Rise of the Ghannabar - Level 20 Adventure (Thalassia 4)

This article provides material to prepare and run an adventure titled, »Rise of the Ghannabar« as a stand-alone adventure, or as the fourth and final part of a mini-campaign set in the ocean world of Thalassia. The material below builds on the general setting information about Thalassia which you can find here: Thalassia Overview. Find the first part of the mini-campaign here, the second part here, and the third here.

The adventure is optimized for a party of four 20th-level characters.

Adventure Overview

Following the events at the Congregation, the adventure in the ruins of Calathis, and the defense of the Shardi’nam, the Ghannabar has been released on Thalassia. The titanic dragonturtle has been attacking ships, and even the city states themselves, causing terror and destruction (think Kaijus from Pacific Rim or Godzilla). Whether or not you ran the first, second , and third adventure, in »Rise of the Ghannabar«, the party of heroic 20th-level characters hunts the Ghannabar.

As with previous adventures in this series, the adventures starts right in the middle of the action. If you prefer, you can run a short introductory roleplaying scene in which the party’s patron briefs them on the situation and their mission. Use some of the secrets of Thalassia below as information the patron provides.

Strong Start

The war between the city states has ended. The global war against the Ghannabar has been ravaging the world of Thalassia for four years. In the first scene, the characters arrive at yet another scene of destruction caused by the dragonturtle-god. This time, the Ghannabar and his legions of bloodthirsty followers called Ghannites have ravaged Nod’Nol, City of Gears.

When you’re ready to start the adventure read or paraphrase the following:

Death, destruction, despair. Such is the scene you arrive at in Nod’Nol. Many of the massive metal towers of the City of Gears lie in ruin, and the cries of wounded and distraught citizens can be heard over the smoking rubble. As you take in the scene, standing on the remains of a ruined tower, a shadow moves over the debris towards you. Quickly you can make out that the shadow is not a shadow at all, but instead hundreds of Ghannites – the bloodthirsty legions of the Ghannabar who always follow in his wake. These slimy, mutated abominations with arms, legs, fins, and maws in odd numbers and odder angles crawl out of the ocean and threaten to cause even more death if you do not stop them.

A horde of Ghannites. We can pit numbers of enemies against 20th-level characters which would seem absurd in any other tier of play. In this encounter, we use 400 Ghannites, so 100 Ghannites per character. We use the cultist statblock as a template (change the type to aberration), and round their hit points down to 5 HP each.

Then, instead of tracking each individual Ghannite, we use a hit point pool of 2000 HP, and track the total number of remaining Ghannites, removing a Ghannite whenever the pool is dealt 10 damage. Instead of rolling 400 attack rolls, we assume 100 Ghannites target each character each round, and a quarter of them, or even fewer if a character has a very high AC, hit the character with an attack that deals 4 damage. At the beginning of the encounter, a maximum of 25 Ghannites hit each character, dealing a maximum of 100 damage in a round. Refer to these rules by Mike Shea for running large numbers of monsters for more details.

Scenes

The goal of the characters is to hunt the Ghannabar in his lair called Nessus, to protect the world of Thalassia. The following scenes might occur during the adventure:

Attack of the Ghannites in the ruins of Nod’nol.
Hunt the Ghannabar. In preparation these encounters are possible:
- Confrontation with Cardinal Soren Pike of the Anglo-Fishian Church
- Unlock powers of the Okeanus Scepter at the Tree of Thalassia.
Battle with the Ghannabar.

Secrets of the Ghannabar

We can reveal the following secrets, clues and bits of information during the course of the adventure. We decide when and how to give these to the players — they might be disclosed by NPCs, read in ancient inscriptions, or revealed through divine visions.

