A TTRPG Adventure for 3-5 Players

Introduction

“The sun fades, and the once-bright land of Endaimos sinks into the grasp of endless dusk. An eternal night is rising, spreading cold despair across a kingdom bereft of hope. At the heart of this curse lies Soraven the Flamecaller, an ancient sorcerer whose return heralds disaster. His lair—an ominous dungeon known as the Throne of Soraven—beckons the brave and foolish alike. But beware, for within its depths, light falters, shadows hunt, and peril lies in wait. Will the adventurers halt this growing darkness, or will they succumb to the very night they seek to end?”

Dungeon Overview

This dungeon contains six distinct chambers, each filled with challenges and dangers. Players progress through these rooms, confronting monsters, traps, and moral choices on their way to the final battle against Soraven.

Room 1: The Whispering Forest

“The entrance yawns like the mouth of a beast. Beyond, the Whispering Forest looms, a labyrinth of stone columns carved to mimic trees. But these ‘trees’ do not whisper tales of life—they murmur warnings of doom. Tread carefully…”

Description

The stone columns twist unnaturally, reaching upward into the gloom. The whispers drift, faint at first, but growing louder with each step. Visibility is patchy as the dense ‘canopy’ creates shadows in every corner.

Challenge

Monsters

• Goblin Raiders lurk behind the columns, ambushing at the first sign of intrusion. This vast chamber may have multiple encounters, each with 2d6 Goblin Raiders.
  • These goblins are agile and use their surroundings for cover and movement.

Treasure

• A hidden recess in the stone roots contains 1d6 x 50 coins (50-300). Discovering it requires an average observation attempt.

Running the Encounter

Build suspense with the whispers, which grow in intensity to unsettle the players (some whispers are ghostly, come magical, others the plotting of goblins, all unintelligible). The goblins strike quickly, aiming for chaos. Encourage creative use of the environment to counter their mobility.

Narration for Success:
“The final goblin falls, its snarls silenced by the forest’s cold stillness. The whispers remain, a chilling reminder of what still lies ahead; a promise of doom.”

Narration for Retreat or Failure:
“The goblins jeer as you retreat, their cackles merging with the forest’s whispers. The shadows linger on your back, as though pursuing you still.”

Room 2: The Shattered Keep

“From the forest, you stumble forward into ruin—a keep, long abandoned, now a shattered memory of stone and despair. Its walls once bore warnings. Now, only faint ruins remain. But be vigilant—what fell this hall may yet linger.”

Description

Crumbled walls and shattered statues litter the uneven ground. The faint echoes of your steps reveal the chamber’s precarious silence. The desiccated remains of long-dead warriors lie unburied atop the debris.

Challenge

Trap

• Hidden within the rubble lie mechanisms armed with poisoned darts, triggered by stepping on the wrong stone.
• In the ruins of the keep lies the long-forgotten bodies of the warriors that once stood guard and fell in a final, fruitless battle. Any sound from the heroes will cause the bodies to rise. The PCs must remain quiet as they move through the area (above average difficulty) or 1d6 Undead Legionnaires will rise and attack.

Trap Mechanics:

• Spotting the trap requires an average observation attempt.
• Disarming the mechanism is difficult for a skilled hand.
• Triggering the trap forces all nearby to evade (average difficulty) or take minor (.25 health) toxin injuries.
• Keeping quiet, so as not to disturb the dead requires a sneak attempt (above average difficulty)

Running the Encounter

Describe the sense of unease with faint clicks in the walls and hollow echoes that hide deeper dangers. Describe the desicated remains of the fallen soldiers, their whithered fleash, empty sockets, torn and rotten armor, broken swords and ahields.The inscriptions, if deciphered (easy difficulty), hint at Soraven’s rise and the destruction of those who opposed him.

Narration for Success:
“You freeze as faint clicks sound beneath your boots. Returning to your senses, you manage to disarm the hidden mechanism—a trap meant for the careless. The dead, denied their vengeance fall back into their eternal slumber.”“

Narration for Failure:
“A sharp hiss pierces the air, followed by a searing wound that burns in your veins. The keep seems alive, punishing those unworthy of its secrets. The dead seem to mock your failure with their broken, disjointed grins, and hollow laughing eyes.”

Room 3: The Luminous Grotto

“The chill gives way to false beauty. Here, crystals glow in the endless dark, casting shifting shadows across the cavern’s walls. But what seems enchanted is merely a trap for the unwary. Curious eyes may find darkness waiting behind the light.”

Description

Crystals of extraordinary beauty illuminate the space, filling the chamber with faint, shifting light. Their glow seems to blur the edges of the room, creating strange, moving shadows.

