Tuesday, April 4, 2017

The Elves Below

In Denethix, there are no "drow" to speak of, but there are subterranean elves.  Cut off from the surface, these elves have multiple adaptations to their home, including shrunken eyes, total loss of skin pigment and darkvision (all elves started as subterranean elves but have lost the first two traits).  Underelves have their own weird societies separate from the wizard dominated surface, and their society and rituals are subject to much speculation by social scientists and archaeologists from the Academy of Elevated Thought.  It's commonly thought that their societies were the only ones to retain artifacts and rituals from before the time of cleansing.


Quest: Investigate a passageway into the earth and document underelven society, preferably with a wide variety of artifacts that can be hauled back to the Academy for study.  (The Academy is in the Indiana Jones/Early British style, of smash grab and steal)

Players don't read past this part 



Far: Spooky Cave travel, tight spaces, long distances, not enough light from torches, etc.

Close: Passageways start to widen, with clearly worked alcoves set at regular intervals.  The alcoves are inscribed with an archaic form of Runic Elven, and contain mummified corpses and grave goods.  Pottery, finely woven tapestries and worked copper weapons all point to a culturally rich society.  The corpses are all men, listed by relationship to either their mothers or wives.  The mummified corpses rise up and attack anyone who disturb their peaceful rest.  

The passageway opens up into a wide natural cave, dominated by three huge pyramids.  The pyramids look like natural structures at their base, but have been carved and modified starting about halfway up.  Small dwellings are carved into the sides of the caves, with more ornate stonework the higher up you go.  A light blue flowering fungus grows wild.  

Each pyramid has an extended family of underelves living on its surface, and the matriarchs of the families are laid to rest in great ceremony within the pyramids.  

Three families, leaders, and others.  Goals.  get the pcs to attack the pyramid of the others, except 1, which wants the pcs to investigate the pyramid of their own.  

The main chamber down is soaked with traps, leading to one giant burial chamber with the entombed dead and tons of treasure. 

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