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The Glass Cracks

The Glass Cracks

Campaign: The Glass Cracks

Location: The Sunken Junction beneath Kigum, The Abyssal Trench Level Range: 5-17

Campaign Overview & Themes

  • The Core Conflict: Beneath the floating metropolis of Kigum lies the "Sunken Junction"—a colossal, transparent Aether-Glass tube system that plunges into the subterranean oceans of the deep earth. This marvel of engineering is the primary lifeline connecting the city to the resource-rich Deep-Strands. But the glass is failing. Massive, terrifying cracks are webbing across the surface, caused not by pressure, but by predation. An ancient Abyssal Leviathan, roused from its slumber and lured by the dark rituals of the Obsidian Scale cult, is repeatedly ramming the structure, intent on devouring the concentrated magical "light" within. The players must defend the Junction, repair the catastrophic damage under immense pressure, and dive into the crushing black to slay a cosmic horror before Kigum's lifeline shatters completely.
  • Tone & Tropes: High-pressure deep-sea survival, cosmic horror (thalassophobia), fragile infrastructure, claustrophobic encounters, frantic engineering repairs under fire, and massive Kaiju-style boss fights.

The Sandbox / Regional Guide

  • Base of Operations: Outpost Delta (Underwater Research Station). A pressurized, multi-level facility attached to the main shaft of the Sunken Junction. It has a moon-pool for deploying submersibles, an infirmary for treating "pressure-madness," and massive panoramic windows that look out into the terrifying, bioluminescent dark.
  • Key Locations:
    • The Sunken Junction (Interior): A high-tech, magically lit thoroughfare filled with rushing Aether-trains and frantic maintenance crews. It is constantly echoing with the terrifying groans of stressed glass.
    • The Abyssal Trench: The crushing, lightless ocean outside the glass. The water here is infused with dark magic; swimming in it without protection causes necrotic damage and hallucinations.
    • The Lure-Caves: A network of underwater caverns where the Obsidian Scale has planted massive "Lure-Beacons"—obsidian shards emitting a frequency that drives deep-sea monsters into a frenzy.
    • The Kigum High Council Chambers: The political arena above water, where players must go to secure funding, experimental gear, and military support, often fighting through red tape while the Junction floods below.

Factions & Reputations

  • The Weavers (Engineering Corps): The brilliant, stressed-out artificers who maintain the glass. Allying with them provides experimental pressure-suits, welding-wands, and technical readouts of the facility.
  • The Obsidian Scale (Deep Faction): A splinter cell of the cult that believes shattering the Junction will release the Leviathan to cleanse the world above. They are fanatical and have adapted to survive in the deep water.
  • The Trench-Dwellers (Deep Merfolk): An alien, bioluminescent race of merfolk who view the Leviathan as a god. They are initially hostile to the "surface-dwellers" polluting their waters, but can be reasoned with if the players prove they want to stop the cult's frenzy-inducing beacons.
  • The Kigum Admiralty: The city's naval and security force. They offer heavy firepower but view the Junction as expendable if it means saving the upper city.

The Villains & Lieutenants

  • The Big Bad: The Abyssal Sovereign (Ancient Leviathan). A colossal, miles-long creature of pure muscle, armored scales, and crushing tentacles. It does not reason; it only consumes. However, it is being directed by the Cult.
  • The Timeline of Doom:
    • Month 3: A micro-fracture turns into a major blowout in Sector 4. Hundreds drown. The Admiralty considers abandoning the lower sections.
    • Month 6: The Cult successfully destroys the secondary Aether-pumps. The Junction begins to fill with water from the bottom up.
    • Month 12: The Leviathan wraps its coils around the central hub and shatters the primary structural ring. The Sunken Junction implodes, severing Kigum's power and plunging the city into a dark age.
  • Lieutenants:
    • Cult Leader Morvath: A water-breathing warlock who rides a corrupted manta ray and commands the Cult's aquatic forces.
    • The Iron-Clad Behemoth: A giant, armored crustacean modified by the cult with siege weaponry to crack the glass.
    • Arch-Scholar Elara (Corrupted): The former head of Outpost Delta who succumbed to pressure-madness and now actively sabotages the repair efforts from within.

The 5-Act Structure

  • Act I: The Pressure Mounts (Levels 5-7): The players arrive at Outpost Delta just as the alarms sound. They must fight off Swarms of Clockwork Roaches and Void-Warped Scavengers that are stripping the protective brass casings from the glass seams. They discover the first Lure-Beacon.
  • Act II: The Sandbox (Levels 8-10): The players explore the interior of the Junction and conduct their first "Extra-Vehicular Activity" (EVA) in experimental pressure suits. They hunt down smaller breaches, investigate the Cult's sabotage, and attempt to make diplomatic contact with the Trench-Dwellers.
  • Act III: The Turning Point (Levels 11-13): The Leviathan makes its first direct attack, causing a catastrophic breach in Sector 4. The players must navigate a rapidly flooding dungeon, save drowning engineers, and manually seal the bulkheads. The status quo shifts: the Junction is failing, and the Admiralty orders an evacuation. The players must stay behind.
  • Act IV: The Escalation & Assault (Levels 14-15): The players take an armed submersible into the Abyssal Trench to hunt down the Cult's primary stronghold in the Lure-Caves. They engage in underwater vehicle combat, navigate volcanic vents, and destroy the central beacon network.
  • Act V: The Climax (Levels 16-17): The Leviathan attacks the main hub for the final time. The players must fight a multi-stage boss battle on the outside of the glass tube in their pressure suits. They must defend the Junction from Cultist boarders, dodge the Leviathan's crushing tentacles, and finally use a concentrated Aether-Cannon to slay the beast.

Dungeons & Set Pieces

  • The Flooded Sector 4: A claustrophobic, three-dimensional dungeon where the water level constantly rises. Players must manage their air supply, swim through debris-filled corridors, and fight aquatic ghouls while solving electrical puzzles to restore power to the blast doors.
  • The Lure-Caves: An underwater cavern system filled with boiling thermal vents and blinding bioluminescence. Players must fight the Cult and Trench-Dweller zealots. The dungeon features a mechanic where lingering too close to the Lure-Beacons forces a Wisdom save or the player is charmed to walk into the boiling vents.
  • The Exterior Repair Walk: A combat encounter that takes place vertically on the outside of the glass tube. Gravity is a hazard; if a player's magnetic boots fail, they float away into the crushing dark. They must "weld" massive glass panels using skill checks while fending off Blind-Cave Fishers.

Evolving Loot & Vestiges

  • The Abyssal Anchor (Trident): A massive, dark-metal trident forged in the deep trenches.
    • Dormant (Level 5): Grants a swimming speed of 40 feet and the ability to breathe underwater. Acts as a +1 weapon.
    • Awakened (Level 11): Acts as a +2 weapon. The wielder can cast Control Water once per day. On a hit, the target is subjected to crushing pressure, reducing their movement speed by 10 feet until the end of their next turn.
    • Exalted (Level 15): Acts as a +3 weapon. The wielder gains immunity to cold and pressure damage. Once per week, the wielder can cast Tsunami.
  • The Weaver's Pressure-Suit: A highly advanced suit of armor that functions as +2 Plate. At its Exalted tier, it grants a flying (swimming) speed of 60 feet and allows the wearer to shoot concentrated beams of Aether from the gauntlets.