Overview
The Thunder Cliffs were named by the people in the area for the sounds that the surf makes as it crashes into this high bluff overlooking the
Sea of Swords. The Cliffs rest along the coastline halfway between the
Mere of Dead Men and the city of
Neverwinter.
The caves at the base of the Thunder Cliffs, used by seafarers for centuries, are now controlled by the Cult of
Talos. A tyrannical and supremely devout servant of Talos, Gadrille the Reef-Reaver, oversees the operations here. She’s a trusted lieutenant of Fheralai Stormsworn, who knows that Gadrille isn’t exactly stable, but her unswaying devotion to the cause of the Cult of Talos makes her a great and feared commander.
The map of the Thunder Cliffs Caves represents the cave system at low tide. The yellow parts of the map show the sandy areas that become flooded at high tide. The water-filled areas within the caves themselves are always there, flooded even at low tide.
The operation undertaken by the Cult of Talos here is not complicated. They lure unsuspecting ships close to the caves, wreck the ships on the magical reefs, capture the crew, and drag the wreckage into the caves. Anything worthwhile is salvaged and sold, and the prisoners are either sold to slavers or sacrificed to Talos.
With the gold earned through this terrible operation, the Cult of Talos funds operatives along the coast and the High Road, who hope to establish shrines that will eventually put the Cult of Talos in control of the area.
Thunder Cliffs Locations
1. Unsure Shore
The shoreline, where the water meets the sandy beach, crashes with the breaking waves. The echoes formed within the caves reverberate back, filling the air with a sound like the crashing of thunder.
The shore is lined with thin wire treated with a modified version of the
alarm spell. Water and other natural circumstances do not trigger the spell, but any humanoid creatures that trip the wires cause an alarm to sound within the caves, alerting the cultists that intruders are present.
The wires can be spotted with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. Getting to shore without tripping the wires is practically impossible, but the wires can be disarmed with a DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, or the
alarm spell can be suppressed for an hour using
dispel magic.
2. Unhappy Cultists
If adventurers are able to approach without tripping the alarm, they might hear some disgruntled cultists talking while they work. If the alarm was tripped, the cultists wait with weapons drawn and cannot be surprised. There are eight cultist
spies.
If adventurers get a chance to hear the cultists talking, they are offloaded crates, boxes, and barrels from the ship. The cultists grumble and grouse about this menial labor, agreeing that they did not seek the power of the
Talos to be forced into playing the part of glorified longshoremen.
3. Sea Hag Coven
In this cave, strategically separated from the rest of the complex, a coven of three
sea hags carry out their own gruesome plans in alongside those of their anchorite allies.
In order to access this cave, a creature must swim through a submerged tunnel teeming with scary-looking fish. The fish have strange glowing eyes and large teeth, but they are just normal fish that have been mutated through the magic of the hags, and they do not attack swimmers.
In the cave, three sea hags chew on the hands and feet of sailors who drowned after being shipwrecked on the magical reefs. The cultists supply the bodies in return for help from the coven when dealing with special problems, and the two forces have an easy mutual protection pact.
Piles of slimy seaweed act as beds for the three sisters: Nana Pocktuss, Auntie Unk, and Granny Muyuk. The trio is using the bodies to breed
rats. Currently, there are four
swarms of rats that protect the sisters.
The coven does not attack immediately. They don’t get many visitors who aren’t boring anchorites or screaming victims, so they invite intruders in for a nice seaweed and squid ink cookie.
Auntie Unk is the newest member of the coven, and she spent her previous years kidnapping people off the High Road and dragging them into the
Mere of Dead Men to eat. She misses news of the city and favors anyone who can provide gossip about
Waterdeep or
Neverwinter.
Nana Pocktuss likes to dance. If any visitors can play music or dance themselves, Nana Pocktuss appreciates a grand old hoedown to shake the rust (and maggots) out of her old joints.
Granny Muyuk never could turn down a good (or even putrid) drop of grog. If any visitors carry alcohol with them, regardless of its vintage or provenance, Granny Muyuk can smell it and asks for a taste. Those sharing generously earn her favor.
If all three of the hags can be placated by catering to to their particular vices and interests, they are willing to spare adventurers a fight, and they might even look the other way as adventurers attempt to end the dominance of the Cult of
Talos at this location. And if not, they always enjoy a good fight as well.
4. The Dying Second
While the incredibly devout Gadrille the Reef-Reaver leads the group of cultists at the caves, Fheralai Stormsworn assigned a second-in-command to assist her - with special instructions to keep an eye on Gadrille to ensure she doesn’t kill all her followers in a fit of mad devotion to
Talos. That second-in-command is Sovendahl Erkinze, a
drow elite warrior.
Sovendahl’s bodyguards consist of four
thugs, who stay with the
drow no matter where he goes. And right now, he isn’t going very far, because he is suffering from a curse.
Sovendahl’s duties involve overseeing the sorting, transportation, and sales of the stolen goods that the rest of the operation steals from wrecked ships. This frees Gadrille do what she loves most: killing others in the name of Talos.
Recently, Sovendahl expressed opposition to some of Gadrille’s more enthusiastic endeavors, deeming them too risky and likely to draw the attention of larger and more powerful forces, like the
Waterdeep navy. Sovendahl went behind Gadrille’s back and urged Fheralai Stormsworn to order Gadrille to stand down. The overzealous Gadrille did as she was told, but she secretly prayed to Talos, asking for a boon in payment for her years of devotion: curse Sovendahl for his cowardly caution. And Talos answered.
