The Ashen Crown Hunt
The Ashen Crown Hunt
Read aloud
The settlement's furnaces have gone cold, and the Nether chill is creeping into every home. Forge-master Mara Venn offers a fortune for proof that the Cinder Regent, a monster ruling the Ashen Crown, is dead. The only safe route to its fortress runs through a caldera where the lava has begun to rise.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Cross the caldera and breach the fortress.
- 2Reach the Cinder Regent's Crucible.
- 3Kill the Cinder Regent.
- 4Prevent the fortress machinery from rupturing after the hunt.Optional
The clock
The lava rises by one visible stage after each major scene or long delay. At the final stage, the fortress's outer routes begin to collapse and the bellows are close to rupturing. Use this as a narrative clock, not a fixed D&D 5E rule.
Scenes
- 0:00The Cold Forge
- 0:45Across the Ashen Crown
- 2:15The Blackstone Gate
- 3:45The Heart of the Fortress
- 5:45The Hunt Ends in Fire
- 8:15What the Bellows Leave Behind
Cast
- Mara VennQuestgiver and settlement forge-master
- Tavi FlintAlly and Nether-born scout
- The Cinder RegentAntagonist and target of the hunt
- Oren ValeWitness and injured bellows-tender
The hook
Set the scene
The party is summoned to the settlement's forge district, where the furnaces are dark and Oren Vale sits wrapped in blankets beside an unlit forge. Mara Venn lays a map of the Ashen Crown on a workbench and offers a reward for the Regent's death. Tavi Flint waits nearby, ready to guide the party, but warns that the old paths are changing as the lava rises.
How Mara Venn asks
Mara Venn requests a private meeting at the settlement's cold forge.
She offers payment for proof of the Regent's death and asks the party to return with news of the fortress bellows if they can do so safely.
Rumours
Scenes
about 9.5 hours0:00
45 min
socialThe table is here
1. The Cold Forge
A settlement forge district where cold furnaces, gathered workers, and a marked caldera map make the crisis visible.
Mara offers the contract, Oren describes what he heard, and Tavi explains the routes into the Ashen Crown. The party can negotiate payment, question the witnesses, and choose whether to prioritize a fast or cautious approach.
NextTavi leads the party toward the caldera. Ask which route they choose, then set the tone for the hazards and discoveries of the crossing.
0:45
90 min
exploration
2. Across the Ashen Crown
The outer Ashen Crown, a volcanic expanse of crimson forest, blackstone shelves, lava tubes, and narrow crossings.
The party must cross unstable basalt, rising lava channels, and ash-choked paths. Their route choice determines whether they reach the fortress quickly, arrive with a useful discovery, or face a dangerous detour.
NextThe party reaches the fortress perimeter and sees its gate mechanisms pulse with the failing bellows.
2:15
90 min
combat
3. The Blackstone Gate
A causeway and gatehouse surrounded by a lava moat.
The party fights or outmaneuvers the fortress defenders. Pressure wheels, broken parapets, and the timing of the bellows offer ways to change the battlefield.
The Blackstone GateNextOnce the gate is breached, the party can follow the machinery's vibrations deeper into the fortress.
3:45
120 min
combat
4. The Heart of the Fortress
A towering furnace hall filled with pistons, catwalks, pressure valves, and suspended chains.
The party navigates machinery and hazards to reach the central chamber. Oren's warning becomes harder to dismiss as something answers the bellows from beneath the fortress.
The Bellows ChamberNextThe surviving machinery reveals a route to the Regent's crucible. The party can take a short breather if circumstances permit, then prepare for the hunt's climax.
5:45
150 min
combat
5. The Hunt Ends in Fire
A foundry platform suspended above a lava lake, surrounded by chains and venting blackstone.
The party confronts the Cinder Regent. As the fight turns, the battlefield changes and the creature's connection to the fortress machinery becomes apparent.
The Regent's CrucibleNextAfter the battle, give the party a choice: stabilize the bellows, escape before the fortress fails, or risk searching for the source of the answering sound.
8:15
60 min
social
6. What the Bellows Leave Behind
First the unstable fortress machinery, then Mara's forge as the settlement waits for news.
The party decides what to do with the fortress and returns to the settlement with proof of the kill, a changed account of the danger, or both.
NextClose the adventure with the settlement's response and choose an open hook based on the fate of the bellows and the deeper presence.
Behind it
What people believe
The settlement's furnaces have gone cold since the Cinder Regent took control of the Ashen Crown's fortress.
The party must cross the dangerous Nether caldera, overcome the fortress defenses, and kill the creature to restore safety and heat to the region.
Background
The Nether's Ashen Crown is a volcanic caldera surrounding a buried fortress of blackstone.
Its crimson forests grow from warm, blood-red soil, while rivers of lava divide the outer wastes from the fortress. For generations, the fortress's ancient bellows have drawn heat away from nearby settlements. Now the bellows have stopped, and the immense creature known as the Cinder Regent has claimed the fortress as its lair.
The stakes
If the party fails to kill the Cinder Regent, the settlement's heat supply remains cut off and the Regent may eventually rupture the bellows, unleashing a caldera-wide eruption.
If the party kills it but ignores the failing machinery, the immediate threat ends while a new disaster remains possible.
Encounters
3The Blackstone Gate
Combat
A narrow blackstone causeway crosses a lava moat to the fortress gate. Pressure wheels stand on two raised platforms, with broken parapets providing intermittent cover and gaps that can be crossed only with care.
