Dangerous Dreams

This adventure is recommended for 3-5 adventurers at level 5

Setup: Surgat, an Erathis monk, approaches the group at a tavern. He asks some pointed questions about their skills and experience. A Charisma check (DC 12) will convince Surgat that the party will be able to help him. He will offer them an uncommon magic item in exchange for helping him destroy a cursed weapon, the nightmare blade. If the party agrees he will take them to a cave deep in the mountains.

This is an ancient place. Shamans used to come here to commune with the world of dreams. Supposedly there is a gateway within, although I’ve never seen it. I suspect it will be guarded somehow. Be ready for anything. – Surgat

Cavern Entrance – The cave opens to a small cavern. On the far wall is a weathered stone slab. Etched into the stone are the following words: In a dark room in a lost place is a thought born of memory. There is no danger except what you bring with you.

Pushing aside the slab reveals a ladder leading down into the darkness.

The Dream Room – The ladder ends after about twenty feet to a passageway carved out of the very stone walls. It bends and turns and twists upon itself before letting you out in a large temple room. Mosaic drawings decorate the walls. Stone columns rise up to hold a ceiling that you cannot see through the darkness. On the far wall is a curtain of vines.

The mosaics depict images ofacastle floating among clouds, a rainbow grove withfrolicking unicorns, and a dragon slumbering around a pile of gold. There is a floor trap just before the curtain of vines. A passive perception check (DC 14) will notice a charred mark on the floor. A perception check (DC 17) will see the fire trap. Players can either walk around the stone or attempt to disable the trap (DC 20). Stepping on the trap causes fire to burst from the two nearest stone columns. Everyone within a 15 radius must make a Dexterity save DC 15 or take 4d6 fire damage. Half damage on a successful save.

Hallway of Dreams – This hallway appears normal at first but as you walk along it, the walls and floor become blurry and distorted. The hallway ends at a large mirror. It has a gold border with arcane symbols etched around it. What is interesting is that you only see your reflection in the mirror and not any of your companions.

An arcane check (DC 15) will recognize the symbols as being a combination of divination and conjuration magic. A strong aura of magic radiates from the mirror. In order to enter the realm of dreams, the players must walk through it. Putting even one finger into the mirror causes the player to compulsively step into it.

Stage 1 – You are in a brightly lit hallway. The floor is made of tiles with a mandala design. Burning torches line the hallway. Looking back you see a mirror and on the other side of it you see yourself sleeping soundly against a wall.

The players cannot leave the dream realm through the mirror. It will act like a solid wall. The mandala designs on the floor shifts and changes each time the player looks at it. The torches are embedded in the sconces on the wall and cannot be removed. After a few moments, a gentle music drifts down the hall. Players with a background in music will identify it as a scary lullaby called “The Sleep of the Blind.” The hallway seems to stretch on forever. No matter how long the players walk the hallway doesn’t change. If they look back, they will see the mirrored gateway no more than 30 feet away from them. In order to enter deeper into the dream, you need to close your eyes and walk forward. If the players can’t figure it out, give them an Intelligence check (DC 10) to get a clue that perhaps the answer lies in the name of the song. If the player’s are really stumped, Surgat can solve the riddle for them. Once the players figure out the trick move them to the next stage.

Stage 2 – You close your eyes and walk down the hallway. The music grows louder and louder in your ears. Suddenly, it stops and you hear only your own heartbeat. Opening your eyes, you find yourself standing in a square room. There are no doors and no sign of the hallway you came from but there is a white obelisk in the middle of the room. Carved into the obelisk are elemental symbols: earth, fire, water, air.

In order to progress forward, the players must choose an element. They can throw dirt on the obelisk, set it on fire, spit on it, or blow on it. Depending on which action the players take, the appropriate symbol will glow and then the obelisk will turn into an elemental of the chosen type. The players must fight either an air elemental, fire elemental, earth elemental, or a water elemental (see monster manual). Upon defeating it, the elemental will speak. Each one will sound different. The earth elemental will grind. The fire elemental will hiss. The water elemental will bubble. The air elemental will whistle.

“Go no further. The nightmare that lies within hungers. Wake and be free,” says the elemental. Surgat steps forth and replies, “We cannot. We must destroy the nightmare. We are not afraid.” The elemental sighs loudly and then the floor gives away and you begin to fall. You fall and you fall through an endless void.