When adventurers encounter Sovendahl, he is resting in his quarters His bodyguards sort through the latest haul of stolen and salvaged treasure. Occasionally the drow erupts in a coughing spasm that brings up blood from his lungs. He is worried but tries not to show it.
If combat breaks out here, Sovendahl fights bravely and expertly, but the exertion leads to more coughing. As the fight progresses, the drow’s spasms of coughing leads to blood spraying over the adventurers who face him.
If at any point adventurers speak with the drow about his affliction, pointing out that he is sick and in need of assistance, the drow might stop fighting and ask the adventurers if they can help him. He is willing to walk away from the cult to obtain a cure.
A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check reveals that the ailment is not a disease, but a curse. Anyone who casts
remove curse on Sovendahl earns the drow’s thanks. As a reward, the he gives the caster a magic item has been storing away: a
dagger of venom.
If adventurers kill Sovendahl and his bodyguards, they do not find the magical
dagger, which is hidden carefully in a secret location outside the caves. They do, however, get 250 gp in various coins, three
potions of greater healing, and a jade brooch worth 500 gp.
5. The Cultist's Quarters
The cultists of
Talos working under Gadrille the Reef-Reaver don’t get a lot of time for relaxation and socializing. They spend most of their time out on the sea, luring unsuspecting ships into the reef, then salvaging the wreckages. Gadrille’s motto is “if you’re not reavin’ in service to Talos, you’re sleepin’ in service to Talos.”
This area is where the cultists of the lowest standing sleep and eat. At any time, there are eight
scouts here, sleeping in four bunk beds that line the walls, or eating their fish broth at the table in the center of the room before heading out to perform their tasks. The cultists here are dedicated to their god and will not surrender or negotiate.
In an alcove to the north of the room is a special feature that the occupants of the cave call “the blowhole.” This vertical shaft runs both beneath the water and up into the cave ceiling.
When Gadrille believes a cultist is lacking the proper amount of faith to be a true servant of Talos, the cultist is dragged here and tossed into the water of the blowhole to be judged. Sometimes they are pulled down into the bottom of the shaft, sometimes a geyser of water blows them up through the top of the shaft, and sometimes nothing happens. If nothing happens, Gadrille takes that as a sign Talos approves.
The truth is that the blowhole is a magical portal. When a living creature enters the blowhole, roll a d10. On a 1-8, nothing happens. On a 9, the creature is pulled down into the shaft, through a portal, and appears moments later floating in
Waterdeep's harbor, alive and well. On a 10, the creature is pushed up through the ceiling by the geyser. With a successful DC 10 Strength saving throw, a creature can grab onto the side of the shaft and avoid getting pushed through the portal. On a failure, the creature tumbles through a portal at the top of the shaft and ends up in the Elemental Plane of Water.
Adventurers can learn about the magic of the blowhole in a number of ways:
- One of the disgruntled anchorites tells the adventurers about Gadrille’s cruelty in dealing with those she deems unworthy.
- A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check of the area reveals scrape marks around the blowhole, where people have grabbed hold while attempting to keep from getting sent away.
- Adventurers succeeding on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) checks notices the magical emanations within the blowhole, revealing that it contains teleportation magic.
- An adventurer steps into the blowhole and suffers the effects of the area.
6. Loot
This central chamber is where the loot to be sold or transported is packaged and stored. When ready, it’s carried down to the shore, loaded onto ships operated by the Cult of
Talos, and taken to its final destination.
There are several closed
crates awaiting transport. Most of the crates contain commercial goods like cloth, spices, and other trade items. Each of the crates is marked with chalk describing the contents. One of the crates, with a chalk marking that says “Gold,” is trapped.
Sovendahl fears that some of the cultists might be stealing from the stockpiles of goods for sale, so he placed a crate here that might be tempting to a thief.
The crate marked “Gold” is full of rocks, and there are tiny runes on the edge of the lid, which can be noticed with a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. The runes can be deactivated with a
dispel magic spell, or carefully filed away with a DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check.
If the crate is opened without deactivating the runes, it explodes. Any creature within 10 feet of the crate must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 8d8 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. The creatures within the blast radius are also covered in green ink that only comes off with repeated scrubbing over the course of months.
The rest of the crates here contain about 2000 gp worth of trade goods. However, they are heavy and unwieldy, requiring a good-sized ship to transport them all to a place where they could be sold.
7. Gadrille the Reef-Reaver
Gadrille the Reef-Reaver (CE female
half-elf high mage) spends most of her time out with her followers, preying on those too weak to withstand the ravaging power of
Talos. When in the caves, however, she is in her chambers praying.
Talos has rewarded Gadrille for her devotion with two
hell hounds, which she calls “Tooth-N-Claw” and “Fire-N-Fang.” They are both ferociously protective of Gadrille.
In the center of this chamber is a large roiling boil of water. Gadrille likes to soak in it, feeling the power of Talos course through her when she does. If a creature not favored by Talos enters the pool or starts its turn there, it takes 4d10 psychic damage.
This area is Gadrille’s private shrine. In addition to the carved limestone likeness of Talos in one corner, the walls are carved with images of Talos’s destructive power. Moving within the chamber is like moving through difficult terrain unless the creature is a worshipper of Talos. Taking an action to say a prayer to Talos and succeeding on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check allows a creature to move normally in the room for 1 minute.
Gadrille stores her personal wealth here, including a
chest with 300 gp, two ornate matching silver
daggers worth 250 gp each, a
ring of warmth, a
wand of magic missiles, and a
potion of vitality.
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