Waterdeep: Clearing out Trollskull Manor
This is intended to serve as a short exploration of the Manor after the party is offered the deed by Volo. It has a single short combat encounter, which can be skipped if desired. It's mostly intended to provide a sense of the tavern's history, introduce Lif, and acquaint players with the layout of the building.
Lif is not intended to be fought in this exploration. If threatened or turned he will flee the room if possible.
Adding more combat
If you wish to include more combat, and make the exploration more like a dungeon, I recommend the following.
- Add an encounter with a Shard Shunners (wererat stats) to the Second Floor.
- You could steal the animated broom from Death House for an encounter on the third floor.
- Either room of the attic could have been taken by a flying creature(s) as a nest. A pair of pseudodragons, a swarm of ravens, or something similar.
- An ochre jelly could have made its way into the basement from the sewers.
Arriving at the Manor
It rained last night. The kind of storm that can be quite pleasant when passed in a dry and warm household. The whole city is cloaked in morning mist, as the sun works hard to burn off the heavy moisture.
This introduction is written assuming the game is run in summer or spring. It is easily adapted to other seasons. The goal is to show that the building is run down, particularly emphasizing the water damage and dampness.
Eventually arriving at Trollskull alley, you are met by the impressive and forlorn sight of the building. There is no mistaking the old manor, it's corner tower rising above the neighboring shops and houses. Shingles are missing from it's sharply peaked roof, and the exterior speaks to better times of smooth plaster and white paint, now fallen into grey and mouldy disrepair. A large Elm tree has overgrown it's planting, and long branches brush against the facade, shadowing the entrance. The alleyway beyond is bustling with early morning activity, and yet the road that crosses infront of the manor is quite empty aside from you.
If Volo is accompanying the party, he will remind them of the following.
Trollskull Manor was once a tavern in these parts, back when the North Ward wasn't quite as well off. Some crisis or another, can't remember which one. Anyways, as far as I heard, the owner lost everything and eventually died there. Place was abandoned for years before the city put the deed up for auction. I was chatting with one of the neighbors who told me about the spirit, who seems to have been good at keeping people away. Though I did have some competition when I bought the place from the city, funny little man, can't remember his name.
Volo doesn't know much else about the place.
Lif The Poltergeist
As the players poke around, Lif may do any of the following.
- A gust of cold wind ruffles your hair, sending a shiver down your spine. The wind has no clear source.
- A plate or tankard suddenly flies across the room.
- The door slams shut/open behind you.
- While opening the door, as you let go it suddenly slams back closed.
- The phrase "Mine" appears suddenly on the wall, scrawled in the ever-present dust.
Lif's demeanor will change based on the different levels of the house. You can tell the players the "mood" of a particular room or floor, as a way to humanize the poltergeist and fill out Lif's story.
Lif's Life
Lif had a wife and child at some point. They left him or died before the tavern went under. Part of Lif's guilt may be his obsession with the tavern destroying his marriage, or he may believe the failure of the tavern is what drove them away. The particulars aren't likely to be important, and Lif's spirit may not remember the specifics.
First Floor
In the taproom, he will attempt to drive the players away, but is more interested in frightening them than anything else.
Taproom
"The ground floor is strewn with debris. Broken chairs and tables dot the floor, while a large circle of mold grows over the old bar, fed by a steady drip of water from the cracked plaster ceiling. The hearth is cold, with a number of stones missing. Between the ever-present cobwebs and broken windows, the whole place is an abandonmened mess.
Oddly, there is an unbroken mirror behind the bar. While caked with thick dust, there is a phrase clearly scrawled here in the dust 'closing time'."
If the players investigate the message, a ceramic plate falls from a high shelf behind the bar.
Pantry
"Old wooden shelves line the pantry, their joints loosened with weathering. In one corner there is a pile of shredded cloth and sacks, forming a sort of rubbish nest."
Second Floor
On this floor Lif is largely silent. He doesn't appear in the den or spare bedroom. He may cause loud noises in the common room or hall if the players spend a long time there.
Common Room
This room is sparsely decorated. A few old hooks can be found in the walls, but their painting were long ago sold or stolen. A pair of old chairs and a small table are pushed up against the west side. A cabinet once sat beneath the east window, but has been smashed to pieces.
The fireplace is dark and cold, with a small puddle in the center where the rain has come down the old chimney.
The door to the south is open.
Hall
This hall is similar to the common room. There is a pile of rubbish to the east. For all the visible decay of the house, the floor is flat and strong, and the heavy wooden staircase curves upward to the third level.
Spare Room
The door to this room has been forced open, but it is otherwise empty, with no evidence of use for ages.
Bedroom
This room resembled a room you might find in any tavern or boarding house. Though larger and with a quite nice view of the alleyway and the large elm tree outside. There is a simple bed, a small table with chair, and an empty blanket chest.
Den
This room is caked in thick cobwebs. The stink of decomposing flesh fills your nose, joined by an acrid stench.
