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A Dungeon Dash: Wraithwood Cavern

A level 2 side adventure for 4th edition D&D
By Kurt Sparkuhl
Questions or comments? e-mail me at: Kurt@KurtSparkuhl.com
A Dungeon Dash by Kurt Sparkuhl is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Synopsis: Long ago, in a forest since known as

Treasure and Rewards:

Wraithwood, a powerful necromancer performed a

series of dark rituals that enabled him to transcend
mortality and become a lich. Though the lich has long
since left, traces of the necrotic rituals still remain
that prevent the forest from healing. The party must
brave the perils of Wraithwood Cavern, the very
place the rituals were performed, in order to extinguish the necrotic energy that remains.

In addition to any experience that the party gains

from the monsters, traps, and hazards in the dungeon;
the party members should receive 50xp each upon the
successful completion of their quest. The total possible experience for the entire dungeon (including
every trap and hazard) is 3,575 xp.

Possible Hook:

Magic Item, level 5

Magic Item, level 4
400gp worth of monetary treasure in chests or bags
150gp for completing the quest (from the quest giver)

Choose a power source that best fits a specific character in the party (either Arcane, Divine, or Primal).
The party will be hired by a representative of one of
those power sources, perhaps a priest, wizard, or shaman to cleanse Wraithwood Cavern of the necrotic
magic that lingers there. The representative will give
the group 5 special ritual scrolls to be used to dispel
any necrotic ritual circles left inside of the cavern.

During the course of the adventure, feel free to distribute the following treasure:

Features of the Cavern:

The cavern is unlit and completely dark. The cavern
walls are covered in a variety of low-light plant life;
many of which have been twisted and mutated by the

necrotic energy that lingers there. Some especially

deadly plants like the Strangling Vine require a
keenly trained eye to discern from among the other
plants in the cavern. The walls of the cavern range
from 12-20ft high, and the ground is firm but mossy
and slippery in some areas, creating some difficult
terrain (not indicated on map, place freely).
The cavern contains 5 ritual circles that must be dispelled in order to complete the quest and cleanse the
cavern. Use the following ritual to dispel the circles:
Level 1

Remove Desecration

Category

Restoration

Time

10 minutes

Duration

Instantaneous

Cost

10gp, supplied by quest giver

Key Skill

Arcana, Religion, or Nature

Area 1 (Ritual circle)

This large area is the first room the party will enter
after descending the long natural staircase into the
cavern. Like the other areas of the cavern, the walls
are covered with an assortment of moss, vines, and
other plants. Carved into the floor in the center of
the room is a large ritual circle. A (DC 12) Arcana,
Religion, or Nature check can sense the presence of
necrotic energy from the circle.
When the party enters the room, read the following text:
After descending down the long natural staircase
deep into the cavern, you find yourself in a large
open room. The air is cold and moist, and as you
look around you notice that the walls and ceiling are
covered in plants and foliage. Two small corridors
appear to branch off deeper into the cavern. One to
your left and another straight ahead. In the center of
the room, a large ritual circle has been engraved
into the floor; interestingly there are no plants
growing around or within the circle.

Area 2 (Encounter, Ritual circle)

This large room is a hatchery for the spiders that live
inside the cavern. Spider eggs the size of watermelons are clustered around the walls and corners of the
room. Some eggs even hang heavily from the plants
on the walls. On the floor in the center of the room is
another ritual circle, similar to the one in the first
room. A group of spiders lay hidden on the ceiling
ready to ambush the party when they enter the room.
A (DC 18) perception check will notice them, preventing the spiders from gaining a surprise round in
the encounter. The spiders can leap to the floor at the
start of the encounter without taking damage.
This encounter contains:
4 Wraithwood Spiders (500xp)
1 Wraithwood Widow (150xp)

Area 3 (Encounter, Ritual circle)

