The latest D&D campaign setting explores the world of Critical Role in Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, now available for preorder on the D&D Beyond Marketplace. Wildemount is a land of dark and epic fantasy, with low-level characters fighting to survive in a world full of common folk who are just as mud-splattered and hungry as they are—and high-level characters contending with the fate of nations and magic that has the power to bring about the end of the world, or the creation of a new one. This series of Encounters of the Week are one-shot adventures for low-level characters set in the four major regions of Wildemount: the grim, authoritarian Dwendalian Empire; in Xhorhas, home of their mortal rival the Kryn Dynasty; the tropical and politically neutral Menagerie Coast; and the frozen and forbidden Greying Wildlands, home to strange mystics and every sort of criminal scum.

This week’s encounter is Vine Shine, and sets the characters in the splendid and colorful seaside city of Nicodranas on the Menagerie Coast. Every day, the Mother’s Lighthouse shines above the Restless Wharf, a beacon to guide lost travelers safely back to shore. But when dark overgrown vines suddenly entangle the structure, the characters must delve into the depths of the temple and restore the Wild Mother’s light.

Exploration Encounter: Vine Shine

This encounter is suitable for a party of 2nd to 3rd level characters, and combines mystery investigation with combat to uncover the source of the lighthouse’s sudden plague.

In the shadows of the Menagerie Coast, a small but insidious cult has begun to rise in power. As followers of Zehir, the Cloaked Serpent, these cultists aim to poison and corrupt Exandria to the will of this Betrayer God.

Their latest target is the Mother’s Lighthouse, the temple to Melora the Wild Mother that guards over the wharf. Overnight, the cultists have abducted the Lightkeeper and poisoned the sacred crystal that sits atop the lighthouse, causing dark vines to rapidly shroud the holy structure. Upon noticing the beacon failing to light in the morning, the Zhelezo—the guards of cities within the Clovis Concord, such as Nicodranas—sent a squadron to inspect the lighthouse. But, when said scouting party failed to return, distressed rumors began to worm through the populace, leaving the Zhelezo desperate to find a solution.

Critical Role fan art by Galactic Jonah (@GalacticJonah), used with permission. 

Encounter Summary

Whether recruited by the Zhelezo personally or acting of their own volition, the adventurers journey beyond the Restless Wharf to the Mother’s Lighthouse. Exploring the area uncovers the incapacitated Zhelezo scouts at the mercy of several serpentine vine blights within the temple. After hacking through these corrupted plants, the characters must extract the poison from the tower’s crystal in order to restore the beacon of the wharf.

Encounter Start

The day after the cultists corrupted the lighthouse, a noticeable disquiet has settled over the Restless Wharf. Concerned characters exploring the area can make a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check. On a success, a character notices that the normally warm beacon emanating from the top of the lighthouse has not been lit this morning—in fact, the entire structure on horizon appears as if it has been suddenly entangled in shadow. If the check succeeds by 5 or more, the character also catches a brief burst of sickly purple light flare in the eyes of the statue of the Wild Mother relief that dominates the southern side of the lighthouse’s cliff.

As the morning progresses, several city denizens begin to voice their growing unease. Characters may overhear at least one of the following statements:

• A middle-aged tiefling woman, expressing her worries with her halfling companion. “I hope they get the Lighthouse working again soon. My wife’s ship is supposed to dock this evening, and I’d hate for them to try and navigate the coast without it.”
• A grizzled elderly dwarf, talking with his son. “Heh. Wonder if the Lightkeeper finally kicked the bucket. About time, if you ask me. She’s been upkeeping that wreck of a temple for ages.”
• An elderly gnomish individual holding a sign bearing the words, The End is Nigh, as they yell at a passing couple. “Beware, beware! The shadow that covers the Wild Mother will soon descend upon us all! Save yourselves!”
• A young human Zhelezo guard, nervously whispering with a man who looks like their superior. “What do you mean, the scouts haven’t returned? They left for the Lighthouse ages ago!”

