Skip to content
CharGen Icon
CreatePricing
Dungeons
Exploring rumors of weird dragon like creatures · Medium · Medium

Scalewarren Underkeep

Beneath the ruined tower, something scaled is breeding in the dark.
Rooms
7
Foes
16, CR 1/2 to 5
Traps
6
Treasure
2,735 gp
1234567Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Broken Gate

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

A brood of warped dragon like creatures now rules the lower halls, led by a cunning matriarch that hoards heat, gold, and captives.

Wandering monsters (1d4)

  1. 1

    1d4× Scale-RunnersCR 1

    When: Noisy combat or prolonged torchlight in the corridors draws them from nearby side passages.Lean scavengers with patchy scales and a taste for blood, always hunting in the tunnels.
  2. 2

    Ash Drake ScoutCR 2

    When: Rolling thunder, fire spells, or the smell of fresh blood can lure it from deeper chambers.A stronger drake that prowls alone, looking for stragglers and easy food.
  3. 3

    2d4× Collared Kennel HoundsCR 1/2

    When: Opening the kennel doors or failing a stealthy passage through the guard level.A pack of half-wild reptilian dogs with old collars still hanging from their necks.
  4. 4

    Young Wing DrakeCR 3

    When: A fight near the boss chamber or the sound of breaking stone in the lower halls.The brood's smallest winged terror, used as a messenger and alarm runner.

Rooms

7
1

Broken Gate

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

Broken flagstones and a cracked portcullis mark the entrance beneath the ruined tower. Fresh claw tracks and the stink of wet fur show that something still uses this way, but the chamber is open enough for a cautious foothold.

Features

  • Collapsed watch post
  • Cracked portcullis
  • Old arrow slits overlooking the approach

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Scaled Stirge HoundsCR 1/2

Hungry scavengers nesting among old sandbags and bones.Tactics. They dart at isolated targets, then retreat through the arrow slits to harry pursuers from cover.

Treasure

Forgotten Gate Cashbox35 gp

A small tin cache containing old watch wages and a decent signal horn.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

Good place for the party to notice that the lair is currently occupied and actively patrolled.

3 doors: W (normal), S (secret), E (normal)

The place

What it is

Beneath a ruined watchtower lies a burrow of scaled predators, half den and half cult lair.

Atmosphere

The dungeon reeks of wet stone, old smoke, and acrid reptile musk.

The threat

A brood of warped dragon like creatures now rules the lower halls, led by a cunning matriarch that hoards heat, gold, and captives.

History

A century ago, the abandoned watchtower above this site was used by a border baron to collect tribute from caravan roads.

Rumors

1d5
Roll a rumor

  1. 1Small winged beasts have been stealing lantern oil and hanging it from the old watchtower like trophies.
  2. 2People hear a child crying near the ruin at night, but the tracks outside are all claw marks.
  3. 3A caravan guard swore the creatures can breathe flame only after eating hot coals from the tower kitchens.
  4. 4The dungeon's lower halls are said to hide a gold pile watched by something with too many wings.
  5. 5Old smugglers used to pay tribute to the lair, which is why the beasts never attack every traveler on sight.

Plot hooks

4
Rescue and retrievalThe Missing CaravanA merchant caravan has vanished on the road nearby, and witnesses saw a small winged shape carrying something shiny toward the old watchtower.From: Mira Tallow, caravan factorReward: 250 gp and a parcel of recovered trade goods
Relic recoveryThe Reliquary Below the TowerA local priest wants the party to recover a stolen silver reliquary said to calm fire-breathing beasts.From: Brother Halven, roadside priestReward: A blessed charm and 300 gp
InvestigationProof of the BroodRumors say the creatures know the way to a sealed vault beneath the dungeon, and a collector wants proof before paying.From: Edda Vane, antiquarianReward: 450 gp and a rare magic item appraisal
Hunt the threatBreak the BroodA bounty poster offers coin for the lair's leader, dead or alive, after its brood attacked nearby shepherds.From: Captain Rul, town watchReward: 500 gp bounty

Corridors

4

  • Between and

    Scrape marks run low along the walls, as if something heavy with talons drags itself rather than walks.

  • Between and

    Narrow heat vents exhale in bursts, carrying the smell of sulfur and scorched dust.

  • Between and

    Piles of shed scales glitter in the torchlight like black coins, often clustered near intersections.

  • Between and room-7

    A distant clicking growl can be heard behind the walls, answered by a second voice farther below.

Media

0 images

No images yet.

Visual sheet

Turn Scalewarren Underkeep into a sheet

A high-res, share-ready sheet you can post or print.