No Prep Module: Demons Beneath the Titan's Bones
This D&D adventure can be easily customized to a party of any size or level, or run as a level 3 adventure for 4 players. It can work as a small side adventure in an existing campaign, as a standalone one-shot, or the start of a new adventure. Use the [Customize] links to the tools in their relevant section to customize the adventure to your party. Combats can use theatre of the mind, a battle map of your choice, or a grid you draw/build on. If drawing, have everyone add features and obstacles, then place the monsters on one side and the players on the other.
Adventure Background
The demon Vorthak has been imprisoned beneath Fort Saltmere for millennia, subtly influencing the fort's garrison through whispers and dreams, convincing them that the neighboring villages are hoarding wealth and plotting against the fort. The demon's ultimate goal is to create a mortal army that will free it and then serve as the foundation for a kingdom where it can rule, feeding off the suffering and conflict of warfare.
When the fort's commander finally succumbed to Vorthak's influence and began demanding tribute from nearby settlements, the demon's corruption started spreading beyond the military as merchants, tax collectors, and even some villagers began embracing the idea. Now as armed patrols from Fort Saltmere grow increasingly aggressive and the demon's influence seeps into the surrounding communities, local heroes must investigate the source of this sudden tyranny before Vorthak's patient manipulation plunges the entire region into war.
Start with downtime (or backstories) and choose something from each PC's backstory to advance and connect to the adventure. A relative, contact, or rival could be involved, or something pertaining to one of their character's goals can be progressed by something in the adventure. If a PC has no hooks in their backstory, use the downtime to establish what one of these might be instead: have someone ask about a relative, introduce a rival, or ask about their character's goals.
Adventure Hooks
- A village elder offers a reward to anyone who can discover why Fort Saltmere's soldiers have begun demanding tribute from peaceful settlements.
- Strange, vivid nightmares have been plaguing locals, and a worried innkeeper will pay for someone to investigate their source.
- A tax collector who recently returned from Fort Saltmere has been acting strangely aggressive, and his family offers payment to discover what happened to change him so dramatically.
If you need town activities, you can generate a town and run a town crawl.
It's 72 miles travel away, requiring a DC 5 Survival check to navigate. Each failed check makes the journey take an additional 6 hours (chance of encounter). Weather: clear and sunny with no wind. Additionally, it's 17°C (63°F) during the day, and 13°C (56°F) at night.
Dungeon
You stand at the edge of a rocky peninsula that juts into the churning waters below. Before you rises an ancient fort, its stone walls built directly around and through the massive ribcage of some colossal creature. The bleached bones tower above the battlements, each rib as thick as a tree trunk and stretching high into the sky. A gigantic sword, its blade dark with age and corrosion, pierces straight through the center of the skeletal chest, its point buried deep in the rocky ground beneath the fort's foundation. Waves crash against the peninsula's base, sending salt spray across the weathered stone walls.
Skill Challenge. Have the PCs decide their entry: a frontal assault, sneaking in (stealth, disguise, smuggling, etc.), smooth talking (bribery, deception, personal connection, etc.), using magic, or some other approach. Once decided, have each PC describe what they're doing for the plan, and decide on an appropriate skill check that matches their description with a DC of 10. If the majority fail the check, they need to deal with a patrol below:
Chance of patrol ambush every 10 minutes: 10%
#1
The massive ribcage curves overhead, with wooden platforms suspended between the bone arches and rope ladders connecting different levels, and hammocks hanging from iron hooks driven into the ribs. Crossbows mounted on wheeled stands sit positioned behind the natural bone barriers.
Reaction: These guards are posted to watch the entryway, but most guards treat time in the barracks as break time. They're not particularly alert and PCs could sneak by, especially if would-be invaders were to make use of the parkour above.
#2
The massive leg bones form tunnels that slope downward toward the peninsula's edge, their glistening interiors wide enough for several people to walk side by side. The tunnels echo with the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks below. Scattered bone fragments and torn cloth lie strewn across the floor near the threshold, while a massive iron portcullis hangs suspended directly above the opening.
