11. Wizard's Workshop

Faint bubbling and dripping sounds can be heard through either door of this room with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. This room appears to be a wizard's workshop. A rat scurries across the floor and takes refuge under a large worktable set up with alembics, retorts, distillation coils, and other alchemical devices, all of it stewing and bubbling away. Bookshelves are crowded with sheaves of parchment and strange-looking tomes. larno has left his rat familiar here to watch for intruders. The rat shares a telepathic bond with its master, and it sends a brief warning message to larno as soon as it detects intruders. The rat moves at a speed of 20 feet and has AC 10, 1 hit point, and no effective attacks. If the rat is killed, it disappears. If the characters leave the rat unharmed, it follows them around as though curious or hungry. It might even feign affection for a character who feeds it, though it remains absolutely loyal to Iarno, Books and Notes. larno is trying to master the art of brewing potions and concocting alchemical mixtures. The books and notes scattered around the room are basic texts on alchemy.

Any character proficient in Arcana can see that larno's apparatus appears to be set up to brew potions of invisibility-not that he has succeeded so far.

Among the books is a tome written in Dwarvish.

The journal of an adventurer named Urmon, it describes the history of the Lost Mine of Phandelver and the Forge of Spells. (Share the information in the first and second paragraph of the "Background" section if you have not already done so.)
In addition, Urmon records that a magic hammer named Nightfall was commissioned by priests of Lathander, the god of dawn, from the mages working with the gnomes and dwarves of the Phandelver's Pact. The hammer was lost when Wave Echo Cave and its mine vanished from history. (Characters might find the hammer in part 4, "Wave Echo Cave.")

DEVELOPMENTS Because larno and his rat familiar share a telepathic bond, the mage (in area 12) knows the characters are coming and has time to prepare for them. TREASURE Most of the materials in this room have no value, but three small bottles hold rare agents: mercury, dragon bile, and powdered nightshade. These are worth 25 gp each to an apothecary or alchemist.

Parent Plot

Redbrand Hideout

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