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Dungeons
Cave · Medium · Level 6 · Hard

The Violet Seam

Violet light crawls beneath your boots, and the locked door answers with a pulse.
Rooms
2
Foes
5, CR 1 to 5
Traps
2
Treasure
375 gp
12Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Surveyors' Entry

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

Tavik, a scholar who has learned to impose his Intent on the responsive crystal, is preparing a final experiment in the arena.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    1d4× Seam skulkersCR 1

    When: They investigate loud impacts, spilled blood, or the opening of the northern door.A pair of stone-skinned scavengers with crystal ridges prowl the entry passage, attracted to the pulse of the seam.
  2. 2

    Crystal-muzzled prowlerCR 2

    When: It attacks anyone carrying an exposed sphere or crystal, then retreats if wounded.A lean, pale cave predator has learned to follow the faint Invested glow, striking from cracks too narrow for a person.
  3. 3

    1d3× Arena patrolCR 1

    When: They come to investigate a disabled ward or a prolonged fight in either room.A nervous guard patrol carries spears and a lantern shuttered with violet glass. They are more interested in staying alive than in proving their loyalty.

Rooms

2
1

Surveyors' Entry

2 foes1 traptreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

The cave mouth opens into a square chamber smoothed by surveyors, with a locked stone door set in its northern wall. Violet crystal threads under the floor toward the door, and a faint thrum from beyond makes dust jump in little rings.

Features

  • A weathered surveyor's bench holds a chipped measuring rod and a lamp with a dark violet lens.
  • The northern door has a keyhole and a palm-sized crystal plate that glows when touched.
  • A narrow niche in the western wall once held a bell for summoning workers.

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Seam skulkersCR 1

These cave scavengers are small, stone-skinned creatures drawn to the seam's Investiture. Their crystalline brow ridges flash when they sense movement.Tactics. They wait in the dark niches, then harry anyone trying to work the door. They retreat toward if badly wounded.

Traps

Resonant StepDC 15 thunder damage

A pressure plate before the northern door triggers a focused burst of reverberation from the cave wall. Creatures within 10 feet must make a Dexterity saving throw or take the damage and be knocked prone; on a success they take half damage.Disarm. A character can find the plate with a Investigation check and wedge it with a metal tool, or disable its crystal relay with a Arcana check.

Treasure

Surveyor's Case75 gp and useful information

A leather case holds survey notes, a brass compass, and three small spheres worth 25 gp each. The notes identify the crystal seam as responsive to spoken Intent.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The northern door opens with the key from the office alcove in , or with a successful check using thieves' tools. A character who studies the plate and speaks a sincere promise can make it glow for one minute, granting advantage on the check. The seam's pulse grows louder if combat begins here.

1 door: N (locked)

The place

What it is

A small cave facility has been cut into a seam of strange, light-drinking crystal, with its entry chamber opening directly onto a locked arena door.

Atmosphere

Cold mineral damp beads on the stone, mingling with the sharp smell of struck flint and old ink.

The threat

Tavik, a scholar who has learned to impose his Intent on the responsive crystal, is preparing a final experiment in the arena.

History

A crew of cave surveyors opened this chamber while searching for a dependable source of gemstone and crystal.

Rumors

1d4
Roll a rumor

  1. 1A violet cave crystal brightens when someone makes a promise and dims when they break it.
  2. 2The scholar's receptionist keeps a cleaner schedule than the town's magistrate, and knows exactly when the arena is empty.
  3. 3People who hear the cave's low thrum in their sleep wake with grit between their teeth.
  4. 4A survey crew found a way to calm the crystal, but their warning never made it out of the cave.

Plot hooks

3
Rescue and investigationThe Missing SurveyorsA local surveyor's missing crew left a ledger in the office, and their families want proof of what happened. The party must pass the locked entrance and reach the arena before Tavik's next experiment.From: A grieving quarry worker who kept the crew's last pay tallyReward: A share of the recovered survey wages and a crystal tool that gives off light when near unstable stone
RetrievalNotes from the SeamA nearby scholar has learned that Tavik's crystal research could help identify a dangerous Invested artifact. They ask the party to bring back his notes intact, though the arena wards react badly to anyone carrying the artifact.From: A cautious archive clerkReward: Research access, a useful spanreed, and payment for intact notes
SabotageThe Last AppointmentThe receptionist has sent a message through a courier, claiming that Tavik's experiment will rupture the cave if allowed to proceed. The party can seek the office alcove and use its schedule and ward controls to weaken him before the fight.From: A courier carrying a sealed appointment slipReward: The receptionist's hidden cache of spheres and a favor owed by a local cave crew

Corridors

2

  • In the short passage between and

    A narrow seam of violet crystal runs through the rock and brightens when someone speaks of a strong ideal or oath.

  • Beside the locked northern door of

    Fresh boot scuffs and a wax seal stamped with a simple open hand mark the route toward the arena.

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