Shots in the Dark #1 · p.31-34 · 3p
Open source p.31The Forgotten Isle of the Hydra Cult
A level 1-3 adventure by Ethan Schotborgh.
Race against pirates to find buried treasure within a cursed island’s crypt.
Centuries ago, a draconic cult worshipping the thousand-headed hydra, Thuzaprld, built a secret crypt on an island to protect its fabled Ruby Heart. The map to this island was lost with the cult’s disappearance until historians recently rediscovered it. However, upon hearing the news, a group of pirates stole the map seeking to take the treasure for themselves.
Now the party is hired to stop the pirates and retrieve the Ruby Heart before it's too late!
RANDOM ENCOUNTERS
Details
1
rats (SD 245) scurry up a
PC’s leg
2
pirates (SD 243) are late to join the rest of their gang.
3
A skeleton (SD 251) rises from the shore.
4
A cobra (SD 252) slithers out from the vines to attack
Risky. Check for encounters every 2 crawling rounds.
No extracted maps for this adventure — the map is in the source book: Open source p.31
Rooms (6)
1 Shore p.31
1. SHORE
A rowboat sits on the southern shore. Footprints in the sand lead into a dark cave covered in mossy vines.
• The rowboat belongs to the pirates in area 3. It contains 60’ rope and large rodent bite marks.
• The footprints appear to be four pairs of boots and two sets of large rodents.
• A submerged entrance on the east side of the island leads into
Area 3.
2 Cave Statue p.31
2. CAVE STATUE
A 10’ tall statue of a rearing hydra opens its maw towards the cave entrance. On the floor is a charred body with two giant rats gnawing at its burning flesh.
• The giant rats (SD 245) belong to the pirates in Area 3. They attack loud intruders who don't give them food.
• The body was recently scalded by the statue. Its dagger lies nearby.
• The statue has two 10 gp gems embedded into its eye sockets. If touched, the statue breathes a cone of scalding steam dealing
damage to anyone who fails a
DC 12 DEX check.
3 Skull Door p.31
3. SKULL DOOR
Seawater pours in from the corner of this cave. A stone door carved like a skull sits at the north end of the cave. Three pirates surround the door scratching their heads while bickering with each other.
• The pirates (SD 243) are named
Rum Dog (peg leg, bossy), Wee
Rat (short, mutters), and Mad
Fish (wild eyes, drools). They are searching for treasure, but can’t get past the locked door. They may ask for the party’s help to solve the puzzle only to backstab them later.
• The skull door is locked with a draconic riddle engraved on the forehead (DC 15 INT to decipher if no one speaks draconic).
“Always old, sometimes new.
Never sad, sometimes blue. Never empty, sometimes full. Never pushes, always pulls.”
• If “the Moon” is said out loud, the door opens. Otherwise the door can be opened with a DC 20 STR or DC 18 DEX lock pick check. The lock mechanism is located in one of the skull’s eye sockets.
4 Sloped Hall p.31
4. SLOPED HALL
A statue of a hydra with two heads glares from the end of this sloped hall. A door on the wall sits to the statue’s right.
• A hidden tripwire lays on the floor. If activated, a trap door opens on the east wall where a
5 ft diameter stone boulder begins rolling down the hall on initiative count 0. DC 12 DEX or take damage from the boulder.
• A 10 ft long pit trap lays in the center of the hall. DC 15 DEX check or fall 10 feet.
5 Crypt p.31
5. CRYPT
Four stone coffins lie on the floor of this crypt. A statue of a thousand- headed hydra looms in an alcove with a claw extending out.
• Four skeletons (SD 251) with draconic skulls rise to attack anyone who disturbs their graves or whenever the trap in Area 6 is activated. One of them wields a longsword with a pommel fashioned into multiple small hydra heads, their necks weaving the grip.
• The statue’s claw can be pulled to reveal a secret door to area 6.
6 Treasure Vault p.31
6. TREASURE VAULT
Murals depict raging seas and monsters rising from the waves to consume all upon the land. Piles of gold and silver are scattered across the floor. At the center sits a stone altar with a skeletal hand gripping the Ruby Heart (300gp).
• 500 sp and 100 gp are scattered across the dusty floor.
• The stone altar is trapped to collapse the entire dungeon if the
Ruby Heart is removed without being replaced by something of similar weight/size (DC 15 DEX).
The dungeon collapses in 6 rounds, crushing all who are still left inside.
Player Handout
Skull Door Engraving
“Always old, sometimes new.
Never sad, sometimes blue.
Never empty, sometimes full.
Never pushes, always pulls.”