Ashes of Midas Session 1

# Ashes of Midas

Something is killing people in Cassar'ai Village, and if the characters don’t stop it, they might be next. “Ashes of Midas” is an adventure that takes characters from 1st to 3rd level and introduces them to the continent’s ocan border, and the islands of Eiselcross.

## Story Overview

Urgon Wenth, a dwarf explorer, recently returned home to Cassar'ai Village after exploring the islands of Eiselcross for a year. The dwarf brought home several items plundered from ruins on Foren, the largest of Eiselcross’s islands. Among these treasures were two beautiful gold glass vials, which Urgon sold to an elf collector named Hakim. The vials were then stolen, given to a fence out of Shadycreek Run, and sold again to an unsuspecting merchant.

In truth, the vials’ beautiful gold color is the result of deadly gold spores that cling to the interior of the glass. Faint cracks in both the vials have exposed each person who handled them to Ashes of Midas, a deadly disease that can’t be cured by conventional means. The disease has already killed Urgon and Verla, turning them into golden statues. Details on Ashes of Midas are found in the “Eiselcross” section of chapter 3 of Explorer's Guide to Wildemount.

### Adventure Summary

While the characters are in Cassar'ai Village, community leader Eloro Aldataur asks for their help figuring out who or what has killed Urgon Wenth. An explorer recently returned from Eiselcross, Urgon was afflicted by a strange malady that turned him into an golden statue, and which has since shown up in another of the village’s residents. The characters investigate the mystery while contending with the forces of the Uttolots, one of the criminal families that control Shadycreek Run. More infected locals are discovered, including one more already dead, before the characters clear Uttolot thugs out of a local cavern complex called Croaker Cave. In the end, the vials of Ashes of Midas are reclaimed, but merchant Irven Al-Sayed and his family are infected and will be the next to die without a cure. Moreover, the characters might well be infected with the disease themselves.

Eloro asks the characters to travel to Eiselcross to seek a cure for Ashes of Midas. The characters take a boat to Syrinlya, the Uthodurnian outpost on Foren, and retrace Urgon Wenth’s path to the ruin of Salsvault. This magic laboratory was once a part of Aeor, an ancient flying city-state that crashed into Eiselcross during the Calamity. Only by braving Salsvault’s defenses and deadly guardians can the adventurers find the antidote they need.

### Setup and Starting Points

Work with the players to establish why their characters are in Cassar'ai Village. You can provide information regarding the village and its surrounding lands, all of which are described in chapter 3 of Explorer's Guide to Wildemount.

Before the adventure begins is also the time to figure out if the characters already know each other or if this adventure is the first time they’ve met.

## Mystery in Cassar'ai Village

The adventure begins in Cassar'ai Village, with the characters drawn immediately into the drama of death in an isolated settlement. Once the players are ready to begin, read or paraphrase the following to set the scene:

As part of their characters’ backstories, the players can decide whether any of them knew Urgon or whether they’ve come to the funeral simply to show respect to the folk of the community. Either way, Eloro (a neutral good, male wood elf veteran) hopes that they’re the sort of people not afraid to step up to help folks in need. Use the following points to help guide the conversation as he explains his concerns to the characters:

* Two months ago, Urgon Wenth returned home after exploring Eiselcross for a year. He had been back for only for a few days when he came down with a strange affliction, which made the dwarf move slowly and caused gold veins to appear all over his body.
* The village’s priests of Moradin and Corellon used every spell they could muster to attempt to heal Urgon, but nothing they tried could stop the bizarre malady. Urgon battled the affliction for weeks, until his ever-slowing body eventually turned to gold.
* Until yesterday, Eloro and the rest of the community believed that Urgon’s sad fate was an isolated incident, most likely caused by something the dwarf came into contact with while exploring Eiselcross. Then Eloro noticed Tulgi Lutan, a dwarf trapper, showing signs of the same illness.
* Alarmed, Eloro tried to talk to Tulgi about it, but she pushed him away, asking that he let her die in peace.

