One-Shot: The Rumblings in the Deep - DM Edition

One-Shot
System: DnD 5.5 (2024 rules edition; DND-OGL)
Theme: Exploration, subnautica, natural disasters, steampunk tech
Conflict: Mysterious earthquakes rock the Deep Republic city of
Level: 5
Number of player(s): 3 to 6 players
Alignment: Any
Starting equipment: Standard kit according to the Player's Handbook/Free Rules plus an Uncommon item.
Character options: All species, all classes (custom steampunk classes available on demand) and backgrounds available in the Free rules/Player's Handbook 2024 including the species listed in the Playable Species section. Backgrounds can be customized (take any Origin feat, Ability Score Improvement, 2 skills and (2 tools or 2 languages or 1 language and 1 tool). Custom backgrounds are subject to review and you may be asked to alter parts by the DM.
Attribute Scores: Standard array or Point Buy
Hit Points: Average fixed
Origin Feat: Take any Origin Feat

World background information: Welcome to Morea - an introduction

The world in a nutshell

Morea is a mixed world with a variety of elements:

• Post-apocalyptic
• Low magic areas
• No Gods
400 years ago, a great calamity called the Scarring ravaged the world and killed most of its people. During this event the Gods themselves disappeared.
On one of the continents, a mighty Empire has risen from the ashes using science and technology to create great cities of steel, concrete and smoke.
Another great force in the world is the magical kingdom founded by the last of the Elves mixing their blood with humans. They try to re-establish magic as the leading force.
In the frozen wastes live the clans of the north. They hate magic with a passion and will kill any magic user on sight.



Vulgnor's Range

Vulgnor's Range is a colossal, jagged spine of mountains stretching across the heart of the continent of Elastar. Towering peaks claw at the sky, their summits often crowned with thick layers of snow and ice, while the lower slopes are blanketed in dense coniferous forests and scattered alpine meadows. The range is named after the legendary dwarven hero Vulgnor Stonefury, said to have carved the first tunnels into the mountains’ heart during the Scarring to escape the magical blasts and broken pieces of the moon crashing into the world.









Introduction

Living on the edge of the Undersea has always been challenging. From Kuo-Tao and Sahuagin--Known as the Deep Folk--Raids to floods, it has always been a worrying place to live. However, the Blackrock Gates must be guarded, and the Range protected against the dangers of the Deep. Crafty scientists from the Deephome Institute have arrived and started constructing these wondrous machines, which are shaped like underwater creatures and will enable us to explore the deeper reaches of the waters. Perhaps we will encounter the tribes of the deep folk and put an end to them once and for all. Or maybe we will discover great wonders in the deep tunnels.

These thoughts will keep you awake for a while, but you will soon drift off... Only to awaken to your house shaking and rocking from a great earthquake!...






Organisations

Deephome Institute - At the heart of the Deep Republic lies the prestigious Svir'Zanad Institute, the capital of innovation. Here, a collective of rock and deep gnome scientists are dedicated to pioneering new technologies and enhancing existing ones. The institute is connected to the dwarven city of Dol-Karaz via an intricate system of lifts, which facilitate the thriving trade of crystals mined from the nearby cave system.

Guards of the Blackrock Gates - The soldiers, rangers, mercenaries and adventurers who guard the gates to the Undersea are a tough bunch. Soldiers from all over the Empire are often sent here as a punishment, and many of them are criminals. Guarding the civilised world from the dangers of the deep is a dangerous assignment.



Important NPCs

Chief Scientist Mizzy Rockhome



She is a blue-skinned deep gnome and the chief scientist of the Glimmerdeep expedition. She has developed a new submarine system capable of navigating the deepest parts of the ocean.

Guard-Captain Dweor "Hammerhand" Thurza



The tough Dwarven Guard-Captain of the Blackrock Gates. A loud, grizzled veteran of the Guard and survivor of many raids. He has an intense hatred for the Deep Folk and looks down on the soft bellied people sent from above.