharks 
   Very strong party: Replace the four reef sharks with three 
  hunter sharks 
  C3. Trapped Corridor 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to the 
  trapped corridor: 
   Ceiling. The ceiling is 10 feet high. 
   Light. This part of the cave is shrouded in 
  darkness. 
   Smells and Sounds. Salty air is thick in the cavern, 
  and so is the smell of garbage and industrial waste. 
  The indistinguishable words of a person giving an 
  impassioned speech can be heard beyond the door at 
  the end of the corridor. 
  A small natural doorway leads into this short corridor that 
  ends in a newly installed steel door emblazoned with the side 
  profile of the goddess of trade. Above the door the words 
  “REMEMBER DWARVISH GOLD,” are painted in bright red 
  letters. Beyond the door, you can make out the muffled 
  sounds of a single voice giving an impassioned speech. You 
  can also hear the occasional chorus of cheers, jeers, and 
  applause punctuating the speaker’s performance. 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  14 
  Mericor’s cons have been profitable. He hired a team 
  of the city’s best smith’s to install the door and a 
  cleric to cast the glyph of warding spell on the floor 
  before the door. The cleric who cast the spell made 
  some mistakes while drawing the glyph, so it isn’t as 
  powerful as normal. 
   Once in the hall, any character who turns around 
  notices the phrase, “REMEMBER DWARVISH GOLD,” 
  is also painted above the doorway leading from this 
  corridor into area C2. This phrase serves as a way of 
  reminding retreat goers to speak the password for 
  the glyph of warding before leaving or entering area 
  C4. 
   Glyph of Warding. A nearly invisible, 10-foot-
  diameter glyph of warding sits directly in front of the 
  door. The glyph can be detected with a DC 13 
  Intelligence (Investigation) check. Any character 
  proficient in Arcana or Religion immediately 
  recognizes the glyph for what it is, though they note 
  it is poorly drawn. 
   The glyph is triggered when a creature walks over 
  the rune without saying aloud the password, “Gorol,” 
  the Dwarvish word for gold. 
   When triggered, the glyph erupts with magical 
  energy in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on the 
  glyph. Creatures in the area must make a DC 13 
  Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 11 (2d10) 
  cold damage on a failed saving throw, or half as 
  much on a successful one. Once the glyph is 
  triggered the spell ends. 
   Locked Door. The steel door leading to area C4 is 
  locked from the other side with a deadbolt switch 
  anyone can turn. On this side of the door a key is 
  required to enter. A DC 15 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) 
  check picks the lock. A character trying to work 
  around the glyph of warding makes this check at 
  disadvantage. On a roll of 1, the character drops the 
  thieves’ tools into the glyph of warding and 
  accidentally triggers it, if it is still active. 
   The door can be forced open with a DC 18 
  Strength check, though a character must stand on 
  the glyph of warding to get the proper leverage to 
  attempt the check. The door has AC 19 and 18 hit 
  points and is immune to psychic and poison damage. 
   Mericor holds the key to this door. If the 
  characters knock on the door, no one in area C4 can 
  hear them over his speech. If they set off the glyph of 
  warding or attack the door, Mericor calms his 
  followers and makes a show of going to check out 
  the disturbance himself. His actual plan is to try to 
  bribe any potential troublemakers into going away, 
  and failing that, be the first to get to the canoes if 
  things get violent. 
  C4. Shrine of Waukeen 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to the shrine 
  of Waukeen: 
   Ceiling. The ceiling is 20 feet high. 
   Light. The cavern is filled with bright light from 
  torches in wall sconces and the fire walk. 
   Smells and Sounds. The smells of smoking coals 
  and sweat permeate this chamber. Mericor’s voice 
  booms through the cavern, enhanced by his 
  prestidigitation spell. The small crowd of nobles 
  cheers and applauds him at appropriate moments. 
  The smells of smoke and body odor sting your eyes as you 
  open the door to this large cavern. Torches light the room. 
  You can see many bedrolls, chamber pots, and mess kits piled 
  to one side. On top of a natural platform, a pale-skinned elf 
  with a glorious pompadour and dressed in the robes of 
  Waukeen’s clergy booms with magically enhanced speech. 
   
  “If you find Waukeen’s light, you can walk across the fire, 
  just like Yenassa! Yenassa, the lessons you have learned 
  today and the faith you have found will protect you. Cross 
  the fire and accept Waukeen’s light into your soul.” 
   
  A dozen perspiring merchants cheer as a human woman 
  walks barefoot across a long bed of low-burning. She moves 
  quickly and when she gets to the end, the applause is 
  thunderous. The woman’s smile is genuine. 
   
  The elf continues his sermon amid the cheers. “Good 
  business will come your way, Yenassa. The seed you’ve 
  planted in Waukeen’s name will grow strong and reap you a 
  bountiful harvest.” 
  Mericor Tasgaf is not really a cleric of Waukeen at all. 
  He is a con man (a CN spy) able to cast the 
  prestidigitation cantrip thanks to his high (moon) elf 
  heritage. He has convinced the twelve merchant 
  nobles in this room that his expensive retreat is a 
  religious investment that pays back many times over. 
  Technically, Mericor is committing fraud by taking 
  money from his marks in return for a good or service 
  (the blessing of Waukeen) that he is not actually 
  providing. 
   When the adventurers first enter the chamber, 
  allow any character proficient in Religion to make a 
  DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check. Success means 
  the character knows fire walks aren’t a normal part 
  of Waukeen’s religious rituals. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  15 
  Mericor Tasgaf 
  If the characters ask to speak with Mericor, the 
  merchants are annoyed at the interruption, but 
  Mericor cheerfully chats with the adventurers out of 
  earshot of his patrons. Mericor tells the characters 
  he is a cleric of Waukeen who has come to Melvaunt 
  to aid the merchants impacted by recent events. The 
  roads are unsafe and trade is slow. This answer is 
  enough to satisfy Lieutenant Tarheels, but there’s a 
  good chance the characters can figure out what’s 
  really going on. 
   When Mericor lies to the characters, he makes a 
  Charisma (Deception) check against the characters’ 
  Wisdom (Insight) checks. Characters who succeed 
  know that Mericor is hiding something. They can try 
  to quiz Mericor about the religion of Waukeen by 
  making Intelligence (Religion) checks against his 
  Charisma (Deception) check. 
   Suspicious characters might demand Mericor 
  perform magic for them. He uses prestidigitation to 
  snuff out torches and create smells, sparks, and 
  symbols of Waukeen. Any character proficient in 
  Arcana can make a DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) 
  check to realize the spell being cast is not one 
  normally available to clerics. Any character who 
  knows the cantrip already has this knowledge. 
   If Mericor thinks the characters are onto him, he 
  tries to redirect the conversation. The con man tells 
  them he’s heard the merchants mention a family of 
  gnomes recently purchased the mines known as 
  Darkglitter Depths. It seems odd to him since these 
  mines have been closed and defunct for years. 
  Mericor suggests (lies) that the gnomes could have 
  purchased the mine for more nefarious reasons, like 
  carrying out some strange magic ritual or to bury the 
  bodies of the people they plan to murder inside. 
   If the characters confront Mericor about lying, he 
  bribes them by offering 25 gp for them to look the 
  other way. If the characters refuse, he increases the 
  amount of his bribe to 50 gp. 
   If the characters try to arrest Mericor, he attempts 
  to flee out of the cave, surrendering if he is reduced 
  to 13 hit points or less. Mericor’s followers are 
  confused if he is placed under arrest, but they do not 
  interfere if the characters make it clear the action is 
  done with the authority of the Lieutenant of 
  Melvaunt. 
   If the characters leave peacefully (either because 
  they believe Mericor or because they take his bribe) 
  he offers them the use of the canoes to exit the 
  seaside cave and sends one of the merchants with 
  them to collect the canoes when they are done. 
   Fire Walk. A barefoot fire walk, while an 
  impressive visual trick, is actually a simple task of 
  keeping your feet moving. A creature walking over 
  the 15-foot-long, 5-foot-wide area of coals takes 1 
  fire damage only if it ends its movement there. 
  Roleplaying Mericor Tasgaf 
  Mericor Tasgaf oozes charisma. He’s charming, attractive, 
  and knows how to make people feel good. The con man uses 
  his personality to seduce those susceptible to his charms and 
  keep those suspicious of him disarmed. While roleplaying 
  Mericor, you might: 
   Wear a big, genuine smile, even when insults and 
  accusations are slung. 
   Give compliments freely and often. 
   Stay cool under pressure. 
   Redirect the conversation when things get uncomfortable. 
  Part 2 Interview Assessment 
  After speaking with Mericor, the characters discover 
  he is a con man or he cons the adventurers into 
  thinking he is a cleric of Waukeen. Either 
  explanation satisfies Lieutenant Tarheels, provided 
  the characters at least tried to arrest Mericor if they 
  report the truth. 
  XP Awards 
  If the characters capture and arrest Mericor Tasgaf, 
  award each 30 XP. 
  Treasure 
  The characters could leave the cave with a bribe 
  from Mericor. If they arrest him and bring him to 
  Lieutenant Tarheels, she pays the characters an 
  extra 50 gp for helping with his arrest. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  16 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  17 
  Part 3. The Cloisternook 
  Clan 
  Expected Duration: 30-40 minutes 
  The Cloisternook gnomes have set up camp outside 
  Melvaunt, near their closed diamond mine, 
  Darkglitter Depths. The characters can speak with 
  the hard-drinking, inventive family, discover their 
  innocent intentions, and contend with a dangerous 
  mining creation gone haywire. 
  Cloisternook Camp 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to the seaside 
  cave entrance: 
   Light. The camp is in a small clearing filled with 
  bright light from the sun or the moon and some 
  small campfires, depending on the time of day. 
   Smells and Sounds. The smells of hard liquor and 
  grease are readily apparent in the camp. Hammers 
  ping and gears grind as the Cloisternooks tinker 
  away. 
   Surrounding Activity. Gnomes around the camp 
  drink moonshine, tinker with inventions, and chat 
  with one another. 
  This small clearing just outside of the defunct mines known 
  as Darkglitter Depths is utterly mundane except for the 
  colorfully dressed gnomes sitting outside of their tents, 
  tinkering with odd inventions and drinking clear alcohol. 
  Many of the contraptions built by the gnomes look made to 
  extract material from the earth. 
   
