TEXT: Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.  
  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  1 
   
   
  EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
   
  With land trade threatened, the city of Melvaunt is relying on sea trade to get goods into and out 
  of the city. An island rises out of the Moonsea just outside of Melvaunt Harbor, and initial 
  exploration indicates the island is a threat. The origins and nature of the island must be 
  ascertained before trade is shut down completely. 
   
   
  A 4-hour adventure for 1st-4th level characters 
   
   
  DEREK MYERS 
  Adventure Designer 
   
   
  Adventure Code: CORE 2-3 
   
   
  Producer: Baldman Games 
  Core Administrator: Shawn Merwin 
  Development, Editing and Layout: Encoded Designs 
  Cartography: Jay Africa 
  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 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  2 
  Introduction 
  Welcome to Edicts of Neutrality, a D&D Adventurers 
  League adventure. 
   This adventure is designed for three to seven 1st -
  4th level characters, and is optimized for five 4th 
  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 fill in the other values and write notes at the 
  conclusion of the session. Each player is responsible 
  for maintaining an accurate logsheet.  
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  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 
  4th-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. 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  4 
  Players should be given clues and hints when 
  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 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  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. 
  Adventure Background 
  As more chaos energy infuses the land around 
  Melvaunt, strange happenings continue. Now an 
  island has mysteriously appeared in the harbor 
  outside of Melvaunt, threatening sea trade, just as 
  the roving bands of modrons and orcs threaten land 
  routes. 
   Followers of Cyric have received visions of these 
  occurrences, bringing them to Melvaunt to seek out 
  their destinies in service to their mad deity. On the 
  island, priests of Cyric plan to use souls bound by the 
  mad god into weapons to fuel a ritual that will bring 
  an avatar of Cyric into the world. 
   A team of soldiers goes to the island, but the 
  guardians of the place kill all but their leader. He 
  swims back to Melvaunt, barely alive, and asks the 
  adventurers to quickly investigate. 
  Overview 
  This adventure is divided into multiple parts. 
   Part 1. The adventurers come upon Xavier Deveno, 
  a naval officer whose patrol was attacked as they 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  6 
  investigated the island. He begs the adventurers to 
  quickly go to the island. 
   Part 2. Arriving on the island, the adventures are 
  attacked by guardians of the beach. They find a 
  cavern that leads to passages beneath the island. 
   Part 3. The adventurers come across some of the 
  lost souls that the cult of Cyric hoped to use to fuel 
  their ritual. 
   Parts 4 and 5. The adventurers learn more about 
  the lost souls and the ritual the followers of Cyric 
  hope to perform. 
   Part 6. The adventurers can interrupt the 
  summoning of the avatar of Cyric before it is 
  completed. 
   Part 7. With their mission (hopefully) successful, 
  the adventurers must decide what to do with the lost 
  souls and then collect their reward. 
  Adventure Hooks 
   This adventure does not rely on previous adventures 
  to get into the action. The adventurers happen upon 
  Xavier Deveno, and they can either respond to his 
  plea for help or not. 
   
  Designer’s Notes 
  Who’s Your Deity? 
  At the beginning of the adventure, ask all the players 
  to indicate if their character worships any particular 
  deity. Characters playing clerics, paladins, or 
  characters with the Acolyte background must 
  declare a deity before the adventure begins. Other 
  characters are not required to do so, but it might 
  behoove them, as characters who worship a 
  particular deity may gain special benefits during this 
  adventure. Encourage them to pick one if they 
  haven’t already. 
   A list of Forgotten Realms’ deities can be found in 
  the Player’s Handbook in Appendix B or the Sword 
  Coast Adventurers Guide in Chapter 1. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  7 
  Part 1: Trouble in 
  the Water 
  Expected Duration: 15 minutes 
  When the players are ready to begin, read the 
  following. Change as needed to fit the party: 
  The Giant Jinx is a dock-side tavern where the patrons bet on 
  anything from the flip of a coin to the last man standing in a 
  bar brawl. So when a halfling named Marnus and a dwarf 
  named Agarak decided to see who could drink more in the 
  name of their respective races, a lot of money exchanged 
  hands. No one could have predicted that the aroma from 
  your meals would cause one of the participants to throw up. 
  And no one could have predicted that your party would have 
  to defend themselves against angry gamblers who lost a 
  small fortune by betting against the wrong short race. 
   
  When the brawl ended you were none the worse for wear, 
  but the proprietor of the Giant Jinx insisted you leave and not 
  come back for at least a month. As you exited the premises 
  you could hear people betting on when you’d actually return, 
  if at all. 
   
  With the night still young and nothing but free time on 
  your hands, you are a party in search of a new watering hole 
  or some other distraction to occupy your time this evening. 
  While walking along the docks, you hear a deep male voice 
  call out for help from the water. It would seem your sudden 
  ejection from the Giant Jinx put you in the right place at the 
  right time; almost as if the gods wanted you here at this 
  exact moment. 
  The adventurers see a man in a naval uniform 
  clinging to the edge of the docks, barely able to keep 
  his head above water. When pulled from the water, 
  he is obviously badly wounded and suffering from 
  exhaustion. 
   He is grateful for their assistance, but he insists 
  they help him get to the Tower of the High Sails 
  immediately so he can report back to The High Sail. 
  Intelligence (Medicine) DC 12: His wounds are 
  fresh and without medical attention possibly life-
  threatening. If the check succeeds by 5 or more the 
  adventurers notice markings near his wounds that 
  would indicate he’d been grabbed and crushed, 
  not attacked with weapons. 
  Intelligence (Medicine) DC 10: The adventurers 
  can bandage the wounds and stabilize him. If the 
  adventurers use a healer’s kit, they gain advantage 
  on the roll. If they administer any magical healing, 
  he automatically stabilizes. 
  Intelligence (History) DC 10: Based on what’s left 
  of his uniform, he’s a lieutenant in the Melvaunt 
  navy. You don’t reach his position without a lot of 
  experience at sea and in combat. Whatever did 
  this to him must have been powerful. 
   As the adventurers administer aid to the wounded 
  man, he tells them his name is Xavier Deveno. Read 
  the following: 
  The man you pulled from the water is freezing, exhausted, 
  and wounded. As you try to help him he rambles on. “They’re 
  dead. My men are all dead,” he says. “It was awful. They 
  didn’t stand a chance.” 
   
  “I took a squad of new recruits in a long boat to check out 
  the island that appeared in the harbor. We were ordered to 
  circle around it, look for any signs of inhabitants, and return. I 
  told them there wasn’t any real danger. This was just a 
  chance to give the rookies some time at sea. I should have 
  trusted my gut. I should have known there was danger.” 
   
  “When we approached the island, something attacked our 
  vessel from beneath the waves. We took on water fast, so I 
  ordered the men to abandon ship and swim for shore. Setting 
  foot on the island was the beginning of the end. Giant crabs 
  swarmed the beach along with a monstrous aquatic 
  crustacean. We fought valiantly, killing one of the giants and 
  badly wounding the other, but their numbers quickly 
  overwhelmed us.” 
   
  “I watched as my men were slaughtered. I couldn’t save 
  them. I jumped back in the water and swam for the harbor. I 
  was the only one who managed to get away.” 
   
  He pauses to catch his breath. His shivering continues and 
  he looks like he’s about to pass out. “We weren’t alone on 
  the island. During the battle I saw ghastly men with white 
  eyes lurking in the shadows. I think they might have been 
  controlling the creatures, forcing them to attack us.” 
   
  “Before we left Melvaunt I’d heard rumors that a cult of 
  Cyric had gone to the island, but I dismissed the talk. I now 
  wish I’d listened more carefully. Those eyes, those white eyes 
  pierced the darkness like stars at night. It was unnatural. I’ve 
  never seen anything so terrible. The High Sail must be told 
  what happened. We must return to the island.” 
  The scene on the dock does not go unnoticed as a 
  pair of sailors recognizes the wounded man’s 
  uniform. They rush to help, addressing him as 
  Lieutenant. He commands them to go to the Tower 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  8 
  of the High Sail and get a medic. They obey without 
  hesitation. 
  “This failure will haunt me. It will ruin the names of the men 
  who sailed with me to that island. They deserved a better 
  fate.” 
   
  He looks to the stars momentarily, closes his eyes, and 
  then in a moment of complete clarity opens his eyes again 
  and addresses you. “I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe 
  that the gods put you in this place at this time for a reason. 
  I’m in no shape to return to the island, but you are. Would 
  you be willing to go to the island? If any of my men live, 
  they’ll be wounded and need aid. And if they’re all dead 
  someone must retrieve the remains so they can receive a 
  proper burial.” 
   
  “More importantly someone needs to find the white-eyed 
  men and stop them. Cyric’s agents must be stopped. Will you 
  do it? Will you help the weak and wounded, and oppose the 
  agents of evil?” 
  Due to his grievous wounds and his exhaustion he is 
  in no shape to accompany them on this journey, no 
  matter how much healing the adventurers may be 
  able to provide. 
  “When I tell the High Sail what happened he will eventually 
  send more sailors to the island to investigate, but knowing 
  him and the politics involved, it will likely take days. If my 
  men live they need help now.” 
   
