Battlemap
The Gnoll Maw
The drums below are counting down to the hunger's awakening.
The cave is a cult lair buried beneath a sprawling gnoll warcamp. Its fanatics prepare a blood rite meant to summon Yeenoghu while imprisoned deep gnomes are forced to excavate ancient passages leading into the Underdark and toward the surface.
The cave reeks of wet fur, blood, ash, and sour incense. Gnoll drums throb through the stone, interrupted by distant screams from the captive deep gnomes and the scrape of ritual blades. Red witchfire burns in iron bowls, casting the tunnels in restless, predatory shadows.
☠ Threat
The cult's leader, High Priest Varkesh Blood-Tongue, is completing a mass sacrifice in the deepest chamber. He seeks to summon Yeenoghu through a buried shard of divine hunger, transforming the cave into a permanent gate for demonic influence. Even before the ritual begins, the shard drives the gnolls into escalating frenzy, making surrender unlikely and spreading violent visions through the warcamp.
History
The cave was once a deep gnome refuge built around a natural crystal fault. Decades ago, a gnoll pack discovered the tunnels and slaughtered the settlers, preserving their maps and tools for future use. A prophet called Varkesh later claimed the cave as Yeenoghu's chosen maw, turning it into a shrine, prison, armory, and ritual site for an invasion force gathering beyond the eastern passages.
Encounter Table
CRA patrol of lean gnolls carrying blood-marked javelins and a bronze alarm horn.
A massive hyena with patches of black fur, followed by two smaller scavengers that snap at its heels.
Deep gnome captives in stolen gnoll armor, forced to carry tools and supplies under guard.
A pair of gnoll cultists carrying a sealed ritual brazier from the upper shrines toward room-12.
Rumours & Whispers
Gnolls beneath the hills are buying chains, salt, and lamp oil in quantities large enough to equip an army.
Deep gnome miners have been disappearing near an old crystal quarry, and their warning bells now ring underground.
A red light has been seen beneath the earth on moonless nights, followed by the sound of a thousand dogs barking.
A noble merchant family is suspected of selling supplies to raiders who never leave tracks.
The gnolls are not raiding at random. They are waiting for a signal from something below.
Quest Hooks
Quest giver: Mira Flintwhistle, a frightened deep gnome scout
Deep gnome miners have vanished, and survivors report that their kin are being marched into a gnoll cave beneath the hills.
A cache of cut gemstones and a permanent alliance with the deep gnome enclave
Quest giver: Sergeant Halvek of the border watch
A captured gnoll deserter claims an enormous warcamp is preparing to pour through old tunnels into nearby settlements.
Military payment, official recognition, and access to the warcamp's captured supplies
Quest giver: Professor Edrin Vale, an obsessed subterranean historian
A scholar wants the cult's maps recovered before the gnolls learn how to reach a sealed Underdark city.
A rare spell scroll, translated maps, and a favor from a powerful academic circle
Quest giver: A traveling priest of a local god of mercy
The characters begin hearing Yeenoghu's hunger in dreams after one of the cult's scouts marks them with blood.
A consecrated weapon and divine aid against demonic creatures
Corridor Notes
Tally marks, clawed prayers, and crude maps cover the walls, showing routes toward the surface and the Underdark.
A trail of gray dust and broken crystal leads from the locked doors near Room 3 toward the captive chambers.
Gnoll war drums can be heard whenever the passage approaches Room 6, Room 13, or Room 15.
Fetish bundles made from deep gnome tools, teeth, and strips of hide hang above several doorways.
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