The commander observes Alteburg, which was generated using OpenAI DALL-E.

Cairbre Mac Ronáin is a legendary mercenary and thief-taker. Before the coup, he led an army of thief-takers renowned throughout the Feyrealm for their tenacity and efficiency. When Commander Ironshoal refused to bow to Murtagh, the latter reached out to Cairbre and offered him the position held by the former. Cairbre immediately jumped at the opportunity to have actual authority rather than be a king of bounty hunters.

Cairbre’s appearance is the plainest of all the 5 commanders. He dresses in an utterly unadorned standard watch uniform except for his badge of office. This lack of adornment is a reflection of his personality. He is an ascetic and shuns luxury in all forms, focusing entirely on his duty. However, he is a very effective watch commander except for one strange character trait: he is deathly afraid of magic. Nobody knows why, and Cairbre is prone to attacking people who ask. Due to Sliberberg’s magical nature, he barricaded himself in the old fort and refused to leave.

Cairbre’s schedule

Cairbre spends his days overseeing the watch from the safety of the old castle. He generally starts his day by supervising the training of watchmen on the training field. He then spends the rest of the day doing paperwork in his office, rarely leaving for meals. He seldom, if ever, deviates from this schedule and rarely leaves the old castle.

Upon Cairbre death

Upon the death of Commander Cairbre, the watch is thrown into disarray. With so much of the watch’s routine paperwork and decision-making flowing through Cairbre’s office before his death, none of the watchmen loyal to the new regime are entirely sure what to do or where to go. Seeing an opportunity, the Old Watch will start operating much more brazenly, leveraging the fact that much of the administrative staff at Watch HQ are old watch members. If the players are allied with the Old Watch, they will start actively routing the patrols of the watchmen, either away from resistance operations or directly into resistance ambushes (effectively putting Alteburg and the Grand Fey marketplace under the continious effect of the Old Watch’s +23 opinion benefit), and resistance members who are caught by the watch  ‘mysteriously’ start escaping from the lockup.

Other factions will see the watch’s weakness and decide to strike. The drolls will launch multiple riots in the grand fey marketplace. The SBHU will take revenge on the watchmen loyal to the usurper.

Cairbre treasure

Upon defeating Cairbre, the players find the following on his person:

• 200 gold pieces
• Cairbre’s Signet Ring worth 20gp
• A silver pocket watch worth 20gp
• 30 anti-magic bolts

The Sliberberg City Watch

When Murtagh seized power, he gave Cairbre a simple mission: use the watch to ensure my control over the city at all costs. In the months since the coup, he has done just that. Cairbre has remade the Sliberberg city watch to be an extension of his will and, by proxy, Murtagh’s will. Cairbre has purged almost all the loyalists to the old regime, replacing them with his own men and fresh recruits who share his distaste for magic. He has expelled all the magic users from the force except for a handful of forensic alchemists and acolytes. The watch headquarters in the old castle is now run with the cold precision of an army camp.

Because of Murtagh’s mandate to The Watch, the people of Alteburg and the Grand Fey Marketplace constantly live on edge. The new watchmen are corrupt brutes to a man. They stride down the middle of the street like hungry wolves and revel in the terror in the eyes of merchants and pedestrians alike. When they get bored of merely being menacing, they will harass and extort shopkeepers, smash windowboxes to ruins, and beat magic users.

The watch now harbors some pretty bad apples, generated using Google Imagen3.

Watch Operations

Awareness table

Awareness	DC	countermeasure
0	10	none
1-3	12	Cairbre establishes a curfew in the neighborhood; avoiding encounters in the neighborhood after dark is done with disadvantage
4-6	14	Roadblocks and other barriers are established throughout the neighborhood. Traveling through the neighborhood requires two stealth checks.
7-10	16	Checkpoints are established at the edges of the neighborhood. When entering or leaving the neighborhood by surface streets, the players will encounter 1d12 watchmen (see encounter 10 on the encounter table).
10-12	18	Checkpoints are established at random points in the neighborhood
13-15	20	Cairbre orders a dragnet of the entire neighborhood. All resistance members and safehouses must pass a stealth check with disadvantage or be arrested or raided.

City Watch Encounter Tables

D20	Patrol
1	No encounter
2	Oddity
3	Rebellious bard
4	Gossips
5	Paid informant
6	Detectives
7	Harrased Shopkeeper
8	Hot pursuit
9	Raid in progress
10	Watchmen
11	Snail Street Race
12	Paddy Wagon
13	Old watch Meetup
14	False accusation
15	Kelvyn Macbeth and his flunkies
16	Wrecked Magic  garden
17	Raided shop
18	Raymond Wright and his enforcers
19	Geir Strongarm and his riot squad
20	Roll twice and use both results

 Rebellious bard

The players come across a bard singing about the injustices of the Murtagh Regime. Unfortunately for the bard, 1d8 watchmen are coming up the street. The players can let the bard be arrested by the watchmen or intervene to help him. If they choose to fight, the watchmen fight until it is clear they are outmatched, after which they will retreat and seek to raise the alarm. If they successfully protect the bard, the players gain the effects of the hearts and minds resistance operation  in that neighborhood for the next 1d4 days.

Gossips

The players encounter a group of gossips trading the latest rumors. They can gain 1d4 from the gossip table or 1d6 if they first give them some juicy info of their own.

Paid informant

A shady-looking character beckons the players over; he will give the players a rumor if they can pay him 1d6 gold pieces.

Detectives

The players encounter a group of 1d6 detectives investigating a crime, with another 1d10 watchmen securing the scene. Whether the crime is legitimate or one of the “crimes” Murtagh, the commanders, or corrupt watchmen invent is up to you to decide. Regardless of the legitimacy of the crime, if the players are not careful, the detectives will spot the players and recognize them as the leaders of the resistance in the city and order the watchmen to apprehend the players. The players must either find another way around or make a stealth check with disadvantage to pass.

Harassed shopkeeper

The players encounter a Watch Captain  with 1d8 watchmen and/or 1d8 riot watchmen shaking down a shopkeeper for protection money or a bribe. If they choose to fight the group, the watchmen fight until it is clear they are outmatched, after which they will retreat and seek to raise the alarm. If the players drive off the watchmen, the shopkeeper gives the players 10gp in thanks.

Hot pursuit

The players witness a foot pursuit in progress. A watch captain and 1d12 watchmen are chasing after 1d4 individuals in hopes of arresting them for some crime. There is a 1 in 6 chance that one of the watchmen is a member of the Old Watch.  Whether the fleeing individuals are guilty of the crime, if the crime is legitimate, or if it is one of the “crimes” Murtagh, the commanders, or corrupt watchmen invent is up to you to decide. If the players choose to interfere with the chase, the outcome corresponds to one of the following options.

• If the players let an actual criminal escape, Old Watch’s opinion of the players drops by -1, Caribe’s awareness increases by 1, and Rat, Droll, and the syndicate’s opinion increases by 1.
• If the players help the watchmen apprehend an actual criminal, the NMG and the Old Watch’s opinion increases by one, and members of the watch are willing to look the other way for the rest of the day.
• If the players help a person accused of “Crimes” by the regime escape the pursuit the Old Watch, Silver Moon Coven and Sanctuary of the Resplendent hand opinion increases by +1, and Caribe’s awareness in the neighborhood increases by 1
• If the players help the watchmen apprehend a person accused of “Crimes” by the regime, the Old Watch, Silver Moon Coven and Sanctuary of the Resplendent hand opinion of the resistances falls by one, and the members of the watch are willing to look the other way for the rest of the day.

Raid in progress

The players encounter a business being raided by a Watch Captain and a squad of 1d12 riot watchmen supported by 1d10 watchmen. If the players choose to intervene, the watchmen fight until it is clear that they are outmatched and will retreat in an orderly fashion, with the riot watchmen covering the others. The watchmen will seek to raise the alarm after they flee. If the players successfully drive off watchmen, the business owner will give the players a reward; the reward in question is at your digression.

 Watchmen

The players encounter a group of watchmen. Roll 6d6 on the following table to determine the group’s composition and what they are doing.

d6	Mastiffs	watchmen	Riot watchmen	Centaur patrolmen	Captain	doing
1	0	0	0	0	none	Off-duty
2	2	1	1	1	none	On Patrol
3	4	2	2	1	1	Guarding something
4	6	3	3	2	1	Taking an incident report
5	8	4	4	2	2	Transporting loot or equipment
6	10	5	5	3	2	Travelingsomewhere

The players can spot the watchmen with a DC 15 passive or active perception check. If the players spot the patrol, they have one chance to avoid being spotted. Have the players describe what means they use to avoid being spotted and make them perform appropriate checks. If they fail on the checks, the navy personnel will spot them. If the players are spotted, roll on the following reaction table to determine the group’s response

2d6	reaction
2	Unless they are obviously outmatched by the players, the group attacks on sight; otherwise, they will gather more watchmen and ambush them in the next 1d4 hours.
3-5	Very suspicious of the player’s actions
6-8	Suspicious
9-11	In a hurry or otherwise not willing to take too much time with the players
12	Ignore the players

Snail Racers

The players encounter a group of 1d6 centaur patrolmen in a high-speed pursuit after a group of 4 teenagers (commoners) riding on 4 giant street racing snails. If the players choose to fight the patrolmen, the patrolmen fight until they are outmatched, after which they will retreat and seek reinforcements. If the players successfully stop the patrolmen’s pursuit, the snail races will owe them a favor, and the players will be able to recruit street racers at a 20% discount.

Paddy Wagon

The players encounter a group of 1d20 watchmen transporting 1d12 prisoners in a paddy wagon. Whether the crimes the people in the wagon are legitimate or the “crimes” Murtagh, the commanders, or corrupt watchmen invent is up to you to decide. If the players choose to fight the wagon’s escort, the watchmen fight until it is clear they are outmatched, after which they will retreat and seek to raise the alarm. If the players successfully free the prisoners, the players will receive a reward as determined by you.

Old Watch Meetup

The players encounter 1d4+1 members of the Old Watch meeting in some discrete location. If the resistance is on good terms with the Old Watch (opinion +5), the Old Watch watchmen greet the players as allies and give them 1d4 pieces of true information. The Old Watch watchmen scatter if the players are neutral or on bad terms.

Kelvyn Macbeth

Kelvyn Macbeth is a corrupt watch Lieutenant who leads a group of 12 other similar-minded watchmen in running a protection racket in the Grand Fey Marketplace.

Impact on the watch if defeated: The corruption scandal caused by Kelvyn’s takedown results in Cairbre keeping all watchmen on a tighter leash. Watchmen are no longer willing to take bribes, but they have disadvantage on all checks when in public places.

Wrecked Magic Garden

The players encounter one of the city’s ubiquitous and often magical streetside gardens that has been trampled to ruin. A local resident, such as a fairy or a little girl, is among the wreckage, trying to save what he or she can. Not too long ago, according to the local, one of the magic-hating watchmen Cairbre hired trampled the garden.

False accusation

The players witness a person falsely accuse another person of “Crimes against the regime” in front of a group of watchmen. Because of the outlandishness of the accusation, the players can tell that the accusation is false from the reaction of the onlookers and the accused without an insight check. The players can choose to intervene in the scene using persuasion or deception check DC 15 at the risk of drawing attention to themselves.

Raided shop

The players encounter a shop that was the subject of a recent raid. The shelves are a mess, and the shopkeeper is sporting some nasty bruises. The shopkeepers will tell the players all about the attack and suggest that they may get a reward for beating up the watchmen involved.

