The Hollow Below Phandallin
The Hollow Below Phandallin
Read aloud
People are vanishing from Phandallin, and every trail seems to end in the hills where orc raiders have been sighted. Sister Garaele asks you to find the missing before the town sends a force to punish the suspected raiders. Last night, a child returned alone from the outskirts, whispering that the ground had called her mother's name.
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Investigate the disappearances and test the accusations against the Ashfang band.
- 2Locate the captives and uncover the source of the disappearances.
- 3Prevent the Gloam Below from gaining a lasting passage into the world.
- 4Prevent further violence between Phandallin and the Ashfang band.Optional
The clock
Veyra intends to complete the ritual at the next moonless midnight. Advance the clock when the party spends substantial time resting, gets delayed by an avoidable detour, or fails to act after learning where the captives are held. At the final stage, the fissure begins pulling objects and people toward it, but the characters still have a chance to interrupt the ritual.
Scenes
- 0:00Fear in the Square
- 0:25Tracks That Do Not Match
- 1:10The Ashfangs' Account
- 1:45Down the Old Mine
- 2:30The Hollow Below
Cast
- Sister GaraeleQuestgiver and ally
- Mara DendrarWitness
- Ketha AshfangWildcard and potential ally
- Veyra SornAntagonist
The hook
Set the scene
Read aloud: A crowd has gathered outside the shrine in Phandallin, speaking in angry whispers. Muddy bootprints cross the road, and someone has carved a crude tusk mark into the door. Sister Garaele steps through the crowd and says, "Those people are still out there. Find them before fear decides who the enemy is."
How Sister Garaele asks
Sister Garaele asks for help in private before an angry crowd can demand retaliation.
She offers access to the shrine's records, a modest advance, and the names of the missing. She wants the characters to return with proof, not rumors.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3.5 hours0:00
25 min
socialThe table is here
1. Fear in the Square
The shrine and busy square in Phandallin, where worried residents argue over what should be done.
Introduce the disappearances, establish the risk of a town-led reprisal, and give the party the first leads: a witness, a marked trail, and the abandoned mine.
NextThe characters can interview Mara, examine the latest site, or follow the reported tracks. Any two useful leads point toward the ravine and the abandoned mine.
0:25
45 min
exploration
2. Tracks That Do Not Match
A damaged farmstead and the ravine trail outside Phandallin.
Let the party compare physical evidence and testimony. Careful examination reveals that at least some of the orc signs were made recently and deliberately, while a dragged strip of cloth leads toward a disused mining road.
The False TrailNextThe ravine encounter may end in combat, negotiation, or a pursuit. Its evidence leads to Ketha and then to the mine entrance.
1:10
35 min
social
3. The Ashfangs' Account
A concealed camp among broken stone outcrops, watched by nervous Ashfang lookouts.
Give the party a chance to question Ketha, compare her account with the clues, and decide whether to make an ally or an enemy. She admits her band crossed the area but denies taking anyone.
NextKetha can show the characters a mining road that avoids the worst of the dangerous ground, or the party can follow Veyra's tracks directly.
1:45
45 min
skill
4. Down the Old Mine
The abandoned mine, where old supports groan and cold air rises through narrow cracks.
Navigate unstable mine tunnels, identify the hidden stone-cut entrance, and discover Veyra's notes or traces of the captives. The characters learn that the disappearances were arranged to provide people for a ritual.
NextOnce the party finds the buried shrine, the ritual's progress determines how many captives are endangered when the characters arrive.
2:30
70 min
combat
5. The Hollow Below
A buried shrine beneath the mine, split by a dark fissure that answers in familiar voices.
Confront Veyra, free the captives, and decide whether to destroy the ritual focus, seal the fissure, or attempt another approach. Emphasize rescuing prisoners and dealing with the unstable chamber alongside the threat.
The Shrine BelowNextAfter the ritual is stopped or the party retreats, survivors, Veyra's notes, and the town's reaction point toward the resolution and future hooks.
Behind it
What people believe
People have vanished from Phandallin and nearby farms.
The signs point toward orc raiders in the hills, but witnesses disagree about what they saw, and the town is close to taking matters into its own hands. Investigate the disappearances, find the missing, and discover what lies beneath the abandoned mine before the next person vanishes.
Background
For three weeks, people have vanished from Phandallin and the farms, trails, and mine roads around it.
Each disappearance has left behind signs that seem to point toward orc raiders: a broken fence, a crude tusk mark, or a trail leading into the hills. The town is frightened, and its leaders are under pressure to retaliate before more people are taken.
