A brick slides free and tumbles into a long-abandoned bedroom with a crash. The sound echoes out of the room and through vacant hallways, filling spaces long since emptied of life. Where Reavers once stood, there is naught but dust. Where kobolds once tended to great serpents, there are now only ashes. And where the adventurers enter these lost Reaver halls, danger lurks. The tunnels of a kobold vanguard weave through sickly, necrotized stone, and traps await the travelers in almost every room and hallway of the ruins. It will not take long for the group to discover that the tunnels are not as empty as they sound.
Having covered the ways into the Reaver tunnels and the den of kobolds that have taken control of it, it is time for the halls themselves. These dungeonous tunnels consist of three separate levels, with myriad connections and paths and a variety of discoveries to be made inside. One of the mines’ tunnels arrives at the upper level, dropping the characters in a bedroom once belonging to an ally of the Reavers. It is up to them to navigate through the different rooms to find whatever they might be looking for, whether that be Reaver treasures, an artifact of a dead cult, or the very same kobolds who watch the group from the shadows.
The tunnels are currently held by a detachment of Fireblood kobolds, who were detailed in the previous section. You can also refer to the adventure index to see all of the past sections and adventures…
The Reaver Halls
The tunnels arch over you, powerful bricks of the mountain’s stone holding back the earth, many arranged to decorate the walls and floor in snaking angular patterns. They are supported by thick columns that are evenly spaced along the walls and adorned with small, sconce-like metal frames. The depth has long since snuffed any natural light, consigning the interior to perfect darkness and the thick smell of moist earth that collects on every surface and leaks into the structure from sections of masonry that have succumbed to either pressure or damage. The purity of the darkness is matched only by its silence, your breaths and footfalls seeming to echo endlessly through halls and chambers beyond the range of your vision.
The Titan’s Spine mountains were once home to the Reavers, who carved tunnels through the stone of the mountain chain’s interior. These halls and chambers formed sprawling complexes designed to hold all of the Reavers’ needs, from living areas to farming, training, and space for craftsmen. This self-sufficiency contributed to the Reavers’ seclusion prior to the war against Harazai and the establishment of Greybanner, after which tunnels were constructed closer to the mountains’ surface as a means of better connecting with their new allies. It is believed that this unity then led to the Reaver’s gradual dissolution as they integrated into Greybanner, though sparsely available history and census recordings suggest that this may be an assumption made in the absence of a better explanation.
The Reaver halls have remained largely untouched by the people of Greybanner since their abandonment, only ever encountered when a wayward mining shaft happens upon the remnants of a Reaver construction. Other peoples and wildlife have found their way into the halls over the years, the most notable of these being the mountain trolls and, most recently, kobolds, both of which often lead to violent confrontations when encountering miners or each other. These conflicts have damaged sections of the tunnels, though any scratches and burn marks pale in comparison to the collapses that have plagued the area with increasing frequency. The reasons for these, like much of both the Reavers’ and Greybanner’s history, are unknown to the Silvercrown miners. Careful investigation can trace the cause back to a chamber used to burn the bodies and artifacts of the Eyes of Blood, where the attempted destruction of an enchanted circlet caused withering magic to spread through the stone, poisoning and weakening it.
This pyric chamber is located in a Reaver compound nearest the western slopes, a location originally intended for the aforementioned outreach between the Reavers and Greybanner. It was constructed with space for breeding the gargantuan serpents that once bonded the Reavers and local Fireblood kobolds, along with the amenities necessary for the people living there, though sections have been lost in the years since. Inhabitants of Greybanner, many of whom had fought alongside the Reavers, lived in the tunnels with them and the kobolds. This helped to strengthen their alliance through the sharing of culture and alchemical techniques. It was then abandoned as part of the Reavers’ gradual dissolution, which saw the kobolds also depart from the tunnels.
Several mineshafts have found their way through the tunnels’ walls over the years since and have been subsequently resealed for safety. The area has most recently come under the control of the descendants of the same kobolds that once lived alongside the Reavers, who have filled the chambers with traps and begun scouring it for the source of their clan’s ongoing plight.
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Layered levels. The Reaver compound is made up of three distinct levels set on top of each other. Each level is separated by 1 foot of unworked stone between the respective ceiling’s highest point and the paving stones of the level above.
Ceilings and doorways. The hallways of the Reaver tunnels all arch from 12 feet in height at their edges to 15 feet in height at their center. Individual rooms arch from 15 to 20 feet in height except where otherwise stated. The structure’s doors and other openings are similarly large, averaging 12 feet in height.
Light and crystals. The tunnels currently have no source of light or opening to the surface, leaving them in complete darkness.
