The Lindwurm Expedition

Archi is called up to the town council. Father Tossil is there and has a mission for him. A serpent mask that was being sent to Tossil to study has disappeared. Part of a caravan delivery coming from the Papal States, the caravan got raided by Germanic raiders who made off with it to the Bohemian Massif, they disappeared deep within it near a ruined city called Lindwurm. If Archi can get it back his demon summoning will be overlooked at least for now. Still has to pay 500 gold, and any treasure he finds can be kept.

Archi can take the team out with him to do this and solve where the mask is located.

All they know is a rough mark on a map to the east deep within the Bohemian Massif. There they can travel on horse or by foot. They are warned that aggressive animals can be found there on a 50% chance 1d100 .

After making their way though they soon discover old pathways and a road. This road leads deeper into the forest and if followed will lead to Lindwurm. They may find remains of the raiders strewn around on the road leading to Lindwurm.

Making their way they soon find it. A city that is overgrown but slowly being uncovered by humans or human-like creatures are noticed and the team have to decide whether to enter or wait and try to slip into Lindwurm at night. There is a 50% chance 1d100 of being caught by the local guards who are armed with spears, shortswords, and metal armour resembling scales (AC 15).

Any time the players get into a fight there is a 75% chance {roll:1d100] of the attacks being laced with poison that causes a further 3 1d6 poison damage and causes the Poisoned condition.

There is buildings on the outer edges of the city that are near gone. Overgrown, pilfered for stone & materials or inhabited by guards, they can be used to hide in or spy on the city.

The party can also just walk up to inhabitants and introduce themselves. If so, they'll be brought in front of the city council. From there they may be able to persuade the council they are explorers who want to learn more about Lindwurm.

If they go for the latter, they are invited to a feast. When seated, they are served primarily meat based foods, and the odd bit of plants material. The leader called Yusef, asks why their there, and why they are in the area. They have to be careful, and if they say they are looking for a snake cult mask, he will deny there is anything in and around Lindwurm, and no such cult exists there, even with the presence of snakes.

If they go the opposite they will notice that a large amount of the locals will go to the centre building late at night and it will be heavily guarded. If they are put up as guests they will notice the same.

If investigated they will notice the building empty. Upon a successful investigation, if getting past the guards, they will find a hidden door leading to a stone spiral staircase going down.

Going down this they are greeted by a room with a stone doorway at the end. Before going on in, they will notice on the door an inscription. It says "Only the faithful of the scales can follow the path beyond".

When they open it, there is a room with three designs on the floor. On the left is what looks like a snake skeleton design, On the right is a snake skeleton with scales design. The middle one is a snake scale design. Another stone door is at the end.

If they take the left or right designs the doors will lock reaching the end. The room will fill with poison gas, dealing 16 3d10 poison damage per turn, and take the Poisoned condition. The players can take a DC 15 Constitution saving throw to take half damage and avoid the Poisoned condition.

To escape they have to break down one of the doors. Either way there will be a 50% chance 1d100 of guards waiting. They are arrested and thrown into jail if taken at the door they entered by. If they make it through the other they may be taken by a snake cult and realise they are at the mercy of a Yuan-Ti cult. Either way they will be marked as sacrifices to Set & Apep.

To break through either door it would take a DC 18 Strength check each.

They still have a chance to escape if they put their heads together and come up with a plan.

In the hidden cult room it is large with a large human / snake stone statue at one end, and different Yuan-Ti can be found. A tunnel leads to the bottom of the local treasury.

They may want to search for the treasury and may be told to look for a heavily protected & defended building attached to the city hall. It can be found easily enough but getting in. Poison dart traps. These cause 10 3d6 poison damage, with a DC 13 Constitution saving throw to halve damage. There is a front greeting room followed by an inner room where the workers of the treasury keep the books for the treasury and deal with customers.

There is a single door beyond. With it, it is stone with a fancy lock on it. It looks as if it needs three keys to lock / unlock. They have to be unlocked as middle then the other two together. The middle one is larger, the other two is smaller & same size / design.

If opened correctly they can get in and see the mask, a fancy Frankish Bible, and 1000 gold worth of gems (emeralds, rubies and sapphires), and 2500 gold in cash.

There is a design on the right of the room too. If examined and investigated, it proves to be the tunnel up and down to the cult room.

If they incorrectly dealt with the locks, it won't open. If they damage the door and break in, as soon as all of them step in the doorway, the floor falls through on hinges slamming shut after they fall through down a pit 50 feet deep, landing in a 30 foot pit half filled with water. There are a few remains left of previous victims.

They is a raised section that can easily fit then in the middle of the 50 foot wide room held on chains from the roof.

This also awakens the guardian of the treasury, a gigantic very hungry snake. They will have to fight this and try to work out how to get out. All the chains are very strong and one is attached near the tunnel that they dropped down. There is a wide enough platform too for them to walk around here too.

If they don't do this, they will find the cult using it during a ritual.

If they get the mask and anything else, they will need to flee immediately. They may be chased by the inhabitants through a part of the forest. The inhabitants won't go out of the forest.

If they make it back, Father Tossil will be happy and Archi's demon summoning will be forgotten.