Brigganock Mine

Brigganock Mine

Whenever a mortal makes a wish on the Material Plane, an echo of that wish crystallizes inside a stone buried deep in the earth of the Feywild. Tiny creatures called brigganocks excavate mines beneath the surface of Yon to search for these wish stones. A secret route to Motherhorn lies hidden deep inside the mine; the brigganocks reveal it only to those who earn their respect.

Read the following boxed text aloud when the characters first approach the mine’s entrance:

You hear the sound of hundreds of tiny pickaxes and hammers chipping away at stone. It emanates from the mouth of a cave that has fingers of rock reaching skyward above it. Statues of irate, hairy creatures with cloven hooves are positioned so that they lean around trees and peer over boulders, all staring balefully at the cave entrance.

The statues depict korreds and are harmless. They were carved and placed here by real korreds to frighten and intimidate the brigganocks (see “Lockbury Henge” earlier in the chapter).

Entering the Mine

If one or more characters enter the mine, read:

As soon as you step inside the cave, the tapping noise stops.

As the characters head deeper into the mine, the sound of hammering resumes, coming up from the depths.

Exploring the Mine

The mine is a twisting labyrinth of 8-foot-high, 3-foot-wide tunnels that corkscrew into the ground. The brigganocks made these tunnels big enough to accommodate ponies (which they use as beasts of burden) and their good friend Molliver, whom the characters will encounter if they head deeper into the mine (see “Molliver” below).

The characters encounter no brigganocks in the upper reaches of the mine, but the sound of activity persists. After 10 minutes of navigating the mine, each character must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or fall asleep for 1 hour, lulled into a magical slumber by the rhythmic racket of the miners. On a successful save, a creature is immune to this effect permanently. Elves and other creatures that can’t be put to sleep by magic are also immune to the effect. Creatures that are put to sleep in this way can’t be awakened early by any means short of a wish spell.

Eight brigganocks arrive 5 minutes later, each one pushing a tiny wheelbarrow that contains ropes and pitons. If they encounter party members who are still awake, the brigganocks look surprised, turn their wheelbarrows around, and retreat whence they came, passing Molliver as they return to the mine’s depths (see “Molliver” below). Otherwise, if there’s no one around to stop them, they use their Time Lapse action to rapidly pin sleeping party members to the floor using their hammers, pitons, and ropes.

Creatures pinned to the floor are restrained, prone, and unable to stand up until they free themselves or are released by someone else. A creature can use an action to try to snap the ropes that bind it or to wriggle free of them, doing so with a successful DC 16 Strength (Athletics) check or DC 16 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If a creature has a knife or other sharp tool that it can reach while pinned to the floor, it can use an action to try to saw through its ropes, doing so with a successful DC 16 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. A creature that gets free can use an action to release a creature that is still pinned (no ability check required).

Wish-come-true

The brigganocks hail from a city called Wish-come-true, which is hidden deep beneath the mountains. Its buildings are adorned with glittering gems made from cut wish stones. Hidden behind thick rock walls and powerful illusions, the city can never be found by outsiders, nor can it be scried upon using divination magic.

Molliver

If the entire party is pinned to the floor by the brigganocks, the characters awaken to find themselves staring up at a human standing in their midst. Otherwise, they encounter this individual if they chase after any fleeing brigganocks or head deeper into the mine:

A tall, slender human clad in dark leather armor greets you, their friendly face brightly illuminated by a tiny wisp of light that floats next to a mouse-sized creature perched on the human’s shoulder.

“Greetings, trespassers,” says the human with a smile. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you how to knock?”

The armored figure is Molliver, and the creature on Molliver’s shoulder is Trig, a brigganock. Characters who have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14 or higher notice two more brigganocks hiding on Molliver’s person—one tucked comfortably in a belt pouch and the other peering over the rim of Molliver’s left boot. Their names are Zarli and Oyla.

