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THE CRADLE BELOW

Environments Designed by Speedy
Tier
2
Type
Exploration
Difficulty
14
Impulses
Draw delvers deeper hide the old ways punish the careless

Environment overview

The buried ruins of Old Galiketh, where imperial halls, dead machinery, and scrawled glyphs crowd the dark beneath the city.

Potential adversaries

Rival Delvers Old Imperial Machines Blighted Fauna

Features

Passives

passive
  • Lantern and Line

    No light reaches the Cradle. PCs without a lantern or other reliable light make action and reaction rolls with disadvantage.

    Questions
    • What in the dark is drawn to the light?
    • What does the party rely on for light, and what happens if it fails?
  • Off the Survey

    Progress Countdown (6). Activate it when the party leaves the surveyed route. It ticks down when a PC succeeds on an action roll to navigate, and ticks down twice on a success with Hope from a PC with an Experience tied to the undercity. When it triggers, the party reaches their destination, or the deepest part of this stretch of the Cradle. Each time a PC rolls with Hope while navigating, they find one of the following:

    • Banner chalk tags marking approval, quarantine, or warning. Some are fresh.

    • Imperial insignia scraped away and overwritten with coiled glyphs.

    • An abandoned delver camp, cold for weeks.

    • Relic crystal growing from a crack in the wall, faintly warm.

    • A machine still patching a wall nobody uses.

    Questions
    • Who mapped these tunnels last, and why does their map end here?
    • Which PC knows a way the map doesn't show, and how did they learn it?

Actions

action
  • The Old Ways

    The route ahead fails: flooded, collapsed, or crumbling underfoot. The party makes a group action roll, led by whoever chose the route, to cross. One PC can anchor the line, marking a Stress to give the leader advantage. On a success with Fear, they cross, but one PC loses something to the dark, such as a lantern or a piece of gear. On a failure, every PC involved marks a Stress, and Off the Survey doesn't tick.

    Questions
    • What did this passage used to be?
    • What gets dropped, and does anyone go back for it?
  • Something Stirs
    Fear 1

    When the party enters a new area of the Cradle, you can spend a Fear to summon 1d4 adversaries at or below the party's tier within Far range, then roll a d6. On a 1–2, the PCs spot warning signs, and the first PC to make an action roll gains advantage on it. On a 3–4, the encounter plays out as usual. On a 5–6, the adversaries get the drop on the PCs and immediately take the spotlight, and you gain a Fear.

    Questions
    • What were they doing before the light found them?
    • What drew them this far up?

Reactions

reaction
  • Settling Stone

    Countdown (3). The first time a PC rolls with Fear while navigating, describe the masonry groaning overhead and activate the countdown. It ticks down each time a PC rolls with Fear. When it triggers, each PC must succeed on an Agility Reaction Roll or take 2d6+3 physical damage and be temporarily Restrained by rubble.

    Questions
    • What gives way first?
    • What does the collapse uncover?

About this environment

THE CRADLE BELOW

Tier 2 Exploration

The buried ruins of Old Galiketh, where imperial halls, dead machinery, and scrawled glyphs crowd the dark beneath the city.

Impulses: Draw delvers deeper, hide the old ways, punish the careless

Difficulty: 14

Potential Adversaries: Rival Delvers, Old Imperial Machines, Blighted Fauna

Features

Lantern and Line - Passive: No light reaches the Cradle. PCs without a lantern or other reliable light make action and reaction rolls with disadvantage.
  • What in the dark is drawn to the light?
  • What does the party rely on for light, and what happens if it fails?
Off the Survey - Passive: Progress Countdown (6). Activate it when the party leaves the surveyed route. It ticks down when a PC succeeds on an action roll to navigate, and ticks down twice on a success with Hope from a PC with an Experience tied to the undercity. When it triggers, the party reaches their destination, or the deepest part of this stretch of the Cradle. Each time a PC rolls with Hope while navigating, they find one of the following:

  • Banner chalk tags marking approval, quarantine, or warning. Some are fresh.

  • Imperial insignia scraped away and overwritten with coiled glyphs.

  • An abandoned delver camp, cold for weeks.

  • Relic crystal growing from a crack in the wall, faintly warm.

  • A machine still patching a wall nobody uses.

  • Who mapped these tunnels last, and why does their map end here?
  • Which PC knows a way the map doesn't show, and how did they learn it?
The Old Ways - Action: The route ahead fails: flooded, collapsed, or crumbling underfoot. The party makes a group action roll, led by whoever chose the route, to cross. One PC can anchor the line, marking a Stress to give the leader advantage. On a success with Fear, they cross, but one PC loses something to the dark, such as a lantern or a piece of gear. On a failure, every PC involved marks a Stress, and Off the Survey doesn't tick.
  • What did this passage used to be?
  • What gets dropped, and does anyone go back for it?
Something Stirs - Action: When the party enters a new area of the Cradle, you can spend a Fear to summon 1d4 adversaries at or below the party's tier within Far range, then roll a d6. On a 1–2, the PCs spot warning signs, and the first PC to make an action roll gains advantage on it. On a 3–4, the encounter plays out as usual. On a 5–6, the adversaries get the drop on the PCs and immediately take the spotlight, and you gain a Fear.
  • What were they doing before the light found them?
  • What drew them this far up?
Settling Stone - Reaction: Countdown (3). The first time a PC rolls with Fear while navigating, describe the masonry groaning overhead and activate the countdown. It ticks down each time a PC rolls with Fear. When it triggers, each PC must succeed on an Agility Reaction Roll or take 2d6+3 physical damage and be temporarily Restrained by rubble.
  • What gives way first?
  • What does the collapse uncover?

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