  At the center of the camp, a wheeled, cylindrical device 
  made of iron stands fifteen feet tall and sits as big around. 
  The behemoth invention sports arms equipped with 
  automated drills, picks, hammers, and shovels. You have 
  never seen anything quite so odd in an area quite so normal. 
   
  “Ah, admiring Big Billy, are ya?” says a kindly, intoxicated 
  voice behind you. It comes from an old gnome with a pointy 
  white goatee and long handlebar mustache. He holds two 
  jugs in his hands. “This moonshine was for him, but seeing as 
  you’re my guests, what do you say we pour a few glasses and 
  get ourselves primed before we fire up my new toy?” He 
  laughs and leads you to a table at the back of the camp. 
  The characters are about to sit down with 
  Fizzlebottom Cloisternook, (a CG commoner) the 
  patron of the Cloisternook clan. He leads the other 
  twenty gnome commoners in the camp. 
  Cloisternook Gnomes 
  Cloisternook gnomes are commoners with an Intelligence of 
  15. Each has proficiency in at least one set of artisan’s tools 
  (DMs choice). 
  Fizzlebottom Cloisternook 
  Fizzlebottom Cloisternook is happy to speak with 
  the characters about what he’s up to. Any character 
  who takes the offered moonshine (which smells like 
  paint thinner and tastes about the same) has 
  advantage on any Charisma checks made to 
  influence Fizzlebottom. Characters who drink must 
  also succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw at 
  the end of the conversation or become poisoned for 
  one hour. Fizzlebottom shares the following 
  information freely: 
   The Cloisternooks came to Melvaunt because they 
  recently purchased Darkglitter Depths. The family 
  owned the mine generations ago, then sold it to 
  the city of Melvaunt when the diamonds ran out. 
  The city never did anything with the mine. 
   The gnomes bought the mine back because the 
  new mining inventions they’ve created, 
  particularly Big Billy, can dig deeper and further 
  than ever before to find new pockets of diamonds. 
   The entrance to Darkglitter Depths is collapsed. 
  Once up and running, Big Billy can break through 
  and open Darkglitter Depths. 
   Fizzlebottom hasn’t gotten Big Billy to work, but 
  after a conversation over a game of chess with a 
  dragonborn mage named Parabald the Maimed 
  down at Melvaunt’s docks, he thinks he can rig the 
  invention to work using the gnome’s homemade 
  moonshine, Recipe 44, as its fuel source. 
   Fizzlebottom’s twin daughters, Mollo and Dollo, 
  are working on a new moonshine, Recipe 45, that’s 
  going to be even stronger than the stuff he’s 
  drinking with the characters. 
  While interacting with Fizzlebottom, a DC 12 
  Wisdom (Insight) check reveals he is not saying 
  everything he knows to the characters. A DC 12 
  Charisma (Persuasion) check convinces 
  Fizzlebottom to share the following information in 
  his drunken haze: 
   Before the Cloisternooks sold Darkglitter Depths 
  to the city of Melvaunt, they collapsed the 
  entrance. There is an object inside the mine the 
  gnomes wished to keep hidden. 
   The Cloisternooks repurchased Darkglitter Depths 
  to mine diamonds, but they also came to recover 
  the object. The family is worried that the Moonsea 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  18 
  region’s recent troubles make the mines a bad 
  hiding spot for the object and plan to move it out 
  of the area. 
  Fizzlebottom does not share more information than 
  this with the characters. (More about this object is 
  discussed in CORE2-2 Songs of Law and Chaos.) 
  Roleplaying Fizzlebottom Cloisternook 
  Fizzlebottom Cloisternook is old, kind, smart, and often 
  intoxicated. When it comes to his family’s secrets, he’s rather 
  tight-lipped, but when he’s drunk, he can’t resist dropping a 
  few hints. While roleplaying Fizzlebottom, you might: 
   Speak in a gravelly, slightly slurred voice. 
   Tell a lot of corny jokes. 
   Laugh very loud and slap your knee when something funny 
  happens. 
   Whisper conspiratorially when sharing hints about the 
  Cloisternook family’s secrets. 
  Big Billy 
  Read the following text when the conversation with 
  Fizzlebottom ends: 
  Two gnome women, who look exactly alike dressed in the 
  same blue garb, walk toward the table in perfect matching 
  stride. They carry large jugs of moonshine. Both have their 
  long yellow hair twisted up in intricate, matching braids and 
  their blue eyes shine with happy intoxication. Those of you 
  who drank with Fizzlebottom think you’re seeing double, 
  until one speaks. 
   
  “Hi! I’m Mollo. This old man’s smartest daughter,” says 
  one in a high-pitched voice as she bows. 
   
  “And I’m Dollo,” says the other in a huskier tone. “I’m the 
  good-looking one,” she adds with a wink. Both erupt into 
  gales of drunken laughter before continuing. 
   
  “Father,” Mollo squeaks, “we just loaded Big Billy up with 
  Recipe 45. He’s ready for a test run.” 
   
  Fizzlebottom starts with excitement as he turns to you. 
  “Come, new friends. It would be your honor to witness this 
  test!” The old man giggles as he moves away, not waiting for 
  an answer. “Turn on Big Billy!” he cries to another gnome 
  standing next to the device. That gnome pulls a lever on the 
  side of the enormous creation and suddenly all of its drills, 
  picks, hammers, shovels, and other tools whir to life. 
   
  “It works! Look at him go… Wait! Why?…” Fizzlebottom 
  looks concerned and then scared as the machine whirs faster, 
  all of its dangerous weapons flying about. Whirling death 
  spins around the camp. Gnomes drunkenly sprint-stumble 
  out of the invention’s path as it tears down tents and 
  destroys campfires. 
  As Big Billy tears up the camp, Fizzlebottom calls for 
  aid, yelling for the rest of the Cloisternooks to save 
  his prized invention. The other gnomes panic and 
  simply try to stay out of the way. Big Billy does the 
  following each round on initiative count 20:  
   The invention moves 15 feet in a random direction. 
  Roll a d8 to determine the direction Big Billy 
  moves. 1 is north, 2 is northwest, 3 is west, 4 is 
  southwest, 5 is south, 6 is southeast, 7 is east, and 
  8 is northeast. 
   Creatures and objects in Big Billy’s path and that 
  the invention moves within 10 feet of must 
  succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 
  3 (1d6) bludgeoning and 3 (1d6) piercing damage. 
   When a creature moves within 10 feet of Big Billy 
  for the first time, or starts its turn that close to the 
  invention, it must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity 
  saving throw or take 3 (1d6) bludgeoning and 3 
  (1d6) piercing damage. 
  The characters can try to stop Big Billy. If they attack 
  the invention, Fizzlebottom calls out to them, asking 
  that they don’t destroy it completely. 
   A character within 5 feet of Big Billy can make a 
  DC15 Dexterity (thieves’ tools) check as an action 
  to disable the device. The first success causes Big 
  Billy to stop dealing bludgeoning damage as half 
  its arms go limp. The second success shuts down 
  the invention completely. 
   Reducing Big Billy’s hit points to 0 disables the 
  device but also shuts it down. Big Billy is a Huge 
  object with AC 19 and 39 hit points. It is immune 
  to poison and psychic damage. 
   Reducing the hit points of Big Billy’s wheels to 0 
  disables the device so it stops moving. It’s arms 
  still spin wildly out of control, but as long as 
  everyone stays away from the invention it can’t do 
  any harm and runs out of fuel in one hour. Big 
  Billy’s wheels have AC 15 and 27 hit points. They 
  are immune to poison and psychic damage. 
  When Big Billy has been put out of commission, 
  Fizzlebottom thanks the characters (grudgingly if 
  they destroyed the invention). As the old gnome 
  scratches his beard trying to figure out what went 
  wrong, Mollo and Dollo come over and admit their 
  mistake. Big Billy had been calibrated for Recipe 44 
  Cloisternook moonshine, but they loaded it with 
  Recipe 45. Fizzlebottom berates them if any gnomes 
  or characters died in the incident, or simply laughs if 
  everyone survived. 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  19 
  Part 3 Interview Assessment 
  After speaking with Fizzlebottom, it should be clear 
  to the characters the Cloisternooks are not in the 
  area to harm Melvaunt’s citizens. If anything, the 
  gnomes are on the side of good and hope to remove 
  an object that could attract evil forces in the area. 
  This report satisfies Lieutenant Tarheels. 
  XP Awards 
  If the characters disable Big Billy, award each 50 XP. 
  Treasure 
  If the characters stop Big Billy without destroying it, 
  Fizzlebottom gives them a spell scroll of color spray 
  as thanks. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  20 
  Part 4. The Maimed Mage 
  Expected Duration: 20-30 minutes 
  Parabald the Maimed, a dragonborn mage, sits by 
  Melvaunt’s dock talking to a crew of imaginary 
  friends and playing chess with strangers. He 
  challenges the characters to a game. If he thinks they 
  would be strong allies, Parabald reveals his true 
  intentions to destroy the cults of Cyric. 
  Melvaunt Dock District 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to Melvaunt’s 
  dock district: 
   Light. The docks are bathed in bright light by the 
  sun or moon on this clear day. 
   Smells and Sounds. The air is thick and humid 
  with salt. The sea, the barks of dockworkers, the 
  ringing of boat bells, and calls of vendors fill all ears. 
   Surrounding Activity. Dockworkers go about 
  their business loading and unloading vessels. 
  Newcomers arrive in Melvaunt. People see loved 
  ones off before long journeys. 
  At the edge of the dock a blue-scaled dragonborn in green 
  robes grins as you approach. He sits at a large table opposite 
  you. Fourteen chairs, seven on either side, line the table’s 
  longer edges. The thirteen chairs not being used by the 
  dragonborn are empty. On the table between the chairs are 
  seven chessboards. 
   
