Bottom of the food chain

Introduction: This is a challenging adventure where adventurers are put up against several powerful
monsters that have been ravaging the area

A 3-hour adventure for 7th-10th level characters

by Serephiel

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Chapter One, A plea for help
Overview
In this adventure the party will be asked to investigate and
slay a monster that has destroyed the town of Fairview. The
adventure is designed to fit easily into a pre existing cam-
paign.
The party will be put up against 4 Cyclopses, a pack of Bulet-
te's, and finally have a showdown with a Hydra. The mon-
sters have been pushed out of their ancestral hunting
grounds by a newly arrived black dragon(Not in this adven-
ture), and have been forced to enter the realms of men for
sustenance.
Hook adjustments: The starting town will be a town your
characters are already in, or if they are traveling on the road,
you can have Lord Crane be talking with 2 guards patrolling
that road
Starting the adventure
Hook(See Hook adjustments above if need be):
As the party walks though the city they see a nobleman in
tattered garments arguing with the city guard
“You must do something, the town is completely
destroyed!” a richly dressed man yells at the guards.
“The town of Fairview destroyed? Impossible.” One of the
guards replies
“And if that really was the case, we would of heard
something. Probably from someone without holes in their
clothes” the other guard quips with a smirk.
The conversation devolves into insults
If the party approach the man, read:
As you approach you do see that the richly dressed man's
clothes are dirty and have many rips in them. He is tall
with a short hair and his face is covered in stubble.
“Well here you go, some adventurers to look into your
monster problem” one of the guards says with a hearty
laugh
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“Well I suppose you're not our problem anymore, you
have wasted enough of our time, maybe these folk will be
foolish enough to believe your story of a 10 headed
monster” the other guard says as he gestures to the party
and shoves him to the party. The old man stumbles and
falls, the the two guards laugh and walk away
He quickly stands up, dusts himself up and addresses the
party “Good people, you must believe me, the entire town
of Fairview has been destroyed! Please help us!”
The man seems exhausted but is doing is best to hold the
conversation.
-If asked, he will introduce himself as Lord Edmond Crane
of Fairview
-If asked what happened, he will reply “A large towering
reptilian monster with a dozen heads assaulted our town,
devouring everyone it could catch!” If any player wants to
try and figure it out, a DC 20 survival role will lead them
the believe it's a hydra. If you know that a party member
has encountered a Hydra before, they will figure it out no
matter what they roll.
-If asked for more details, he will recount “I was going for a
walk in the afternoon, it was truly a beautiful day. Some-
time around what must have been noon, I heard a large
crash as the gate of our town was broken down. I saw it. It...
it was huge, a monster truly out of legend. I saw several of
our own guardsmen attack it...and...they just got eaten, one
after another, one bitten and tossed up in the air and then
eaten by another of the heads... it...it...it was...” Will be all he
will say
-If asked how he got away, he will reply with “Once I saw
carnage at the front gate, I knew I wouldn't have much
time. I mounted my old warhorse and rode fast out of the
North Gate warning everyone I could to run for their lives”
-If asked if he knows of other survivors. He will reply that
“There is a hamlet near Fairview named Homestead, most
of the other refugees where headed that way.
-If asked about a reward, he will tell the party that the peo-
ple of Fairview will be happy to pay them for their services
and to talk to his brother Lord Desmond Crane at Home-
stead. He will be happy to draw a crude map for them.
-If the party seems reluctant, Lord Crane will stress the ex-
travagance of the reward. He will say they will need to talk
to his Brother, Lord Desmond Crane for the details though
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Once the party accept his request, he will thank them pro-
fusely and wish them luck.
The city of Homestead is oneday travel-time away from the
current town. The journey there is uneventful. If you do
not have any specific climates for this region, you can read
the party:
The Party passes out of town and into sweeping fields, the
fields go on for several hours and eventually the road
starts leading through an expansive grasslands. The
grasslands persist for several more hours and then hit an
abrupt treeline. The road becomes more windy as the
path takes you through this thick forest. After another 6
hours or so the forest clears into vibrant farmland. In
under an hour the party see the township of Homestead.
Part 2: Homestead
As they reach this town, read this to the party:
Homestead is a small hamlet with only a few building in
it and a large windmill. The town is crowded with
refugees of all ages, as you approach you can hear people
crying and children whining. You do see an older man
dressed in a blue vest and tophat barking orders at men
trying to put together a tent.
-If the party talks to the refugees, they will just ask for food
or water. Though if asked who is in charge, they will ges-
ture to the man in the blue vest and say Lord Crane is.
-Once the party approaches Lord Desmond Crane, they will
see Lord Crane visibly relax. He will eagerly welcome them
and ask who sent them. He will be relived to hear that his
brother, Lord Edmond is alive and well. He will then tell
the party that they must move quick incase there are still
people alive in Fairview. He will offer to pay the party a
sum of 750 GP.
