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A dwarven cavern that acts as a passage with wildlife and dwarven defenses. · Medium · Medium

The Deep Ward

The old defenses still stand, but they no longer know whom they are protecting.
Rooms
10
Foes
20, CR 1/4 to 6
Traps
7
Treasure
2,430 gp
12345678910Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Broken Checkpoint

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

The deepest chamber houses the Last Anvil, an ancient defensive engine built around a living core of rune-bound metal.

Wandering monsters (1d4)

  1. 1

    1d3× Cavern GhoulCR 1

    When: The party makes loud combat noise or spends more than ten minutes in one corridor.A pale scavenger with crystal growths along its spine, driven upward by sounds from the fissure.
  2. 2

    2d4× Ward-Touched Hyena PackCR 2

    When: Blood is spilled near the beast pens or flooded bridge.A pack of blind hyenas that follows the scent of injured beasts and carries traces of ward energy in its fur.
  3. 3

    Broken Patrol SentinelCR 3

    When: A rune lamp flickers or a pressure plate is activated incorrectly.A damaged stone sentinel dragging one broken arm, still trying to complete an obsolete patrol route.
  4. 4

    Fissure Stalker ScoutCR 4

    When: The Last Anvil is damaged, or the party uses the Purge command.A long-limbed fissure predator that briefly emerges from cracks, tests the party, and retreats before it can be cornered.

Rooms

10
1

Broken Checkpoint

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A natural cavern passage widens around the original Orebender checkpoint. The ceiling is broken by a collapsed mine shaft, and muddy tracks show that wolves, giant insects, and something heavy have passed through recently.

Features

  • Collapsed shaft leading toward the known upper dungeon entrance
  • Half-buried dwarven checkpoint bell
  • Faded clan murals depicting miners defending a mountain road

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Cavern WolfCR 1/2

Lean cavern wolves with pale eyes and mineral-crusted fur.Tactics. They circle through the rubble, harry isolated targets, and retreat toward room 2 if badly wounded, drawing pursuit into the next defense zone.

Treasure

Gatekeeper's Token25 gp

A brass checkpoint token stamped with the Orebender crest.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

Characters entering from the main Orebender Caverns recognize this as the logical continuation of the upper passage. Ringing the checkpoint bell alerts guards in room 3 but also briefly stabilizes the ward runes.

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

The place

What it is

Beyond the wildlife-haunted upper passage lies a sealed dwarven defense complex built to stop anything escaping from the mines below.

Atmosphere

Cold mineral air rolls through the complex, carrying wet stone, old ash, and the musky scent of cavern beasts.

The threat

The deepest chamber houses the Last Anvil, an ancient defensive engine built around a living core of rune-bound metal.

History

The Orebender clan carved this fortified passage beneath their mine to guard a vital route between the mountain hold and the lower workings.

Rumors

1d5
Roll a rumor

  1. 1Miners say the old Orebender passage is guarded by dwarves who died centuries ago but still demand passwords.
  2. 2A shepherd claims pale beasts have been fleeing the mountain and will not cross running water.
  3. 3An old prospector swears there is a bridge over a bottomless crack where the stones move beneath your feet.
  4. 4The sealed Gateworks supposedly contain rewards meant for the final defenders of the clan.
  5. 5Some dwarves believe the mine collapse did not awaken anything. It merely uncovered something that was already waiting.

Plot hooks

4
ExplorationThe Passage Must HoldA mining settlement asks the party to reopen the fortified passage after supply crews vanish near the old Orebender entrance.From: Hessa Flintmark, a practical dwarven quartermasterReward: A repaired dwarven shield bearing the party's names and a share of recovered mine profits
RecoveryThe Broken CommandA scholar believes the malfunctioning ward network contains a lost defensive protocol capable of protecting an entire mountain road.From: Archivist Pell of the Stonewright CollegiumReward: A defensive rune formula that grants advantage on one future check to resist a magical trap
InvestigationWhat Hunts the HuntersCavern wildlife has begun emerging near surface farms, always fleeing from something deeper underground.From: Mara Venn, a frightened shepherd from the nearest valleyReward: Local guides, safe lodging, and a silver charm that wards off subterranean beasts
Dungeon FinaleThe Last AnvilThe party discovers that the deepest mechanism is protecting intruders and must decide whether to repair it, shut it down, or use its power against the hidden threat.From: A damaged rune-echo speaking in the voice of an ancient Orebender sentinelReward: A permanent mark of dwarven authority and access to a sealed armory beneath the hold

Corridors

4

  • Throughout the upper passage between rooms 1 and 3

    Iron reinforcement bands cross the stone walls at regular intervals, each stamped with a dwarf clan mark and blackened by ancient heat.

  • Above the approaches to rooms 3, 4, and 6

    Small murder holes overlook several corridors. Some contain rusted crossbow mechanisms, while others conceal fresh claw marks and scraps of fur.

  • From room 5 onward

    Thin copper channels run through the floor and walls, carrying intermittent blue sparks toward the deepest chambers.

  • At the junction between rooms 7 and 8

    A cracked warning plaque repeats the phrase, 'Hold the deep, shelter the living,' in both Dwarvish and rough Common.

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