  The dragonborn turns to his right, leaning across the table 
  to speak to an empty chair two seats away. “You’re right, 
  Baron Rebouvie… I think we have some new challengers!” 
  The madman turns to the chair immediately to his left and 
  laughs. “Oh no, Dutchess Reidrana Martwyth III, they don’t 
  look like much, but don’t judge a book by its cover.” The odd 
  being gives a glare back to the right and scolds, “Princess 
  Marabelle Nessia the Biting, hold your tongue.” Finally, he 
  stands and turns to regard you, the sleeve of his right arm 
  hanging empty at his side. “You’ll have to forgive her 
  Highness,” the dragonborn says. “She’s still learning her 
  manners.” He glares back at the princess’s empty chair 
  before continuing. 
   
  “Oh! And I seem to have forgotten mine. I’m Parabald, and 
  these are my good friends Lady Vanderblight, Baron 
  Rebouvie, Princess Marabelle Nessia the Biting, Dutchess 
  Reidrana Martwyth III, Grand Alchemist Riya Yang, and of 
  course High Chancellor Rizmeck Gobo needs no introduction. 
  Won’t you join us for a game?” 
  Parabald (a one-armed CG mage) won’t speak to the 
  adventurers about anything else until they agree to 
  sit down and play a game of chess. The mage yells in 
  horror if the characters try to occupy any of the 
  chairs on his side of the table, as that is where his 
  imaginary friends sit. 
  Parabald the Maimed 
  When the characters sit down to play chess with 
  Parabald, he places himself at the center board. The 
  mage controls the pieces of other boards using mage 
  hand, a spell he has mastered so well that he can cast 
  it without verbal or somatic components. The hand 
  Parabald conjures when he casts the spell is invisible. 
  The mage is constantly looking around, 
  complimenting the players and his imaginary friends 
  on their moves. 
   Parabald is on a dangerous mission of revenge in 
  Melvaunt (see Parabald’s True Intentions), but he 
  doesn’t want his cover blown. The extremely 
  intelligent dragonborn feigns madness, hoping it 
  makes him seem harmless as he engages travelers 
  fresh off the boat in games of chess. During those 
  games, he asks questions and gauges how people 
  treat him and his “friends.” 
   Parabald’s purpose at the docks is twofold. He 
  hopes to find powerful, good-hearted adventurers 
  who could serve as allies in his fight against the 
  followers of Cyric, and he wants to keep an eye on 
  the docks to see if he recognizes any cultists arriving 
  in Melvaunt. During the game, Parabald asks the 
  adventurers the following questions: 
   “Yes, Riya, that is an excellent question. Where are 
  you from?” 
   “I agree High Chancellor. I’m just dying to know 
  why you would come out to Melvaunt during such 
  a time of trouble.” 
   “Princess Marabelle Nessia the Biting, I disagree. 
  They look like very capable heroes. Please, tell the 
  princess some of your past deeds.” 
   “Oh Baron Rebouvie, you are so deep. I should 
  pose that question to our guests. When is killing 
  another justified?” 
   “Yes, yes, yes, Lady Vanderblight, you do prattle on 
  so. I know what you did this morning already. I 
  was there. I’d like to hear what our guests have 
  done with themselves this fine day.” 
   “Goodness Dutchess! That is a personal question. 
  But it is a delicious one. Have any of you ever 
  treated a past lover poorly?” 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  21 
   “Have you met those fantastic monk scholars in 
  Brogan Summer Shack? If not, you should! 
  Delightful tales they tell!” 
  If time permits, allow each character to answer 
  every question, or simply direct a single question to 
  only one or two characters. As the adventurers 
  answer, Parabald actively makes Wisdom (Insight) 
  checks with a +4 bonus. If he catches the characters 
  in a lie more than once, or if what he hears makes 
  him think the adventurers are less-than-pure-of-
  heart, he doesn’t call them out on it, but he doesn’t 
  reveal his true purpose for being in Melvaunt to 
  them (see Parabald’s True Intentions). 
   If asked about his own reasons for being in 
  Melvaunt, Parabald responds that he and his “friends” 
  travel the Moonsea region hoping to meet 
  interesting people who love chess. A DC 13 Wisdom 
  (Insight) check reveals that Parabald isn’t telling the 
  entire truth, though if pressed he won’t reveal 
  anything during the game. A DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) 
  check reveals Parabald is more lucid than he seems. 
   At the end of the conversation, have each 
  character make an opposed Intelligence check with a 
  chess set against Parabald (the mage’s modifier for 
  this check is +6). Characters who succeed beat 
  Parabald and he rewards them with a blue quartz 
  gem worth 10 gp. Creatures who fail are beaten by 
  Parabald and get nothing. 
   Read or paraphrase the following text if Parabald 
  decides he can trust the adventurers: 
  The dragonborn smiles wide at all of you. “Why don’t we 
  leave my friends here to sulk in their defeats and celebrate 
  their victories? Come with me. I want to show you 
  something.” The mage leads you to a secluded sailing vessel 
  that appears to be empty at the moment. The name 
  Admiral’s Delight is painted on the side. He climbs aboard 
  and uses a key to open the door to the captain’s quarters. 
  Admiral’s Delight Captain’s Quarters 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to the 
  Admiral’s Delight captain’s quarters: 
   Light. The sun comes through dust-covered 
  windows filling the room with dim light. 
   Sounds. All is quiet on the empty, secluded ship. 
  Even the sounds of the dock are far behind here. 
  Shadow Demon Ambush 
  Read or paraphrase the following text when the 
  characters enter the captain’s quarters of the 
  Admiral’s Delight: 
  A small bed, a desk covered with a marked map of the 
  Moonsea region, a table, and a leather bound spellbook are 
  all the room contains. 
   
  Parabald closes the door and his entire demeanor changes. 
  The jovial madman from the docks is gone. The dragonborn 
  before you is serious and tired. “I hope you forgive the ruse 
  outside, but I had to be sure you could be trusted. We’ll be 
  safe here. The captain of this vessel is a friend of mine, and 
  he’s loaning me the room during his time ashore.” 
   