Ghan An Bar, aka the Ghannabar has been released from a celestial prison and he has returned to his former citadel deep inside Nessus, the Devil’s Sanctum. Nessus is a hidden ocean region of ruthless competition, bloodshed and evil. From there he has been attacking Thalassia in mindless rages. He started with travelling ships but now has started attacking the great cities directly, leaving a trail of destruction and death each time.
Rathun the Red Tide has been weakened to become a small industrial nation forbidden from having an army and controlled by Emnor and New Calath. The other nations have united over the threat of the Ghannabar with Cardinal Soren Pike of the Anglo-Fishian Church taking a leading role in guiding the fragile alliance which they call the Holy Alliance.
Nessus is an ocean region made up of concentric rings created to facilitate and guard the Citadel of Ghan An Bar. There are nine rings with the last being the citadel itself at the center of Nessus.
Vengeful spirits of his followers from the First War when he battled the ancient Calathians and their gods protect the Ghannabar. Feral predators known as Ghannites who roam Nessus have also pledged allegiance to Ghan An Bar.
Ghan An Bar is driven by pain this time around. Nereus, one of the Old Gods of Calathis wounded him at the end of the First War and the wound is causing the Ghannabar to rage in fear and vengeance.
The Anglo-Fishian Church wants to slay the devil Ghannabar with the divinely led forces of the Holy Alliance. Special squads of priest soldiers are on their way to deal with Ghannabar attacks.
But a cult is on the rise within the church. The Eyes of Ghannabar are a faction which believes the Ghannabar to be a new divine spirit who will bring about a new age on Thalassia if only the Thalassians obey and follow him.
A squad of priest soldiers are on their way into Nessus to slay the Ghannabar for the church. They, however, do not want to cooperate, instead keeping to themselves. They wish to reach the Ghannabar to pledge themselves to him as most of the squad are members of the Eyes of Ghannabar.
Cardinal Soren Pike, leader of the Anglo-Fishian Church accompanies these priest soldiers. He himself is not a secret worshipper of the Ghannabar. But he is in grave danger while in the company of the cultists surrounding him.
The Okeanus Scepter is the only artifact capable of returning Ghan An Bar to his prison beyond the stars for another age. To do so the scepter must create a bridge between the temple of Nereus in Calathis and the Anomaly at the Tree of Thalassia on the Colony to channel both the sources of divine and arcane magic into banishing the Ghannabar.

Fantastic Locations

The following locations might become backdrops for encounters during the adventure:

Ruins of Nod’Nol. Crumbled metal towers, plumes of black smoke, cries of despair.
Nessus, the Devil’s Sanctum. Nine oceanic regions set up in concentric circles around the Citadel of the Ghannabar. (We can narrate the passage through these regions and display the challenging environments through improvised trap-likeskill challenges.)
1. Endless Wall. A towering, impenetrable wall that stretches endlessly into the murky depths, covered in barnacles and ancient runes. Guarded by spectral sentinels that patrol its length, the wall serves as the first line of defense against intruders. The wall occasionally shifts location and orientation, creating new passages and blocking others, requiring visitors to solve its ever-changing maze.
2. Crumbling Volcanoes. This ring features underwater volcanoes that erupt intermittently, spewing magical, luminescent lava that cools into bizarre formations. The heat from the volcanoes creates thermal vents that attract strange, heat-loving creatures.
3. Iceberg Chaos. A stark contrast to the fiery volcanoes, this realm is filled with drifting icebergs and frozen underwater currents. Visibility is low due to fog and ice particles in the water. The icebergs are not merely ice; they are alive, with spirits of ancient mariners trapped within, whispering secrets to those who dare listen.
4. Armies of the Dark One. This militaristic realm houses the barracks and training grounds for Ghannabar’s armies. Here, legions of sea demons and corrupted marine creatures prepare for battle. The water is littered with the remains of fallen warriors, which can reanimate to challenge trespassers.
5. Prison Realm. A dark, oppressive area where enemies of Ghannabar are kept captive. The prison has magical barriers and torturous environments, tailored to each prisoner’s weaknesses. The cries and pleas of the prisoners echo through the water, capable of driving intruders to madness.
6. Administration. The bureaucratic heart of Nessus, where records of every soul, spell, and secret are kept. The waters here are unnaturally calm, with swirling vortexes that serve as portals to various administrative offices. The clerks and functionaries here are shadows, binding agreements and pacts with all who seek audience with Ghannabar, often with hidden clauses.
7. Worship Halls of the Devil. Vast cathedrals and temples dedicated to Ghannabar line this realm, filled with devout worshippers and sacrificial offerings. The architecture is grandiose but sinister, with statues that seem to watch and follow one’s movements.
8. The Inner Sanctum Protections. This realm is a labyrinth of magical barriers, illusions, and deadly traps designed to protect the innermost sanctum. The water here shimmers with powerful enchantments, distorting perception and reality.
9. The Citadel. At the center of Nessus, the Citadel of Ghan An Bar rises, a fortress carved from black coral and reinforced with the bones of leviathans. Here, the Ghannabar resides, surrounded by his most powerful lieutenants and treasures. (Use this map by Dyson for the battle.)
Tree of Thalassia; the Anomaly. Ancient white tree stretching to the sky, threads of golden magic in its wood, dangerous arcane radiation.
Temple of Nereus. (See this previous adventure in the series.)

