Skip to content
CharGen Icon
CreatePricing
Dungeons
Lair · Large · Level 8 · Medium

The Cinder Fold

Soot drifts from the lintel in slow curls, though no fire burns in the entrance.
Rooms
25
Foes
47, CR 1/8 to 8
Traps
5
Treasure
1,784 gp
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Quarry Mouth

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

Vicar Sarn Vur, a level-headed cult leader, is binding the fire spirit beneath the lair to power a rite that will let him command flame throughout the surrounding valley.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    1d2× Ash RunnersCR 2

    When: They appear after an alarm is raised or when the party spends more than ten minutes in one wing.Two cult runners carry a message between the upper guard rooms and the lower sanctums, alert but unwilling to die for the cause.
  2. 2

    1d3× Lantern PatrolCR 3

    When: They patrol the passages between rooms 5, 8, and 14 every hour.A small knot of senior devotees patrols with shuttered lanterns and ash-streaked shields.
  3. 3

    Lair HoundCR 1

    When: It is drawn from a side passage by loud combat or the smell of fresh rations.A chained quarry dog, starved and frightened, follows the smell of food before attacking anyone who corners it.

Rooms

25
1

Quarry Mouth

treasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A quarry-cut vestibule opens beneath a lintel blackened by soot. The welcoming arch conceals narrow side passages, while faint chanting from beyond the inner doors marks the lair as occupied.

Features

  • A cracked stone basin catches slow drips from the ceiling.
  • Red oil lamps illuminate the routes toward rooms 1, 2, 3, and 4.

What the GM knows

Treasure

Workers' Offering18 gp

A hidden niche holds a few coins left by quarry workers.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The secret door north leads to room 14. Cultists in room 2 respond to loud fighting here after two rounds.

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

The place

What it is

The Cinder Fold is a sprawling cult lair built around a buried furnace shrine, its upper chambers serving as barracks and recruiting rooms.

Atmosphere

The upper halls smell of lamp oil, wet wool, and old incense; deeper rooms grow colder, with a mineral tang beneath the smoke.

The threat

Vicar Sarn Vur, a level-headed cult leader, is binding the fire spirit beneath the lair to power a rite that will let him command flame throughout the surrounding valley.

History

The Cinder Fold began as a stone quarry's work camp, then passed into the hands of the Ashkar, a migrant sect who had built furnace shrines in their distant homeland.

Rumors

1d4
Roll a rumor

  1. 1A quarry worker says he heard a choir singing beneath solid rock, though the quarry has been closed for years.
  2. 2Teamsters whisper that gray-robed folk buy charcoal in quantities too large for a handful of hermits.
  3. 3A local child claims the old quarry's red light goes out whenever someone says a prayer for the dead.
  4. 4One merchant swears that a missing shipment was delivered to an empty road and collected by people who left no tracks.

Plot hooks

3
RescueThe Red Light BelowA charcoal burner has vanished after seeing red light beneath an abandoned quarry. His sister believes the old work camp is still occupied and asks the party to bring him back alive.From: Dena, the missing worker's sisterReward: A modest purse, a local guide, and the family's recovered quarry claim
InvestigationMissing LoadsA string of supply wagons has disappeared near the quarry road. The merchants want the cargo recovered, but room 6's records may reveal that some deliveries were arranged by a local official.From: Harl, a tired teamsterReward: Recovered trade goods and a signed writ granting access to the quarry
Urgent threatHeat in the WellA village well has begun steaming at night, and its water tastes of ash. The party must disrupt Sarn Vur's rite before the heat reaches the settlement.From: Bryn, the village reeveReward: A common healing draught for each adventurer and the village's gratitude

Corridors

3

  • Passage between rooms 1 and 5

    A line of shallow boot prints appears in the dust, then stops at a bare wall; careful inspection shows the prints were made by someone walking backward.

  • Passage between rooms 8, 9, and 10

    A bronze speaking tube carries muffled words from the shrine network. A character listening for a minute can make out whether the chant is calm, urgent, or interrupted.

  • Passage approaching room 11

    Iron rings bolted at ankle height bear fresh scrape marks. The cult uses them to drag captives toward room 19.

Media

0 images

No images yet.

Visual sheet

Turn The Cinder Fold into a sheet

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