There’s a lot of privilege baked into what I lay out in this Money Diary through my education and upbringing. I still feel like a novice concerning personal finance but I know I am doing (probably more than) alright. The biggest thing that money does for me is give me peace of mind, and I am very grateful for that.
Section One: Assets and Debt

• Retirement balance: $1,157 in TIAA 403(b), $2,726 in Vanguard 403(b), and $6,090 in my Roth IRA

I started full-time employment in November 2019, so this represents about a year of savings. The Roth IRA was funded in one go when I started getting serious about knowing where my money is and what it’s doing this summer. I have two 403(b)s because I switched brokerages from TIAA to Vanguard; I can’t combine them until I leave this position. My initial contribution was a flat 3%, then I bumped it up to 6%, and more recently, I’ve been contributing $1200 a paycheck, which I will continue through the end of the year, when I’ll readjust down to $800 or so. Our match was paused this summer before I was eligible for it, and it remains paused until Summer 2021.
​

• Brokerage account: $11,243

I have a taxable brokerage account separate from my retirement accounts where I am saving for a down payment on a house. I seeded it with $3k of my own savings and transferred all the assets from a matured UTMA account from my great-uncle (which was being actively managed by my parents’ financial planner until I took control of it this summer). The UTMA was part of how I paid for college, and the remaining $7,000 or so has been rolled into this account. I went back and forth between a HYSA and brokerage for this pot of money, and ultimately decided to keep the money invested in a Target Date Fund (2025) because I don’t plan to purchase a house for another ten years or so (the utility of this is the Target Date Fund automatically creates a glide path of investment allocation). I am still working on selling off the funds the financial planner had me invested in as they mature to a year cost-basis to reinvest in the Target Date Fund.
​

• Savings account balance: $4,275 in my general savings account, $5,998 in a separate account holding for my 2021 Roth IRA, and $6,021 in an HYSA

I have a catch-all savings account, a temporary savings account for my 2021 Roth IRA (I know I ought to just invest it now, but this is a psychological choice for me, down to leaving a buffer for the interest it’ll earn before I invest it), and then a HYSA for my emergency fund and savings for a car (maybe? I’ve been courting the idea of my next job being at a university that is not in a city with great public transit, so this is contingent on that, I don’t really want the responsibility of a car). Because I am shoveling money into my retirement accounts right now, I’m not making contributions to my HYSA, but they will pick up again in January.
​

• Checking account balance: $1,249

I used to keep my checking account at $1k plus my rent, and then siphon off money to my catch-all savings account whenever I got paid. But since I’ve been tracking my money a little better, I move my monthly budget of $1300 into my checking account at the beginning of the month, and then all paychecks immediately get transferred to my catch-all savings.
​

• Health Savings Account: $686

My health insurance plan makes me eligible for an HSA and I get up to a $750 match every year as a single contributor. Right now I deposit $31.25 each paycheck and my employer matches the entire amount. I’ve already used some of the funds I saved earlier this year.
​

• Credit card debt: -$83

I pay this off every month and always have. This represents the groceries I bought in this diary, groceries two weeks ago, and ordering dinner for my boyfriend and myself earlier in the month.
​

• Paypal: $0

This is almost always at a zero balance. I use it to accept rewards from the occasional survey, pay for certain things online, and settle up utility and rent payments with my roommates. It is connected to my credit card and my checking account.
​

