Something Below

In Camp Hope, a respected shopkeeper named Sylvester Curtis Kellogg asks the players for help investigating strange happenings beneath his shop. What begins as a structural mystery soon spirals into a moral dilemma as the players uncover a hidden enclave of Awakened refugees and a mutating threat born of unstable alchemical residue. Players must decide whether to protect the marginalized or prioritize the safety of their own community.

Themes

Moral ambiguity
Community vs. Individuals
Discovery of prejudice

Components

Goals

Discover what's in the cellar and take care of the problem.

Hooks

Course he posts a sign on the job board

Listen, I ain't one for theatrics or—what's that word—spiritualisms, but there’s been noises beneath my shop. Odd smells, too. Things've been… moving, shifting, like a bad tooth in your jawbone. Now, I ain’t saying it’s ghosts. I’m saying it’s something, and if it ain’t fixed, my whole inventory — Camp Hope’s inventory — goes down the drain like dishwater. If you folks are inclined toward community betterment and don't mind dirt, I'll make it worth your while.

Part 1: Investigation Phase

From Sylvester

If they ask him for more details about the strange things happening in his shop he will offer the following statements

Now, I ain’t one for melodramatics, but things’ve been... peculiar lately. My pantry's been all jumbled like a squirrel with a sugar tooth got in there. I know what shelf the pickled hearts go on, and I sure as cinders didn’t move ’em.

And at night? There’s a shine sneakin’ up through the floorboards, like the ground’s tryin’ to moon me with its secrets. Not natural. It’s like the basement’s caught fire without heat—just light, like ghost oil.

Then there’s the hummin’. Low and deep, comin’ from the trapdoor. I swear it ain’t mechanical—it’s wrong. Makes my molars itch. Sounds like when the kettle screams, but from under the dirt. And I don’t got no kettle down there.

Sylvester will show the party where the cellar is and explain why he doesn't investigate himself.

Now, I ain’t been down them cellar stairs in near six years. Not since the big freeze of '07 when I slipped on a rogue turnip and cracked my hip like a brittle walnut. Ain’t had the bones nor the balance since. Doc says one more tumble like that and I’ll be sleepin’ with the soup cans permanent-like.

Optional Skill Checks:

Perception DC 13: Notice air smells faintly metallic and sweet
Arcana/Science DC 15: Detect faint magical/chemical residue
Insight DC 14: Sense Kellogg is hiding his fear

Part 2: Into the Sewers

Note: See the location for details about the setting.

After descending through Kellogg’s cellar, the players find themselves navigating a dank tunnel system. What appears to be forgotten infrastructure is actually home to a secret community—and a growing, unstable threat.

Exploring the sewers will quickly reveal that there is a community of The Awakened living here. However, this doesn't explain the strange things that have been happening in the shop. The party will need to investigate further.

Gaining Trust

Gaining the trust of the awakened will be difficult as they are generally not treated well by Humans. There are some things that the party can do to prove themselves:

Demonstrate the use of Dark
Reveal that they are actually an other that passes human
Provide them with a valuable magic item (500$ in value or more)

Backdrops

Locations

General Goods

Building / Landmark | May 9, 2025

The Enclave

Building / Landmark | May 11, 2025

GM Notes

System: Ultra Modern 5 Redux Version 1.2
Intended for 4 characters level 3-5

Plot type

Adventure

Related Characters

Sylvester Curtis Kellogg

Related Locations

Camp Hope

Something Below

Themes

Components

Goals

Hooks

Part 1: Investigation Phase

From Sylvester

Optional Skill Checks:

Part 2: Into the Sewers

Note: See the location for details about the setting.

Gaining Trust

Backdrops

Locations

General Goods

The Enclave

GM Notes

Comments

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