Raymond Wright

A former thief taker turned detective, Raymond Wright  is tasked by Cairbre personally to keep an eye on the watchmen from the old regime; Raymond is obsessive and eager to flush out the Old Watch members from the watch, believing that it will be his ticket to eventual promotion to investigation division chief. He usually has four centaur patrolmen to serve as his bodyguards and enforcers, but he may be encountered alone if he is following a hot lead.

Impact on the city watch if defeated:With Raymond out of the way, the Old Watch can operate with greater freedom. Any form of Old Watch support that relies on a dice roll is made with advantage.

Geir Strongarm

Geir Strongarm is a burly dwarf assault riot watchmen who serves as the riot division’s chief. He accompanies the division on all its missions and leads from the front. When out responding to a situation that requires the riot division, he usually is accompanied by 10 riot Watchmen

Impact on the mage corp if defeated: Without him, the riot division would be unable to operate. No riot watchmen are deployed on patrols until Cairbre can appoint a new chief. Remove all encounters that include riot watchmen from the patrol table for the next two weeks.

 

Watchhouses

There are 12 watchhouses strategically positioned throughout the city. These watchhouses serve not only as bases of operation for watch patrols but also theoretically as places where ordinary people can report crimes to the watch and places to hold those arrested for crimes before being moved to hq. Watchhouses are easily spotted by their blue globe lanterns with the city’s coat of arms located by the door and their prominent bell towers. While there are some variations in layout, most follow a similar internal layout.

1 Desk Sergeants Post

Just beyond the door is a spartan waiting room that smells of harsh cleaning agents. At the far end is a desk with a watch sergeant sitting behind it, looking pretty bored. Behind his is an iron gate leading into the rest of the watchhouse

Typically, just inside the entrance from the front door is a waiting room where people can make reports to the watch sergeant on duty, who is usually a veteran.

2 Holding cells

2 small and a single large holding cells line the corridor. They are dim, dank, and smell foul. You can just make out people in the gloom

 The holding cells in the watchhouse are used to house the accused before they are transported to central booking at the Old Castle. When the players arrive, roll a d8 to determine how many prisoners are in the holding cells, then roll on the following table to determine the crimes of the people in the cells.

d6	offense
1	Breaking Curfew:
2	Public disorder
3	Speaking Against the Regime
4	Harboring a Fugitive
5	Burglary
6	Murder

3 Bullpen

You are hit by a continuous racket as you enter this large room. The room is subdivided into many small cubicles. Watchmen swarm around these cubicles like bees around a honeycomb.

Generally, the bullpen will have 1d12 watchmen. There is a 1 in 6 chance that one of the watchmen is a member of the Old Watch.

Treasure. There is 80gp of small possessions and spare change scattered among the desks and the watchen

4 Captains office

The office is tiny, almost cramped. It has a desk covered with documents, a few personal knickknacks, and a file cabinet.

There is a 1 in 4 chance that the watch captain is in the office.

Desk. The documents on the desk are mostly routine paperwork for running the watchhouse. There is 5gp in the top drawer.

File Cabinet. The file cabinet contains case files and records for the watchhouse.

5 Armory

Racks of truncheons, helmets, chain mail shirts, and bucklers line the walls.

There is a 1 in 4 chance that a watchman is inside the armory working to maintain the weaponry.

Treasure. There are 1d20 sets of clubs, shields, and chain mail shirts.

 6 Breakroom

The room is dominated by tables with chairs and a small kitchenette. Watchmen sit at the tables, eating meals and chatting.

There are 1d8 watchmen in this room at all times.

Treasure. The kitchenette has 10 rations worth of food.

7 Locker room

Rows of wooden lockers fill this room.

There is a 1 in 4 chance that a 1d4 watchmen is in this room changing.

Lockers. This room has 22 lockers. They mostly contain civilian clothing, but there are 25gp worth of loose coins in the various lockers. However, opening each locker requires a DC 10 dex check or a DC 5 strength check.

8 Storage room

This large room is filled with piles of crates and shelves of uniforms. A safe is in the back wall.

Supplies. The crates contain the watchhouse’s consumable supplies, such as candles, lantern oil, uniforms, paper, ink, and pens.

 Safe. The safe is used to store evidence collected by the watchmen. It is currently unlocked. There is a 1 in 4 chance that the watchmen’s pay totaling 100gp is in the safe.

Watch Asset Storage and impound lot.

On the edge of the dock ward looms a warehouse rented out by the watch, where all the evidence, contraband, and seized property it has collected is stored. Before the coup, this was a quiet and orderly place, with rows of empty shelves and an impound yard that was vacant most of the time. Under Cairbre’s watch, the warehouse has become a dark vault of corruption. The new crop of corrupt watchmen use the warehouse as a storehouse for the stuff they steal. The shelves groan under the weight of goods stolen from merchants, possessions being held for ransom, and seized magic items. The impound yard is stuffed with seized magical vehicles of all descriptions.

Outside

Outside the warehouses, four watchmen and five riot watchmen guard the warehouse and the impound lot. The guards make a circuit of the complex every two minutes. If the patrol is not at the front door to the warehouse, start a timer d6. When the timer reaches zero, they arrive at the front door.

Guards treasure. The watchmen have 65 gp in spare change between them

Impound Yard

The watch keeps various vehicles they have confiscated in this yard. Players poking around the yard find one of the following strange vehicles

d12	Item Found
1	A carriage atop six mechanical spider legs
2	A mortar that hovers several feet off the ground
3	A whimsical, brightly painted market stall on wheels. The sides say Wanda’s Enchanted Fabrics
4	A mechanical horse made of brass and gears.
5	A sleigh that is cold to the touch and produces its own ice beneath its runners
6	A small armed sloop on wheels
7	A gypsy caravan that fills you with dread when you get close to it
8	An ornate carriage that is shaped and smells like a pumpkin
9	A Fairy-sized carriage
10	A small shack on impossibly long, spindly legs. The legs are shackled to the ground.
11	A wooden wagon with dozens of beehives.
12	A calliope wagon from a circus that plays itself constantly

 Inside

Inside, 1d20 watchmen file evidence, stow seized property, and help themselves to the contents of the warehouses. There is a 1 in 6 chance that 1d6 old watch members are among them.

