Temple of Baphomet

An old cave south west of Kornwall. A path leads up the large hill through a steep forest often plagued by Ogres trying to intercept the travel route to Citys of the southern Stormlands. A tight cave leads into the rocky hill into a number of halls formerly used by an ancient civilization of elfin heritage - Aravaile. A huge door littered with strange symbols is blocked by rubble, locking the path into a deep cave system build like a maze and inhabited by beasts, aborations and demons. In the depth there are many secrets to be found, the most important one a gate to the realm of Baphomet himself, hidden behind a regular stone statue. In front of this statue is a lake of lava inhabited by a demonic minotaur spirit called hate, that connects these halls to the story of Lebos and Mahabi, Bloodmother, the leader and creator of the Blood Whitches.

Quests

Quest 1 - First Steps into the unknown (Recommended lvl 3-4)

Part 1 - Intercepted delivery

The players enter the forest that is spreading around the entrance to the Temple of Baphomet. The heroes see 3 heavily ravaged humanoid corpses dead on the ground, an empty cart on the road with a small bag still on it, a wounded and aggressive dog guarding the cart and large bloody trails of something heavy that was dragged into the surrounding forest while some shredded leafs are scattered all over the place. (Find the ogres or progress to part 2).

- Three dead Humanoids, These humanoids have been crushed to death. Medicine DC12: Wounds like this must have been created by bludgeonign weapons that should be to heavy for a normal sized being. In some wounds there are still left overs of bark. It seems like these people were attacked with medium sized trees.

- The bag on the cart, There is roughly 5kg of very smelly small rocks in it. Alchemy Kit DC 12: Rocks of sulfur usually used to build explosives.

- The wounded dog. It's barking at anyone trying to come close, shivering and being afraid. Animal Handling DC12: The dog let's you help her. She wears a collar with a name - Lady. She will follow you and warn you when enemy's are near or you get close to the ogre camp. If succesfull she will allow a unique option in the next quest.

- The large trails, a hooved creature was slain here and draged into the woods. The trails end a few steps into the forest. Survival DC 12: There is a trail of blood leading deeper into the forest to be followed. The beast bleeding was seemingly carried.

- The shredded leafs, the smell nice and familliar. Cooking/Nature/Herbalist DC 12: Parsley and Basil crushed the way people use it to cook. Fantastic for every delicate meal and expensive. It was left behind seemingly.

Part 1.1 - Feasting Ogres (1XP)

Ogres are sitting around a large campfire roasting a whole bull. They will defend the stuff stole from the cart with their lives or are willing to trade for food. Through the dark forest the crackling of a fire can be heard. Deep voices are talking about how to properly grill a bull. Through the trees the heroes can spot 3 ogres sitting around a campfire not being aware of the heroes presence yet. Behind them there is a mountain of sacks and crates. Near the heroes there is a hightened position that could allow a view around, just big enough for one person. Getting closer means a chance to be spotted. If so the heroes need sharp blades or good arguments for stupid monsters.

- Sneak up, Stealth DC 8: Get up to 30ft.

- Kill the Ogres to claim their robbed goods, Fight and Kill or convince for Food, Persuasion/Deception/Intmidation DC12: Reward. 1500 Gold Pieces, 50 Rations, 5 Pick Axes, 1x Silvered Longsword, 1x Historic Book about Blood Whitches, 1x Book about Stormlands History, 3x Potion of healing, 1x potion of fire resistance.

- Heightened Ground, Perception DC 12: You can see/smell another bull near by outside of the immediate area. It is bound to a tree waiting to be freed. Reward: Bull. This Bull can mave the cart. Otherwise it might take fatigue for the players to move the restocked cart.

- If you have the dog Lady with you: She will sprint off into the woods: If she is followed by a character that is not part of the combat then, this character will find a roughed up human. He sais his name is Ben, he is an alchemist and lady is his dog. Reward: Information. The Prisoner tells the heroes his name is Alvin and he is an Alchemist. He was part of a Team of four: Alvin the Alchimist, Corinna the cook, Garry the guard and Maria the (Stone) Macon. All of them have been send to the entrance on the eastern side of the hill south west of Kornwall by the mayor. He paid well for their discretion (10 Gold each). They should ask for a person called "Truemmer Elster". This one is in charge and waits for supplies for a important job given by the mayor. After being freed he will disappear with his dog Lady.

Part 2 - Guards to the cave

A path leads the heroes to the entrance of a cave. Two guards are standing in front of it having a mundain conversation about good food and how they miss it. They seem to be of simple nature but they seem to take their orders seriously. The moment the heroes reveal themselves they have to make a decision - Fight or Convince.