• Student loan debt: $0

I graduated with a BA in Education Studies and Cognitive Science in May 2019. While I graduated with loans totalling about $16,000, I had the savings on hand to pay them off because I basically didn’t spend money in college and worked every semester but one, plus every summer. I waited until I had secured full-time employment before paying it off before they left deferment; the loans were federal with two different servicers.
Besides loans, I received need-based aid from my school, I applied for and won outside scholarships, withdrew funds from my UTMA account, and my parents paid some out-of-pocket as well.
~~~~~~~~~~
Was there an expectation that you would pursue higher education? Yes, I am a third-generation college graduate (both my parents, and all of my grandparents, attended college, and some of them have professional and graduate degrees). I always assumed I would go to a state school to save on college costs, but my parents gave me the go-ahead to look beyond that because they understood I would earn scholarships and our family would be eligible for aid. I ended up at an Ivy League school, which I never thought was in my future before my senior year of high school.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parents educate you about finances? We had sporadic conversations that were decidedly educational - I remember my parents getting my siblings and me lockboxes and ledger books instead of piggy banks, taking us to the credit union to open accounts, and hearing kernels of advice. Mostly, I learned by following their habits - how to shop for groceries, how to shop for clothes, how to choose a place to rent, etc. Up until recently, my parents’ financial advisor was also my advisor, and I checked in with him when I had something big going on, like paying for college and choosing benefits at my first professional job.
What was your first job and why did you get it? My first W-2 job was as an RA in college. We were paid with a stipend, but room and board were not covered. I got it because my mom had been an RA in college, and I thought I would be a natural at it being the eldest child of six. Prior to that, I babysat, participated in research studies, and flipped furniture and textbooks, but in high school my parents didn’t want me to have a job so I could focus on school.
Did you worry about money growing up? I understood that money needed to be conserved from my parents’ habits, but I didn’t worry about my personal money or our family’s financial situation. I have been a saver since I was a kid, so it never really occurred to me to spend my birthday money, for instance. In retrospect, I can point to particular times of financial anxiety from my parents (when selling a house, during the Great Recession, when I had to eat school lunch since it was free), but I wasn’t paying so close attention at the time.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net? I was 22 when I finally moved out of my parents’ house for my first full-time position, after graduating from college, working a seasonal job for the summer, and then moving back home. That was the age when I first started paying rent and bills. As far as a safety net, I have an emergency fund and my investments; I also have my nuclear family, a large extended family who I could crash with, some friends in various cities, and untapped education benefits from the government.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? All the passive income from my investments is getting reinvested - it doesn’t amount to much right now. I inherited the money in my old UTMA account mentioned before. My parents each have a will, but I’ve not been told any specifics. All my grandparents are still alive and I don’t know the status of their estates. Because I have many siblings and cousins, and I am “on my feet” compared to them by virtue of being older, I have low expectations of any future inheritance, and I anticipate some of it will be messier than it is worth.
Section Two: Income
Income Progression: I've been working in my field for 1 year next month. My starting salary was $46,000 and we did not get a COL raise this year due to the pandemic. Although the job was listed with a salary and I have full benefits, I am actually paid hourly, so if I work after-hours, I get paid overtime.
In college, I worked six semesters as an RA (paid on a stipend), one semester as a college prep tutor manager for a non-profit (also a stipend), one summer as a summer camp counselor (paid hourly, but they rationed who could take overtime), and 3 summers as an RA for a pre-college program (paid hourly with generous overtime, also got room and board). Since these were all paid jobs, I consider them relevant work experience for my career in higher education.
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $648
As you can see in the table below, I am currently contributing a high pre-tax amount toward retirement. When I assessed my financial situation earlier this year, I decided I was too cash-heavy and wanted to be more invested, so I increased my contribution and it automatically invests with my paycheck. This is temporary, since I supplement my income with my savings to support my expenses right now, and will end after December. I took these numbers from my paystub and multiplied, so they may not quite add up.

	Amount
Gross pay	$3,537.60
HSA contribution	-$62.50
Health insurance	-$27.20
Voluntary contribution	-$2,400
Taxes	-$386.80
Long term disability	-$12.46
Net pay	$648.62

​
Side Gig Monthly Take Home: $0
I’ve been looking into reading applications as a part-time job at another school, but haven’t bit the bullet on that one yet. I got $10 from filling out a survey last month, but that’s it for money outside of my job.
Other Monthly Income: $0
Most of the financial out-patient care I received from my parents has pretty much ended. They used to pitch in for the gap between my scholarships and tuition in college, and they would pay for my air travel to and from college, but now I pay for my own travel. The only thing that remains is that I am on their phone plan and use their Netflix and Disney+. We recently had a conversation about this, and I’ll be paying them $20 a month for all this going forward (I know that my line only costs $10, so I’m not getting a parental discount).
Section Three: Expenses
Rent: $875/month - I have the smallest room in my apartment, which is a 3 bed, 1 bath I share with two other women. When I went into the office, I was able to walk to work.
Renters insurance: $140.60/year - Through USAA. I paid through December 2021 and will end this policy then, since I’ll be covered under my parents’ policy when I move home (we checked, I was prepared to continue this coverage).
Car insurance: $19.57/month - Through USAA. This is a non-owners policy, since I don’t have a car but wanted to maintain coverage.
Electric: varies from $25 to $50 a month - I pay one of my roommates for my portion.
Wifi: $28/month - I pay one of my roommates for my portion.
Cellphone plus Subscriptions (Netflix and Disney+): $20/month - Paid to my parents.
Groceries: $100-$150/month - I prefer to shop at Aldi, but with the pandemic, I sometimes do my weekly shop at the Giant that is much closer. This includes hygiene and cleaning products.
Eating out: $60-$80/month - I don’t much like eating out at restaurants. Right now this is basically a take-out budget; if I wasn’t dating, this would be more like $30/month, but I like the opportunity to try new food/have something to look forward to/be lazy with my boyfriend.
Clothing, misc.: I might thrift clothes or buy undergarments or shoes new once a month, if that. I don’t keep a hard budget for this type of category, but I have a mental ceiling of $1300 for all outgoing cash flow each month. I haven’t gone over (except for paying off my loans from savings) since moving out on my own. Although the accounting is a little wonky right now, this method allowed for an average savings rate just under 50% of my take-home pay before I messed around with my retirement contributions. It will be neat to figure out my overall savings rate at the end of the year, and I project it to be 60%.
~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve been dating my boyfriend for ten months and we’re pretty easy-going about money between us. We’re both pretty frugal and don’t normally split bills; he’ll pay for one thing, I’ll pay for the next. If there’s something one of us wants to do and bring the other along, the originator of the idea will cover the cost. Early on I asked if he wanted me to keep a spreadsheet or use an app to split costs, but our method hasn’t caused any problems.
I did live with him (he lives alone) for about five months from the beginning of the pandemic - during that time I still had to pay rent and utilities at my apartment, so my financial contribution at his place was getting groceries for us both every other week (where he would go on the alternating weeks). Since moving out, I see him for dinner on Wednesdays and then the weekends; I’ll cook or order in on Wednesdays, and always try to contribute to the weekend by baking or bringing takeout with me.

Day 1, Thursday, October 8, 2020

7:29am: I’m up a minute before my alarm like the cosmos has something to tell me. My arms are sore from carrying bags of clothing from a women’s clothing round-robin I picked up two days ago. Back to sleep.
8:19am: And we’re awake again. My ‘alarm’ is two hours of NPR so I hear snippets of the VP debate last night. I raise the blinds to my window (I’ve been trying to look outside before I look at a screen lately). Grab my phone and browse reddit, text my boyfriend good morning.
9:06am: Whoops, better make breakfast before starting work. Two slices of sprouted bread in the toaster oven, topped with peanut butter and strawberry jam, alongside two mandarin oranges and my multivitamin. That was the last of my bread, so I update my pantry spreadsheet.
9:15am: Open my work email, nothing pressing for now. No meetings on my schedule either. I open up our application portal and start reading applications - it takes me about half an hour to check today’s batch for completeness.
10:03am: Break to read some news and check my local Buy-Nothing group (where the round-robin originated). See an article about mail-in ballot tracking which reminds me to check on mine, which I mailed on Sunday. It arrived yesterday, and I text my family group chat to celebrate. I can hear my roommates are both awake watching some sort of Halloween baking show.
10:46am: Return to working. Reading more applications, then email. First I address anything brand new, then I systematically attack my 75 email backlog by searching for certain keywords and senders that are more urgent.
11:07am: Take my dishes to the kitchen and refill my water glass.
11:32am: I switch gears with emails. My admissions pet peeve: when applicants misspell my name.
12:02pm: We’re at 63 emails now. I get dressed and make my bed.
12:22pm: Lunch is ravioli with marinara sauce and white beans, carrot sticks, and a slice of fresh mozzarella cut into slices. Work has an optional lunch on Zoom on Thursdays - I log in and no one is there so I end up calling one of my sisters instead.
1:00pm: Still talking with my sister but my on-call shift for work has begun (prospective students can call our office with questions), so I log in in the background.
1:53pm: Wow, we really had a lot to catch up on. School for her, work for me. Back to work.
3:00pm: And my phone shift is over - no calls today. It seems that people have generally forgotten about calling during the several months we didn’t have an active phone line when we started teleworking. I’ve been redditting and doing work brainstorming through this all.
3:27pm: Back to applications. Typically I only do them once a day, but I like the structured checking-off, so I tackle the few that are in my box. What can I say, I love giving the stamp of a complete application so it can go on to further review (I don’t provide an opinion for the admissions decision) - maybe we’ll admit them... it all starts here!
4:43pm: Stumbled upon an application from someone I know - always a nice surprise.
5:24pm: Glance at the clock since my working has transitioned to not really working. Down to 56 emails. I go down a rabbit-hole researching one of today’s recommenders - sometimes they are really interesting people!
5:48pm: Heat up dinner - roasted turkey breast and brussels sprouts I have in the fridge. I compare dinners with my boyfriend over text and settle into some dinner YouTube and two more mandarin oranges.
7:09pm: I’m cooing over the panda update at the National Zoo and decide to bake some biscuits. Went a little overboard on my normal Greek yogurt plus Bisquick recipe, adding some vanilla oat milk and pumpkin pie spice for a dessert feel. They are fragrant and tender.
7:32pm: I clean up the kitchen and start the dishwasher.
9:38pm: I run a small bath and use my double-edge safety razor for the first time on my legs. Only three nicks, none of them major, so I feel pretty accomplished.
10:28pm: Chit-chat with my roommates after unloading the dishwasher.
12:15pm: Get ready for bed. I don’t fall asleep until later but my sleep habits are a topic for another time.

Day 2, Friday, October 9, 2020

8:09am: Wake up, open the blinds, and check the weather. Pulled my bed together, turned off the radio, and stuck my finger in my pilea plant. In the kitchen, I pop the last of a berry cobbler in the microwave for breakfast and fill a dish with water to place the pilea in.
8:27am: I open up my work email to see what’s new. Inbox at 64. Most of the emails are applicants wanting to know the status of their application and prospective students wanting to schedule appointments, which I decline.
9:02: I pull the pilea out of the water. Emails are down to 57. Take my breakfast dish and the excess water to the kitchen.
9:05am: Time to file applications. I turn on Spotify for some background noise.