Shelves. Most of the shelves in the warehouse are overloaded. If a character can make a DC 16 strength check, they can topple the shelves over, causing 1d10 bludgeoning damage and knocking anyone caught in the shelving prone.

Property. To find anything in this mess of a warehouse requires a DC 15 investigation check or insight check. The players can find Casimir Thorne’s thermography among the boxes of property and the following other items

d12	Property/Item
1	Crate of confiscated weapons. Mostly rusted-up junk worth about 20gp
2	Stack of confiscated art and jewelry worth about 300gp
3	Chest of old documents and letters from various people who were arrested. At the dm’s digression, the players might contain 1d6 rumors from rumor tables or 2 pieces of true info on the commanders and their forces
4	Barrel of confiscated dwarven ale. Worth 200gp
5	A crate of cheaply made malfunctioning magic items. 1d12 common magic items that deal 1d4 damage to the wielder if used
6	Pile of personal effects: Citizens’ clothing, keepsakes, and family heirlooms.
7	Box of confiscated musical instruments
8	A collection of crates containing stolen preserved food stuffs, spices, fabrics, or rare books stolen from merchants worth about 200gp
9	Padded cases of confiscated valuables, including watches, rings, brooches, and necklaces worth 200gp
10	Stack of confiscated magic wands, none of which are functional
11	Battered chests of confiscated coins worth 3d100 gp if the players take the time to sift through the mess.
12	A set of ceremonial armor

Treasure. Along with the seized property there is a crate containing 10 potions of healing and 60 gp worth of small valuables and coins among the bodies of the guards.

Old Castle

Since the Murtagh coup, the fort has become a virtually impenetrable symbol of the regime’s grim oppression. Its grim dark grey walls, black tooth gatehouses, and blocky towers loom like a hungry beast over Alteburg, the Grand Fey Marketplace, and Steinufer on its rocky perch. Before the coup, it was a place of justice with the watch headquarters, the courthouse, and the city jail; now, those walls seem to serve as barriers to justice and trap the system’s victims within.

With so many high-profile prisoners in the city jail, Murtagh and, by extension, Cairbre are not taking any chances. The fort’s walls, which traditionally served only as an obstacle in case of a prison break, now practically bristle with black armored infantrymen and skirmishers who scan the surrounding streets with cold contempt for the citizenry. Civilians who have business in the fort are escorted to their destination by watchmen or guards, if they are let in at all.

Breaking into the fort

With the old castle locked down tighter than a red dragon’s horde, getting to Cairbre or any other potential target for assassination or rescue will be a real challenge. The players must develop a solid plan to break into the fort. However, they do have some potential options. However, this list of possibilities is not all-inclusive, nor are any of these options mutually exclusive. Let the players come up with their own plan if they so desire.

 Enlist the help of the Old Watch.

The most flexible method of getting into the old castle and watch HQ is to employ the help of the loyalists to the old regime that still serves on the watch. About 100 loyalists are still on the force; about 30 are stationed at Watch HQ, and all wish to see Murtagh and Cairbre defeated. If the players are on good terms with the Old Watch (at least +5 opinion), they can smuggle them into the fort through various methods. Once inside, the members of the Old Watch will aid the players however they can.

The Trojan Haywagon

There is a small stable on the grounds of the old castle for a few horses the watch uses to pull riot and paddy wagons. A few times a week, the castle receives a wagon of either straw or hay for the stable. The players can use the haywagon to sneak into the castle with some effort. However, the guards of the old castle know of this potential weakness and search the wagon from top to bottom before letting it pass. The players must find a way to hide under the hay without being detected.

Tunnel Underneath the wall

Although the Old Castle and the buildings are solidly built, they are not indestructible. A sewer line runs underneath the walls, and at least one of the tunnels in the catacombs got so close to the city courthouse that a section of the cellar wall collapsed into the new tunnel. If the players are willing to get dirty, they can tunnel into the castle. However, they will need the help of either Papa Faoghair to find the sealed tunnel in the catacombs or Thimblecrook Cogspinner to obtain a map of the sewers. Furthermore, the players must dedicate time to dig the tunnel.

Blind Spot on the wall

City engineer Thimblecrook Cogspinner has been trying to get approval for a new hoarding on the southeastern corner of the Old Castle. A potential attacker can use a blindspot to climb over the wall at that corner. The players must to retain Thimblecrook as a contact to find the spot. They must make a 15 DC acrobatics or athletics check to climb over the place.

Creating a diversion

A riskier option is to try to distract the garrison of the old fort enough to slip over the walls or through one of the gates. The distraction must be significant enough to warrant the mobilization of the watch, such as starting an out-of-control fire in a nearby building (or in the castle itself), causing an explosion, or staging a fake assault.

Assaulting the walls

The most straightforward option, however, is also the riskiest. The garrison at the old castle around 50 guards, 30 skirmishers, and 5d20 watchmen at all times. Worse, the moment the attack begins, the watch HQ  bell will ring a predetermined alarm signal, which will mobilize the watchmen station at the various watchhouses to come to the hq’s defense. At the beginning of the attack, start a timer d6. When the timer reaches zero, 1d20 watchmen arrive at the old castle and the timer restarts. After the timer has reached zero 6 times, forces from the Royal Army start to arrive at the fort. Instead of watchmen, 1d20 infantry with 1d12 skirmishers arrive.

The resistance assults the gatehouse

Watch HQ

The watch headquarters looms above you, a solid mass of brick covered with battlements and turrets that are both functional and decorative. The glow of the lantern light can be seen in the windows, and occasional shadows block the light.

Watch HQ serves as the center for the watch in the city. It houses the central administration offices and the headquarters for the riot and investigation divisions. While not a traditional watchhouse, the patrol and traffic divisions also maintain a sizeable presence in the HQ.

