A sample of the current area my players are exploring.
The Verdant Cavern
This massive cavern is warm and humid. There are several points of interest, all of which must be encountered to assemble the key into the final areas leading to a confrontation with the evil druidess. The dark Ranger will be encountered again in this adventure. The cavern is about 1.5 miles long and wide. The evil druidess Marisil inhabits and controls this sub level. She has ties to one of the apprentices of Halaster, to be determined later. Druid spells function normally in this cavern, as though the PC was outdoors.
The lighting in the cavern is like that of sunlight behind clouds.
The entrance to Masil’s cavern is locked. The broken parts of a stone charm are in four locations in the cavern that must be located, put together and placed into the “lock” of her front door.
The areas are numbered, but can be encountered wherever the DM chooses in the cavern.
1. “The temperature of the tunnel has been slowly getting warmer. Ahead of you some sort of light source begins to appear. You walk out of the tunnel onto a shelf above a massive cavern. Sweeping away from you is a massive forest, one like you would expect to find on the surface. A fine mist obscures your view about a mile outward. The walls stretch out of view into the mist as well.”
The shelf has a “trail” that leads down into the forest. If the PC’s check, they will notice an absence of animal sounds. There is a deathly still in the air.
“The trail brings you towards the floor of the cavern. Shaggy trees reach uncomfortably close as you descend. A sense of menace emanates from the shadows as you reach the floor. On the edge of the forest is a small clearing, surrounded by stone menhirs, each about three feet tall and carved with spiral patterns, creating a roughly circular area about one hundred feet across. You will have to pass between two of the menhirs to leave the shelf onto the cavern floor.
Inside the circle you can see thick vegetation — rich green shrubs, some of which bear succulent berries or bright white or red flowers; small trees, their branches thick with fruit; thick growths of fern; and near the center is a great willow-tree, its ancient trunk black and gnarled. Its green and leafy branches seem to protectively surround a small hut with a round door and a stone chimney.”
This is the only “safe” area within the cavern for the PC’s. It was the home of the original inhabitant, a powerful underground druid, who was slain by Marisil. While Marisil was able to slay the druid, she has been unable to break the power of the menhirs, which function as a giant circle of protection from evil. The creatures of the evil woods can penetrate the barrier, but suffer the effects of a protection from evil spell.
Inside the hut are a few house items, a bed, a table and two stools. There is nothing of value here, except a “safer” place to sleep.
Sleeping here creates only a 25% chance of attack during the night/rest period. The sentry PC’s will know that they are being watched by malevolent creatures outside the circle.
The watchers are either twisted trolls (4), twisted treants (10), or twisted gnomes (11).
2. “As you strike deeper into the forest, the trees become older and larger. Their bark is black, their branches thick and forbidding. Undergrowth is thick in places, and in others, entirely absent. Mushrooms sprout from rotting logs, and some trees are covered in thick growths of shelf fungus. The shadows are deeper here as well. On occasion, you are startled by sudden movements, only to look and see nothing. Even so, the persistent feeling of being watched never goes away, and grows only more pronounced the farther you go.”
3. “A rocky clearing lies before you down a short rocky slope. It contains a number of old, crumbling walls and ancient columns, and in the center is a low, table-like altar. Surrounding the altar are at least 20 robed figures, all chanting in unison. Beside the altar, bearing a wavy-bladed dagger is an elven woman, dressed in a black hooded cloak and a fearsome demon-mask. A rush of movement catches your eye, and out of the sky overhead, two winged figures flutter down to land atop two of the columns, where they perch, chattering excitedly. Bound to the altar you see a goblin, staring in horror at the cloaked woman who steps forward, brandishing the dagger.”
The PCs will have to act quickly. If they hesitate too long, the cloaked figure will sacrifice the goblin and use her dying life-force to summon a vrock. The vrock will immediately sense the party and attack.
DM's note: my party attacked before the cultists could kill the goblin.
