Dwarven Seaside Outpost (Hope Supplement)
History[edit]
Damroth Seawarden founded this seaside outpost less than 1,000 years ago. The dwarves who worked there were an unusually happy lot, after all it's not every day that you find an area rich in mithral with deposits of adamantine. Due to the small size of the mining operations, this outpost was able to remain an incredibly well kept secret with only the dwarves who worked the mine, the outposts administrators, and a select number of contacts within the Dwarven Kingdom of Dalthim knowing the actual location. Then disaster struck. A fast moving plague spread throughout the kingdom and nearly all who knew of the mine died. The only ones who knew the secret were Defren Seawarden (Damroths Grandson), and five dwarves who still lived in the outpost. Defren, a cleric of impressive ability, was busy helping the kingdom recover from the plague and did not return to the mine for many, many years.
During this interval the remaining five dwarves became very secretive. The five had become corrupted while delving into secret magical lore to find a way to increase the mines output and create tireless workers. The evil dwarven god of greed, Abbathor, took note of the ambition of The Five and led them further down the path of avarice. He enticed them to consort with demons and devils and to work foul black arts. Eventually The Five turned to lichdom.
Rumors of the dark dealings started to spread throughout Dalthim, but none knew of the location of the outpost. When Defren Seawarden heard of the travesty being worked on land owned by his family he knew something had to be done. Defren formed an adventuring party to infiltrate his grandfathers outpost and destroy the evil contained within. The climactic battle took place in the great chamber that housed the forging equipment and saw many devils, demons and a few celestials called upon before the final blows were struck. So evenly matched were the two sides that neither fully prevailed. Four of the liches were completely destroyed and the final one survived only through hiding his phylactery at a very distant place. Of the companions, only Defren survived to see the end of the battle. In the end, all of the demons and devils were banished except one - Karventh. This unfortunate devil was trapped in a pillar of flowing energy that still stands in the Forging Room to this day. This battle happened approximately 700 years ago.
Karventh is a low ranked Barbazu with delusions of grandeur. Over the centuries of his imprisonment he has come to find new abilities and has used them to try to find a way to escape his predicament.
Defren succumbed to his wounds shortly after sealing the doors to the outpost. While the souls of his companions went on to happy after-lifes, Defren's spirit remained to guard the outpost. His ghost is tied to Karventh's Prison and he must stay within 300 ft of this area. Defren can manifest anywhere within this area which means he can see into the hidden harbor, but not enter, and can appear on the surface in a very small area. He only appears on the surface to try and gather help if his home is invaded. Over the past 2300 years Defren's spirit has grown weak, he cannot affect the physical world in any way except to speak. He still looks pretty dang fierce though.
Two years ago a clan of kobolds answered the summons of the imprisoned Karventh. Believing the Barbazu to be a messenger of their god, Lightning Tongue and Vile Beard (leaders of the kobold tribe) work constantly to free him, each one using their unique heritage to consult other, more knowledgeable creatures. Vile Beard is close to learning the Dark Speech, one of the keys to freeing Karventh. Several other things are needed to break Karventh's prison. The kobold clan is busy trying to find the appropriate items and are also working the nearly played out mine for funds to purchase the items.
The spirit of Defren has been trying to scare the kobolds away, but has been unsuccessful due to the interference of Karventh.
More recently a small band of human smugglers entered into an agreement with the kobold clan and have been operating out of the hidden bay and acting as the kobolds go between to the outside world. The smugglers, 6 in all, usually have two people in the waterway watch rooms and the other four will be found on the beach. The smugglers are also minor members of the Darkfire Thieves Guild.
Adventure Hooks[edit]
- The adventurers are camping in the local area and are approached by the spirit of Defren who asks for their aid in cleansing his halls.
- The adventurers find an ancient dwarven text that references the outpost and gives enough clues to find the above ground entrance.
- The adventurers are approached by an agent who wishes them to investigate the ruins, unknown to them they are working for the last member of the five who is attempting to regain his ancient home. This agent gives them the location of the above ground entrance.
- One of the adventurers is a dwarf descended from Damroth's line and has recently inherited a diary with clues to the location of the outpost. These clues are enough to lead the adventurers to the aboveground entrance.
Common Features[edit]
Corridors are a uniform seven feet tall with worked stone walls, floors and ceilings. Rooms are typically eight feet high unless noted otherwise.
Illumination: None, unless noted in specific descriptions
Secret Doors: Expertly crafted by highly skilled Dwarven stonemasons, these doors have not yet been discovered by the kobold intruders. Spot DC 30, Search DC 26. However, if the characters have befriended Defren's ghost he may point out the doors.
Areas[edit]
Monsters and Antagonists[edit]
- Devotees of Karventh - Kobold followers of the devil Karventh
- Lightning Tongue - Half-Dragon Kobold Barbarian
- Karventh - A Barbazu with delusions of grandeur who has been trapped in a pillar of energy for 2300 years
- Smugglers - Members of the Darkfire Thieves Guild who are acting as go-betweens for the kobolds.
- Vile Beard - Half-Fiend Kobold Sorcerer
Maps[edit]
Back to Main Page → Campaign Seeds → Hope