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Dungeons
Volcano · Small · Level 10 · Hard

Ember Maw

The mountain does not sleep. It listens beneath the stone.
Rooms
8
Foes
12, CR 5 to 15
Traps
2
Treasure
23,700 gp
12345678Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Ashen Vestibule

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

At the dungeon's heart dwells Vulkharax, a magma elemental lord chained beneath the mountain.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    1d2× Ashscale SalamanderCR 6

    When: The party spends more than ten minutes in one corridor or leaves a creature bloodied behind them.A lean salamander scavenger stalks the warmest corridors, searching for wounded prey.
  2. 2

    1d4+1× Ember Wolf PackCR 7

    When: The characters carry fresh blood, raw meat, or a magical flame.A pack of ember wolves moves like smoke around corners, their ribs glowing through charred hides.
  3. 3

    Cinder AnkhegCR 8

    When: The party crosses a cracked floor near an active vent or makes thunderous noise.A rolling mass of lava with insectile legs clings to ceilings and drops onto isolated travelers.

Rooms

8
1

Ashen Vestibule

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A broad basalt vestibule opens beneath a ceiling ribbed like the inside of a colossal beast. Four doors lead away, and the secret western door is concealed behind a mural of a mountain split by red lightning.

Features

  • A cracked bronze map shows the dungeon's original ventilation shafts.
  • The floor slopes slightly toward a central drain filled with warm ash.
  • The northern and southern doors bear faded warden glyphs.

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Ash SalamanderCR 5

Soot-black salamanders with ember-bright eyes lurk beneath the ash drain.Tactics. They use the drain for cover, spit fire at clustered targets, and retreat through narrow cracks if reduced below half hit points.

Treasure

Compass of the Deep VentRare, worth 1,200 gp to a scholarmagical

A warden's brass compass points toward the nearest active binding rune instead of north.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

Characters entering loudly alert and may cause the creatures in to shift position. The secret western door can be found with a successful Investigation check or by noticing warm air behind the mural.

4 doors: S (normal), N (normal), E (normal), W (locked)

The place

What it is

The Ember Maw is a compact volcanic shrine built around a living vent deep beneath the mountain.

Atmosphere

Heat presses from every wall, carrying the stink of sulfur, scorched stone, and wet ash.

The threat

At the dungeon's heart dwells Vulkharax, a magma elemental lord chained beneath the mountain.

History

The Ember Maw was carved by the Ashen Wardens, an order of dwarven geomancers who discovered a sentient fire elemental beneath the mountain.

Rumors

1d5
Roll a rumor

  1. 1A red beast with a furnace in its belly has been seen drinking from the river below the mountain.
  2. 2The old dwarves buried a ruby that can command every fire in the region.
  3. 3The shrine deep inside the volcano is said to answer prayers, but only with voices stolen from the dead.
  4. 4Miners claim the mountain's tremors follow the tolling of an unseen bell.
  5. 5A fire cult is searching for a door that does not appear on any modern map.

Plot hooks

3
investigationBeasts Beneath the MineA mining settlement is losing workers to sudden lava flows that appear far from the active crater. The survivors describe glowing animals moving beneath the rock.From: Hessa Flintvein, a desperate mine forewomanReward: A rare ruby worth 1,000 gp and a permanent share of the mine's profits
recoveryThe Warden's Last EquationA scholar wants the wardens' records from before a rival cult reaches the dungeon. The scholar suspects the texts describe a weapon capable of stopping a volcanic eruption.From: Professor Orin Vale, a nervous arcane historianReward: A rare spell scroll and access to a secure research library
preventionChains of CinderA fire cult has stolen a relic from a nearby temple and intends to use it in to free Vulkharax.From: Sister Maelin, keeper of the stolen relic's empty reliquaryReward: The temple's blessing, three potions of fire resistance, and a rare sanctified weapon

Corridors

3

  • Main corridor between and

    Thin seams of molten rock run beneath iron grates, casting shifting red light and making the floor dangerously warm.

  • Passage outside

    Black glass claw marks score the walls, some fresh enough to glow at the edges.

  • Corridor between and

    Ash falls in slow, unnatural spirals whenever the sealed door toward is disturbed.

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