An adventure for characters level 2 to 4.
Background
The floating Isles of Cragmaw can be dangerous for those who don’t tread carefully. It is filled with feral beasts, magical storms, and their floating nature make them hard to navigate and falling from them is a death sentence. However, there are several rumors about the island that draw would be adventurers to their dangerous bluffs.
One of these rumors is that deep within the floating isle called Blackfeather is a crystalline cavern that allows those who wander into it to see and speak with dead loved ones. In reality the cave creates an illusion of someone they’ve lost, and the illusion is only visible to the individual. However, given how real the illusion feels to the observer the rumor of the cavern’s nature has spread far.
Quest
The dwarvish professor Ragorn has learned of the mystical cavern and wishes to hire the adventurers to escort him on an expedition there. He lost his wife suddenly decades ago, but the last interaction they had wasn’t pretty. They were fighting over something petty, and he has regretted it since. He hopes to say sorry and goodby.
Notes
- Navigating the Isles is challenging. Massive vines connect the islands to each other and the ground, and climbing/crossing them can be problematic. The vine bridges are the only way for non-flying creatures to navigate the islands, making them great hunting grounds for the **gargoyle* and his **mud mephits**.
- The islands also have beautiful luminescent mist that pours over them at least once a day. There is a 1 in 4 chance that it is misting during any given combat encounter. In addition to lightly obscuring your vision with the lights it has a number of other effects. It causes all creatures within the rain to be affected by the *Faerie Fire* spell. If the mist pools, it can be harvested and will continue to shed prismatic light for 12 hours.
- Blackfeather is named for the myriad of crows that roost in the island’s bluffs. The **Dryad**Orchippa has become friends with the raven god, a **giant eagle**, and aids him in protecting his creatures. Orchippa has turned ‘her’ island into a sanctuary for the ravens, and will go to great lengths to kick people out. People watching the island can occasionally see Orchippa riding the raven god around the island followed by a murder of crows, **swarms of ravens**.
- The crystal cave is ignored by the dryad and raven god since they care nothing about what is within the island, just what’s above and around it. A **phase spider** has taken up residence in the cave, unknowingly using the legend of the cave to attract its meals. Any creature that enters the cave immediately sees an illusion of someone they lost. The illusion has no motive and will act in whatever way the observer thinks they would act. Anyone curious about the validity of the illusion can attempt a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check. If they succeed they recognize the phantasm as an illusion. If Ragorn enters the cave, he believes the illusion and reconciles with his deceased wife.