Here's the rest of the beautiful map by Zatnikotel (which you can find on their Deviant Art, go support them!) and what horrible creatures I've decided to fill it with. But this is not the end of the adventure! There's more coming, as well as a bit more on some of the characters you've met/will meet along the way.
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A7 – Freezing Pool
There is an otherworldly chill in this cavern coming from the water, though none it appears to have frozen over. Fog hangs in the air like clouds of frozen breath, partially obscuring some markings on the back walls.
The water is ankle deep until the chamber opens up fully,
where it quickly drops to a depth of 20 feet.
A PC wishing to explore the underwater areas needs to succeed at a DC 20
Basic Fortitude save or take 4d8+8 cold damage, and must repeat this each minute they remain in the water. If the PCs have
entered this area via the underwater tunnel from area A1, they are exposed to the icy depths and must begin making Fortitude saves immediately.
The writing on the back wall is in Dwarven. Because of the fog, the runes are hidden unless a PC gets within 10 feet to read them, then they are only concealed. Moving directly up to the wall will allow anyone to read them clearly. Below the writing is a large iron chest sitting on a carved stone just under the waterline.
“Speak The Taskmaster’s name and gather the tools to do our work.”
The chest is magically locked and will only open by a PC succeeding on a DC 20 Society or DC18 Dwarven Lore, recalling that the dwarven deity Magrim is also known as The Taskmaster. Reciting his name will open the chest. It contains a +1 striking pick, two lesser healer's gel, an emerald grasshopper, 50 feet of rope, and two grappling hooks,
A8 – Fungus Grove
This cave is humid and warm. A wide variety of mushrooms crowd the chamber and spore clouds waft lazily through the air. The light here is uneven, with the light some bioluminescent fungi casting shadows underneath the caps of others.
Treat the light level as dim for any visual purposes or effects. A group of kobolds is hiding here under the mushroom caps. Seeing that the PCs are not wreathed in fire and destroying everything on sight, the kobold leader Graddle addresses the group from her hiding place, “Hail adventurers! If you oppose the Burning Kestral, you may find peace here.” Provided the PCs don’t immediately attack, Graddle herself emerges cautiously from the shadows. “Greetings wanderers. I am Graddle, chief of the Clawgrinder Kobolds. You have found your way into our lands, what made you do so?"
Graddle is a female kobold champion (paladin) of Apsu, her troops stand only a step or two behind her.
Elite Kobold Dragon Mage, Elite Kobold Scouts (4)
Provided the PCs don’t act with violence, Graddle can provide some information.
“Panx is waiting for you.”
“Yes yes. We were recovering from a battle with a swarm of Cinder Rats when we were attacked by pack of Hell Hounds. We defeated them, but it has delayed our return.”
“Who is the Burning Kestral?”
“She is the reason for our plight. A Harpy with powers that I’ve never seen one of her kind wield before. She’s taken over our warrens deeper inside, and she sends others like her as well as fiery minions to either drive us out or snuff us out.”
“What does she want with this place?”
Graddle shrugs, “She rants about a ‘ley line’ running through here. Whatever her reasons, it’s important enough to her that Clawgrinders must die. I will not have that”
“Ley line?”
“A magic line in the ground that can amplify magic somehow, I think. I don’t fully understand it myself.”
The kobolds still need time to fully heal before returning to Panx’s holdout with food and supplies. A successful Medicine check or Healing spell cast by the PCs will earn the gratitude of the Clawgrinders, and they give the PCs two lesser potions of fire resistance, noting that not all are lucky enough to have tough scales, but the potions help a bit.
A9 – Sinking Passage
The packed dirt of this floor quickly turns muddy, making it difficult to not leave tracks behind.
Recent disturbances have caused the floor to loosen and mix with an underground spring, turning the area to quicksand.
QUICKSAND HAZARD 3
A10 – Charred Hall
The floor and walls here are streaked with black scorch marks. A few melted weapons lay scattered on the ground. It’s clear a battle happened not long ago, though there are no bodies to indicate who won or lost. A distant growling rumble comes from the south passage.
If the PCs spend ten minutes investigating this scene thoroughly, three Elite Hell Hounds appear from the southern passage and attack. Otherwise, the Hell Hounds arrive the second time the PCs enter this chamber.
During battle, the kobold Elite Dragon Mage and one of the Elite Scouts from Area A8 show up after one round to support the PCs, regardless of them meeting Graddle beforehand. After three rounds, Graddle herself joins the fight.
Elite Hell Hounds (3) Also add the following ability to the Elite Hell Hound stat blocks.
Lingering Burn: Whenever a Hell Hound deals fire damage to a creature, it also deals 1d8 persistent fire damage.
After the fight, Graddle will help heal the PCs back to full health with her Lay on Hands ability. She will thank them for their assistance, and can offer a crowded but safe place to rest behind the Topple Wall with the other kobolds if the PCs ever need it. Graddle takes her troops and supplies, returning to Panx and the rest of her clan. Read or paraphrase the following when the PCs are ready to explore the southern passage that leads from area A10.
"The temperature raises steadily as the tunnel winds deeper underground, any signs of dwarven mining are left behind after only a few thousand feet. The remains of large underground-dwelling insects lay dead on the tunnel floor, now nothing but charred carapace and grime. After a quarter mile you enter a what at first looks like a large cavern, but quickly reveals itself to be the side of a ravine. The ceiling is only 50 or so feet above you, but the bottom can not be seen. There is a flickering red light coming from two tunnels across the way. Two sturdy-looking stone bridges span the bottomless gap."
Find the map here on Zatnikotel's Deviant Art (go support them!)
Striking Rune information (Core Rulebook Pg.581)
Pick information (Core Rulebook Pg.281)
Lesser Healer's Gel (Secrets of Magic Pg.168)
Emerald Grasshopper (Core Rulebook Pg.566)
Elite Kobold Dragon Mage stat block
Potion of Fire Resistance (Core Rulebook Pg.563)
Quicksand Hazard (Core Rulebook Pg.526)
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Catch you next week!