-If a party member tries to persuade him to pay more, a DC
15 persuasion will get him to increase it to 1k. If a party
member tries to intimidate him using the threat of the
monster continuing to eat his people, A dc 10 intimidation
roll will get him to double the reward to 1,500 GP and will
see him beg the party to save Fairview
-If the party requires more payment, he will give them a
key to the safe in his manor, saying that all he has is theirs.
Once the party accepts, he gratefully thanks them and
points them in the direction of Fairview. If it is late, he will
offer to let them spend the night a large tent they will set
up for them. Fairview is just 6 hours west of Homestead.
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Part 3: Fairview
The journey to Fairview will take the party 6 hours, the ter-
rain will be an hour of farmlands and some grasslands.
You may read this to the party if you'd like:
The Journey to Fairview takes the party around 6 hours,
the party passes through mostly farm land an a few large
swathes of grasslands.
Once the party reaches Fairview, please read them the fol-
lowing:
After hours of traveling you see the giant stone walls of a
large city in the distance. As you get closer, you see the
devoured remains of several humanoids and the large
wooden gate to the city shattered to pieces. The scent of
rotting then hits everyone, it takes great effort not to
vomit.
If the party investigate the scene, they will see a half dozen
remains outside the gate. Through the gate they see dozens
and dozens of corpses, most with very little remaining of
them.
Once they enter the city, read this to them:
The stench of rotting meat is overpowering, ahead of
everyone is a scene that none of you will likely ever
forget. A line of beautiful two story houses and shops, all
unnaturally silent. Human remains are scattered
everywhere, all of the houses have broken windows and
doors on both levels. Suddenly you hear a large crack
some ways off, like a tree has been broken in two.
If the party searches the houses and shops, there will be no
survivors. There is a blacksmith's shop just a few houses
ahead of them, if they take the time to search it there is: 150
arrows, 300 crossbow bolts, 8 Longswords, 3 Warhammers,
3 Crossbows, 5 Longbows, 1 Hand Crossbow, 3 shorswords, 1
Rapier, and 3 Greatswords.
As the party move down the street they will see several
more broken buildings, and hear large grunts. A DC 10 sur-
vival check will reveal they are not a Hydra, and a DC 20
will reveal that they seem to be those of a giant or Cyclops.
Encounter 1: The Cyclops
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If the party sneaks up on the cyclops, they will just need to
beat their passive perception of 8 to be successful. They can
set up a surprise round if they successfully sneak up on
them. If they are unsuccessful in their sneak or approach
normally, read the scene bellow:
Ahead of you there are 4 towering cyclops standing in
front of a building, one has his arms around it as if try to
rip it out of the ground.
“Cuummm on out, weeeeess hungry” it says as it rattles
the house, and inside you hear a you girl scream.
One of the Cyclops turns around as you approach “Well
hello 'der, who is you?” it say in a booming voice the party
The Cyclops will chat freely with the party until it gets
bored or hungry. If the party is respectful to the Cyclops, he
will show great pleasure at that(Not enough though that
they will refrain from trying to eat them once the conver-
sation has gone it's course though).
-The Cyclops will ask the party what they are doing here
-The party will notice something weird about the cyclops
they are talking with, he will have a scorch mark on his
side. A DC 15 survival will tell the party that it looks like it
was caused by acid, and a DC20 survival will suggest that
with how big it is that it was likely a black dragon
-If they party ask the Cyclops about the mark or why they
are here, he will say “We normally don't like to come into
hummie land, but the Black One has claimed all land and
even ate 'ole Gurtz. We's was hungry 'an 'ads to go 'ere.”
-If they are asked to describe the Dark one, one of the cy-
clops in the back will say “Bin 'n Nasty, 'dat Dark One is. All
scales and wings and stings, no good”
-If the party try to persuade the cyclops to leave, they say
they will leave once they eate all the hummies.
-If Asked about the Hydra, they will say “You mean the
snek? We 'ere huntin the snek, but it lead us to hummies
instead, much better eatin then scales and teeth”
-If asked which way the Hydra went, they point north
Once the convo has run it's course they will stair at the par-
ty and squint as they will come the the realization “Aye,
yous a hummie too, we's gonna eat you!”(Regardless of ac-
tual race) and combat will begin.
Encounter 1 Combat:
There are 4 cyclop's, as described in page 45 of the MM.
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Tactics: They will just charge in and attack whoever is clos-
est. They are starving and will fight to the death.
Loot: Once defeated, they have no loot on them besides
their over-sized clubs.
Fairview post battle:
Inside the house that the Cyclops where shaking is a dead
man with half a torso left and 3 young girls covered in
blood. They look to be between ages 8 and 12. They will
thank the party for saving them, and tell the party that 'Fa-
ther' was eaten when one of the many demons heads came
through the window unexpectedly, and then start to cry at
the recollection. The Girls say they know how to get back to
homestead from here, and can make the way on their own.
If the party searches for more survivors, they will find 4d6
in various buildings. All of them thank the adventurers for
saving their lives and hurry off to Homestead. Inside most
buildings are rotting corpses with massive bites out of
them, it's clear the buildings did little more for the people