- Fight: Try to kill the both of them before they can blow their horn (2x Thugs). The inside of the cave will be violent towards the characters until they are thrown out the cave. After that the will call for support and disappear, ending the quest. Reward: If you survive you can explore alone (No NPC's left).

- Convince, Cha Check DC 12: The guards are asking 3 questions (Every hero will have to answer to at least on question. The amount of checks is at least equal to the amount of heroes):

1. What are you delivering?: Gold (A sack with 1500 Gold Pieces), 50 Rations, 5 Pick Axes, 1x Silvered Longsword, 1x Historic Book about Blood Whitches, 1x Book about Stormlands History, 3x Potion of healing, 1x potion of fire resistance.
2. Who are you, what are your names and what do you wish to do here?: Alvin the Alchimist, Corinna the cook, Garry the guard and Maria the (Stone) Macon. If the heroes get it right they must conitnue to play their role using their names.
3. Who has send you and who will you report to?: You have been send to the entrance on the eastern side of the hill south west of Kornwall by the mayor. Ask for a person called "Truemmer Elster". This one is in charge and waits for supplies for a important job given by the mayor.

Reward: If the heroes are successfull they will meet the "Truemmer Elster", a half elfen woman cloaked in brown leather, wearing a cowboy head, a whip and a Rapier at her side.

Part 3 - The Cave of forgotten past

Goals: Open the enchanted Gate (Nr. 11)

Goal: Open the enchanted gate. Rubble in front of it must be removed and a specific Key stone in the shape of a lightning bolt must be placed in the middle of the gate to open it.

A tunnel system with many small caves open up to the heroes. A large group of individuals has worked on it to make it inhabitable. Briken vases of elfin heritage can be found around here. There are many places of interest, most of them are guarded by NPC's. If every NPC was killed in Part 2. the players can just get the information given to them by the environment.

Places:

1. Entrance: A slim tunnel leads into the cave. On the ground there are many trails of heavy crates being pulled in.
   1. NPC: There are two thugs guarding the entrance at all times. They make sure nobody get's out and nobody get's in without a fitting story. They get advantage on all checks to catch intruders.
2. The Sign and the Gate: (All players must make a stealth check DC10. For every failed save the following DC's increase by 1). To the east a big and poorly crafted wooden door blocks the way with the following words on it: "Rest in peace". Anybody who knows how to craft wood would have an oppinion about it. There is no lock on it. On the ground there is a large symbol made of salt. It looks religious in nature. It was seemingly spread upon slim trails mixed with footsteps of varying sizes.
   1. The wooden door, Woodwork or similar DC 12: This wooden door was created from scraps. A terrible peace of work but funktional. It is obvious that it was build to be never opened again. By force and the right tools and weapons this door is not really a hindrance. Attacking the door will open it.
   2. The salty ring, Religion DC 12: The symbol has been done sloppy, obviously by amateurs, The use of salt combined with the shape shows that it is supposed to lock out demons or other fiendish beings. It won't work.
   3. The trails, Survival DC 12: Looking at the tracks an burrowing into the sandy ground shows that skeletal body's have been pulled into the room behind the door. There are no trails of garment, leading to the conclusion that whatever was dragged in here was dead for a long time.
   4. (NPC). A frightened thug who guards the dead, DC 14: A guard will make sure nobody get's to close to the circle. He says: "The dead are behind these door. Let them sleep. I was ordered by the Truemmer Elster herself to make sure nobody destroys the ring of salt she drew.". The heroes can interact with the guard creatively DC 14.
3. A pile of deformed bones: The cave is filled with dirt, rock and the bones of humanoids - seemingly dozens of them. They are cramped in one place, seemingly piled on purpose in the far end of the other side of the wooden door. Some of them seem deformed, unnatural. The pile itself is so high, that pritty much anything could be hidden under it, but the pile is large and it will take time.
   1. The Deformed Bones, Medicine DC 12: These bones seem to belong to tall and slender body's, seemingly mostly Elves. There are some weird and unnatural deformations: Heads growing horns, legs turning to hooves, shoulders widening unnaturally... Some of these body's have been forcefully changed by magic. The remains are at least 10 years old for no flesh of fabric is remaining.
   2. Search the pile: It costs at least an hour. There is nothing of interest.
4. The Pit To the right, a partially broken vase that looks ancient but needs an expert to identify, to the left, a pile of rubble stone, to the south, a gaping hole leading into the unknown darkness. Listening into the darkness below reveals outerwordly shouts of misery and the sound of clashing flesh. Trales on the ground seem to avoid this hole completely.