The Cave

There is ample evidence of the moss boar here. There are more cloven hoof prints, gray mud, plus a few small plants and a beetle have been turned to stone. The party easily finds an entrance to a cave behind large leaves clinging to the side of the rocks. The smell of rot wafts from within.

CAVE ENTRANCE

A cleft a bit wider than a dobber leads down into the earth. The rocks are slick with moisture and the cold air that wafts from the hole smells of mold, mildew and rot.

Players who succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check will hear chitinous mandibles scraping on bone from within the cleft.

PILE OF BONES

Water drips from the ceiling of this small chamber and the small vein of water running through its center widens as it goes from East to West. Here the smell of decay overshadows the mildew and mold. Bones lie scattered on the ground. A Giant Stage Beetle digs through a pile on the far wall.

The giant stag beetle gnaws on a large bone about the size of a Dobber’s arm. Players who succeed a DC 13 Intelligence (Nature) check know that the giant stag beetle is a scavenger, preferring to feed on the scraps left by another predator.

However they will attack to defend their nest. A second giant stag beetle bursts from the pile of bones and debris if one of the party disturbs it.

A long dark corridor extends to the West beyond this alcove. At places it is very narrow. No creatures larger than medium can move through it.

STAGNANT WATER

A pool of stagnant water has formed in this cave room. A thick film mixed with unidentifiable debris covers the top. Some fungus clings to the West wall, hanging above the water. A number of bones lie about the floor, many of them along the edge of the pool.

Two Rot Slime float on the top of the water, one along the far West edge and one nearest the edge from where the party approaches. Only a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check will reveal the creature to the players. The rot slimes attacks the party when they get within 5 feet of it. The party can avoid combat if each character succeeds on a DC 16 Dexterity (Stealth) check and moves one at a time pressed against the wall furthest from the water's edge.

Maps

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  The Cave

Characters can only safely move at half their normal speed. To move faster, a player must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If they fail, their character falls prone.

Type

Cave

Characters in Location

• Giant Stage Beetle
• Rot Slime