### Eloro’s Request

If the characters are willing, Eloro wants them to find out what caused Urgon and Tulgi’s affliction. He’s worried that it could spread, but Tulgi refuses to talk to him, and the Glassblades (basically guards, the name is a hold-over from men who fought undead using mirrored blades generations ago) in the village are better known for their combat skills than their ability to glean the truth in a complicated situation. Moreover, Tulgi is extremely distrustful of the authorities.

Eloro thinks a group of adventurers might have better luck convincing Tulgi to talk. If the characters agree to help find the cause of Urgon and Tulgi’s affliction, Eloro offers to pay them 100 gp. He suggests that the characters start by searching Urgon’s home or talking to Tulgi at her cabin.

### Urgon’s Cabin

Urgon Wenth lived in a one-story, one-room log cabin at the edge of town. A good-natured Glassblade rookie named Mila Teno (a lawful good, female wood elf scout) stands guard outside the front door. If the characters explain why they’ve come, she allows them to enter the house and look around. When the characters enter the cabin, read:

Any character who examines the mess in the cabin realizes that someone recently trashed the place while searching it. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals the intruder’s footprints. Tulgi Lutan was the culprit, desperate for any clues that might help her cure the disease that is killing her. Her tracks lead outside and back to her cabin (see “Tulgi’s Cabin” below).

#### Adventuring Equipment

Urgon’s adventuring equipment consists of a silvered maul; a suit of lamelar sized for a dwarf; light robes sized for a dwarf; a grappling hook; and a hooded lantern.

#### Mounted Head

A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check recognizes that the head mounted above the mantle belonged to a salamander, a monstrosity found in Eiselcross.

#### Strange Receipt

A character who searches through the books on the shelf and succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check finds a folded receipt used as a bookmark. The receipt is dated two months previous, and indicates that Urgon sold several Aeorian items found in Eiselcross to local antique shop Hakim’s Curiosities for 1,000 gp. The items are listed as a dagger, a scroll case, a jade statuette, a quiver of twenty arrows, a silver ring set with a jasper, and two gold glass vials.

Characters who are residents of Cassar'ai Village or have been there for a while know of Hakim’s Curiosities—and also know that the shop was robbed and vandalized two months ago.

#### Development

After searching the cabin, the characters can continue their investigation by going to Tulgi’s cabin or by stopping at Hakim’s Curiosities (assuming they found the receipt).

### Tulgi’s Cabin

When the characters approach Tulgi’s cabin, read:

Tulgi Lutan’s home is a one-story, one-room log cabin. Because she isn’t keen on letting the characters in, the following features might be important:

* The roof of the cabin is 12 feet high. Climbing up the outside walls requires a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check.
* The wooden door to the cabin is locked and has AC 15, 18 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. The lock can be picked with a successful DC 12 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools, or the door can be forced open with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Tulgi carries the key that unlocks the door.
* Each of the cabin’s four walls has one window, which is shuttered and latched from the inside. A window can be unlatched from outside with a successful DC 12 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools.
* The inside of the cabin is brightly lit by fires in a brazier and a fireplace, though the smoky haze given off by both makes the interior lightly obscured.

If the characters knock on the door, Tulgi Lutan (a neutral evil, female mountain dwarf thug with a walking speed of 10 feet) calls from the other side, telling them to go away. A character who shouts back through the door and succeeds on a DC 12 Charisma (Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion) check convinces Tulgi to open the door and allow the party inside. Otherwise, she ignores anything the characters say.

If the characters aren’t invited inside, they’ll have to decide what other means they’re willing to use to enter. Regardless of how they do so, when the characters enter the cabin, read:

If the characters broke into the cabin, Tulgi attacks as soon as she sees them, fighting until reduced to 10 hit points, then surrendering. She has two pet wolves, Iro and Jira, that hide beneath her bed. If a fight breaks out, the wolves join the fray to defend her.

#### Fire Hazards

Any creature that comes into contact with the brazier or the fireplace for the first time on its turn, or that starts its turn there, takes 2 (**1d4**) fire damage.

