Townsfolk who wander near Westport’s wishing well have been experiencing strange occurrences: Feverish dreams, rampant sleepwalking, and more. A wizard of Westport suspects the worst, and calls out for adventurers to delve into the wishing well to discover the source of this peculiarity.
New adventure today, folks. It's based on
last week's article all about aboleths.
It involves a crazy halfling wizard, scaling a deep well, and fighting an immature and vengeful aboleth.
Enjoy!
Down the Wishing Well
Townsfolk who wander near Westport’s wishing well have been experiencing strange occurrences: Feverish dreams, rampant sleepwalking, and more. A wizard of Westport suspects the worst, and calls out for adventurers to delve into the wishing well to discover the source of this peculiarity.
NPCs
- Talon Windrite: An eccentric halfling wizard
- Traechnaa-vu: A relatively young but blind aboleth. She occupies the wishing well of Westport and seeks to blind as many residents as possible, trying to find a specific citizen.
Part I: The Wizard’s Suspicions
Something foul is afoot in Westport and Talon Windrite believes he knows the source. Anyone who answers his call (seen on sign posts, message boards near the town) will be welcomed into his short, stone tower. Once inside, the halfling explains the strange occurrences in Westport and how they all stem from the town’s wishing well. Folk are experiencing terrible dreams, random sleepwalking, and some are going blind. Talon suggests that the PCs delve into the wishing well. He suspects something arcane and malign to wait below. If treated fairly, he will give the party 10 potions of waterbreathing. If the PCs are not interested in this odd situation, he’ll curse them, throw them out, and start the search for others that’ll help.
To give flavor to Talon’s tiny tower, use these details about it:
- The entryway in the tower requires those taller than halflings to duck; the ceiling within is only about 5 feet tall.
- Scattered about the few, openly connected rooms of the tower are tables with scrolls, potions, and spell ingredients such as bat guano, sand, and crystals sitting on them.
- Holding a prominent location in the tower is a broken wand made of wilting, white wood. Its hung above a fireplace espousing purple flames.
Part II: Scaling the Well
The wishing well sits in the town center, amidst a bazaar of food, cloth, and metal trade. During the day, it’s quite busy; at nighttime, the bazaar is silent. The well is 10’ in diameter, 300’ deep, and carved straight down into the stony ground. Scaling it will require the PCs to survive a barrage of psychic attacks from the aboleth, as well as combat a few of her minions.
- 50’ down, the aboleth assaults two PCs with a long range, 3rd level sleep spell.
- 100’ down, the aboleth casts hold person on a single PC (WIS DC 16). This causes them to fall; someone catch them!
- 150’ down, a dominated roper awaits intruders. Its primary goal is to pull PC’s off their scaling equipment.
- 200’ down, the aboleth casts hold person on a single PC (WIS DC 16). This causes them to fall; someone catch them!
- 250’ down, three chuuls attack the party.
The bottom of the well is filled with water. It’s about 2’ deep. A single, large passageway leads to the aboleth’s lair. As the PCs move toward it, the aboleth will barrage their minds, saying:
- “I only do this because of what’s been done to me.”
- “I can’t see myself; you must understand my pain.”
- “Leave my lair or face my wrath.”
- “I feel your every step. If you come forward, you will never move backward.”
With that final line, the party will reach the end of the passageway.
Part III: The Lair Below
About 60’ down the passageway, the water deepens to 3’, and the corridor opens up to a large chamber covered in a thin veil of otherworldly mist. Traechnaa-vu and five chuuls await the party here. She is an aboleth with half the hit points. She will allow her chuuls to assault the party head on, then she will attack from afar, behind a patch of 10’ tall stalagmites. The aboleth will fight until her chuuls are killed, then she will attempt to parley with the party. She doesn’t want to die; she’ll plead with them, asking if they know someone with a golden falchion, a gravelly voice, and the body of a lithe orc.
This half orc is the one who slaughtered her parents and left her blind. She believes he lives in Westport and desperately wants him dead. She offers to bless the party with her parents memories and show them her parents lair. She is true to her word.
Aftermath
The party can kill the aboleth, ridding Westport of the strange dreams and problem in the well. They can also listen to the aboleth and attempt to find the half orc, get her parents’ memories, and discover their lair. Does the half orc live in Westport? What memories did her parents possess? Where is the lair? That’s up for you to decide.
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