Introduction
Destination Moon Palace is a 5e compatible adventure for four to six adventurers of level 7. It continues the story started in Moon Elves’ Masquerade by examining what the deposed Moon Prince, Claviceps Purpurea did after his downfall. The adventure can be run in 3 – 4 hours and takes place in both the Moon and Hell. While on the moon, the PCs’ jump distance is tripled and they take no damage from falling.
📖 The ocean has been in chaos for months, rising and falling unpredictably, causing countless nautical disasters and wreaking havoc on coastal settlements. The entire planet is feeling the effects. Wizards have determined the straightforward, but baffling, cause: the moon, regulator of the tides, is shrinking in mass. They have organized to send the PCs to the moon, in hopes of ascertaining, and hopefully solving, the problem. The PCs gather, supplied for their perilous journey with moon-suits and a scroll of Teleport to return home. The wizards intone their spell, and the teleportation circle activates. There is a whoosh and a pop, and the PCs appear on the moon.
Area 1: Ruined Court (Exploration/Combat)
The PCs arrive in a ruined court under a mile-wide glass dome, the only thing separating them from the cold void of space. Dozens of enormous, collapsed pillars lean precariously against one another. A silverfire fountain sits atop a 20-foot-high platform. Dipping any weapon in the fountain provides a magical coating of silver that lasts 24 hours. Three Bearded Devils patrol the ruined court. On the opposite side of a sculpture garden, a run-down, purple palace looms in the distance.
The PCs have a moment to hide before they are seen. The Devils attack on sight. If the PCs fight the Bearded Devils, at the start of round 2 , a Barbed Devil from Area 2 notices and joins. It climbs atop a sculpture of a single-eyed giant and hurls fire at the PCs from 150ft. away. The Devils will flee to Area 3a when low on hit points, locking the massive doors and proceeding to warn their boss of the intrusion.
Area 2: Sculpture Garden (Social)
Statues of bizarre creatures adorn the garden, each with a plaque announcing its name. They are completely unique creatures: the only ones of their kind in the universe. The palace doors loom large and violet. A plain hut connects to the side of the palace.
If the PCs snuck past the guards in Area 1
A Barbed Devil sits on a bench in the garden, eating a man-pork sandwich and ruminating on the sculpture of a single-eyed giant, song-sculpted from jade. If the PCs try to remain hidden, the Devil will not notice them. The statues snore softly.
If the PCs fought the guards in Area 1 and the fight is over
The statues chuckle and jeer, insulting the PCs appearance and calling them cliché and played-out, uninspired derivatives of the millions of mortals that came before.
If the PCs are still in the middle of the fight
The Barbed Devil retreats towards Area 3a, throwing fire as it goes. The statues jeer at both parties, paying special attention to insult the Bearded Devils.
If the PCs query the statues, the only useful information they will learn is that Sim in Area 3b is the only other palace resident. The massive doors to Area 3a require a successful Strength (Athletics) check DC 18 to open. If locked, a successful Dexterity (Thieves Tools) check DC 30 can unlock them. The door has an Armor Class of 20 and 200 Hit Points. If the PCs are messing with the door for more than a minute, Sim emerges from Area 3b asking them to stop and follow them.
Area 3a: Entry Hall (Exploration)
In the old days, Prince Claviceps’ moon-parties would begin with dinner and dancing, then move outside. Lining the walls of the tapered hallway are piles of discarded shoes and gowns. The moon elf revellers would off such finery as they moved outdoors, but wind up too inebriated to recover their things. On a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check DC 18, the PC finds a Staff of Waning. A fancy door at the end of the hall leads to Area 4.
Area 3b: Servant’s Quarters (Social)
The PCs enter the simple hut just off the main palace, the dwelling of Sim, Claviceps’ dutiful servant. Sim is a well-dressed and polite person whose company might be quite pleasant, were it not for their distressing facelessness. They were once a regular mortal, but Claviceps stole their face and transformed them into their thrall. Sadly, this cruelty kindled devotion in Sim, and now Claviceps’ greatest victim is the only one still loyal to him.
Sim uses the Doppelganger stat block, but cannot change shape. Their ability to Read Thoughts allows them to be phenomenally agreeable. As the conversation progresses, they will head off any suggestions that Claviceps is cruel or that their devotion is unwarranted, with a flippant: “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that!” followed by excuses.
Sim will answer the PCs’ questions, so long as they remain civil. This is what they know: Prince Claviceps was humiliated by mortals and then deposed by the other moon princes, and went into exile. Sim alone remained to watch the palace, but it quickly fell into ruin with them as the only caretaker. Several months ago, a group of Devils arrived, claiming they had Claviceps’ permission to mine for Moon Rocks on his property. Sim could not stop the Devils doing as they wanted. The Devils have mined straight down from the ballroom, into the moon’s core. They bring up the most pure Moon Rocks and ship them off to Hell through portals.
Sim will beg the PCs to remove the Devils from Claviceps’ beautiful home. They can think of three ways to eject the Devils: 1) Defeat the Boss Devil and the employees will leave, 2) Close the Hell Portals, or 3) Use some legal trick to get the Devils to cease mining.
PCs can get to Area 4 by going through the servant tunnels, emerging through an unassuming door.
🔥 Hell Portals – portals created by a devil, by placing a piece of brimstone where no sunlight shines, leading to a desired location in hell. The surface will shimmer with orange and green light for 1d4 + 1 rounds, then open into the portal. Moving a stone will cause the portal to close in 1d4 + 1 rounds.
Area 4: Ballroom Dig Site (Boss)
Once, this was a splendid (if gaudy) ballroom. Now, it is a dig site for devils. Big drills bore into the ground and cranes pull out loads of Moon Rock. An unending train of Lemures push carts loaded with Moon Rocks into Hell Portals. The Boss, a Chain Devil with two Imps, oversees the operation. The Boss is aware of the deal with Claviceps. Prince Claviceps was humiliated by mortals and deposed by his fellow moon-princes. So great was his anger, that he sold full moon-mining rights to a privatized corporation in Hell.
If the Boss was warned, they will be set up behind a barricade in front of the fancy door. Entrance through the unassuming door allows the PCs to emerge hidden. PCs can enter Hell through the Hell Portals. The Devils will fight if attacked and they will indignantly tell the PCs they have every legal right to mine as much as they want. The PCs can beat on the Devils until they run away, enter Hell and turn off the portals, or convince the Devils they must cease mining with a successful Intelligence (Deception, History or Persuasion) check DC 20.
Area 5: Hell (Combat)
An Ice Devil is here managing the Lemures. They will attack the party on sight and the Lemures will flee in hellish trucks when combat begins, escaping with the valuable moon rocks. If the PCs move the portal stones, the portals will close in 1d4 + 1 rounds, stranding the party should they fail to cross back over. The Ice Devil will attempt to prevent their escape.
Aftermath
Once the PCs either defeat the boss, close the portals, or stop the mining, any combat ends. The Devils only fight to keep mining, so if it comes to a halt, they will go home and make their report to the big boss. If the PCs are on the moon, they can use their scroll of Teleport to get back to the planet. If they are stranded in Hell, they will need to find another way home. If the PCs have shut down the mining, Sim will give them a reward of 28,000 silver pieces and the Brooch of the Blue Moon as thanks.
The Devils will not take this defeat lying down. Over the next months, they will restructure and attempt to resume their mining operation.