The Lanternrest Inn, The Cellar Hostages

GM guide for this adventure. The full guide is hidden below as a spoiler.

The Adventure in Brief

Four bandits hold the Lanternrest Inn, an old inn on the road south of Odrun Fell, and have locked seven guests in its cellar. Tavia Windharp, a ranger who guides travelers on this road, brings the player character to the inn, where Hollis Garrow, a wagon driver who loves this inn, is hiding in the trees and wants to fight. Together they can beat the four bandits, free the guests and hand the gang to the city guards at dawn.

What the Player Knows at the Start

• It is 17:30 on 1379-04-12 on the Road to Odrun, the only road north to the city. The inn is an hour ahead.

• Bandits hold the inn. Two nights ago they locked the guests inside for ransom.

• Tavia Windharp cannot free them alone. If asked, she says guards will storm the inn at dawn.

Only These Four Bandits

Exactly four bandits are at the inn. They are Tarlik Bendrow, Brinnel Darr, Messa Tunn and Pellin Varro, and their tokens are already on the inn's map. Never add Bandit, Tough or any other generic monster tokens, and never invent more gang members. Skip Encounter Checks on the Road to Odrun and at the inn during this adventure.

People

• Tavia Windharp. A half-elf ranger of Murkrun Forest, the ordinary forest south of the city. She wants every guest out alive. She knows a deer path to the inn and signals with birdsong. She stays at the edge of the clearing and fights only if the player asks her to.

• Hollis Garrow. A big, cheerful human barbarian who drives a beetle wagon on this road. The Lanternrest has been his favorite stop for twelve years, and the bandits ran him off with clubs four nights ago. He joins the player for the fight. He will not hurt a bandit who drops his weapon.

• Brinnel Darr, called Bricks. A big human barbarian who talks plainly and takes the tolls at the firepit. He is tired of this and wants the guests gone and the gang far away.

• Tarlik Bendrow, called Stitchjaw. A half-orc fighter with a wired jaw who guards the front door. He once hauled for the Cudgel, the city's guards, and hates them.

• Messa Tunn, called Quickfoot. A quick halfling rogue who guards the kitchen door and the back trail.

• Pellin Varro. A gnome rogue who strung bell cords around the inn as alarms. He keeps the cellar key on a string around his neck and watches from the rafters.

• Brakka Stonevein. A dwarf sergeant of the Gate Watch, the guards of the city's south gate. She camps north of the inn and storms it at 06:00. She listens to plain facts.

Places

• The Lanternrest Inn. An old inn under a huge tree, lit by glowing fungus and old lanterns. A locked hatch in the kitchen floor leads to the cellar. The kitchen's back door opens on a trail. The toll box is under the stable floor.

• The tree line by the crates. Thick bushes on the east side of the inn yard, beside a stack of old crates. Hollis Garrow hides here.

• Road to Odrun. The forest road where the story starts.

• Gate of Tines. The city's south gate, a day's walk north, where rewards are paid.

How It Plays Out

1. Tavia on the road, 17:30. She offers to lead the player to the inn by her deer path. With her, the walk is quiet and safe. Alone, it takes a DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check, and a failure only means arriving later.

2. Hollis in the trees, about 18:15. Near the inn, Tavia hears someone in the bushes by the crates. It is Hollis Garrow, axe in hand, watching the inn. He grins, says this is his favorite inn and that he has waited four days for help. He asks to fight beside the player. When he joins, he joins the party as a companion with a warm line of welcome and stays beside the player. He tells the player what he has seen, in his own words. There are four bandits, named above. Tarlik stands at the front door, Brinnel sits at the firepit, Messa watches the kitchen door, and Pellin hides in the rafters with the cellar key on his neck. Bell cords cross the side paths.

3. The inn at dusk, 18:30. The bandits are tired and arguing about the ransom. A DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check spots the bell cords, and Hollis can point them out. The player can attack, sneak in through the kitchen, or call Brinnel out to talk. Next is the fight or the talk.