The brigganocks are happy to have Molliver as their spokesperson and chief advisor when it comes to dealing with outsiders. Molliver has become embroiled in the brigganocks’ quarrel with the korreds and assumes—as the brigganocks do—that the characters were sent by the korreds or their evil ally, Creeping Lyn, to slay brigganocks and steal wish stones.

The characters can convince Molliver of their true intentions with a successful DC 9 Charisma (Persuasion) check, or they can trick Molliver into letting them venture deeper into the mines with a successful DC 9 Charisma (Deception) check. Once convinced that the characters are opposed to Creeping Lyn and not conspiring with the korreds, Molliver instructs the brigganocks to release any character who is still pinned to the floor and shares the following information with conscious characters:

Creeping Lyn kidnapped the brigganocks’ best architect, Golmo, who now toils in Motherhorn, designing new contraptions for the hag.

The korreds provide Creeping Lyn with locks of their magic hair, which she uses to build her contraptions. (This is partially false. The hag cuts the korreds’ hair without their consent; they are not her allies.)

The brigganocks work their mine at all hours because they know the noise aggravates the korreds.

Molliver dodges questions about how they came to be with the brigganocks but admits to being a member of Valor’s Call, an adventuring group that has been hunting a pack of villains called the League of Malevolence. Molliver assumes that the other members of Valor’s Call are safe at Zybilna’s palace and is unaware of all that has happened there of late (see chapter 5). Knowing that their friends are in trouble doesn’t change Molliver’s desire to remain with the brigganocks, who need protection.

Rivenwish Chasm

After conferring with Trig, Molliver says that if the characters complete a test set before them, the brigganocks will show them a secret route to Motherhorn. To pass the test, the characters must cross Rivenwish Chasm, a gash in the earth into which the brigganocks hurl malignant wish stones (the ones born out of evil wishes). Molliver and their brigganock companions lead the characters through several tunnels that lead to the chasm but stop short of entering it:

The route ends at a gaping chasm, on the far side of which is a grotto full of stalactites and stalagmites. A truss bridge constructed of intricate wooden struts and beams spans the one-hundred-foot gap across the chasm. Beneath the bridge is darkness dotted with purple lights.

“Well,” declares Molliver, “here we are at jolly old Rivenwish Chasm. Best stay on the bridge and not dillydally.”

The bridge is 5 feet wide, 100 feet long, and sturdy. Each 5-foot section of the wooden structure has AC 15, 30 hit points, and immunity to fire, poison, and psychic damage.

The chasm is haunted by three flameskulls—the remains of darklings who suffered from vertigo and fell to their doom before reaching the bridge’s halfway point. The flameskulls hide under the bridge’s midpoint. Characters who have passive Wisdom (Perception) scores of 10 or higher aren’t surprised when the flameskulls emerge from hiding and take up positions 10 feet above the bridge.

The flameskulls speak Elvish and Sylvan. Their names are Weaugh, Teaugh, and Peaugh. The flameskulls are hostile toward all other creatures in the chasm and attack without provocation. They become indifferent toward any creature that walks or runs across the bridge and makes it past the midpoint (regardless of the direction it is traveling). Weaugh, Teaugh, and Peaugh congratulate the creature on making it this far.

A character toward whom the flameskulls are indifferent can use an action to try to convince the flameskulls to let the party pass, doing so with a successful DC 13 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If the flameskulls are persuaded to allow safe passage, they apologize for their unprovoked hostility before returning to their hiding spots under the bridge. From that point on, all characters in the party can cross the chasm safely in either direction.

There’s no chance of a character accidentally falling off the bridge or being knocked off the bridge by the flameskulls. The chasm is 200 feet deep, and its bottom is strewn with hundreds of malignant wish stones that give off purple light. These wish stones are unrefined lumps of crystal that shed bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light for an additional 5 feet; any good-aligned creature that has one or more of them in its possession feels mildly nauseated, although this nausea has no game effect. Hags, liches, and other evil spellcasters can find macabre uses for these malignant wish stones, which otherwise have no value.