City of Eyes (5e Quest)
Adventure Background
After defeating (insert monster/villain here) you find a cubic gate, on one side is a plane that you are not familiar with. Curiosity gets the best of you and you press it. You appear in a busy street surrounded by beholder kind.
Overview
At this point, it should be made obvious that no party could win if they attempted an attack since the ENTIRE population is beholders and beholder kin. Try to get the party before the town master by whatever means possible. Once they arrive they find the wise LG beholder town master by the name of Auge. He does not know what the humanoid party is and asks them if he can probe their minds. If they submit he basically copies and pastes all of the knowledge they have into himself. Seeing that they are a freedom-loving people he tries to recruit them as a task force to assassinate “The Matriarch” which is the queen of the evil Thri-Keen hive several miles away. The Hive is a capital of the slave trade in the region trading with unknown evils.
Hook
If the party cannot be easily drawn into the story get them attached to an NPC and have that NPC captured and put them in danger of being sold to whatever dark empire the Hive is trading with.
Stage
Beholder city is a beautifully crafted bright crystal filled settlement carved in stone. Streams of green fluid similar to water but richer in flavor flow in the streets. The beholders here are all of good alignments, are not paranoid, arrogant or xenophobic at all and are dedicated to peace and freedom.
The Hive is a dark bleak flavorless abyss of winding passages, slave pens and work stations. Its population is mostly thri-keen, umber hulks and ettercaps but has other insectile inhabitants.
Step or Location
The Matriarch's stronghold, this tall black stone structure is carved with images of despair and waste. Its halls are guarded by thri-keen, umber hulks, phase spiders and the queen's twisted pet.
Features
The queen's pet is a spider the size of a truck. For stats, use giant spider stats with every number tripled. Use any primitive traps in the outer layers of the queen's lair, but make them more deadly and intricate as the party progresses towards her. For the matriarch herself, modify the thri-keen stats by adding a flying speed, increases in hp and charisma, and more damage on attacks.
Inhabitants
Beholder City: beholders, Gazers, Death Kiss, Gauth, Spectators and Mindwitness The Hive: Thri-Keen, Umber Hulk, Spiders, Ettercaps, any slave race and any slave buyer race.
Inhabitant
See listed creatures stat blocks in The Monster Manual 5e and Volos Guide to Monsters 5e.
Developments
If the party is good or neutral, and help the beholders, they will infiltrate and overthrow the Hive. If the party is evil, it might join the Hive and have an epic battle with beholder city (probably a partial or total party kill)
Treasure
Treasure in beholder city is mostly art, see DMG 5e for tables to roll for treasure. The Hive will have treasure stolen from slaves, the DM can pick these however (s)he pleases.
Conclusion
If the party kills the Matriarch, they will be given epic boons by the beholder mages. If they fight for the Hive, they will be given titles and a military commission.
Rewards
Listed above.
Experience
Give players XP as it seems fit to, mainly good role play and combat.
The minimum total award for each character participating in this adventure is 1000 experience points.
The maximum total award for each character participating in this adventure is No maximum amount of experience points.
Treasure
If the party overthrows the Hive, they would find a vault with 15d12PP
Enmity
If you kill the Hive and free it’s slaves, the slave keeping factions will hunt you.
Renown
DM call based on parties loyalty to a certain faction.
Downtime
PCs would be given time for rest, training, or other downtime activities.