The Return of the Hunters

Josef van Richten & Alcuin van Helsing returns to town to inform the hierarchy of Eschbach that they found amongst the remains of the vampire camp mention of a cave system below the town. In there they believe that the vampires were curious about a set of old ruins in a cavern to the north bordering a Svart Alf town, mention of a moonstone amulet created by the First Men and linked to a Star Spawn cult,

The cult was called गभीरजनानां संघः (Gabhīrajanānāṃ Saṅghaḥ), and the amulet is named as such.

Removal of the amulet, and possibly the mask may stop the vampires for the time being when word gets out that they had been placed under protection, as well as stopping the cult getting any bigger.

Arne also gets a dream vision from his patron saying that he should look to remove the items due to the leaders of the cult trying to probe into the Shadowfell where they hope to get a footing there.

Timble is told by Josef & Alcuin that the Star Spawn Seer gave them the amulet & mask decades ago when they asked for them.

The players have to get down there and recover these. How they do it is up to them.

Going down through the library and NINE's workplace is fine and he will let them through. They have the chance to move over the edge of the pit to the tunnel leading to the Mushroom Cavern.

They can do this with advantage, even the newer players due to previous experience. Any fall is the usual with it being a 50 foot drop maximum taking 14 5d6 bludgeoning damage if falling.

The party will notice that there is a film of soot everywhere leading to the Mushroom Cavern and when they get there they will see that it has been burned to the ground with the odd mutated humanoid skeleton amongst the remains.

From there they will be able to find a passageway in the northern wall with two pillars both have, at the top, carvings of a bulbus head with four tentacles and a hole representing the mouth. Going in they will eventually arrive at another large cavern and if spotted there has been a cave-in halfway along the right side. Not too heavy, if cleared will lead to a Svart Alf township. These Svart Alves will be neutral until they find out that the party is not part of the cult, then will appear friendly enough.

The problem is, is that in this cavern is 6 large buildings close to the entrance. There they will find strange organic growths here and there, looking like thin layers like a cross of mould and muscle with pulsing veins, arteries and capillaries. These have a reddish to iron-like colouring.

Pale light is generated by glowing crystals placed on what appears to be carved settings on the buildings and a row of similar lamppost like structures leaving up the centre road. 3 buildings are on either side. These are inhabited by 20 4d8+4 First Men of different ages roughly split between youngsters, adults and elderly. All appear healthy enough besides the warped appearances. Each appears to have a third eye like structure just above the bridge of the nose, and a tentacle or two jutting from the lips here & there. Slight deformities are apparent, such as longer limbs or shorter limbs, sometimes one or two only, twisted spines, slightly transparent skin with patches oozing a thick gelatinous material similar to hagfish.

Most seem wary or unfriendly to the party while a few will seem friendly or curious. A couple may invite them in and try feeding them saying they can stay at theirs if need be.

These appear as leaders and called Orion, an man, and what appears to be his 'wife' called Obi. They warn that the 6 buildings are only partly used and are three layers saying the upper layers are haunted by the dead spirits of ancestors so left alone. If any party member goes up they see only overgrown ruins and likely will encounter a ghost (50% chance 1d100 ).

They will explain as well if they follow the central road from the last two buildings for over 500 yards, they will arrive at a building on either side and the road terminating at an altar. That is where the cult meets to worship the Deep Ones. the two buildings *one on either side) belongs to the priests who are Primordial Kin , of which number 12. There is two others a Primordial Kin Elder , and a Primordial Kin Master . The Primordial Kin Elder is called Orpheus and the master called Damon.

These are all the leaders of the cult with Damon being Orpheus' second. They lead the First Men in ritual worship and nothing is planned for a few days. Orpheus lives at the top of the building on the right, and Damon on the left. These have the same growths and lighting, but are strangely designed and always guarded by the priests who inhabit the lower levels. They look like huge nautilus shells laying on their sides with the openings beside the road, and the points facing up.

Also beyond at the end of the road is the worship area. There the altar sits about 10 yards away from a water pool just beyond, all of which is brightly lit, and both the amulet & mask lays there. The priests come and go every hour to offer blood sacrifices to the water pool where something lives. These are usually minor Underdark creatures but the odd sapient creature is sacrificed if caught and everyone gathers in celebration.

They do this the odd time when a Svart Alf is captured, or a Dwarf, Gnome or similar.

At the back of the cavern, the honoured dead rest. Top level of the walls about head height, is the remains of Primordial Kin, with a layer below about waist height containing the remains of Elves & Dwarves, and at the bottom about calf height is the remains of First Men. These rest in carved hollows slightly longer than the bodies they contain and enough room to place two bodies side by side with enough room for grave goods. They are tall enough for two layers of bodies to be placed in. The Elvish & Dwarven bodies haven't been touched or added to in what appears to be decades if not centuries.

Some of the oldest seems to have what appears to be two handlike appendages attached just where the skull joins the spine. Long thin fingers no thicker than a twig extends as far as the mouth to eyes as if holding on. A deflated sac appears just below them on the back part of the neck. A spinelike tail seems to have grown from the centre and hangs loose going as far as the middle back. The end of this tail looks like it might have fitted in somewhere else maybe into another organic structure. The teeth seem to be busted outwards in many and the jaws seem slightly distended.

If timed right the party could examine the region if they work out a way to get there without being noticed. Also, they are told that the mask is for seeing the unseen, and the amulet is used to attract creature from the "Great Beyond where the Primordial Kin are originally from as well as from their Star God master.

If stolen they will rouse the whole settlement and try to capture the thief. If anyone is caught doing this, they are guaranteed to be the next sacrifice.

It is up to the party to determine how to go about this and escape. It is as quick to remove the rock fall and get to the Svart Alf town as it is to flee back up the way they came in. The Svart Alf town will happily attack any enemies this way and likely make short work of them. They may also say that they have been informed that the Amber Sarcophagus that sat in the Mushroom Cavern is being studies and is as old as any mentioned. They may also let slip that it definitely came from the World Tree and contains quite an insane unnamed god.

If going the route they came, the cultists won't follow them past the Mushroom Cavern, as they know it will lead to swift retribution from above.