Kira Coldspring: The Hunt for Jorsh

Entrance & Overview

Directly beneath the Forgotten Reliquary, the Catacombs of Echoes are reached via a spiraling descent through the Ember Crucible. The air grows fetid and warm, thick with mildew and rot. Sound behaves strangely—whispers echo too long, and footsteps rebound with ghostly persistence.

Chambers of the Catacombs

Ossuary of the Lost Choir: Cracked bone shelves line the walls, each skull etched with a rune. DC 15 Religion: Moonspire chanters who died protecting the wards. A discordant sound awakens 1d4 Bone Chanters. A chewed tunnel leads west into the scorpion nest.
The Whispering Hollow: A ruined chapel with a broken obsidian altar. Vines twitch despite still air. All hear whispering in Abyssal. DC 13 Wisdom Save: Hallucination of being buried alive. Inside the altar: 🗡 Dagger of Quiet Mercy — +1 weapon, +1d4 psychic damage if wielder is silent that round.
The Scorpion Nest: Clay tunnels reinforced with chitin and bone. Dozens of pale eggs. Guarded by 2 Giant Broodmothers and the Scorpion Husk Matron. Corpses of adventurers litter the nest, one clutching a corrupted Trade Ministry sigil.

Stat Blocks

Giant Scorpion Broodmother (x2)
Large beast, CR 5
AC: 15 | HP: 90 | Speed: 40 ft.
Multiattack: 2 Claws (grapple), 1 Sting (DC 14 CON → 6d10 poison, half on success)
Broodbirth (Recharge 5–6): Spawns 1d4 Tiny Scorpionlings (AC 13, HP 5, 1d6+2 poison)

Scorpion Husk Matron (Unique, CR 7)
Huge fiend-tainted monstrosity
AC: 17 | HP: 126 | Speed: 30 ft., burrow 20 ft.
Resistances: Poison, Fire, Psychic
Abilities:

Husk Bomb: 15 ft. acid blast (6d6), targets restrained
Telepathic Pulse: Sends visions or words each round to a PC
Echo Cyst (Lair Action): DC 15 WIS save or stunned by soundless echoes

Backstory

Once a burial site for Moonspire clergy, the catacombs were corrupted when a Trade Ministry summoner—secretly a cultist of Varis—botched a ritual. The summoning infused local scorpions with infernal essence and weakened the veil between this world and the Demonrealm of Yaldaboath. Now the tainted creatures tunnel toward the Dark Gate, acting as its sentinels.

Side Quest: "Chitin Sigil"

Found On: Corpse of a dead mercenary
Objective:

Deliver the corrupted Trade Ministry sigil to Princess Hawthorn, Liora, or Onyx

Result:

Reveals Trade Ministry infiltration beneath Hemlock Caverns
Unlocks a political questline involving Varis and the shadow court of Yew

Hidden Chamber / Puzzle / Treasure

Location: Forgotten tunnel near the Whispering Hollow
Puzzle: DC 17 Perception reveals a tunnel ending in blank stone. When sound echoes (voice or music), a resonance door opens.
Inside: A perfect sphere chamber with a levitating, shadowless crystal.
Treasure:

Echo Prism of Adonais: +2 Perception (sound), 1/day Silence or Shatter, reacts to Onyx’s presence

Monsters

Bone Chanter (CR 1 Undead)
AC: 12 | HP: 22 | Speed: 30 ft.
Features:

Echo Song: DC 12 CHA save or disadvantage on next Wisdom save
Wail of Discord: Once per combat, forces 1d4 nearby creatures to make DC 13 CON save or become deafened for 1 minute

DUNGEON MASTERS ONLY