The walls of this area are especially overgrown with
thick plant life; so much so in fact, that the rock
walls of the cavern have all but vanished behind the
thick and twisted vines that layer them. This is a perfect environment for the Wraithwood Chokers that
lurk within the room to stage an ambush. The Chokers have total concealment and wait patiently until
the group attempts to dispel the ritual circle; attacking only after the Wraith materializes out of the circle.
When the party attempts to dispel the ritual circle, they are interrupted (the scroll is not consumed). Read the following text:
As you open the scroll and begin the incantation of
your Remove Desecration ritual, a loud and unearthly scream fills your ears. A dark shadow bursts
upwards from the center of the circle and hovers in
front of you for a moment before reaching out at you
with a ghostly hand. During this same moment, the
plants that cover the walls of the room begin to rustle and shake as a number of dark, long-limbed figures lunge toward the group.
This encounter contains:
1 Howling Wraith (175xp)
4 Wraithwood Chokers (500xp)

Area 4 (Encounter, Ritual circle)

In the center of this room is a skeleton that has been
chained and staked to the ground on top of the ritual
circle. Similarly to Area 2, a group of spiders are
lurking along the walls and ceiling of this room
waiting for any unsuspecting prey that may wander
in. The encounter begins when either the spiders
have spotted the party, or the party has spotted the
spiders. A (DC 18) perception will spot the spiders.
When the party investigates the skeleton chained
to the ritual circle. Read the following text:
The skeleton looks to be the size of an adult human
or elf with its arms and legs stretched out. Its limbs
are chained with iron shackles attached to stakes in
the ground. It appears as if the component cost for
this dark ritual was a living person.
This encounter contains:
3 Wraithwood Spiders (375xp)
2 Wraithwood Widows (300xp)

Area 5 (Encounter, pool of water)

In the center of this room is a large pool of water
(3x3 sq. space where the number 5 is on the map).
The pool is approx. 3 feet deep and is considered
difficult terrain. Also in the room are a group of
monsters that will attack the party on sight. A (DC
15) perception check on the pool of water will reveal
another human skeleton chained to the bottom beneath the water. This appears to be purely murderous
torture as there is no ritual circle in this room.
This encounter contains:
2 Wraithwood Chokers (250xp)
1 Wraithwood Widow (150xp)
1 Howling Wraith (175xp)

Area 6 (Ritual circle)

This room contains a few items of furniture and appears to have been a makeshift living area at one
time. On the left side of the room is a small bed
along with an old writing desk and oil lamp. To the
right is a small bookshelf with a number of moldy,
ruined books. In the center of the room is another
ritual circle.

Aftermath
Once all of the ritual circles have been dispelled,
read the following text aloud:
As the last of the necrotic circles is dispelled, a
warm sensation of life and rebirth fills the cavern.
The once gnarled and twisted plants, now become
green and vibrant with life and the stale necrotic
stench that once filled the cavern subsides. It seems
that Wraithwood will need a new name when you get
back to town.

to Wraithwood Cavern, give the necromancer a name and leave behind

some journal entries that he made in
each of the rooms explaining his evil
rituals and dark ambitions.
Bring the party back to Wraithwood
at a later level. What has become of
the cavern and forest since the party
cleansed it? Have a group of orcs or
gnolls come in and seized control of
the area? Has all of the necrotic energy really been cleansed?

Dungeon Tips
Rooms 4 and 6 are excellent places
to hand out treasure parcels. Perhaps
a magical sword has been stabbed
through the skeleton in room 4 and
left there for centuries, or the necromancer who once lived in room 6
left behind some magical items or
money.
If you think your players can handle
it, spice up an encounter by placing
some Strangling Vines in an actual
encounter area, just dont forget to
add in the extra experience for each
trap!
If you want to add even more flavor

Do you have suggestions or comments regarding

this or future Dungeon Dashes? Any funny or exciting moments from a Dungeon Dash that youd like
to share? Id love to hear from you!
- Kurt