  “We fought and wounded those monsters. If you head 
  there now you’d have a good chance of killing the monsters 
  and eliminating that threat this very night. You’d be heroes! 
  And the Melvaunt navy would be obligated to compensate 
  you for this service. I’d see to that personally.” 
  Assuming the adventurers agree to head to the 
  island, Lt. Deveno tells them where they can find a 
  man named Jorvens, who will take them to the island. 
  “Tell him ‘The fire burns underwater,’ and he’ll know I sent 
  you. He’ll bring you wherever you ask him to, and he won’t 
  ask questions. Thank you and may the gods smile upon you.” 
  The sailors return, accompanied by four other men 
  in naval uniforms, one of whom is clearly a medic. 
  They thank you for your assistance and tell you 
  they’ll take it from here. They administer first aid 
  and provide Lt. Deveno with a healing potion if he 
  still needs it. If the adventurers used healing magic 
  on Deveno, he gives them the potion of healing 
  instead as an aid on their mission. 
   The adventurers can accompany them as far as the 
  Tower of High Sails but are not allowed to enter. The 
  adventurers have no problem finding Jorvens, and as 
  long as they use the phrase Lt. Deveno provided, 
  they can leave for the island as soon as they’re ready. 
   There is ample time for the adventurers to 
  purchase any standard equipment they feel they 
  may need for their quest. 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  9 
  Part 2: Monsters 
  on the Shore 
  Expected Duration: 45 minutes 
  Jorvens is a quiet, competent sailor. When you told him what 
  you needed, he made his boat available to you without 
  question or hesitation. By the time you’ve finished your 
  preparations, he’s ready to cast off as the sun is cresting the 
  eastern horizon. 
   
  The journey across the bay to the island was quick and 
  uneventful. As you approach the shore, Jorvens tells you 
  after he drops you on the island he’s returning to port. He’ll 
  come back for you tomorrow at first light. Hopefully you 
  don’t get into too much trouble in just one day. 
  If the adventurers ask Jorvens to take them around 
  the island he is willing to do so. They don’t spot any 
  signs of life or monsters. They are not attacked. The 
  island isn’t very large. Where the rocky edges of the 
  island meet the water it is quite steep and would be 
  nearly impossible to climb from the water onto the 
  rocks without getting crushed by the waves 
  pounding the island. 
   There seems to be only one spot where it’s 
  possible to gain access to the island: a small 
  shoreline with a beach of small crushed rocks and 
  pebbles. Jorvens gets about 50 feet from the shore 
  and tells the adventurers they’ll have to wade the 
  rest of the way. He’s concerned that the bottom of 
  his boat may scrape against unseen rocks below the 
  water. Try as they might, the adventurers are unable 
  to convince him to get any closer to shore. If they 
  threaten violence, he reminds them that Lt. Deveno 
  is a powerful man in Melvaunt and wouldn’t like it if 
  his friend were to be harmed. 
   The adventurers easily wade to shore safely. Read 
  the following when they get to shore: 
  The rising sun casts long dark shadows across the beach. 
  Debris from Lt. Deveno’s ship has washed up on shore. In the 
  center of the beach is the carcass of large, dead crab-like 
  monster. There are no signs of any of the sailors. 
  Allow each adventurer to take one round of actions 
  when they arrive on the beach. Most likely they’ll 
  want to explore the area. See Exploring the Beach 
  below. 
   After they all take one turn the wounded chuul 
  and two giant crabs emerge from the water to 
  attack the party, triggering initiative. Read: 
  Your trip to the shore did not go unnoticed. A giant 
  crustacean, similar to the dead one lying on the beach, 
  emerges from the water and approaches. Trailing behind it 
  are two giant crabs. You notice that the large creature is 
  wounded, as there are signs of cracks and breaks in its hard 
  outer shell, and one of its large pincers hangs limply at its 
  side. It is aggressive and moves to attack. 
  General Features 
   Light. The adventurers arrive shortly after dawn 
  so there is daylight, but there are also long shadows 
  cast on the beach. 
   Smells. The beach smells of salt water and rotting 
  fish as the dead chuul has started to decompose. 
  Once the sun rises, the smell will become even more 
  pungent. 
   Terrain.  
   Beach. The sandy beach does not impede 
  movement. 
   Rocks on the beach. There are three large rocks 
  on the north end of the beach. They are about 5 ft. 
  tall and 5 ft. around. These are big enough to climb 
  (no check required) or hide behind. Large 
  creatures must squeeze to move between them. 
   Large Rocks. There are large rocky outcroppings 
  at the north and south end of the beach. They are 
  10 ft. high and can be climbed. They are slick and 
  sharp so climbing requires a DC 10 Strength 
  (Athletics) check to climb. Once on top of the 
  rocky area, an adventurer must make an 
  immediate DC 10 Dexterity save or slip and fall. An 
  adventurer who falls suffers 1d6 piercing and 
  bludgeoning damage from the sharp rocks and the 
  impact. 
   
  A cavern entrance is difficult to spot in the morning 
  shade. Adventurers only see it if they move within 
  20 ft. of the opening, or if they spot it during their 
  one round of investigation. It is unguarded, and 
  adventurers can enter without hindrance if they 
  notice it.  
  Tactics 
  The chuul is wounded and slow out of the water. See 
  Adjusting the Encounter below for more details. If 
  a chuul poisons an adventurer, it immediately drops 
  that adventurer and moves on to another victim. 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  10 
   The chuul tries to stay within 20 ft. of the 
  shoreline. If the adventurers flee, the chuul only 
  remains on the beach for two rounds. If attacked 
  from range, it returns to the water. If left alone, it 
  dodges for two rounds and then returns to the water. 
  The giant crabs flee if the chuul leaves. 
   Clever adventurers may realize the chuul won’t 
  venture too far from the safety of the water. Reward 
  clever tactics. Award full XP for defeating the chuul 
  and giant crabs if the adventurers take advantage of 
  the situation and head into the cavern without 
  killing them. 
  ADJUSTING THE ENCOUNTER 
  Here are the recommendations for adjusting this combat 
  encounter. These adjustments are not cumulative. 
   Very weak party: Reduce the chuul’s hit points to 33. It 
  only gets one pincer attack that deals 1d6+2 damage. Its 
  tentacle no longer contains poison. Add two giant crabs. 
   Weak party: Reduce the chuul’s hit points to 43. It only 
  gets one pincer attack that deals 1d6+2 damage. Its 
  tentacle recharges its poison on a 6. Add one giant crab. 
   Average party: Reduce the chuul’s hit points to 53. It only 
  gets one pincer attack. Its tentacle recharges its poison on 
  a 5-6. 
   Strong party: Reduce the chuul’s hit points to 53. It only 
  gets one pincer attack. Its tentacle recharges its poison on 
  a 4-6. Add one giant crab. 
   Very strong party: Reduce the chuul’s hit points to 53. It 
  only gets one pincer attack. Its tentacle recharges its 
  poison on a 3-6. Add two giant crabs. 
  Searching the Beach 
  Searching the beach reveals the following details. 
  Intelligence (Investigation) DC 10: An adventurer 
  who heads inland notices numerous mounds 
  tucked safely away from the shore. They don’t 
  look like they formed naturally. 
  Wisdom (Survival) DC 10: Tracks on the beach that 
  lead away from the shore. The tracks show 
  humanoids wearing boots have walked into and 
  out of the cavern and along the secluded area of 
  the beach. 
  Wisdom (Survival) DC 10: Signs of the fight 
  between the sailors and the monsters are present. 
  There is fresh blood on the beach but no bodies. 
  Wisdom (Perception) DC 10: There are weapons 
  and spent ammunition on the beach, but nothing 
  that’s still usable. 
  Wisdom (Perception) DC 12: An adventurer who 
  declares they’re watching the water for 
  approaching monsters spots the chuul as it nears. 
  Adventurers gain +2 to their initiative. 
  Wisdom (Perception) DC 12: A character searching 
  the southern end of the beach spots the cavern 
  entrance. It’s masked by the morning shadows and 
  otherwise unnoticeable. 
  When the adventurers move to the southern end of 
  the beach read the following. 
  You notice the entrance to a cavern. This must be where the 
  white-eyed creatures Lt. Deveno spoke of stood when the 
  sailors fought. There is no sign of them now. 
   
  Just past the cavern on the beach there are numerous 
  mounds of dirt. They look out of place. 
  Intelligence (Investigate) DC 10: On top of each 
  mound a symbol has been drawn in the sand. Each 
  mound has one of four different symbols drawn on 
  it. 
  Intelligence (Religion) DC 10: These are burial 
  mounds. 
  Intelligence (Religion) DC 12: The symbols on the 
  mounds are those of various deities, both good 
  and evil. If the check succeeds by 5 or more the 
  adventurers can identify the symbols as those of 
  Lathander, Shar, Leira, and Helm. Clerics, paladins, 
  and characters with the Acolyte background 
  automatically know this information and do not 
  have to make the check. 
  The remains of Lt. Deveno’s men are buried beneath 
  the mounds. Each was laid to rest with care and 
  precision. Limbs that were severed or torn off during 
  combat have been buried with the bodies. When the 
  adventurers are ready to enter the cave, proceed to 
  Part 3: Strangers in the Cavern. 
   Each PC earns 25 XP if they show reverence and 
  respect for the bodies of the fallen sailors. They can 
  earn this reward if the dig up the bodies, but they 
  should do so with care and replace the bodies when 
  they are done. 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  11 
  Part 3: Strangers in 
  the Caverns 
  Expected Duration: 30 minutes 
   
  When the adventurers enter the cavern, read: 
  The temperature drops sharply once you venture more than 
  20 ft, into the cavern. The passage slopes noticeably 
  downward, and after another 30 ft. it forks in two directions.  
  General Features 
   Light: The passage is dark and adventurers will 
  need to generate their own light source if one is 
  required. 
   Terrain: The passages are only 5 ft. wide and 5 ft. 
  high, so adventurers will need to travel single file. 
   
