For centuries this dungeon lay beneath the surface
of a broad, shallow lake, the headwaters of a
meandering river. The river’s source was no
natural spring, however, but a set of decanters of endless
water. Eons of unnatural erosion have finally done their
work, and a sinkhole has recently formed beneath the
river. As several decanters fell into the depths below,
the oncemighty torrent has dwindled. The lake receded
into a mere stream, causing severe drought downriver.
Worse, the sinkhole has opened the way for dangers
more fearsome than drought. A massive network of
underground passages now lies revealed, and the
PCs must brave these depths if they are to recover the
missing decanters and restore the broken river.
The Broken River in Your Campaign
Sometimes a campaign needs an excuse to get out of
town and into the dungeon. The Broken River offers
exactly this sort of stepping stone. A land beset by
drought and a newly exposed subterranean world offer
an excellent excuse to steer a party of bold explorers
towards their first adventure. If your campaign features
cavern exploration, invasions from underground races,
or if you’d just like a convenient entry point to a larger
dungeon complex, this adventure will suit your needs.
1. The Architect’s Statue
This statue is badly eroded, but seems to depict a
male tiefling. A DC 12 Linguistics check is enough
to decipher the inscription on the base: The archmage
Barreus, who gave drink to a thirsty land.
While it would take an impractical number of decanters
of endless water to fill a river, Barreus knew such items
could serve as anchor points for a planar portal. It
was Barreus who first set five decanters into an arcane
array, creating a gateway to the elemental plane of
water. The archmage also designated a custodian to
watch over his handiwork.
