Bat-people hills and caverns

Bat-people hills and caverns
Geography
Type	Caves Hills
Region	Domains of Dread The Vast, north Faerûn
Society
Races	Bat-people

A range of unnamed cavernous hills that sporadically shifted between the Domains of Dread and the Prime Material world of Toril. They were home to a monstrous race of bat-like humanoids simply called the bat-people.

Description

This range of hills were rather low in size. On them stood a magical stone statue which nearly blocked the entrance to their caves, serving both as a warning to travelers against entering as well as enticement to enter them. It depicted a horrid woman with thin bony hands, a glaring twisted face, and outspread bat wings that extended from her back. One of the statue's hands rested on the shoulders of a humanoid figure, which magically took the form of whomever was the last person to enter the caves. The humanoid figure's stone stretched and flowed in a disturbing way whenever it changed, causing nausea in any who witnessed its transformation, but made no sound.

Their cave complex was said to run deep beneath the earth, being rather extensive, but with a spoke-like pattern. All of the tunnels within the cave network connected to a large central cavern where the bat-people conducted religious and social functions. There they kept a sacrificial altar and some large piles of treasure. Most of this treasure was composed purely of mundane wealth, though some magical items could be found mixed in.

The caves themselves had some sort of ambient effect in them that distorted magic. In some cases spells would fail to cast while inside of them and the caves would then fire off a random spell of similar power back at the caster. If a spell did manage to cast, its target could potentially be altered and its power either amplified or de-amplified. In some cases, they could amplify a spell to be so powerful that its casting caused the spellcaster and their allies to be teleported outside of the caves.

Geography

These hills always appeared in the Vast region of north Faerûn, though at a different spot each time. Whatever land and people were present in the spot the hills manifested upon would be temporarily displaced into the Domains of Dread.

History

At some point in the 12^th century DR, a pair of adventurers in the Vast by the names of Alkazar and Vreejin awoke one morning to find these hills had appeared next to them overnight and decided to venture into them. Soon after they were set upon by the bat-people and brought to a large cavern full of treasure where Vreejin nearly died of fright from them. The bat-people tied both adventurers to a bloody altar, intending to sacrifice them to their evil deity. Using a high-pitched whistling technique Alkazar paralyzed their captors, giving him the opportunity to break free and drag his companion to safety outside the caves. The two went on to spread their story around, leading many groups of adventurers to venture to where they had seen the hills, though when they got there the hills had vanished. This story would continued to be told for centuries, though exactly how much of its details were true was uncertain.

Later in the 14^th century DR, Professor Wu Ling recounted this story to a group of adventurers in Ravens Bluff as part of his Magic Lantern Show. He claimed to have been told it by the adventurers themselves and that the caves were very near the city, claims he made whenever he told the story. Unbeknownst to Wu Ling and the adventurers, as they slept that night the hills manifested anew, appearing this time 13 miles (21,000 meters) east of Ravens Bluff in some farmlands. A girl who was at the Magic Lantern Show, Filla Wrightson, left her house around dawn with her grandfather's short sword in search of the hills, occasionally following a cart path that wound through the eastern farmlands, and eventually reached the caves at around 11:30.

The next morning the adventurers received a letter from Tevlo Splath of Spath Investigations, inviting them to meet at The Muse at around 8 bells. At that tavern Tevlo Splath explained that he had been hired by Morgaith Wrightson to find her missing daughter and offered them each 50 gold pieces to go look for her, in addition to a 200 gp bonus if they could bring back any proof that there was danger. They went on to consult the girl's mother and Professor Wu Ling. After a run-in with the city's Special Constables the adventurers raced off on horseback to the caves, following Filla's tracks. Along the way saw many other adventurers and Ravenian scouts were also heading towards the mysterious hills out of curiosity. The adventurers traveled deep into the caverns of the hills, eventually coming to find the sacrificial altar. They valiantly fought the bat-people inside, potentially even stole some of their treasure, and eventually managed to escape with Filla.

Rumors & Legends

Some speculated that the Dark Powers might be responsible for the shifting nature of the caves, possibly as some ploy to draw more unwary people into the Domains of Dread.

Appendix

Appearances

Organized Play & Licensed Adventures

A Goodly Apple