#### What Tulgi Knows

Tulgi is gruff and to the point, and tries to compensate for her illness with bluster. If the characters entered the cabin with her permission or if she surrenders to them, she tells them only that she has the same affliction that killed Urgon, and that she’s looking for a cure.

A character who succeeds on a DC 12 Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check convinces Tulgi to reveal the following information:

* Tulgi came to Cassar'ai Village a few years back from Shadycreek Run with her sister, Hulil. Both work for the Uttolot family.
* The Uttolots sent the sisters and a few others to the village to keep an eye on treasures coming back from Eiselcross—with the intent of stealing them. When such artifacts come through the small settlement, they are often unusual goods that treasure hunters are trying to keep away from Uthodurn or the Dwendalian Empire.
* When Urgon Wenth returned to Cassar'ai Village with treasures from Eiselcross, Tulgi saw her chance. She waited for Urgon to sell his finds to Hakim’s Curiosities, then stole them all.
* Tulgi gave most of Urgon’s relics to Hulil, but kept one for herself—an ornate dagger. She grudgingly gives this weapon to the characters if asked (see “Treasure” below). Hulil has the other items in a site north of the village known as Croaker Cave.
* Tulgi was the one who searched Urgon’s cabin, convinced that the dead dwarf must have had magic or other secrets stored away there.

#### Treasure

If Tulgi doesn’t offer her dagger to the characters, any character with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 11 or higher notices the ornate blade in a gilded sheath tucked under her shirt. If the characters claim the **+1** dagger, a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana or History) check reveals that the dagger is a relic of the fallen flying city of Aeor.

#### Development

The characters have no trouble finding either Croaker Cave or Hakim’s Curiosities if either of those locations is their next destination. If things went bad with Tulgi and she died before revealing any information, the characters might find notes or instructions from Hulil revealing some of the information above.

### Hakim’s Curiosities

Hakim’s Curiosities is an antique shop run by a crotchety old man named Hakim. Hakim keeps to himself, opening his shop only when the mood strikes her. She trades any and all objects that interest her, shipping them across Wildemount. Characters who are residents of Cassar'ai Village or have been there for a while know of Hakim’s Curiosities—and also know that the shop was robbed and vandalized two months ago. If the characters are recent arrivals to the village, anyone they ask about the shop mentions the robbery.

Hakim’s Curiosities is a one-story, two-room log cabin. The windows are shuttered and locked from inside, leaving the interior dark. The only entrance is the front door, but characters can force open one of the shutters around the back with a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check, granting access to Hakim’s quarters (see that section below).

When the characters approach the cabin, read:

Any character with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 11 or higher hears whispered voices and footsteps coming from inside the cabin. If the characters succeed on a group DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) check, they can surprise the bandits currently in the shop.

#### Front Shop Area

The antique shop occupies the large front room of the cabin. When the characters can see into this area, read:

This area is difficult terrain thanks to the debris covering it. The five elves are bandits with darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and immunity to magic that would put them to sleep.

The bandits attack as soon as they notice the characters, fighting until only one remains. That survivor then surrenders. If a captive bandit is questioned, a character who succeeds on a DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation) check can learn the following information:

* The bandits work for Hulil Lutan, a dwarf priestess of Tiamat. Hulil works for the Uttolot family of Shadycreek Run.
* Hulil’s sister, Tulgi, robbed Hakim’s Curiosities two months ago.
* Hulil is sick or cursed with some affliction that causes her to move slowly and is turning her veins gold.
* Hulil ordered the bandits to trash Hakim’s Curiosities in search of potions, scrolls, or other items that might help cure her. Despite their thorough search, the bandits found nothing useful. Hulil is hiding out with more bandits in Croaker Cave.

#### Hakim’s Quarters

Hakim’s quarters are at the back of the cabin. When the characters gain access to this area, they see the figure in the bed is the unfortunate Hakim, who was infected by the Ashes of Midas. His symptoms appeared a few weeks after the shop was robbed, but the reclusive man never told anyone about them.