Characters who wish to listen in on any of these conversations must make a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. Alternatively, characters can attempt to directly inquire with any of the aforementioned individuals. Though most are hesitant to engage with random strangers, a successful DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check gets them to open up. Either way, the characters learn that the Mother’s Lighthouse has not been lit as usual this morning (if the characters have yet to notice the shadowed structure over the wharf), and that the local Zhelezo are struggling to identify the problem, as the scouts sent to investigate have yet to return. Rumors have also been circulating that the Zhelezo are so desperate to quell the populace’s rising unease that they are considering offering a monetary reward of 25 gp each to anyone who can assist with fixing the lighthouse.

Entering the Lighthouse

Whether driven by individual concern or monetary gain, the characters eventually make their way towards the Mother’s Lighthouse. Read or paraphrase the following as they approach to set the scene:

As you journey along the gentle northern slope leading to the Mother’s Lighthouse, the cobblestones and wood of the docks slowly gives way to gentle grass and flourishing plant life. Except this flora isn’t lush and verdant, as it should be—instead, thick brackish vines like swollen veins worm through the dirt, draining the coloration from the foliage until it becomes sickly white.

A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check reveals that these vines are not only extremely poisonous, but also unnatural in source, as no normal plant could have grown fast enough to completely overtake such a large area in this short amount of time. Through spells like detect magic, the vines reek of necromancy, with hints of transmutation magic.

About halfway up the northern slope, the vines grow thick enough to completely obscure the path to the lighthouse. This tangle of vines has 13 hit points and AC 10, is immune to both psychic and poison damage, and is vulnerable to fire damage. When the tangle reaches 0 hit points, everyone standing within 5 feet of the tangle must make a successful DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 7 (1d12) poison damage, as sickly purple gas bursts from the destroyed foliage and floods their lungs.

After pushing past these vines, the characters approach the lighthouse proper. Read or paraphrase the following:

At this point, the dark vines have grown as tall as the lighthouse itself, the afternoon sunlight barely able to seep past the winding tangles arching above you. You push through the brush and enter what is probably the temple’s atrium, though it’s hard to tell for certain with the thick layer of black vines covering every inch of exposed ground. The wooden door of the lighthouse’s entrance swings shattered on its hinges, and what would normally be gorgeous flower beds lining the pathway instead overflow with twisted bramble clusters disturbingly humanoid in shape.

Upon closer inspection of these bramble clusters, characters catch flashes of pallid skin and scraps of green and blue attire matching those of the Zhelezo stationed in the city. Each cluster contains the unconscious body of a Zhelezo guard—the six members of the missing scout party. Similar to the foliage, the bodies of the scouts appear drained of their coloration, and a successful DC 11 Wisdom (Medicine) check finds that while they are still breathing, they have been severely infected by some toxin from these vines. Succeeding on this check by 5 or more reveals that the vines surrounding the area are in fact magically feeding off these bodies while keeping them just barely alive.

Stepping near the entrance to the lighthouse or investigating any of the bodies, however, also awakens two vine blights guarding the atrium. These unusual vine blights aren't humanoid in shape, but were created by followers of the Cloaked Serpent to take on a serpentine form (though their statistics remain unchanged). Characters with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 12 or higher notice shifting in the bramble around them as the vine blights move. Upon noticing this movement, characters can then make a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Perception) check to identify the presence of the vine blights. Else, the vine blights surprise on any characters not aware of the movement through the bramble, and initiative is rolled.

Serpentine Retribution

After defeating the vine blights, characters may search through the wilted remains of their serpentine foes. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check uncovers a patinated gold pendant two inches in diameter, depicting a coiled snake with fangs bared in a snarl. A subsequent successful DC 17 Intelligence (Religion) check discerns this to be the symbol of Zehir, one of the Betrayer Gods.

If the characters linger in the atrium long enough to search the room, read or paraphrase the following:

A sudden flare of sickly purple light bursts from the top of the lighthouse—a flash that seems to arc down the twisted vines encompassing the tower and plunging to their roots. Slowly, the remains of the vine blights begin to wriggle, congealing back together until another hoarse hiss starts to seep from their forms.