The Den room is occupied by a Giant Wolf Spider, who lurks in the western end, and waits for the party to enter before attacking. It has recently hatched a brood of babies, who attack as two swarms of spiders.
The thick webs filling the circular tower count as difficult terrain for the party, but does not affect the spiders. The webs are not particularly flammable right now due to the recent rain and a couple broken windows in the room.
After driving away the spiders, the players can find an old brooch with a painted spider, corroded with age (worth 5gp if sold). It belonged to the Hag, but is otherwise not special. It has a very faint magical aura, but this is something it passively acquired, and has no effect.
Inside the nest, the players can find the corpse of a recent meal, probably some unfortunate person caught from a back alley. The bones are small, but fully grown, indicating a halfling or gnome. The players can find 23 gold on the body.
It's up to the DM to decide if this body is important or not. Reporting it to the city watch will elicit a thanks and a removal. It could be a member of the Shard Shunners, or possibly one of their victims fed to the spiders as a peace offering.
Third Floor
Lif's demeanor changes based on the rooms explored. He becomes very angry in the study, and sad in the Master or northern Bedroom.
Landing
The staircase comes to a short landing, before continuing upward to the fourth floor. There is no furniture remaining here.
Library / Study
As the players attempt to open this door, Lif will slam it shut immediately. Someone with a Strength of 15 (or a DC 12 strength check) can overpower the poltergeist easily.
As you enter the room, it is immediately apparent this was a study or library of some sort. A heavy desk sits beneath the window, sun flowing in from the east. The south walls are covered in bookshelves, though only a few books remain.
If the players investigate the desk.
The surface of the desk is heavily scratched, short phrases clawed into it over and over again. "No Coin", "Closing Time", "Everyone Gone", "Abandoned", "Last Call". As you read the messages, the door slams shut behind you. A keening wail fills the study, before an invisible force slams into the bookshelf, tossing several volumes to the floor.
This is the room where Lif died, and his presence can be felt most strongly here. His tantrum poses no danger to the players though. If they try and communicate with him, he will scrawl messages on the desk in the swirling dust. Lif doesn't use full sentences, and is limited to short messages similar to those carved into the desk. Some examples of questions the players might ask, and Lif's responses.
- "Was this your bar" : "Mine"
- "What happened" : "No Coin"
- "Did you have a family?": "All Gone"
If the players tell Lif they plan to re-open the tavern, Lif is suspicious, but clearly interested. "Grand Opening?"
Master Bedroom
This room is similarly sparsely furnished, with a bed, linen chest, and a small table. Marks on the walls indicate it was probably much better furnished at one time. There is still a small pile of ashes in the fireplace.
Searching the room will show a loose piece of trim that can be removed. Inside is a small coffer, unlocked, with 4 silver pieces and 12 copper. The last of Lif's savings.
Private Bath
This room has a heavy clawfoot tub and wash basin beneath the window. A fireplace is present for warmth and heating bath water.
Bedroom
This room is small and oddly shaped, but dry and warm in the early day sun. The fireplace is filled with dry wood, but has no evidence of being lit. A childs bed is set in the corner, as well as a child sized desk and chest. The dresser and chest are empty, but there are a few small items set carefully upon the desk. A small glass poppy flower, a carved wooden horse, and a lace hankerchief.
Tower Room
This room is empty except for a ladder to the turret peak and a small box that holds spare linens.
Fourth Floor
Lif's presence on this floor is minimal.
Attic Bedroom
The door to this bedroom has been nailed shut. Inside it is entirely empty.
Attic Storage
This room is mostly empty, except for a few spare chairs and tables covered with an old cloth.
Turret Peak
There is a small chair and table here in the cramped space, perfect for watching the city below. Beneath the table is an old water-damaged book of childrens stories.
Basement
Lif does not come down to the basement. It has no memories here for him, and the lingering presence of the Hag's evil is unpleasant for the spirit.
Ale Cellar
You have to crouch to descend these rough hewn stairs. At the bottom you enter into a cramped cellar. To the north you see a pile of barrels and kegs, most of them clearly empty. To the west you can see what must have been a wine cellar. The whole place is cold and damp, clear evidence of water infiltration along the walls. It will have to be re-sealed before it can be safely used as a cellar again. If the players search the barrels, they find a Talking Doll way in the back. Perception 16: The player spots a hole in the east wall, which was clearly patched at some point in the far past, but the water damage has eroded the mortar.
Wine Cellar
This area is filled with wine shelves, though they stand mostly empty. There are a few bottles of rancid wine here. Anyone who searches finds three bottles of Whirling Wind Calimshan Red, which had been misplaced behind a spare barrel. The bottles are fairly valuable given the war currently raging through Calimshan.
Walled Up Alcove
The players can find a small skeleton here, clearly that of a young child, shackled to the wall with a rusty chain. One of the victims of the Hag who escaped the stewpot, but still died.