  Before the mage can say more, a black, horned shadow 
  with long, wicked claws flies through the cabin wall and flings 
  Parabald against the wall. The dragonborn crumples and 
  doesn’t move. The shadow turns towards you, grinning and 
  throwing its incorporeal wings out wide in a challenge. 
  This shadow demon was summoned by a cult of 
  Cyric to kill Parabald. The demon was ordered to kill 
  the mage and any of his allies. Believing the 
  characters are Parabald’s friends, the demon turns 
  on them, fighting to the death with glee. 
   The mage lies crumpled on the floor, unconscious. 
  Parabald wakes up and joins the fight if a character 
  uses an action to heal him. 
   Door. If a character opens the door to the cabin, 
  the cabin is bathed in bright light. This is bad for the 
  shadow demon given its Sunlight Sensitivity feature. 
  Adjusting the Encounter  
  Here are recommendations for adjusting this combat 
  encounter. These are not cumulative.  
   Very weak party: Parabald  does not fall unconscious and 
  the door stays open letting bright light in 
   Weak party: Parabald  does not fall unconscious 
   Strong party: Add one shadow demon 
   Very strong party: Add one shadow demon and two 
  dretches 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  22 
  Parabald’s True Intentions 
  Once the demon is slain, if Parabald is awake and 
  alive, he shares his story with the adventurers. 
   Parabald is the oldest son of a pair of Harpers, 
  Rella and Elandor Dresnasia, who fought against 
  the cults of Cyric. He had a younger brother named 
  Jalong. 
   When the dragonborn was twelve, the Cyric’s 
  followers murdered his parents and brother in the 
  same attack that cost the mage his arm. 
   Parabald has dedicated his life to wiping out 
  Cyric’s cults since. 
   The mage heard whispers that members of a cult 
  are in Melvaunt. The shadow demon confirms 
  their presence. He’s not sure why they’re here, but 
  he assumes it has something to do with the portal 
  and recent events in the region. 
   He asks if the adventurers trust Lieutenant 
  Tarheels or anyone else in the Melvaunt City 
  Watch. If they say yes, he asks them to pass along 
  the information about followers of Cyric. 
   Parabald plans to find a new place to stay in 
  Melvaunt immediately, since the followers of Cyric 
  are apparently aware he’s staying on the Admiral’s 
  Delight. 
  Roleplaying Parabald the Maimed 
  Parabald the Maimed is intelligent, crafty, and serious. Yet he 
  is a completely different person when the adventurers first 
  meet him, pretending to be a jovial, mad mage who thinks 
  himself a fancy noble. While roleplaying Parabald the 
  Maimed during the first half of this part of the adventure, 
  you might: 
   Speak in a high voice and over-enunciate your words. 
   Constantly laugh at, scold, and respond to your imaginary 
  friends. 
   Take an interest in what others say, but take none of it too 
  seriously. 
   Smile constantly. 
  While roleplaying Parabald the Maimed during the second 
  half of this part of the adventure, you might: 
   Speak in a low voice with a gravely tone. 
   Be very cautious in your dealings with others. 
   Remember your family with anger and sorrow. 
   Rarely smile. 
  Part 4 Interview Assessment 
  After speaking with Parabald, it should be clear to 
  the characters the mage is not in the area to harm 
  Melvaunt’s citizens. The dragonborn is there to 
  remove a force of evil from the city. This report 
  satisfies Liza Tarheels, who promises to look into the 
  cult. 
  XP Awards 
  If Parabald reveals his true self to the characters, 
  award each character 30 XP. 
  Treasure 
  Each character who defeats Parabald at chess gains a 
  blue quartz gem worth 10 gp. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  23 
   
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  24 
  Part 5. Order of Wandering 
  Tales 
  Expected Duration: 40-50 minutes 
  The pacifist Order of Wandering Tales came to 
  Melvaunt to record the story of the Moonsea’s 
  people during this time of chaos. When the 
  characters arrive to investigate the monks, they find 
  an angry merchant and his thugs beating the 
  pacifists. If the adventurers deal with the thugs, the 
  order’s leader, Ara Kaitar, shares their purpose in 
  the City of a Thousand Forges with the adventurers. 
  Brogan Summer Shack 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to Brogan 
  Summer Shack: 
   Light. The inn is filled with bright light from 
  hanging lanterns and a fireplace at night and 
  sunlight from large windows during the day. 
   Smells and Sounds. At first the sounds of battle as 
  thugs beat on the monks. Later the sounds of the 
  fireplace crackling and monks talking in low voices 
  to subjects as they scribble notes on parchment. The 
  smell of Brogan’s famous pulled pork is always 
  pungent. 
   Surrounding Activity. The Brogan twins, Jara and 
  Zed, stand behind the bar. Jara serves drinks while 
  Zed obsesses over the pork. During the fight they are 
  out of the inn, having run to get the authorities. 
  Order of Wandering Tales Monks  
  All of the Order of Wandering Tales monks are commoners 
  with +2 bonuses to Intelligence (Arcana), (History), and 
  (Investigation) checks. 
  Brogan Summer Shack is a cozy inn famous for the hospitality 
  of Jara and Zed Brogan. The twins pride themselves on 
  keeping their establishment peaceful and clean while serving 
  the best pulled pork in the Moonsea region. The smell of 
  meat draws you toward the seaside cabin. A sudden shout 
  from within pulls you even closer. 
   
  “This is a warning,” an angry man’s voice cries. “Don’t ever 
  pry in my business again. Today you get black eyes. Come 
  into my life once more and it’s a knife in the belly. Have at 
  ‘em!” 
   
  As you get closer to the inn, a violent sight plays out 
  through its windows. Monks in brown robes cower 
  defenselessly as a human man in purple finery shouts for a 
  rough group of men and women to beat the monks to a pulp. 
  The steel merchant Mervo Galat, a noble, directs his 
  eight thugs to beat the eight Order of Wandering 
  Tales monks, commoners. Mervo is furious at the 
  scribes for exposing an affair that caused his 
  husband to leave.  
   If left undisturbed, the thugs use their maces to 
  hurt the monks, knocking the scribes unconscious 
  but not killing them. Mervo prefers to give orders as 
  his henchmen do the dirty work. Order of 
  Wandering Tales monks are pacifists with a point to 
  prove. They do not fight, nor do they flee. They take 
  the Dodge action on their turns. 
   If the characters intervene, the thugs turn to fight 
  them and ignore the monks, while Mervo joins the 
  fray. If the characters use lethal force to kill one of 
  them, the thugs and Mervo start killing too. The 
  thugs and Mervo flee when only three of their band 
  remain standing. 
   When Mervo and the thugs are defeated, Jara and 
  Zed Brogan arrive with eight guards, who transport 
  any prisoners or bodies away while the monks tend 
  to each other’s wounds. The characters are acting 
  with the authority of Lieutenant Tarheels and that 
  includes a license to kill. 
   Bar and Tables. It costs 5 feet of extra movement 
  to get on top of or down from the bar or one of the 
  tables in the inn. Creatures standing on top of one of 
  these surfaces gain advantage on attacks against 
  creatures who are standing on the floor. 
   A creature next to a table can flip it as an action 
  with a DC 13 Strength check. The DC for this check is 
  15 if another creature stands on top of the table. Any 
  creatures on top of a table once it is flipped must 
  make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. Creatures who 
  fail land prone next to the table. Creatures who 
  succeed land on their feet next to the table. An 
  overturned table provides half cover. 
  Adjusting the Encounter  
  Here are recommendations for adjusting this combat 
  encounter. These are not cumulative.  
   Very weak party: Replace the eight thugs with six bandits 
   Weak party: Remove two thugs 
   Strong party: Replace the eight thugs with four berserkers 
   Very strong party: Replace the eight thugs with four 
  berserkers and replace the noble with a bandit captain 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  25 
  Master Ara Kaitar 
  Read or paraphrase the following text when the 
  fighting is over: 
  As the Brogan Summer Shack recovers from battle, a female 
  dwarf with tan skin and a long red braid dressed in the brown 
  robes of the Order of Wandering Tales approaches you. She 
  bows deeply. “Master Ara Kaitar of the Order of Wandering Tales 
  at your service.” 
  If the characters defended the monks from Mervo 
  and his thugs and killed no one, Master Ara Kaitar (a 
  LN commoner) is grateful, and the characters have 
  advantage on all Charisma ability checks while 
  talking to her. 
   If the characters ask Ara about the fight or why the 
  Order of Wandering Tales has come to Melvaunt, she 
  shares the information -- but only after she has 
  heard a story from each of the characters. She sits at 
  a table, grabs a quill and ink, and says, “Each of you 
  tell me an exciting story about yourself that none 
  here already know. It will go on record.” 
   Allow each character to tell a story to Ara. As they 
  describe their tale, she scribbles furiously, jotting 
  down every word with incredible speed. Ara might 
  ask a question or two for clarity, but allow the 
  characters a chance to shine as they tell their stories. 
  Characters who do not wish to share a story can 
  convince Ara they do not need to be heard with a DC 
  10 Charisma (Persuasion) check. 
   After each character shares a story, Ara shares the 
  following information with them: 
   The Order of Wandering Tales is a group of monk 
  scholars who believe all stories should be shared. 
  They observe, record, report, and archive personal 
  stories about impactful events. 
   The monks put out a free newsletter whenever 
  they have enough information to fill it. 
   They are trained to be pacifists in even the most 
  violent situations. They do not take sides during a 
  conflict. 
   They came to Melvaunt given the recent events to 
  gather people’s stories about the portal and Thar 
  invasion. 
   During their investigations they uncovered 
  Mervo’s affair and printed the story in their latest 
  newsletter. His husband left, and Mervo wants 
  someone to pay. 
   The story that vexes Ara the most is that of a ghost 
  ship appearing in the harbor each night. This ship 
  is supposedly the Bloody Dawn come again, but 
  what could possibly make that happen? 
  Roleplaying Ara Kaitar 
  Ara Kaitar is a patient, inquisitive listener. She puts others at 
  ease with a calm, welcoming attitude and encourages them 
  to open up to her. Her interest in hearing new stories is 
  genuine. This is more than a job. Meeting new people is a 
  thrill for her. While roleplaying Ara, you might: 
   Speak in an even tone with warm words. 
   Ask pointed questions without demanding the person 
  answer them. 
   Nod along as others talk. 
   Look people right in the eye when you address them. 
  Part 5 Interview Assessment 
  After speaking with Ara Kaitar, it should be clear to 
  the characters that the Order of Wandering Tales is 
  not in the area to do harm to the citizens of Melvaunt. 
  They are pacifists who observe and report. This 
  report satisfies Lieutenant Tarheels. 
  XP Awards 
  If the adventurers defeat Mervo Galat and his 
  henchmen, award each character 25 XP. 
  Treasure 
  Mervo carries a coin purse with 50 gp. If the 
  characters do not take this money, the guards pat 
  down the prisoner and give the gold to the 
  characters as a reward. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  26 
   
