Abermadd Grot
Abermadd Grot opens into a dark subterranean cavern where cold groundwater drips steadily from jagged stone ceilings. The air is damp and biting, carrying the heavy scent of standing water, and wet slate. Slippery, uneven rock ledges slope down into flooded pools that obscure deep drop-offs under murky water. Faint, humming vibrations ripple through the damp stone walls near carved draconic glyphs that glow with a cold light. Slender stone pillars support the high vaults above, casting long shadows across narrow pathways slick with moisture. Sound carries strangely in the cavern, transforming subtle footfalls into hollow, echoing sloshes that bounce off stone walls.
Adventure Hooks
The Dragontide Relic
Rhudd, an operative of the subversive cult known as the True Scales, approaches the party with a lucrative contract. For generations, Drosau has maintained the illusion that the monarchs commanded and subdued wild dragons. However, the True Scales claim this was a lie. Desperate to validate their standing and undermine King Dradoc Maengor, the cult seeks an ancient draconic relic rumored to sit in Abermadd Grot, a flooded cavern just across the border in The Kingdom of Liekia. Sent by cult leadership, Rhudd must hire outsiders to retrieve the relic, hoping its magic will reveal clues to the remaining dragons of the region and allow the cult to bring one under their command. The True Scales are unaware that local Liekian patrols and crown spies are watching the site closely.
Encounter Tier: APL 3–5 | Exploration, Combat & Political Intrigue
- The Trigger: Triggers when the party is approached by Rhudd in Drosau. He advises them of rumors surrounding a lost draconic relic in Liekia, warns of environmental hazards within the grot, and hires them to assist with retrieving the relic.
- The Objective: Rhudd hires the party alongside Aeddan, a local Drosauan scout that he's brought to assist in delving into Abermadd Grot at the Liekian borderlands. Upon arrival, the group enters a subterranean cavern system choked with flooded chambers and ancient draconic warding. Unbeknownst to Rhudd, the party learns Aeddan is a covert intelligence agent working for King Dradoc Maengor who has been monitoring the True Scales and became aware of the plan. While Rhudd is occupied, he pulls the party aside and reveals the True Scales' real plan: using the relic to subjugate a wild dragon and overthrow the monarchy. The party must navigate the grot, claim the relic, and decide whether to aid Rhudd's cult or assist Aeddan in delivering the artifact to the Crown to preserve King Maengor's authority.