Challenge

Monsters

• Two (plus 1 per every 3 PCs) Shadow Hounds hide within the shifting shadows, their movements barely perceptible in the crystal glow.

NPC

• At the far end of the grotto, Elvina the Seer—a ghostly, mocking figure—appears. She taunts the party with cryptic words before vanishing. “Blood for your Hubris…your ruin is assured.”

Treasure

• Scattered across the floor are 50 coins per Shadow Hound, gleaming faintly under the glow. Finding them requires an easy investigation attempt.

Running the Encounter

The Shadow Hounds use the cavern’s dim light to make deadly strikes before slipping into the darkness. Elvina’s appearance is meant to unnerve—she may laugh and allude to the hopelessness of opposing Soraven.

Narration for Success:
“The hounds collapse into shadowy wisps as your strikes land true. Yet behind you lingers Elvina’s laughter, echoing in the airless chamber.”

Narration for Failure:
“The hounds leave you battered and weak, their shadows lingering like a predator lying in wait. Elvina’s jeering words cut deeper than any claw.”

Room 4: The Abyssal Hall

“Ahead lies only blackness. A single light marks the void’s far edge, yet between you and it bubbles a deathly pool of acid. The abyss gapes wider with every step, demanding sacrifice. Do you dare cross?”

Description

The hall is black as pitch, lit only by a weak torch at the far side. A wide pool of bubbling acid bars your way, its fumes rising in toxic wisps. Across the wall scrawled in ancient runes is a riddle awaiting its answer.

The riddle reads, “What must be broken before it can be used?”

Challenge

• Solving the riddle (answer: “an egg”) is an average test of logic.
• Failure to solve the riddle forces players to find another means of crossing the pool. Doing so manually is difficult, with a high chance for slips and damage.

Narration for Riddle Success or Failure

“The wall shifts and groans, extending a narrow bridge across the acid, your wit sparing you the fate below.”
“An error in your response grinds the dark mechanism to a halt. The acid below hungers for those who dare attempt the crossing.”

Room 5: The Chamber of Trials

“You step into a place of judgment, where the unworthy are crushed, their dreams shattered under stone and shadow. Here, power is tested, not granted. The room watches, and it will decide if you are fit to continue.”

Description

This vast chamber is ringed by towering pillars, each etched with glowing runes. The air is electric, vibrating faintly with unseen energy. The runes pulse, casting eerie patterns on the floor.

At the center of the room stands Elvina the Seer, fully realized, and glowing faintly with malevolent intent. She greets the players with a smirk and disdainful words. “You’ve come far enough. Turn back, or fall like all who dared before you.”

Challenge

NPC Enemy

• Elvina the Seer attacks with conjured illusions and dark magic. She summons shadowy duplicates of herself to confuse the players and uses evasive tactics to remain difficult to hit.

Combat Notes:

• Activating a pillar (average effort) releases a random surge of energy. Some pillars heal or empower players, while others deal minor damage or create environmental hazards.

Encounter

Elvina uses her surroundings to manipulate the party, drawing their attention to the pillars and ambushing them when they split focus or make strategic errors. Her taunts grow sharper as she weakens, aiming to divide their confidence further.

Narration for Victory:
“Elvina crumbles into shadow, her final laugh echoing off the pillars. ‘You’ve won nothing,’ she whispers as her form vanishes, leaving only the oppressive silence.”

Narration for Failure:
“The runes surge with energy as Elvina outmaneuvers you, her laugh chilling as one by one you collapse. The chamber grows brighter… but it is not a welcoming light.”

Room 6: The Throne of Ash

“This is it—the heart of the dungeon and the source of the growing darkness. Flames leap along molten walls, choking the air with smoke, and a single obsidian throne gleams at the room’s center. Seated upon it is Soraven the Flamecaller, the architect of ruin. He watches you rise from the shadows and speaks, his voice filled with fire and disdain. ‘You should have stayed in the light.’ The final battle awaits.”

Description

The chamber is a furnace of searing heat and suffocating smoke. Lava flows slowly in streams along the edges, threatening anyone who missteps. At the far end, Soraven stands from his throne, his eyes glowing like burning coals. He wields a flaming greatsword and commands the room’s fiery environment with ease.

Challenge

Big Villain

• Soraven the Flamecaller strikes with devastating fire magic and powerful melee attacks.
  • Abilities include flame walls that divide the space, eruptions of fire from beneath players’ feet, and the summoning of fiery shades to assist him.