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  27 
  Part 6. Bloody Dawn 
  Expected Duration: 45-50 minutes 
  As night falls over Melvaunt, a red-sailed ship 
  resembling the infamous Bloody Dawn enters the 
  harbor each night and sails off before sunrise. The 
  adventurers must get to the ship and discover what’s 
  happening aboard. 
  Legend of the Bloody Dawn 
  An old legend tells of a red-sailed pirate ship called 
  Bloody Dawn that sank off the coast of Melvaunt a 
  century ago. Its ruthless crew and captain are said to 
  be so evil even the Nine Hells and Abyss won’t take 
  them, so their restless spirits roam the waters. 
   This used to be a story told to scare children, but 
  now it seems real. The characters can learn the 
  basics of the legend from any citizen of Melvaunt or 
  immediately know the tale if they are proficient in 
  History. 
  Getting to the Boat 
  Once the sun goes down, the ship appears in the 
  harbor. Read or paraphrase the following text when 
  the characters are in Melvaunt’s dock district at 
  night: 
  At the edge of the harbor, a large red-sailed ship is bathed in 
  moonlight. The vessel is still and silent as death against the 
  clear night sky. The small rowboats Liza Tarheels has reserved 
  for you bob at the dock, waiting to carry you to the 
  mysterious ship. 
  The City Watch loans the characters three rowboats 
  to get to the red-sailed ship. Read or paraphrase the 
  following text once characters arrive near the ship: 
  As you get closer to the ship, you can hear its hull creak. 
  Waves gently lap against the belly of the boat. No sailors 
  voices can be heard, but a boat this big certainly needs a 
  crew to sail it. The words Bloody Dawn are painted in 
  Common on the back of the ship. Several fish corpses float on 
  the surface of the water near the ship. 
  The characters can easily climb aboard the ship, 
  using ropes along its hull. 
  Bloody Dawn – Upper Deck 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to the upper 
  deck of the Bloody Dawn: 
   Light. The upper deck is bathed in bright light by 
  the moon. 
   Smells and Sounds. The night air is salty and cool, 
  while the boat smells of fresh stained wood and new 
  ropes. The creaking of the boat and gentle lapping of 
  the sea can be heard as the skeletons go about their 
  chores. 
   Surrounding Activity. The skeletons move 
  methodically around the deck, making their rounds 
  and doing chores. 
  As you climb over the side of the rail, a horrifying site greets 
  you. Skeletons methodically walk across the deck. Long 
  boney fingers pull ropes, check sails, and patrol the boat. All 
  are dressed in the garb of pirates, with swords strapped to 
  their hips and bows on their backs. 
   
  At the back of the ship, a handle for a trap door peeks out 
  behind a skeleton in a three-cornered hat manning the 
  wheel. Occasionally the skeleton turns the wheel too far to 
  one side and its hand pops off. The skeleton simply grabs the 
  appendage with its other hand and reattaches it when this 
  happens. 
  The twelve skeletons here do not attack the 
  characters, unless the adventurers attack first in 
  which case the undead fight to the death. Otherwise 
  the skeletons go about their business, even if the 
  characters attack the trap door. 
  Adjusting the Encounter  
  Here are recommendations for adjusting this combat 
  encounter. These are not cumulative.  
   Very weak party: Reduce the number of skeletons to 
  three 
   Weak party: Reduce the number of skeletons to nine 
   Strong party: Add three skeletons 
   Very strong party: Add one minotaur skeleton 
   Skeleton at the Wheel. A character can grab the 
  skeleton’s hand when it pops off the wheel with a DC 
  12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. On a success 
  the character has the skeleton’s hand (which can be 
  used to open the trap door). On a failure the 
  character takes 1 point of piercing damage as the 
  skeleton’s boney fingers jab for the hand at the same 
  time and the skeleton grabs the hand back first. 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  28 
   Trap Door. The five-foot-square trap door behind 
  the skeleton driving the boat is locked with an 
  arcane lock spell. A character who can cast this spell 
  recognizes the effect immediately after interacting 
  with the door. Only Zarabi Thar’khul, the 
  necromancer and captain of the Bloody Dawn, and 
  her skeletal crew can open the trap door. 
   A DC 25 Strength check is required to force open 
  the door. Each unsuccessful attempt at forcing the 
  door open activates the tiny shock trap (see below). 
   The door has AC 15 and 18 hit points and is 
  immune to poison and psychic damage. Each time 
  the door takes damage, the tiny shock trap is 
  activated (see below). Skeletons do not attack 
  characters for attacking the door. 
   The hand of a skeleton can be used to open the 
  door. 
   Once the door is opened, a disembodied 
  threatening female voice says, “Turn back now! You 
  know not what horrors the crew of the Bloody Dawn 
  has in store for you below! This is your last warning 
  before we eat your entrails!” The voice is Zarabi’s. 
  The door reveals a ladder that leads down to the 
  area B2, which stinks of dead fish. 
   Tiny Shock Trap. Each time the trap door is 
  touched or takes damage, it lets out a small burst of 
  tiny blue lightning bolts. Each creature that is not 
  undead within 5 feet of the door must succeed on a 
  DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 3 (1d6) points 
  of lightning damage. 
  Bloody Dawn – Observation Deck 
  General Features 
  The following general features pertain to the 
  observation deck of the Bloody Dawn: 
   Ceiling. The ceiling is 10 feet high here. 
   Light. The observation deck is filled with bright 
  light by a magic orb in the ceiling. 
   Smells and Sounds. The smell of dead fish is 
  strong in this chamber and the boat’s wood ceiling 
  creaks. 
   Surrounding Activity. Sea life swims around the 
  boat and dead fish float by. 
  An orb in the ceiling glows with a soft blue light, illuminating 
  this chamber. As you look around, the first thing you notice is 
  that the walls and floor of the ship here are made of 
  impenetrable blackness! A few more seconds of hard staring 
  reveals the truth. This level of the ship is made of glass. The 
  impenetrable blackness around you is actually the Moonsea, 
  as evidenced by the frequent fish, squid, or jellyfish 
  swimming by. A small desk with parchment and books spread 
  everywhere sits opposite the ladder on the other end of this 
  deck. A bedroll is rolled up next to the desk on one side and 
  on the other stand two tall barrels. Caddy corner to the 
  barrels is a long lab table that holds several surgical 
  instruments and piles of dead fish. 
   
  Suddenly, the ceiling begins to move. Small, grey, 
  disembodied hands that were clinging to the ceiling begin to 
  fall around you. Their dead, humanoid digits move with 
  surprising quickness, drawing themselves toward you with 
  malicious, grotesque purpose. 
   
  The same female voice you heard when the door opened 
  speaks again. “This is your last chance. You are trespassing. 
  Turn back now or face horrors unknown!” 
  Zarabi Thar’khul (a CN mage) controls the twenty 
  crawling claws surrounding the characters. The 
  necromancer watches everything in this room 
  transpire in an extradimensional space thanks to the 
  rope trick spell she cast right before the characters 
  came down. The undead do not attack the 
  adventurers if they flee immediately. 
   If the characters make a stand, the creatures 
  attack. Zarabi makes the claws deal only 
  bludgeoning damage and knock characters 
  unconscious instead of dealing a potentially lethal 
  blow. Once the characters are defeated or the 
  number of crawling claws is reduced to five, Zarabi 
  comes out of the extradimensional space and 
  demands the characters leave. 
   Barrels. The barrels next to the desk contain 
  thirty gallons of fresh water each. The barrels weigh 
  three hundred pounds. 
   Desk. The top of the desk has all of Zarabi’s notes 
  and research about fish dying in the Moonsea. A 
  quick glance through the materials reveals books 
  about marine biology, the study of portals and 
  conjuration magic, and notes observing the number 
  of dead fish in the Moonsea increasing once the 
  planar portal became active. 
   Inside the desk’s drawers are thirty days’ worth of 
  rations. 
   Glass Floor. The boat’s smooth floor makes 
  moving difficult. Any creature that moves more than 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  29 
  15 feet on its turn must succeed on a DC 12 
  Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. Creatures with 
  a climb speed, including the crawling claws, are 
  immune to this effect. 
   Magic Orb. Zarabi also controls the magic orb in 
  the ceiling. Before combat breaks out, the orb just 
  gives off bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light 
  for an additional 30. If combat breaks out, on 
  initiative count 0 the orb gives off a brilliant burst of 
  light. Any creature that is not undead within 30 feet 
  of the orb that can see must make a DC 12 
  Constitution saving throw or become blinded until 
  the end of its next turn. The orb has an AC of 15 and 
  18 hit points and is immune to poison and psychic 
  damage. 
  Adjusting the Encounter  
  Here are recommendations for adjusting this combat 
  encounter. These are not cumulative.  
   Very weak party: Reduce the number of crawling claws to 
  eight 
   Weak party: Reduce the number of crawling claws to 
  sixteen 
   Strong party: Add one specter 
   Very strong party: Add two specters 
  Zarabi Thar’khul 
  Read or paraphrase the following text when the 
  Zarabi Thar’khul leaves the extradimensional space 
  appears: 
  The remaining disembodied hands fall back defensively as a 
  small length of rope appears out of thin air, stretching from 
  inches above the ground to the ceiling. Sliding down the 
  perfectly vertical piece of hemp is a thin woman with dark 
  skin wearing gray robes. Tattoos adorn her bald pate and 
  arms. 
   