#### Development

Questioning any of the bandits can turn up solid leads that can take the characters to Croaker Cave, or back to Tulgi’s cabin if there are other questions the dwarf has yet to answer. If they were unable to question the bandits, you can have one of the bandits carrying orders from Hulil that point toward the Croaker Cave hideout.

## Croaker Cave

Characters local to Cassar'ai Village or who have spent some time there know Croaker Cave. If all the characters are new arrivals to the village, any of the villagers can tell them about the cave and how to get there.

Croaker Cave gets its name from its resident giant bask frogs. Its entrance is on the shores of the Frigid Depths, due north of Cassar'ai Village. As the characters draw close to the cave entrance, they see frequent signs of tracks where bandits have been coming and going. However, there are no signs of patrols or guards. A plume of smoke rises from the ground beyond the cave entrance, venting through a narrow natural chimney from area C6. The chimney is too small to be climbed, however, and the main cave entrance is the only entry point.

Knowing that the residents of Cassar'ai Village avoid the cave and its dangerous frogs, Hulil Lutan has made the place her base of operations. She and the Uttolot bandits she commands have domesticated the giant bask frogs that make the cave their home, using them as guard animals.

### Giant Bask Frogs

With the exception of Old Croaker (see area C5), giant Bask frogs are giant frogs with immunity to fire damage. They absorb any heat the come into contact with, rendering the enviroment cold if they spend too long there.

The copper-skinned frogs attack any creatures in the cave complex not escorted by bandits they recognize. Each fights until reduced to half its hit points or fewer, then flees. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check as an action convinces one frog to not attack or to stop attacking. If the character or any of their allies attacks or harms the frog, it resumes combat.

The frogs spend much of their time resting in pools of murky water in Croaker Cave, made frigid by the heat absorbed by the frogs. A character who succeeds on a Wisdom (Perception) check opposed by a frog’s Dexterity (Stealth) check notices a frog hiding in a pool. If a frog goes undetected, it attacks with surprise when a character comes within 5 feet of the pool.

### Uttolot Bandits

The bandits sent out with Hulil by the Uttolot family are all dwarves and elves. Up to ten bandits normally occupy Croaker Cave, but only three are currently present (in area C2). They use the bandit stat block and have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. In addition, the dwarves have resistance to poison damage and have advantage on saving throws against poison; the elves have advantage on saving throws against being charmed and immunity to magic that would put them to sleep

Uttolot bandits attack any intruders on sight. Each fights until reduced to half its hit points or fewer, then flees the caves. If the characters capture an Uttolot bandit, they can learn the following information with a successful DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation) check:

* Hulil is sick with the same malady that killed Urgon Wenth.
* She plans on setting out for Shadycreek Run soon, hoping that trading the items her sister Tulgi stole from Hakim’s Curiosities allows her to pay for healing that will cure her.

### Croaker Cave Features

The caverns and tunnels of the Croaker Cave complex are shown on map 5.9. Unless otherwise noted in an area’s description, the following features are common throughout all areas of Croaker Cave.

#### Ceilings

Cavern ceilings are 10 feet high, with only 8 feet of clearance beneath stalactites.

#### Walls

Climbing the rough walls of a cavern requires a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check.

#### Light

The caverns contain no light sources, except in area C6, as the inhabitants of Croaker Cave rely on darkvision to see.

#### Frigid Pools

Pools of murky, frigid water within the caverns are created by melting snow on the rocky ground above dripping down through the ceiling. Each pool is 10 feet deep. A creature completely submerged in a pool must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion. Creatures with resistance or immunity to cold damage automatically succeed on this saving throw. For each minute the creature spends submerged in a pool, it must repeat this saving throw, gaining another level of exhaustion on a failure.

### C1. Entrance Pool

This area of the cave is close enough to the entrance that it is dimly lit by day and on clear moonlit nights. When the characters can see into this area, read:

With darkvision or an appropriate light source, the characters can see a 25-foot-long heavy wooden beam lying against the west wall of the cave at the south end the pool. The Uttolot bandits use the beam to cross the pool, and pull it back to the far side when they are in the cave.