The halls and rooms all feature small sconces attached to the walls’ support pillars, which arch from either side of hallways and larger chambers at increments of approximately 30 feet. Particularly large chambers feature chandeliers of a similar design hanging from their ceiling. These fixtures originally held crystals formed from the blood of the mountains’ stonefire serpents that were used to illuminate the tunnels, though the majority of these stones were removed as the Reavers left the mountains. Whenever a character makes a Wisdom (Perception) check to inspect a previously unexplored room, roll a d20. On a 17 or higher, one of the sconces still holds a bloodlight crystal. If the roll is a 19 or 20, make another roll for the presence of an additional crystal.
Bloodlight Crystal
Adventuring gear
A fist-sized crystal formed of clustered cubes and prisms, all a deep red color that appears to swim like liquid at its center.
The crystal can be held to an open flame as an action, causing it to glow with bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. The light lasts for 8 hours, after which it fades.
The bloodlight crystals were created as the result of the Reavers’ and kobolds’ combined alchemy. More information about them can be discovered in areas 11 and 15, the alchemy laboratories.
Ventilation shafts. Many of the halls’ most prominent and popular chambers feature ventilation shafts set in their walls. These shafts function by keeping a fire burning in one shaft of each pair and venting the resulting smoke upwards to the surface. This would cause fresh air to be pulled in through the second shaft in each pair, constantly cycling the oxygen in the tunnels. In areas and chambers with multiple levels, each level’s ventilation shafts share the same vertical shaft, with the diagonal connection preventing smoke from spreading into other chambers.
These shafts are 5 feet in height and width. They extend diagonally upwards and away from the opening for roughly 15 feet before turning directly upwards. The rightmost shaft of each pair is altered to hold a fire. Its opening is a 4-foot-tall arch that opens into a 5-foot-square flat space, behind which it rises diagonally. The shaft’s ceiling rises immediately behind the arched opening to channel the smoke away. The interior of these shafts is noticeably stained in ash and the crumbled remnants of a fire still fill the space.
Heating stones. The inhabitants of the tunnels once used Reaver heating stones to help their fires and furnaces burn longer. These stones are rocks that were gathered from the waste of their resident stonefire vipers and are coated in the serpents’ solidified digestive juices. Many stones that have had their coating expended, leaving them inert, still remain in the ashes of these fires, such as in the ventilation shafts and furnaces. A character that looks into any of these easily notices the stones, each no more than 4 inches on any side, within the ash. If the character succeeds on a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check, they spot a stone with areas of a colorless, amber-like material coating it. A character can then make a DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Medicine) check, identifying the coating as an organic product on a success. On a roll of 18 or higher, they are able to deduce its origin as a creature’s digestive fluid.
The only heating stones left in the tunnels that are not inert can be found in the furnace of area 3, the workshop (see the ‘Treasure’ section of area 3, the ‘workshop‘). The origin of the stones can be discovered in the alchemical notes left behind in area 15, the lower alchemy laboratory (see the ‘Treasure’ section of area 15, the ‘lower alchemy laboratory’).
Echoes. Sounds echo easily through the stone hallways, allowing any noise made within the Reaver halls to be heard from twice the distance away. Any Wisdom (Perception) checks made to locate the source of a sound from beyond its normal range has disadvantage, as the sound echoes from more directions, making it more difficult to track.
The distance that sound travels and the skill checks required to follow it are both important to note thanks to the nearby kobolds and lurking troll (see the ‘Developments’ section of area 9, the ‘storage room’). They both rely on echoes to notice the party’s presence, after which they attempt to locate the characters, who will likely do the same to either confront or escape the halls’ other residents.
Blighted stone. The prolonged presence of an artifact once used by the Eyes of Blood has caused necrotic magic to leak into the mountain stone, much like the plants of the Bramblejade forest (see the ‘Bramblejade Forest‘ section of ‘Geographic Features‘ in ‘the ‘The Greybanner Region‘, as well as the ‘Into The Bramblejade‘ adventure). This has weakened the stone’s structural integrity and poisoned creatures that feed on it. This effect is uneven, having caused particular sections of the tunnels to collapse with little explanation while others remain strong. The stone and anything crafted from it, including the bricks of the Reaver tunnels, are vulnerable to bludgeoning, piercing, and thunder damage.
A character who notices and studies the affected stone may be able to discern some details of the magic and its effects. The following are some examples of the ways this might be done and what the characters might learn:
- A successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check while near any blight-afflicted stone that has already been damaged sees the character notice small pieces of the stone fall away at the slightest disturbance, showing it to be destabilized.
- A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check of any collapses or other exposed, unworked stone alerts the character to its unnatural weakness. They recognize that it has been rendered brittle and prone to breaking. A character who is aware of this can then make a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check. On a success, they realize that the effect must have taken hold after the tunnels’ construction, as the Reavers would not have been able to build the halls if the stone were so weak at the time. A character that is proficient in the use of mason’s tools has advantage on both of these checks.