9:42am: Done, so I check in on reddit, then get dressed and get back to work.
11:04am: Pause working to start some pizza dough for calzones to take hiking this weekend. I get distracted by a text from one of my roommates that she doesn’t feel well. She explains the precautions she’s taking. At least kneading is therapeutic.
Noonish: Catching up on personal email as the dough rises.
1:30ish: Calzones are now doing their second rise assembled. Lunch is spaetzle with roasted turkey, white beans, mozzarella, and marinara sauce.
2pm: I message the next person in my clothing round robin since I’ve made my choices of what to keep and what to give away. She can pick up tonight so I tidy the bags. Calzones go in the oven.
2:30pm: Calzones out of the oven to cool.
3:03pm: Remember it’s payday; move my whole paycheck into savings ($373.68, a little higher than normal because I worked overtime last week).
4pm: I have some raisins as a snack, filling a dish with water for my succulent to soak in. I start typing up my Money Diary and enter my hours for work.
4:40pm: I move the clothes down to the curb and keep watch over them, since I’ve had items I’ve set out for people taken before. It’s an easy misunderstanding, so I don’t get mad about it, but it’s disappointing for the person who the items are intended for, so now I watch. She arrives and I help her load her car. Thank goodness that is done; it really was a ton of clothes.
5:02pm: The calzones have cooled so I pack them into the bread bag from the loaf I finished yesterday. I sit back down to close my tabs from the day on my computer. Email is at 58. Time to pack for the weekend!
5:29pm: I write up a cutesy to-do list for the weekend of activities for the weekend. It includes catching up on shows we watch together and things to do on our hike.
6:05pm: I leave my apartment and hop on the metro (my card is still loaded from February, this is only my second time on the metro since then). My boyfriend has me meet him by a Chinese restaurant, where he picks up our order. He pays; the bill is $21.18.
7pm: We walk back to his place. Wash our hands, eat dinner on the couch. We catch up on our days and he puts a CD in the stereo.
9:30pm: We snuggle up with a blanket to watch this week’s Great British Bake Off. In the middle we snack on some challah and lox.
10:30pm: By the end of the episode, I’m practically nodding off, so we head to bed.

Day 3, Saturday, October 10, 2020

7:18am: I wake up and quietly slip out of bed. Get a drink of water and plug in my phone since I neglected that last night. Crawl back into bed since it is too early for a weekend.
8:50am: We’re both awake now, so we muster ourselves out of bed. He makes coffee for himself and then brings it and some more challah and lox to the couch for breakfast.
10:40am or so: We’re dressed, bags packed, water bottles filled, and out the door.
11:30am or so: Car is parked. The drive only took about 35 minutes but the first parking area was full, so it was slow-going to find the other parking area. We hike in bursts on the trail, stopping to spy on birds with binoculars, split a calzone, munch on carrot sticks, or climb down to the river bank to sit and enjoy the outdoors. The ‘destination’ of this hike is a waterfall area, but it is more crowded than the trail so we don’t linger for very long.
4:30pm: Back at the car to drive home.
5:20pm: Home! We change clothes and settle in on the couch.
5:40pm: One of my favorite series in sheltering at home, Secrets of the Zoo, has delivered a new spinoff at the Taronga Zoo in Australia. We’ve watched all the original seasons already, so we dig into this new one together.
6:15pm: My boyfriend makes dinner - pasta with pesto and ricotta cheese.
7:15pm: Switching gears to set up the projector so we can watch Botched on the big screen. We’re finishing up the most recent season. Ice cream ensues.
11:20pm: Finishing an episode just in time to catch SNL. Sometimes we don’t stay up late enough, but tonight we triumph!
1:15am: SNL is over, we’ve brushed our teeth, and we crawl into bed.

Day 4, Sunday, October 11, 2020

9:50am: We’ve both been awake on-and-off, and so concur that it is time to start the day.
10:15am: I turn on more of Secrets of the Zoo on the projector. My boyfriend brings over challah and lox to munch on, and I check off items from our weekend list.
11:40am: Two episodes later, and it’s about time for me to pack up and leave. I get dressed and gather my belongings, and we say goodbye until Wednesday.
12:28pm: I arrive home from my walk, wash up, rotate my pilea plant, and catch up writing Money Diary entries, news from the weekend, and some miscellaneous reddit.
2pm: Pour out some applesauce and sit down to write out my meal plan and grocery list and eyeball the cost of my list. Planning to spend about $30 for my groceries for the week.
2:50pm: Copy my list on paper from my pantry spreadsheet. Check the weather and suit up for rain, pack my backpack, and we’re off to the grocery store!
4:04pm: I arrive at Aldi. It drizzled the whole walk here, but I like the chance to stretch my legs. Bonus from the rain: Very few people are out walking.
4:35pm: Done shopping; I could spend forever at Aldi. I get in line to check out. As I’m waiting, I do mental math and guess I spent $28 for a dozen eggs, a bulk container of whole milk plain greek yogurt, baby bella mushrooms, a dark chocolate bar, a loaf of sprouted bread, a large can of crushed tomatoes, a bag of gala apples, two acorn squash, about 2.5 lbs of red grapes, a package of salted butter, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and two packages of fresh pumpkin ravioli. The final bill is $27.77, so I was a great estimator today!
4:48pm: I depart Aldi and walk back home. The last ten minutes of my walk, the rain starts to pick up.
5:45pm: Made it home, a little damp. I wash up and put away the food. I pull out two pumpkin cookies and smear some peanut butter on them for a snack.
5:55pm: I sit down to read over some supplemental essays for college applications for one of my sisters. Normally I leave comments or edit as I go, but I think she’s hit the right voice today so I just text her that I don’t have any edits.
7pm: Head to the kitchen to roast the acorn squash for this week’s lunches and make dinner for tonight - eggs on top of toast, with olives and pickled onions, alongside some grapes, and a small turkey and mozzarella quesadilla.
8pm: I put my dinner dishes away and pull the squash out of the oven. I settle in to internet browsing and a few squares of dark chocolate for the evening, realizing and then coming to peace with the fact that I am now a Money Diaries cliche.
10:55pm: Showering, getting into pajamas, and tidying up my room. The cooled acorn squash goes into the fridge.
Midnight or so: in bed after some YouTube and writing the intro to this Money Diary.
Total Spend: $27.77

Day 5, Monday, October 12, 2020

7:35am: I wake up to the radio and open the window. It is grey outside and looks like it’ll be cloudy and rainy all day. I get out of bed, straighten the duvet and pillows, and head to the bathroom. Back in my room, I read the news, check reddit, and text my boyfriend good morning.
8:25am: Check my work email. We’re back up to 62. I knock out the easy ones that came in over the weekend (down to 59) and then go make breakfast (two fried eggs with baby bella mushrooms on toast topped with pickled onions and everything bagel seasoning, red grapes, my multivitamin and water).
8:55am: Sit down on the couch in the living room to start the work day by reading applications. Mondays typically have a larger stack to work through because people work on and submit applications more frequently on the weekends. I turn on Spotify tuned to my Daily Drive with news and music very quietly, since I haven’t seen either of my roommates yet this morning.
10am: I head back to my desk in my room so I can log in for a phone shift. Still reading applications.
12:05pm: Realize my phone shift is over, so I log out of that system. I answered one call early on and it was radio silence from there. I am still reading applications, but the end is in sight.
12:30pm: Done reading applications. Time to prepare lunch. I reheat half an acorn squash on the broil function of the toaster oven, and microwave some white beans and tomato sauce I had in the fridge, and top it all with feta cheese. To be honest, I had wanted to get spaghetti squash at the grocery yesterday, but this is so good with acorn squash as the centerpiece.
1:28pm: I sit down with some chocolate and see what is up next for the work day. Blessedly, there are no new emails, so I reference a to-do list I have on a scrap of paper from last week. I decide to rewrite the list with steps broken down before attacking it.
3pm: I break for a pumpkin cookie with peanut butter and to refill my water.
5:15pm: I log out of work and fiddle around with pizza dough recipes before heading to the kitchen to straighten up and make the dough.
5:45pm: Leave the dough to rise in the kitchen. One of my roommates is heating up a frozen lasagna in the oven, so my dough should be happy. I caramelize some onions and throw some sliced mushrooms in with them to top the pizza with when the dough is ready.
7:15pm: I can’t wait any longer, so I deflate the dough and split it into two. I shape and top one pizza and place the other half in the fridge for tomorrow’s dinner. Pizza in the oven.
7:40pm: Dinner, followed by dinner YouTube (mostly vintage SNL), followed by a pumpkin cookie and a wandering path to bed, eventually.

Day 6, Tuesday, October 13, 2020

8am: I’m awake, peek outside, and then snuggle back into bed with my phone.
8:30am: Out of bed to make breakfast - two slices of sprouted toast, two scrambled eggs with some of the caramelized onions and mushrooms from last night and mozzarella stirred in, applesauce, and my multivitamin.
8:50am: I sit down at my desk to start the workday. Email is at 61, but I anticipate I’ll get a bunch forwarded to me within the hour. I start reading applications.
9:45am: Quick break to put away dishes and then back to applications.
10:30am: End is in sight with my applications, but I have to pause for our weekly staff meeting. These used to take a whole hour, but now we can get them down to a neat 20-30 minutes. People share anything relevant to the whole office, and oftentimes share something personal like what they did over the weekend, how their pet/child/plant is doing, or show a show-and-tell item.
1pm: I got a bit distracted after the end of the meeting, but I sit down to lunch (same as yesterday, acorn squash with marinara sauce, white beans, and feta, and an apple) and try to get some things done.
4pm: With all of our recruiting being done virtually, I get to attend and answer questions during info sessions and webinars that my office hosts. Today I’ve been tapped to support one of our Directors, answering questions in that Zoom chat while she coordinates the live interaction. I’m still on camera and end up answering questions with her too, and am exhausted after the whole ordeal.
5:25pm: I call it quits with work. We’re up over 70 emails again.
6:45pm: One of my roommates texts that she’s thinking she might travel for a funeral this weekend. I honestly don’t have the tools in my toolbox to handle this right now, and so I don’t. Dinner is pizza like yesterday, with the dough I left in the fridge. It’s a better-developed crust and I’m very pleased with it. I munched on an apple while it was baking.
10:15pm: I bake some brownies and pour sprinkles on top. They’re done in about 45 minutes and I slice them to cool, then enjoy two.
2am or so: I get anxious about work, so I answer some emails and set them to send in the morning. Down to 63. Then off to bed.

Day 7, Wednesday, October 14, 2020

I neglected to log this day as it happened since it ended up being a mental health day for me. I was up and about in the morning, finished applications, and then felt ill enough to call out of work. Luckily I was able to coordinate with my supervisor, so I was able to break, nap, and take care of myself. I also picked up a new office chair from my Buy Nothing group in the evening, and had my boyfriend over for dinner on the balcony. Breakfast was oatmeal that I made in the instant pot with peanut butter, raisins, and honey. Lunch was eggs with caramelized onions and mushrooms and mozzarella cheese on sprouted toast with grapes. And dinner was pumpkin ravioli in a butter garlic sauce with kale, and focaccia that I made.
Total Expenses:
Food + Drink: $27.77
Fun / Entertainment: $0
Home + Health: $0
Clothes + Beauty: $0
Transport: $0
Other: $0
Lastly, reflect on your diary!
This was a pretty normal week for me. I always get groceries once a week, and we’re solidly in the middle of the month, so I didn’t have rent or utilities to pay. As reflected in my expenses section, I don’t have too many wants and try to limit my financial obligations. This diary does showcase my participation in my Buy Nothing group, and I have gifted items in the past and will do so again before I move.
In the future, I know I will need to build out a more robust budget to allow for things I like to do that are generally on pause now, like seeing plays and musicals, going to aquariums and zoos, and traveling to see friends and family. The habits I have now will enable me to enjoy those activities in the future without worrying about the cost. I’m currently working on projecting my larger future expenses, like new contacts and glasses, some professional certifications, moving, and even grander some-days like going to graduate school, self-funding maternity leave, and financially incentivising retirement saving for my siblings.

The party has come into a busy port and decide to visit some other ships. Who might they discover, what might they find?

d100 Interesting Ships in a Port

​

1. Shani and Aurora's Tent of Two - The two goblin sisters Shani and Aurora sail providing services to port settlements. Shani claims to be a seer and charges 60gp for a "reading" of the future (she is not). Aurora 'The useful one' provides the service of casting identify for 20gp. She may also agree to sell some of her extensive library if offered the right price. [dweeb_bush]