The Watch HQ: general features

The following features are found throughout the Watch Hq.

Ceilings. Unless noted otherwise, the ceilings are 12 feet high

Doors. The doors, unless the text specifies overwise, are unlocked. The doors are made from sturdy wood with frosted glass windows at eye level. It takes a strength check of DC 18 to break one down. Alternatively, the player can break the glass with a DC 5 strength check but will take 1d4 slashing damage as a result.

Illumination. Unless otherwise specified, the rooms are well-lit by oil lamps and candles.

Ramp. Instead of staircases, the Watch Headquarters features a 4-foot-wide switchbacking ramp that allows the centaur watchmen to access the second floor.

1 Reception

The reception area is functional and almost spartan. It has a large counter with a single human watchwoman sitting behind it, a pair of long wooden benches, a bulletin board, and nothing else.

Watchwoman. The watchwoman is Wendy Harrow, a member of the Old Watch. She is small for a human and has been forced to work administrative jobs for the Watch since she joined. If the players engage her in conversation and make any intention that aligns with the Old Watch known, she will help the players by telling them about all the rooms in the Watch HQ.

Bulletin board. The board has flyers for bounties, lost pets, and a few watch events.

2 Riot Division Armory

Rows of swords, tower shields, and half-plate armor line the walls of this armory. The air smells of weapon oil and old leather. Several muscular men are talking over a grindstone.

4 riot watchmen and a watch Captain are in the room sharpening their swords.

Grindstone. The grindstone is magical and imbues blades with a boon of extra sharpness. A player can take an action to sharpen a weapon. A sharpened weapon deals +1 damage for the next 20 minutes.

Treasure. The room has 30 complete sets of half-plate armor, swords, and tower shields. There is also a small coffer with the unit’s petty cash, the box contains 40gp There is also the magic grindstone.

3 Women’s Locker room

Rows of wooden lockers fill this thin room.

There is a 1 in 4 chance that a watchwoman is in this room changing.

Lockers: This room has 22 lockers. They mostly contain civilian clothing but each locker also contains 1d6gp in loose change. Opening each locker requires a DC 10 dex check or a DC 5 strength check.

4 canteen

This large room is filled with round wooden tables and plain wooden chairs. About a dozen watchmen are spread throughout the room. Along the far wall is a counter with built-in cabinets. Several coffee urns and a collection of paper cups are located on the counter.

There are 8 watchmen, a watch captain, 6 riot watchmen in the room and 4 unarmed watchmen in the room, including Corporal Knobs and Constable Colhan. If the players are on good terms with the Old Watch and a fight breaks out, Corpal Knobs and Constable Colhan will join the players in battle as a watchman and a unarmed bugbear.

Coffee urns. There are three coffee urns, each containing a different type of coffee. When drunk, each coffee has a different effect.

• Regular black coffee. When drunk, it grants a +1 to initiative roles and an advantage on a check to resist sleep and confusion.
• Decaf. No effect other than tasting foul.
• Qaldira coffee. This extra-strong coffee grants an advantage on intelligence checks, +1 to the initiative, and dispels any of the warm and comforting delusions the player has bout the nature of reality. Drink with caution.

5 Men’s Locker Room

Rows of wooden lockers fill this thin room.

There is a 1 in 4 chance that a watchman is in this room changing.

Lockers. This room has 26 lockers. They mostly contain civilian clothing but each locker also contains 1d6gp in loose change. Opening each locker requires a DC 10 dex check or a DC 5 strength check.

each locker requires a DC 10 dex check or a DC 5 strength check.

6 Interrogation Rooms

The players can hear yelling coming from within this small room

This uncomfortably small room is occupied by a detective who is intimidating someone you cannot make out through the frosted glass

A detective is currently interrogating a subject in the room. Roll on the following table to determine who is in the room.

D4	Subject
1	Innocent victim
2	Resistance Member
3	Syndicate Footsoldier
4	Rats member
5	Petty criminal
6	Murderer

7 Investigation Division Bullpen

This large room is in a state of organized disorder. The room is divided into cubicles, each containing its own self-contained mess. At the far end of the room is a door with “Division Chief” on the frosted glass door. There are a handful of detectives working at the various cubicles.

The bullpen contains 5 detectives. One of the detectives, Miles is a member of the Old Watch and will fight with the players if combat breaks out.

Desks. The desks contain documents about various open cases.

Division Chief’s Office. The office’s door is locked and requires a DC 15 check with thieves’ tools to unlock. The division chief office is spartan and covered with paperwork. If the players take the time to sort through the mess, they find documents related to recent watch investigations and a small silver key to lock on the evidence vault’s door.

Treasure. In the division chief’s office, there is a lockbox containing the division’s pay. The lockbox can be opened with a DC 10 sleight of hand check. It contains 120gp.

8 Bell Tower

This room on the second floor of the HQ building contains three large bells with long bell ropes labeled A, B, and C. Behind the bells is a board with sequences of letters A, B, and C. A ladder in the tower leads up to the belfry.

The bells are used to communicate with the various watchhouses and watchmen throughout the city. By ringing the bells in different orders, messages can be sent to the watchmen and watchhouses in the town. To disable the bells, the players must either cut the bellropes or destroy the mechanism with a DC 15 strength check.

The ringing instructions. The board behind the bellropes contains the sequences of pulls to send different messages. The messages are as follows.

• A-B-C: “All clear. Continue regular patrols.”
• B-A-B: “All watchmen report to Old Castle Watch headquarters for further instructions.”
• C-B-A: “All watchmen report to Market Grove Bazaar watchhouse for further instructions.”
• A-A-C: “All watchmen report to Long Wharf watchhouse for further instructions.”
• C-C-B: “All watchmen report to the tannery row watchhouse for further instructions.”
• B-C-B: “Invasion alarm, all watchmen to their assigned battle stations.”
• A-C-A: “Prisoner Transport is in progress; lockdown relevant streets.”
• C-A-C+4 bell code: “Reinforcements needed at [specific location].”