- A character that has recognized a section of blighted stone can make a DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check to identify the damage of necrotic magic. On an 18 or higher, they identify that the magic appears to be suffused into the stone rather than an impact of a single spell or attack. If the character is familiar with the Bramblejade’s blight they may discern a link between the two, though this cannot be proven from inspecting the stone alone.
Particular sections of the halls have been more potently affected by the blight. This makes them weaker but also makes the effects easier to study, lowering the DC of any checks made to do so. Any of these changes are noted in the ‘Blighted stone’ section of the affected area. Other effects of the blight and the skills checks to inspect them are likewise given in their respective areas.
Entering the halls. Currently, there are two locations in which nearby mineshafts have breached the Reaver halls, either directly or via collapses and natural caves. The first is a section of the mine’s fringe tunnel, where miners struck the outer surface of a chamber (see the ‘Entrance to the Reaver tunnels’ section of the ‘Fringe Tunnel‘ in the ‘Mining Tunnels‘). Breaking through this wall leads into area 1.b., upper quarters 2, in the upper living quarters (see the ‘Entrance from the mines’ section of area 1.b., ‘upper quarters 2‘).
Another entrance can be found beyond the collapsed southern tunnel, where a path through several caves and another section of Reaver tunnels leads to a collapsed section of the halls (see the ‘Entrance to the Reaver tunnels’ section of the ‘Connecting Cave‘ in the ‘Southern Tunnel‘). This collapse connects the cave to a section of area 16, the serpent dens (see the ‘Entrance from the southern tunnel’ section of area 16, the ‘serpent dens’).
Upper Level
The uppermost accessible level of the Reaver halls was dedicated to the area’s craftsmen. It originally featured a series of workshops and forges that were used for the creation and maintenance of the equipment needed by those in the immediate area, with the craftsmen’s living areas kept close by. The elevated level granted easier ventilation, though many of the shafts, like much else on the level, have been lost to collapses and blockages.
1. Upper Living Quarters
A straight corridor branches twice in both directions with now-rotten wooden doors that lead into what are quickly identifiable as private rooms. More might be found beyond if this corridor, along with much of the rooms themselves, did not end in a collapse of stone and loose earth that has scattered dirt across every surface, obscuring how far it may once have extended.
The various levels of the compound’s living quarters are divided based on the residents’ occupations, with those on the upper level housing the blacksmiths and other craftsmen who worked nearby. These spaces are structurally modest but were individually decorated, as they did not function as permanent domiciles and would instead be traded between workers who came and went from different areas of the tunnels. The corridor that connects the rooms continues south to area 2, the upper intersection chamber, as well as a stairwell that descends to area 4, the central living quarters. A major structural collapse has claimed many of the rooms to the north and damaged many others that are still accessible. The area’s blighted stone contributed to the damage, though the inciting event for the cave-in is unknown.
Blighted stone. The stone exposed by missing bricks and collapsed tunnels in this area is badly affected by the blight, lowering the DCs of skill checks to study it by 2 (see the ‘Blighted stone’ section of ‘The Reaver Halls‘).
1.a. Upper Quarters 1
Much of the room has collapsed, a pile of loose earthen rubble having fallen and consumed close to half of the space and coated everything that remains with dirt. Some furniture remains, including a dusty mirror in the corner opposite the door and a bedframe that lays half-crushed under the rubble.
A large collapse claimed the northern living quarters and left those close to it damaged and filled with debris. The upper northwestern room is one such space, with almost half of it now lost under rubble. The room had already been abandoned before this damage occurred, leaving only basic furniture behind to be caught in the collapse. This includes a bedframe against the western wall, half of which is hidden under the pile of rubble, and a standing mirror placed in the room’s southwestern corner. A character that inspects the mirror notices tally marks roughly cut into its wooden frame. The tally counts to 32 and was carved by the room’s final owner, Ivuus.
Treasure
A small wooden chest is hidden under the bed. The box’s interior is divided into six equal squares, with two of the spaces holding sealed glass bottles that each hold a single dose of mysterious Reaver potion. The bottles are unlabeled and their contents cannot be easily identified.
Mysterious Reaver Potion
Potion, uncommon
A dusty glass bottle holds a single dose of clear liquid. The fluid appears slightly thicker than water and is held down by a pale, gritty green film that has formed on its surface.
A potion found in the abandoned bedroom of a mountain Reaver. Its function is unknown, and the state of the liquid and coating of dust do not inspire confidence in its efficacy.
A character with proficiency in the use of alchemist’s supplies or a herbalism kit can make a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check to identify the contents of the bottles, learning that they are spoiled sleeping potions on a success. The character has advantage on the check if they spend several minutes using a set of the aforementioned tools to test the liquid.
Spoiled Sleeping Potion
Potion, uncommon
A dusty glass bottle holds a single dose of clear liquid. The fluid appears slightly thicker than water and is held down by a pale, gritty green film that has formed on its surface.