  Once inside the tunnel the adventurers can make the 
  following checks. 
  Wisdom (Survival) DC 10: The adventurers notice 
  signs of tracks going into and out of the tunnel. 
  Numerous humanoids wearing boots came this 
  way. If the check succeeds by 5 or more they can 
  determine that tracks are less than one day old. 
  Intelligence (Investigation) DC 10: There is no 
  sign of blood anywhere inside the passage. None 
  of the wounded sailors came this way or were 
  carried this way. 
  The caverns veer off in different directions with 
  offshoots every 30-50 feet. If the adventurers are 
  trying to follow the tracks, they quickly discover that 
  it doesn’t help them. The tracks lead down most of 
  the passages. Some passages are dead ends and in 
  many instances the tracks go to the end and then 
  turn around, almost as if the person who made them 
  was unsure of where they were going. 
   DM’s Note: A map of the passages is not provided. 
  If the characters want to try and create a map or 
  mark their course, allow them to do so, but don’t 
  belabour the point. Maps are only provided for key 
  areas of the tunnels and caverns. 
   After wandering the passages for about 20-30 
  minutes you hear the sounds of combat from the 
  passage ahead. 
   
  When you round the bend you see four humanoids 
  fighting shadows. Before you can pick a side, or even call out 
  to the combatants, one of the humanoids holds up a disk 
  shaped like a sun and shouts, “Be gone! May the sun’s light 
  destroy you!” As the disk briefly radiates a bright flash of 
  light, the shadows cringe and flee, flying away down another 
  passage to the safety of the darkness. 
   
  With the shadows banished for the time being, one of the 
  humanoids turns and notices the party. The strangers call out 
  to you, “Come forth from the darkness. It’s safe now. The 
  foul undead are gone.” 
  The strangers provide assurances that they won’t 
  harm the adventurers. When they get within 10 ft. of 
  the strangers, they immediately realize all the 
  humanoids have white eyes. 
   When asked to identify themselves, the strangers 
  cannot. They don’t know who they are, where they 
  came from, or why they’re here. Aside from their 
  white eyes they all have one other thing in common: 
  they all have holy symbols prominently displayed on 
  their persons. 
  Intelligence (Religion) DC 10: Each symbol is that 
  of a prominent deity. Clerics, paladins, and 
  characters with the Acolyte background 
  automatically know this information and do not 
  have to make the check. Adventurers who make 
  the check and succeed by 5 or more also know the 
  deity’s exact alignment. 
   Lathander: God of dawn, spring, and birth 
  (Neutral Good) 
   Shar: Goddess of darkness, night, caverns, and 
  dungeons (Neutral Evil) 
   Helm: God of vigilance and protection (Lawful 
  Neutral) 
   Leira: Goddess of illusions and deception (Chaotic 
  Neutral) 
   
  The two males wear the symbols of Lathander and 
  Shar, while the two females wear symbols of Helm 
  and Leira. 
  Intelligence (History) DC 18: The white-eyed 
  strangers are champions of their faith who died 
  decades ago. Clerics, paladins, and characters with 
  the Acolyte background who worship any of the 
  four deities represented automatically know the 
  identity of the hero associated with their faith and 
  do not have to make the check. See Appendix 1 
  for more details on these NPCs. 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  12 
  Wisdom (Insight) DC 10: These strangers are being 
  truthful about their predicament. Success by 5 or 
  more also reveals that they are all ill at ease about 
  their own lack of knowledge but confident in their 
  own abilities. 
  Charisma (Persuasion) DC 10: An adventurer can 
  explain what the holy symbols represent and 
  educate them on the edicts of their respective 
  faiths. If they identified their true identity, the 
  characters can reveal that information to them as 
  well. Success by 5 more makes all subsequent 
  Charisma checks to interact with them easier and 
  made with advantage. 
  Wisdom (Medicine) or Investigation 
  (Intelligence) DC 10: None of the four white-eyed 
  strangers are alive. Yet they don’t seem to be 
  undead either. None of them were affected when 
  the shadows were turned. 
  Intelligence (Religion) DC 15: This check should 
  be made only after it’s discovered that the 
  white-eyed strangers are not alive. Clerics and 
  paladins proficient in Religion or characters with 
  the Acolyte background make this check with 
  advantage. The humanoids are neither living nor 
  dead. They died but their souls have not been able 
  to pass beyond the physical realm upon their 
  deaths. They are living souls given physical form. 
  If the strangers cannot be identified they will 
  respond to the names of their deities once the 
  adventurers identify the symbols. 
   They share the following information with the 
  party: 
   They remember waking up a few days ago in cages 
  with others like themselves. There were 16 
  prisoners – eight men and eight women. Each cage 
  held four prisoners, two men and two women. 
   They were guarded by shadows like the ones that 
  just fled. The shadows took orders from humans 
  dressed in purple and black. The humans spoke of 
  their deity: Cyric. 
   Despite not knowing who they are, the white-eyed 
  strangers all instinctively know that Cyric is evil 
  and they must oppose his followers. 
   Yesterday the cultists of Cyric opened the cages 
  and took prisoners from two cells, four men and 
  four women. After they left, Shar managed to get 
  the shadow guards close together and Lathander 
  used his holy symbol to turn them. Helm and Leira 
  worked together to force open their cage. Before 
  they could free the other prisoners, the cultists 
  returned to investigate the noise. These four fled. 
   They wandered the maze of caverns for hours and 
  were attacked by shadows numerous times. 
   They eventually found their way to the surface. 
  When they reached the beach, the chuul and giant 
  crabs defeated the last of the sailors. Before the 
  creatures could consume the bodies or drag them 
  out to sea, the four souls scared them off. 
   They sailors were all dead, so the souls gathered 
  the remains, performed last rites, and buried the 
  bodies. 
   They could have tried to leave the island, but they 
  felt compelled to stay. Each felt they had a task to 
  complete here before they could leave. They felt 
  they must confront the cultists. So they rested on 
  the beach and at dawn headed back into the 
  tunnels. 
   Despite their aimless wandering the day before, 
  they’re confident they can lead the party to the 
  area where the cultists are gathered. Together 
  they may be able to defeat Cyric’s followers, free 
  the others, and leave the island. 
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  13 
  Part 4: Scared of 
  Your Own Shadow 
  Expected Duration: 45 minutes 
  When the adventurers move into the passages with 
  the souls, read: 
  Navigating the caverns is difficult. Following the tracks of the 
  living souls isn’t very helpful since they were wandering 
  throughout the caverns for hours before the party 
  encountered them. 
   
  The passage you’re moving through curves to the right and 
  as you round the bend the passage widens briefly in two 
  spots. 
   
  The soul of Shar suddenly calls out to the party, “We’re not 
  alone; the shadows are near. I can feel them.” 
  Before the adventurers can take any actions six 
  shadows attack. 
   Two shadows attempt to hide in the cracks of the 
  alcoves the party is passing. They were aware of the 
  party’s approach and had ample time to hide in the 
  cracks and shadows. Roll their initial Stealth check 
  with advantage. The shadows have surprise if their 
  Dexterity (Stealth) check exceeds any adventurer’s 
  Passive Perception. Adventurers who detect the 
  shadows can act normally during the first round. 
  Four other shadows attack the procession – two 
  from the front and two from the rear. These 
  shadows made no attempt to hide. 
   The souls have faced the shadows before but only 
  a few at a time. The only way they’ll defeat this many 
  and avoid capture is to ensure the adventurers are 
  victorious. The Souls use the Help action to assist the 
  adventurers during the combat. The souls use the 
  commoner statistics but they have an improved AC 
  and weapons (already noted in the stat blocks). 
  General Features 
   Light. The passages are completely dark unless the 
  adventurers provide their own light source. 
   Terrain. The passages here are 10 ft. wide and 
  ceiling height varies from 6-8 ft. 
  Tactics 
  The two hidden shadows attack the adventurers 
  during the first round (possibly with advantage 
  because the adventurers were surprised). In the 
  second round, all six shadows work together. 
   Two shadows block the passage so that the 
  adventurers cannot advance. They attack the lead 
  adventurers, but remain side-by-side. 
   Two shadows attack random adventurers within 
  reach. 
   Two shadows attack the living souls. 
  The shadows never focus on the same target, 
  preferring to attack different foes and weaken 
  everybody. 
  ADJUSTING THE ENCOUNTER 
  Here are the recommendations for adjusting this combat 
  encounter. These adjustments are not cumulative. 
   Very weak party: Reduce each shadow’s hit points to 8. 
   Weak party: Reduce each shadow’s hit points to 12. 
   Strong party: Increase each shadow’s hit points to 20. 
   Very strong party: Increase each shadow’s hit points to 
  24. 
   
  If a shadow successfully strikes a soul, the soul 
  winces in pain. Do not track the souls’ hit points. 
  Instead when a soul is hit, it must make a DC 10 
  Constitution saving throw. Success means nothing 
  harmful happens, while failure results in the soul 
  becoming incorporeal. When that happens read the 
  following: 
  As a shadow’s claws rake deeply into the soul of Leira’s 
  champion, there is a flash of light and her physical body 
  becomes incorporeal. The soul looks at you as its ghost-like 
  form is drawn away down the passage. You see the horror on 
  its face as if it realizes that something terrible is about to 
  happen to it. As the soul is pulled more rapidly away from 
  you, it yells “HEEEEELP!” 
   
  The other souls fighting beside you seemed frightened by 
  their friend’s fate. “We must follow her. She’s being pulled 
  back to the cages. We cannot allow the cultists to imprison 
  her again.” 
   
  Before you can give chase, another shadow tries to strike a 
  deadly blow against one of the adventurers. The living soul of 
  Helm’s champion blocks the attack with his body, protecting 
  you but suffering the full force of the shadow’s attack in the 
  process. The shadow’s dark claws rip through the soul, 
  destroying it. Again, there is a brief flash as the soul’s body 
  becomes incorporeal and is pulled away down the passage. 
   
