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Monk's Manifestation
Sentient Amulet found in Grymforge.
Involvement[edit | edit source]
Act One[edit | edit source]
In the middle of the cave near the Adamantine Forge there is a rocky 'island' surounded by lava, where a locked Adamantine chest stands at X: -316 Y: 132. Inside the chest lies the Sentient Amulet.
If the 
Dark Justiciar's Journal is not found before, the quest 
is then triggered by picking up the amulet.
Once the amulet is picked up, the interacting party member feels the urge to laugh, which needs to be resisted:
- Give in to the laughter.
- Drop the amulet.
- [WISDOM] Fight the urge. (DC 10)
- [DUERGAR] [WISDOM] Squash all cheer and summon memories of your ancestral enemy - the mind flayers. (DC 10
) - [MONK] [WISDOM] Quiet your mind. Let everything be still. (DC 10 )
- [WARLOCK] [WISDOM] Call on the power of your pact and resist the urge. (DC 10 )
- [BARBARIAN] [WISDOM] Kill the mirth. RESIST. (DC 10 )
- [EVIL CLERIC] [EVIL PALADIN] [WISDOM] Grit your teeth. Summon your god's wrath. (DC 10 )
- [GOOD CLERIC] [GOOD PALADIN] [WISDOM] Whisper a prayer. Quell the feeling with your devotion. (DC 10 )
- [GOOD CLERIC] [GOOD PALADIN] [WISDOM] Summon your light and devotion as you push back. (DC 10 )
- [SORCERER] [WISDOM] Close your eyes and let your magic flow through you in all its wild and beautiful glory. (DC 10 )
- [WIZARD] [INTELLIGENCE] Reach for the Weave. Let it shield you from this impulse. (DC 10 )
If managing to keep from laughing, the spirit of the amulet - the Monk's Manifestation - appears with a request. The Sharrans tortured him to death, and he laughed at their pathetic (but not quite futile) attempts to break his spirit. After passing over, manic laugh became his curse. He wants to become free, and to that end wants his granddaughter Shirra Clarwen to take the curse over from him.
The spirit tells the party that Shirra lives in Wyrm's Crossing and serves at the Open Hand Temple as a cleric of Ilmater. The monk promises to bestow blessings upon the party if they agree to undertake this journey.
The dialogue with the spirit contains several Ability checks that may shed some light on the Monk's Manifestation story.
DC 10 Investigation check and subsequent DC 10 Religion check will reveal that the monk worshipped Lathander - god of dawn and renewal.- DC 10 Insight check will tell that the spirit has no deliberate intent to harm its bearer.
If agreeing to help the spirit, the Monk's Manifestation says he shall travel with the party and grant some help on their way.
The Sentient Amulet can be worn by any party member, providing them with the ability to cast 
once per Short Rest, 
and an ability 
, which allows to reconsider the decision about helping the spirit at any time. Keeping the amulet in the inventory does not grant any of these.
Act Three[edit | edit source]
The Sentient Amulet must be brought in the Crypt of the Open Hand Temple where Shirra Clarwen worships Ilmater in Rivington at X: -19 Y: -5, north of the Circus of the Last Days.
The crypt can be reached through the hatch in the kitchen at X: -62 Y: :3. Shirra Clarwen is buried in the sarcophagus in the far-left corner of the western room (the one bathed in sunlight). To 'find' her, the party must first read the plaque, and then open the lid of the sarcophagus.
After that, the conversation starts automatically. The Monk's Manifestation possesses the withered husk of Shirra Clarwens's corpse. He laments the death of his granddaughter, as she would have been willing to bear the curse on the wishes of her god, Ilmater. As it is, the spirit needs now another volunteer to get rid of the curse.
At that point of the quest the party can decide whether to agree to bear the curse or reject the offer. Also, one of the side options here is to try and guess the truth about the spirit's affliction through DC 15 Arcana check. If successful, it is revealed that the curse nature is actually tantamount to 
spell.
If choosing to bear the curse, there are three options to avoid negative consequences - DC 15 Wisdom check, DC 15 Constitution check or DC 2 Wisdom check (Illithid). The party must succeed in these checks twice (with same DC). If the curse has been removed, the party member that endured it gains the ability to cast once per Long Rest.
If refusing to bear the curse, or stopping partway through absorbing it, the Monk's Manifestation inside Shirra Clarwen's corpse becomes hostile. He raises the three other corpses in the crypt as Greater Zombies to attack the party:
