That's So Raven

Type: Cave system, ritual site, wererat den, ancient ruin Access: Trapdoor in the basement of the Toke Inn First Threshold: Session 001 First Descent: Session 002

Description

A larger and far older system than the Toke Inn's basement implies. The trapdoor below the inn's basement opens onto a passage carved with Baphometian runes — the joyful-hunt invocation the party translated as "joy of the hunt, how wonderful to bathe in the blood of prey."

The system deepens over the campaign. Each visit reveals more.

Known Areas (in order of discovery)

1. Trapdoor passage / runed corridor — session 001 (threshold only); descended session 002.
2. The fork — left fork leads to the Baphomet ritual chamber; the corridor continues past.
3. The ritual chamber (Baphomet) — session 002. Bestial heads on the walls, lit by braziers; central pit (apparent well-shaft); altar with a sacrifice (Rhovan Tolk). Site of the rescue and the Earth-Tremor pit massacre.
4. The well chamber — session 002. Limestone waterfall, moonlight from above, a pool with a "bucket" suspended above it. The bucket held a metallic egg — Falkor.
5. The wererat den — session 029. Bat cave converted to Rhovan's wererat lair. Bones of cult members (eaten), centipede carapaces (Horehound-flavored). A secret door at the back leads to a waterfall/shaft and a lake far below — banked for session 030.
6. The obsidian-tendril corridor — session 029. Black tendril growths jutting like claws of black ice (not cold). AC knows them from demon planes; Ubys knows them from a Raven Queen dream-study of a distant dead world pierced by such tendrils. The corridor leads to the Black Spire Chamber.
7. The black-spire chamber (Grimlocks) — session 029. 8 Grimlocks ringing a stone spire, fingertip-touch resonance, 8 wall glyphs glowing faintly blue. Combat ensued; glyphs went dark when channelers died. The spire is interplanarly anchored — a Blight node.
8. The lower spire and Ogre altar — session 029. Beast-bone altar with fresh blood and sigils; 2 Ogres painting glyphs on their helmets (next channeling crew). Primeval Tablet recovered — history of the Prince of Beasts, worth 1,000 GP to a shady buyer.
9. The cliff and the Maw Chamber — session 030. 40-50' drop, then a vast chamber with a 500' waterfall and four 50' Proto-Elven monoliths in a square pool (half-submerged). A Roper hunts from the ceiling; killed by AC's 49-damage CRIT. AC recovers Whisper (Elven shortsword, Pass-Without-Trace command-word) from the lake floor; Ubys recovers the Elven Chain from atop the monolith. Submerged Proto-Elven temple ruins partially explored by Lessie-as-crocodile; banked.
10. The Rat Queen Chamber — session 031. The Rat Queen impaled on an obsidian spike (alive, bound; a coordinator-vassal); 4 Giant Rats from the corners + ~3 swarms + 8 Stirges in two waves. Killed by AC's 236-damage trident-and-charges CRIT — Round 4. Loot: ~2,750 GP coin+gems, Bracers of Defense, Wand of Magic Missile, Potion of Frost Giant Strength. Netherese Portal sits dormant in the far corner. Party levels to 6 here.
11. The portal antechamber — session 032. The three robed bodies of the Grey-Robed Order (1 Dwarf + 2 Half-Elves) lie in front of the Netherese Portal; the Grey-Flame Torch beside them; two Grey-Flame Candles per body (six total — one was test-spent in this session). The Blight is repelled near the bodies and unmade by direct contact with the grey flame. Ubys Decomposes the trio with reverence; the party returns to the Toke Inn with the kit. (See Session 032 - The Finding of the Grey Flame.)