Cavern of Lost Soles

## **Local Lore**

There are dozens of known local caves in the basalt cliff walls of the Sword Coast. The real number may actually climb into the hundreds with hidden or collapsed entrances.

Nearly all of these caves are former lava tubes, while just a few qualify more as "alcoves" with the space coming from column collapse caused by maritime erosion. For the lava tubes, the character is very different from the usual limestone or sandstone caves more common to the Underdark. The paths of these caves can flow in a way that throws off many used to inland caverns, where the carving is done over millennia by trickles of water. Instead, this is carved by pressurized gas and molten malevolence, seeking to escape the vulcan heat and pressure deep within Toril.

### **It's Not On A Map**

Located two miles north of Shield’s Bluff, hidden among the brush, is a foot trail headed to the base of the towering cliffs. Perception 15 to note most of the footsteps on the trail are a mixture of kobold and goblin.

There are half-destroyed hiding spots up the trail, but nobody is currently in them.

The trail disappears behind scrub trees.

Behind the trees, the wall reveals the mouth of a cave. A little over 10 feet wide and barely five feet high, there is mild breeze coming from the cave – and a foul smell. Part of that is surely droppings – multiple animals must live here – but there is also the smell of rotting fish. Seeing the trail that leads right down to the water, it's likely part of that smell is marinating fish guts. The easiest catch on the coast is sole fish, so welcome to...

## *The* **Cavern** *of* **Lost Soles**

### **General**

* Dungeon Walls: Hewn Stone (Climb DC 25)
* Dungeon Floor: Natural Stone (move at half speed, can't charge or run, +5 to Balance and Tumble DC) (light rubble, +2 to Balance and Tumble DC)
* Temperature: Cool
* Illumination: Dark (individual creatures may carry lights)

### **The Cave Entrance**

* The cave is about 10’ wide at the entrance and gets a little wider as goes deep into the side of the mountain. There is a constant, foul-smelling breeze bowing out and a trickle of water coming from the mouth of this dark, damp cave.
* The cave is about 65’ deep before it opens to a cavern.
* A perception check of 10 or better reveals footprints. This cave is well-used.

### **Room #1**

> Filled with the unidentifiable bones of a dozen creatures, broken weapons, and rotten armor, this cavernous chamber has been the site of repeated battles. Torches don't penetrate deep into the darkness and the room stinks of death despite the constant breeze blowing from deep within the cave. A waterfall can be heard to the south.
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### **Room #2**

> Stones are built up in a wall, with arrows sticking out of the north side.
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### **Room #3**

* Six kobolds guard the area and immediately attack with slings, preferring ranged attacks.
	+ Zus
	+ Mads
	+ Kiro
	+ Dutt
	+ Itro
	+ Kogra

### **Room #4**

* A faded and torn tapestry hangs from the north wall, and a pile of torn paper lies in the south-west corner of the room. Various traps sit on makeshift benches; clearly what they've been using on travelers in the forest. The far corner has a medium-sized chest (trapped, 1d4, 150 gp)

### **Room #5**

* Six goblins guard the area and immediately attack, preferring melee weapons.
	+ Hooey
	+ Dooey
	+ Looey
	+ Spewie
	+ Gooey
	+ Yuck

### **Room #6**

* **The goblins treasure room and sleeping quarters:**
	+ Pocket full of sand
	+ Telescope (no lenses)
	+ Spider (angry)
	+ A bottle cork
	+ Wineskin full of pickle juice
	+ Wineskin full of sour milk
	+ Wineskin half-full of crab juice
	+ A chisel (w/o hammer)
	+ Dead crab
	+ Dried newt (mildly poisonous)
	+ Whistle (broken) (not really, actually a dog whistle)
	+ Raccoon foot (lucky trinket, also emergency rations)
	+ Lump of runny cheese
	+ 47 shiny copper pieces

### **Room #7**

* The bone pile: what is effectively a mass grave heap of once-living debris. There is a humanoid corpse or two, but it’s mostly kobold and goblin.