2. The Bones Brothers - The bones brothers are a travelling group of jolly bards. As their name suggests they are animated skeletons. Jimbo-double bass, Timbo-guitar, Limbo-vocals, Dimbo-marimba and Franky-drums. They are very hospitable and put on a show for anyone who comes and visits them! [dweeb_bush]
3. The Lovers - A small nondescript boat lies just off the dock. The is no sign of activity on board apart from the dock inspector who is trying to find out who's boat it is. The truth is the owners of the boat died ten days ago and the boat has miraculously drifted safely into port. on a successful DC 10 investigation or perception check the party members discover two young male elves cowering in the cannonball chest. When the lid is lifted they start begging for their life. If pressed they reveal that the crew was attacked by sirens, the majority of the crew succomed to the siren's calls however the two young boys, deeply infatuated with each other did not care for their temptation. They ran out of food last night and thought they were surely doomed! [dweeb_bush]
4. The Crows - A large black boat rests in port, neatly secured off one of the more expensive jettys. The most defining feature of the boat is that it is bustling with activity, not by humanoids but 3d12 black ravens. One wears a small captains hat and appears to undersatnd the party. If the party casts speak with animals they discover that the crows were awakened through a series of trials on a new spell aimed to mass awaken a group of creatures. The crows have varying degrees of intelligence and are all chaotic neutral alligned. The crows rebelled from, Hignory Flip, the wizard running the trials on a small island about 2 days sail from the port, and stole his ship. [dweeb_bush]
5. Captain Redbeak! - A suspicious longship hovers low on the water. There is a steady stream of humanoids entering the covered boat and leaving a few minutes later with a small package. The ship belongs to Captain Redbeak, a feirce pirate captain who runs a drug trade: the drug in question is a relatively cheap drug called "Peak Water" and is collected dew from mountaintops, it gives the user a high that lasts 1d4 hours and gives the user a d4 of bardic inspiration. It costs 10gp per hit. The ship is manned by 2d6 Bandits, and if threatened or reported they will attempt to kill the party in defence of their lives. [dweeb_bush]
6. Crazy Mr McGee - A delerious man stands warding off the dock guards with what looks like a loaded blunderbus. He's yelling about his notorious reputation as a savage pirate and keeps claiming they have come to "Take away my princess". The princess he's referring to is his boat- he imagines that it is a glourious gallion but in reality it's just a rowboat. If the party manage to subdue the man the dock guards thank them and offer to buy them a drink later that night in the tavern. [dweeb_bush]
7. A Con??? - The players are drawn to a commotion hidden behind a crowd of people. A large goliath (Manneo) seems to have taken a small dwarf (Skalgrouth) hostage and is threatening to slit his throat if the dock guard do not meet his demands "I'll bloody well kill 'im if you don't give me what I want: 100gp worth of rubies and free passage out of this shit hole!". In reality the goliath and dwarf are working together pulling off this stunt at various ports in the area, so far, to great success! [dweeb_bush]
8. The Rat's Den - The players follow a stream of rats on board a decrepid looking riverfairing vessel. When they make cross into the canvassed interior they see an old kobold playing the pipes, he seems to be a rat-catcher. If the party interrupt him in his ritual he turns the a swarm of rats against the party and runs off into the port. [dweeb_bush]
9. Seeking Refuge - A smallish sloop titled 'The Diamond Endeavour' pulls into port, it's sinking and fast! A crew member (Emery Green) jumps onto the dockside and is yelling for help. The vessel was struck by a great storm while at sea and they sustained damage when they brushed by a reef. Luckily they werent wrecked but unluckily they could not repair all the damage with materials on board. They've been bailing for hours and can no longer bail as fast as the ship is filling up with water! If the characters wish to help they can make a DC 13 group athletics check to bail enough water to stop the crew from having to jump ship and leave it to sink. If the players are successful Emery thanks them profusely and offers them a map to a shipwreck they were on the way to dive at before the storm hit them. "It's rumoured that this is the wreck of the old pirate lord, Feather Toothed Bill's ship and may hold riches beyond imagine!" [dweeb_bush]
10. The Gilded Sail - A group of merchants, all of various races, each offering unique, and expensive, magical trinkets. True to their name, their sail is actually a thin sheet of gold, and the rest of their ship is covered in valuable metals and gems. It’s also very well armed, as are the merchants aboard. Keep an eye on the rogue when this one’s around. [Dragon_Overlord]
11. The Patchwork - A large ship which seems to have been destroyed and repaired numerous times with whatever material the crew had, from birch wood to copper metal to even welded armor and weapons. Speaking of the crew, they appear to be a mishmash of Kenku, Kobold, Halfling, and the occasional Tabaxi and Goblin. The captain appears to be a raccoon by the name of Majos, which, if your party stumbles upon the question of why and how a raccoon is a ship captain, she would respond with “a salty mage who didn’t know how to win a simple game of cards had a tantrum.” She would then offer the party a game of cards in which if the party beats Majos, she rewards the party a hefty sum of 100 GP, and if any party member is any of the races listed above, she rewards an additional magic item (DM’s choice) and offers a position to the party member for them to join her crew. Accept and the party is taken to an additional encounter to an island for treasure. Decline is acceptable and Majos would accept any favor from the party. [SpyroAndToothless]
12. The Feyr Winds - An elegant ship that carries goods and treasures from far off Elven lands run by a mixture of elven and faerie creatures. Their most illustrious goods are fruits that can do many things such as heal wounds, cure poisons, or even granting stat bonuses for a minute! (Vendor: Fruits are magical and can take on the effect of any potion you want.) [OSpiderBox]
13. Gnasher's Maw - A tribal-ized longship driven by a "merry" band of lizard folk. They obviously don't understand personal space or social norms, and are seeking people to help them with a Giant problem. (Hook: if your party is having downtime while they look for their next quest, this could be that hook they need.) [OSpiderBox]
14. The Esteemed Steamboat - Artificers run this marvel of steam engineering. However... it's currently in a state of disrepair. Looks like heavy damage from some monstrosity. While they're extremely proficient in fixing it, they have no money and are looking for work to pay for supplies. (Allies: party could hire some of them for an upcoming task/adventure, or even offer to fund the repairs in exchange for favopassage.) [OSpiderBox]
15. The Mainstream (You’ll never need a bigger boat!) - A casino cruise ship featuring a large game room, several bars, comfortable rooms, a pool and a hot tub fueled by a continual flame spell. It is captained by a tall, brown scaled lizardfolk woman named Kepesk. The dealers are kenku bards repeating rules and barking (“Step right up, try you’re luck at the Wheel of the Goddess of Fortune!”) There is also a large vault of gold on board, guarded by lizardfolk soldiers. One particular patron is looking for a few helping hands for a bit of a caper now that he knows the guards patrol schedules. [spiff2]
16. Rocinante - A relatively fancy and expensive ship being up kept by the Quijano family and their servants. The last living member of the family is a young man, obsessed with swords and thirst for adventure. He agrees to let the team borrow the ship, in exchange for him coming with them on their adventures to wherever they’re going. [DrFishPhd]
17. Deep Blue - In a corner of the harbour, a seemingly empty ship. Sails are neatly furled, crew seems to have left the ship mere hours ago. On the deck, small openings allows the visitor to enter the hold, in it, some barrels, hammocks. Beside one of the hammock, a book, quite old, written in an old version of Common language.In the middle of the hold, some blankets cover a group of trunks, under these trunks, another opening ... leading to another hold. In this hold, vessels, old fashioned lanterns, and some parchment written in ancient language. At the bottom of a bulkhead, an opening, some stairs gong down in another hold.Wood seems ancient, and strange figures are carved into the wooden parts of the boats. Some ancient runes are covering pillars. In the middle of the hold, a panel with nails made of some unknown metal, once open, stairs going down in the dark. From the shadows, the noise of little splaches. [doctor_providence]
18. The Mosquito - Run by a crew of githyanki pirates. What seems like a normal battle vessel, once on the open ocean, the sails begin turning outward and suddenly the ship begins gliding above the waters surface at fast speeds. [GladiatorJustin]
19. The C.H.U.D.- The Shell of a massive deceased Dragonturtle floats next to the dock, it’s ends sealed by mechanical claws, and a viewport fitted into the front. The C.H.U.D. (Chelonian Hammerworked Underwater Dirigible) was designed by the Gnomish Inventor Hector Copperspark. Crewed by gnomes and halflings as they are the only ones small enough to man the complex machinery crammed into the turtle shell, the C.H.U.D. is a mercenary vessel that hires out to perform naval attacks. Hector just got a lead on a new job, and he needs some muscle to pull it off... [Lakandalwa]
20. The Temple - A ship that serves as a mobile temple to a water deity. It goes from port to port to carry services. [SMGB_NeonYoshi]
21. Cloudscraper - One of the gems of the Romish Empire's formidable fleet, the Cloudscraper is a powerful warship specially constructed for defeating sea monstrosities of all kinds. Developed after the Queen's late husband was killed by an island feeder (colossal sea beasts known for swallowing swaths of land whole), this vessel with an imposing tower-like bridge is loaded up with all types of harpoons, cannons, and magical armor. Some even say that, thanks to a powerful magical engine, the top half of the ship can separate from the brig to chase after flying beasts attempting to get away. With how famous it is, plenty of townsfolk are eager to get a look at the shining bronze beast of a boat. But what's it doing here of all places? [MildlyConcernedGhost]
22. The Wistful Wanderer - A small sloop with a single cabin in the middle of the deck. A skilled observer might note that the sails and rigging as well as the rudder occasional shift to right the ship or tighten and secure themselves more. The cabin is actually permanently enchanted with a Mordenkainen’s Magnificent mansion and the ship is handled by a permanent crew of 20 unseen servants. It is owned by the Wandering Wizard Wesley Wrycroft. He sails the world at his leisure, seeking trade for scrolls and arcane artifacts. He also regularly hires adventurers to gather difficult to reach artifacts from unworthy hands whenever he finds a lead on the location of such a relic. [Lakandalawa]
23. The Magic Brawler - A merchant ship with a very strong looking captain comes to port. If the party chooses to look at their items the captain will challenge the party to an arm wrestling match. Beating a DC 20 strength check will award the party one minor magic item from the captain's personal stash, and beating a DC 25 strength check will award a magic item of the DMs choosing. [TheInstitute4]
24. The Friend Ship - A comfortable looking wooden ship full of people just hanging out on the deck. While aboard this ship you find yourself under the effects of the Charm Person spell to make everyone friendly with each other. [Stormkiko]
25. The Dragon Ship - Captained by a Dragonborn with a dragon head on the prow, this ship is a merchant vessel crewed by a muscular Dragonborn who sits on the deck smoking a long pipe. The ship has put down for repairs after grazing a rock which tore a few holes in the starboard side. [AndreTheSalty]
26. Kender - A rag tag ship filled with swashbuckling Kender. The ship looks like it was made from bits and pieces of many different ships.The Kender are very drunk and have no idea how they got to this port. [Slainlion]
27. The Poor Captain - A ship that looks broken and near sinking, in truth it's one of the most armed ship on the seas. It uses help calls or just their non threatening look to lure ships close so that they can attack them. [DungeonsAndScouts]
28. The Fisticuffs- A medium sized rowdy ship sits a little way out from the dock. The ship has two massive hands stemming from the hulls on long mechanical arms. The hands have an AC of 25, a damage threshold of 5, and 30 health each. They ship can leave the water and "walk" on the hands. The ship is primarily a combat ship and is crewed by a band of mischevious gnome tinkerers. In addition to attacking (+10 to hit: 4d6 + 8 bludgeoning damage) the hands can also cast Bigby's hand once per day. [dweeb_bush]
29. The Grain Barge - A large barge with a dirt floor and wheat growing. A single old man lives on the barge, and sells wheat for 2 pountds per copper piece. In the hull of the barge, accessible only by a trapdoor in the old man's shack, is a large pile of carrots. [serious_tabaxi]
