Dungeons and Biomancy
c. 100 ADW
Master Thalin Fernstride sends adventurers with Sage Elbera to investigate a newly opened dungeon beneath the royal castle in Kingdom Grand. The dungeon contains strange stone containers filled with viscous liquid, moss-covered floors that induce madness, and shadows that move in the corners. They discover a laboratory with notes on biomancy experiments involving yetis, owlbears, and other monstrosities, as well as maps pointing to the door found in the Ancient Secrets adventure. In the central chamber, they find stone slabs depicting The Evil One creating an egg meant to destroy the world. They are ambushed by Hall Creepers that mimic their allies before escaping with evidence of recent cult activity.
Referenced In
This module is referenced by the following lore entries:
Factions and Organizations
- Adventurer's GuildAlso known as Spear of Elina or Spear of the Goddess. A hundred years after the Dead Wars, the Guild has grown into a global hub for missions, with adventurers flocking to it from all over the world. It is currently led by Guild Master Master Thalin Fernstride in Kingdom Grand, with branches overseen by Guildmaster Teyla Coalmaker in Kdor, Elrin Veymar in Evenfell, and Alyndor "Aly" Marvale in New Arcanum. The Guild uses a ranking system, with new recruits earning a rank of Tin, Copper, or Brass; higher known ranks include Colbot, Steel, and Diamond. When Holt threatens to awaken He Who Slumbers, the four guilds unite their forces beneath Kingdom Grand.
- Arcane ConservatoryA magic school located in Kingdom Grand, housed in the Scriptorium. It is a stunning structure of brilliant blues and purples, built in the shape of a five-pointed star with a large tower in the center. Researchers from the Conservatory, such as Sage Elbera, work with the Adventurer's Guild to investigate and handle magical threats.
- Slumber CultA secret cult whose Slumber Cultist members wear black cloaks and whisper that what slumbers soon awakes. They kidnap victims for sacrifice, infiltrate cities such as Evenfell and Kdor, and ultimately serve Holt's plan to rouse He Who Slumbers alongside the Molokite.
Legendary Characters
- Master Thalin FernstrideA towering Firbolg who serves as the Guild Master of the Adventurer's Guild in the century following the Dead Wars. He has long black hair braided down his back, piercing blue eyes, and dark green fur, and wears a forest green and white Gi. His personality is calm and measured, and he is known for giving inspiring speeches that relate adventuring to baking. He expects discipline and creativity from his guild members. As Holt's treachery unfolds, Thalin grows weary but resolute, coordinating the four great guilds against the threat beneath Kingdom Grand. After the tremors from the Elderdungeon crack the city's streets, he opens a fresh recruitment drive to replace the guild members lost in the fighting, and later leads the hunt for a saboteur hiding inside his own guild. Troubled by a caravan of strangely well-guarded stolen keepsakes bound west, he hand-picks a party and dispatches them across the Western Wastes to New Arcanum to work with his counterpart Alyndor "Aly" Marvale, convinced the thefts are somehow tied to Biscuit's fate.
- Sage ElberaA half-elf Elemental Researcher at the Arcane Conservatory. She wore a purple robe with a silver sash, had blue eyes, and wore her brown hair up in a bun. She was eager and direct, and loved to talk about elementals to the exclusion of all else. She hated Holt's attitude but admitted he knew a great deal about monsters and dungeons—until he murdered her in the dungeon beneath Kingdom Grand. Her final intelligence from beyond the grave led the guildmasters to Holt's Laboratory beneath the temple of Vitalia.
- The Evil OneDeath: ADW 0. A powerful necromancer and the primary antagonist in Dead Wars I. Tried to ascend to godhood. Holt's journal beneath Kingdom Grand reveals that the Molokite's god, He Who Slumbers, was one of his biomantic experiments—a beast grown from a tarrasque corpse and meant to be unleashed if he ever failed to dominate the mortal world.
Locations
- Caverns Beneath Kingdom GrandAncient tunnels and caverns below Kingdom Grand that predate mortal civilization. Collapsing passages, Slumber Cultist patrols, and primordial stonework connect the surface to the gate Holt seeks to open.
- Kingdom GrandAlso known as First City, New Kingdom Grand, or New Grand. Formerly the only major civilized city in the region as of ADW 0, it is now the bustling heart of a more interconnected world, linked to other nations via teleportation gates. Holds an annual Festival of Peace to celebrate Elina's sacrifice in Dead Wars I. The tremors from the battle beneath the city cracked streets and toppled buildings across Kingdom Grand, scattering loose magic and prompting a fresh wave of Adventurers Guild recruitment.
Military Units and Creatures
- Elder MossA dangerous moss that grows in ancient dungeons. When a creature touches, inhales, or comes within 10 feet of it, they must make a Wisdom saving throw or suffer madness effects including seeing illusory creatures, attacking allies, losing control of their body, or taking psychic damage. The moss induces hallucinations and can cause creatures to become separated from their allies.
- Hall CreeperA medium shapechanging monstrosity that can polymorph into Small or Medium humanoids it has seen. It uses this ability to mimic allies and ambush victims. It has advantage on attacks against surprised creatures and can use a life leech attack that deals necrotic damage and reduces the target's hit point maximum. It can climb walls and uses stealth and deception to hunt its prey.