  “Excuse me, but you are trespassing! What is the meaning 
  of this?” 
  Zarabi Thar’khul’s Spells 
  Zarabi Thar’khul has these spells prepared instead of the 
  ones in the mage’s stat block: 
  Cantrips (at will): chill touch, light, mage hand, shocking 
  grasp 
  1st level (4 slots): detect magic, ray of sickness, mage armor, 
  sleep 
  2nd level (3 slots): detect thoughts, rope trick 
  3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, dispel magic 
  4th level (3 slots): arcane eye, blight 
  5th level (1 slot): scrying 
  If the characters attack, Zarabi defends herself, but 
  she keeps trying to convince them to stop. She 
  initially refuses to talk with them. 
   The characters can convince Zarabi to have a chat 
  with them in several ways: 
   A DC 13 Charisma (Intimidation) or (Persuasion) 
  convinces her to have a chat with the characters. 
   If the characters explain they are on official 
  business from Melvaunt’s City Watch, Zarabi talks 
  with them. 
   A DC 10 Intelligence (History) check determines 
  Zarabi has the shaved head and tattoos of a Red 
  Wizard of Thay. Mentioning this to her makes her 
  feel the need to share her story. 
  Once the characters convince Zarabi to speak with 
  them, she offers the following information freely: 
   Zarabi, a necromancer, used to be a Red Wizard. It 
  took the murder of her husband at the hands of a 
  rival to realize how cruel and malicious Thayans 
  can be. She fled the country soon after that rather 
  than seek vengeance. 
   Zarabi created all the undead aboard the ship. She 
  harvested the materials from bandits who tried to 
  hijack her on the road. 
   The mage has come to Melvaunt to study the 
  effects of the planar portal. When she first arrived 
  in the port city, she noted many dead fish floating 
  in the harbor. Wondering if this might be some 
  side effect of the portal, she used her fortune to 
  construct this boat to better study the marine life. 
   Zarabi knows the story of the Bloody Dawn. She 
  painted the Bloody Dawn to look like the infamous 
  pirate vessel because she thought it would afford 
  her some privacy during her studies. She knows 
  that people may not trust her, given that she’s a 
  necromancer from Thay, but her intentions really 
  are academic. 
   The mage hasn’t gathered much conclusive 
  evidence about the fish yet. She knows once the 
  portal appeared, the number of dead fish 
  increased. This could have something to do with 
  the portal’s magic, but her theory is that many 
  merchants didn’t feel safe leaving the city to dump 
  their waste once the portal was discovered and 
  Thar marched, so more traders have been 
  dumping into the harbor. 
  A DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals Zarabi has 
  more to say, but is hesitant about it. A DC 15 
  Charisma (Intimidation) or (Persuasion) check gets 
  her to reveal the following information: 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  30 
   Zarabi tells the characters she can sense a dark 
  force of necromancy gathering near Melvaunt. She 
  can’t pinpoint the exact location, but those who 
  serve evil are definitely drawn to the region. 
   After revealing the information above, Zarabi feels 
  the need to protect the characters in some way. 
  She doesn’t like the idea of them getting hurt 
  because of information she shared (now that she 
  sees they meant no harm in trespassing). She gives 
  them a potion of necrotic resistance. 
  Roleplaying Zarabi Thar’khul 
  Zarabi Thar’khul is excited, confident, and brilliant. It may 
  take her a few moments to open up the characters, but once 
  she does, the necromancer is more than happy to yammer on 
  about her research and her past. While roleplaying Zarabi, 
  you might: 
   Speak slowly at first and gather steam, speaking faster and 
  faster. 
   Be confident and direct in questions and answers. 
   Get excited when others share new revelations with you. 
   Sit up straight and tall in your chair. 
  Part 6 Interview Assessment 
  After speaking with Zarabi Thar’khul, it should be 
  clear to the characters the necromancer is not in the 
  area to do harm to the citizens of Melvaunt. Some 
  characters could take issue with her use of 
  necromantic magic, but Melvaunt has no laws 
  against such practices. A report about the truth of 
  what Zarabi is doing satisfies Lieutenant Tarheels. 
  XP Awards 
  If the characters can convince Zarabi to calm down 
  and have a conversation with them, award each 
  character 25 XP. 
  Treasure 
  If the characters convince Zarabi to tell them about 
  the dark force gathering in Melvaunt, she gives them 
  a potion of necrotic resistance. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  31 
   
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  32 
  Conclusion 
  Read or paraphrase the following when the 
  characters return to Lieutenant Tarheels with their 
  report: 
  An exhausted Liza Tarheels sits behind her desk, rubbing her 
  face with her hands. She looks up as you enter. “Please give 
  me some good news,” she pleads. 
  The characters can give Liza Tarheels whatever 
  report they’d like about their subjects. If they tell her 
  the truth about everyone, she breathes a sigh of 
  relief and thanks the characters while paying them. 
   If the characters tell her to be suspicious of any of 
  the groups she asked them to investigate, Liza rubs 
  her temples as she contemplates what it could mean 
  for Melvaunt. That NPC or group winds up the 
  subject of further investigation of Melvaunt’s 
  authorities. For most of the NPCs, Liza digging 
  deeper into their pasts has little meaningful outcome. 
  If investigated, Mericor Tasgaf gets arrested and 
  Zarabi Thar’khul gets chased out of town. 
   This story continues in CORE 2-2 Songs of Law & 
  Chaos. 
  XP Award 
  If the characters talk to every group before morning 
  the next day, award each 50 XP. 
  Treasure 
  As promised earlier in the adventure, Lieutenant 
  Tarheels pays the adventurers 250 gp. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  33 
  Rewards 
  Make sure players note their rewards on their 
  adventure logsheets. Give your name and DCI 
  number (if applicable) so players can record who 
  ran the session. 
  Experience 
  Total up all combat experience earned for defeated 
  foes, and divide by the number of characters present 
  in the combat. For non-combat experience, the 
  rewards are listed per character. Give all characters 
  in the party non-combat experience awards unless 
  otherwise noted. 
  Combat Awards 
  Name of Foe 
  XP per Foe 
  Ape 
  100 
  Bandit 
  25 
  Bandit Captain 
  450 
  Berserker 
  450 
  Black Bear 
  100 
  Commoner 
  10 
  Crawling Claw 
  10 
  Guard 
  25 
  Hunter Shark 
  450 
  Mage 
  2,300 
  Minotaur Skeleton 
  450 
  Noble 
  25 
  Panther 
  50 
  Polar Bear 
  450 
  Reef Shark 
  100 
  Saber-Toothed Tiger 
  450 
  Scout 
  100 
  Shadow Demon 
  1,100 
  Skeleton 
  50 
  Specter 
  200 
  Spy 
  200 
  Tiger 
  200 
  Thug 
  100 
  Non-Combat Awards 
  Task or Accomplishment 
  XP per Character 
  Protect Brea Salvadine (Part 1) 
  30 
  Arrest Mericor Tasgaf (Part 2) 
  30 
  Disable Big Billy (Part 3) 
  50 
  Gain Parabald’s trust (Part 4) 
  30 
  Defeat Mervo and thugs (Part 5) 
  25 
  Get Zarabi to talk (Part 6) 
  25 
  Question all groups (Conclusion) 
  50 
   The minimum total award for each character 
  participating in this adventure is 900 experience 
  points. 
   The maximum total award for each character 
  participating in this adventure is 1,200 experience 
  points. 
  Treasure 
  The characters receive the following treasure, 
  divided up amongst the party. Characters should 
  attempt to divide treasure evenly whenever possible. 
  Gold piece values listed for sellable gear are 
  calculated at their selling price, not their purchase 
  price. 
   Consumable magic items should be divided up 
  however the group sees fit. If more than one 
  character is interested in a specific consumable 
  magic item, the DM can determine who gets it 
  randomly should the group be unable to decide. 
   Permanent magic items are divided according to 
  a system. See the sidebar if the adventure awards 
  permanent magic items. 
  Treasure Awards 
  Item Name/Location 
  GP Value 
  Asberyth Square (Part 1) 
  50 
  Seaside Cave (Part 2) 
  50 
  Melvaunt Docks (Part 4) 
  50 
  Brogan Summer Shack (Part 5) 
  50 
  Liza’s Office (Conclusion) 
  250 
  Potion of Healing 
  Potion, common 
  A description of this item can be found in the Player’s 
  Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide. 
  Potion of Necrotic Resistance 
  Potion, uncommon 
  A description of this item can be found in the 
  Dungeon Master's Guide. 
  Spell Scroll of Color Spray 
  Scroll, common 
  This scroll contains a single color spray spell. A 
  description of this item can be found in the Dungeon 
  Master's Guide. 
  Renown 
  Each character receives one point of renown. 
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  34 
  Downtime 
  Each character receives 10 downtime days at the 
  conclusion of this adventure. 
  Story Awards 
  Characters have the opportunity to earn the 
  following story awards during this adventure. 
   
  Criminal Punch Line. If the characters do not arrest 
  Mericor Tasgaf, word spreads throughout 
  Melvaunt’s criminal population that they are 
  pushovers. As a result, Melvaunt’s criminals don’t 
  take them seriously. As long as you possess this 
  story award, you have disadvantage on Charisma 
  (Intimidation) checks made to influence any of 
  Melvaunt’s criminals. Additionally, Melvaunt’s law 
  enforcement officials learn about your soft 
  reputation among the city’s less savvy. As long as 
  you possess this story award, you have disadvantage 
  on Charisma (Persuasion) checks made to influence 
  any of Melvaunt’s law enforcement officials. 
   