  The shadows try to block your passage so that you cannot 
  follow the souls as they are being forcefully returned to the 
  cultists. 
  Getting Past the Shadows 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  14 
  The adventurers have 5 rounds to catch up to the 
  incorporeal souls before they are pulled away from 
  them. The shadows do whatever they can to slow 
  down or stop the adventurers. 
   The shadows were instructed to find the escaped 
  living souls and strike them down, which forces 
  them back to their cages. They were also told to stop 
  any strangers from finding the cultists. 
   The shadows engage the party in combat, 
  preferring to attack the living souls whenever they 
  can. Two shadows always stand side by side to 
  prevent anyone from getting past them in the maze 
  of tunnels. 
   When a shadow is destroyed or whenever an 
  adventurer manages to get past them, the shadows 
  reposition themselves ahead of the adventurers to 
  block their progress. 
   There are cracks all along the walls in the tunnels. 
  The shadows can enter the cracks in the walls and 
  travel parallel to the corridors undetected. This 
  allows them to get around adventurers without 
  provoking too many opportunity attacks. 
   Although a map of this section of the tunnels is 
  provided, it may be easier to forego the maze map 
  and just focus on the immediate section the 
  adventurers are in. The passages are a honeycomb of 
  twists and turns. Following the souls is difficult, 
  which is why they have to pursue within 5 rounds. 
   If the shadows manage to delay the adventurers 
  for 5 full rounds, the party is too far away from the 
  incorporeal souls to follow them back to the cages. 
  On the shadows’ turn in round 6, they disengage, 
  move into the cracks in the walls, and disappear. 
  The Living Souls 
  The souls have a fly speed of 30 ft and dash every 
  round. The souls are incorporeal and cannot be 
  stopped or slowed by physical barriers. The have 
  resistance to all damage and cannot be harmed. 
  Reward creativity if the adventurers can think of 
  ways to slow down the souls. 
  Forced Movement 
  The easiest way to ensure the flying souls don’t get 
  too far ahead of the adventurers is for them to 
  simply force their way past the shadows. The 
  adventurers can try to move the shadows out of 
  their path by forcefully moving them. This can be 
  accomplished by using spells (such as 
  Thunderwave) and class abilities (such as a fighter’s 
  Pushing Attack Maneuver) that push creatures. All 
  characters can take shove actions. See Shoving a 
  Creature in the Player’s Handbook, pg. 195 (copied 
  in the sidebar below). 
   The shadows contest shoves using their Dexterity 
  (Acrobatics) which is only +2. 
   
  Shoving a Creature 
  Using the Attack action, you can make a special melee attack 
  to shove a creature, either to knock it prone or push it away 
  from you. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the 
  Attack action, this attack replaces one of them. 
   
  The target of your shove must be no more than one size 
  larger than you, and it must be within your reach. You make a 
  Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength 
  (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (the target chooses 
  the ability to use). If you win the contest, you either knock 
  the target prone or push it 5 feet away from you. 
   
  Remember that shoving an enemy does not provoke 
  an opportunity attack, but if an enemy is pushed and 
  then an adventurer tries to move past the enemy, 
  they will provoke and opportunity attack from that 
  enemy. 
   At the end of round 5, or when the adventurers 
  defeat all the shadows, proceed to Part 5: Caged 
  Souls. 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  15 
  Part 5: Caged 
  Souls 
  Expected Duration: 30 minutes 
  If the adventurers managed to get past the shadows 
  and follow the incorporeal souls back to the cages by 
  the end of round 5, proceed to You Found It below. 
   If the adventurers were not able to get past the 
  shadows by the end of round 5, they were unable to 
  follow the incorporeal souls and got lost in their 
  haste to keep up. Proceed to You’re Lost below. 
   Lost adventurers may ask any remaining souls still 
  with the party which way to go. Remaining souls are 
  distraught and distracted from the recent combat 
  and are unable to provide directions with certainty. 
  The adventurers may suggest destroying a soul 
  deliberately to create a new incorporeal essence, 
  thereby giving the party a new soul to follow. 
   The souls are reluctant to allow this but can be 
  convinced of the value of doing this with a successful 
  DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. Reward good 
  roleplaying and rational arguments the players 
  make to support this plan. 
   Any attempts to convince the souls using Charisma 
  (Deception) or Charisma (Intimidation) 
  automatically fail unless the die roll is a natural 20. 
   If a soul agrees to be destroyed, the same thing 
  happens as before. The body is destroyed, there is a 
  brief flash, and the incorporeal essence is pulled 
  away. The adventurers have no difficulty following it 
  this time and no additional shadows appear. Proceed 
  to You Found It below. 
  You Found It 
  You’ve reached your destination. You managed to follow the 
  soul despite the shadows’ attempts to stop you. The passage 
  opens into a larger cavern, approximately 40 ft. wide and 60 
  ft. long, with another passage leading out of this chamber on 
  the opposite side. 
   
  The room contains four cages, each large enough to hold 
  four prisoners. All of the cages are empty except one. On the 
  floor of the closest cage you see the newly reformed physical 
  bodies of the souls that were destroyed by the shadows a 
  few minutes earlier lying unconscious on the floor. 
   
  On the far end of the chamber you see numerous boxes, 
  barrels, and sacks placed neatly against the cavern wall. In 
  front of that are two humans dressed in purple and black 
  robes. Two shadows stand beside them. 
  The return of the soul a moment earlier has alerted 
  the two acolytes. The acolytes were told that the 
  souls would return if the shadows caught them. They 
  did not expect for real people to appear as well. They 
  are not prepared to battle the adventurers, but the 
  two shadows are there to assist. 
  Tactics 
  The acolytes begin dodging when the adventurers 
  enter the room. They command the shadows to kill 
  the intruders. The acolytes fight for one round, using 
  Sacred Flame and targeting the adventurers wearing 
  the heaviest armor. 
   As soon as they take damage they surrender if 
  given the opportunity to do so. If one of the acolytes 
  is killed or knocked unconscious, the adventurers 
  have advantage on any Charisma check made to 
  convince the other acolyte to surrender. 
   The shadows fight to the death. If any of the 
  shadows the adventurers faced in the last encounter 
  fled, then these are the same shadows. Adjust hit 
  points to reflect whatever damage they may have 
  already sustained. 
   When the fighting ends, the adventurers can freely 
  Search the Chamber and Interrogate the 
  Prisoners if any acolytes are still alive. See below. 
  ADJUSTING THE ENCOUNTER 
  Here are the recommendations for adjusting this combat 
  encounter. These adjustments are not cumulative. 
   Very weak party: Reduce each shadow’s hit points to 8. 
   Weak party: Reduce each shadow’s hit points to 12. 
   Strong party: Increase each shadow’s hit points to 20. 
   Very strong party: Increase each shadow’s hit points to 
  24. 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  16 
  You’re Lost 
  If the adventurers were unable to follow the souls 
  destroyed by the shadows in the previous encounter, 
  read: 
  You let the soul get too far ahead of you and you were 
  unable to follow it. You wander the tunnels for almost 10 
  minutes before you finally arrived at your destination. 
   
  The passage opens to a larger cavern approximately 40 ft 
  wide and 60 ft long with another passage leading out of this 
  chamber on the opposite side. 
   
  The room contains four cages, each large enough to hold 
  four prisoners. All of the cages are empty. On the far end of 
  the chamber you see numerous boxes, barrels, and sacks 
  placed neatly against the cavern wall. 
   
  Although no one is in this chamber now, you get the 
  distinct impression that if you’d gotten here sooner someone 
  would have been. 
  The souls returned to their cage a few minutes 
  before the adventurers arrived. The bodies 
  rematerialized and fell limp to the floor. Two 
  acolytes that were on guard here collected the 
  unconscious bodies and carried them off to the 
  Ritual Chamber.  
   The good news is that the acolytes don’t know the 
  adventurers are on the island so they made no effort 
  to hide anything they left behind. The adventurers 
  are free to begin Searching the Chamber. 
  General Features 
   Light. The cavern is lit by torches crudely affixed 
  to the cavern walls. 
   Cages. The four cages are exactly the same. The 
  lock on one is damaged. 
   Summoning Symbol. An eight-pointed star is 
  drawn on the ground in the centre of this chamber. 
  The cages are located at the star’s longest points. In 
  the centre of the star a skull is drawn on the ground. 
  Searching the Chamber 
  Intelligence (Religion) DC 10: The symbol on the 
  floor is that of Cyric, the deity of lies, madness, 
  strife, and deceit (Chaotic Evil). 
  Intelligence (Religion) or Intelligence (Arcana) 
  DC 12: This symbol is part of a summoning and 
  binding ritual. The souls in the cages were likely 
  bound to remain prisoners within until the 
  summoner released them or the sigil was broken. 
  Intelligence (Investigation) DC 12: The sigil was 
  disrupted near the cell with the broken lock. This 
  could explain how the souls were able to escape. 
   
  The boxes, barrels and sacks contain provisions and 
  survival gear. There’s enough here to sustain a 
  dozen humans for two weeks. There are also 
  numerous packs that contain personal items. 
   In eight of the packs the adventurers find unholy 
  scripture dedicated to Cyric. In one of those packs 
  the adventurers discover a book bound in purple 
  vellum. On its cover is a symbol of Cyric similar to 
  the one etched on the floor. Any good aligned 
  character who opens the book takes 1d6 psychic 
  damage unless they say a prayer in praise of Cyric 
  before they open it. 
   Inside the book are numerous sermons dedicated 
  to Cyric. It is one of the most horrific and disturbing 
  things any of the adventurers have ever read. Some 
  blasphemies cannot be unheard or unseen. 
   While reading through the book the adventurers 
  find illustrations of a room like the one they’re 
  standing in now. Further reading reveals that this is 
  part of a special ritual that will grant Cyric’s most 
  faithful servants the Dark Sun’s blessing. 
   It will take the adventurers an hour to read 
  enough of the unholy book to fully understand 
  what’s going on. See Deciphering the Ritual below. 
  This can be done during a short rest. 
  Interrogating the Prisoners 
  Acolytes that were captured reveal everything they 
  know with a simple DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation) 
  or Charisma (Persuasion) check. Unfortunately, they 
  are the lowest ranking cultists here and are quite 
  clueless. 
   
