Encounter: Hidden Factory

After making their way through The Bones to find a hidden entrance to an unknown laboratory, the party must make their way through a field of enemies, save the missing Forge students, and finally confront Aldrich Wyverstone. The party must also help Cororin come to a decision that will affect not only the rest of his life, but the rest of his father's, as well. In order to ensure that the party fully experiences this map, they should:

• Rescue the three groups of students
• Discover Aldrich's intent to sell his research to the Thaumocracy
• Help Cororin reach a decision on how to deal with his father's experiments

Plot points/Scenes

Descending into the newly revealed cave system, it is immediately clear that you've found a main hub of activity for the people plaguing Everward. To your left is a small cave, outfitted to sleep a single person - perhaps the one in charge of this entire operation. To your right is a larger cavern, and you can see evidence of several people sleeping in the same space. Listening closely, it sounds like there may be a handful of enemies in the cavern, now.
In front of you, however, are two^[1] men who look extremely surprised at your presence. Their warhammers are nearby, but they seemed too stunned to reach for them immediately.

In the very first cavern, the party encounters two familiar-looking men, equipped the same way as the heavy muscle they've been encountering during their entire stay in Everward. These men are clearly surprised to see the party, which the party can take advantage of by trying to persuade or intimidate the men into leaving (DC 18). The men will drop their weapons and retreat through The Bones, and the party will be free to continue. If the party doesn't attempt to talk them down, or the check fails, then combat begins as normal.
Rewards for this encounter^[2]: Warhammer, 200 XP
Branching off to the west is a cavern of similar size, filled with sleeping mats on top of animal furs. There are three men^[3] currently resting among the mats, giving the party an opportunity to sneak up on the enemies. If their Stealth check succeeds (DC 15), then they have the chance to attack an enemy as if they were prone, gaining advantage on the attack roll.
Rewards for this encounter^[4]: Dagger +1, Shield, 200 XP
Moving east out of the cavern will bring the party into a small cave, set up, it seems, to be a bedroom for someone who thinks themselves above sleeping with the men in the other cavern. A single chest is in this area, locked but able to be picked (DC 15). Inside of the chest, the party finds a small cache of weapons and armor the likely came from the Forge.
Gain: Scroll of Mass Healing Word, Potion of Growth, Leather Armor +1
South of this small cavern, branching off of the main cavern at its south-east corner, is a larger cave, brightly illuminated by the wall of lightning stretching in front of the party.

As you enter the large cavern, the three men^[5] standing guard in front of a barrier made of lightning all stand at attention. They seem to think that you're someone in charge, at first, but when they realize that you're an intruder, they begin to reach for their weapons.
Past them, through the arcs of lightning that move from one metal pillar to another, you can see the faces and robes of several people who seem to be students at the Forge. The few who seem to notice your presence do their best to sit up straight, but most of the students lie on the ground and stare at the ceiling, muttering nonsense to anyone conscious enough to hear it.

These men cannot be talked down before combat begins, but they will all surrender once they reach less than half of their HP. Any one of them is able to tell you what's happening in the caves, doing so without any further need to persuade them to do so. If all three men have surrendered, and the party decides to kill one of them, anyway, then the other two will become hostile once more immediately.

On 'the big boss'
"We don't know his name!" the man insists, cowering behind the cover of his crossed arms raised above his head. "I swear we don't - he wouldn't tell us. B-but he's here! He's in a cavern just south of here - or he should be, if he hasn't heard all of the fighting yet."

On the lightning cages
"I don't know how to operate them - we're just here to make sure none of them get too alert to get any ideas. We call for the boss when one of them starts making sense again - that's what we're paid to do." He nods emphatically, urging you to believe him. "He comes and does some chanting - he has to have the words written down somewhere, there are too many of them to remember and recite and change all of the time. He changes the passwords every morning - I'm sure you'll find today's in his lab south of here."