The watch HQ bell tower was generated using Google Imagen3.

9 Watch Commander’s Office

As you walk into the watch commander’s office, you are struck by its spartanness. There is a plain wooden desk, a wooden chair, a set of wooden file cabinets, and a bookcase filled with binders.

If the players have yet to raise the alarm in the old fort, Commander Cairbre is in this office doing paperwork.

Desk, file cabinet, and bookcase. The only thing on the top of the desk is a half-written letter from Commander Cairbre to Murtagh complaining about having to task watchmen to the envoys from Loch Slanch. It is bad enough that foreign officials are commanding his men, but to have fey envoys command them is intolerable. The desk drawers are mostly empty except for basic office supplies like pens, paper, and ink. The watch’s official seal in the upper right drawer is the only thing of note in the drawers. The file cabinet is filled with assorted documents about the various watchmen. The binders on the bookcase are filled with official records.

10 Central Admin

Central admin’s bullpen, generated using Google Imagen3

This cavernous room is filled with the sound of scratching pens and moving paper. The room is divided into various cubicles where an army of clerks and members of smaller races are doing paperwork.

A dozen commoners, mostlu gnomes, halflings, and fairies, are working furiously at the paperwork. Among them are old watch members Jenny Merribrook and Billy O’Connell. If the players make it clear that they are allies of the Old Watch, Jenny and Billy will calm the rest of the clerks down; otherwise, they will immediately try to raise the alarm in the investigation or riot divisions.

10 Forensic Alchemy Lab

This large basement room has a desk filled with strange contraptions and lab equipment. 6 men and women of multiple races are working at the tables

The 6 remaining members of the forensic alchemy unit are all members of the Old Watch. If the players engage one of them in conversation and make any intention that aligns with the Old Watch known, they will help the players by telling them about all the rooms in the Watch HQ. They also can tell the players the location of the Potion of Climbing, the starshine lantern, the bottle of drow poison, and the spell scroll of animate dead in the evidence vault. They will also be willing to make potions for the players.

 11 Evidence Vault

This large iron-plated door is locked. The key to the lock can be found in the investigation division chief’s office. Alternatively, the players can open the vault with a DC 20 sleight of hand check with thieves tools.

As you step inside the vault, you see shelves lined with strongboxes. There is a musty smell in the air.

The strongboxes contain evidence collected by the forensic alchemy unit from past crime scenes. Each of them has a wax seal over the latch. Inside are paper envelopes with wax seals containing a single piece of evidence.

Treasure. Searching the lockboxes is tedious, but the players can find a Potion of Climbing, two bottles of drow poison, a starshine lantern and a spell scroll of animate dead.

12 Records Room

Rows of file cabinets stuffed to the brim filled this room. Among the towering cabinets is a little gnome with a stepladder.

The gnome is Aiden Brightstone, a member of the Old Watch and the man in charge of the records room. If the players are on good terms with the Old Watch, he can help them find anything in the records room.

13 Kennels

You are overwhelmed by the scent of multiple dogs as you enter the room. Loud barking erupts at you from multiple kennels. Inside, there are mean-looking mastiffs staring at you with malice in their eyes. A singular watchman is dumping what looks like a sack of kibble into waiting doggy dishes

16 Mastiffs are located in the kennels on either side of the corridor. Each kennel holds 4 dogs, with a watchman feeding the dogs in the far left kennel. Once he notices the players, he opens the kennel door and lets the mastiffs out. On each of his turns, he will open another kennel door until all the kennels are opened

Training yard

Training yard, Generated with Google Imagen3

A wide fence-off area is before you. Various targets and dummies are set up through the fenced-off area. The churned muddy ground on the other side of the fence is covered in footprints and occasional blood stains. A small shack-like building sits at the far end of the enclosure.

At any given time during the day, 1d12 watchmen, 1d6 riot watchmen, and 1d10 infantry or skirmishers are in the yard, sparing and training with the dummies and targets.

Shack. The building in the enclosure stores training equipment. There are 2d20 bundles of 20 arrows, 2d20 bows and crossbows of various types, and 3d20 sets of wooden arms and shields.

Courthouse

The grand courthouse towers over the rest of the complex and looks deserted. The windows are dark, the doors are locked, and dust covers the marble facade.

Ever since the players broke out of Ironhold and the city has been put under martial law, the regime has stopped even suggesting that due process was still in effect. As a result, people are arrested without trials, and the courthouse has been locked up. There is currently no one inside and no guards around the building.

Digging into the courthouse: One of the tunnels in the catacombs broke into the courthouse’s basement. The hole was promptly bricked back up, and the tunnel was abandoned. If the players have The Faoghair Clan as contacts, they can lead the players to the tunnel in question. It takes 1 hour’s work to clear the tunnel.

Wagon Yard and Stable

A few wagons are parked in rows, and a small stable with a few horses is nearby.

This corner of the Old Castle is where the watch and guard keep the 4 paddywagons and the two armored wagons used by the riot division. The stable houses 12 draft horses used by the watch to pull said wagons. 6 commoner noncombatants are brushing down the horses.

Mint

The large, windowless building has a massive seal shaped like a gold coin above the entrance, and dozens of men guard the entrance and roof.

Guards. The mint is guarded by 12 infantrymen and 12 skirmishers. They are split into three groups patrolling the perimeter, the minting room, and the roof.  If the players get into a fight with either group of enemies, start a timer d4: when the timer reaches zero, the other groups of enemies join the fight.

The vault. The vault within the mint is located in the mint’s basement.  The vault is protected by a solid wall of enchanted concrete-lined stone that prevents digging, teleportation, transmutation, or any ability that allows one to pass through solid objects. The players can disrupt the enchantment on the vault in a specific area using either dispel magic, an anti-magic field, or a DC 15 arcana check. Alternatively, the players can use a Demolitionist’s Mark  to destroy the wall

Digging into the vault: The mint’s vault is 8 feet from the sewer line running through the Old Castle. Players with a sewer map can make a DC 15 intelligence check to find the spot where they can dig into the vault.