A sleeping potion that has grown more potent over time. A creature that ingests the potion must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 8 hours. The poisoned creature is unconscious. The creature can repeat its saving throw if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to attempt to shake it awake.
There are many ways for the party to identify the potions’ effects, ranging from the above skill check, to the identify spell, to simply drinking them. The skill check given is only one example that the characters may attempt immediately upon finding the potions. Use your discretion when determining how successful other methods may be, what skill checks they may require, how the DC may be affected by access to more time and resources, or any side effects from imbibing or tasting small quantities of the liquid. The latter may have a reduced effect or simply give them advantage on their saving throw against the potion’s full effect, for example. If you wish to use the simplest method from official rulebooks, allow the characters to identify the potions by safely tasting them or spending a short rest focusing on them, as with a magic item.
1.b. Upper Quarters 2
Undecorated furniture has been left in disarray around the room. The bed and cupboard have been pulled away from the walls and every drawer and container has been left open, the wall opposite the door even missing a brick that has dropped to the floor below. They all appear empty, leaving only dust behind.
One of the upper living quarters was ransacked by another Reaver following the departure of its owner. Franklin Hilrich, a lead alchemist and would-be looter, had fallen victim to the spreading blight and was convinced that the room’s resident, Tollun Gadsta, had left something of great value behind in the room. What he found was a gemstone that Tollun had once taken as a trophy from the Eyes of Blood and placed in the pommel of his own dagger. Tollun had secreted the dagger within a hidden compartment in the wall that he dug behind one of its smaller decorative bricks. He then left it behind when he departed from the compound as a show of separating his past from his future. Franklin found the dagger, pulled the gemstone free, and took it back to his own room (see the ‘Treasure’ section of area 5.b., ‘central quarters 2’).
The missing brick has been left on the floor below the 1-foot-by-6-inch gap left in the wall where it was once placed. A character who looks at the hole easily notices that it extends slightly further beyond the 1-foot thickness of the bricks and descends slightly at its back, where a pouch and dagger still remain (see the ‘Treasure’ section).
A character that succeeds on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check of the room notices additional marks on the furniture where it has been damaged with small impacts, some of which have small marks of dried blood.
A character that looks over the room can also make a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check to deduce what happened. On a success, they surmise that the room was ravaged by someone in search of something particular, who checked all the furniture before noticing the loose brick in the western wall. If the character is aware of the strike marks and blood, they recognize that the looter grew enraged or frantic during their search.
Entrance from the mines. A pathway from the Silvercrown Mines’ fringe tunnel ends where miners once struck the other side of a Reaver chamber’s wall (see the ‘Entrance to the Reaver tunnels’ section of the ‘Fringe Tunnel‘ in the ‘Mining Tunnels‘). The bricks at the end of this pathway are those of this room’s upper northwestern corner. There is no evidence of the tunnel from within the room.
Treasure
Within the hidden compartment in the western wall is a dagger that is mundane aside from its pommel, which features metal prongs that could once have held a 1-inch-diameter decoration but have been bent back to remove whatever was held. Beside the dagger is a leather pouch that contains small, eclectic trinkets, including a shard of a black horn, a fang, 3 links from a broken chain, and a scrap of red fabric. A character that succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check of the horn shard or fang identifies them as likely coming from fiendish creatures.
1.c. Upper Quarters 3
The disquieting sound of a stone falling and distantly impacting draws your attention to the room’s far end, where a section of the ceiling and much of the floor has collapsed and left an opening into the chambers below. This destruction has spread dust throughout the room, coating every surface in a film of gray.
The area’s weakened stone contributed to the floor collapsing in the room that once belonged to Venka, a Reaver craftswoman, taking any furniture on its northern side with it. This destruction occurred sometime between the rooms’ abandonment and the present. An errant kobold’s tunnel had found the room’s upper eastern wall, where they removed a brick to gain entry, unaware that the structure was already destabilized from previous cave-ins in adjacent rooms. The brick’s fall caused a portion of the ceiling it was supporting to crumble, which broke through the floor, into the room directly below, and into another below that (see the ‘Collapsed floor’ section of area 5.c., ‘central quarters 3’, and the ‘Rubble pile’ section of area 13.c., ‘lower quarters 3’). The kobold was unfortunately caught in the collapse.
A character that looks into the room immediately notices the damage and can deduce that the ceiling’s collapse caused it without the need for a skill check. They also spot an opening behind the lowest missing brick on the eastern wall’s northern side. The space extends into a tunnel that is only large enough for a Small or smaller creature to move through, or a Medium creature to squeeze, which ends after only 10 feet with a cave-in of stone and earth. If a character has already discovered kobold tunnels in another section of the mines or halls, they recognize the similarity. A character that inspects the opening and that succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check of the stone also notices small scratch marks on the inside faces of the surrounding bricks.