Foes
1 Ashbound Warden, a custom elite construct
4 Ashbound Sentinels, custom blackstone guardians
ComplicationA bellows pulse floods the battlefield with heat every third round. At the start of that round, exposed creatures must seek cover or face a custom environmental heat hazard. The party can delay a pulse by disabling a nearby pressure wheel.
ScalingFor a smaller or already depleted party, remove two Sentinels. For a particularly capable party, add two Sentinels and let the Warden activate a second pressure wheel. Use custom stat blocks suitable for the party's level; these are not official D&D 5E creatures.
The Bellows Chamber
Combat
A vast chamber of pistons, chains, and bellows surrounds a central furnace pit. Narrow catwalks cross the chamber, while hanging chains allow movement between levels. The party can destroy or redirect machinery to change lines of approach.
Foes
1 Furnace Maw, a custom fire-breathing Nether predator
2 Ashbound Sentinels, custom blackstone guardians
ComplicationA cracked valve releases a sweeping flame jet whenever the party crosses the chamber's central line. A character can spend an action at the valve to shut it off, but doing so draws the attention of the Furnace Maw.
ScalingFor a party that struggled at the gate, remove both Sentinels and reduce the Furnace Maw's durability. For a party that handled the gate easily, add one Sentinel and have the Maw begin the encounter above the main catwalk. Use custom stat blocks suitable for the party's level, not official D&D 5E creatures.
The Regent's Crucible
Combat
The Regent's lair is a circular blackstone foundry suspended above a lava lake. Three chains anchor the central platform. Cracked vents, hanging chains, and a furnace-control dais give the party tactical options, but the platform shifts as the fight progresses.
Foes
1 Cinder Regent, a custom legendary-scale Nether boss
ComplicationAt half strength, the Regent tears a support chain free. A section of the arena shifts, isolating one part of the battlefield and opening a new lava vent. The party can spend actions securing the chain or adapt to the changed terrain.
ScalingFor a smaller party, reduce the Regent's durability and remove one special action per round. For a highly optimized or well-rested party, add two Ashbound Sentinels as reinforcements when the Regent first takes significant damage. The Regent is a custom boss, not an official D&D 5E creature. Tune its damage and defenses to the party's resources and experience.
Cast
4Mara Venn
QuestgiverQuestgiver and settlement forge-master
WantsKeep the settlement's forge district alive and prevent panic from spreading.
“The bellows kept our foundries alive. Bring me proof the Regent is dead, and I will make your names worth remembering.”
Tavi Flint
Ally and Nether-born scout
WantsGuide the party through the Ashen Crown in exchange for a safe passage home and a share of the reward.
“The fortress has three gates. The eastern one is trapped, the western one is watched, and the old vent is only mostly full of lava.”
The Cinder Regent
Antagonist and target of the hunt
WantsDefend its lair, devour the heat stored in the bellows, and spread its dominion across the Nether.
“You call this a fortress. I call it a furnace built for me.”
Oren Vale
Witness and injured bellows-tender
WantsWarn the settlement before the heat crisis becomes a catastrophe, while keeping the full extent of their discovery secret until trusted.
“I have heard the bellows breathe. The sound was not a machine. It was something answering from below.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A custom blackstone-forged weapon or armor piece, made to a party member's specifications.
Two custom heatproof draughts that protect their drinker from ordinary environmental heat for a limited time; they do not grant immunity to fire damage.
A map of lesser-known Nether paths around the Ashen Crown.
On a win
With the Cinder Regent dead, the fortress guardians fall quiet and the bellows cease their dangerous pulses.
If the party stabilized the machinery, controlled heat returns to the settlement. If not, the immediate threat is ended, but the fortress remains at risk of a rupture that will require another expedition.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party retreats from the Ashen Crown or cannot reach the Cinder Regent.
- The settlement loses access to the bellows' heat. Its forges go cold, essential repairs and defenses stop, and residents begin fleeing to safer ground.
- The party triggers the fortress alarm repeatedly or leaves surviving guardians to report their position.
- The Regent learns the route back to the settlement and sends a raiding force through the Nether paths. The settlement must evacuate or defend itself in a follow-up adventure.
- The party abandons Tavi during a retreat or leaves them isolated during a hazardous crossing.
- Tavi is captured or left behind, and the party loses their local guide. They can still escape, but must find another route through the caldera.
- The party destroys the bellows without stabilizing or redirecting its pressure.
- The bellows rupture and unleash a destructive wave of heat through the surrounding region. The Regent may be wounded, but the settlement and nearby Nether paths become more dangerous.
Complications (d6)
- 1A lava tube ruptures beneath the route. The party must immediately choose a new path or spend time finding stable ground while the flow cuts off their return route.
- 2A cloud of red ash reduces visibility to a few paces for ten minutes. During the cloud, the first hostile creature to move can approach unseen unless the party takes precautions.
- 3A basalt bridge begins to fracture under the party's weight. Crossing one at a time is safe, but carrying bulky gear or moving quickly risks dropping equipment into the lava.
- 4A patrol of three custom Ashbound Sentinels arrives at the party's last camp or crossing point. They try to raise an alarm before engaging.
- 5A vent releases a burst of superheated steam. Anyone in the marked area must move clear or suffer an appropriate environmental hazard; the vent then remains dangerous until it cools.
- 6The fortress bellows pulse once, strengthening nearby fire and heat effects. The pulse also reveals the route to the next objective, but alerts the Cinder Regent that intruders are close.
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