  Friend of Mulmaster. Characters who appeal to 
  Lieutenant Tarheels on behalf of Brea Salvadine find 
  themselves in the good graces of the people of 
  Mulmaster. For as long as you possess this story 
  award, you have advantage on Charisma 
  (Persuasion) checks made to influence people from 
  Mulmaster. In addition, merchants from Mulmaster 
  offer you 20% off the sale price of any mundane 
  good or service in the Player’s Handbook less than 
  500 gp. 
  DM Rewards 
  For running this adventure, you receive 300 XP, 150 
  gp, and ten downtime days. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  35 
  DM Appendix: NPC 
  Summary 
   
  The following NPCs appear or are mentioned in this 
  adventure. 
   
  Liza Tarheels (LIE-zuh TAR-heels). Human female. 
  Melvaunt’s Lieutenant is overworked, assertive, and 
  blunt. Many long hours on the job have her a little 
  jaded and a lot exhausted, but she’s good at what she 
  does and has the best interest of Melvaunt’s people 
  at heart. 
   
  Brea Salvadine (bray-UH SAL-vah-deen). Human 
  female. Brea is a natural leader but she hasn’t always 
  used her talents for good. The destruction of the City 
  of Danger changed her. She has come to Melvaunt to 
  convince the Council of Iron to lower the price of 
  their goods as Mulmaster rebuilds. 
   
  Mericor Tasgaf (mer-eh-CORE taz-GAFF). Moon elf 
  male. He’s charming, attractive, and knows how to 
  make people feel good. The con man pretends to be a 
  cleric of Waukeen who leads expensive religious 
  retreats for Melvaunt’s merchants. 
   
  Fizzlebottom Cloisternook (FIZ-el-BOT-um CLOY-
  stir-nook). Gnome male. The old, kind, smart, and 
  often intoxicated patriarch of the Cloisternook 
  family. The Gond-worshipping clan has more than a 
  few secrets and Fizzlebottom knows them all. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Mollo and Dollo Cloisternook (MO-lo, DOE-lo CLOY-
  stir-nook). Gnome females. Twin daughters of 
  Fizzlebottom, they are the clan’s best inventors 
  (other than their father) and accomplished 
  moonshiners. 
   
  Parabald the Maimed (par-uh-BALD THE 
  MAYMDUH). Dragonborn male. A one-armed mage 
  who feigns madness while hunting cults of Cyric. 
   
  Mervo Galat (murk-VO guh-LOT). Human male. A 
  noble merchant who sells steel. His husband left him 
  when the Order of Wandering Tales exposed his 
  affair.  
   
  Ara Kaitar (AHR-uh KAY-tar). Dwarf female. The 
  master of the Order of Wandering Tales. She puts 
  others at ease with a calm, welcoming attitude and 
  encourages them to open up to her. 
   
  Zarabi Thar’khul (zay-RAH-bee thar-KULL). 
  Human female. Zarabi is an ex-Red Wizard who fled 
  the country after her husband was murdered. She 
  came to Melvaunt to study the effects of the planar 
  portal on sea life. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  36 
  Appendix.  NPC/Monster 
  Statistics 
   
  Ape 
  Medium beast, unaligned 
  Armor Class 12 
  Hit Points 19 (3d8 + 6)  
  Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.  
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   16 (+3) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 
  6 (-2) 
  12 (+1) 
  7 (-2) 
  Skills Athletics +5, Perception +3 
  Senses passive Perception 13  
  Languages – 
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The ape makes two fist attacks. 
  Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage. 
  Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 25/50 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage. 
   
  Bandit 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any non-lawful 
  alignment 
  Armor Class 12 (leather armor) 
  Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   11 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  12 (+1) 
  10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
   
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages – 
  Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) 
  Actions 
  Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage. 
  Light Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, 
  range 80 ft./320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing 
  damage. 
   
  Bandit Captain 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any non-lawful 
  alignment 
  Armor Class 15 (studded leather) 
  Hit Points 65 (10d8 + 20) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   15 (+2) 
  16 (+3) 
  14 (+2) 
  14 (+2) 
  11 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
   
  Saving Throws Str +4, Dex +5, Wis +2 
  Skills Athletics +4, Deception +4 
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages any two languages 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP) 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The captain makes three melee attacks: 
  two with its scimitar and one with its dagger. Or the 
  captain makes two ranged attacks with its daggers. 
  Scimitar. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage. 
  Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 
  3) piercing damage. 
  Reactions 
  Parry. The captain adds 2 to its AC against one melee 
  attack that would hit it. To do so, the captain must see 
  the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon. 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  37 
  Berserker 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any chaotic alignment 
  Armor Class 13 (hide armor) 
  Hit Points 67 (9d8 + 27) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
   
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   16 (+3) 
  12 (+1) 
  17 (+3) 
  9 (−1) 
  11 (+0) 
  9 (−1) 
    
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages any one language (usually Common) 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP) 
  Reckless. At the start of its turn, the berserker can gain 
  advantage on all melee weapon attack rolls during that 
  turn, but attack rolls against it have advantage until the 
  start of its next turn. 
  Actions 
  Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 9 (1d12 + 3) slashing damage. 
   
  Black Bear 
  Medium beast, unaligned 
  Armor Class 11 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 19 (3d8 + 6) 
  Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft. 
   
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   15 (+2) 
  10 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  2 (−4) 
  12 (+1) 
  7 (−2) 
    
  Skills Perception +3 
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages — 
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) 
  Keen Smell. The bear has advantage on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on smell. 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The bear makes two attacks: one with its 
  bite and one with its claws. 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage. 
   
   
  Commoner 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment 
  Armor Class 10 
  Hit Points 4 (1d8) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages any one language (usually Common) 
  Challenge 0 (10 XP) 
  Actions 
  Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage. 
   
  Crawling Claw 
  Tiny undead, neutral evil 
  Armor Class 12 
  Hit Points 2 (1d4) 
  Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   13 (+1) 
  14 (+2) 
  11 (+0) 
  5 (−3) 
  10 (+0) 
  4 (−3) 
   
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned 
  Senses blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), 
  passive Perception 10 
  Languages understands Common but can’t speak 
  Challenge 0 (10 XP) 
  Turn Immunity. The claw is immune to effects that turn 
  undead. 
  Actions 
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) bludgeoning or slashing damage 
  (claw’s choice). 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  38 
  Dretch 
  Small fiend (demon), chaotic evil 
  Armor Class 11 
  Hit Points 18 (4d6 + 4) 
  Speed 20 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   11 (+0) 
  11 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  5 (−3) 
  8 (–1) 
  3 (−4) 
   
  Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9 
  Languages Abyssal, telepathy 60 ft. (works only with 
  creatures that understand Abyssal) 
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The dretch makes two attacks: one with 
  its bite and one with its claws. 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage. 
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 5 (2d4) slashing damage. 
  Fetid Cloud (1/Day). A 10-foot radius of disgusting 
  green gas extends out from the dretch. The gas spreads 
  around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. It lasts 
  for 1 minute or until a strong wind disperses it. Any 
  creature that starts its turn in that area must succeed 
  on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned 
  until the start of its next turn. While poisoned in this 
  way, the target can take either an action or a bonus 
  action on its turn, not both, and can’t take reactions. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Guard 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment 
  Armor Class 16 (chain shirt, shield) 
  Hit Points 11 (2d8 + 2) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
   
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   13 (+1) 
  12 (+1) 
  12 (+1) 
  10 (+0) 
  11 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
   
  Skills Perception +2 
  Senses passive Perception 12 
  Languages any one language (usually Common) 
  Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) 
  Actions 
  Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 
  1) piercing damage. 
   
  Hunter Shark 
  Large beast, unaligned 
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 45 (6d10 + 12)  
  Speed 0 ft., swim 40 ft.  
   
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   18 (+4) 
  13 (+1) 
  15 (+2) 
  1 (-5) 
  10 (+0) 
  4 (-3) 
   
  Skills Perception +2 
  Senses blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 12 
  Languages – 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP) 
   
  Blood Frenzy. The shark has advantage on melee attack 
  rolls against any creature that doesn’t have all its hit 
  points.  
  Water Breathing. The shark can breathe only 
  underwater. 
   
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage. 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  39 
  Mage 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment 
  Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor) 
  Hit Points 40 (9d8) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
   
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   9 (−1) 
  14 (+2) 
  11 (+0) 
  17 (+3) 
  12 (+1) 
  11 (+0) 
   
  Saving Throws Int +6, Wis +4 
  Skills Arcana +6, History +6 
  Senses passive Perception 11 
  Languages any four languages 
  Challenge 6 (2,300 XP) 
  Spellcasting. The mage is a 9th-level spellcaster. Its 
  spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +6 
  to hit with spell attacks). The mage has the following 
  wizard spells prepared: 
   
  Cantrips (at will): fire bolt, light, mage hand, 
  prestidigitation 
  1st level (4 slots): detect magic, mage armor, magic 
  missile, shield 
  2nd level (3 slots): misty step, suggestion 
  3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, fireball, fly 
  4th level (3 slots): greater invisibility, ice storm 
  5th level (1 slot): cone of cold 
  Actions 
  Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 
  2) piercing damage. 
   
