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Dungeons
Cave · Small · Level 5 · Hard

Mael's Gorse Cave

Four old doors stand in the entrance chamber, and something scrapes behind the western one.
Rooms
5
Foes
7, CR 1/4 to 5
Traps
2
Treasure
220 gp
12345Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. The Braced Entrance

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

A umber hulk has made its lair, feeding on creatures drawn in by the sounds and scents of the cave.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    2× Giant batsCR 1/4

    When: The party makes loud noise in a corridor or leaves a bright flame unattended for several minutes.A pair of giant bats with torn wings circle low, snapping at lantern flames and exposed faces.
  2. 2

    Gray oozeCR 1/2

    When: The party spills oil, blood, or a strong-smelling liquid into the runoff channel.A slick gray ooze, streaked with mineral dust, creeps along the floor and wall without sound.
  3. 3

    3× Giant ratsCR 1/4

    When: The party camps, handles rations openly, or leaves a corpse in a corridor.Three giant rats with pale eyes follow the scent of food, moving in fits between cracks in the stone.

Rooms

5
1

The Braced Entrance

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

The cave opens into a squared-off chamber where rough masonry props up the natural ceiling. Four doors lead into darkness; the eastern and northern locks are furred with pale roots, while a low scrape comes from beyond the western door.

Features

  • A dry stone ledge provides cover from the western doorway.
  • The eastern and northern doors are locked; the western and southern doors open normally.
  • A faded miner's tally is carved beside the southern doorway.

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Giant ratsCR 1/4

Lean giant rats with cloudy eyes and gorse fibers caught in their fur.Tactics. They harry isolated characters and retreat through gaps in the rubble if badly wounded.

Treasure

Tally Purse18 gp and one ore sample

A miner's purse wedged behind the tally stone, containing mixed silver and a small piece of blue-black ore.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The southern door leads to , the western door to , the eastern locked door to , and the northern locked door to . The rats are hungry scavengers, not loyal to the umber hulk; their scratching can mask other sounds.

4 doors: W (normal), S (archway), N (archway), W (normal)

The place

What it is

A short cluster of natural caverns has been braced with rough stonework and fitted with doors that once controlled access to a miners' refuge.

Atmosphere

Cold mineral water ticks from the ceiling.

The threat

A umber hulk has made its lair, feeding on creatures drawn in by the sounds and scents of the cave.

History

A crew of miners opened this cave under orders from a forgotten surveyor named Mael, whose name survives only in chipped marks on the oldest stones.

Rumors

1d4
Roll a rumor

  1. 1The miners' doors were locked from the outside, but no one remembers who held the keys.
  2. 2A pale weed grows in the cave walls and has begun sprouting in wells uphill.
  3. 3People hear a stone dragging after midnight, even when the cave entrance is sealed.
  4. 4There is blue-black ore in the old workings, but the miners who found it started seeing things in the dark.

Plot hooks

3
RecoveryThe Survey PlateA local prospector asks the party to recover a stamped survey plate from , convinced it will prove who owns the abandoned claim. The plate is in the same chest as the ore samples, but opening the chest may alert the cave's guardian.From: A weather-beaten prospector with a claim mapReward: A share of the claim's proceeds and 150 gp in advance
RescueThe Warm SpringA miner has gone missing after following a trickle of warm water into the hillside. The party finds signs of a struggle near , and a dropped lantern in points toward the locked southern door.From: The missing miner's sisterReward: A miners' silver badge and 200 gp
InvestigationRoots in the WellA healer wants a live sample of the pale gorse roots, which are spreading into nearby wells and leaving drinkers feverish. The thickest roots grow near , where harvesting them risks drawing the umber hulk from its nest.From: A village healer carrying a specimen jarReward: A healing draught and 100 gp

Corridors

3

  • The passage between and

    Pale gorse roots push through the ceiling and twitch faintly when anyone passes beneath them. Cutting them releases a bitter sap that draws nearby bats.

  • The passage between and

    A narrow runoff channel carries water toward the entrance. Small bones and rusty scraps collect in its bends, and the water flows uphill for a few feet near the treasure-room door.

  • The passage between and

    Old iron rings set into the walls once held guide ropes. Several have been pulled free, leaving fresh gouges in the stone.

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