30. Sea Rot - A large gallion speeds into port with a yellow flag raised. As soon as they dock and have paid the docking fee the captain, a large half-orc woman called Mishka, starts calling for help! She reveals that over half of her crew has contracted a strange plague and she fears for her life. She came to port to seek medical assisstance but fears she is infected so dares not go ashore.The plague - Sea Rot - Is highly contagious and air-borne: if a creature comes within 5ft. of an infected creature they must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution save or become infected themself, symptoms take 1d10 days to manifest. The symptoms of Sea Rot are gruesome, starting with the extremities of the body, the body starts depositing water in cytoplasm-like sacks. At the end of every long rest the creature takes 2d6 cold damage and must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution save or suffer 1 permanent constitution damage, the infected creature also has disadvantage on strength and dexterity checks. It can only be cured by magical means that remove a disease.If the party fetches help she rewards them with a small favour and a pouch full of gemstones worth 50gp, in addition, if the party can cure the 20 crew members and contain the plague she offers them passage anywhere, offers an additional 100gp, and her cutlass- a +1 scimmitar that also increases the holder's charisma by 2 while holding it. [dweeb_bush]
31. Grok's Galley - A medium-sized ship piloted by a Tortle named Grok(He Understands Things)11. The ship is a 2 sailed vessel with few cannons and other wartime mechanisms on them. The crew is very resilient and full of ragtag non-humaniods. Gnolls, Dragonborn, Ratfolk etc.He's about to set sail back home as he's heard of this group of ratfolk that are trying to overthrow the government in his home town. [VKilledTInternet]
32. The Abigail - An old warship thought to be lost that had been renovated and turned into an inn. It’s run by two very attractive siblings, who turn out to be sirens and one night, they take the boat out to the sea and eat all the passengers. [TardyTortoise]
33. The Comfort - This massive galleon is an independent freebooter that refuses to pay allegiance to any nation or city. Housing a collection of skilled healers and clerics, the Comfort sails to areas struck by famine, plague, and war, providing healing to whomever requests it. The sailors aboard the vessel have all sworn the same oath, to defend the healers and their patients with their lives no matter the cost.While the Comfort usually is accepted at any port, it sometimes comes under attack when it travels to war torn regions and as such is well equipped to defend itself should it come under attack. [Lakandalawa]
34. Arabian Traders - An exotic merchant vessel filled with silks, spices, and strange spirits is disembarking. A dashing arabian prince asks basic questions about the city, potentially becoming enamored with one of the party members. He is rich and slightly crazy, and believes anything can be bought for a price. This gets him into trouble when he tries to buy someone's hand in marriage to add to his collection of luxuries and many wives back in his home port. [jfractal]
35. Deep Sea Scavengar - Salty, untrustworthy sailors (who look like pirates) are disembarking/unloading from their latest voyage. They have been at sea for months, and haven't seen a woman in that long - they openly hit on and jeer at any females in the group with a CHA score of 11 or higher. One sailor tells a fanciful story about sirens that they encountered on their voyage, killing 3 of their men (it's hard to tell if they are serious or not). [jfractal]
36. His majesty's secret - A heavily outfitted, small warship is in a secret mission from the king. Heavily armed/armored guards stand watch over the docks, turning away everyone, and refusing to divulge their purpose here. [jfractal]
37. Smallminded Yokels - A small, local fishing vessel filled with xenophobic, small-minded fisherman. The make disparaging remarks about any non-humans if approached. If the party gives them lip, they will get jumped by the crew the next time they wander the harbor at night. [jfractal]
38. Mussel's Mate - A large fishing vessel that has seen it's better days. Rigging is in tatters, masts are spliced together, mismatched patchworks sails. Oddly enough the captains quarters are extremely well apportioned not at all like the rest of the ship. [hamlet_d]
39. The Wayward Lady - This ship has an all female crew. The species on board are the outcasts from different lands. They serve as a place for any who are lost to have a home, though men don't tend to stay for long for some reason. After a successful DC 20 insight check it can be found that men on board the ship for 4 months become women. [42firehawk]
40. The Gypsy - On the deck is what appears to be a stage where beautiful female dancers perform to music provided by a small band of bards. One of the dancers, who is known as the Storyteller, tells stories through song as the rest of the dancers provide her the visuals/backup dancing. Her voice is noticeably quite low for a woman, but is very enchanting nonetheless. An insight check with a DC20 will reveal that all of the performers are cross-dressing men. [Crystalized13]
41. The Stable - A ship of decent size that carries horses (or any other kind of mount in your game) from port to port and sells them at a decent price to tired and/or injured travelers. It is crewed by a family of six (mother is the captain, father, three sons, three daughters) and a few extras the gathered along their journey, namely; a nice old man who wants to see the world, a young woman with a fiery attitude and an obvious crush on one of the party members, a muscular Dragonborn who has obviously seen some action who now tends to the horses, a bard who offers entertainment to the crew on board and is particularly liked by the children, a mute Druid who helps the horses and is good friends with the Dragonborn (who interprets their sign), and an ex-pirate who loves the sea but wishes to leave their past behind them. [Crystalized13]
42. The Penny Bucket - The penny bucket is barely a ship. It's looks like a wash-bucket with a wooden T nailed to it and has a large white shirt as a sale. As far as you can tell there's no way to steer, its an utter mystery to you how it ended up in port, let alone why the dock authority would charge it to dock. When you peer inside the bucket you see a small red pseudodragon peacefully sleeping on it's hoard, which consists of 3pp, 16gp, 103sp, and 56cp, 6 rubies worth 30gp, and a dusty diamond worth 300gp , and a small magical trinket of the DM's choice. If woken up the Pseudodragon wakes up and fiercely snarls , cowering, and protecting its stuff. The dragon will trade any of the items in its hoard if the adventurers offer something of value, or a large amount of food. If the party wants to adopt the dragon along with it's hoard it may be won over with gifts and a DC18 animal handling check. [dweeb_bush]
43. The Crafty Raft - A makeshift raft has floated down the coast and slammed into the dock. There is no one on board and it appears to be unmanned. There is a note fixed to the mast with a tiny butterknife. The note has directions, "at the lightning stump follow the stream and rescue us". The raft, and attached note were made by crafty goblins attempting to lure creatures down the coast right into a trap. The goblins have made finding their hideout incredibly easy. With a DC 5 nature (tracking) check the party can find the tree and follow it down to the river. The real trap is a series of pitfall traps cleverly hidden in and around the stream. If the adventurers continue along the stream they must succeed on a DC18 Perception check to avoid it and must succeed on a DC14 Dexterity save or fall 10ft. into spikes and take 1d6 bludgeoning damage and 2d6 piercing damage. They are then accosted by 2d4 goblins. [dweeb_bush]
44. The Illusory Boat - Moored in the port is a huge gleaming golden pirate ship, there must be at least 50 richly dressed halflings manning it. There's a long gangplank extending to the dock. Suddenly there's the noise of several cannons firing off. The guards rush over to the ship, fearing that they are attacking the port. They scream at the ship- "come down here and speak to us you cowards, we can't board your ship without permission but we will call the town guard!" A voice calls from the ship yelling insults at the guards aiming to infuriate them till they board the boat. If any one steps on the gangplank they must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity save or fall into the water, as they do the ship dissapears and it's revealed that the entire ship is a major illusion cast by three giggling wizards who run away from one of the neighboring piers. [dweeb_bush]
45. The Question - There's a metallic ship floating in the water. From it you hear loud beeping, chirping, and whirring noises coming from it and it's attracted a large crowd of 3d10 townsfolk, who are fearfully inspecting the ship. As you approach closer you begin to hear a voice in all the artificial noises. You hear it asking thousands of questions, in thousands of voices: "who am I?", "why am I here?", "What's that ugly thing over there?", "what is the meaning to life", "Why are there people watching me?", and other creepy remarks that give the idea that the ship is conscious and scared. When the adventurers look into the boat they see a blinking green, light with a swirling marbled texture on it. The light turns red and starts asking questions very specific to the party. Before long it begins speaking in tongues and a flash of blinding light appears. The adventurers make a DC13 constitution save. On a failed save they are blinded for a minute and take 4d4 psychic damage or half as much on a successful save. When the adventurers look again the ship is gone and there is just a small gemstone floating in the water, whispering to the party in tongues that are unintelligible. [dweeb_bush]
46. The mistake -A small boat that seems to have been renamed fairly recently. The - ake part of the name is in a different calligraphy and color from the rest of the name [Ido97]
47. The Barnacle - An old weathered gun-ship bearing it's scars from many a battle, but nevertheless being no worse for the wear. Built strong from some ancient hardwoods and it has been well maintained to the best a ship of that age could be. The crew is a rowdy bunch of salty Dawgs that work as hard as they play...and they fight even harder. They may squabble amongst themselves, but don't you dare mess with or insult one of their brotherhood. They have come to port ready to sell their wares, collect their bounty and spend it irresponsibly. All so they can find their next mission and do it all over again. [gothic03]
48. The Bauntoo - A strange ramshackle ship occupied by amphibious humanoids that spend near their entire lives out at sea, trade in weird cool stuff they've found deep diving into cool underwater locations like ocean ruins, and wont be at port for long. [Swerve-Bro]
49. The Leviathan - A huge ship listing hard to one side, its mast broken halfway up and the sails drooping to the deck. All of the wood is dark brown, slimy and rotting out. It looks like someone pulled a shipwreck from the bottom of the sea and it remained afloat by some miracle. If the party inspects the ship, they will find it has already been thoroughly looted and all that remains of the crew are skeletons. (Whether the skeletons are animated or not is up to you). The dock guards will tell you that a huge fog rolled in last night and this ship was there when the fog lifted. [painterinsomniac]
50. The Menagerie - A decent sized merchant ship, this one is run by all sorts of different creatures though none are humanoid. This ship was originally a travelling circus showing off all manner of awakened animals who were kept captive. The animals are quite amiable and will offer carry passengers in exchange for assistance selling their goods in markets. [painterinsomniac]
51. The Coffin - A casket-shaped ship that contains the body of a 21-ft giant. The top of the casket has been fitted with sails and rigging and is manned by a crew of humans who tell the party that the giant hired them before his death. He always wanted to sail around the world, so half of all his treasures would be given to the crew who sailed him around the world. The money is to be awarded upon the crews return to the giant's family home, and the crew must have an artefact from each land to prove their voyage complete to the family and get their loot. Of course, the crew isn't bothering with actually sailing around the world - they're content to just make port for a year and trade people for ancestral trinkets so they can return to the land of giants in a year and take their massive loot. They've been given a hefty advance to cover the cost of their long voyage, so money is no object. Adventurers can sell their items if the item is from a distinct background (eg a Dwarven Warhammer, an Elven scroll of healing, etc). [Anceaus]
52. The Lighthouse - This ship is captained by a young cowardly wizard and an equally nervous-looking crew of young human men. Atop the central mast is a large lighthouse light, which the owner uses to keep other ships far away from him while at sea so as to avoid any trouble. If approached, the captain will immediately begin grovelling and handing over loot at the sight of the party's weapons, offering them any onboard services he can think of for his crew to do for them (shoeshines, blade sharpening, armour mending).Turns out it's all an act - the captain is actually a conniving trickster who transports and deals in Light Blue Light, a magical drug that induces paranoia/twitchy behaviour but grants a 1d6 bonus to Strength for a period of 1 hour. [Anceaus]
