Adventure Calendar #23: Town, Forest, Dungeon

Day 23 of my Adventure Calendar. For 24 days, up until Christmas, I plan to release a lil bit of RPG content. Want to join as well? Join the jam!

Image: Volcano by Rachid Lotf

Oh boy, I almost made it 24 days!

For this entry, I’m going to share the draft/notes I made for the A Town, A Forest, A Dungeon Jam by Yochai Gal that I never finished/submitted. They will be a bit rough, but hey, there might be some inspiration in here!

Outline

Near a mighty mountain range lies the village of Ember’s Rest. It lies at the mouth of a fertile valley named Baasia’s Boon, which leads to Mount Seluku, a mighty dormant volcano. The valley is named after Baasia, an explorer who founded the village of Ember’s Rest about 500 years ago. The valley consists of green fields growing the region’s signature crop, and further up, a mighty forest leading all the way to the volcano.

What only the chief of Ember’s Rest knows, is that the valley is as green as it is due to a pact made with a fire spirit that lives in the mountains. Deep within the mountain lays a temple, with an altar to the god.

Every 50 years, an offer is to be made.

6 months ago, it was time for the next offer, but the priests were intercepted and captured by kobolds.

The offer is human sacrifice – something no one is aware of, except the high priest. As far as everyone in town knows, the acolytes simply escort the new Servant of the Flame up the mountain, where they will live their life serving in the temple found there.

The mountain sprung alive, spewing thick clouds and layers of ash over the region. The valley is now known as the Gray Vale, and the ash is affecting the region in various ways.

Ember’s Rest

• Barely any sun
• Clay houses
• Mouth masks
• Insects
• Crisis of faith

A few conflicts brew within Ember’s Rest:

1. The Religious Order vs The Townsfolk: A few villagers have started to suspect that something more sinister is happening with the priests who are supposedly living in lifelong service.
2. Outsiders vs Townsfolk/Religious Order: Traders, travelers, or adventurers might come to town, hear about the ‘chosen’ priests, and start asking too many questions or snooping around. This could create tension between the outsiders and the locals, who want to protect their traditions and avoid scrutiny.

Gray Vale

Once known as Baasia’s Boon, it is now covered in sickening ash.

• Low visibility
• Holes
• Breathing becomes hard

Encounters

In the forest, the kobolds linger, having captured the acolytes. Beyond that, one can find…

Ashen Boar

7 HP, 1 Armor, 14 STR, Tusks (d8)

• A large boar covered in a layer of gray ash.
• Dangerous tusks gleam menacingly, and its eyes burn with feral intelligence.
• Special Abilities: Ash Cloud, Charge.

Ash Elemental

10 HP, 2 Armor, 16 STR, 14 WIL, Ash Fist (d8)

• A swirling, humanoid form of gray ash.
• Its body constantly shifts and moves, making it difficult to predict or understand.
• Special Abilities: Ash Cloud, Ash Form, Smother.

Charred Treant

12 HP, 3 Armor, 18 STR, 14 WIL, Charred Branch (d10)

• A towering figure of charred bark and smoldering embers.
• Its eyes glow with a deep, inner fire, and its movements are slow and deliberate.
• Special Abilities: Ember Shower, Root Grasp, Fire Resistant.

Volcanic Fire Spirit

15 HP, 2 Armor, 14 STR, 16 DEX, 18 WIL, Flame Touch (d10)

• Residing within a slumbering volcano, a being of pure elemental fire.
• Its form flickers and dances, casting an intense heat that can be felt from a distance.
• Special Abilities: Flame Body, Eruption, Ignite.

Ash Rats

2 HP, 0 Armor, 6 STR, 14 DEX, Bite (d4)

• Small rodents that have adapted to live in the ash-covered forest.
• Quick and elusive, often scurrying away at the first sign of danger.

Ash Sprites

3 HP, 0 Armor, 4 STR, 16 DEX, 10 WIL, Ashen Magic (d6)

• Small fey creatures that have adapted to the ash-covered forest.
• Elusive and mischievous, often using their magic to play tricks on unwary travelers.

The Vale is a dour landscape, with the following sensory experiences:

Sights

• Vast expanses of gray and black where green used to flourish.
• Stark tree silhouettes jutting out from the ashen landscape, appearing almost skeletal.
• Plumes of ash and dust raised by occasional gusts of wind, adding an eerie, almost ghost-like feel to the scenery.
• Occasional flashes of color, from surviving plants or transformed wildlife, standing out starkly against the gray.
• Trails and tracks left in the ash by creatures, and the occasional footprint from adventurers or other humans.
• Sunlight struggling to filter through the thick layer of ash in the air, casting a dim, twilight-like glow.
• The once clear streams and rivers now running thick and dark with ashy sludge.

Sounds

• The quiet crunch of ash underfoot, a constant reminder of the changed environment.
• The wind whistling eerily through the skeletal trees.
• The unusual silence of wildlife, interrupted by occasional strange calls or rustling from transformed creatures.
• The distant rumbling of the still active volcano, a constant background threat.
• The crackle and pop of fires, possibly started by pockets of volcanic gas igniting.

Smells

• The pervasive scent of sulfur, carried on the wind from the volcano.
• The smell of burning or charred wood.
• A lack of the usual forest earthiness, replaced by a sterile, dust-like smell.
• Occasional wafts of something organic decaying, possibly plants or animals that didn’t survive the ash fall.
• The metallic tang of ash and dust in the air.

Mount Seluku

A difficult climb, followed by finding the temple. If the adventurers have not found the captured priests, they might be unaware of the true nature of the sacrifice until they reach the altar. The fire spirit could communicate with them there, demanding a sentient living sacrifice. This means the players can go find a willing victim, fight the spirit, or choose one of their own…

1. Entrance Hall: This is the first room of the temple. It’s a large, grand hall with murals depicting the history of the valley and the deal with the fire spirit. The murals are a coded message, only understood by the Order, about the true purpose of the temple.
2. The Vestibule of Flames: This room is filled with braziers that are always kept burning. The Order believes that the fire spirit communicates through the flames, and they use this room for divination and to receive instructions from the spirit.
3. The Hall of Priests: This room is a dormitory for the priests of the Order. It’s a simple, austere room with a few personal belongings. There’s a secret door here that leads to the Room of Records.
4. Room of Records: This room is hidden from the rest of the temple. It contains records of the past sacrifices, the names of the High Priests, and the history of the Order. It’s a sacred place, and only the High Priest has access to it, whenever he chooses to visit.
5. The Chamber of Preparation: This is where the chosen person is prepared for the sacrifice. It’s a solemn room with a single stone table in the center. The walls are adorned with prayers and blessings for the chosen one.
6. The Path of Trials: This is a narrow, winding path that leads from the Chamber of Preparation to the Sacrificial Chamber. It’s filled with traps and challenges that test the chosen one’s courage and resolve.
7. The Sacrificial Chamber: This room borders the volcano’s main shaft. It’s a large, open room with a platform in the center that overlooks the volcano. The chosen one is sacrificed here, their body thrown into the volcano to appease the fire spirit.
8. The Sanctuary: This room is a place of worship for the fire spirit. It’s filled with statues and offerings to the spirit.