Ashes of the Calderlords

Game system: dnd5e

A GM-ready adventure set in the volcanic borderlands of the Emberwild Reaches, where fire-cult zealots and ember drakes contest ancient lava-tube ruins.

## PREMISE The ember-priests of the Ashen Vow believe a slumbering fire primordial lies sealed beneath the Cinderpeak Caldera. Their excavation teams have pushed into the lava-tube network, driving out ember drakes and displacing the Scorchborn tribesfolk who call the tunnels home. ## HOOKS - A displaced Scorchborn elder arrives at the nearest settlement, offering ancient tunnel maps in exchange for someone to drive out the ember-priests. - A merchant guild's waystation has gone silent; their last message mentioned tremors and "lights moving deep inside the rock." - An Ashen Vow defector claims the primordial the cult seeks is already awake — and hungry. ## KEY LOCATIONS **Cinderpeak Caldera (surface):** Ash-field strewn with Ashen Vow sentinels and supply caches. The caldera rim offers a commanding view and sniper vantage. **Lava-Tube Network (levels 1-3):** Partially mapped, increasingly unstable. Ember drake nesting chambers on level 2. **The Sealed Chamber (level 4):** Iron-and-obsidian door marked with primordial glyphs. The ember-priests have not yet opened it. ## NPCS - **Sera Ashveil** — Ashen Vow high priest, true believer, will negotiate if convinced the primordial cannot be controlled. - **Kothgar** — Scorchborn elder, pragmatic, wants the tunnels empty — not necessarily the priests dead. - **Miral Soot** — Ashen Vow defector, nervous, holds the only rubbing of the door's glyphs. ## FACTIONS - **The Ashen Vow:** Fanatic excavators. Well-funded. Will sacrifice members to advance the dig. - **The Scorchborn:** Indigenous tunnel-dwellers. Guerrilla fighters. Neutral to outsiders until trust is earned. - **Ember Drake Matriarch:** Not a faction — but her clutch controls level 2 and she will not be ignored.

Tags: ["factions", "wilderness", "intrigue", "fire", "emberwild"]

A community tabletop RPG campaign shared on TableTop DLC.