   They only recently became followers of Cyric. 
  They came to Melvaunt because leaders from their 
  cult claimed that Melvaunt was about to play an 
  important role in Cyric’s plans. 
   The priests of Cyric had visions that an island 
  would appear in the harbor and they were to 
  conduct an ancient ritual here once it did. 
   They had lookouts watching the bay, and on a 
  moonless night the island rose from the sea floor. 
  As soon as it did the cultists were ready. They had 
  boats prepared to ferry them across to the island 
  and within an hour they’d landed 12 cultists. 
   The chuuls and giant crabs tried to attack the 
  boats, but the pilots managed to get away from the 
  coastline without incident. The cultists ignored the 
  monsters and ventured into the caves. 
   It took a while for the priests to find the right 
  cavern, but eventually they found this room. They 
  spent hours carving the sigil into the floor and 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  17 
  then began the ritual. Before they began they 
  placed weapons on the floor of each cage; two 
  swords and two daggers in each. When it ended a 
  soul emerged from each blade. 
   The next day the priests found another chamber 
  where they started the whole thing all over again. 
  This time the sigil they carved was twice the size. 
   Yesterday the priests had the acolytes escort the 
  prisoners from this room to the room where 
  they’re preparing to do the next ritual. 
   That’s when four souls escaped. The priests were 
  furious. They instructed the shadows to find the 
  escapees and return them here. The acolytes were 
  told to stay here until the souls returned. They 
  haven’t been allowed back into the larger chamber 
  since the souls escaped yesterday, so they don’t 
  know what’s going on now. 
   These acolytes realize that they’ve become part of 
  something terrible and evil and they want out. 
  They beg the adventurers to help them get off the 
  island and back to the mainland. 
   They won’t leave this room or participate in any 
  combat. However, they are willing to draw the 
  adventurers a rough map of the larger summoning 
  chamber and provide directions on how to get 
  there. 
  Interrogating the Souls 
  Any souls that still accompany the characters 
  confirm the following information. 
   
   This was the place where they first woke up. 
   Many cultists came and went from this room. It 
  seemed that they were looking for another 
  chamber in which to complete another ritual. It 
  sounded like they found what they were looking 
  for yesterday. 
   The priests ordered the acolytes and shadows to 
  bring the prisoners to the new chamber where the 
  ritual was to take place. That’s when these souls 
  made their escape. 
  The characters can take a short rest before moving 
  on. If they try to take a long rest they are attacked by 
  shadows every 90 minutes. 
  Deciphering the Ritual 
  The cultists use the souls of Cyric’s enemies to 
  empower the ritual. These living souls are the 
  physical manifestations of each deity’s most faithful 
  followers. In life, each was a devout cleric or paladin 
  who wronged Cyric in some way. All were killed by a 
  devout follower of Cyric using a special ritualistic 
  blade that trapped their soul. 
   Cyric’s faithful have been collecting these souls for 
  decades. The ritual required a series of events to 
  take place before it could begin. For the past few 
  months Cyric’s most devout followers had prophetic 
  dreams which led them to Melvaunt. The emergence 
  of this island meant the time was right to perform 
  the Dark Sun’s blessing. 
   First the cultists had to release the trapped souls. 
  They’ve completed that part already. Second they 
  had to place the souls in a very specific arrangement 
  around the symbol of Cyric. When they did, eight of 
  Cyric’s most faithful servants would recite the ritual. 
  The ceremony would create a dark pillar that would 
  siphon the divine essence of the captured souls and 
  allow Cyric to manipulate it. 
   The souls need to be arranged in key positions 
  based on their alignment, but the ritual doesn’t 
  provide specific details on this part. When done 
  correctly the cultists could manipulate the powers of 
  good and evil, law and chaos, to mask their own evil 
  hearts. Once shielded they could commit 
  unspeakable acts of evil in Cyric’s name and remain 
  undetected. The souls will be utterly and 
  permanently destroyed if the ritual succeeds.  
   Once these details are discovered, the souls 
  present begin to regain their memories. Hearing the 
  details of the ritual seemed to trigger their 
  memories like an instinctual reaction to danger. 
  They begin to catch glimpses of their own past again. 
  They understand who they are and what’s at stake if 
  they fail. 
  Disrupting the Ritual 
  Based on what the adventurers learn from reading 
  Cyric’s unholy book, they can disrupt the ritual in the 
  following ways. 
   Kill or knock out the cultists performing the ritual. 
   Move the cultists off of their designated spots on 
  the star symbol. 
   Move the living souls off of the star symbol. 
   Kill the living souls. See Killing the Living Souls 
  below. 
   Heal the souls. Any healing magic provided to a 
  soul insulates them from the draining effect for 
  one round per level of the spell cast or one round 
  if a potion of healing is administered. 
   Cast a Silence spell. 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  18 
  Killing the Living Souls 
  Killing the living souls isn’t easy. The adventurers 
  already witnessed what happens when the soul’s 
  body is killed: they return to their cages. 
   Now that the souls are beginning to remember 
  their pasts and their religious teachings, they can 
  explain how to put the souls to rest permanently, 
  thereby denying the cultists the life-forces they need 
  to complete their ritual and ensuring that these 
  champions of the faith are allowed to pass on to the 
  afterlife. 
   If none of the souls are present, then a cleric, 
  paladin, or any adventurer who is proficient in 
  Religion or who has the Acolyte background must 
  make a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Religion) 
  check to gain this information. 
   The only way to destroy the souls permanently is 
  to recite a blessing of their faith before taking an 
  action that reduces them to 0 hit points. Characters 
  can make a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check (no 
  action) on their turn to recall the appropriate prayer. 
  Each adventurer can only make one such check each 
  round, and the player must declare what deity/faith 
  they’re trying to remember. Once a prayer is 
  remembered and recited aloud, all other 
  adventurers capable of hearing can repeat the 
  prayer without making a new check. 
   Characters who worship a deity represented here 
  automatically know the prayer for their own faith. 
   Characters with the Acolyte background or 
  proficiency in Religion have advantage on all 
  Intelligence (Religion) checks to remember the 
  prayer. 
   If any of the souls are present, the adventurers 
  may suggest killing them now. The souls are 
  agreeable to this but would prefer to stay and help if 
  they can. 
   After the adventurers have completed their short 
  rest they should proceed to Part 6: The Ritual 
  Chamber. 
  Treasure 
  The Cyric unholy manuscript could be sold to a 
  scholar or collector for 100 gp. It could be sold by an 
  evil character to an evil-aligned church for 200 gp. If 
  brought to a good-aligned ch,urch they would gladly 
  destroy the foul text free of charge. 
   If the adventurers destroy the Cyric unholy 
  manuscript immediately or if they agree to bring it 
  to a church where it can be destroyed, award each 
  adventurer 50 XP. 
   If the adventurers decide to bring the Cyric unholy 
  manuscript to a good-aligned church where it can be 
  studied and/or destroyed, award each adventurer 
  100 XP.  
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  19 
  Part 6: The 
  Summoning 
  Chamber 
  Expected Duration: 60 minutes 
  The adventurers will arrive at the Summoning 
  Chamber from different entry points depending on 
  what happened in Part 4. 
   If the adventurers made it to the chamber of caged 
  souls before the acolytes left, and they were able to 
  interrogate them, they are told how to approach 
  from the south passage. 
   If the characters did not make it to the chamber of 
  caged souls before the olytes left, they approach 
  from the northwest passage. 
  Northwest Passage 
  If the adventurers approach from the northwest, 
  read: 
  Voices echo faintly from the tunnel ahead of you. The path 
  widens, and as you round the next bend you see a dim light 
  emanating in the distance. Continuing onward toward the 
  light you come to a large cavern. 
   
  The cavern is dimly lit by torches affixed to the wall around 
  the chamber. The voices you’re hearing are numerous people 
  speaking together as one. Based on the blasphemy they’re 
  reciting, these are Cyric’s faithful. 
   
  As you take in the entire chamber, you recognize the eight-
  pointed star with a skull in the center etched on the floor as a 
  symbol of Cyric. It’s similar to the one in the previous room 
  but much larger. 
   
  At each of the star’s eight points, humans dressed in 
  purple and black are chanting as they perform the ritual. 
   
  At the lower vertices of the star’s points, eight living souls 
  stand frozen. Eight shadows stand outside of the star near 
  the cultists. They’re watching the ritual and the room, but do 
  not seem to be part of the ritual itself. 
   
  A pillar of shadowy darkness originates from the skull 
  symbol at the center of the star. Dark tendrils reach out and 
  wrap themselves around the living souls as the cultists 
  continue their chanting. Each time a cultist recites their 
  prayer, the nearest soul fades momentarily and the dark 
  pillar pulses with power. 
  Have all adventurers make a DC 15 Intelligence 
  (Religion) check. Characters trained in Religion or 
  who have the Ritual Caster feat/ability make the 
  check with advantage. Success reveals that the 
  voices are indeed in the midst of performing a ritual, 
  and from the sound of it the ritual is reaching a 
  crescendo. If the adventurers plan to interfere or 
  stop the ritual, they don’t have a lot of time.  
   If the adventurers remain quiet and out of sight, 
  no enemies approach them until they advance. They 
  can attempt a DC 10 group Dexterity (Stealth) check 
  to gain surprise when they enter the chamber. If the 
  check fails, the two closest shadows move toward 
  the adventurers to confront them. When the 
  adventurers enter the chamber or engage any 
  cultists or living souls participating in the ritual, 
  proceed to Stop the Unbelievers below. 
  South Passage 
  If the adventurers approach from the south, read: 
  Voices echo faintly from the tunnel ahead of you. The path 
  widens, and as you round the next bend you see a dim light 
  emanating in the distance. Continuing onward toward the 
  light you come to a large cavern. 
   
  The cavern is dimly lit by torches affixed to the wall around 
  the chamber. The voices you’re hearing are numerous people 
  speaking together as one. Based on the blasphemy they’re 
  reciting, these are Cyric’s faithful. 
   
