An adventure for characters level 1 to 3.
Background
Thousands of years ago there once was a significant kuo-toa population in the caves of Cragmaw which has a stunning view of the night’s sky. They were content living their lives worshipping Holgulg the holey one. A god named not for its piety, but for the numerous holes present in its worshippers.
Disgusted by the various horrors spreading from the far realm, Roth, the god of order, pulled back his bow and shot a comet of fire and ice into the darkness to force the horrors to retreat. This divine bolt circles once every thousand years and is celebrated throughout the world. Holgulg and other terrible gods were banished and held at by the magic of Roth, but he died and the comet is devoid of the protective magic.
As soon as the comet passes the gods of old will be reborn to claim their pound of flesh.
Quest
Ragorn is a studious dwarf who has travelled to Cragmaw to witness the rare astrological event. After studying star charts and topography maps he has determined that Carved Ridge is the best spot on the island to watch the comet. He is an elderly fellow and it is a bit of a hike to get to the location, so he hires the heroes to accompany him to the location and help him return unharmed.
Notes
- Carved Ridge is named for the massive mural carved into the stone. It portrays weird fish people worshipping a bug, but it also shows them fleeing Roth’s bolt. Characters that succeed a DC 15 religion check know the fable of kuo-toa who used to live on the island that worshipped Holgulg the holy. Those that succeed the check by 5 or more know that it is Holgulg the holey not holy, and that the koa-toa were keen on sacrificing humanoids to their god.
- When the comet is overhead the circular part of the mural portraying Holgulg fractures and crumbles to the ground revealing a cave. The flanking statues of fish people also fracture revealing entombed koa-toa **zombies** who attack in an attempt to capture a sacrifice for their newly awoken god.
- Holgulg is a **Carrion Crawler** with a 10 intelligence and 14 charisma. It also has a proboscis that it uses to plant eggs in his devout koa-toa. These eggs hatch and the larvae worm around beneath its skin creating intricate patterns with its tunnels which grant the kuo-toa immortality. If one of Holgulg’s **koa-toa** dies the larvae reanimate the corpse as a zombie. There are also several juvenile carrion crawlers that travel with the kuo-toa. Use a **swarm of insects (centipedes)** to represent these creatures.
(See PDF for the Dungeon and full details)