Collapsed floor. Close to half of the room’s northern side has collapsed into the rooms below, leaving an opening to descend into them. The bricks making up the individual living quarters’ floors and ceilings are each 1 foot thick. In addition to the 1 foot of stone separating the levels, this results in a total distance of 23 feet to ascend or descend from one floor to another. This is shortened on the lowest floor due to the pile of collected rubble (see the ‘Rubble Pile’ section of area 13.c., ‘lower quarters 3’).
Faded paintings. The room’s final resident painted its northern and western walls. The murals, which were painted directly onto the bricks, have faded and been covered in a layer of dust but can be spotted with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check of the room and are decipherable if the dust is cleared.
If a character chooses to clear the respective wall and inspect the paintings, read the following:
1. Northern Wall
The wall is painted with a forest scene that covers the brickwork stretching from roughly a foot above the floor to the ceiling, even bleeding onto the edges of the other walls at its sides. Its colors are vibrant and varied, with mossy trees forming a backdrop to a grassy field of flowers in every color and shade.
The northern painting was created as a calming backdrop surrounding the room’s bed. A character that looks over the edge of the fallen floor can recognize the remnants of this bedframe, which is now broken in the rubble of area 13.c., lower quarters 3. A character that succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check of the painting also takes particular notice of the missing area at the bottom of the mural and deduces that it is likely because furniture was once placed there. If the character has seen the bed in the rubble below, they have advantage on the check and understand that it was the bed that once laid under the painting.
2. Western Wall
The shorter wall is decorated with a mural of a small group of people standing in front of a town. The background is basic, with a plain of grass leading to indistinct buildings in the distance, while the group in the foreground has been given far more attention. Three figures of roughly average height, likely humans or elves, stand with a pair of dwarves, a single larger humanoid, and what appears to be a kobold. They are dressed in armor of differing styles, with weapons either sheathed or brandished and their free arms wrapped fondly around those beside them. What parts of their facial expressions that haven’t faded are painted with beaming smiles and unbridled joy.
The painting on the western wall is a depiction of a group of friends formed during the war against Harazai standing in front of an early Greybanner. A character that has seen examples of Reaver or Bramblejade druid armor can identify the two dwarves and the much larger figure as members of the Reavers and one of the others as a druid. The same applies to the kobold, whose clothing a character can liken to that of the Fireblood kobolds if they have gotten a clear view of one of its members. Inspecting the wall with a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals a structure resembling Greybanner’s arena amidst the town’s buildings. A character that succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check also deduces that the painting is likely a group of soldiers, given their arms and armor, and can connect the group to Greybanner’s history if they are aware of it.
Kobold traps. The door into the room is slightly ajar and has been rigged with a swinging stone trap. The stone is not attached to anything, instead being placed precariously atop the door and falling on anyone who opens the door while entering the room.
Developments
Evidence of an alliance. The painting on the western wall depicts a kobold standing as an ally amongst Reavers and other Greybanner residents (see the ‘Western wall’ in the ‘Faded paintings’ section). If Rako sees the painting, he can identify the kobold’s armor as being of Fireblood design, suggesting that it is an ancestor of the clan. This acts as evidence of the kobolds once being allied with the other races of the area and may serve to attract the kobolds’ attention. It can also be used as proof that a solution for the kobolds’ plight might be found within the tunnels, should the party negotiate an alliance with Ekra Snakemind (see the ‘Negotiating a solution’ section of ‘Ekra Snakemind‘ in ‘The Fireblood Den‘).
2. Upper Intersection Chamber
The decorative patterns of the stonework meet and interlink in a domed square chamber, where each corner of the room extends into a hallway. Two of the walls opposing each other feature pairs of recessed shafts that extend backward and upwards, while a third wall opens into a descending staircase. The fourth wall supports a rotting wooden board dotted with nails, some still piercing scraps of parchment that have yet to fade and crumble away.
The level’s primary hallways meet in a chamber used for ventilation and as a meeting point. As a central connective point and guaranteed stop between the inhabitant’s living quarters and workspaces, the intersection on each level was equipped with a noticeboard for the sake of announcements and communications from other compounds. The northwestern wall similarly opens into a shared stairwell that descends to area 6, the central intersection chamber. A collapse has blocked the stairs from descending any further than that.
Cardinal corridors. The intersection chamber connects four hallways that each extend in a different cardinal direction. Three of these hallways have collapsed at different distances from the intersection, the mounds of rubble completely cutting them off. The only remaining hallway extends northwards and connects to area 1, the upper living quarters.
Ventilation shafts. The chamber’s northeastern and southwestern walls are set with paired ventilation shafts (see the ‘Ventilation shaft’ section of ‘The Reaver Halls‘). These share vertical shafts with those of the intersection chambers below. The shafts that contained fires are filled with piles of ash and several inert Reaver heating stones.