53. The Nest - A vaguely ship-shaped bramble of collected branches and tar, this vessel doesn't look like it should even float, much less sail. It's run completely by Kenku's. They love to collect shiny objects and every nook and cranny of the nest is filled with glittering pieces of treasure and trinkets, among which are a range of magical items.Anything can be bought for a price, but what they especially want is for the adventurers to help them get a shiny old chalice that they've spotted beneath the waters of the harbour - they aren't big swimmers. [Anceaus]
54. The Half-Pint - An average looking, 2nd-rate ship run exclusively by halflings and gnomes. The crew are rolling a large number of barrels off the ship. A DC 13 Investigation Check will uncover that the Half-Pint has almost twice as many decks as a regular ship of that size and the diminutive crew use the extra space to smuggle illegal magical ale that has explosive side effects. If approached, the first mate (a scruffy gnome named Sebastiano who trusts people a little too easily considering his trade) will ask the party if they are 'for hire' or just want a cask.If the party is looking to buy, refer to the http://dndspeak.com/2017/12/100-random-potion-effects/ to determine what effect their beer has.If they're interested in the job, he would have them guard a supply wagon transporting contraband IPA to an old wizard who lives in an ivory tower in the nearby forest for a sum of 25gp each. What the party doesn't know is that the wizard is in the process of transitioning into a Lich, and the beer is the magical conduit by which he has been transforming. The wizard has the stats of a Revenant if the party chooses to fight him. If an unconscious creature drinks the illegal beer, they will be revived and become Undead. [Anceaus]
55. The "Blu Moon" - A two masted Caravel. An ocean going merchant ship, that has recently been damaged by pirates, but escaped because they dumped all cargo overboard. The ship is being repaired and expected to be ready in two days. The captain, Quintus "Full" Moon, already has agreed to transport 24 bales of dyed fabric to [INSERT DESTINATION] but is now looking for some more cargo for the same destination. The rest of the crew is: first mate Eldan Wind (m half-elf), bosun Karrla (f half-orc), helmsman Olfie Re (f half-elf), cook Carlin Zwiet (f gnome), and four human sailors: Frenk(m), Ra(f), Tjoris(m) en Huub(m). Huub is a 12 year old boy on his first trip. [Jeeve65]
56. The Leatherback - A merchant ship from a faraway land. It is made of a beautiful reddish wood and adorned with many colorful flags. About half the crew is made up of tortles and the other half consists of various other races they picked up on their travels. They are very friendly people and will happily buy you a drink or two in exchange for stories of your adventures or of the places and cultures you’ve experienced. If they take a liking to you they're even willing to give you free passage to wherever you'd like to travel... as long as that place happens to be the next port along their voyage. [TheMightyLoaf]
57. []
58. []
59. []
60. []
61. []
62. []
63. []
64. []
65. []
66. []
67. []
68. []
69. []
70. []
71. []
72. []
73. []
74. []
75. []
76. []
77. []
78. []
79. []
80. []
81. []
82. []
83. []
84. []
85. []
86. []
87. []
88. []
89. []
90. []
91. []
92. []
93. []
94. []
95. []
96. []
97. []
98. []
99. []
100. []

An-Ra at a Glance

• Jungle Island with a ruined city built by Tiamat-worshipping Dragonborn.
• Mordrath the adult green dragon regards the island as her garden and property.
• Hidden villages of brave Jungle Goblin hunters dedicate themselves to nature spirits.
• Cruel Harpies use an artifact to create massive storms to wreck passing ships.
• Cursed ancestors of the Dragonborn wander as savage beasts who worship anything that can fly.
• Hundreds of deadly Kruthik swarm across the island each new moon.
• A smaller island infested by russet mold and vegepygmies that hides a weapon that can slay dragons.

Overview

An-Ra is an adventure location set on a jungle island in a remote location in the warm equatorial ocean. The island is wild and dangerous and almost never visited by outsiders. Shipwrecks plague the island’s coasts due to enchanted storms. Strange currents and deadly reefs make approaching or leaving the island exceedingly difficult.
An-Ra is designed for DND 5th Edition, aimed at tier 1 adventuring parties. It is an open-ended location with several points of interest scattered across the abstractly-described island.
While most of the encounters use relatively low CR monsters, they often can be encountered in extremely large numbers that many low level parties will struggle to handle. Priority was given to making the island feel real, and balance can suffer for it. I trust to you DMs out there to adjust difficulty to suit your party by reducing enemy numbers or giving your party bonus items and levels.
This post references material from published 5th Edition books: Monster Manual (MM), Volo’s Guide to Monsters (VGtM), Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes (MToF), and Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG).
This post contains the following topics:

• History of An-Ra
• Factions of An-Ra
• Locations of An-Ra
• Random Discoveries
• Random Encounters

History

Many centuries ago, the island was colonized by a large group of Dragonborn worshippers of Tiamat, the Queen of Chromatic Dragons. They brought with them a clutch of Tiamat’s eggs and built a great city around them to protect and nurture the Queen’s unborn children. The city and island came to bear the same name: An-Ra.
The city of An-Ra was a glorious bastion of magic, but cruel in its worship of a tyrannical evil deity. That cruelty gave rise to resentment, and with the passing generations that resentment became rebellion. A group of Dragonborn attempted to overthrow the church of Tiamat, leading a militia through the city streets and smashing the yet-unhatched dragon eggs in the central temple.
This act of sacrilege drew the fury of the Dragon Queen. Tiamat unleashed a dreadful curse upon all the Dragonborns of An-Ra, blighting their minds for both the rebellion and the church’s failure to protect its charges. The cursed Dragonborn lost all concept of civilization, becoming mad beasts who tore each other apart. In a single day, the city of An-Ra became an empty place of nightmares and death. Since then, centuries have passed and the jungle has reclaimed much of the city. Tiamat’s curse lingers on in the packs of mad dragonborn that hunt the jungles and the undead that haunt the city’s ruins.

Factions

MORDRATH THE GREEN DRAGON

The Dragonborn of An-Ra were given a single task by the Dragon Queen: Protect her clutch of eggs. When the revolution swept across the city, nearly all the eggs were destroyed by the rebels. Only one egg survived the rebellion and the resulting curse and collapse of civilization. Several years after An-Ra’s fall, it hatched into the green dragon Mordrath.
Mordrath is intelligent and curious. Over the course of her long life she has been able to piece together most of the island’s history by exploring its ruins. Mordrath is extremely proud to be one of Tiamat’s children, and she believes everything on the island is her property and rightful inheritance, including all the living creatures on it. She calls the island her garden, and its inhabitants her pets. She enjoys watching people struggle to survive in its harsh environment. She rarely interferes with conflict between the island’s inhabitants (or as she puts it, “her pets playing with one another”.)
Mordrath enjoys a variety of pastimes on her island. Each day you can choose or randomly determine how she will spend her time. Signs of her activities are common across the island.

1. Bathing: Mordrath bathes in one of the hot-springs in the northeast of the island.
2. Gardening: Mordrath spends time casting Plant Growth somewhere on the island to promote growth, and prunes bushes and trees into elaborate topiaries.
3. Scavenging: Mordrath scouts one of the coastlines of her island for shipwrecks, taking anything shiny that catches her eyes.
4. Infiltrating: Mordrath polymorphs into one of her Jungle Goblin or Harpy identities and spends time people-watching in one of their villages.
5. Surveying: Mordrath perches on a mountaintop and surveys the island, using her eagle-eyed vision to watch anything interesting that happens.
6. Hunting: Mordrath leads a group of Cursed Dragonborn in a hunt for large animals or monsters, bringing their corpses to an empty field to devour and leaving the bones in a large pile.
7. Exploring the City: Mordrath polymorphs into a Medium-sized beast and explores the ruins of An-Ra, looking for any art pieces or treasure she has missed.
8. Exploring the Jungle: Mordrath polymorphs into a Medium-sized beast and walks through the jungle, admiring pretty plants and interesting animals.
9. Talking: Mordrath descends on an intelligent inhabitant of the island (such as the player characters) and demands that they talk to her for the day. If they don’t have an interesting conversation, she eats them.
10. Bullying: Mordrath uses her intimidation, her Dominate Beast spell, or her Suggestion spell to force a creature on the island to go on a difficult quest for her amusement.
11. Receiving Treasure: Mordrath picks up a tithe of treasure from the Stormwitch Harpy village, then obsessively catalogues her new acquisitions back in her lair.
12. Hoarding: Mordrath stays in her lair and broods over her treasures.

Because she considers creatures on her island to be her property, she will not allow player characters to leave An-Ra while she is alive. She will destroy any boats or rafts she discovers them making, and will chase them if they try to sail away.
Mordrath has a closely guarded secret: she is terrified of the dark. She never leaves her lair during the night, and will only enter caves or ruins after casting her Daylight spell one an object she can bring with her.
Mordrath is unwilling to risk her life without good reason. She will retreat from a battle if she takes 60 or more damage. She will fight to the death to defend her lair, to reclaim treasure stolen from her horde, to obtain the Orb of Dragonkind, or to prevent creatures from leaving her island.
Mordrath is an Adult Green Dragon (MM). She can speak Common, Draconic, Infernal, and Sylvan. She has the following traits:

• Skills: Mordrath has a +8 bonus to Intimidation checks.
• Equipment: Mordrath wears a Ring of Mind Shielding around one of her talons, and she has a Medallion of Thoughts wrapped around another talon. (Both magic items can be found in the DMG.)
• Innate Spellcasting: Mordrath’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 16). She can cast the following spells once per day each, requiring no material components: Daylight, Dominate Beast, Plant Growth, Suggestion, Tsunami
• Shapechange: As an action, Mordrath magically polymorphs into a humanoid or beast that has a challenge rating no higher than her own, or back into her true form. She reverts to her true form if she dies. Any equipment she is wearing or carrying is absorbed or borne by the new form (her choice). In a new form, Mordrath retains her alignment, hit points, Hit Dice, ability to speak, proficiencies, Legendary Resistance, lair actions, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, as well as this action. Its statistics and capabilities are otherwise replaced by those of the new form, except any class features or legendary actions of that form.

JUNGLE GOBLINS

When the dragonborn of An-Ra settled on the island, they brought an enslaved clan of goblins to act as servants and manual labor. The goblins were ignored by Tiamat’s curse during An-Ra’s fall, and their descendants still survive in hidden villages throughout An-Ra.
Jungle Goblins worship a trinity of nature spirits that take the forms of beasts: The Owlbear, symbol of wisdom and determination; The Dire Boar, symbol of strength and courage; and The Displacer Beast, symbol of survival and subtlety. Each goblin pledges themselves to one of these spirits when it comes of age. Goblins that pledge themselves to the Owlbear study to become druids that can manipulate the plants of the jungle to hide their villages and grow food. Goblins that pledge themselves to the Dire Boar become guardians of their village, keeping watch for dangerous monsters and setting traps and warning signals. Goblins that pledge themselves to the Displacer Beast become hunters that travel far across the island to gather meat and hides. The most elite Goblin hunters wear magical Displacer Cloaks (Magic Item, DMG).
Jungle Goblins avoid Cursed Dragonborn, and are at war with the Stormwitch Harpies. They try to hide their presence from Mordrath, with limited success. Several of their villages are known to the dragon, and she has even infiltrated some of them in polymorphed form. Every member of a Goblin village, old and young, work together to deter or lure away Kruthik swarms during the new moon. Jungle Goblin hunters occasionally organize massive raids on the Vegepygmy island to reduce their numbers.
Jungle Goblins are not hostile to PCs unless they pose a danger to the security or secrecy of their villages. The Jungle Goblins may be befriended by players who are respectful of nature, who destroy a harpy nest, or who are willing to trade resources or magic items. Jungle Goblins might be convinced to help the PCs fight Mordrath if they have a good plan, strong magic items, and have proven themselves to be strong and resourceful.
Jungle Goblins can speak Common and Draconic. They lost their knowledge of the Goblin language during their ancestral slavery. Jungle Goblins dedicated to the Dire Boar use the Thug statblock (MM). Jungle Goblins dedicated to the Owlbear use the Druid statblock (MM). Most Jungle Goblins dedicated to the Displacer Beast use the Spy statblock (MM), while an exceptionally powerful one could use the Archer statblock (VgtM). All Jungle Goblins have the following trait:

• Nimble Escape: The goblin can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action of each of its turns.

CURSED DRAGONBORN

