Liver is the capital of adventures with active training dungeons dotting the land to give them the ability to practice their craft. Once a training dungeon is cleared that dungeon is allowed to stay fallow so the dungeon can be reclaimed by whatever style of monster inhabits it. The Cyst of Adamant Devastation has recently been reclaimed and is now open for new adventure’s to try their hand at an aberrant themed dungeon crawl.
This is a one shot adventure for four level 1 PCs.
Six W’s
Who are the enemies in this One Shot?
Gelatinous Cube, Mimics (in various forms), Yuan-ti Purebloods
What has happened to cause the PCs to fight?
The PCs will hear about a recently re-opened dungeon that has been causing quite the stir. If the PCs wish to find out more about this dungeon they can roll either an investigation check or persuasion check (DC 12) to find out more. The dungeon called, The Cyst of Adamant Devastation, is an aberrant styled dungeon that has been taken over by a dangerous cabal of Yuan-ti looking to gain roots into the city. Typically, this dungeon has been inhabited by monsters and horrors but sentient humanoids will be challenging for any starting group of adventures.
Where is this encounter happening?
This encounter is starting in the town of Liver. This is where the PCs will meet up and explore the markets, shops and massive inns in town. From there the adventure takes the PCs to the dungeon called The Cyst of Adamant Devastation. This dungeon is located in a the mountains a days ride from the town itself.
This dungeon was originally created by a kuo-toa exile looking to create its own lair. Eventually it was destroyed by a fissure caused by a mystical fissure that eradicated all life in the dungeon. The residual magical energies in the dungeon seems to beckon to all creatures of the aberrant type and was the basis for many of the dungeons located around Liver.
When did this happen?
The PCs find out about this dungeon during the middle of their first day of their time in Liver. This dungeon is one of the original training dungeons and the news of a subtle Yuan-ti incursion has the town in a tizzy.
Why are the PCs here?
Liver is the capital of adventures and each dungeon challenges the PCs in different ways. This dungeon’s main hurdle is the advanced logic implemented by the Yuan-ti. Since they are very close to human they can slow down the response of the PCs through guile and subterfuge. The fact that they have taken claim of this dungeon shows that town of adventure training has garnered sinister designs from a secretive foe.
How will the PCs deal with this problem?
Once the PCs have made the required checks necessary and have fortified their resolve to challenge this threat they can place their bid on challenging The Cyst of Adamant Devastation. The current Guild Representative on duty, one Tabitha Thrawn will take their application and hand them their packet on information regarding the dungeon. The information will be the general layout of the dungeon, the types of foes they may find in the dungeon (General info on aberrations with a limited line of text on Yuan-ti) and their stipend of 60 GP to buy supplies before the adventure.
Once the party has finished their preparations they will proceed a days travel to the mountainous path to the dungeon. It is a small goat’s path of 300 feet in length to the entrance of the dungeon. The dungeon has a simple trap of trip wire that drops a line of glass and steel should it be set off (DC 11 perception to notice). The entrance is the western side of the dungeon in between corridor i and r on the DM map.
From there the PCs will deal with the encounter as scripted with the Yuan-ti using guile to either lower the PCs guard in order to lure them into traps or hit and run tactics. The mimics have taken different shapes in each encounter (one is a door, another is a treasure chest, and the last one is a barrel).
NPCs of Note
Guild Representative Tabitha Thrawn- Is a celestial touched protector aasimar human in her late teens with silver colored hair and golden hued eyes standing at a height of 5’5”. She has been working at the guild for over four months so she has seen a fair bit of the highs and lows of adventure’s lives but still finds herself amazed by each groups make up. She is fun loving and cheerful, but is learning to keep a level of detachment from fraternizing too much with adventuring groups.
Maps
Town Liver
The Cyst of Adamant Devastation (DM Map)
Encounters & Treasure
Listed in the PDF.
Epilogue
With the PCs overcoming the trials of The Cyst of Adamant Devastation, a decisive blow has been dealt to the Yuan-ti influence in the area. At the same time it has placed the party on a short list of foes that may comeback to bite the party later in their adventuring life. Each PC will be offered an extra bonus of 250 GP for getting rid of the Yuan-ti menace from an anonymous benefactor.
Shout outs as always to https://donjon.bin.sh/5e/dungeon/ and https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator for being amazing resources in creating this one shot adventure!
