Echoes Under the Hollow: 5e TTRPG Encounter

Four adventurers face a ghostly figure in a dark, misty village.

A Level 4–5 D&D 5e Adventure in the World of Aithos: Echoes Under the Hollow: 5e TTRPG Encounter

Themes: Reckoning, Broken Oaths, Forbidden Salvation, Fate vs. Freedom

Linked Modules: Madness at the Red Stag, Shattered Echoes of the Anchor, Echoes Beneath Las Coronas

Adventure Overview: Echoes Under the Hollow: 5e TTRPG Encounter

The players journey to the Hollow, a cursed village fractured by a shattered Anchor. As the final known resting place of the Original Anchor, the Hollow is the heart Sorren Vallok's efforts at corrupting the Anchor. Vallok seeks to reshape reality using this Anchor's power. The players will confront the fate of Esmeray, his daughter, whose soul is bound to the Anchor's corruption.

This module brings together NPCs, lore, and consequences from previous adventures in the Shattered Echoes campaign.

ACT I: ECHOES OF A DEAD GOD

Opening Scene: Arrival at the Hollow

(See OPTIONAL ACT to determine how the player come to the Hollow)

As the players approach the fog-choked outskirts of the Hollow, they pass shrines shattered by time and whispering winds that call their names.

A blue ghostly figure appears in a foggy, eerie graveyard with old ruins and bare trees, creating a tense atmosphere.

In the mist, a shimmering ghost appears: the Seer. Her voice rings in their minds: "He bound her soul to the First Anchor. If it breaks, so will she... and so will the world."

Key Locations

• Sunken Cathedral: Twisting, half-submerged ruin where Sorenn performs rituals.

• Ruined Village: Maze of crumbling buildings. Reality is warped here.

• Anchor Core: Beneath the Hollow, pulsing with unstable energy.

Battle Map Description

The Hollow is divided into four primary zones:

• Zone 1: The Outer Village

  • 8–10 ruined stone buildings, some half-swallowed by the ground.

  • Mist lightly obscures vision beyond 30 ft.

  • Creaking signs, bone-charms, and broken carts litter the area.

• Zone 2: Witch Path Through the Brambles

  • Twisting trails between unnaturally large thornbrush and roots.

  • Stealth and Survival checks may be needed to navigate safely.

  • Hidden traps or remnants of witch rituals may provide hazards or help.

• Zone 3: The Sunken Cathedral

  • Circular layout with collapsed pillars, a cracked altar, and a warped Anchor sigil at its heart.

  • Waterlogged sections cause difficult terrain; corrupted tendrils move independently.

  • Ideal for vertical movement, stealth, or arcane skill checks.

• Zone 4: The Anchor Core

  • Below the Cathedral, an unstable chamber with floating rock platforms and visible energy fractures.

  • Gravity shifts each round (roll 1d4: 1–2 = normal, 3 = increased jump, 4 = vertical gravity).

  • This is where the final encounter unfolds, and the terrain may collapse as the battle progresses.

OPTIONAL ACT: THE CHAINS THAT BIND (If the PC were arrested)

Scene: Stormkeeper Prison. The PC's and Esmeray (assuming she has survived) have been bound in alchemically enhanced chains and left under a single guardsmen in an old ruin until the Stormkeeper and his guards return. Shortly after the Strormkeeper leaves, Isolde appears, catching the sole guard by surprise and knocking him out. She can help assist the PC's how they might want, but only the Stormkeeper has the proper key.

After Echoes Beneath Las Coronas, the players are captured by Vireth, the Stormkeeper, and held in a fortified ruin as the stormkeeper leaves to address the warlock. ( Either he heard about what has happened, talked with the PC's, or *senses a magical disturbance. It is at the DM's discretion how and if they wish to reintroduce him later on).

Skill Challenge: Escape the Hollow's Chains

• Successes Required: 4 | Failures Allowed: 2

• DC: 15 (or 17 if players draw attention)

• Skills: Sleight of Hand, Athletics, Stealth, Persuasion, Arcana, Perception

If the players defied the Stormkeepers in Las Coronas, Vireth is openly hostile.

