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Dungeons
Lair · Large · Level 5 · Medium

The Gnawing Warren

The tunnels hunger, and something beneath them has learned to speak.
Rooms
22
Foes
23, CR 1/2 to 7
Traps
8
Treasure
4,740 gp
12345678910111213141516171819202122Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. The Broken Lintel

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

A mutated cave bear called Gristlemaw rules the deepest chambers.

Wandering monsters (1d4)

  1. 1

    2d4× Scavenger PackCR 1/2

    When: After loud combat or when food is left unattended in a corridor.Starved hyena scavengers wearing scraps of stolen clothing and bone charms.
  2. 2

    1d3× Warren RunnersCR 1

    When: When the party triggers an alarm or leaves a living guard behind.Gnoll runners carrying alarm cords, hooked knives, and messages for the deeper guards.
  3. 3

    1d4× Fungusback SpidersCR 2

    When: When characters disturb webs, bones, or ceiling vents.Pale cave spiders with blue fungal growths along their abdomens.
  4. 4

    The Lost CubCR 3

    When: When the party is separated or carries a guardian relic.A spectral bear cub that appears harmless until it leads travelers toward a dead end and screams.

Rooms

22
1

The Broken Lintel

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A broad stone vestibule opens beneath a cracked lintel carved with a kneeling beast. Old blood darkens the floor near the southern archway, while the locked eastern door bears fresh claw marks from the inside.

Features

  • A faded mural shows priests feeding a guardian beast.
  • The western secret door is disguised as a section of carved wall.
  • The eastern lock is reinforced from within.

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Warren GnollsCR 1/2

Lean hyena-like scavengers with leather collars and brass tags.Tactics. They circle intruders, one sounding an alarm bell while the other attacks from behind. If reduced to one survivor, it flees toward or to warn the guards.

Treasure

Scavenger's Map35 gp

A pouch containing 18 gp, a bone-handled knife, and a crude map marking rooms-1 and .
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The party can choose four routes immediately. The locked eastern door requires a key carried by the guards in , while the secret western door opens with a successful Investigation check.

3 doors: E (secret), S (archway), N (archway)

The place

What it is

The Gnawing Warren is a sprawling subterranean lair built around the den of a predatory creature that has ruled the tunnels for generations.

Atmosphere

The lair smells of wet fur, old blood, lamp oil, and mineral-rich water.

The threat

A mutated cave bear called Gristlemaw rules the deepest chambers.

History

The sanctuary was carved by a vanished hill tribe that worshiped a guardian beast believed to defend their people from raiders and famine.

Rumors

1d5
Roll a rumor

  1. 1A missing caravan was dragged beneath the hill by beasts that understood human speech.
  2. 2Blue flames burn in the old sanctuary, and anyone who sleeps near the hill dreams of being hunted.
  3. 3The warren's master cannot be killed while an iron tooth remains buried beneath its den.
  4. 4A disgraced merchant secretly pays the gnolls to recover a relic from the lower shrine.
  5. 5The old guardian spirit still protects travelers who speak its forgotten vow.

Plot hooks

3
RescueThe Caravan Beneath the HillA caravan vanished after taking shelter near the warren's entrance. Their leader's child begs the party to recover the survivors or at least the family's sealed trade chest.From: Mira Venn, a frightened caravan heirReward: 150 gp, the recovered trade chest, and a map showing a safer route through the hills
InvestigationThe Guardian's Broken OathA local shrine has begun losing worshipers to nightmares of a blue-lit tunnel and a beast wearing a priest's necklace. The priests believe an old relic in the warren can cleanse the haunting.From: Brother Halven, keeper of the roadside shrineReward: A consecrated charm that grants advantage on one saving throw against fear, plus 200 gp
HuntFangs in the FieldsHunters report that animals near the hill are becoming unnaturally aggressive. They want the source destroyed before the behavior spreads to nearby farms.From: Sella Thorn, leader of the village huntersReward: 300 gp, fresh supplies, and lasting goodwill from the settlement

Corridors

4

  • Between and

    Bundles of gnawed bones and cracked shields line the passage, arranged like crude boundary markers by the lair's defenders.

  • Near , , and

    Thin brass bells hang from red cords at ankle height. Most are harmless, but several are still connected to hidden alarm wires.

  • Around the passages leading to , , and

    Claw marks score the stone at shoulder height, some fresh enough to show pale dust falling from them.

  • Near and the locked doors to , , and

    Warm, foul air rises through grates in the floor, carrying a distant rhythmic thudding from the boss's territory.

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