Treasure: The vault within the building contains 10000gp coins, coin blanks, and bars of precious metals.

Armory

The building is stout and made of cut stone, making it look castle-like. The building has no windows, just arrow slits. Infantrymen patrol the battlements on the building’s roof; a big pair of guarded double doors is the only way in.

Four infantrymen guard the door to the armory, and eight skirmishers patrol the roof. If the players get into a fight with either group of enemies, they start a timer d4. When the timer reaches zero, the other group of enemies joins the fight.

Treasure. The armory contains 400 sets of arms and armor of the dm’s choice.

 City Jail

The city jail has an air of desolation and finality about it. It is a grim, squat stone building with iron bar windows and menacing crenelations ringing the room.

Before the coup, the city jail was used to house low-level offenders and those awaiting trial. Serious criminals were generally sent to the notorious prison mine Anvilhold. However, with the sheer number of arrests being made every week since the coup, including the arrest of political prisoners, the city jail has turned to the primary holding facility for prisoners before they are sent to the gulags

The City Jail: general features

The following features are found throughout the jail.

Ceilings. Unless noted otherwise, the ceilings are 12 feet high

Doors. The doors, unless the text specifies overwise, are unlocked. The doors are made from sturdy wood. It takes a strength check of DC 18 to break one down.

Illumination. Unless otherwise specified, torches mounted in wall sconces dimly illuminated the rooms below the deck.

Cell doors. The cell doors are sturdy and feature strong locks. It takes a DC22 strength check to break down one of the doors and a DC16 check with thieves’ tools to open the locks.

1 Central booking

The room is large and open. There are a couple of desks with bored-looking watchmen doing paperwork. A thug stands against one of the walls, and another watchman is sketching the thug.

There is a watch captain and8 watchmen in the room.

Thug.  The thug‘s name is Joe, the killer Renolds. He was arrested in a bar fight last night. If the player gets into a fight with the watchmen, he will use this opportunity to escape and attack a few of the watchmen on his way out of the jail.

Treasure. A search of the desks and the watchmen’s pockets reveals 50gp in loose change, a gold necklace with 4 10gp gems worth 50gp and  a gold locket worth 25gp

2 Property vault

This large iron-plated door is locked. The key is in the watch commander’s office or central booking.

 This room is filled with dozens of small boxes with names written upon them.

The room contains the property for those serving time in the city jail.

Treasure. Most of the contents of the boxes are worthless items like pieces of clothing. However, there is a 20gp spread among the various boxes, a +1 dagger, a spell scroll of blessing, and a flask containing half a healing potion.

3 Cellblock A

This cold stone corridor is lined with large, grim, smelly cells packed with dozens of people each. The people within cower at your approach momentarily but seem to burst forth once they realize that you are not guards.

The cells in cell block A are mostly filled with low-level offenders,  minor political prisoners, and those who were in the wrong place at the wrong time when a crackdown was happening. Currently, the cells contain the following inmates.

• 4 members of the SBHU
• 8 Minor Political Dissidents:
• 10 Debtors and Petty Criminals
• 20 Wrongfully Imprisoned civilians
• 3 Petty thieves
• Several family members of political prisoners
• A dozen drunks
• 3 smugglers

 4 Cellblock B

This cold stone corridor has tiny cells with one or two prisoners. The prisoners look up with defiance and fear as you approach. They have the air of people who have made enemies of the regime.

The cells in cell block B are reserved for political prisoners and members of the Rats, Drolls, and Syndicate. Currently, the cells contain the following inmates.

•  Rory “The Hammer” Flynn
• 4 members of the rats
• 10 Syndicate thugs
• Any member of the resistance who was caught in the last few weeks
• 1 failed assassin
• 9 members of the Drolls
• 6 members of the peerage who tried to launch a failed rebellion.

5 Guard station

A group of bored-looking watchmen sit at a table and on boxes strewn about the room chatting and playing cards

There is a Prison guard officer and 8 riot prison guards (See Appendix B)in the room

Keys. Hanging on a hook on the wall is a ring of keys to each of the cells

Treasure. The guards have been stealing from the prisoners. A Small lockbox contains 4d20gp is hidden under one of the desks

6 Galley

As you enter the galley, your nose is filled with the scent of bad cooking. A large middle-aged woman is stirring a large cauldron of gruel in the middle of the room. She scowls when she sees you.

Hannah Grimsby, the jail’s cook, is not interested in politics or the players. She will ask them to stop poking around her kitchen and leave her alone.

7 Supply room

This large room is filled with piles of crates and shelves of uniforms.

Supplies. The crates are filled with the fort’s consumable supplies, such as candles, lantern oil, uniforms, non-perishable foodstuffs, and knife sticks.

8 Torture room

Your ears are pierced by a scream as you enter this dim basement room. Several hooded figures wielding wicked instruments are gathered around a man strapped to a table.

3 torturers (Use the cult fanatic stat block)are working over a dwarf with hot pokers

9 Solitary Confinement

Along this dim corridor are iron doors with small windows and hatches. You can hear the subtle sound of breathing within

This part of the jail is reserved for the most important political prisoners and dangerous criminals. Currently, the cells contain the following inmates.

• Commander Ironshoal, The watch commander under Fredrick
• Sir Lorcan Ó Ceallaigh: Murtagh’s son and loyal knight to Fredrick
• The Viper, a fey assassin who tried to kill Murtagh
• 10 Members of the nobility spoke out against the regime
• An assassin who cannot speak but wears the colors of Ailénach An Draíocht
• A merchant prince who tried to start a resistance movement
• 3 Knights loyal to King Fredrick

Guard Barracks

The old castle has three barracks for the city guardsmen, who guard the city walls and various facilities.