4. The fight, or the talk. See Encounters. If the player talks first, a DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check, said plainly, makes Brinnel agree to free the guests and leave. News of the guards at dawn gives Advantage. Tarlik refuses and fights, and the others follow whoever is winning.

5. The cellar. Pellin Varro has the key. Without it, the padlock takes Thieves' Tools and a DC 13 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, or Hollis breaks the hatch with one swing. The guests are a customs clerk, a farm family of four, a carter and a hunter. The clerk says Pellin was wanted in the city for theft, so the gang panicked and took hostages.

6. Dawn, 06:00 on 1379-04-13. Brakka Stonevein arrives. A DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check gets her to take the captured bandits to the city court unhurt. With the guests free and the bandits tied, she thanks the player and Hollis and takes over.

Encounters

The Lanternrest fight. The player and Hollis Garrow against the four bandits. Use the four bandits' character sheets. For a level 3 character plus Hollis, the four bandits come to about 300 XP, a Low to Moderate fight.

• Tarlik Bendrow. Level 2 fighter, 20 hit points. Fights at the front door.

• Brinnel Darr. Level 1 barbarian, 14 hit points. Comes from the firepit in the first round.

• Messa Tunn. Level 1 rogue, 9 hit points. Comes from the kitchen door in the second round.

• Pellin Varro. Level 1 rogue, 9 hit points. Throws darts from the rafters and drops down to run when hurt.

How Hollis fights. He rages in the first round and stands between the player and the strongest bandit, usually Tarlik. Roll for him with his sheet. He shouts warnings and cheers in short lines.

Why it can be won. A bandit gives up when he or she drops below half hit points, or when two bandits are down. When Tarlik gives up, the rest give up too. Bandits who give up drop their weapons and sit on the floor. Tavia shoots once from the trees if the player is about to drop.

Ways to make it easier. Sneak in through the kitchen with a DC 12 Dexterity (Stealth) check and take Messa by surprise. Cut a bell cord with a DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check so Pellin gets no warning. Talk Brinnel out of the fight first, which leaves only three.

If it goes badly. The gang does not want a killing. A character at 0 hit points is stable, tied up and put in the cellar. The hunter there works the ropes loose within an hour, and Hollis comes back for the player at midnight.

More players. For 2 to 4 player characters, keep the same four bandits. Hollis guards the guests instead of leading the charge.

Clues and Help

An NPC gives the next step in plain talk, never as a list.

• No idea where to start. Hollis says he would go in through the kitchen, where only the halfling watches.

• The cellar is locked. A guest shouts through the grate that the gnome keeps the key around his neck.

• The guests are out. Tavia says someone should meet the guards before they storm the inn.

Ending

Success. All seven guests get out alive and the four bandits are beaten, tied or sent away. Hollis lights the inn's lanterns for the first time in months.

Partial success. The guests get out, but someone is hurt or killed, or the guards storm the inn first.

Rewards

• XP. Each bandit beaten, captured or talked down gives XP. Tarlik and Brinnel give 100 each, Messa and Pellin 50 each. Level 3 to 4 is 1,800 XP, so a Minor milestone is 450 and a Major is 900. Minor when Hollis joins and the plan is set. Major when all the guests are out alive. Never two in one scene.

• Money. Pay all money in gold pieces. The toll box holds 64 gp. The clerk pays 50 gp at the customs booth at the Gate of Tines. Commander Rhask Emberline, who commands the gate, pays 10 gp per bandit handed in alive.

• Items. Pellin Varro offers his Cloak of Spores to be let go. Tavia gives a Bug-call Whistle. The player gains Heroic Inspiration if all seven guests live.

After the Adventure

• Hollis stays or rides on. Hollis stays to clean up the inn. If the player asks, he stays in the party and drives the player to the Gate of Tines on his wagon. If not, he leaves the party with a warm goodbye.

• Work at the gate. Fennrik Drosh, an inspector at the Gate of Tines, offers paid work guarding a caravan on the Road to Odrun.

• Into the city. Brakka Stonevein says Emberhook Hall, the Cudgel's mission hall, takes on people it can trust.