NPCs

These are some of the NPCs which might make an appearance during the adventure. You can generate new ones here, and give them gimmicks here.

Cardinal Soren Pike of the Anglo-Fishian Church (male merfolk)
- Motivation: Aims to unite Thalassia in a Holy Alliance against the Ghannabar, to preserve the world, but also to show the power of the Church over the pagan Old Gods.
- Mannerisms: Frequently makes the sign of the fish, speaks slowly with a resonant, sonorous voice.
Chancellor Gearwright Coglaineof Nod’Nol (non-gendered machine-merfolk hybrid)
- Motivation: Rebuild the City of Gears from the rubble, prevent further destruction by the Ghannabar.
- Mannerisms: Constantly tinkering with a small gear, voice oscillates as if modulating through different pitches.

Monsters

We can use the following monsters as sea demons of Nessus, defending the Ghannabar. We can roll randomly for monsters or pick and choose an appropriate one for any scene.

Waterkledde (CR 5)
Gladiators (reskin as aquatic brutes which deal cold damage) (CR 5)
Rimepacted Devil (CR 6)
Fire-Infused Water Elemental (CR 7)
Coastline Reaper (CR 9)
Incandescent One (CR 9)
Maelstrom Devil (CR 12)
Maha Demon (CR 12)
Gigantura (CR 13)
Shetani (CR 14)

The Ghannabar

Titanic Dragon Turtle with the following features / changes
- The Ghannabar has 3 Legendary Resistances instead of 1.
- When the Ghannabar drops to 0 HP or would be killed, the characters must succeed on four Ability checks to banish Ghan An Bar to his celestial prison. A failed check results in 25 damage, and a level of exhaustion for the whole party.
- The Ghannabar has the following Lair Actions:
  - Blasting Current. A strong water current moves through the dragon turtle’s lair. Each creature within 30 feet of the dragon turtle must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or take 20 bludgeoning damage and be moved 30 feet in a direction of the dragon turtle’s choice. On a success, the creature takes half damage and is moved 10 feet instead.
  - Entangling Kelp. Strands of spectral kelp reach out to ensnare creatures in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point in the lair that the dragon turtle can see. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or take 20 necrotic damage and be restrained until the end of its next turn (half damage, not restrained on success).
  - Steam Eruption. Steam erupts in a 15-foot cone from a point on the ground the dragon turtle can see within 120 feet of it. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 31 (9d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Being underwater doesn’t grant creatures resistance to this damage.
We can use the following waves of minions to defend the Ghannabar in the final battle, or as a precursor before the characters actually reach the Ghannabar:
1. 2x Giganturas
2. 4x Shoal Oozes
3. 8x Waterkleddes

Treasure

Use any treasure from the previous adventures which you have not handed out, in addition to any of the following:

31.776 gp, 33.198 pp (363.756gp), 20,000 gp clockwork necklace of rubies , 20,000 gp aberrant life-sized masterpiece bronze statue , 13 x 5,000 gp pink diamond
Potion of Superior Healing
Potion of Flying
Ring of Shooting Stars
Spell Scroll (5th-level, Greater Restoration)
Staff of Fire
A flaming feyish mask that casts Reverse Gravity (Level 7) once
An eldritch orcish scale that casts Prismatic Wall (Level 9) once
A necrotic unholy bracelet that casts Move Earth (Level 6) once