of Fairview then make them easy prey.
There are 5 mansions in a plaza in the town center. Inside
each of the mansions is 700-1200 GP worth of ornate silver-
ware, art, tapestries and similar stuff if the party is in-
clined to loot them. There isn't much of value in the small-
er houses. In 2 of the larger houses there are safes that re-
quire DC 20 thieves tool checks to open. Inside the one in
Crane Manor is: 1200 GP in gold coins, 479 GP in assorted
gems, 3 scrolls of “greater Restoration”, and a long slim
knife with an ornate Crane engraved on the hilt(Dagger
+2). Inside the other locked chest in the other manor, there
is 700 GP, A Bag of Holding, 1 potion of heal, and a set of
Mithral chainmail on the bottom rolled up.
The path of the hydra is obvious, it devoured and destroyed
everything in it's path. It's devastation leads through most
of the town and exits out of the destroyed north gate.
Part 4, the road north:
Read this to the party as they follow the trails of the Hydra
on the Northern road:
The path ahead of you is littered with human remains,
broken carriages, and what is left of their horses. Some of
the remains are covered in vultures that take flight once
the party nears.
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Tracking the hydra north requires no survival rolls, it's
quite clear where it is going. After an hour of traveling or
so, read this this to the party:
As you travel north on the road following the trail of the
Hydra, you feel the ground shake beneath your feet.
A DC 20 survival check will make the party member think
this is a Bulette attack The party members have one round
to cast spells or ready actions
4 large monsters erupt from the ground surrounding the
party. They are covered in stonelike hide with large claws
and a huge gaping mouth that could easily swallow a
horse whole!
Encounter 2:
4 Bulette's (page 34 of the MM) surround and then attack
the party.
Tactics: They attack whatever party member is closest to
them
Part 5, the ravenous beast:
Once the fight is over, the party can take a short or a long
rest if desired with no penalty. Once they continue on, read
this:
After around an hour of traveling you finally catch up
with the Hydra. It is a huge horror with a crocodilian
body and multiple heads on long, serpentine necks. You
see several knocked down trees and humanoid remains
scattered amongst them. The Hydra has its forelegs upon
a particularly large Oak tree, with it's heads snapping at
something high inside it.
As the party nears the Hydra, you hear screams of help
from somewhere in the tree and the Hydra's heads instant-
ly all turn towards the party. It turns away from the tree
and charges at the party!
Encounter 3:
The Hydra's stats can be found on page 190 of the MM
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Tactics: It will attack whoever is closest until someone hit's
it particularly hard, then all of it's heads will lock eyes with
that person and begin to focus them.
Once the Hydra is defeated, the party will see a huge ab-
normal 'burn' on it's side. A DC 10 survival will inform the
party that it was cased by a very powerful acid attack, and
a DC 20 survival will suggest that it was a black dragon. If
they get a 20+ here but not with the Cyclops, they will real-
ize that the cyclops was also burned by a black dragon. The
roll of 20+ will also allow them to put together that both of
the animals where driven out of their territory by a black
dragon. If they conversed with the Cyclops and where told
about the black dragon, A DC 10 will be all they need to fig-
ure this information out.
The DM can lower the DC for identifying the cause if he
knows the player examining it has fought a black dragon
before. In that situation I would recommend a DC 10
Returning to Homestead:
Once the Hydra has been defeated, a family of 5 makes its
way down the tree to great the adventurers
The party see's a small group of people climb down out of
the large oak tree. There are 2 Young children, a middle
aged woman, and an elderly man with a long white beard.
“You saved our lives, we are truly in your debt noble sirs!”
The old man exclaims.
-If asked who they are or what their names are, the old
man will say “We're the Bartons, I am Fesmind, My daugh-
ter is Nazella, and our two boys are Collin and Richard.”
-Fesmind will ask the party if they can travel with them to
Homestead
-If asked why they went north while Homestead is to the
West, they will say “To avoid the monster! It was devouring
the Eastern side of Fairveiw when we fled!”
The journey back to Homestead is uneventful. The Bartons
will gasp in horror if the party travels through Fairview on
the return route.
Once back in homestead, Both Lord Edmond and Desmond
Crane are there awaiting your return.
Homestead is teaming with refugees, you see the familiar
faces of both Lord Edmond and Desmond Crane. They
notice you and Lord Desmond approaches the party “By
the Divines, you have returned!” Lord Desmond exclaims
TITLE 5
“Is the beast dead, did you manage to kill it?!”

Once the party tells Lord Desmond of the Hydras defeat, he

reaches into a magical bag and hands the party the agreed
upon sum.

“Thank you, we will begin rebuilding at once!” Lord

Desmond will announce, and all the refugees cheer

“I do worry for my people though, and a beast like that at-

tacking our town has never happened before, did you man-
age to figure out why it was there?”

If the Party tell Lord Desmond that they think it was a

black dragon that drove it out of it's territory, the party
members will gain an extra 1,000 XP each and Lord
Desmond will inform the party that he will look into what
needs to be done about such an event. He will then tell the
party that the refugees will remain in Homestead for a
while longer.

I hope you enjoyed this adventure! If you like it, please rate
and comment!

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