Tiamat’s Curse brought ruin to the Dragonborn of An-Ra. The Dragon Queen broke the minds of her people, turning them into rampaging beasts that tore their own civilization apart. The cursed dragonborn survive today in vastly reduced numbers, remaining as bestial shadows of their former glory.
Cursed dragonborn live in territorial packs that attack anything they see. They no longer understand civilized concepts, such as weapons, clothing, or magic, instead relying on brute strength and reckless ferocity. The one vestige of their ancestry that remains is the worship of dragons and other flying creatures. If they encounter a Medium or larger creature with wings, the dragonborn fall prostrate and attempt to serve the creature to the best of their limited ability.
Cursed Dragonborn hunt and eat Jungle Goblins, worship Mordrath, and are confused by and frightened of Stormwitch Harpies who seem like tiny dragons to their enfeebled minds.
Cursed Dragonborn cannot speak or understand any language. You can use the Yuan-Ti Broodguard statblock (VgtM) to represent a Cursed Dragonborn, with the following additional action:

• Breath Weapon (Recharge 6): The dragonborn breaths a 15-foot cone of elemental energy. Each creature within the cone must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 damage on a failure or half as much on a success. The damage type of the breath weapon is determined by the dragonborn’s color (determined randomly or chosen by the DM)

1. Red, fire damage
2. Blue, lightning damage
3. Black, acid damage
4. Green, poison Damage
5. White, cold damage.

STORMWITCH HARPIES

Stormwitch Harpies are cruel eaters of humanoid flesh and collectors of shiny trinkets. The harpies arrived on An-Ra several generations ago after being caught in the winds of a hurricane. While the island is too far out to sea for the harpies to fly back to the mainland, they have found a way to bring humanoid ships to them. The harpies built their village around the Storm Stone, a dragonborn-created magic artifact that can create massive storms off the coast of An-Ra. They have used the Storm Stone to wreck countless ships, harvesting the crew and hoarding treasure found onboard.
The Stormwitch Harpies have a tentative alliance with Mordrath. The dragon leaves the harpies alone, and in exchange the harpies offer a tithe of treasure they find among the shipwrecks they create. The exchange occurs on a prominent rocky outcrop that has a good view of the entire island.
Stormwitch Harpies have varying views on the Cursed Dragonborn. Some harpies have managed to tame a pack and use them as cattle and guards. Other harpies are frightened of the berserk creatures and try to avoid them. Stormwitch Harpies all hate the Jungle Goblins, who often bring down lone harpies with longbows. The Harpies are able to fly out of the way of Kruthik swarms, so the new moon is irrelevant to them.
Most Stormwitch Harpy’s use the standard Harpy statblock (MM). A handful of Harpy Elders have gained magical powers from long exposure to the Storm Stone. Use the Kraken Priest statblock (VgtM) with an added fly speed of 40 ft.

KRUTHIK SWARM

The Kruthik (statblock and information in MToF) are a cyclic plague on An-Ra. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of Kruthik live in a massive network of tunnels they have burrowed into the volcano on western side of the island, ruled over by their Hive Lord. The Kruthik are generally reclusive, remaining within their tunnels, awaiting the night of a new moon. On those dark nights, the Kruthik swarm out in their multitudes to hunt and feed. Their numbers and ferocity when swarming makes them not a threat that can be fought, but a natural disaster to flee.
The island’s ecology has adapted to this monthly disaster. Most animals know to hide on the darkest night of the month, and even insects go silent as evening approaches. The sentient races of the island have developed strategies to protect themselves from the swarm. The day before the swarm, Jungle Goblins leave animal corpses in a path away from their villages, lining the edges of the path with traps and alarms to deter stragglers. Cursed Draconoids flee into ocean caves along the coast on the night of the new moon, trusting to tidal waters to deter the water-hating Kruthik. Harpies flee the land during the evening before the swarm, remaining aloft throughout the night. Mordrath uses her innate spellcasting of Tsunami to wash away Kruthik swarms that try to approach her lair, although she is too terrified of the dark night to leave her lair to directly confront them.
The Kruthik nest is likely the most dangerous place on the island, even deadlier than Mordrath’s lair, due simply to the sheer unconquerable number of creatures that live there. Despite its danger, it holds an incredible temptation to brave adventurers: in the heart of the Kruthik nest lies an ancient and powerful artifact, an Orb of Dragonkind (Magic Item, DMG). The Orb was hidden deep in a cave near the heart of the volcano by the priests of Tiamat fearing the brewing rebellion shortly before the fall of the city. Following the Tiamat’s curse, the Kruthik population that had been kept in check by the Dragonborn of An-Ra grew until it infested the entire volcano. Now the Orb is protected by the unwitting monstrosities, and only a few of the Jungle Goblin elders remember the story.
If Mordrath learns of the Orb’s existence, she will stop at nothing to obtain it. She will work with player characters if she thinks they could be of assistance, even offering to let them leave the island if they can help her infiltrate the nest and get the Orb. Mordrath will not keep her side of this bargain.

Locations

City of An-Ra

• This city was once a glorious symbol of the majesty of dragonkind.
• There are signs of its ancient beauty. Stone spires shine with clear crystal windows, glass domes cover buildings, hanging walkways arch between towers, opulent colored murals decorate the walls, and ever-glowing magical lamps hover over the streets. A series of hanging gondolas that stretched across the city now lie in ruins.
• Now, the city is abandoned. The streets are flooded with water and overgrown with grass growing from between the stones. Vines covering the walls, and trees burst through rooftops. There is a maze of crumbled and fallen walkways between buildings, and strange flowers and hanging vines grow within rooms.
• There are signs of an ancient battle in the streets, ancient swords and rusting armor littering the ground. The warriors loyal to Tiamat fought against revolutionaries in the city’s center. There were attacks on the temples and government buildings, visible now from the holes in the walls and towers fallen from siege weapons and magic spells.
• The ancient magic of the city persists. Permanent castings of the unseen servant spell still perform miscellaneous tasks in the city. A handful of Stone Golems still act as city guards, although they have been heavily damaged by the passing centuries and have only half their maximum hit points remaining.
• Ghosts of the damned walk the streets. Specters drift between towers, moaning their sorrow. Skeletons march in ranks to continue the revolutionary war. Shadows of the dead dance on walls.
• The Temple of Tiamat in the city’s center is an echoing empty vastness. Its deepest chamber is littered with smashed dragon eggs. A handful of the city’s high priests still linger within the temple’s towers as Wraiths. These wraiths can briefly exert command over the legions of undead that haunt the ruins of An-Ra. They use this power to bring judgement on any who dare to defile their sacred ground.
• The curse Tiamat inflicted on this city lingers to this day. Each time a creature attempts to take a long rest in the city, they must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw or fail to gain the benefits of the long rest and instead gain one level of exhaustion. Any humanoid that dies in the city rises 1 hour later as a random undead.

Geyser Fields

• Dozens of geyser and tidal pools heated into hot-springs by geothermal activity.
• Steam Mephits (MM) play in profusion here. They are malicious tricksters but have been forced to act as Mordrath’s bath attendants when she comes to enjoy the warm waters. They are extremely bitter about this.
• If the party kills more than 6 Steam Mephits, their leader, a whiny mephit named Spoof (A Steam Mephit with 42 hitpoints) will beg them to show mercy. He will attempt to weedle and flatter the party into freeing them from Mordrath. Spoof will make numerous promises in return, but will ultimately not fulfill any of them unless forced at swordpoint. He does, however, know the location of the closest Jungle Goblin village. Spoof recommends (correctly) the party brings an offering of supplies or a dead harpy to win their favor.

Goblin Villages

• There are around a half dozen jungle goblin villages spread across the island. They are always temporary and hidden. The goblins are skilled at quickly packing a village up moving it to a new location in a matter of hours.
• Goblin villages are mostly made of folding tents, the outside of which are camouflaged by mud and grass. They tend to hide under tall trees, at the base of rocky outcrops, or in the ruins of collapsed buildings.
• Goblin young and elderly spend most of their day repairing tents and preparing packs of non-perishable supplies for the next time they have to move the village’s location. They are excellent weavers and tanners.
• Jungle Goblins dedicated to the Owlbear use druidic magic to shape plants and trees to hide their presence. It is easy to walk less than a dozen yards from a Jungle Goblin village and not suspect anything is present.
• Jungle Goblins dedicated to the Dire Boar set up numerous hidden watchposts in a half-mile perimeter around the village to warn of approaching enemies. If a creature approaches the village, they can quickly arm traps that they prepared in advance. The most common are snares that lift the target into the air; pit traps filled with spiked sticks; falling jars that break to release noxious volcanic gases; and bamboo cages that spring up to surround a creature. These traps are always present, but won’t be triggered unless a nearby Jungle Goblin has decided it doesn’t want you there anymore.
• A village likely will try to avoid the attention of Player Characters unless the party is being lead by Goblin hunters, the PCs know the village is present and are calling out to trade with them, or if the PCs have performed some great feat that has endeared them to goblinkind such as destroying a Harpy Elder’s nest.
• Goblin Hunters dedicated to the Displacer Beast are often compassionate to other survivors and warriors on the island and may be willing to reveal themselves if the PCs are badly wounded or in desperate need of aid.

Harpy Peninsula

• The peninsula is a narrow strip of land with sheer cliffs dropping away into the sea.
• Flocks of 2d6 Harpies routinely fly along the peninsula, either heading inland to hunt or back out towards their nests. Their nests are constructed out of driftwood and broken detritus piled into 10-foot domes with a single entrance, their interiors lined with mulch and animal furs. A nest houses 1d6-1 Harpies at night.
• The Harpy Elder’s village is constructed on a large rocky outcrop overlooking the ocean It is built from animal hide stretched across broken hulls of ships that were deposited by ancient waves. Wicker charms and crystals dangle from ropes strung between the ships, and bones litter the rock below. The village houses roughly a dozen Harpies and two Harpy Elders at a time (see Stormwitch Harpy for information on elders).
• The Harpies are cruel and sadistic and disinclined towards diplomacy. They may be put off by a show of force or intimidation. Harpy Elders might be convinced to ally themselves with player characters who can help them raid a village of Jungle Goblins.
• The Storm Stone is a 2-foot diameter orb of polished black stone. It is kept in the nest of one of the Harpy Elders, concealed under a blanket of animal furs. One Harpy Elder and at least three Harpies guard it at all times.

Storm Stone
Wondrous Item, rare
While holding this stone orb, you can cast Control Weather from it without material or somatic components. Once this feature has been used, it can’t be used again for 7 days.

Kruthik Nest

• See the entry on Kruthiks in MToF for statblocks and background information.
• This tall volcano is thickly blanketed with jungle except at the black stone crater at its peak. A handful of dark lava flows stain its sides like streaks of tears.
• There are no birds or animals on this volcano. The area echoes with numerous faint tapping and clicking noises that emanate from beneath the earth. The sounds are the Kruthiks communicating. Each hour the party spends on the volcano’s surface, there is a 25% chance that 1d4 Adult Kruthiks burst from the ground around them.
• Countless dark holes, crevasses, and caverns in the side of the volcano give way to a vast warren of black stone carved by the Kruthik. The walls are made of porous black volcanic stone mixed with lairs of consolidated ash. The interior is blisteringly hot due to geothermal activity.
• The outer tunnels are 5-feet wide in diameter and are patrolled by packs made of 2d6 Young Kruthiks and 1 Adult Kruthik. These tunnels have little of interest except for the broken bones of animals eaten by the Kruthik.
• The middle layer of tunnels open into larger 20-foot by 20-foot caverns. The floors are coated in a sickening brownish-green organic sludge. Bones and bits of animal fur poke out from the putrefying mass. Kruthiks bring dead organic matter and stockpile them in these larders. They are attended by 1d4+1 Adult Kruthiks.
• The lower tunnels are 10 feet in diameter and almost totally vertical, burrowing down into the mountain’s heart. The air is filled with deafening sounds of clicking. The walls of each tunnel swarm with 5d10+5 Young Kruthiks, a nearly insurmountable challenge for most adventuring parties without access to large AoE spells such as fireball.