1 hooded figure AC 8 HD 5 hp 55 AT 1 D 1-4 THACO 15
20 cultists AC 8 HD 3 hp 35 AT 1 D 1-6 THACO 17
2 quasit AC 2 HD 3 hp 50 AT 3 D 1-2x2/1-4 SA/SD see below mr 25% THACO 17
The wounds caused by its claws drain 1 point od dexterity unless a saving throw versus poison is made. Dexterity loss remains for 2-12 rounds. DT good, DT magic. Regeneration 1/round. Invisible at will. 1/day 30’ aura of fear. Immune to cold, fire, and lightning. +1 weapon to hit.
Vrock (tanar’ri) AC -5 HD 15 hp 200 AT 5 D 1-4+7x2/1-8+7x2/1-6 SA/SD see below mr 70% THACO 10
Vrock’s are the birdlike demon. They can attack once every three rounds with a spore attack. A spray of spores automatically inflicts 1-8 damage on all opponents within 5 feet. Once the spores have hit, they implant themselves just below the surface of the skin and begin to grow and sprout. Victims suffer 1-2 damage per round from spore growth. The spores continue to grow for 10 melee rounds, at which time the victim is covered with thick, vine-like growths. The spores can be killed by a bless, neutralize poison, or similar spell or by being sprinkled with holy water. Slow poison stops the growth.
Deafening screech1/day: everyone within 30’, stunning them for 1 round (Constitution check to avoid the stun).
Vrocks have the following spell-like powers at 10th level of spell use: darkness, infravision, detect invisibility, detect magic, dispel magic, mass charm, mirror image, and telekinesis. They can attempt once per day to gate in 2-20 manes, 1-6 bar-lgura, or 1 nalfeshnee. There is a 50% chance of success.
But this isn’t 2016. I’m convinced that Trumps capital riot, whining about stolen elections and criminal indictments will energize your base and they’ll come out in droves. It’ll also push the last few moderates out there (both of them) to Bidens side.
@Phoenix_person & @NeuroTypical-I absolutely do think there are never Biden democrats but they remind me of the NFL boycotters from a few years back. Vocal? You bet. Too small to make a difference in anything? You bet.
I worked here during high school:
https://mobile.funspotnh.com
Bills itself as the largest arcade in the world, but to be fair, I’ve heard of other places claiming the same.
In a word: Palestine. A lot of leftists (and maybe even some liberals) who reluctantly voted for Biden 4 years ago now have a very concrete reason to not do so again, barring a radical change in the US approach to the Gaza conflict in the coming months.
@Phoenix_person & @NeuroTypical-I absolutely do think there are never Biden democrats but they remind me of the NFL boycotters from a few years back. Vocal? You bet. Too small to make a difference in anything? You bet.
I'm also seeing an awful lot of anti-Biden stuff from the left. Some of it is downright antisemitic, but most of it is plain old anger at Biden for siding with Israel, not doing enough to pressure them to stop operations in Gaza, and not doing enough to get help to the Palestinians.
Biden criticism seems to be occurring at every pro-Palestinian protest. These folks ain't exactly MAGA Trumpers: https://uscpr.org/oct-2023-protests/
I see it totally differently. People like us (strong opinions, passionate) are always more likely to vote against than for. You won’t vote for Biden, you’ll vote strictly against Trump. The right does the same thing.
What does your side fear more? Israel or Trump 2.0?
I see it totally differently. People like us (strong opinions, passionate) are always more likely to vote against than for. You won’t vote for Biden, you’ll vote strictly against Trump. The right does the same thing.
What does your side fear more? Israel or Trump 2.0?
I worked here during high school:
https://mobile.funspotnh.com
Bills itself as the largest arcade in the world, but to be fair, I’ve heard of other places claiming the same.
I practically lived in arcades in my pre-teen years. But no matter how I tried, I simply lacked the hand-eye coordination for all the dang buttons. Seriously? A reverse button? What, they couldn't afford a 4-way joystick?
I play a bit of DnD it keeps me and my friends close even if we have moved away. Warhammer, gardening, mauy thai and age of empires 4 plus board games.
We had a good six hour D&D session last night. Players are currently in a massive caver in the Underdark with a strange corrupted forest. They spent most the night fighting strange trolls and strange plants.
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