  As you take in the entire chamber, you recognize the eight-
  pointed star with a skull in the center etched on the floor as a 
  symbol of Cyric. It’s similar to the one in the previous room 
  but much larger. 
   
  At each of the star’s eight points, humans dressed in 
  purple and black are chanting as they perform the ritual. 
   
  At the lower vertices of the star’s points, eight living souls 
  stand frozen. Eight shadows stand outside of the star near 
  the cultists. They’re watching the ritual and the room, but do 
  not seem to be part of the ritual itself. 
   
  A pillar of shadowy darkness originates from the skull 
  symbol at the center of the star. Dark tendrils reach out and 
  wrap themselves around the living souls as the cultists 
  continue their chanting. Each time a cultist recites their 
  prayer, the nearest soul fades momentarily and the dark 
  pillar pulses with power. 
   
  There is a cage to your left in an alcove to the northwest, 
  similar to the ones you saw in the last chamber. There are 
  four more living souls trapped inside. Standing in front of the 
  cage are two acolytes dressed like the ones you recently 
  faced. They are completely fascinated by the spectacle and 
  don’t immediately notice you when you enter the chamber. 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  20 
  Have all adventurers make a DC 15 Intelligence 
  (Religion) check. Characters trained in Religion or 
  who have the Ritual Caster feat/ability make the 
  check with advantage. Success reveals that the 
  voices are indeed in the midst of performing a ritual, 
  and from the sound of it the ritual is reaching a 
  crescendo. If the adventurers plan to interfere or 
  stop the ritual, they don’t have a lot of time.  
   Because the adventurers approach from the south 
  passage, their presence isn’t initially considered 
  problematic. The shadows have been told not worry 
  about anyone entering the chamber from this 
  passage, and the cultists are too busy performing the 
  ritual to notice. Until the adventurers do something 
  to draw attention to themselves, they remain 
  undetected. 
   If the adventurers remain quiet and out of sight, 
  no enemies approach them until they advance. They 
  can attempt a DC 10 group Dexterity (Stealth) check 
  to gain surprise when they enter the chamber. If the 
  check fails, the two closest shadows move toward 
  the adventurers to confront them. 
   If the adventurers wait, the acolytes guarding the 
  cage spot them at the beginning of round three. They 
  command the shadows to attack and then cast 
  Sacred Flame on the adventurers from a safe 
  distance. If the adventurers move towards the cage, 
  move towards the ritual area, or attack anyone, the 
  cultists move into action. Proceed to Stop the 
  Unbelievers below. 
  Stop the Unbelievers 
  Once the adventurers make their presence known, 
  the cultists performing the ritual realize something’s 
  amiss and act accordingly. 
  General Features 
   Light. The cavern is dimly lit by torches crudely 
  affixed to the cavern walls. 
   Summoning Symbol. An eight-pointed star is 
  drawn on the ground in the center of this chamber. 
  In the center of the star a skull is drawn on the 
  ground. 
   Dark Pillar. Emanating from the skull on the floor 
  is a pillar of darkness. It blocks line of sight and line 
  of effect. Adventurers who move into the pillar of 
  darkness take 2d6 psychic damage when they enter 
  and 1d6 psychic damage at the beginning of each 
  turn they’re inside. The souls, shadows, and cultists 
  are immune to these effects. 
   Cage. The cages seem to be identical to the cages 
  the adventurers discovered in the previous chamber. 
   Living Souls. The souls are positioned around the 
  dark pillar in a very specific order based on their 
  deity’s alignment and the soul’s gender. See 
  Appendix 1 for the exact positioning. 
   Participating in the ritual are 4 priests (all female) 
  and 4 cult fanatics (all male). 
   Once the cultists realize the adventurers are in the 
  room, 1 priest and 1 cult fanatic break away from 
  their spots in the ritual star and attack the 
  adventurers. The remaining cultists work diligently 
  to complete the ritual. Read: 
  Two cultists break away from the ritual to engage you 
  directly. “Brothers and sisters, the ritual nears completion. 
  We are moments away from receiving the Dark Sun’s 
  blessing. Focus on the goal while we take care of these 
  unbelievers.” 
  The remaining 3 priests and 3 cult fanatics continue 
  with the ritual and do not engage in combat initially. 
  Each time a cult fanatic is dropped to 0 hit points, 
  another breaks away from the ritual to engage the 
  adventurers. None of the other priests stop their 
  part of the ritual, even if they’re attacked directly. 
  There should never be more than 2 cultists engaging 
  the party directly. They believe that there is a 
  greater reward coming to them when the ritual is 
  completed, so they remain focused at all costs. 
   See Completing the Ritual below. 
  Tactics 
  The priest moves into melee and attacks a 
  spellcaster or an unarmored hero if possible. She 
  casts Spiritual Weapon in the first round as a bonus 
  action and uses it to attack a different opponent than 
  the one she’s adjacent to. Each time she hits with a 
  melee attack, she uses her Divine Eminence and 
  expends a level 1 spell slot. 
   The cult fanatic casts Spiritual Weapon during the 
  first round and then targets the adventurer wearing 
  the heaviest armor with Sacred Flame. In round 2 he 
  casts Shield of Faith. In round 3 he moves into melee 
  and casts Inflict Wounds. 
   The cultists don’t like each other. The cult fanatics 
  and priests don’t help each other, and target 
  different adventurers whenever possible. 
   Only two shadows engage the party initially. The 
  others stay near the priests participating in the 
  ritual, acting as bodyguards. At the beginning of each 
  subsequent round, another shadow will join the 
  combat if a) a shadow was destroyed, b) it sustained 
  any damage in the previous round, or c) a priest or 
  cult fanatic was killed or knocked unconscious. 
   Clever players may realize that if they focus their 
  efforts and take the cultists and shadows out one by 
  one, the combat will likely be a lot easier for them. 
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  21 
  ADJUSTING THE ENCOUNTER 
  Here are the recommendations for adjusting this combat 
  encounter. These adjustments are not cumulative. 
   
   
  shadow 
  HP 
  cult 
  fanatic 
  HP 
  priest 
  HP 
  # of 
  Prayers 
  required 
  Very weak party 
  8 
  23 
  17 
  30 
  Weak party 
  12 
  28 
  22 
  25 
  Average party 
  16 
  33 
  27 
  20 
  Strong party 
  20 
  38 
  37 
  18 
  Very strong party 
  24 
  43 
  47 
  16 
  Completing the Ritual 
  For the ritual to be completed at this point, the 
  cultists need to complete 20 successful prayers. For 
  each priest or cult fanatic to complete a prayer on 
  their turn the following conditions must be met: 
   The cultist must spend an action to recite the 
  prayer aloud. 
   The cultist must be standing on one of the vertices 
  of the eight-pointed star. 
   Each time a prayer is recited, it drains the essence 
  of one of the living-souls. Each soul can only be 
  tapped in this way once per round, and only while 
  they’re at their designated point of the star. All 
  souls recharge at the beginning of each new round. 
   If the adventurers cast a Silence spell, it makes the 
  prayers less effective. The DM must roll a die for 
  each cultist reciting a prayer in silence – if the 
  result is odd the prayer was successful despite the 
  silence, if the result is even the prayer was 
  unsuccessful. 
  The adventurers can interfere or attempt to disrupt 
  the ritual based on the information they learned in 
  the previous encounter. 
  Living Souls as Allies 
  It is possible that some living souls still 
  accompanying the party. They can participate in the 
  combat, providing the Help action to the adventurers. 
  The souls always go last in the initiative order. 
   Any souls that the adventurers free from the ritual 
  are too weak to provide any assistance. However, 
  when a soul is removed from the ritual star, the link 
  to Cyric is broken and radiant energy comes pouring 
  back into the soul. An adventurer adjacent to the 
  soul regains 10 hit points. If more than one PC is 
  adjacent when this happens, the players can decide 
  who gets the healing. 
  The Outcome of the Ritual 
  If the cultists complete the ritual, read: 
  As the final blasphemous prayer to Cyric is spoken, magical 
  darkness emanates from the skull etched on the floor. The 
  living souls are absorbed into the pillar of darkness. Dark 
  finger-like tendrils reach out from the pillar and wrap 
  themselves around the cultists still standing on the eight-
  pointed star. The cultists make no sounds and seem pleased 
  to be engulfed by the darkness. 
   
  The skull etched on the floor moves and speaks in a raspy 
  voice “Let my most faithful be masked from all prying eyes. 
  They will follow my edicts and do as I command without fear 
  of detection. Now go forth and do as evil demands. The Dark 
  Sun protects you.” The dark tendrils withdraw and the skull 
  becomes an etching on the floor once again. The cultists have 
  vanished, along with any remaining shadows. 
  The cultists cannot complete the ritual if they are all 
  killed or knocked unconscious, or if all the souls are 
  removed from the ritual star. When this happens 
  read the following: 
  The skull etched on the floor moves and speaks in a raspy 
  voice “You were among my most faithful. I offered you my 
  dark blessing and you failed. Feel my wrath.” The pillar of 
  darkness vanishes. The skull becomes an etching on the floor 
  once again and any remaining shadows disappear. The living 
  souls who were part of the ritual are hurled away from the 
  ritual star. A few seconds later they awaken and stand up. 
   
