Story

# 7-4 Outline

The Cinderlands are inhospitable at best, murderous at worst, but despite the dangers there are many that call it home. And wherever people gather, there will be traders attempting to sell to them.

One such enterprising band stumbles back from the Cinderlands sporting several wagons carrying far more than they should, some appearing hastily repaired. Stories start to spread of a great sinkhole in the earth, and teams of savage beasts assaulting the caravan, protecting a hidden treasure.

Wild tales of the Cinderlands are not uncommon, but when the party's follow-up investigations of Letra reveal regular trips onto the plains, paired with notes of various necromatic artifacts, an expedition seems inevitable. More confusing is the fact that the papers appear to be written in two different hands, but each is always signed: "L". One must be Letra, but who is the other?

The party travels north to investigate both Letra and the rumors of this new collapse. The latter turn out partly true, as the group encounters a nest of ankegh, including a hive mother. The nest looks newly established, and the cleft in the ground was caused by the expanding hive encountering an existing set of passages that disappear further into the earth.

The adventurers find they are not the first to arrive, however. A party of orcs from Urglin have abandoned their ankegh hunt to pillage the newly revealed complex, and are not at all interested in sharing. Once they are pursuaded, whether by word or deed, the tunnels eventually lead to a set of rooms patrolled by a dread wraith, bound and enslaved to guard the secrets within.

The wraith defeated, the party discovers from the remains of the hastily departed rooms that the second "L" was Lysanar, and learn of of his aim to use the Rebirth Stone to reanimate the Vault of the Sleepers.

story banes ideas:

* Ankegh

* Hive Mother

* Orc Captain

* Dread Wraith

loot ideas:

* mask of the banshee: https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=738

* staff of necromancy: https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=360

* urn of ashes: https://2e.aonprd.com/Equipment.aspx?ID=751

  - maybe create a new doomed scourge? debut it in scenario 4,then give this loot with powers to offset

Doomed, Scourge 0

While Marked:

* Your hand size is reduced by 1.

* If you did not explore this turn, after resetting your hand, remove this scourge.