Notice papers. A wooden bulletin board is attached to the southeastern wall, where anyone coming from either the living quarters or the stairwell is sure to see. Though most have rotted, a number of the parchments posted to the noticeboard remain in the form of faded scraps. Some of these are written in Common and were intended for both the Reavers and people of Greybanner who had taken residence in the compound. They read the following:
Supplies are expected a day later than scheduled. Please adjust your duties accordingly.
Those who wish to return with the cart are welcome to do so, though I stress the importance of…
Duties are suspended for all workers for the day.
A meeting will be held in the mess hall at midday to discuss Franklin. Please refrain from discussing the matter until the…
… contact with alchemists please report any potential symptoms…
… and further supplies are delivered. Until then, you are urged to…
Other scraps were intended to only be readable by the Reavers living in the tunnels. These are written in Giant and read the following:
Preparations have been made for those of you wishing to leave at the next rotation. Additional carts will be sent and you are to be prepared…
… refrain from speaking openly in the presence of the kobolds. A formal decision is yet to be made and we cannot risk any more damage to our relationship before we know what…
… humans in my station. If one more of these gallow suns picks up my tongs I’ll feed them to him and then I’ll feed him to the snakes and then I’ll eat the snake in front of his mother and then…
Kobold tunnels. The eastern tunnel’s collapse obscures an opening to the kobold tunnels at the peak of the rubble. The opening is a 3-foot-diameter hole in the southern wall, in front of which the kobolds have pushed the debris to form a mound that appears natural but hides the tunnel entrance and provides just enough cover for a kobold to hide behind. A character that succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check of the rubble notices the depression at the top of the mound, though it does not appear suspicious without further investigation.
Kobold traps. The intersection chamber features two traps. They include the following
- A warning chime is strung between two pillars in the hall leading to area 1, the upper living quarters.
- An oil jar is suspended above the entryway to the stairwell and is triggered by a tripwire strung across the entry. The jar contains enough oil to coat both spaces of the entryway. A character that is entering the stairwell from the upper intersection chamber and that fails on their saving throw to avoid the oil slides down the stairs, landing prone at the bottom of the first flight of steps and taking 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage on impact.
Developments
Evidence of an alliance. One of the notice papers written in Giant refers to a relationship between the Reavers and a group of kobolds (see the ‘Notice papers’ section). This can be used as evidence of the factions’ former alliance when speaking to Rako Trolltaker or Ekra Snakemind, though their inability to read it and confirm the translation for themselves means that it cannot stand on its own as evidence and is only effective if supporting something more concrete (see the ‘Negotiating a solution’ sections of ‘Rako Trolltaker‘ in the ‘The Kobold Vanguard‘ and of ‘Ekra Snakemind‘ in ‘The Fireblood Den‘).
3. Workshop
A long rectangular room is supported by four thick pillars, beside two of which are makeshift walls of tool racks and shelving that loosely divide the room into two distinct areas. The walls of the larger section are lined with forges, anvils, and everything else you would expect from a fully equipped blacksmith. On the other side of the division are other workstations, these instead dedicated to leatherwork and finer craftsmanship. And though the sight evokes the sounds of hammering metal and crackling flames, the room lies silent and cold, a coating of dust across its workspaces and even the smell of smoke having faded away to nothing.
The compound’s two workshops tended to the needs of the surrounding workers, from fashioning alchemical tools to repairing farming equipment. One workshop was dedicated to working metal and leather, with the other used for woodwork and finer tinkering. Only the former is still accessible, the other having been lost to a collapse that claimed the entire room. The two spaces were connected via the hallways and by a shared storeroom.
The workshops’ duties warranted an expansive workspace and one equipped with various tools needed for fulfilling the diverse tasks asked of its workers. Though their individual jobs were minor, the frequency and variance of their work kept a team of at least four Reaver craftsmen constantly employed in the compound, along with any Greybanner transfers that were currently living with them. Larger requisitions would be sent to other nearby compounds, or later Greybanner, which would also supply the materials needed by the craftsmen.
Ventilation shafts. The accessible workshop features a pair of ventilation shafts set into its northern wall (see the ‘Ventilation shaft’ section of ‘The Reaver Halls‘), which share vertical shafts with those of the collapsed workshop to the north. The collapse that claimed the other workshop also filled much of the shafts with rubble, which spilled out and formed mounds of dirt in the workshop. The forges’ chimneys connect to their own ventilation shafts.
Dumbwaiter. A dumbwaiter is set into the room’s eastern wall. It was created to ease the delivery of items between the workshop and alchemy laboratories. The dumbwaiter is a 3-foot-square opening in the wall that opens to a 3-foot-square vertical shaft. A wooden platform is inside, currently at the level of the workshop, which is held by chains and can be moved between levels by the use of a crank beside the opening. The dumbwaiter can be moved between the workshop and areas 11 and 15, the upper and lower alchemy laboratories, via the use of the crank.
