DND One Shot # 17 Death Served Cold

Liver trains would be adventures in the skills necessary to not only survive but thrive in a myriad of dungeon environments. Besides types of monsters to fight certain dungeons also have hazardous climates that can cause adventurers problems to no end. One such dungeon is called The Catacombs of Lisa. Can a rookie team of adventurers survive the cold and defeat the creatures inside.

This is a challenging one shot adventure for four level 1 PCs.

Six W’s

Who are the enemies in this One Shot?

Gelatinous Cubes, Orog, Bugbear, Orc Nurtured One of Yurtrus, Orcs, Poisonous traps

What has happened to cause the PCs to fight?

The PCs will told about a challenging dungeon three days to the north, high in the mountains. This particular dungeon holds a powerful magical weapon that is guarded by fierce creatures and freezing cold. If the PCs are going to stand up to this challenge they will need to prepare to face not only goblinoid creatures but the fridge conditions presented by the environment as well. This dungeon has not been tackled successfully in over a decade so the pay off for a group to conquer it has skyrocketed. Currently the bounty for clearing this dungeon is 4,000 GP.

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 Catacombs of Lisa. This dungeon is located high in the mountains three days northwest of the town itself.

This dungeon was originally created by a powerful lawful evil rogue named Lisa De’Klur a high elven rogue of infamous nature and bounding amounts murderous techniques. She created the initial dungeon layout as an edifice to her glory but was convinced by former companions to transform this place into a training dungeon. She wanted only the toughest adventures to challenge her dungeon so she left brutal obstacles as well as a generous reward in order to entice them. She also left the weapon from the first person she killed buried amongst the treasures in the dungeon. Between the cold conditions and the traps, only the most resilient of teams will have a hope of survival. (DC 15 History checks to get the full amount of this information)

When did this happen?

The PCs find out about this dungeon two days after spending time roaming about Liver. A mysterious note will be found on the floor of one of the PCs inn rooms. The note will state one line, “The Catacombs of Lisa, try it if you can.”

Why are the PCs here?

Liver is the capital of adventures and each dungeon challenges the PCs in different ways. The note left on the floor was expertly left for the PCs to find. If they attempt to find out who left it they will find no footprints or signs of any intrusion into their room. None of their items have been touched in fact they will notice a 100 GP ruby on their pillow. It seems someone has hand picked this team to try and complete the dungeon and has left a tempting offer for them to do so.

How will the PCs deal with this problem?

Should the PCs go for the hint they will travel to the guild hall and ask about The Catacombs of Lisa. Guild Representative Tabitha Thrawn will greet the party and gasp at the information regarding this dungeon. The reason for her shock will be twofold. First, the amount left for the party who completes this dungeon is staggering. Lastly, this dungeon has the reputation of being crushing to most adventuring groups. From there they are given the details of the dungeon and given warnings in order to prepare. The bulk of the warnings are ones of being prepared for the cold and traps that exist in this dungeon. The basic knowledge of the creatures in this dungeon are mainly goblinoid but the information of what types is sketchy at best. The initial stipend for the PCs is 400 GP per party member.

Once the PCs have acquired the necessary equipment they will then hike up the mountainous terrain to reach the cave entrance in the mountains. If the PCs have failed to acquire cold weather gear they will begin to suffer from exhaustion levels once an hour for each Con save failed (DC 10). From there the PCs will push through the dungeon and face the creatures that call this frigid dungeon their domain.

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 Catacombs of Lisa

Encounters & Treasure

Listed in the PDF.

Epilogue

With the PCs forging their path through The Catacombs of Lisa they will find a magical sword that has its own set of burdens for the one who claims it as their own. The party will also be greeted with an amazing payout of 4,000 GP for the group.

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!