This is the one where I slowly but surely piece an adventure together via blog posts. I wrote an intro to Under Umber Skies previously, and below, you'll find some hooks and a description of two main rooms. If you've got any feedback, I'd love to hear it!
Far in the north of the Rhivian wastes, nestled in blackstone cliffs overlooking arctic waters, lies an ancient, ruined prison called STUNMARS surrounded even in daytime by a vibrant, umber aurora. As adventurers have returned from this location with crystals and jewels the size of their fist, powerful magical artifacts, and more gold than anyone can expect from anywhere else, its legend has grown. Now, your group approaches UNDER UMBER SKIES.
Hooks
1 Adventurer showing off a jewel the size of their fist, found at Stunmars.
2 An ancient text; the mage Anja Helminnen treks into the wilds, finds a dragon sleeping on its horde, and binds it all in amber, on which she builds a prison.
3 A painter; will pay the party escort him to paint the Auroras around Stunmars.
4 “Help Wanted: Adventuring Party to Exterminate Mild Skeleton Infestation. xx coins per skeleton” Posted by Veera the Red in towns throughout Rhivian.
5 Old Empire bill of lading. “One Helm of Dragonkin” transported to Stunmars.
6 Mental projection from Sthuthinias showing the path to Stunmars and treasure within.
1 Prison Chamber (towering cavern, Vents, THE PRIZE)
The Prize: A cosmic dragon, 120 ft from tip to tail, wrapped around and over a roughly circular, 40 ft diameter horde submerged in hardened amber. The dragon visibly shimmers even under the amber. Surrounded by an umber aurora, visibly being drawn into the vents above. Each dungeon turn spent mining Sthuthinias incurs a corruption.
Sthuthinias the Morose (umber scales, strategic, bit of a bummer): Eeore’s vibes with John “Hannibal” Smith’s planning ability. Can sense what is going on throughout the prison. Fears: Being freed from the amber only to be controlled by Marko Ralchek. Wants: To be free. To burn Anja’s home city of Rend to the ground. To regain all the treasure he lost. To destroy the helm of dragonkin. Jobs: Sabotage Marko’s blast doors so the maintainers destroy Marko; promises that while the maintainers go after Marko, the PC’s can destroy the Maintainers home to a. get the crystal they have and b. harvest enough quicklime to accidentally set him free get part of his horde.
The Amber: It takes 20 minutes to excavate a 1 ft cube. However, 1 vial of Quicklime, when mixed with water, is sufficient to dissolve 1 cubic foot of amber.
The horde beneath Sthuthinias contains 50,000 gold coins and a variety of other artifacts, detailed below.
Dragon’s Horde Mining (d6):
1: Bummer. Nothing in this segment.
2-4: Just Cash. Roll 5d20; get that much copper.
5-6: Item! Roll d20 on the table below.
Vorpal Rapier: As normal rapier, but this fine mercury infused blade can cut through non-magical wood, mud, and stone with ease. On a nat 20, decapitates target. On a nat 18-19, severs a limb.
Black & Pearlescent Orb the size of...well, a dragon's egg. It's a cosmic dragon egg. GM, I’m going to let you sort out how you want to run this one.
Storm-Soul Caftan: A heavy, blue fur-lined robe that crackles with static electricity and smells of ozone. Grants 30 ft fly speed. Further, magical damage dice explode while wearing this Caftan. Finally, this robe is a magical lightning rod. Whenever another creature casts a ranged spell within 200 feet of it, there is a 1-in-6 chance that the person wearing it becomes the target instead.
Dream Reader: place this jewel encrusted headset on a person's head. It extracts their mind over 1 minute, and kills them if they weren't already dead. The user chooses a skill that person would have had, and gains an appropriate bonus to that skill. Disassemble for components worth 1000cp.
Three Marble Steins: White engraved with a dove neutralizes poison. Gray engraved with a wolf makes liquids taste incredible, but induces vomiting. Black engraved with a crow turns liquids into poison.
Fighting Rock: Rock-sized. Labeled.
