Dumathoin's Gulch

“Dumathoin’s Gulch” is balanced for characters of 11th level.

Location Overview

Dumathoin’s Gulch is a narrow canyon in the Sword Mountains, carved into the earth by a small but powerful stream that runs into the Mere of Dead Men. The gulch is named for the dwarven god of mining and protector of the dead, and the place has mysterious powers of its own that lead most to avoid it. This location is where the gnomes of Gnomengarde agree to meet the party and hand over their weapon: the Gnomengarde grenade.

The product of gnomish ingenuity and a dash of wild magic, the Gnomengarde grenade is the invention of two of Gnomengarde’s most gifted inventors, Fibblestib Pinebark and Dabbledob Plasterpatch. Created when their town was threatened by the white dragon Cryovain, the grenade generates a number of unpredictable magical effects when detonated. The gnomes of Gnomengarde have promised the grenade to the residents of Leilon to drive off the green dragon Old Gnawbones. If delivered safely, the grenade should convince any other threats to leave the town in peace, not in pieces.

Quest Goals

To complete the Gnomengarde’s Grenade quest (see “area The Quest Board"), the adventurers must obtain the magical grenade and escape Dumathoin’s Gulch without the grenade getting stolen or destroyed.

Travel to the Gulch

The Leilon authorities provide the party with directions to the gulch and explain that three gnomes named Fibblestib, Bindlemint, and Dabbledob will meet them there to turn over the Gnomengarde grenade. The gulch is situated almost twenty miles away, and the journey takes characters traveling on foot just over seven hours.

Encounters on the Way

The characters have the following encounters as they approach Dumathoin’s Gulch.

Panicked Gnome

The party hears a commotion in the forest as something hurries toward them. A gnome, Bindlemint Mincemower, emerges from the underbrush. Her clothes are torn and her face is bloodied by cuts, and she is terrified to the point of exhaustion. She only has enough energy to utter the word “beasts” before she collapses at the characters' feet. Moments later, a wereboar, plus one wereboar per character, including sidekicks, bursts onto the path and attacks.

Bindlemint is unharmed except for superficial cuts and exhaustion, so she can be easily revived. She explains that she was making her way to Leilon when the wereboars spotted her and gave chase. She was in the process of delivering terrible news: Dumathoin’s Gulch was attacked earlier that day by terrible creatures that stank of death. They might have been looking for the grenade, but Bindlemint didn’t hang around to ascertain their intentions. She fled, presuming that her two comrades were dead.

Gruesome Remains

When the party gets within 5 miles of Dumathoin’s Gulch, they discover signs that local wildlife has been slaughtered indiscriminately. A cursory investigation reveals that these animals—some as large as deer and others as small as hares—were killed using sharp swords. None of the animals were eaten or skinned; they were just slaughtered brutally and without cause.

Characters who succeed on DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Nature) check notice a single chipmunk watching the party from a tree. The chipmunk witnessed the slaughter in this area, and if magic is used to communicate with her, she relays that several skeletal creatures killed the animals and then continued toward the gulch.

Arrival

When the characters arrive at the top of the gulch, read the following boxed text aloud:

A fast-moving stream crashes down the gulch. Tiers of rock ascend some seventy feet to the clifftop above, and two stone pillars, fifty feet above the gulch floor, are connected by a stone arch that spans the middle of the gulch. A crumpled gnome figure rests in the center of the arch.

Near the rear of the gulch, a large glowing purple moonstone, carved into the form of a dwarf, stands on a rocky ledge. Glowing purple runes, etched into the ground and walls of the gulch, encircle the moonstone. Another gnomish figure rests, unmoving, with his back against the moonstone. Bones, bits of armor, and weapons are scattered around him.

Exploring the Gulch

Dumathoin’s Gulch was once a dwarven mine, but the erosion of the stream exposed it to the sky. The mine contained a shrine to Dumathoin, and the power of that deity still infuses the area. As the characters explore, they fall prey to the undead present here (see “area Undead Forces").

Cliffs

The gulch walls are uneven and climbable with a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check even without proper climbing equipment.

Stone Arch

The stone arch is slippery. A creature attempting to use the Dash action while crossing the arch must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature slips and falls off the arch, taking damage from the fall appropriate to the section of the arch it fell from.

The gnome on the stone arch is Fibblestib Pinebark, and she holds the main part of the Gnomengarde grenade. She is unconscious when the characters arrive. The grenade has a piece of parchment tied to it that bears the following message in Common, “Do not teleport or place in extradimensional spaces. Keep out of reach of children and orcs."

Stream

The fast-moving stream at the bottom of the gulch is five feet deep and counts as difficult terrain. A creature that enters the stream or starts its turn in it must succeed on a DC 10 Strength saving throw or fall prone due to the current.

Moonstone

The carved moonstone dwarf is a sacred statue that can be possessed by the resident eidolon (see appendix A) of Dumathoin to deal with intruders. Until the statue is possessed, it is just an object carved to represent Dumathoin. Refer to the “area Guardian of the Gulch” section for information about awakening the eidolon.

The gnome resting against the moonstone is Dabbledob Plasterpatch. He holds the magical key that must be used to wind the grenade before it can be activated (see the “Gnomengarde Grenade” sidebar for more information). Dabbledob is frozen with fear and is unable to act until the undead threat has passed.

Moon Writing

The moon writing is magical Dwarven rune script left by ancient worshippers of Dumathoin. The runes writhe and wriggle until a living creature gets within 5 feet of them. The inscription can only be read while it is still. To decipher it, a character must fulfil at least one of the following requirements:

• Understand Dwarven and succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Religion or Arcana) check.

• Succeed on a DC 25 Intelligence (Religion or Arcana) check.

• Belong to the cleric or paladin class and worship Dumathoin as a deity.

A creature that deciphers the moon runes feels at one with the moonstone statue. As a bonus action, it can attempt a DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check to command the sacred statue. On a success, the creature takes control of the statue for its next turn. This is a mental compulsion, and the creature doing it does not need to speak but must be able to see the statue. If the check fails, the statue acts independently on its turn.

Undead Forces

The following undead are present in the gulch:

Boneclaw

Near the top of the gulch, a boneclaw (see appendix A) is hiding among the shadowy trees. As the characters move into the gulch, it rushes from its hiding place and attacks. If there are five or more characters in the party, including sidekicks, a second boneclaw accompanies the first.

Boneclaws can teleport using their Shadow Jump feature, giving them access to most areas of the gulch—and possibly bringing anyone they are grappling with them! You can use this ability to trigger other aspects of the encounter ahead of time, which could complicate things, but also provide some memorable moments.

Sword Wraith Platoon

When an adventurer enters the circle of moon runes, the bits of bone, armor, and weapons fly together to form an undead platoon. The platoon is led by a sword wraith commander plus one sword wraith warrior per character, including sidekicks (see appendix A).

The moonstone’s magic temporarily incapacitated the undead here, but the life force of the adventurers brings them back. They immediately return to their mission: kill everything in the area and recover the Gnomengarde grenade for their master Ularan Mortus.

Gnome Reinforcements

If the party needs assistance, ten gnomes from Gnomengarde arrive at the gulch. They intervene if the characters are in trouble, providing healing or drawing attacks to allow the characters to escape from immediate danger.

Nine of the gnomes are Guard, and the tenth is a priest. The priest, Favora Corehoarder, is a follower of Garl Glittergold, brave enough to put herself in danger to save others.

Guardian of the Gulch

When the dwarves abandoned their mine, a particularly devout priest of Dumathoin called Sister Silvergranite insisted that she stay behind to guard the buried dead. She lived a hermit’s life until she finally passed on herself. Dumathoin blessed her and transformed her spirit into an eidolon (see appendix A).

Sister Silvergranite remained here, even as the mine collapsed and became a gulch, exposed to the sky. When called upon to defend the area, she inhabits the large moonstone statue, which acts as her sacred statue. While exposed to the sky, the statue gains a fly speed of 25 feet.

When characters enter the inner circle of moon runes, Sister Silvergranite emerges from the moonstone to assess the situation, then withdraws and animates her sacred statue. She attacks the nearest creature, either living or undead, but ignores the gnomes. If the statue is destroyed, the eidolon emerges from the moonstone, appearing as a ghostly dwarf dressed in holy raiments of Dumathoin. If any adventurers took control of the sacred statue during the battle, the eidolon allows the party to leave unharmed. If not, a successful DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check is required to convince Sister Silvergranite that the characters mean no harm and are only here to protect the gnomes.

Conclusion

If the characters survive the combat and take possession of the grenade, they can return to Leilon with one more weapon for the impending fight to save the village. When they receive the grenade from the gnomes, they’re given a thorough briefing on what it’s capable of, as well as safety cautions regarding placing it in an extradimensional space or teleportation while the grenade is in one’s possession.