Rewards for this encounter^[6]: Dagger (2), 250 XP
The party will have to backtrack to the first cavern they entered in order to continue progressing through the caves. The tunnel leading directly south out of the first area will bring the party to a second large cavern being used to hold students. There are three more men^[7] in the cave with the students, in the process of harassing, guarding, or retrieving them. The men will engage the party in combat as soon as they enter the cavern, and cannot be dissuaded from doing so. All but one of these men - one of the heavily muscled man - will surrender once they reach less than half of their HP. The final hired muscle will begin retreating south, shouting that intruders have discovered the caves.
Rewards for this encounter^[8]: Dagger (2), 250 XP
Following the man's intended path south will bring the party through another cave being used to hold students in their strange prison. There are no enemies in this caver (unless the third man managed to make it this far before the party caught up with him or took him out with a ranged attack), but the party can make out a figure further south, passing the entrance of the cavern just south of where the party currently is.

For the briefest of moments, you can make out a face staring out at you, red with anger and pinched with a scowl. Cororin notices, too, and with an angry, wordless shout, he charges. When he crosses the threshold, however, his head swings from side to side, looking for whoever was just standing in the doorway.
"Show yourself, you coward!" Cororin shouts, his voice echoing off of the cavern walls. "I'll have your head for what you've done!"
The cavern is clearly the home of someone's mad experiments. The smell of blood and rot makes the air thick and difficult to breathe, and the fresh corpses on the nearby stone tables have already begun to release their fluids and gasses. Several long, flat boulders line the wall, covered in vials and notes and tools whose purpose is likely better left unknown.
"Father!" Cororin spins around angrily, his eyes searching every shadow in the cave. "Answer me!"
At the same time you do, Cororin notices a tunnel leading further south; unlike the one leading east, this path funnels a cool, crisp draft toward you from wherever the tunnel leads. The breeze smells fresh and new, like a pending snowstorm, promising an exit to the surface nearby. Cororin swears, but as he marches towards the tunnel, something on the flat rock nearby stops him. He reaches for a stack of papers held in place by a worn journal, but a noise from the east side of the cave stops him before he can take them.
"...co...rin...?"
The half-elf turns towards the noise, and a strangled sob escapes his throat when he finds the source. A woman enters the cave slowly, her feet sliding across the ground in jerky movements. Her hair, likely as beautiful as spun gold in its prime, hangs limp and lifeless to her shoulders. Her flesh is a sickly color that reminds you of death, and there are several places where it has been cut into and stitched together again.
A strange mechanism is attached to her chest - a brass ring, grafted into her skin, holds a brightly glowing Corstone. The moment Cororin sees it, he begins to sob.
"Oh, mother." His voice is barely a whisper. "What has he done to you?"

The party can attempt to learn the answer to this question for themselves. They can attempt an Arcana check (DC 15), and upon succeeding are able to identify the Corstone set into the contraption as one containing the resurrection spell; theoretically, destroying or removing the Corstone from its base will return the body of Neribella Wyverstone to its deceased state. The party can also attempt a Medicine check (DC 15) in order to learn that Neribella is only recently undead - the strange gray color of death still clings to her skin, and the shadows of her bones are still visible through her thin flesh.

Before Cororin can move towards his mother, her mouth opens in a feral growl. As the saliva drips from her teeth and her lips, you can't help but notice how similar it sounds to the noises made by the failed experiments you laid to rest on the way to this place. She shambles towards you, but does so slowly enough that simply stepping out of the way would buy you some time.
Running up behind her, however, are two mean waving warhammers in the air, shouting ferally as they approach you.