Rusted armor. Two rusted suits of plate armor stand beside the eastern entrance to the room. The armor is crafted in the style of the Reavers but is too damaged to be of any use or value. One of them is also of notable size, standing at approximately 7 feet tall. A character that looks over the suits and that has seen either the Reaver half plate found in the MacHale Manor’s trophy room (see area 20, the ‘trophy room‘, of the MacHale Manor, in the ‘In Walls that Talk’ adventure) or the armor worn by Rako Trolltaker (see the ‘Reaver armor’ section of ‘Rako Trolltaker‘ in ‘The Kobold Vanguard‘) recognizes that they are of a similar style, potentially even being the creations of the same craftsmen.
Storeroom. A door in the workshop’s eastern section leads northwards into a storeroom. This storeroom is filled with shelving, crates, and barrels, and has another door on the opposite side of the room. The storeroom has been emptied of most items of value, though some scrap metal, leather, and wood remains, as well as basic tools (see the ‘Treasure’ section).
A character that succeeds on a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check of the shelves notices two areas where the dust is far thinner, suggesting that something was taken from them recently. The gaps in the dust are the approximate size and shape of shovels. The shovels that were previously there were taken by kobolds and are currently found in area 4, the Fireblood supply cave (see the ‘Treasure’ section of area 4, the ‘Fireblood supply cave‘).
The door leading north connects to a second workshop that has been lost in its entirety to a cavein. The door is held shut but can be easily pulled open. A character that attempts to open it encounters only minor resistance to dislodge it, after which the door is forced open by the rubble it was holding back. When this happens, or if the door is destroyed, creatures within 5 feet of the door must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. This area also becomes filled with rubble and is difficult terrain.
Kobold tunnels. Three kobold tunnel entrances are hidden in the workshop. They are located in the following places:
- Within the forge’s ventilation shaft, 3 feet above the forge’s opening. The tunnel is too high to be seen by anyone in the room who does not specifically look inside the ventilation shaft but is low enough for a kobold to easily climb into it from within the forge.
- Behind a cupboard in the northwestern corner of the room’s smaller eastern section. The cupboard’s lowest backing planks are loose, allowing them to be pushed or pulled into the kobold tunnel, or put back in place, as a bonus action. The loose planks do not show any damage and are indistinguishable from the rest of the bookshelf when they are in place. The cupboard has been left slightly ajar, giving hiding kobolds a line of sight into the room.
- Beneath a barrel in the storeroom’s northwestern corner. The barrel’s lid is loose and half of its base has been cut away to act as a hatch, with the tunnel accessible underneath. This opening is only large enough for a Tiny sized creature to fit through, or a Small creature that is squeezing. The rest of the barrel’s bottom is weighed down with stones to keep it in place and give the barrel a false feeling of weight.
Kobold traps. The workshop features several traps. These include the following:
- A pouch of blinding powder is placed atop the shelves that separate the two sections of the workshop. It is triggered by a tripwire strung across the gap between the nearby pillars, which also has a warning chime attached to it. Triggering the wire rings the chime and causes the pouch to be drawn across the gap as it opens and spreads the powder, affecting the spaces between the two pillars.
- A webbing blastbox is placed amidst other storage containers beside the door inside the storeroom. Its trigger wire is attached to the door, detonating the box shortly after the door is opened.
- A pouch of choking powder hangs from the top of the dumbwaiter shaft, while a swinging stone is affixed to the ceiling. Both traps connect to a tripwire that is strung across the bottom of the dumbwaiter’s opening. Triggering the wire causes the pouch to open and fill the dumbwaiter opening and nearby space with choking powder, while the stone simultaneously swings down towards the dumwaiter. A medium creature that is inside of the dumbwaiter has disadvantage on their saving throw to avoid the stone.
Developments
A fireblood slinkscholar waits in the tunnel that connects to the forge’s shaft. If the kobold hears the warning chime trap trigger, it drops into the forge and attacks with the produce flame spell, igniting the blinding powder if it has not already sparked. If the blinding powder has already been ignited, the slinkscholar attempts to target a blinded character. The slinkscholar then immediately retreats back into the tunnel. Additionally, a fireblood traptinker hidden within the northern cupboard peeks to see if a character is blinded by the flash. If someone is, the traptinker takes the opportunity to make a light crossbow attack against them before returning to the tunnel and replacing the plank to hide it.
Another fireblood traptinker waits in the storeroom barrel that obscures a kobold tunnel and makes a light crossbow attack against the character that is most vulnerable after the blastbox trap is triggered, then escapes into the tunnel.
Should the webbing blastbox be triggered and all of the characters present in the workshop enter the storeroom, the traptinker hiding in the workshop’s northern cupboard emerges to quickly scatter a bag of caltrops through the doorway and into the webbed area. Additionally, if the characters leave the workshop through the dumbwaiter, the same traptinker waits for the final party member to descend before tossing an oil jar down the shaft, followed by a lit torch to ignite the oil.