  The blasphemous ritual is broken. The followers of Cyric 
  failed to complete whatever task their dark lord bade of 
  them. The threat has subsided and the realms are safe once 
  again from the forces of evil, due in no small part to your 
  actions here today. 
  Any remaining cultists attempt to flee. They do not 
  engage in melee, preferring to disengage, dash, or 
  dodge. If they manage to escape the chamber, they 
  know the path through the maze of tunnels to escape. 
  Unless pursued they get away. If captured, they 
  realize they’re outmatched and do not resist, nor do 
  they talk, despite attempts to convince them to do 
  otherwise. 
   Any acolytes beg the adventurers for forgiveness 
  and agree to do anything they ask if they’ll just get 
  them back to the city and away from the cultists. 
  Treasure 
  The cultists are not carrying any treasure or material 
  wealth. However, near the cage are the 16 
  ceremonial weapons that once imprisoned the souls. 
  The magic is gone, but the blades could be sold for 
  50 gp each. There is also a total of 200 gp in mixed 
  coins and small gems. 
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  22 
  Part 7: The 
  Aftermath 
  Expected Duration: 15 minutes 
  Any living souls remaining in the chamber after the 
  ritual is completed or foiled immediately regain all 
  knowledge they possessed in life. They know who 
  they are and who they worship. They thank the 
  adventurers for their help. 
   Each soul has been trapped for a long time and 
  each wishes to pass on to the next life. They tell the 
  adventurers that to pass on they must be slain. The 
  souls recite the necessary prayer before having an 
  adventurer destroy their form. Each disappears 
  when struck. 
   If the ritual was stopped, each adventurer gains 
  the story award Friend of the Gods. 
   When the adventurers return to the surface they 
  are greeted by Lt. Deveno and a dozen sailors. When 
  Lt. Deveno told his superiors that adventurers went 
  to the island to clean up the navy’s mess, it spurred 
  the High Sail into action. He ordered a contingent of 
  sailors to go to the island and seize control by any 
  means necessary. He doesn’t want the event of the 
  past day to become public, so he’s agreed to pay the 
  adventurers a handsome reward for their actions, 
  provided they give a detailed accounting of what 
  happened and then promptly forget everything the 
  did. 
   The sailors accompanying Lt. Deveno retrieve the 
  bodies of their fallen comrades and return the 
  remains to their families. 
   Once back in Melvaunt if the adventurers provide 
  a detailed description of what happened they are 
  each rewarded with 100 gp and the gratitude of The 
  High Sail. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  23 
  Rewards 
  Make sure to 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 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 Rewards 
  Name of Foes 
  XP per Foe 
  Wounded Chuul 
  550 
  Giant Crab 
  25 
  Shadow 
  100 
  Acolyte 
  50 
  Priest 
  450 
  Cult Fanatic 
  450 
   
  Non-Combat Rewards 
  Task or Accomplishment 
  XP per Character 
  Showing respect to the buried dead 
  25 
  Each Acolyte captured 
  25 
  Destroying Cyric’s Bible  
  50 
  Giving Cyric’s Bible to a good aligned 
  church 
  100 
  Donating part of the treasure to the 
  families of the fallen sailors’ families 
  50 
   
   
   
  The minimum total award for each character 
  participating in this adventure is 1275 experience 
  points. 
   
  The maximum total award for each character 
  participating in this adventure is 1700 experience 
  points. 
  Treasure 
  Treasure Awarded 
  Item Name 
  GP Value 
  Cultists’ wealth 
  200 
  Cyric’s Bible 
  100 or 200 
  Cyric’s Ceremonial Blades  
  50 each (800 total) 
  The High Sail’s Reward 
  100 per character 
   
  Downtime 
   
  Each character receives 10 downtime days at the 
  conclusion of this adventure. 
   
  Renown 
   
  All faction members earn one point of renown for 
  participating in this adventure. 
   
  Story Awards 
   
  The characters have the opportunity to earn the 
  following story award during the course of play. 
   
  Favor of the Gods. For their part in stopping Cyric’s 
  ritual and for allowing the trapped souls to achieve 
  final rest, the adventurers gain the Favor of the Gods. 
  During future adventures if they visit a church 
  during play and make a donation equal to 10 gp x 
  their level they gain inspiration. They can earn 
  inspiration this way four times before they lose this 
  boon. 
   
  DM Rewards 
   
  You receive 200 XP, 100 gp, and ten downtime days 
  for running this session. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  24 
   
  Appendix 1
   
  Deities & Souls 
   
  CELL #1 
   
  Lathander 
  (NG) Dawn, Renewal 
   
  Soul’s real name: Quinn Blake 
  Human (M), short, heavy, short fair hair 
  A man of the people and a teacher to all. Quinn was the 
  pillar of his community; promoting prosperity and 
  helping the people achieve it. When Cyric’s minions 
  attacked his town with an undead army, he rallied the 
  people and led them to victory. His heroics encouraged a 
  generation of heroes who battled and defeated Cyric’s 
  forces. 
  Prayer: “When the dawn comes the sun’s light will 
  vanquish what hides in darkness.” 
  Helm 
  (LN) Vigilance, Protection 
   
  Soul’s real name: Jess Dovill 
  Human (F), tall, strong, short fair hair. 
  Lieutenant of the guard for a noble family, Jess 
  performed her duty without fault for years. When the 
  family’s youngest son was kidnapped and eventually 
  killed, she swore to destroy those responsible – agents of 
  Cyric. After she caught and killed the kidnappers she felt 
  it her duty to protect everyone from the evils of Cyric. 
  She captured or killed more of Cyric’s agents and priests 
  than any of Helms faithful. 
  Prayer: “One must be ever vigilant, ever aware, and ever 
  prepared for one’s enemies.” 
  Leira 
  (CN) Illusions, Deception 
   
  Soul’s real name: Neelia Ghostah 
  Human (F), short, confident smile, long dark hair 
  A great illusionist and con artist, Neelia duped many of 
  Cyric’s followers into believing that she was Cyric’s 
  mortal offspring. Once bamboozled, she manipulated her 
  marks into exposing their faith to Cyric publically. In all 
  cases the marks were imprisoned or executed. 
  Prayer: “Never trust the world around you; your senses 
  can be manipulated by illusion as easily as I’ve 
  manipulated these words.” 
  Shar 
  (NE) Darkness, Secrets, Loss 
   
  Soul’s real name: Dirk Noj 
  Human (M), tall, average build, bald head with short 
  goatee. 
  One of the most despicable men to ever walk the Realms, 
  Dirk was a remarkable assassin. Under the cover of 
  darkness, he struck against Shar’s enemies. He never 
  took payment for killing Cyric priests. He believed any 
  act that provided so much pleasure must be a blessing of 
  Shar herself – he considered it a privilege to receive 
  these contracts against Cyric. 
  Prayer: “In the darkness good and evil can do what is 
  necessary without the judgment of watchful eyes upon 
  them.” 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  25 
  CELL #2 
   
  Mystra 
  (NG) Magic 
   
  Soul’s real name: Xushu Ranno 
  Human (F), average height, wise blue eyes, long dark 
  hair 
  Xushu dedicated her life to uncovering new magic that 
  would help make the average man’s life easier. She 
  discovered vile texts sacred to Cyric’s faithful and 
  manipulated and transformed the harmful effects into 
  tremendously positive magic.  
  Prayer: “The weave allows even the humblest individual 
  to make the impossible possible.” 
  Kelemvor 
  (LN) Death 
   
  Soul’s real name: Rak Grebmann 
  Human (M), short, skinny, long dark hair. 
  A former Cyric cultist himself, Rak had a gift for finding 
  and converting Cyric’s most faithful to Kelemvor 
  teachings. 
  Prayer: “Death is but an inevitable step along a greater 
  path.” 
  Mask 
  (CN) Thieves 
   
  Soul’s real name: Kave S’rem 
  Human (M), average height and build, medium-length 
  light-brown hair. 
  Unassuming and forgettable, Kave was a remarkable 
  pick pocket and social chameleon. He stole a powerful 
  relic from the cult of Cyric and turned it over to the 
  church of Lathander to ensure it was destroyed – just for 
  the challenge and the fun of it. 
  Prayer: “Ownership is fluid; it should reflect one’s desire, 
  not one’s needs.” 
  Auril 
  (NE) Winter 
   
  Soul’s real name: Aureen Flynn 
  Human (F), mature, heavy, white/silver hair 
  Outcast from her own people, Aureen preached of Auril 
  to barbarian tribes in the frigid north. By following these 
  teachings, the tribes flourished. When agents of Cyric 
  stole offerings to Auril entire tribes were killed by fierce 
  winter storms. Afterwards Aureen ensured none of 
  Cyric’s agents ever had safe passage through the north 
  during winter months again. 
  Prayer: “Winter's chill brings darkness that makes us 
  yearn for yesterday.” 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  26 
  CELL #3 
   
  Selûne 
  (CG) Moon 
   
  Soul’s real name: Zhinou 
  Human (M), slight build, short bristly dark hair. 
  Lycanthrope hunter who sought to cure those inflicted 
  rather than kill them. Husband to a werewolf who 
  renounced Cyric and helped Zhinou find and destroy 
  others of her kind. 
  Prayer: “When in darkness, look up and the moon will 
  show you the path.” 
  Ilmater 
  (LG) Suffering, Martyrdom, Perseverance 
   
  Soul’s real name: Hawn Lorker 
  Human (F), short, average build, dark hair 
  The epitome of self-sacrifice, Hawn allowed herself to be 
  captured by a cult of Cyric to save others. She withstood 
  torture and torment for years before escaping. She then 
  roused an army and made it her life’s mission to wipe 
  out Cyric’s followers and ensure no one else ever 
  suffered her fate. 
  Prayer: “We sacrifice our own well-being freely so others 
  will not have to enduring the evils of the world.” 
  Talona 
  (CE) Poison, Disease 
   
  Soul’s real name: Lady Beller 
  Human (F), short, loud, overweight, long dark hair. 
  Words that spouted from Lady Beller’s mouth were a 
  social disease. Uncouth and unfiltered, her words were 
  poison. She revealed secrets and ruined reputations 
  without any forethought. Her direct nature was 
  appreciated by some, until they too became victims of 
  her jabs and revelations. She caused one of Cyric’s 
  strongest underground churches in Neverwinter to be 
  discovered and destroyed. 
  Prayer: “Disease and sickness are required to thin the 
  herds and demonstrate that poison affects kings and 
  beggars alike.” 
  Bane 
  (LE) Tyranny 
   