  Minotaur Skeleton 
  Large undead, lawful evil 
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 67 (9d10 + 18) 
  Speed 40 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   18 (+4) 
  11 (+0) 
  15 (+2) 
  6 (−2) 
  8 (−1) 
  5 (−3) 
    
  Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9 
  Languages understands Abyssal but can’t speak 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP) 
  Charge. If the skeleton moves at least 10 feet straight 
  toward a target and then hits it with a gore attack on 
  the same turn, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) 
  piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must 
  succeed on a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be 
  pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked prone. 
  Actions 
  Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 17 (2d12 + 4) slashing damage. 
  Gore. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage. 
   
  Noble 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment 
  Armor Class 15 (breastplate) 
  Hit Points 9 (2d8) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   11 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  11 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  14 (+2) 
  16 (+3) 
   
  Skills Deception +5, Insight +4, Persuasion +5 
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages any two languages 
  Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) 
  Actions 
  Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage. 
  Reactions 
  Parry. The noble adds 2 to its AC against one melee 
  attack that would hit it. To do so, the noble must see 
  the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon. 
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  40 
  Panther 
  Medium beast, unaligned 
  Armor Class 12 
  Hit Points 13 (3d8) 
  Speed 50 ft., climb 40 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   14 (+2) 
  15 (+2) 
  10 (+0) 
  3 (−4) 
  14 (+2) 
  7 (−2) 
    
  Skills Perception +4, Stealth +6 
  Senses passive Perception 14 
  Languages — 
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) 
  Keen Smell. The panther has advantage on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on smell. 
  Pounce. If the panther moves at least 20 feet straight 
  toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on 
  the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 12 
  Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the 
  target is prone, the panther can make one bite attack 
  against it as a bonus action. 
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. 
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage. 
   
  Polar Bear 
  Large beast, unaligned 
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 42 (5d10 + 15) 
  Speed 40 ft., swim 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   20 (+5) 
  10 (+0) 
  16 (+3) 
  2 (−4) 
  13 (+1) 
  7 (−2) 
    
  Skills Perception +3 
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages — 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP) 
  Keen Smell. The bear has advantage on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on smell. 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The bear makes two attacks: one with its 
  bite and one with its claws. 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage. 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage. 
   
  Reef Shark 
  Medium beast, unaligned 
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 22 (4d8 + 4)  
  Speed 0 ft., swim 40 ft.  
   
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   14 (+2) 
  13 (+1) 
  13 (+1) 
  1 (-5) 
  10 (+0) 
  4 (-3) 
   
  Skills Perception +2 
  Senses blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 12 
  Languages – 
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) 
   
  Pack Tactics. The shark has advantage on an attack roll 
  against a creature if at least one of the shark’s allies is 
  within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t 
  incapacitated. 
  Water Breathing. The shark can breathe only 
  underwater.  
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage. 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  41 
  Saber-Toothed Tiger 
  Large beast, unaligned 
  Armor Class 12 
  Hit Points 52 (7d10 + 14) 
  Speed 40 ft. 
   
    STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   18 (+4) 
  14 (+2) 
  15 (+2) 
  3 (−4) 
  12 (+1) 
  8 (−1) 
    
  Skills Perception +3, Stealth +6 
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages — 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP) 
  Keen Smell. The tiger has advantage on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on smell. 
  Pounce. If the tiger moves at least 20 feet straight 
  toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on 
  the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 14 
  Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the 
  target is prone, the tiger can make one bite attack 
  against it as a bonus action. 
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 10 (1d10 + 5) piercing damage. 
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage. 
   
  Scout 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment 
  Armor Class 13 (leather armor) 
  Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
   
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   11 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  12 (+1) 
  11 (+0) 
  13 (+1) 
  11 (+0)  
    
  Skills Nature +4, Perception +5, Stealth +6, Survival +5 
  Senses passive Perception 15 
  Languages any one language (usually Common) 
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) 
  Keen Hearing and Sight. The scout has advantage on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or 
  sight. 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The scout makes two melee attacks or 
  two ranged attacks. 
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. 
  Longbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, ranged 
  150/600 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) piercing 
  damage. 
   
  Shadow Demon 
  Medium fiend (demon), chaotic evil 
  Armor Class 13 
  Hit Points 66 (12d8 + 12) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   1 (−5) 
  17 (+3) 
  12 (+1) 
  14 (+2) 
  13 (+1) 
  14 (+2) 
   
  Saving Throws Dex +5, Cha +4 
  Skills Stealth +7 
  Damage Vulnerabilities radiant 
  Damage Resistances acid, fire, necrotic, thunder; 
  bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical 
  attacks 
  Damage Immunities cold, lightning, poison 
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, 
  petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained 
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11 
  Languages Abyssal, telepathy 120 ft. 
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) 
  Incorporeal Movement. The demon can move through 
  other creatures and objects as if they were difficult 
  terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn 
  inside an object. 
  Light Sensitivity. While in bright light, the demon has 
  disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on sight. 
  Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the 
  demon can take the Hide action as a bonus action. 
  Actions 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  creature. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) psychic damage or, if the 
  demon had advantage on the attack roll, 17 (4d6 + 3) 
  psychic damage. 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  42 
  Skeleton 
  Medium undead, lawful evil 
  Armor Class 13 (armor scraps) 
  Hit Points 13 (2d8 + 4) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   10 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  15 (+2) 
  6 (−2) 
  8 (−1) 
  5 (−3) 
    
  Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9 
  Languages understands all languages it knew in life but 
  can’t speak 
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) 
  Actions 
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. 
  Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 
  80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. 
   
  Spy 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment 
  Armor Class 12 
  Hit Points 27 (6d8) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   10 (+0) 
  15 (+2) 
  10 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  14 (+2) 
  16 (+3) 
   
  Skills Deception +5, Insight +4, Investigation +5, 
  Perception +6, Persuasion +5, Sleight of Hand +4, 
  Stealth +4 
  Senses passive Perception 16 
  Languages any two languages 
  Challenge 1 (200 XP) 
  Cunning Action. On each of its turns, the spy can use a 
  bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide 
  action. 
  Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The spy deals an extra 7 (2d6) 
  damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and 
  has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is 
  within 5 feet of an ally of the spy that isn’t 
  incapacitated and the spy doesn’t have disadvantage 
  on the attack roll. 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The spy makes two melee attacks. 
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. 
  Hand Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, 
  range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing 
  damage. 
   
  Tiger 
  Large beast, unaligned 
  Armor Class 12 
  Hit Points 37 (5d10 + 10) 
  Speed 40 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   17 (+3) 
  15 (+2) 
  14 (+2) 
  3 (-4) 
  12 (+1) 
  8 (-1) 
   
  Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 
  Languages – 
  Challenge 1 (200 XP) 
  Cunning Action. The tiger has advantage on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on smell. 
  Pounce. If the tiger moves at least 20 feet straight 
  toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on 
  the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 13 
  Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the 
  target is prone, the tiger can make one bite attack 
  against it as a bonus action. 
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) piercing damage. 
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage. 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  43 
  Thug  
  Medium humanoid (any race), any non-good alignment 
  Armor Class 11 (leather armor) 
  Hit Points 32 (5d8 + 10) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   15 (+2) 
  11 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  11 (+0) 
   
  Skills Intimidation +2 
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages any one language (usually Common) 
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) 
  Pack Tactics. The thug has advantage on an attack roll 
  against a creature if at least one of the thug’s allies is 
  within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn’t 
  incapacitated. 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The thug makes two melee attacks. 
  Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  creature. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage. 
  Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, 
  range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d10) piercing 
  damage. 
   
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  44 
  Handout 1: Public Notice – Help Wanted 
   
  HELP WANTED 
   
  Lieutenant Liza Tarheels offers easy money for those who can 
  handle themselves in a scrap. Adventurers interested in helping 
  protect the city of Melvaunt should report to the Lieutenant’s 
  office in Asberyth at six bells tomorrow. 
   
  --Posted by the Melvaunt City Watch 
   
   
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil 
  45 
  Handout 2: List of Newcomers 
   
  Mysterious Newcomers 
  1. Brea Salvadine – An ambassador from Mulmaster refusing to 
  move her entourage from the Asberyth Square until she is seen 
  by the Council of Iron. 
  2. Mericor Tasgaf – A moon elf cleric of Waukeen providing 
  expensive business seminars and retreats for struggling 
  merchants in a sea cave outside Melvaunt. 
  3. Cloisternook Gnomes – A family of hard-drinking gnomes with a 
  camp near a defunct diamond mine outside of Melvaunt. 
  4. Parabald the Maimed – A mad dragonborn mage who plays 
  chess with imaginary friends by the docks each day. 
  5. Order of Wandering Tales – This odd group of monk scholars 
  asks everyone probing questions and stays at Brogan Summer 
  Shack near the docks. 
  6. Ghost Ship – A red-sailed vessel appears in the harbor every day 
  just after dusk and sails off right before dawn. This ship appears 
  to be the fabled ghost ship Bloody Dawn. Rowboats are at the 
  dock for you. 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/Adventure League/Convention Created Content/Baldman Games (BMG)/CCC-BMG-04 CORE 2-1 Tales of Good & Evil.pdf