These two men^[9], upon seeing that the Overseer has fled the area, can be convinced to leave before combat even begins (DC 15). If the check fails, then the two heavily muscled men will engage the party in combat as usual.
Rewards for this encounter^[10]: 200 XP
At this point, Cororin has a decision to make, which he won't finalize until he's had encouragement from the party. The most obvious choice here is to remove or destroy the Corstone, returning Neribella to eternal rest. This is considered the Lawful option, but it goes against Cororin's natural desire to keep his mother alive - or at least some semblance of it.
The second - and more dangerous - option is for Cororin to take his mother out of the city in an attempt to find someone to properly resurrect her or lay her to rest. This would avoid anyone in the City Guard demanding that, as one of the Overseer's experiments, she should be destroyed with the rest of the evidence. It will, however, expose the Corstone keeping his mother alive to the aetherstorms, risking damage to the Corstone that could keep it from functioning as intended.
Whichever option the party tries to encourage Cororin to follow through on, they'll need to Persuade, Deceive, or Intimidate (DC 20) Cororin into doing so.
Reward: 75 XP
If the party persuades Cororin to destroy the Corstone, then Neribella will turn hostile and engage the party in combat. At this point, she is little more than an animal instinct to survive, and will not surrender at any point during combat. Despite Cororin's commitment to the decision, he is unable to bring himself to deliver the killing blow, and won't attack his mother again after she drops below 15 HP.
Rewards for this encounter: 450 XP

Stat blocks used in this scene

Heavy Muscle

Medium humanoid (any race, Any Non-lawful

Armor Class 14 (shield)

Hit Points 33

Speed: 30 ft

STR

13
( +1 )

DEX

12
( +1 )

CON

12
( +1 )

INT

10
( +0 )

WIS

11
( +0 )

CHA

10
( +0 )

Skills Perception +2

Damage Resistances Bludgeoning

Senses Passive Percption 12

Languages Common

Challenge Rating 1/2

Description

These men are hired for their brawn, and it shows. Most of the heavy muscle is tall and thick, with arms large enough to easily hold warhammers. These men are sent out to deal with problems that might require more strength, or even to pick up a target that a tracker has previously found.

Actions

Warhammer. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) bludgeoning damage.

Procurer

Medium humanoid (any race, Any Non-lawful

Armor Class 12

Hit Points 27

Speed: 30 ft

STR

10
( +0 )

DEX

15
( +2 )

CON

10
( +0 )

INT

12
( +1 )

WIS

14
( +2 )

CHA

16
( +3 )

Skills Deception +5
Insight +4
  Investigation +5
  Perception +6
Persuasion +5
Sleight of Hand +4
  Stealth +4

Senses Passive Perception 16

Challenge Rating 1/4

Description

Procurers have been called by less favorable names in the past, such as 'thieves' or 'robbers' or 'bandits'. Having figured out how to market their skills, and whom to advertise them to, such people have now taken to calling themselves procurers, as if there is anything legitimate about what they do for a living.

Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The procurer deals an extra 6 (2d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of the procurer that isn't incapacitated and the procurer doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Actions

Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage

Failed Experiment

Medium Undead, Chaotic Evil

Armor Class 12

Hit Points 22

Speed: 30 ft

STR

13
( +1 )

DEX

15
( +2 )

CON

10
( +0 )

INT

7
( -2 )

WIS

19
( +4 )

CHA

6
( -2 )

Damage Immunities Poison

Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Poisoned

Languages Common

Challenge Rating 1/4

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage. If the target is a creature other than an elf or undead, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Balancing encounters for 5

[1] Two (2) heavy muscle and three (3) procurers
[2] Rewards: Warhammer, 350 XP
[3] Three (3) heavy muscle
[4] Rewards: Warhammer +1, Shield, 300 XP
[5] Two (2) heavy muscle and one (1) procurer
[6] Rewards: Dagger, 250 XP
[7] Two (2) heavy muscle and one (1) procurer
[8] Rewards: Shield, 250 XP
[9] Three (3) heavy muscle and two (2) failed experiments
[10] Rewards: 400 XP

What do the students know?

• "I heard him muttering the name 'Neribella' - there was a Neribella who taught at the Forge alongside him."
  
• "He takes people to his lab, and sometimes, they don't come back. It's worse when they do, though."
  
• "It sounds like he's making weapons in that lab of his - there's so much grinding and sawing, but I don't ever see any weapons."
  
• "There's the most awful smell that comes from there, sometimes - like burning hair, or skin."