The Ember of Nethys
A stolen elemental fragment pulses with dangerous power beneath the Yawning Portal tavern. Navigate treacherous social encounters, trade with a dubious merchant, and descend into trapped vaults to confront the thief before the Ember tears reality apart.
Created by
Lorenzo FioreThe Adventure Awaits...
"Whispers in Waterdeep speak of strange tremors beneath the Yawning Portal. The priests of Mystra suspect a stolen fragment of raw elemental fire has been hidden in the old vaults below. They need someone expendable enough to retrieve it."
Situations & Encounters
The Yawning Portal Briefing
The player arrives at the Yawning Portal tavern and meets their contact Veldra Shadowmend at a corner table. The tavern is busy with patrons and the fire crackles in the great hearth. Grint Copperkettle sits at a nearby table surrounded by his wares, selling healing potions (25gp each), antidotes (15gp), and adventuring supplies. The player should learn about the Ember, the vault entrance through the cellar, the thief Torvan Ashwalker, and the magical traps below. Veldra offers 100gp on completion. The floorboards vibrate periodically with the Ember's pulse. Durnan the barkeep may comment if approached.
The Trapped Vaults
The player descends through the cellar passage into ancient vaults beneath the tavern. Cold, damp stone tunnels with faint orange light pulsing deeper in. Three challenges: (1) A magically locked door requiring either a Dispel Magic scroll, high Intelligence check, or brute force with damage. (2) A corridor with pressure-plate fire traps -- Dexterity or Wisdom to detect, Constitution to resist damage if triggered. (3) A flooded chamber with submerged stepping stones and a minor water elemental guardian. The Ember's pulse grows stronger, causing the player's equipment to warm. This should trigger a chapter transition as the player enters the vault proper.
The Ember Chamber
The final vault chamber. Torvan Ashwalker stands at a ritual circle, the Ember of Nethys floating above a stone pedestal, pulsing with unstable orange-red light. Cracks in reality show glimpses of the Elemental Plane of Fire. Torvan is desperate -- he explains his sister is dying and the Ember is his last hope. The player can: (1) Fight Torvan -- he uses fire-enhanced dagger attacks and minor fire spells. (2) Persuade him to surrender, promising to help his sister another way. (3) Offer to find an alternative cure using temple resources. (4) Attempt to grab the Ember while Torvan is distracted. Any fighting damages the chamber further, increasing urgency. The adventure concludes with the return to Veldra for payment.
Characters You'll Meet
Grint Copperkettle
Gregarious, chatty, loves haggling, sells potions and gear, gossips freely, secretly sympathetic
Torvan Ashwalker
Intelligent, desperate, former Candlekeep scholar turned rogue elementalist, believes Ember can save dying sister, not evil but willing to kill to protect his prize
Veldra Shadowmend
Pragmatic, world-weary, clipped sentences, dark humor, former adventurer turned temple agent
Available Characters
Choose one of these pre-made characters to start your adventure.
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Game Settings
- Difficulty
- normal
- Death Behavior
- Chapter Checkpoint