Tower Ruins
A few leagues upriver along the Dunwater lies the overgrown ruins of an ancient alchemists’ tower. The three-story structure leans precariously over the riverbank, its upper level blasted apart, blackened by the fire that destroyed it a century ago. Creeper vines and moss cover the weathered stone.
The Disaster
The tower once housed an order of alchemists who sought to perfect a devastating compound called Alchemic Fire, a sticky, explosive substance capable of burning even underwater. During the Azure’s Tide conflict between Kingdom of Keoland and the Sea Princes, the alchemists hoped to sell their creation to the highest bidder.
Their final experiment ended in catastrophe. An unstable reaction exploded in the top floor, flooding the tower with dark magic reagents. The explosion killed everyone inside and the dark magic regents spawned oozes that still plague the Dunwater. These river oozes have adapted to their new environment: they can breathe both air and water and possess a swim speed equal to their base speed.
The Ruins
The tower’s ground floor is strewn with fragments of stone, charred beams, and scattered bones, the remains of the alchemists who perished in the blast. Many skeletons show signs of horrific trauma: ribs shattered inward, skulls cracked, fingers fused to melted glass.
A collapsed stairway leads down into the flooded cellar, the water is waste deep. The air is heavy with strange fumes, and the walls shimmer faintly with alchemical residue that still reacts to torchlight.
Tower Encounters
River Approach.
Around the tower’s base and along the nearby Dunwater River, the characters encounter 1d4 + 1 oozes.
Modified Oozes: These variants can breathe air and water and have a swimming speed equal to their normal movement.
The water near the tower glows faintly where the oozes surface, their gelatinous bodies slick with alchemical sheen.
The Tower.
The tower remains unstable. The walls are slick with moss, and the interior timbers creak under shifting weight. Anyone attempting to climb the tower or enter through the ruined upper level disturbs an Assassin Vine that has taken root and has covered the tower with its vines.
Assassin Vine: The plant lashes out at any living creature within 20 feet, attempting to drag prey toward the shattered wall where it feeds on decayed corpses and river silt.
The Alchemist’s Spirit
The lower chambers are haunted by the lingering essence of Master Edrath Varn, the lead alchemist. His soul was bound to the place by the violent magic of the explosion.
When intruders approach the sealed laboratory at the catacombs’ end, a cold mist gathers, and the spectral form of Varn appears in scorched robes, his face a hollow mask of light. He warns the intruders to leave the formula untouched, muttering, “We sought to bottle the sun… and drowned in its fire.”
If ignored or threatened, Varn becomes hostile, defending his secret with spectral fury.
Edrath Varn, Alchemist’s Shade
Use the Ghost stat block with the following changes:
Type: Undead (Spirit of an Alchemist)
Damage Resistances: Fire; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
New Trait – Alchemical Residue: Once per turn, the ghost’s Withering Touch also ignites residual vapors, dealing an additional 1d6 fire damage.
New Action – Alchemist’s Rebuke (Recharge 5–6): The ghost releases a burst of alchemical fire in a 10-foot radius. All creatures in range must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 fire damage on a failure, or half as much on success.
When the ghost is defeated or laid to rest, his body’s ashes swirl into the air and whisper his final warning:
“Fire belongs to none who breathe.”
A secret compartment in the lab contains the surviving treasure:
Treasure
Scroll of Alchemic Fire Recipe – Details how to brew volatile fire bombs.
Crafting Check: DC 15 Alchemy or Arcana.
Failure (Nat 1): Explosion, damage as per intended size.
Variants:
Small Fire Ball – 2d8 fire (10 ft. radius), 10 lb.
Medium Fire Ball – 4d8 fire (20 ft. radius), 20 lb.
Large Fire Ball – 6d8 fire (30 ft. radius), 40 lb.
Delivery: Must be launched via catapult, trebuchet, or similar siege device.
Ingredients – Enough to craft one Small Fire Ball and a sealed metal container to hold it.
The Alchemist’s Grimoire – Contains several other experimental formulas. (DM's Choice)
(See: Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Chapter 1 — “Dunwater River”)
