The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave: Setting Up the Adventure

The Sea Cliffs West of Town
(Image Source)

SETTING UP THE ADVENTURE

The Forgotten Smugglers' Cave (indexed here) was written with Portown in mind, but can be placed in any campaign setting. Due to the geography of the dungeon, it should be located near a large coastal town with cliffs or other high land over water to the west of it, as the dungeon entrance is located there. The adventure assumes this water is the sea, but a bay, river or lake should work equally well.

If the adventurers are already in the coastal town, you can add the following rumor to a list of rumors that the player might hear; see Portown Rumors for an example of such a list.

"Down at the docks, a member of the Guild of Shark Hunters is looking for a group to explore a mysterious sea cave that she has discovered" (True) 

If the players are not already in town, simply replace the first clause with "In the coastal town of [name of town], a member..."

If the characters inquire further, they will learn that the angler's name is Fenza the Fearless, who hauls in coastal sharks from her boat, the Reap Tide.

She is easily located down at the waterfront, and after sizing up the party and deeming them worthy, will tell them a story, and make an offer.

"Last winter there was a terrible storm, giant waves and all, that really pounded the sea cliffs west of town. All along the base of these cliffs are piles and piles of fallen rocks rising up out of the water. So, sometime after this storm I was fishing in a favorite spot nearby and at low tide noticed that one of the bigger piles had shifted just enough to reveal the top of the entrance to a cave. 

And finding that brought back a distant memory. When I was a girl, some forty years ago, my pa used to say that falling rocks had once buried a cave full of smugglers and their treasure of platinum doubloons.

Curious, I squeezed through and, sure enough, on the inside it opened up into a long, water-filled tunnel, just shallow enough to walk through at low tide. And on scrawled on the walls were pictures of skulls and warnings to "KEEP OUT" and of "DEATH"...!

I bet the smuggler's treasure is still in there, waiting to be found, but so far I've had trouble convincing anyone else that it's worth exploring, given all the dangerous vermin found underground. I'd go myself if I was ten years younger"

Fenza offers, for a share of the treasure, to show the party where the cave is, drop them off, and then continue to fish nearby until they return to be picked up.

Her fishing boat is not overly large, holding only four in addition to herself, but the players can rent, for 5 gp/day, another rowboat holding up to six, and Fenza can tow it after dropping them off.

Fenza the Fearless: DX 9, F1, hp 8, AC 7 (sharkskin leather), #AT 1 fishing knife (dagger)

FURTHER RUMORS

By investigating further in town (talking to old timers; employing a sage; researching in the town's free library), the characters may also learn the following rumors about the old smuggling organization:

Roll a d6:

1. "The smugglers who operated in town were once so powerful that they kept dragons as guards." (False; they used giant iguanas to pull carts of smuggled goods)

2. "The smugglers used to be the real rulers of Portown." (True; they bribed several members of the ruling council; evidence of this can be found in the office of the arch smuggler)

3. "Anyone who crossed the smugglers would end up buried in a crypt under their hideout." (False; the smugglers buried their own dead in the crypts, not others)

4. "The smugglers crossed a powerful wizard and were destroyed by his magic." (False; the smugglers stole the platinum doubloons from a wizard and ended up fighting over them)

5. "If you find platinum doubloons, do not touch them! They are cursed and you will never leave the caves." (True; although there is a way to lift this curse)

6. "The smugglers had a secret way into town that was never located." (True; more research into this could lead to the alternate start described in Area 20. For example, players might deduce that the newly uncovered cave is due west of the Green Dragon)