Treasure
Numerous basic tools and scraps of materials have been left in the workshop and its storeroom. These include 2 shovels left in a barrel beside a workstation, a miner’s pick on a table in the storeroom, as well as several iron spikes, pitons, pouches, whetstones, and 50 feet of hempen rope, all scattered throughout the two rooms. A character that spends several minutes looking through the leftover tools can also cobble together a single aged, low-quality set of glassblower’s tools, leatherworker’s tools, mason’s tools, and smith’s tools, provided that the character has proficiency in the respective tools’ use or is otherwise aware of the tools required for each set.
The forge’s furnace also contains 6 functional Reaver heating stones. A character that inspects the forge and that succeeds on a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check notices the stones by their amber color amidst the ash and other inert stones.
Reaver Heating Stone
Adventuring gear
A grey stone, no more than 4 inches on any side, is coated in a thin layer of a pale, amber-like material that is slick to the touch.
Placing the stone on an open flame for 1 minute causes it to heat up to the same temperature as the fire. The stone maintains this heat for 4 hours, after which it takes 1 hour to cool. While heated, the stone produces bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet and does not produce smoke.
When a stone cools after being used, roll a d20. On a 1, the stone’s coating is burnt away and it is left inert.
4. Fireblood Supply Cave
The tunnel opens suddenly into a ring-shaped chamber that encircles a central pillar of natural stone. Its surfaces appear to be of the same construction as the crawlspace that brought you here. The tools for such an excavation are visible against the walls, left alongside other assorted supplies and implements, both loose and in packs crafted from basic animal hides. A pair of other tunnels, both identical to the one that brought you here, exit the cave in different directions.
The supply cave was created as a central camp for the vanguard of Fireblood kobolds (see the ‘Kobold Vanguard‘ section of ‘The Fireblood Kobolds’). It connects their network of tunnels and acts as a central gathering point to store their many spare supplies. The kobolds’ mission means that they spend little time in the cave, only returning to eat, rest, repair and restock their tools, and exchange information. As such, the cave is not outfitted with any furniture or amenities aside from a small pile of animal hides tucked into one side of the cave for the kobolds to sleep on. The only other feature added to the cave itself is a 1-foot brass bell hung from the central pillar to act as an emergency alarm in case the cave is discovered (see the ‘Developments’ section).
A character that succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check of the many items in the cave identifies an absence of dust on them, contrary to the rest of the halls, suggesting that they are far more recent additions.
Developments
If at least three of the kobolds’ traps within the Reaver halls have been triggered, a fireblood traptinker and fireblood blockbreaker are present in the cave to collect supplies and tools. As soon as they become aware of a character’s presence in the cave, the kobolds ring the central bell and flee into the tunnels in an attempt to escape and regroup. The sound of the bell echoes throughout nearby tunnels (see the ‘Echoes’ section of ‘The Reaver Halls‘).
The echoing bell alerts the rest of the vanguard that the supply cave has been compromised, causing them to enter a heightened state of vigilance. They begin to move more carefully through the tunnels and redouble their efforts to remain hidden, as well as moving in pairs whenever possible. The kobolds begin returning to the supply cave only once the party has been witnessed in another area of the halls. They begin slowly collecting the supplies in the cave as part of their patrols, moving the items into the tunnel that originally brought the vanguard to the compound.
Treasure
The cave is filled with the kobolds’ supplies and spare tools. In addition to 4 hide backpacks, a character that looks through the cave is also able to find 1d6 bags of ball bearings, 1d4 bags of caltrops, 4 shovels, 2 miner’s picks, 1 spare kobold-sized war pick, 50 feet of hempen rope, and assorted small tools that can be gathered to form a set of low-quality tinker’s tools. Additionally, there are numerous other minor materials, such as string, small bells, metal spikes, etc. Portions of unidentifiable dried meat, large dead beetles, and handfuls of a clay-like gruel slurry can also be found, constituting a total of 18 rations.
Of the 4 shovels, 2 were taken from the Reaver workshop’s storeroom (see the ‘storeroom’ section of area 3, the ‘workshop‘). A character who looks over the various shovels easily sees the difference, with the Reaver shovels being larger and of noticeably higher quality than those of the kobolds.
Downloads
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What’s Next
There is much to find in the Reaver halls’ upper level but two other floors still remain! The next section will descend to the central level, where the Reavers’ mess hall, storeroom, alchemy laboratory, and more can be found. And something even more dangerous than the kobolds may just be down there waiting for them. Until then, be sure to familiarize yourself with the Fireblood kobolds in the previous section or refer back to the complete Adventure Index to see everything that preceded the party’s descent into the Reaver tunnels. As always, feel free to also comment your thoughts or ask questions about the adventure below!
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