Hey folks, hope all is well. I’m not sure how much helpful advice today’s article might bring, but if you find something useful in it – hooray! I’ll be upfront with you, this article exists to shamelessly self-promote an adventure module that I am excited about, so let’s get that out of the way first. My third published one-shot puzzle adventure for 5th edition, Kobold Cliff and the Cyclops, is now live on Backerkit! This is an adventure for 1st level characters with a playing time of about 3-5 hours. For only $5 USD, you can join me on this journey and help fund the campaign, in which of course, I’ll thank you in advance. You are appreciated!
Live Now – Kobold Cliff and the Cyclops on Backerkit
This blog post features one of the puzzles in the adventure, the Language Levers. I’ve run Kobold Cliff seven times now, including at Gary Con and GameHole Con, and was delighted to see how well accepted it was by the players at my table. It was fantastic to see it inspire and encourage players to work together for creative problem solving. It’s also a puzzle that is going to be included in the Game Master’s Book of Puzzles and Wonders – another shameless plus.
Sacred Shrines Cliff
If you are simply wanting to check out the full puzzle along with demonstration, presentation, and solution reveal, it won’t be available here. Instead, you’ll need to watch today’s YouTube video and/or back the Kobold Cliff backerkit to get the full scoop. Rather, I’m going to provide a tidbit of lore and background for the location of this puzzle as presented in the book. I realized when I recorded and published the Language Levers YouTube video that I mistakenly left in a flyout graphic that said: “additional lore for this puzzle can be found on my website, link in the description below”. Sure, I could have edited my video and reuploaded it to YouTube, but it was late at night and I figured, heck, why not just provide a bit of lore for the puzzle. So, here I am.
Kobold Cliff and the Cyclops is set in a place called “Kobold Cliff” located in the Forest of Inconsistancies. The adventure begins with the characters waking up from a wagon crash on their journey from Shadowridge to their home city of Ambervain. They find themselves hurt, surrounded by evil forest kobolds called kosu, and without their gear. Kobold Cliff presents itself as a place to take refuge and friendly sapphire kobolds welcome them inside.
The complex is reminiscent of an abandoned mall in modern times. There are several shrines to the region’s deities that common folk would visit to receive a daily blessing and then shop or buy food and drinks in the courtyards. Sacred Shrines Cliff was abandoned shortly after the Shrine of Magic and Enchantment fell into a sinkhole from an aquifer that lies underneath. Most of the shrines still function the same as they did when this was a popular destination for followers of their respective deities. Although, over time, some of the divine magic began to leak from the shrines, including the aura of the temple of Time and Dimensions dedicated to Omni. Several monsters now call the Sacred Shrines Cliff, now known as Kobold Cliff, their home, including the sapphire kobolds and Big John, a resident cyclops.
Shrine of Language and Communication
The shrine of Syntax, god of Language and Communication, is one of the first places that can be explored from the main courtyard. It features a statue of the deity that welcomes visitors with the familiar blessing: “May your words find ears“. Although, at first, this is spoken in an incomprehensible language to anyone who enters. The blessing of the shrine is given after a divine test is completed. Pulling the correct levers results in Syntax bestowing the ability to speak a previously unknown language to those that visit the shrine. Sometimes this is a common language like Draconic or Giant, but occasionally Syntax provides access to rare or forgotten languages such as Celestial, Kobold, Sphinx, or Troglodyte.
In present day, the shrine of Language and Communication still offers a blessing in the form of being able to communicate and speak in a new language, however, the blessing has been slightly corrupted to cause a twisted babbling that bores into the ears and mind of those that fail the presented test.
Repurposed Dungeon Building
Over my decades of experience as a game master who creates their own homebrew adventures and content, I have frequently encountered advice on providing a backstory of how a dungeon came to be. Sacred Shrines Cliff, known today as Kobold Cliff, is a perfect example. A public place filled with gardens, pleasant experiences, and friendly visitors, slowly lost to time and repopulated by monsters like mudspawn, temporal shadows, and gray ooze. Yet, some of the mystique of the original setting still exists. For Kobold Cliff, it’s the magic and the blessings of the statues and the shrines within.
I do plan on expanding the lore of the deities and Sacred Shrines Cliff in the future as I continue to build out the pantheon that is introduced in this adventure. But for now, I’m hoping that I’ve piqued your interest in Kobold Cliff just enough to entice you to check out the rest of the book.
Be sure to subscribe to the blog here on WallyDM.com for future updates. Meanwhile, there is a plethora of articles featuring well-written game master advice offered to you by my fellow writers on our blog page. Their content is top-notch and I’m sure you’ll find something of value that you can add to your game master style or toolkit.
On to the next!
—wallydm
Language Levers – D&D Puzzle Video
Hello there adventurers! Wally DM here. If the topic of this article interests you, please check out the corresponding video for more coverage. I hope to see you on my YouTube channel as a new subscriber! Thank you for reading and on to the next!
