904 The Cult of the Maw

A priest once said, “For someone to become a saint or a venerated figure, they must lead a great life and accomplish divine status through epic action. In contrast, cultists and zealots will turn any beast or monster into their god. But beware, their misplaced faith and devotion can turn a mindless creature into a real threat.”

Level-6 Adventure

Adventure Hook. The characters are hired to deal with the Cult of the Maw, a recently formed band of cloaked men that abducts innocents near the capital. Some of the best knights in the city sought them out but never returned. The authorities believe these cultists are using people as fuel for their dark rituals. The heroes are given directions and offered 5,000 GP to bring an end to the foul cult.

The Cult. These zealots are insane. They sacrifice innocents and throw them into the maw of an otherworldly beast they know little of. In their minds, they unleash its true potential. And perhaps, they do…

Brave Men. They had no choice. It was their duty to protect the populace from this threat. But if they were still alive, they would say they did not sign up for this. They had no chance against these dark horrors. They were sent to their deaths.

Getting There

The characters are given directions to the dungeon and travel 6 hours to the cult’s lair, a forlorn tomb, unused and abandoned. Two cult fanatics and four cultists attempt to ambush the characters (DC 13 Perception to hear them).

The Cult of the Maw

The Maw refers to a mighty beast that once tried to defy the gods. In its hubris, it attempted to chew more than it could. The deities punished the beast with eternal imprisonment. However, thanks to the devotion of insane zealots and improvised cults, little by little, the Maw has grasped a sliver of the physical world again.

Random Events 1d8

d8	Details
1	A city knight follows the characters. He wishes to avenge his fallen comrades. He joins their group and vows to see this through with them.
2	Two cultist fanatics and four cultists intercept the party. They cannot be reasoned with. Their goal is to subdue the heroes to sacrifice them.
3	A random hero fails to see a tripwire and triggers a trap. A swinging blade deals 2d10 Slashing damage (DC 16 Dexterity for half).
4	The dungeon trembles while a horrible growl pierces the ears of the adventurers. The Maw expects another human sacrifice soon.
5	Four toughs and a tough boss block the heroes’ path. They are on the cult’s payroll. 100 GP per head can buy out their loyalty.
6	A strong current of dark arcane energy traverses the dungeon. All light sources, including the dungeon’s, flicker and are then extinguished.
7	Three toughs and four cultists spot the characters. If they offer at least 200 GP to the toughs, they turn their backs on the cultists.
8	A hero steps on a pressure plate. Darts fly and hit two random travelers (DC 14 Constitution or they get the Poisoned condition for 1 hour).

This adventuring supplement is designed for D&D5e. On out Patreon page you can get it in PDF format (see image). Notice that some of the layout elements can only be presented as intended in the PDF layout (side-margin boxes and statblocks). The downloads include hi-res images for the maps.

1. Dungeon Entrance

The characters find a hole in the ground that leads to a set of descending stairs (see above).

Cult Lair. Cave-ins destroyed the original entrance to this tomb. It has been abandoned ever since. The cultists turned it into their base of operations.

Dark Altar. When a non-member of the cult approaches this area, four wights emerge from the plinths’ bones and attack.

Vault. A button behind the dark shrine causes a wall section to slide (DC 16 Perception). There are 350 GP and 250 GP worth of silver items and jewels.

Pitfall. This trap door is triggered when a creature stands on it (DC 16 Dexterity save).

Trap Door. The cultists integrated an Alarm spell into this trapdoor. They are warned whenever it is activated. They use area 2 to bypass this section of the dungeon safely.

2. Secret Corridor

One of the braziers near the stairs can be grabbed and turned (DC 18 Perception to notice the marks on the floor). Inside, a ladder that descends 40 feet to the lower level of the dungeon (area 8). As this corridor bypasses area 1. The cultists use this pathway to reach area 3 safely.

3. Sacrificial Plank

Four cultists and a cult fanatic stand guard at all times. If a battle occurs, the standing sarcophagi open and four skeletons help the cultists. Combat noise alerts the cultists in area 5. Casting a Silence spell, centered on the chasm, prevents this.

4. Circles of Teleportation

The stone circles are connected. Standing on one teleports the subject to the other circle (see map). They can transport two people at a time and then need 1 minute to recharge.

5. The Maw

Its name does it justice: countless teeth protruding from a bulbous mouth surrounded by spiny tentacles lie at the 20-foot-wide chasm. A sight to behold.

If an unfortunate soul were to fall into the fauces of the Maw, they would suffer a horrible, gruesome, screaming death.

The cult’s leader (mage) and six cultists are ready to fight the heroes if they are warned.

6. Unholy Sarcophagi

The cult’s evil has corrupted the dead in these enclosures. Three or two ghasts (see map), attack the heroes when they pass through any of these areas.

7. Golden Urns and Storage

One room stores wooden barrels and wooden crates. There is nothing of value. The other contains gold-coated urns, filled with the ashes of dozens. Each urn is valuable, but also heavy. Attempting to move them summons the ire of these poor souls. They materialize into two wraiths.

Treasure. Each melted urn is worth 200 GP.

8. Antechamber / Spiked Pit

Whoever falls 40 feet into the pit takes 4d6 Piercing damage. They need 1 round to climb out. However, the sound of their fall alerts the cultists in area 5. They come to finish the job.

Development

The characters are safe from the monster in the pit as long as they leave it alone. However, if they defeat all the cultists and enemies in the dungeon, without zealots to feed it, the monster in the chasm fears for its survival. It transforms… The Maw attacks the heroes before they leave. This is the best path of action for the characters because if they attempt to harm the beast while fighting the cultists, they accelerate its transformation, and therefore, they must fight The Maw and the cultists simultaneously. Will they prevail before this otherworldly, insane threat?

The Maw

Large Fiend (Demon), Chaotic Evil

Armor Class 16 Initiative +5 (15)

HP 210 (20d10 + 100)

Speed 40 ft.

		MOD	SAVE			MOD	SAVE			MOD	SAVE
Str	22	+6	+10	Dex	13	+1	+1	Con	20	+5	+9
Int	16	+3	+3	Wis	16	+3	+7	Cha	15	+2	+6

Skills Deception +6, Perception +7

Resistances Cold, Fire, Lightning

Immunities Poison; Poisoned

Senses Truesight 120 ft.; Passive Perception 17

Languages Abyssal; telepathy 120 ft.

CR 9 (XP 5,000; PB +4)

Traits

Magic Resistance. The Maw has Advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Multiattack. The Maw makes two Rend attacks and uses Bite.

Rend. Melee Attack Roll: +10, reach 10 ft. Hit: 17 (2d10 + 6) Slashing damage.

Bite. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 17, a creature hit by both Rend attacks. Failure: 24 (4d8 + 6) Piercing damage.

Teleport. The Maw teleports up to 120 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.

Reactions

Pursuit. Trigger: Another creature the Maw can see ends its move within 120 feet of the Maw. Response: The Maw uses Teleport, but its destination space must be within 10 feet of the triggering creature.