Treasure

• Beneath the scorched throne sits a locked chest containing 1,000 coins and enchanted items useful for future adventures (difficult to spot or open).

Encounter

The battle is unrelenting, with Soraven using the fiery terrain to his advantage. His attacks are devastating but slow, requiring thoughtful teamwork and resource management to overcome.

Narration for Victory:
“Your final blow lands, and Soraven lets out a bellowing cry as his body disintegrates into ash. The heat fades, and the suffocating darkness lifts. The throne cracks and collapses. Balance begins returning to the world… The fight is over.”

Narration for Failure:
“Soraven grins, stepping over your broken forms. Flames rise around the room as he ascends his throne once again. ‘You were never worthy…’ Darkness consumes all, and the world’s final light is extinguished.”

Epilogue

If the players succeed:
“Endaimos rejoices as the perpetual twilight fades, the sun returning to its rightful hold in the heavens. Crowds gather to sing of those who braved the Throne of Soraven and vanquished its master. Yet, deep within the ashes of the throne, faint cinders still stir. Darkness is resilient, and though it slumbers, it is never truly destroyed.”

If the players fail:
“The land falls silent, blanketed in a twilight that grows darker with each passing day. Crops fail, and hopes die. Tales of great heroes vanish from memory, replaced by whispers of despair. Soraven’s shadow spans the world, and the night that follows knows no end. The Throne of Ash remains eternal.”

“The story ends, but the consequences will be felt forevermore.”

Character Profiles for The Throne of Soraven

Elvina the Seer

Backstory:
Once a respected oracle in the ancient city of Evanthyr, Elvina was revered for her visions of both prosperity and danger. However, her gift turned to a curse when one fateful vision warned of Soraven’s return. Desperate for answers, Elvina unraveled forbidden knowledge to see further into the future. The act corrupted her soul, binding her to Soraven’s will and transforming her into a malevolent shadow of her former self. Now, she serves as his menacing harbinger, delighting in the suffering of those who dare challenge him.

Personality Traits:

• Cryptic and mocking, often speaking in riddles or half-truths.
• Sadistic, finding amusement in the party’s struggles.
• Beneath her cruel exterior, remnants of her original self still flicker, occasionally showing moments of regret or doubt.

Motivations:
Elvina’s loyalty to Soraven is borne of her corruption and fear. She detests her servitude but believes there’s no escape from the darkness she embraced. However, part of her hopes the adventurers might succeed where others failed, ending her torment.

Special Abilities:

• Shadow Duplication: Creates illusionary duplicates of herself to confuse and overwhelm enemies.
• Dark Visions: Can mentally assail the party with glimpses of their worst fears or failures, imposing disadvantage in combat.
• Binding Runes: Activating glowing pillars in the Chamber of Trials releases controlled bursts of magic, some helpful and others harmful.

Items of Note:

• The Shard of Evanthyr, a small glowing crystal around her neck, carries faint remnants of her original power. If players discover and destroy it, she briefly regains clarity and offers assistance before fading away.

Soraven the Flamecaller

Backstory:
Soraven was a powerful and ambitious mage in an age long forgotten. Known for his mastery over fire, he was once a trusted ally of the kingdom of Endaimos. However, his obsession with power led him to summon forbidden flames, granting him unmatched strength but at the cost of his humanity. Banished and sealed away for centuries, Soraven’s influence seeped into the world over time as his dark prison weakened. His recent resurgence has plunged the land into eternal dusk, marking the beginning of his fiery reign of terror.

Personality Traits:

• Charismatic but terrifying, commanding a mix of fascination and fear.
• Sadistic, taking pleasure in toying with those who oppose him.
• Ruthlessly pragmatic, caring only for his own survival and dominance.

Motivations:
Soraven craves absolute power, viewing the world as nothing more than fuel for his unending flames. He seeks to consume all light, creating a realm of eternal fire where his rule is unchallenged. The adventurers are merely another test of his supremacy.

Special Abilities:

• Infernal Blade: Wields a flaming greatsword, capable of devastating melee attacks that leave lingering burn damage.
• Flame Eruption: Summons geysers of fire from beneath enemies’ feet, targeting their position.
• Wall of Fire: Creates barriers of flame to restrict movement and control the battlefield.
• Fiery Shades: Calls forth flame spirits to assist in battle, distracting and attacking the party while he strikes from afar.

Items of Note:

• Ashen Crown: A powerful relic that amplifies Soraven’s already formidable flame magic. If removed during combat, his abilities weaken significantly.
• Heart of the Forge: An enchanted crystal hidden beneath his throne. Its destruction ends his immortality, making him vulnerable to final defeat.