Birdcage: Inside, a chain-link bird collar with “Pickles” on the nametag.
Stürmundrang: Spear of solid metal. While wielding this spear, can’t be stopped while running, but take d12 damage for each thing run through. When hitting an object or person, can choose to knock it/them up to 20 feet, regardless of size.
Six Crucifixion Nails: Self-hammering, blood-powered.
1 emerald gemstone worth 5000 cp.
6 pearls worth 10000cp each.
Platinum bracelet set with three emeralds worth 15000cp.
A set of polyhedral dice (d4, d8, d10, d12 and d20).
The skull of a humanoid with four eyes.
Exactly half of a spellbook of Catherine. You decide which half.
Seven-headed candlesticks, with each candle bearing the seven stars of Eldraeth. Candles last twice as long as normal.
Wand of polymorph.
Copper Broom: Can fly. Inscription: “Gilda will get you if you steal this broom!”
10000 fools gold coins
Uranium Ingot: Weirdly enough, the magical properties of this place warped an ingot of Iron into Uranium. It’s highly radioactive. Handling it causes radiation burns within a short period, and long term exposure causes cancer.
This is meant to be the horde of a dragon, so really go nuts if you want to add to this.
Fragility: attempts to remove valuables from the amber increases the cumulative chance the whole structure is weakened enough that Sthuthinias can escape. The fragility begins at 12, with a few patches where previous adventurers have removed treasure. Any time the party removes part of the Prize, add d4 to the fragility, and roll d100. If the result is under the fragility, roll a breakout.
Breakout (d10)
1-4 Loud groaning & cracking. Add d20 fragility.
5-8 A limb is freed, and begins to flail wildly.
9-10 Sthuthinias is fully freed.
Vent: Massive exposed stone vent extending from the ceiling approaching the prize from above. Mini-Cooper sized crystal suspended in the center of the vent, drawing the Umber aurora into itself. Worth 10,000 cp if sold.
2 The Vault (smells of singed ozone, perfectly whitewashed stone, broken vent, stainless steel vault set in floor)
In addition to keeping Sthuthinias prisoner, Stunmars played host to a vault designed to keep safe the many magical artifacts that passed through this ancient research station.
upon entry, all PC’s gain 1 corruption, and 1 more for each turn in this room.
Circular room, blemish-less whitewashed walls.
Broken Vent: A caved in section of the ceiling opened this room to the vent system channeling corruption away from the prison chamber. Standing under it (within the circle of the floor vault) incurs 1d20 corruption per turn.
Floor Vault: 15 foot stainless steel circle inset in stone floor. Dial lock, correct code already input by one of Marko’s skeletons. Requires 15 turns spent turning a wheellock to open, and another 2 turns to open the vault door. Contents below.
VAULT:
Helm of Dragonkin: When you see a dragon, you can attempt to dominate it's mind (I treat this as a cha roll opposed by the dragon but whatever floats your goat). On a significant failure (by more than 5?), the dragon enthralls you.
Whitelance: Appears as vibrating, humming liquid light vaguely in the shape of a lance. Against a single target, hurl the Whitelance to deal 10d20 blast damage. The whitelance is consumed in use.
Banner of Rallying: shake this banner to summon a horde of 4d100 ghostly Iron Guard warriors clad in plate and wielding greatswords. They will serve until the completion of the task you state, at which point the banner disappears along with the horde. If you name a task contrary to the spirit of the Iron Emperors, they will turn on you.
Things that I'm working on...
- bases for the factions in the dungeon (the magico-mechanical maintainers, the cursed knight Marko Ralchek and his skeletons, and Veera the Red's Red cultists.
- the "minor" rooms that will fill Stunmars (the dungeon) out to more like 22 rooms total
- a pointcrawl of ~12 locations, including a nearby tavern / jumping off point, a haunted forest, an aquatic entrance to Stunmars and more!!
- finalizing / formalizing / committing to a single system. Cairn? Shadowdark? All of the above?
I'll probably seek to post another one of these at....some point? Idk. Let me know what you like or don't!
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