The Missing Recipe Book

A Frame Tale Adventure for the Yawning Portal - Sunless Citadel

This adventure was made for Level 0 heroes playing children. This heavily follows the Kids Quest ruleset and is it is recommended to use that ruleset's character creator, or use characters with commoner stats for this adventure.

Adventure Hook

Your adventurers are all far too young to be patrons of the Yawning Portal, but Durnan has taken a liking to you bunch of scallywags and pretends not to notice you sitting in the corner listening to brave adevnturers tales. Each of you is here for your own reasons, but you are all enraptured by the tales of daring heroics that are commonplace here.

On this occasion, an elderly man has made his way over to you and addressed you directly. He is searching for a book of his that he seems to have misplaced somewhere in town.

Within The Yawning Portal

Read this text box to your adventurers at the opening:

Sitting in your usual corner at the far end of a long dining table, heavily obscured by shadows and larger forms milling about, you watch burly men, one dwarf, one goliath, arm wrestle for golden daggers across the room. You almost miss it as an elderly elf in a green apron sits down next to you. You smell him before you see him, a plethora of spices wafting. His cheeks are flour smudged and his smock covered with stains. "A good grapple is less about strength and more about positioning. Don't be surprised when the large one loses. His elbow is poorly placed," he says quietly. Sure enough, the crowd explodes with uproarious disbelief as the dwarf slams the golaith's hand down on the tabletop. The man turns his attention fully to you now. "This isn't generally the place one would expect to find children. But finding things in unexpected places is just what I aim to do."

The elderly man is a Wood Elf Wizard named Veradin Underleaf. He informs the party that he has a small task for them. He lost a rather important book of recipes some time ago. Not any old cookbook, but one full of potent magical elixers and spells. He no longer practices magic as he once did and has no use for the book any more, but worries that he hasn't seen it for some time. If his book is found and returned, he will reward our adventures with a small token for their trouble and a tale of heroics to rival any they've heard in this tavern. He speaks freely of combat and cooking in equal parts. He has the air of an adventurer about him.

Possible Locations of the Book:

Mary Teller's "Fervent Quill" bookstore

Murdoc Eldamir's "The Claw and Ladle" tavern

Swiped by local hoodrats.

Left in a clearing in the Northern Wood

Confiscated by the city guard.

Most of these locations are beyond the scope of this document, but add in additional "wild goose chase" locations to extend the frame tale if you intend to play multiple sessions. Veradin will tell little pieces of the story after each failed attempt to locate his missing book. This document assumes the events here to transpire over the course of a single session.





The Claw and Ladle

Veradin left his book here after eating supper with the owner of this establishment, Trega Siffton, a half-elf Commoner a few months ago. The owner is of direct connection to one of the fallen adventurers in The Sunless Citadel tale and has never truly gotten over that loss. He has since become obsessed with necromancy and returning his loved one from the grave.

Possessing little magic prowess of his own, he has taken the book and attempted to dicipher its contents and bring back his loved one with the powerful magic held inside

Read this upon arrival:

The Claw and Ladle is one of the busiest restaurants in the city, boasting patronage from the wealthiest and most prestigious members of society. A large door in the front is constantly swinging as people head in and out. A cart, half loaded with produce sits out back waiting to be taken and paid for.

General Features

There are only two doors to the establishment: the large front door for customers and an equally large door around back that leads to the kitchen. Both doors are made of wood. There is a small boarded up window next to the ground visible only from the ally. A DC 15 Athletics check will smash it open and allow access to a Secret Room.

Daytime

Kids aren't allowed near the kitchen and any attempts to enter will require a DC 20 Stealth check or be forcefully removed by kitchen staff. At any given time there are 1d4 cooks in the kitchen and 1d12 patrons in the restaurant. Neither the staff nor the patrons have the time or the patience for children walking about. Trega is darting constantly between the kitchen and the dining area. If he is notified of mischief, he will frequently dart his eyes toward the ice box apprehensively. A DC 15 Investigation check reveals a hidden space behind the ice box with a staircase leading down to a Secret Room.