Two giant ice frogs hide in the murky pool. If combat breaks out in this area, the bandits in area C2 quickly come to investigate.

### C2. Training Pool

Three Uttolot bandits and two giant ice frogs normally occupy this cavern. If the bandits have not yet been alerted to disturbances, they are training the frogs. Add the following:

If the bandits went to investigate disturbances in adjacent areas, the frogs are hiding in the pool.

#### Bucket

The bucket holds six dead bats used as training treats. A character who offers a dead bat to a frog has advantage on their next Wisdom (Animal Handling) check made to control that frog’s behavior.

### C3. Bat Cavern

A swarm of bats sleeps among the stalactites in this cavern. If anything disturbs the bats (including a light source or a loud noise in the cavern), the swarm attacks the source of the disturbance. The swarm fights until reduced to half its hit points or fewer, then flees out of the cave complex. If combat breaks out in this area, the bandits in area C2 come to investigate.

#### Treacherous Floor

The floor of this area is covered in slippery bat guano. Whenever a creature standing on the floor takes damage, it must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or fall prone.

### C4. Bandit Camp

One of the bedrolls covers the opening of a 10-foot-deep pit trap. The trap can be spotted with a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. If not spotted, anyone walking across the bedroll falls into the pit, taking 3 (**1d6**) bludgeoning damage and landing prone. A creature that falls into the pit makes enough noise that the bandits in area C2 investigate.

#### Treasure

Searching all the bedrolls reveals that one contains an unopened bottle of Bald Dwarf Whisky (worth 25 gp), an alcohol made by elves in Uthodurn.

### C5. Old Croaker’s Pool

Croaker Cave’s largest denizen—named Old Croaker by the Uttolot bandits—has claimed this pool. It hides in the water and attacks as other giant ice frogs. Old Croaker is a giant toad with immunity to cold damage.

Old Croaker has been trained to ferry Hulil and visitors to her cavern (area C6) across the pool. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to convince Old Croaker to not attack the party can also convince the frog to ferry all the characters across the pool one at a time.

### C6. Hulil’s Cavern

When the characters can see into this area, read:

Hulil Lutan (a neutral evil, female mountain dwarf cult fanatic with a walking speed of 15 feet, darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, resistance to poison damage, and advantage on saving throws against poison) and her apprentice, Raegrin Mau (a neutral evil, male wood elf cultist with darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and immunity to magic that would put him to sleep), are both in a state of deep meditation, praying to Tiamat for a cure for the dwarf’s affliction. Even if combat broke out in area C5, they remain unaware of the characters’ presence until they are disturbed or attacked. Hulil and Raegrin are both greedy servants of Tiamat and the Uttolot family. Raegrin follows Hulil’s every order with unshaking loyalty.

Hulil is so desperate for a cure for the ailment that is slowly killing her that she doesn’t attack the characters when she first sees them, as long as she isn’t attacked first. Instead, she orders them to stand down and demands to know why they came to the cave. A quick-thinking character can claim to have come to help Hulil (at the direction of her sister, after receiving a message from Tiamat, or with another appropriate rationale). With a successful Charisma (Deception) check opposed by Hulil’s Wisdom (Insight) check, the character convinces the dwarf that all the characters are her allies. On a failed check, or if the characters challenge her, Hulil and Raegrin attack.

#### Campfire

Any creature that enters the area of the fire for the first time on its turn, or that starts its turn there, takes 3 (**1d6**) fire damage.

#### What Hulil Knows

If the characters convince Hulil that they are her allies, or if they capture her or Raegrin and succeed on a DC 14 Charisma (Intimidation) check, they can learn the following information:

* Hulil believes she has a disease called Ashes of Midas. Though she doesn’t know any more about the disease than its symptoms, she’s heard rumors that explorers in Eiselcross sometimes succumb to it.
* Hulil has guessed that her affliction was caused by one of the gold vials Tulgi stole from Hakim’s Curiosities, originally sold by Urgon Wenth. The vial was cracked, revealing that its lovely color was the result of a dark gold dust clinging to the interior.
* She is desperate to get to Shadycreek Run before the malady runs its course, hoping that she can trade the goods stolen by Tulgi for a cure.