The stakes
If the characters fail to investigate in time, Phandallin may attack the Ashfang band while Veyra completes the ritual.
The captives may be lost, the Gloam Below may gain a foothold, and the town's fear could turn into an ongoing feud.
Encounters
2The False Trail
Combat or social
A rocky ravine crossed by a shallow stream, with scrub, fallen logs, and narrow ledges. The crude tusk marks and planted bootprints are easy to spot once examined closely.
Foes
2-4 Ashfang Lookouts, use an appropriate low-threat humanoid scout or bandit profile
1 Ashfang Snarekeeper, use an appropriate low-threat humanoid profile
ComplicationThe raiders are trying to escape with evidence and will surrender or bargain if cornered. A captured raider can identify the stone-cut entrance to the abandoned mine.
ScalingFor a smaller or level 3 party, use two lookouts and no snarekeeper. For a larger or level 5 party, use four lookouts, the snarekeeper, and difficult ground that limits movement. These are guidance changes, not official 5E stat blocks.
The Shrine Below
Combat
A buried stone chamber split by a fissure, with waist-high rubble, a narrow ledge, hanging roots, and a central ritual basin. The captives are bound near the basin, and the unstable floor makes movement around the fissure risky.
Foes
Veyra Sorn, use a suitable spellcasting humanoid profile adjusted for the party
2-4 Gloam Tendrils, custom hazards that restrain or pull rather than acting as full creatures
Optional: 1 Buried Maw, a custom aberrant creature or reskinned suitable monster for a level 5 party
ComplicationAt the end of each round, a marked captive or dropped object is pulled a short distance toward a fissure unless the tendril is severed, pinned, or the ritual focus is disrupted. Treat this as a custom environmental hazard, not an official monster feature.
ScalingFor level 3 or a weakened party, Veyra is alone with two tendrils, and the Buried Maw does not emerge. For level 4, add a third tendril. For level 5, add the Buried Maw or increase the number of tendrils. Avoid using all options together against a depleted party.
Cast
4Sister Garaele
QuestgiverQuestgiver and ally
WantsProtect the town and prevent an unjust attack on nearby orcs.
“Find the people who are missing. I do not care what the tracks say until we know where they lead.”
Mara Dendrar
Witness
WantsKeep her family safe and persuade Phandallin to act against the supposed raiders.
“The tracks were fresh, and they went straight toward the old road. If the town wants an answer, it should stop asking me to wait.”
Ketha Ashfang
Wildcard and potential ally
WantsKeep her band alive and prevent a fight that would expose their hidden refuge.
“We have taken no one. Someone wants you angry enough to come looking, and that is exactly what they want.”
Veyra Sorn
Antagonist
WantsUse the captured villagers to complete a ritual that will open a passage to a buried, predatory presence.
“The voices below are not the dead. They are the last people who believed they could be rescued.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A silver-inlaid compass from a rescued prospector, worth 25 gp or useful as a personal memento
Veyra's field journal, containing clues to other buried sites
Optional custom item: a one-use charm of stilling, which suppresses a magical fissure or similar supernatural opening for one minute
On a win
The characters rescue the captives and stop or interrupt Veyra's ritual.
The immediate disappearances end, and evidence clears Ketha's band of responsibility. If the party shares what it learned, Phandallin can avoid an unnecessary attack, though fear and suspicion will take time to settle.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party accuses or attacks Ketha's band without investigating the planted evidence.
- The town sends an armed group toward the wrong hills. The Ashfang band suffers losses, and Phandallin becomes less willing to trust the party or negotiate.
- The characters fail to disrupt the ritual before its final stage.
- One or more captives are lost to the fissure, and the presence beneath the shrine gains a foothold. It does not fully emerge, but strange disappearances and dreams continue.
- The party loses the final confrontation or retreats without securing the shrine.
- Veyra escapes with a stolen focus or a captive, leaving behind enough evidence to reveal the nature of the threat but not its full purpose.
Complications (d6)
- 1A frightened farmhand mistakes the party for orc allies and runs toward town to raise the alarm.
- 2A sudden rain washes away the newest tracks; the party must rely on a witness, a recovered scrap of cloth, or another clue.
- 3A captured villager begins speaking in a second voice that knows one character's name.
- 4A Phandallin patrol arrives and demands that the party hand over Ketha, who they believe is responsible.
- 5A black, rootlike tendril breaks through a nearby wall and drags a loose object toward the buried shrine.
- 6Veyra's agents start the ritual early, shortening the time available to reach the captives.
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