When the shadows grow long in Waterdeep and the fireplace in the taproom of the Yawning Portal dims to a deep crimson glow, adventurers from across the Forgotten Realms, and even from other worlds, spin tales and spread rumors of dark dungeons and lost treasures. Some of the yarns overheard by Durnan, the barkeep of the Yawning Portal, are inspired by places and events in far-flung lands from across the multiverse, and these tales have been collected into a single volume.
Tales from the Yawning Portal includes the following adventures:
The Sunless Citadel
Another party of adventurers, locally based, delved into the Sunless Citadel a month past. They were never seen again. Two human members of that ill-fated party were brother and sister, Talgen Hucrele (a fighter) and Sharwyn Hucrele (a wizard). They were part of an important merchant family based in the nearby village of Oakhurst. Kerowyn Hucrele, the matriarch of the family, offers salvage rights to you and your team if you can find and return with the two lost members of her family—or at least return the gold signet rings worn by the missing brother and sister. She also offers a reward of 125 gp per signet ring, per character. If the characters bring back the Hucreles in good shape (of good mind and body), she offers to double the reward.
The adventure is designed for four 1st-level player characters. They should advance through 2nd level to 3rd level before the finale.
The Forge of Fury
Baron Althon, a local noble, hires the party to search for the legendary cache of weapons forged by Durgeddin the smith. He shows the characters a broken blade bearing the smith’s mark, and tells them that it was discovered near a rocky hill called the Stone Tooth. Baron Althon provides directions and promises to reward the characters richly for each of Durgeddin’s blades they recover. He will pay the characters 20 gp each just for bringing back information about the dwarven complex, and an additional 100 gp if they provide detailed maps.
It is designed for four 3rd-level player characters. They can advance to 5th level with good play.
The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
The ancient ruined city of Tamoachan is familiar to a select few scholars and fortune seekers, who know of it but not always exactly where it is. Even more secluded, lying somewhere within or beneath the ruins, is a hidden shrine said to be dedicated to Zotzilaha, the vampire god of the underworld. Adventurers who catch wind of the place are likely to find its lure irresistible.
This adventure is your classic dungeon crawler and is designed for a group of four or five 5th-level player characters
White Plume Mountain
White Plume Mountain has always been a subject of superstitious awe to the neighboring villagers. People still travel many miles to gaze upon this natural wonder, though few will approach it closely, as it is reputed to be the haunt of various demons and devils. The occasional disappearance of those who stray too close to the Plume reinforces this belief.
Thirteen hundred years ago, the wizard Keraptis was searching for a suitable haven where he could indulge his eccentricities without fear of interference. He visited White Plume Mountain, going closer than most dared to, and discovered the system of old lava-tubes that riddle the cone and the underlying strata. With a little alteration, he thought, these would be perfect for his purposes. The area already had a bad reputation, and he could think of a few ways to make it worse. So he disappeared below White Plume Mountain and vanished from the knowledge of the surface world.
Today, the once-feared name of Keraptis is not widely known even among learned scholars. Or it was not widely known, that is, until several weeks ago, when three highly valued magic weapons named Wave, Whelm, and Blackrazor disappeared from the vaults of their owners. Rewards were posted, servants hanged, even the sanctuary of the thieves’ guild was violated in the frantic search for the priceless arms, but not even a single clue was turned up until the weapons’ former owners each received a copy of the following note:
Search ye far or search ye near
You’ll find no trace of the three
Unless you follow instructions clear
For the weapons abide with me.
North past forest, farm and furrow
You must go to the feathered mound
Then down away from the sun you’ll burrow
Forget life, forget light, forget sound.
To rescue Wave, you must do battle
With the Beast in the Boiling Bubble
Crost cavern vast, where chain-links rattle
Lies Whelm, past water-spouts double.
Blackrazor yet remains to be won
Underneath inverted ziggurat.
That garnered, think not that you’re done
For now you’ll find you are caught
I care not, former owners brave
What heroes you seek to hire.
Though mighty, I’ll make each one my slave
Or send him to the fire.
All the notes were signed with the symbol of Keraptis.
White Plume Mountain has tentatively been identified as the “feathered mound” of the poem. The former owners of Wave, Whelm, and Blackrazor are outfitting a group of intrepid heroes to take up the challenge. If the adventurers can rescue the weapons from this false Keraptis (for who can believe it is really the magician of legend, after thirteen hundred years?), the wealthy collectors have promised to grant them whatever they desire, if it is within their power to do so.
You will need both brains and brawn to successfully complete this mission, as there are situations here which cannot be resolved by frontal assault. If you are unused to hack-proof dilemmas, you may find this adventure frustrating or even boring. But if you are used to using your wits, you should find this an intriguing balance of problems and action.
White Plume Mountain is designed for a group of 8th-level player characters.
Dead in Thay
Near the village of Daggerford on the Sword Coast, the Red Wizards of Thay plotted to extend the evil reach of their land and its master, the lich lord Szass Tam. At a site called Bloodgate Keep they built a powerful portal, fueled by elemental nodes, that could allow Thayans to instantly transport whole armies into the very heart of the Sword Coast. With this power, the Red Wizards would surely overthrow and take control of the North.
However, groups of heroes recently assaulted Bloodgate Keep and its master, the lich Tarul Var. With the help of a renegade Red Wizard named Mennek Ariz, this assault was successful. Bloodgate Keep fell, and Szass Tam’s plans of invasion were crushed.
What no one expected, though, was that despite the fall of the keep itself, parts of the Bloodgate Nexus (an interconnected series of teleportation circles) survived, and a Thayan Resurrection cell leader named Syranna devised a way to use it against Szass Tam. Syranna had been part of the team that originally assembled the Bloodgate Nexus, and knew that remaining nodes allowed direct access to a secret Thayan training ground known as the Doomvault.
This adventure takes place in the Doomvault. It is designed for 9th-level characters. By the end of the story, they are likely to advance to 11th level or perhaps higher… if they don’t end up dead in Thay.
Against the Giants
Giants have been raiding civilized lands in bands, with giants of different sorts in these marauding groups. Death and destruction have been laid heavily upon every place these monsters have visited. This has caused great anger in high places, for life and property loss means failure of the vows of noble rulers to protect the life and goods of each and every subject—and possible lean times for the rulers as well as the ruled. Therefore, a party of the bravest and most powerful adventurers has been assembled and given the charge to punish the miscreant giants.
This is a series of three linked adventures. It is designed for a group of four or five player characters of 11th level and upon completion should be level 14.
Tomb of Horrors
In the far reaches of the world, under a lost and lonely hill, lies the sinister Tomb of Horrors. This labyrinthine crypt is filled with terrible traps, strange and ferocious monsters, rich and magical treasures, and somewhere within rests the demilich.
The legend of the tomb is an old story with many parts, some of which may be lost or obscured. Characters attempting to glean special information by consulting sages or through legend lore spells may still have difficulty obtaining as much background as they desire, for the scraps of information thus gained are often minimal and mystical.