#3
The giant sword crossguard stretches out on either side, with hollowed chambers carved into the metal. Spiral staircases wind upward toward observation posts. Scorch marks blacken the walls around the base of the structure, and pieces of charred rope dangle from the ceiling. A narrow stone bridge spans the gap between the two watchtower sections.
#4
Dark, oily liquid seeps from cracks where the massive bones meet the earth, forming small pools. Weapon racks line the walls, their contents coated in the black substance that drips steadily overhead. Empty barrels and cloth bundles sit stacked nearby, their surfaces stained with the same dark fluid.
Trick. When a character touches any weapon or anything stained by the liquid, the black substance spreads across their hands and equipment. The oily fluid makes their grip slippery, causing disadvantage on attack rolls for 10 minutes. The substance cannot be wiped off easily and requires soap and water to remove.
#5
The vertebrae stretch in a line along the creature's spine, each bone segment carved hollow and fitted with heavy iron doors. Thick metal hinges creak, and you can hear the faint clatter of objects shifting within the chambers. Keys hang from iron rings mounted on the bone walls between each vault.
#6
The huge finger bones extend outward, their knuckle joints fitted with wooden platforms supporting catapults and ballistae. Piles of stone projectiles sit stacked beside each siege engine, while coils of rope and spare parts lie organized in wooden crates. The curved bone surfaces bear deep grooves worn smooth.
Reaction. This group consists of merchants, tax collectors, and opportunistic sellswords who have embraced Vorthak's philosophy of taking what they deserve. They're curious about the party's potential as recruits or targets, engaging in conversation to gauge whether these newcomers might join their cause or need to be eliminated as threats to their profitable new arrangement.
#7
The pelvis cavity has been converted into a workshop space, with anvils positioned on stone blocks and weapon racks mounted along the curved bone walls. Hammers and tongs hang from iron hooks, while barrels of quenching oil sit beside grinding wheels. A forge built into the bone structure still contains cold ashes and unfinished blade work.
Spellcasting (DC 13, [+5] to hit). At-will: friends, mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost
1st level (4 slots): disguise self, fog cloud, mage armor, witch bolt
2nd level (3 slots): gust of wind, Melf's acid arrow, misty step
Advantage on checks and saves to resist being knocked prone.
Reaction. These are former soldiers and guards who refused to participate in the increasingly harsh treatment of civilians and deserted from various posts throughout the region. They recognize that something unnatural is influencing their former comrades and welcome fellow opponents of the tyranny, and can possibly be recruited for a coordinated effort. Hostility may occur if they feel threatened or if the party appears to be working with the corrupt fort.
#8
The colossal skull looms before you, its jaw propped open to create an entrance flanked by teeth carved into jagged spikes. Wooden shutters cover the eye sockets, reinforced with iron bands and fitted with viewing slits. Iron brackets hold unlit torches at regular intervals along the bone walls, while wooden planks cover sections where the bone has cracked or worn thin.
Reaction. The Fort Commander is a human veteran who believes the neighboring settlements are plotting rebellion against their authority due to Vorthak's corrupting influence. The Commander and soldiers are conducting a strategic meeting when the party arrives, and they assume the PCs are spies or agents from the villages. They demand the party identify themselves and explain their presence, positioning soldiers at the eye socket shutters with crossbows while the Commander interrogates from the entrance chokepoint, fully prepared to eliminate potential threats to their operations. If the PCs manage to negotiate, the Manes will attack, trying to draw everyone into a brawl.
Conclusion
If Vorthak succeeds, Fort Saltmere becomes the center of a growing military state as the demon's influence spreads through conquest and tribute. The garrison swells with recruits drawn by promises of wealth and power, while the surrounding villages either submit or face destruction. Within months, the demon breaks free from its prison and openly rules through the fort's commander as its puppet. The region transforms into a kingdom built on constant warfare, with armies marching against neighboring territories to feed Vorthak's hunger for conflict. The demon's kingdom eventually attracts the attention of larger powers who must decide whether to risk their own armies in direct confrontation.
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