The Business of Emotion: The Tunnel of Love
The Mouth of the Cave
After traveling for several hours, you find a dense forest on the edge of the small mountain range, marking the end of the valley. The canopy of the forest before you is ominously thick, allowing little light through.
The lazy, meandering river gains pace as you exit the valley and follow it to a nearby mountain. At the base of the mountain you find the mouth of a large cavern, and the roar of water echoes from within.
Intelligence (Investigation) checks outside the cave find the following:
- DC 10: Large, bear-shaped footprints in the mud along the river bank.
- DC 15: Tracks showing that whatever left the footprints dragged a large animal. These tracks can be followed to the corpse of a horse in the bushes.
The horse was attacked, dragged, and partially eaten by a large beast. Further Intelligence (Investigation or Nature) checks reveal:
- DC 10: Deep, parallel claw marks along the horse’s flank.
- DC 18: A single owl feather in a nearby bush.
The Throat of the Cave
As the players enter the cave, they soon find themselves standing above the river as it has cut its way through the stone.
The ground along the river’s edge (marked on the map) has been partially eroded by the river’s rapid waters. The first Medium or larger creature that steps in this area causes a five-foot patch to crumble. The player must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw to avoid falling into the river below, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage from the fall, suffering a severe exposure to the love potion (Odds and Ends) and being carried downriver 1d6x5 feet.
The Cauldron Chamber
You round the bend and enter a large chamber. Along the far wall, a roaring waterfall pours from the depths of the mountain. Near the edge of the platform, a cast iron cauldron rests upon a wooden scaffold overhanging the river. A pinkish light glows from the open top of the cauldron, and occasionally, a single fuchsia drop leaps into the churning source of the River Trom.
Directly in front of you, lying upon a nest of trampled grass and bones is a large, feathered mass whose glowing yellow eyes stare from the darkness. It remains motionless, watching and breathing loudly.
The owlbear smelled the PCs when they entered the cave, but obeys Hermia’s orders, and dutifully guards the cauldron chamber. It watches the PCs, but attacks if they get within 10 feet of the cauldron.
On the second round of combat, Hermia ( witch ) arrives on the scene, having invisibly watched the party from beside her owlbear . She remains under her magical disguise as she approaches.
Hermia will not attack immediately, and momentarily calls off her owlbear to parley with the PCs. However, she instantly retaliates if attacked, if the players attack her owlbear after she arrives, or if she overhears the party discussing plans to destroy her potion setup.
If Hermia attacks or is attacked:
The beautiful female form before you dissolves, leaving a thin wisp of magical essence hanging in the air. A hideous, green-skinned monster now stands in her place. Her mouth opens wide as she cackles wickedly, revealing the sharp points of many shattered teeth. Her long arms and sharp claws drag behind her as she approaches. “You dare to disrupt my experiments?” she cries out. “This cave will be your grave!”
The scaffolding supporting the cauldron has 15 hit points and AC 10. It is resistant to piercing damage. It automatically fails saving throws against spells with an area of effect, like fireball. Its wood is damp from the river water, and it ignores the first 5 points of fire damage it takes each day.
If inspected, the scaffolding upon which the cauldron of love potion rests is obviously rickety. A DC 11 Investigation check reveals the structure is slightly off level, likely leading to the overdosing.
If the scaffolding is destroyed, the cauldron drops vertically towards the riverbank, pausing momentarily as it spins on its edge above the ledge. Attempts to stop it from falling in will require a PC’s reaction and should be judged based on a DC 16 Dexterity check (to catch it) and DC 13 Strength check (to hold onto it). Otherwise, it slowly rotates (for maximum drama) before toppling over the ledge, spilling the entire contents of the cauldron into the river—see the Spillage section of Resolving the Adventure.