  Soul’s real name: Krag of the Southern Lands 
  Human (M), large and stocky, short red hair. 
  The real power behind a noble family of Athkatla in Amn 
  for decades, Krag plotted and schemed his way to power 
  and never let anyone get in his way. His most notable 
  victory was the utter disgrace and destruction of a noble 
  family of Cyric cultists that had been in power for over a 
  century. 
  Prayer: “The strong have a right and a duty to rule over 
  the weak.” 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  27 
  CELL #4 
   
  Sune 
  (CG) Love, Beauty 
   
  Soul’s real name: Mela’Kai 
  Half-Elf (F), light skin and fiery red hair, exceptionally 
  beautiful. 
  Mela’Kai spent her life helping former evil doers who 
  turned over a new leaf to lead good lives, especially 
  former Cyric cultists. Her lessons of love and forgiveness 
  were so moving that even the most hardened criminals 
  would reconsider their choices and turn to a life filled 
  with goodness and love. 
  Prayer: “Love one and all as you would love yourself.” 
  Torm 
  (LG) Duty, Loyalty 
   
  Soul’s real name: Heath Tenesen 
  Human (M), tall, skinny, muscular, dark hair. 
  Heath began life as a diplomat and politician. He sought 
  to make the world better by using the laws to ferret out 
  corruption among the upper classes and nobility. His 
  vigilance to acquire iron-clad evidence to make 
  convictions resulted in Cyric’s agents being exposed and 
  removed form key positions in five major cities.  
  Prayer: “It is one’s duty to find the truth and expose 
  those who seek to subvert it for their own gains.” 
  Talos 
  (CE) Storms 
   
  Soul’s real name: Ray Quinpar 
  Human (M), tall, overweight, covered in tattoos, long 
  unkempt hair and beard 
  A fierce pirate and seaman, Ray lived for the storms and 
  the seas. He delighted in attacking and sinking ships, 
  even if it meant the death of the crew and the loss of 
  bounty. He deliberately targeted any ship bearing a flag 
  or symbols of Cyric. 
  Prayer: “The perfect storm that will destroy everything 
  in its path; be like the storm.” 
  Lolth 
  (LE) Spiders 
   
  Soul’s real name: Petulance 
  Drow Elf (F), tall, slender, bald 
  Feared and hated among the Drow, she epitomized the 
  very essence of her race. She demanded respect and 
  obedience. Foolishly, agents of Cyric who’d enjoyed a 
  beneficial alliance with Petulance tried to kill her. She 
  unleashed her wrath and her house upon Cyric’s faithful. 
  Cyric’s priests have since avoided all contact with any 
  Drow. 
  Prayer: “Death is strong, but Lolth is stronger.” 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  28 
  NEUTRALITY OF THE LIVING SOULS 
   
  CHAOTIC GOOD 
  Selûne (M) 
  Sune (F) 
  NEUTRAL GOOD 
  Lathander (M) 
  Mystra (F) 
  LAWFUL GOOD 
  Ilmater (F) 
  Torm (M) 
  CHAOTIC NEUTRAL 
  Mask (M) 
  Leira (F) 
   
  LAWFUL NEUTRAL 
  Helm (F) 
  Kelemvor (M) 
  CHAOTIC EVIL 
  Talona (F) 
  Talos (M) 
  NEUTRAL EVIL 
  Auril (F) 
  Shar (M) 
  LAWFUL EVIL 
  Bane (M) 
  Lolth (F) 
   
  The living souls representing the deities listed in bold text are the ones positioned around the pillar of darkness in 
  Part 6. 
   
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  29 
  Monsters 
   
  Chuul 
  Large Aberration, chaotic evil 
  Armor Class 16 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 93 (11d10 + 33) 
  Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   19 (+4) 
  10 (+0) 
  16 (+3) 
  5 (−3) 
  11 (+0) 
  5 (−3) 
    
  Skills Perception +4 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 
  Languages understands Deep Speech but can’t speak 
  Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) 
  Amphibious. The chuul can breathe air and water. 
  Sense Magic. The chuul senses magic within 120 feet 
  of it at will. This trait will otherwise work like the detect 
  magic spell but isn’t itself magical. 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The chuul makes two pincer attacks. If the 
  chuul is grappling a creature, the chuul can also use its 
  tentacles. 
  Pincer. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage. The 
  target is grappled (escape DC 14) if it is a Large or 
  smaller creature and the chuul doesn’t have two other 
  creatures grappled. 
  Tentacles. One creature grappled by the chuul must 
  succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be 
  poisoned for 1 minute. Until this poison ends, the 
  target is paralyzed. The target can repeat the saving 
  throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the poison 
  on itself on a success. 
  Giant Crab 
  Medium beast, unaligned 
  Armor Class 15 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 13 (3d8) 
  Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   13 (+1) 
  15 (+2) 
  11 (+0) 
  1 (−5) 
  9 (−1) 
  3 (−4) 
    
  Skills Stealth +4 
  Senses blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 9 
  Languages — 
  Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) 
  Amphibious. The crab can breathe air and water. 
  Actions 
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage, and the 
  target is grappled (escape DC 11). The crab has two 
  claws, each of which can grapple only one target. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  30 
  Shadow 
  Medium undead, chaotic evil 
  Armor Class 12 
  Hit Points 16 (3d8 + 3) 
  Speed 40 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   6 (−2) 
  14 (+2) 
  13 (+1) 
  6 (−2) 
  10 (+0) 
  8 (−1) 
    
  Skills Stealth +4 (+6 in dim light or darkness) 
  Damage Vulnerabilities radiant 
  Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; 
  bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical 
  attacks 
  Damage Immunities necrotic, poison 
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, frightened, grappled, 
  paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages — 
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) 
  Amorphous. The shadow can move through a space as 
  narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. 
  Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the 
  shadow can take the Hide action as a bonus action. 
  Sunlight Weakness. While in sunlight, the shadow has 
  disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving 
  throws. 
  Actions 
  Strength Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) necrotic damage, 
  and the target’s Strength score is reduced by 1d4. The 
  target dies if this reduces its Strength to 0. Otherwise, 
  the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or 
  long rest. 
   If a non-evil humanoid dies from this attack, a new 
  shadow rises from the corpse 1d4 hours later. 
  Living Soul (Commoner) 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment 
  Armor Class 16 (breast plate, shield) 
  Hit Points 4 (1d8) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (only while incorporeal) 
    
   
  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 
  Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 5 (1d8) slashing damage, or 6 (1d10) 
  slashing damage if used with two hands. 
   
  Acolyte 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment 
  Armor Class 10 
  Hit Points 9 (2d8) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  11 (+0) 
   
  Skills Medicine +4, Religion +2 
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages any one language (usually Common) 
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) 
  Spellcasting. The Acolyte is a 1st-level spellcaster. His 
  spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 12, +4 to 
  hit with spell attacks). He has the following cleric spells 
  prepared: 
   
  Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy 
  1st level (3 slots): bless, cure wounds, sanctuary 
  Actions 
  Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  31 
  Cult Fanatic 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any non-good alignment 
  Armor Class 13 (leather armor) 
  Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
    
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   11 (+0) 
  14 (+2) 
  12 (+1) 
  10 (+0) 
  13 (+1) 
  14 (+2) 
   
  Skills Deception +4, Persuasion +4, Religion +2 
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages any one language (usually Common) 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP) 
  Dark Devotion. The fanatic has advantage on saving 
  throws against being charmed or frightened. 
  Spellcasting. The fanatic is a 4th-level spellcaster. Its 
  spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 11, +3 to 
  hit with spell attacks). The fanatic has the following 
  cleric spells prepared: 
   
  Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy 
  1st level (4 slots): command, inflict wounds, shield of 
  faith 
  2nd level (3 slots): hold person, spiritual weapon 
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The fanatic makes two melee attacks. 
  Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d4 
  + 2) piercing damage. 
  Priest 
  Medium humanoid (any race), any alignment 
  Armor Class 13 (chain shirt) 
  Hit Points 27 (5d8 + 5) 
  Speed 25 ft. 
   
   
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
   10 (+0) 
  10 (+0) 
  12 (+1) 
  13 (+1) 
  16 (+3) 
  13 (+1) 
   
  Skills Medicine +7, Persuasion +3, Religion +4 
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages any two languages 
  Challenge 2 (450 XP) 
  Divine Eminence. As a bonus action, the priest can 
  expend a spell slot to cause its melee weapon attacks 
  to magically deal an extra 10 (3d6) radiant damage to a 
  target on a hit. This benefit lasts until the end of the 
  turn. If the priest expends a spell slot of 2nd level or 
  higher, the extra damage increases by 1d6 for each 
  level above 1st. 
  Spellcasting. The priest is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its 
  spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13, +5 to 
  hit with spell attacks). The priest has the following 
  cleric spells prepared: 
   
  Cantrips (at will): light, sacred flame, thaumaturgy 
  1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, guiding bolt, sanctuary 
  2nd level (3 slots): lesser restoration, spiritual weapon 
  3rd level (2 slots): dispel magic, spirit guardians 
  Actions 
  Short Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) slashing damage. 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  32 
  Maps 
  Map #1 – The Beach 
   
   
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  33 
  Map #2 – The Maze 
   
   
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  34 
  Map #3 – The Chamber of Caged Souls 
   
   
   
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  35 
  Map #4 – The Summoning Chamber (Players’ Copy) 
   
   
  
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  CORE 2-3 EDICTS OF NEUTRALITY 
  36 
  Map #4 – The Summoning Chamber (DM’s Copy) 
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/Adventure League/Convention Created Content/Baldman Games (BMG)/CCC-BMG-06 CORE 2-3 Edicts of Neutrality.pdf