Stage 3 – With a thud you land on a grassy hill that cushions your landing. As you get up, the floor undulates like you are walking on water. You see more green hills dotted with trees all around you. A path of red stones seems to grow out of the ground and leads away towards a castle in the distance. Thunderstorm clouds surround the castle and crackle with lightning.

The players have entered the fright’s lair. They must travel to its heart. There is only one path. As the players walk along the path, visions and memories will appear and attempt to stop them. Have each player write down something or someone they fear. Take that list and describe each nightmare as it attacks. For instance: If a player says they are scared of clowns, a box will drop from the sky and open as one clown, then two, then three, and more until a dozen clowns crawl out of the box and attempt to chase the players. Be creative with the descriptions. For each nightmare, each player makes a Wisdom save versus fear (DC 12) or takes 2d8 psychic damage. The player whose nightmare it is rolls at disadvantage.

Surgat’s nightmare will be a crying woman rocking on the ground and holding a bundle to her chest. As the players approach her she will look up and scream. “Why? Why couldn’t you save him?” She throws the bundle down and the cloth falls away to reveal a dead child. The woman wails like a banshee in an ear-splitting scream. If asked about the scene, Surgat will only say that he didn’t make it in time and that the woman was a vision of his sister.

Once all of the nightmares have been overcome, the players will arrive at the castle. The entrance will look like the gaping maw of a monster. Two lights in the castle windows give the impression of eyes glaring down at the group. The drawbridge will be slimy like a tongue. Stepping into the castle will take the players to the heart of the fright’s lair.

REM – As you enter the castle mouth you walk into a large courtyard. At the far end sits a throne. On the throne is a skeleton with a crown on its head and a scepter in its hand. The skeleton grins as you approach.

The players must now battle the Fright. Every round of combat, the environment will change. After the first round and at the very beginning of Initiative, roll a 1d8 on the following table to see what kind environment the players must fight in and what kind of effects it has.

1. Cemetery – An ancient cemetery filled with gnarled trees and hundreds of tombstones. Skeletal hands burst from the ground making any movement across this space difficult terrain.

2. An Abandoned School – Dusty desks and chairs fill this room and a chalkboard on the wall has child-like drawings that depict people dying in horrifying ways such as burning alive or being drowned. You hear children singing a playground song in the distance but the words are unintelligible. All spells require a concentration check to cast or maintain.

3. A Slaughter House – Dead animals and people hang from hooks dangling from the ceiling. The smell of blood permeates the room. At the beginning of each player’s turn, they must make a Constitution save (DC 10) or suffer disadvantage on all attacks and ability checks until the start of their next turn.

4. Corn Field – A corn field stretches in all directions. The corn itself is 8 feet high blocking all vision. A red moon shining down bathes the scene in a red light. Players may only engage the Fright as long as it is within 5 feet of them. Any distance farther than that and the Fright has full cover.

5. A Boat – A boat rocks in the middle of the ocean as a storm rages around it. At the start of each player’s turn, they must make a Dexterity save (DC 15) or fall prone.

6. The Toystore – A room filled with old toys. Dozens of marionettes hang from the wall. They attempt to strange the players. On the Fright’s turn, the marionettes makes one attack (+5) against each player. The player takes 1d4+1 bludgeoning damage and is entangled (immobilized) on a successful hit.

7. Snowstorm – A blizzard creates a white haze all around obscuring vision and causing the ground to be rough terrain. All players who begin their turn in the snowstorm suffer from the blinded condition until the beginning of their next turn.

8. The Library – Rows of shelves containing books stretch out in a maze around the players. Little tables with green lights dot the carpeted room of this library. On the Fright’s turn, the entire room flips upside down and the players and the rows of books crash to the ceiling. Each player must make an Acrobatics or Athletics check or take 3d6 falling damage. No damage on a successful save.

Once the Fright is destroyed, the environment shifts back to the castle and the grinning skeletal king falls to the ground and explodes into dust. The crown rolls on the ground towards the group. Surgat will take the nightmare blade and stab the crown with it which will shatter them both. Thus the nightmare blade is destroyed. A portal will open showing the players their sleeping forms. Once the player steps through the portal they will awaken and find themselves sleeping in the empty hallway of dreams. The mirror will be gone.