Blood in the Water | 5th Level Fifth Edition Adventure (Patreon)

BLOOD IN THE WATER

Blood in the Water is a Fifth Edition adventure intended for three to five characters of 4th to 6th level and is optimized for four characters with an average party level (APL) of 5. Characters who complete this adventure should earn enough experience to reach one-third of the way to level 6. A local dungeon provides a nearby village with an opportunity to delve it annually. This year the adventurers have not come back, and the villagers suspect something sinister is at work. This adventure takes place in the Freelands campaign setting but fits into any existing campaign that has a small coastal town with only a few modifications. 

BACKGROUND

The Tidal Caves are an underwater cavern just off the Breakwater Coast in the Freelands and within sight of the quiet village of Wakeview. For reasons unknown, each year, the ocean waves recede, and the caves are accessible to any who dare to brave their dangers. The Wakeview locals have made it an annual quest to send a band of heroes to reap the dungeon’s rewards.
The caves’ monstrous inhabitants have never been too difficult for the locals to manage — but this year, the heroes have failed to return. The Wakeview Council is concerned and calling for volunteers to enter the caves and rescue their people. Time is running out for any hope of reaching them before the sun sets and the tides reclaim the cavern.

ABOUT THE TIDAL CAVES

Long before Wakeview came to call it the Tidal Caves, the underwater merfolk temple dedicated to the Deliverer was a sight to behold. The songs of their worship rang out across the waves for all to hear, amplified by the Tidal Pearl, a holy relic that controlled the tides. The merfolk would use the Pearl once a year to pull back the waters and allow the small village of nearby shore folk the chance to join in their passionate songs.
The temple eventually was attacked by a band of roving merrow who were rampaging through the area. The shore folk eventually repelled the merrow but not before the crazed monstrosities collapsed the temple, killing the remaining merfolk and burying the Tidal Pearl in the rubble.
As time passed, the shore folk would forget the temple's history and the merfolk’s songs, but every year the Pearl would still pull back the tides to let them inside. Little did they know that the merrow would one day return, seeking the power of the  Pearl once more.

NEW MONSTER & MAGIC ITEM

- The Giant Electric Eel: They give a great hug!
- The Tidal Pearl: Control the Waves