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Escape from the Volcano

Can you stop a powerful sorcerer before he awakens a dormant volcano and destroys the village at its base?

The Situation

The volcano in front of you is massive. Its peak rises well beyond the clouds.

Two days ago, as you sat down to each lunch in Farfaria Tavern, a man burst through the door, out-of-breath with wild, frantic eyes.

My child, my child! Someone please help. Lorak the Sorcerer has taken my child to his lair inside Meltinstone Volcano. The volcano has been dormant for centuries, but we’re now in grave in danger.

My child, Zephyr, possesses a gift—or a curse, depending on how you look at it—that can awaken the volcano. If it erupts, it will destroy my village and unleash the dark forces that live within. We cannot let that happen!

And now, here you are. After some searching, you found a small tunnel entrance into the volcano.

As you approach, a deep rumble comes from within the volcano, then settles. You step into the tunnel, and the opening collapses behind you, sealing you in…

Questions

  • Why does the Lorak the Sorcerer want to awaken the volcano?
  • What else have you heard about Lorak?
  • How does the boy’s gift (or curse) work? How does he awaken the volcano?
  • Where you offered a reward for the rescue? If so, how much?
  • Someone else is also interested in the boys powers. Who, and why?

Locations

Lava Pond After following the tunnel a short while, you come to a lake of lava. It’s dotted with volcanic rock. Blackened, porous walls ooze magma in places.
  • Monsters & Traps
    • While trying to cross, lava will periodically bubble and pop, launching into the air.
    • Some stones in the lava pond are more stable than others. Smaller ones can tip, or sink completely.
Lava River A bit further down the path, the adventurers come to a rope bridge, spanning the gap across a roaring river of lava. The bridge swings and sways 20 feet above the liquid rock. It looks quite old.
  • Monsters & Traps
    • Fall Trap. Several boards fall into the river below as the adventurers attempt to cross it. With too much weight, the bridge collapses completely.
    • Lava Sprites. Tiny little lava creatures with a burning touch and a firey temper.
Cavern of the Rock Monster The adventurers enter what appears to be an empty cavern.
  • Monsters & Traps
    • Rock Monster. If the party is not extremely quite, a giant boulder begins to move, revealing a previously sleeping Rock Monster.
Mushroom Cavern The dim cavern is illuminated by large clusters of iridescent mushrooms.

The mushrooms are magical. Eating one will produce a random effect. Roll a die on the chaos magic table (Don't eat random mushrooms in real life!)

  • Monsters & Traps
    • Toxic Spores. If the party lingers too long, they’ll begin to experience hallucinations and take disadvantage of future rolls for several minutes.
    • Cave Gnomes. If the party picks a mushroom, cave gnomes will emerge and attack them.
Trap Door The floor transitions from rock to wooden beams, then back again.
  • Monsters & Traps
    • Trap Door. Stepping directly on the wooden planks causes the player(s) in the area to fall 30’ into a pit.
  • Events
    • After a minute or two, the pit begins to fill with lava that slowly oozes through cracks in the walls.
    • Gnomes attack if you linger too long.
Dragonhead Hallway Players approach a long, straight hallway, adorned with stone dragon head figurines.
  • Monsters & Traps
    • Fire Trap. The dragon heads spit fire at random intervals.
    • Melting Shoes. Radiant heat from the volcano causes the players’ shoes to melt and stick to the floor, slowing them down as they attemp to run through the hallway.
Lava Lake The hallway opens up into a tall, wide cavern, with a giant lake of lava. In the middle are two islands of volcanic rock. A sturdy wooden bridge connects each end of the cavern to the islands. To get from one island to the next, players have to swing across a rope.
  • Monsters & Traps
    • Goblin Archers. Goblin archers begin shooting at the party from hidden balconies in the walls.
    • Mini Eruption. The second island features a lava trap. The goblin archers can remotely trigger a mini eruption when the players step onto it.
    • Rope Swing. Getting from one island to the next requires swinging on a rope over the lava lake.
Supply Closet A place to resupply and heal up if needed.

Ideas for supplies:

  • Rope
  • Healing Potion
  • Armor
  • Magical items (the next battle is going to be brutal)
  • Cloak of Invisibility (big enough for half the party)
The Palace At the end of the short hallway, players come to the entrance to the Volcano Palace. The room is massive. Way off in the distance, beyond a stone bridge spanning a wide river of lava, they spot Lorak the Sorcerer sitting on a throne of lava and bones.

The rock and lava monsters can be absolutely devastating for smaller parties. In those situations, you may want to lower their stats.

- Monsters & Traps + Goblins. A small band of goblin soldiers attacks the party with a mix of ranged and up-close attacks. + Statue Golems. One or two hideous statues that come to life and attack. + Lava Monsters. A lava monster oozes from the walls. On the far side of the bridge, more archers launch attacks.

The Throne As the party approaches the throne, the see the Zephyr Skiprock, the child, locked behind a gate built into the wall. A key hangs on the throne behind Lorak the Sorcerer.
  • Monsters & Traps
    • Lorak the Sorcerer. He’s powerful, but also over-confident.
  • Events
    • If the party begins to win, Lorak casts a spell that causes the cavern to begin collapsing, and flees. The party must rescue Zephyr and escape before the whole mountain collapses.

Game Master Tips

  • If you want to make the campaign more difficult or longer, you can have Lorak the Sorcerer awaken the volcano before the players have a chance to stop them. This will create an additional side-campaign: stopping the volcano from destroying the village.