Guard Barracks: general features

The following features are found throughout the barracks.

Ceilings. Unless noted otherwise, the ceilings are 12 feet high

Doors. The doors, unless the text specifies overwise, are unlocked. The doors are made from sturdy wood. It takes a strength check of DC 18 to break one down.

Illumination. Unless otherwise specified, torches mounted in wall sconces dimly illuminated the rooms.

1 Mess Hall

The mess hall is filled with the sound of spoons on tin plates and chit-chat of soldiers as you enter. The smell of stew is in the air. Men sit along long tables on benches.  However, when they spot you, the noise suddenly stops, and they start to reach for spears and bows.

There are 7 infantrymen and 4 skirmishers in the mess hall eating.

 Treasure The soldiers have 50gp in small change in various pockets and pouches 

2 Armory

The armory smells of sulfur and weapon oil. Inside, a blacksmith works at a forge, and racks of weapons and armor line the walls.

The blacksmith is actually a veteran and a Murtagh supporter. He will feign harmlessness and support for the old regime long enough for the players to get within striking distance of his hammer. Players can detect this lack of sincerity with a DC 12 insight check. If the players realize the blacksmith is lying, he will strike the nearest players with his hammer in a surprise attack.

Treasure. There is 20 halberds, 30 sets of chainmail, 15 bows and 20 quivers filled with arrows in the armory.

3 Pantry

The pantry is well stocked with dry foodstuffs.

There is about 600 days’ worth of ration in this pantry.

4 Barracks

You enter a long room filled with bunk beds. A pair of foot lockers sits underneath each bed. Sleeping forms of men grace some of the beds.

Ten infantrymen are sleeping in the room. The players can move through the room without waking them by making a DC14 group stealth check.

Treasure: The lockers mainly contain civilian clothing and small personal care items. However, the players can find an inlaid flask worth 5gp in one of the lockers and two purses with 5 gp each in two of the other.

5 Officers quarters

This short, dimly lit corridor has 3 small rooms along its length. Each room has a narrow bed, a small desk and chair, a wardrobe, and a small nightstand with a lamp.

There is a 1 in 8 chance that one of the rooms has a veteran inside.

Cairbre. At night, Cairbre can be found sleeping in one of these rooms in the barracks connected to the Watch HQ.

Treasure. There is about 30gp worth of small personal items and loose change in the wardrobe and writing desk.

Cairbre and City Watch Rumor Table

D100	Rumor
1	Cairbre runs the city watch.
2	Cairbre rarely if ever, leaves the old castle.
3	Cairbre lives and works from an apartment in the barracks in the old castle.
4	Cairbre is deeply afraid of magic.
5	There is a blind spot in the fort defenses by the courthouse.
6	Cairbre lives a plain life for some reason.
7	The Watch has largely been replaced with mercenaries and new recruits.
8	Some of the watchmen are corrupt.
9	The remaining watchmen from the old regime have been primarily relegated to desk duties.
10	30 watchmen from the old regime serve at watch headquarters.
11	Cairbre has fired most of the magic users from the Watch.
12	The Watch uses bell signals to communicate between watchhouses.
13	The Watch has a warehouse filled with seized property.
14	The corrupt watchmen have been using the seized property warehouse to store stuff they steal from regular people.
15	The seized property warehouse also has an impound yard.
16	There is a sewer tunnel under the old castle.
17	The old castle is on lockdown these days.
18	The city courthouse has been closed down since the resistance appeared.
19	The Faoghair Clan accidentally dug into the courthouse; the tunnel was bricked up and abandoned.
20	The city jail has three cell blocks, one for low-level offenders, one for hardened criminals, and a solitary confinement wing.
21	Murtagh threw one of his sons into solitary confinement.
22	The old watch commander, Commander Ironshoal, is being kept in solitary confinement.
23	The jail is being used to hold political prisoners.
24	Kelvyn Macbeth runs a protection racket in the Grand Fey Marketplace.
25	Kelvyn Macbeth is highly paranoid.
26	Raymond Wright has been tasked with flushing out loyalists to the old regime in the Watch.
27	Raymond Wright must have a death wish, given how he chases down every lead without backup or checking if the lead is credible.
28	Geir Strongarm is the riot division chief.
29	Geir Strongarm has a drinking problem.
30	Prince Fredrick is being held in the old castle. (false rumor)
31	The prison is full of innocent people. (Partially true)
32	There is a secret exit to the fort. (false rumor)
33	The Watch tortures the prisoners they get in the fort. (Partially true)
34	There is a secret portal in the old castle that leads to Pandemonium. (false rumor)
35	Cairbre was born to a noble family but was disowned after he killed his older brother in a duel. (false rumor)
36	Cairbre fears magic because he was cursed by a hag. (false rumor)
37	The Watch has been rounding up citizens who can use magic. (false rumor)
38	Cairbre can see through the eyes of any Watch member, no matter where they are in the city. (false rumor)
39	Cairbre is secretly in league with the Syndicate. (false rumor)
40	The prisoners in the jail are being used for experiments. (false rumor)
41	Cairbre never sleeps and constantly paces the old castle walls to ensure nobody escapes the jail. (false rumor)
42	Before becoming a thief-taker, Cairbre was a master thief. (false rumor)
43	Cairbre made a deal with the devil that renders him immortal, but if magic were to be used on him, he would go straight to hell. (false rumor)
44	The Watch is prepared to destroy entire neighborhoods if the resistance gets too strong. (false rumor)
45	Cairbre is deathly afraid of cats. (false rumor)
46	Cairbre is afraid of magic because he is cursed. (false rumor)
47	The Watch uses ancient magic items to spy on people. (false rumor)
48	There is a secret section of the city jail where they are keeping political prisoners. (false rumor)
49	All the new members of the Watch are ex-criminals. (false rumor)
50	Cairbre has a twin brother who co-runs the Watch. (false rumor)