Hulil used one of the vials to trap the chest containing the other stolen items (see “Stone Chest” below). Needing quick cash for the trip, she sold the other vial to Irven Al-Sayed, a human merchant staying at the Jolly Dwarf inn in Cassar'ai Village while traveling with his family to Uthodurn.

#### Stone Chest

The stone chest’s outer lid is carved with the face of a dragon. A character who examines the chest and succeeds on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check finds pin-sized openings in the dragon’s mouth that contain a gold powder. The powder can be removed with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools. A character who fails this check must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or contract Ashes of Midas (see the “Eiselcross” section of chapter 3 of Explorer's Guide to Wildemount).

A detect magic spell reveals that the chest radiates an aura of evocation magic. When a creature touches the chest without speaking a prayer to Tiamat, a gust of wind escapes the dragon’s mouth. If the gold powder is still in the dragon’s mouth, it forms a cloud that fills a 15-foot cube in front of the chest. Each creature within the area must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or contract Ashes of Midas.

#### Treasure

The chest contains the rest of the treasure found by Urgon Wenth—a gilded scroll case covered in a cosmological map of the multiverse (worth 15 gp), a jade statuette of a storm giant (25 gp), a quiver containing six **+1** arrows, and a silver ring set with a jasper stone (50 gp). It also holds Hulil’s wealth—415 cp, 234 sp, 43 ep, and 112 gp—and a receipt indicating that Hulil sold a gold glass vial to Irven Al-Sayed for 100 gp.

### Development

When the characters are done exploring Croaker Cave, they should know the gold glass vials found by Urgon Wenth are the source of the strange malady that is turning people into gold statues, and that Irven Al-Sayed has one of those vials. If the characters don’t have a chance to question Hulil or Raegrin, you can have the chest also contain a journal or notes that provide the information they need and point them toward the Jolly Dwarf inn.

## Jolly Dwarf

The Jolly Dwarf is a cozy, two-story inn run by a retired adventurer named Ar'El Bor'tuk (a neutral good, male, human veteran) who works behind the bar. If the characters ask for Irven Al-Sayed, the man points them toward the laughing family.

Irven Al-Sayed, his wife Laila (both neutral good, male Dwendalian human commoners), and their daughters Amira and Honor (the former natural and the latter adopted tiefling) are friendly and invite the characters to join them. Irven and Laila are traveling booksellers. If asked about the vial, Irven explains that they met Hulil Lutan on the road to Cassar'ai Village. She said she was moving and needed to shed some possessions, so she offered him a chance to buy the Aeorian relic at a great price. He plans to sell the item for a profit in Uthodurn.

If the characters tell Irven the truth about the vial, he panics, saying that everyone in his family has touched the object. Laila gives the vial to the characters, handing it to them wrapped up in a cloth. Any character who touches the vial directly must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or contract Ashes of Midas.

### Development

Once the characters have the cracked vial, they can report back to Eloro Aldataur. He pays them 100 gp as promised but asks the characters to stay in town. He is quite certain he’ll have need of their services again soon.

The next morning, Eloro comes to the characters with somber news. Irven, Laila, Honor, and Magic are all afflicted with Ashes of Midas. Seeing the gold powder in the vial has allowed Eloro to consult old lore and learn a few things about the disease. (If the characters didn’t learn the name of the affliction from Hulil, Eloro is the source of that name as well.)

Eloro knows that Ashes of Midas is said to have only one cure—a milky liquid the Aeorians stored in gold vials. He hopes that the cure might be found in the same place Urgon found the vials of Ashes of Midas in Eiselcross. The retired ranger asks the characters to travel to the islands of Eiselcross and retrace Urgon’s path, hoping they can find the cure. He offers the party 200 gp for the task, and reminds them that time is of the essence for Irven and his family—not to mention for any characters infected with Ashes of Midas. If the characters accept, Eloro gives them a day to prepare and tells them to find him at the village docks when they’re ready to set sail.