These partially regenerated vine blights have only half their usual hit points and can’t use their Entangling Plants action. Mostly, they should serve as an incentive for the adventurers to hurry into the lighthouse proper.

The interior of the lighthouse is eerily silent, with a few stray vines curling along the stone steps. At the top, the characters find yet another tangle of bramble wrapped around a humanoid form—this time, of a copper-skinned teenage tiefling acolyte dressed in the vestments of the Wild Mother. The large rough-hewn crystal at the center of the 15-foot diameter room pulses with sickly purple light, almost like a heartbeat, and a jagged longsword with a gilded serpent wound around the hilt is jammed into the top. A successful DC 11 Wisdom (Perception) check notices that a purple glow similar to the one emanating from the crystal burns in the eyes of the snake decorating the sword’s hilt.

This sword, planted here by the cult of the Cloaked Serpent, is the source of the poisonous vines swarming the lighthouse. Removing this sword requires a successful DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check. Upon wrenching the sword from the crystal, everyone within 5 feet of the crystal must make a successful DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (1d8) force damage as a concussive blast of purple energy bursts from the crystal. Read or paraphrase the following:

The sudden flare of light blinds you for a moment. As you wipe the spots from your vision, you watch as the vines choking the lighthouse grow pale, then disintegrate into dust. Slowly, color and life return to the foliage of the cliff, and at the edge of the room, the small tiefling’s body begins to stir. “Who—what?” he mumbles, blinking his pupiless blue eyes awake. “Oh, by the Wild Mother—the blessing!”

If asked, the tiefling introduces himself as Alden, a worshipper of the Wild Mother training to be the new Lightkeeper. However, Alden is much more focused on the crystal, pulling a holy symbol from around his neck and placing his hands on the large crack left by the sword. He mutters an urgent prayer to the Wild Mother under his breath, and as a soft comforting breeze blows through the windowless room, the crystal reforms, its warm yellow light now shining upon the ships wandering the harbor—as it should be.

A Poison Cured

Alden thanks the adventurers profusely for their help, explaining that cultists had surprised him and the Lightkeeper in the dark of night. Though he doesn’t know where the cult might have taken the Lightkeeper, he promises to care for the Mother’s Lighthouse until she returns. If the characters decide to keep the cult’s sword, they will find that it is a sword of vengeance.

At the bottom of the lighthouse, the Zhelezo scout party begins to awaken. The characters can help the weak and delirious guards safely back into Nicodranas proper, where they can be attended to by healers in the Zhelezo barracks. Grateful for their help in returning the lighthouse to its usual function, Zhelezo superiors pay the party 25 gp each, and if the presence of the cult is brought to their attention, the guards agree to keep a closer eye out for any future incidents.

As for the future of this venomous cult? That is entirely up to you. Was their corruption of the Wild Mother’s lighthouse part of a typical rite of passage, or do they have something more devious planned? What have they done with the missing Lightkeeper? And what does this spell for future of Wildemount?

No matter what choices you make, you can continue your daring adventures through the land with Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, coming to D&D Beyond on March 17th, 2020, with preorders available now. You can also keep up with the adventures across Wildemount in Critical Role, every Thursday at 7:00 pm PST on www.twitch.tv/CriticalRole.

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Did you like this encounter? If you want to read more adventures like this, take a look at the other encounters in the Encounter of the Week series. You can also check out some of my other content on the DMs Guild—including the best-selling adventure i've been, which examines our struggles to vocalize our mental health and our often non-linear paths to progress, and Knarl's Candy Compendium, a collection of fifty enchanted candies to implement into your D&D games.

Makenzie De Armas is an independent tabletop game designer and writer. Known for her work as co-designer of MCDM Productions' Kingdoms & Warfare and co-host of the podcast One On One: A D&D Duet Campaign, Makenzie also serves as the lead writer for The Islands of Sina Una and appears in various streamed TTRPG campaigns on Scratticus Academy. You can usually find her screaming into the void on Twitter at @MakenzieLaneDA.