54 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
54 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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type: location
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region: "Eastmarch, Valdris"
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danger: Medium
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---
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# The Sinking Chapel
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## Overview
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The cult hideout beneath the abandoned Old Mill outside [[Eastmarch]]. The Hand of Ruin converted a natural cave system into a ritual space and staging ground for operations against the [[Seal Anchor]] on the nearby hilltop.
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## Layout
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### Upper Level: The Mill
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An abandoned grain mill above the caves. Appears derelict from the outside. DC 14 Perception to notice tracks leading to the basement door. DC 16 Investigation to find hidden cult supplies (robes, ritual knives, salt for purification circles).
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### Basement: Guard Post
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2 **cultists** + 2 **guard drakes** stationed here. The basement has a hidden trapdoor leading to the caves below.
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### Cave Level 1: The Respite
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Living quarters for 3 cultists + 1 **cult fanatic** (the cell's Witness). Contains:
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- Bunk pallets for 6 people
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- Ritual preparation area (alchemical supplies, blood offerings)
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- **The Missing Child:** Held in a locked cage (DC 15 Thieves' Tools). Weakened but alive. The cult planned to use the child as the final blood offering at the hilltop.
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### Cave Level 2: The Chapel
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A natural cavern converted into a ritual space. Features:
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- A crude altar of stacked obsidian with the Hand of Ruin spiral carved into it
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- Ritual circle drawn in salt, blood, and ash
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- A tunnel leading directly to the [[Seal Anchor]] hilltop (1 mile northwest)
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- Cult documents: ritual schedules, correspondence with [[Keeper Valdrek]]
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## Enemies
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| Encounter | Location | CR |
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|-----------|----------|-----|
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| 2 cultists + 2 guard drakes | Basement | 3 |
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| 3 cultists + 1 cult fanatic | Cave Level 1 | 4 |
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| 1 cult fanatic (if alerted) + environmental hazards | Cave Level 2 | 2 |
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## Treasure
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- Alchemical supplies worth 150 gp
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- Cult documents (translate with DC 14 Arcana — encoded in Primordial dialect)
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- 85 gp in offering coin
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- A *potion of healing* and a *potion of fire breath* from the Witness's personal supplies
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## Resolution
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- Saving the child earns the party free healing from [[Mira Thorne]] and +1 reputation in [[Eastmarch]]
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- The tunnel to the hilltop bypasses the storm hazards of Hook 2
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- Clearing the Chapel prevents the cult from re-establishing a cell in the Eastmarch area
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