• The deepest cave is a wide cylindric room, the floors and walls coated with 3-foot diameter pulsing Kruthik eggs. The eggs are tended by the Kruthik Hive Lord. If the Kruthik Hive Lord discovers intruders, it will send out a clicking command. Each round, 1d10 Young Kruthiks and 1d4-1 Adult Kruthiks burrow into the cavern to help defend the Hive Lord. Destroying the Kruthik Hive Lord and the eggs it is tending will disrupt the Kruthik’s hive for many years to come, although eventually a surviving Kruthik will metamorphose into a new hive lord.
• Half-buried under the mass of Kruthik eggs is the lost Orb of Dragonkind. See the Dungeon Master’s Guide for information on this incredibly powerful magic item.

Mordrath’s Lair

• See the Green Dragon entry in the Monster Manual for regional effects and lair actions.
• It is very difficult to reach Mordrath’s lair due to its regional effect that creates labyrinthine thickets of natural plant growth. The closer a creature approaches the lair, the more these paths resemble a carefully cultivated maze of hedgerows.
• Mordrath resides in the mouth of a cave hundreds of feet up a sheer white stone cliff. The cave’s mouth is dotted with sharp stalagmites and stalactites that resemble the teeth of a draconic maw. Water pours from the opening in a beautiful waterfall that fills a idyllic blue lake at the base of the cliff. Surrounding the lake’s edges are vast and luxurious trees, beautifully pruned topiary gardens, carefully arranged paths of flowers, and hedgerow mazes. Birds sing beautiful songs, butterflies flit through the air, and fish leap from the lake.
• Two ancient Stone Golems (MM) from An-Ra have been repurposed as gardeners. They carry oversized watering cans and tend the plants here. They will defend Mordrath’s lair from anyone who approaches the base of the cliff.
• The cave’s interior is a grand vaulted space with a stream of water running from a spring on the back wall. Shining veins of blue crystals sprout from the cavern walls filling the chamber with dim light. Hanging vines covered with small purple flowers hang from the ceiling and fill the room with a sweet scent. Two side chambers extend from this central space.
• One of the side caverns is Mordrath’s sleeping chamber. A jutting mass of white in one wall illuminates this chamber as though it were permanently under the effects of the Daylight spell. The floor is blanketed in soft moss and tiny flowers. A small halfling bard named Toberly is bound to this room by a magical vine that has wrapped around his leg. Toberly was a singer aboard a passenger vessel that shipwrecked here over twenty years ago. Mordrath saved Toberly from the harpies that intended to eat him, but then imprisoned him here. She has commanded the bard to tell her bedtime stories or sing her lullabies when she wants to sleep. Toberly uses the Bard statblock from VGtM, but he has no weapons.
• The other side cavern contains Mordrath’s treasure hoard. This large round room is illuminated by a bright white crystal growing from the center of the floor. Around its base are heaps of treasures and art pieces. If the party spends time gathering treasure, they find the hoard contains treasure worth in total more than 150,000 gold, mostly in the form of bulky golden ornamentation, ancient tapestries, marble statues, antique porcelains, and other art pieces. There is only around 5,000 gold of easily carryable loot, such as gemstones or coins.
• If any creature enters Mordrath’s cavern while she is gone, the birds around the lake at its base depart, each acting as the animal messenger spell to report to Mordrath.

Owlbear’s Grove

• A circle of trees stand guard over this 50-foot diameter clearing. A blanket of shimmering white flowers open their petals to the sky above, which is always a clear morning sky regardless of time of day or weather.
• This is a sacred location to the Jungle Goblins. It is a place closely connected to one of the nature spirits of the island, the Owlbear, the symbol of wisdom and determination.
• Provided the player characters have not proven themselves to be enemies of nature, the Owlbear Spirit will appear before them. The silvery petals of the flowers are picked up in a gust of wind, rising into the air to resemble feathers on an enormous incorporeal creature. A beak and pair of eyes shine above the party, gazing down dispassionately.
• The Owlbear Spirit is extremely powerful but non-aggressive. If the party attempts to attack it, use the Storm Giant Quintessent statblock (VGtM). The spirit will attempt to reason with the party for 2 rounds before smiting them down.
• The Owlbear Spirit knows almost everything about this island, including the locations of all of the major artifacts (Dragonsbane, Storm Stone, and Orb of Dragonkind), the history of An-Ra, and the behaviors of Mordrath described in her section. It may be willing to give all of this information to a party that has proven themselves strong allies of the goblins or of nature. Alternatively, it may give the party a task before it imparts such knowledge, such as eradicating the Vegepygmys on Russet Island or defeating the Sea Hags in the shipwreck cape.
• The Owlbear will not under any circumstances take direct action against anything on this island. It is an aspect of nature and totally neutral. At most it will impart information, and then only when directly asked. It would, however, serve as an excellent tutor for a character wishing to multiclass into druid, or act as a fey patron for a warlock.

Russet Island

• See the entry on Vegepygmies in VGtM for both statblocks and background information on both the monsters and Russet Mold.
• A smaller island separated from of An'Ra proper by around a quarter mile of shallow sea that can only waded across during low tide
• Barren and rocky, covered in gray and brown Russet Mold. 20-foot-high bulbous pillars of the mold rise from the ground like organic stalagmites, and a haze of spores makes the entire island lightly obscured.
• The island originally held an arcane and alchemical research laboratory for the Dragonborn of An-Ra. One of their subjects of research was a sample of Russet Mold that was discovered on a meteorite. When the Queen’s Curse destroyed the dragonborns’ minds, the facility was heavily damaged and a container of Russet Mold was released inside the research facility. The corpses of dragonborn, goblin slaves, and various animals that were undergoing experiments were animated by the Russet Mold into Vegepygmies, Thornys, and Vegempygmy Chiefs.
• The Russet Mold has spread over the entire island, and there are a half dozen each of Vegepgymies and Thornys clustered at the base of every of the pillars of fungus. They react to vibrations from footfalls, moving as one to attack and assimilate outsiders.
• The original Russet Mold infection is still inside the crumbling, mold-encrusted structure of the research facility at the center of the island. The core of the mold uses a Shambling Mound statblock (MM) and is guarded by 4 Vegepygmy Chiefs. One of the chiefs wields the lost Dragonsbane, an object that had been studied at the facility.

Dragonsbane
Weapon (longsword), very rare (requires attunement)
This longsword has the finesse property. If you are proficient with shortswords or longswords, you are proficient with Dragonsbane. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. While attuned to this weapon, you have advantage on attack rolls against dragons, and dragons have disadvantage on attack rolls against you.
When you hit a dragon with this weapon, the dragon takes an extra 3d6 slashing damage and it must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the dragon cannot use or recharge its breath weapon on its next turn.

Shipwreck Cape

• The cape has more than 50 shipwrecks beached along its rocky shore and on its coral outcrops
• It is gray and misty most of the time, with flickers of strange ethereal light flashing from within.
• Roving groups of 1d4+1 skeletal sailors (Skeleton, MM) carry lanterns of witchlight as they wander among the wreckage of their ships. When the skeletons die, there is a 50% chance that their lantern drops and shatters to release a Will-o’-the-wisp (MM).
• A coven of seahags (MM) created the mist along this coast and are the animators of most of the local undead. The three reside within the broken hull of a massive pirate ship that is precariously balanced between two spires of rock, 15 feet above the ocean’s surface. They desire to control the Storm Stone in the Stormwitch Harpy village, and will try to make a deal with the party to obtain it. They can trade healing potions, offer to foretell the future (as per the Commune spell), or to give the party a means to defeat Mordrath (providing the location of Dragonsbane or the Orb of Dragonkind.) They keep their bargains, but try to give as little as possible.

Random Discoveries

1. A shimmering spring filled with clear water. A statue its edge is carved to resemble a five-headed dragon, water falling from its open jaws. The spring glows bright green at night. Any creature that drinks from its water gains a single luck point, a d20 which can be used to reroll an attack roll, saving throw, or attack roll aimed against you. Drinking a second time in 24 hours has no effect. Bottled water loses its effectiveness 1 hour later.
2. A pile of bones from numerous animals and monsters, more than 15 feet across and piled more than 4 feet high. The bones show signs of being gnawed on by giant teeth. This is the remains of one of Mordrath’s hunts.
3. A tree that has been pruned into a beautiful topiary depiction of a dragon. This was magically shaped by Mordrath during a moment of vanity.
4. A rock that has numerous rough charcoal drawings of humanoid figures with horns and bent posture hunting four-legged animals. These were drawn by Curse Dragonborn in a rare moment of culture.
5. The remains of a campsite, including a cooking fire, some pots and pans, and a ruined tent. This is the campsite of a group of shipwrecked sailors who survived for almost three days before being hunted down by a group of Cursed Dragonborn.
6. A large boulder has weathered in a pattern to resemble a reclining woman. There is nothing special about this rock, it is just a natural phenomenon.
7. Carved into the side of a mountain is an old stone staircase, crumbling with age. The stairs wind up the mountain, disappearing behind foliage and hill. At the foot of the staircase there is a stone monument carved with draconic. “YOU APPROACH THE END OF YOUR PILGRIMAGE. RAISE YOUR HEAD TO THE QUEEN’S EYE ABOVE AND CRY OUT YOUR PRAISE TO HER TERRIBLE BENEVOLENCE.” The staircase leads up to a barren grass-covered mountaintop. There is a stone boulder placed atop a dais and wrapped in iron chains, its surface stained by ancient blood. Cutting your palm and placing it upon its surface grants you a vision from Tiamat - if the PCs are good aligned, it's probably not a very pleasant one.
8. The jungle opens up briefly to a field of exotic flowers growing in a wild tangle. There seems to be some order to where they are growing – remains of stone walls and hedges make a few straight lines in the chaos. This was one of Mordrath’s gardening projects, but she got bored of it.
9. In the middle of the jungle you find a vine-covered sailing ship, its mast long since broken off and sunk into the mud. Mud is so caked onto its exterior that its almost entirely green with plantlife, only recognizable as a ship by its outline. Its interior is well protected and hidden from wildlife, making it an excellent camping site. The ship was dropped here by one of Mordrath’s tsunamis.
10. A cave mouth in a nearby hill is nearly obscured by hanging vines. The interior is well-stocked with simple barrels of dried meat, bundles of arrows with stone tips, several nets and triplines in the process of being woven, and animal fur blankets. This is a Forest Goblin hunting outpost, and the hunters return 1 hour after the party discovers it.
11. A shipwrecked crew of seven pirates (Bandit statblock) and their captain (Bandit Captain statblock) are shivering on a beach. They have been being picked off by Harpies but will still try to threaten the party into leaving their supplies.

Random Encounters

1. 2 Blink Dogs and 4 Blink Dog Cubs (1 hitpoint, no attack actions). This family unit hunts rodents and is non aggressive towards PCs.
2. A Displacer Beast stalks the party and tries to pick off a straggler. It will flee if reduced to half its hitpoints.
3. 1d10+1 Needle Blights have grown naturally from the wild vegetation on the island. They attack indiscriminately and fight to the death.
4. A pack of 2d6 Velociraptors try to run the party down. They flee if more than half their numbers are slain.
5. 1d4-1 bloated Ghouls of shipwrecked sailors race towards the party, fighting to the death.
6. A flock of 1d6 Harpies flies overhead. Have the party roll stealth checks. If one or more players rolls a 10 or lower, the Harpies notice the group and will descend, mocking and jeering them before attacking. They can be intimidated into fleeing, but will try to stay and fight if the party has any visible shiny trinkets.
7. A Giant Boar is wallowing in a muddy pool in the jungle. It is uninterested in the party unless they try to approach it, which drives it into a rage.
8. A pack of 1d6+1 Cursed Dragonborn slowly tracks the party over the course of a day and splits into two groups that can come at the party from both sides. They will rush the party in a berserk, screaming frenzy. If the party has a dragonborn PC, the cursed dragonborn will be very confused and wary of it, always attack other creatures first. If any PC flies or grows wings, the dragonborn cower and prostrate themselves in deference, only defending themselves if further attacked. An injured Dragonborn will retreat if reduced to less than half its hitpoint maximum, unless the Dragonborn pack has knocked a PC unconscious, driving them to a bloodrage.