Adventure Overview
A once-peaceful town named Pitt faces an imminent threat from a cult that has awakened an ancient evil beneath the mountains. The party of four adventurers must uncover the conspiracy, fight mounting dangers, and ultimately face their own inner demons as they try to save the town.
The Party
- Thorne Ironheart – Dwarven Paladin of Redemption, haunted by a past failure to save his mining clan
- Lyrissa Nightshade – Elven Wizard with ambitious plans and a secret connection to forbidden magic
- Grimjaw – Half-Orc Barbarian seeking to prove himself worthy after being exiled from his tribe
- Finch – Human Rogue with ties to a thieves’ guild and a penchant for acquiring items that don’t belong to him
Act 1: Smoke on the Horizon
The adventure begins as the party arrives in Pitt, a mining town nestled at the foot of the Obsidian Mountains. The town’s mayor, Aldrich Stonefellow, has posted notices throughout the region seeking brave adventurers to investigate strange occurrences: livestock disappearing, miners reporting eerie whispers in the deepest tunnels, and bizarre lights seen at night on the mountainside.
Key Encounters:
- The Desperate Mayor – Aldrich offers a substantial reward and explains that several townsfolk have now gone missing
- The Abandoned Mine – Investigation reveals cultist symbols and signs of recent activity
- First Blood – The party confronts cultists performing a ritual, preventing them from completing it
During these early adventures, seeds of discord begin to sprout within the party. Lyrissa becomes fascinated with the cult’s ancient texts they recover. Finch pockets a strange amulet without telling the others. Thorne’s righteous approach clashes with Grimjaw’s brutal efficiency.
Act 2: The Rising Darkness
As the party delves deeper into the mystery, they discover the Crimson Dawn cult plans to awaken an ancient entity called “The Hunger Below” that has been imprisoned beneath the mountains for millennia. The cult believes this entity will grant them immense power.
Key Encounters:
- The Corrupted Forest – Wildlife transformed by dark energies attack as the party tracks cultists
- The Temple Ruins – Ancient underground complex where the party disrupts a major ritual but tensions flare when Lyrissa wants to study the dark altar rather than destroy it
- The Traitor Revealed – A respected town elder is exposed as the cult’s leader, but escapes during a confrontation where Finch’s hesitation (protecting a former guild contact) allows the escape
By this point, the party’s internal conflicts are becoming more pronounced. Thorne suspects Lyrissa’s growing interest in forbidden knowledge. Grimjaw and Finch argue constantly about tactics. The town of Pitt begins to show signs of corruption – crops withering, water turning brackish, and citizens becoming ill with a mysterious malady.
Act 3: The Final Descent
With time running out, the party must venture into the heart of the mountain to stop the cult’s final ritual. However, their own internal conflicts have reached a breaking point.
Key Encounters:
- The Fractured Party – A major argument breaks out when Lyrissa is caught translating forbidden texts and admits she believes some of the cult’s power could be harnessed for good
- The Endless Descent – As they journey deeper, each character faces spectral manifestations of their greatest fears and failures, further driving wedges between them
- The Heart of Darkness – The final chamber where the cult prepares to break the final seal
The Tragic Finale
In the final confrontation, the party initially works together brilliantly against overwhelming odds. They defeat the cult leader and seem poised for victory, standing before the ancient seal that holds The Hunger Below.
But then disaster strikes from within:
- Lyrissa, corrupted by her research, attempts to harness the energy of the seal rather than reinforce it
- Finch reveals he’s been working as a double agent, having made a deal with cult remnants to secure his own future
- Thorne and Grimjaw turn on each other in the chaos – the paladin believing the barbarian’s rage is being influenced by the entity, while Grimjaw sees only the dwarf’s judgmental righteousness
As they fight amongst themselves, the weakened seal shatters. The Hunger Below begins to awaken. In a moment of clarity, the party realizes what they’ve done and makes a desperate last stand together, but it’s too late. They fall one by one as darkness erupts from the broken seal.
The adventure ends with the entity’s influence spreading from Pitt across the countryside, as the four heroes who might have stopped it lie defeated – not primarily by the cult or the ancient evil, but by their own inability to overcome their personal demons and maintain their unity when it mattered most.
Epilogue
Weeks later, a new party of adventurers hears rumors of a town called Pitt that has fallen to darkness, and of four heroes who ventured there, never to return. The cycle begins anew, with the stakes even higher and the entity now partially awakened…
<aside> DM Note: Throughout this adventure, emphasize how the party’s internal conflicts mirror external threats. Each character’s flaws should be understandable and even sympathetic, making their eventual failure all the more tragic. The adventure should feel like it could have succeeded if only they had overcome their personal struggles.
</aside>