### **Room #8**

* A cavern-style dungeon, prisoners are kept fresh before they’re eaten.
* Master Adalgrim Burnwick is against the wall, in chains. Alive, but barely. He’s heavily wounded and unconscious when the characters arrive.
* A wounded troll, normally famed for their healing ability, has been savaged and heavily burned, preventing him from healing those wounds. As punishment for failing to kill the halfling, the hobgoblin has chained the troll in the same dungeon cave as the halfling.

#### **Garch**

* Troll (Large giant), chaotic evil **WOUNDED**
* **Armor Class** 15 (Natural Armor)  **Hit Points** 40 (8d10+40)  **Speed** 15 ft.

Picture

* Skills Perception +2
* Senses Darkvision 60 Ft., passive Perception 12
* Languages Giant
* Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Traits

* Keen Smell: The troll has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
* Regeneration: The troll regains 10 Hit Points at the start of its turn. If the troll takes acid or fire damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of the troll's next turn. The troll dies only if it starts its turn with 0 Hit Points and doesn't Regenerate.
* Loathsome Limbs
* Whenever the troll takes at least 15 slashing damage at one time, roll a d20 to determine what else happens to it:
	+ 1-10: Nothing else happens.
	+ 11-14: One leg is severed from the troll if it has any legs left.
	+ 15- 18: One arm is severed from the troll if it has any arms left.
	+ 19-20: The troll is decapitated, but the troll dies only if it can't Regenerate. If it dies, so does the severed head.
	+ If the troll finishes a short or Long Rest without reattaching a severed limb or head, the part regrows. At that point, the severed part dies. Until then, a severed part acts on the troll's initiative and has its own action and Movement. A severed part has AC 13, 10 Hit Points, and the troll's Regeneration trait.
	+ A severed leg is unable to Attack and has a speed of 5 feet.
	+ A severed arm has a speed of 5 feet and can make one claw Attack on its turn, with disadvantage on the Attack roll unless the troll can see the arm and its target. Each time the troll loses an arm, it loses a claw Attack.
	+ If its head is severed, the troll loses its bite Attack and its body is Blinded unless the head can see it. The severed head has a speed of 0 feet and the troll's Keen Smell trait. It can make a bite Attack but only against a target in its space.
	+ The troll's speed is halved if it's missing a leg. If it loses both legs, it falls prone. If it has both arms, it can crawl. With only one arm, it can still crawl, but its speed is halved. With no arms or legs, its speed is 0, and it can't benefit from bonuses to speed.

Actions

* Multiattack: The troll makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
* Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.
* Claw: Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.

### **Room #9**

* Felgror the Hobgoblin’s Quarters and Treasury
* The quarters were formerly the troll’s lair, but Felgror outsmarted the beast and enslaved it. The hobgoblin is a survivor from a sunken pirate ship – a ship sent down by the arcane cannons of a Stonehearth Arms frigate.
* He’s been waiting for Burnwick to recover so he can question him.
* Treasure
	+ 3 bottles of wine
	+ 14 gp
	+ 2 bars of electrum
	+ 3 silver candle sticks (15 sp each)

#### **Felgror**

* Hobgoblin (medium humanoid [goblinoid]), lawful evil
* **Armor Class** 18 (chain mail, shield) **Hit Points** 11 (2d8 + 2)  **Speed** 30ft.

Picture

Stats

* **Senses** darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
* **Languages** Common, Goblin
* **Challenge** 1/2 (100 XP)
* ***Martial Advantage***. Once per turn, the hobgoblin can deal an extra 7 (2d6) damage to a creature it hits with a weapon attack if that creature is within 5 feet of an ally of the hobgoblin that isn't incapacitated.

ACTIONS

* **Longsword**. *Melee Weapon Attack:* +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 5 (1d8 + 1) slashing damage, or 6 (1d10 + 1) slashing damage if used with two hands.
* **Longbow**. *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +3 to hit, range 150/600 ft., one target. *Hit:* 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage.