Overview

This is a level 3 side quest designed for 3–5 adventurers. It can be completed in a single session or split into two, depending on pace and how much intrigue the party pursues.

Setting and Hook

In the quiet village of Tarnwatch, the Well of Sighs lies beneath an ancient willow. At midnight a silver lantern seems to rise from the well, bathing the grove in pale blue light and stirring vivid, unsettling dreams across town. The mayor secretly fears a malevolent bargain behind the glow and hires the party to investigate discreetly, warning that sleep is vanishing from the town.

Objectives

• Discover who or what pulled the lantern from the well.


• Retrieve the Lantern of Safe Passage if it has fallen into the wrong grasp.


• Free Nyara, a trapped water-spirit, from an enchantment binding her to the lantern and restore balance to the spring.

Adventure Flow

Act I – Investigation: Question villagers, inspect the well, and follow clues: muddy goblin tracks, torn elvish scraps, and a moon-carved totem humming softly when touched.

Act II – The Well Gate: The well descends into a damp grotto and a ruined chamber beneath the roots. There you confront goblin raiders and Skratz, a sharp-witted goblin shaman guarding Nyara’s urn. A puzzle of reflections in the pools weakens Skratz’s control and reveals the lantern’s tether.

Act III – Resolution: Defeat Skratz and his underlings, or parley to release Nyara. Freeing Nyara causes the lantern to dim and the nightmares to ease; failing tightens Tarnwatch’s dread and may trigger floods from the spring.

Rewards and Hooks

• Lantern of Safe Passage: a subtle magical light that protects against water hazards and grants advantage on one water-related check.


• Nyara’s Blessing: a one-use boon that grants a single saving throw advantage.


• Gold and XP; potential future ties to a grove guardian for additional side quests.

GM Notes

Make goblins clever and resourceful rather than brute-force junk. Include environmental hazards: slick roots, shifting pools, creeping fog. The party should feel a mix of investigation, stealth, and tactical combat appropriate for a level-3 party, with a possible diplomatic outcome if they can persuade Skratz to release Nyara. The quest scales smoothly with 3–5 players and offers a clear, memorable focal point for a single-session adventure.