Vireth’s Dialogue (on first meeting):

"You meddled in things meant to stay buried. Las Coronas was a warning. The Hollow... will be your tomb."

If escaped successfully with Isolde:

Isolde, Esmeray's mother, leads them to safety via forgotten witch paths.

Isolde pulls her cloak tight as the night fog thickens.

“Come. I’ll take you the old way—through the brambles, not the roads. The Hollow eats paths and spits out echoes. Stay close, or you’ll follow your own scream into the dark.”

If Vireth is convinced to help:

Isolde, Esmeray's mother shows up regardless, seeking her daughter. (In this case if Esmeray died in the previous encounter, Isolde comes as the result of a vision and is there to help the PC's exact her revenge. If Esemeray is safe, then she convinces her mother to show them to the sunken cathedral.)

Vireth lowers his blade, uncertainty flickering in his eyes.

“If I’m wrong... then the order I swore to is wrong. Lead on, witch. But if your daughter falls, so do the rest of you.”

ACT III: BENEATH THE HOLLOW

NPCs such as Isolde or scavengers can reveal:

"The Hollow was once the source. The first Anchor fell here. Sorenn's line kept it alive by feeding it... people, mostly."

"You remember Las Coronas? That time-twisting mess? The wave came from here."

All of these are ways to lead the PC's to their final destination. The sunken cathedral.

Sorenn Vallok: The Hollow Lord

Medium humanoid (ghoul), chaotic evil

• AC: 18 (Corrupted Flesh) | HP: 210 (20d8 + 100) | Speed: 40 ft.

• Abilities: STR 18, DEX 16, CON 20, INT 18, WIS 16, CHA 20

• Skills: Arcana +9, Intimidation +10, Perception +8

• Resistances: Psychic, necrotic; nonmagical B/P/S

Legendary Actions (3/round)

• Psychic Lash: 15 psychic + stun (DC 18 Wis)

• Teleport (2 actions): 60 ft.

• Mind Pierce: Force a reroll of a successful save

Abilities

• Mindbreaker Aura (20 ft.): DC 18 Wis save or suffer disadvantage on next attack/save.

• Multiattack: 2 Spellblade Strikes (+9, 2d8+4 slashing + 3d6 psychic)

• Reality Shatter (Recharge 5-6): 20 ft. blast; DC 18 Dex, 10d8 force damage

ACT IV: THE SUNKEN CATHEDRAL

Hollow Wraith with open arms stands in a dark, flooded gothic archway

 Room 1: The Fractured Narthex (Entrance Hall)

• Features: Half-collapsed pews, vine-choked walls, shattered statuary.

• Hazards: Slippery moss-covered stone; chance of collapsing rubble when moving quickly (DC 14 Dex save).

• Encounters: 1–2 twisted aberrations (Abberant Spirit TCoE).

• Lore: Graffiti in ancient Celestial warns, "The soul must not be severed. Anchor her to this world."

Room 2: Hall of Rites (Puzzle/Trap Room)

• Features: Broken ritual circle on the floor, rusted relics on pedestals, frescoes that depict the sacrifice of woman and children for what looks like the rebirth of the world

• Puzzle: Activating the circle correctly (Arcana/Religion DC 15) allows the party to glimpse the past: a vision of Sorenn binding his daughter to the Anchor.

• Trap: Tampering incorrectly summons an echo of the ritual (psychic backlash or a hostile illusion).

Room 3: Submerged Cloister (Combat Encounter)

• Features: A side hall flooded waist-high, with pillars and half-submerged benches.

• Enemies: Anchor-warped guardians (Iron Golem with only 30 HP and its damage is always halved).

• Tactics: Enemies use water to ambush or drag players under. Limited mobility unless players climb onto pillars (Athletics DC 13).

Room 4: The Relic Vault (Reward/Roleplay Room)

• Features: Sealed iron doors, a hidden alcove beneath a broken altar.

• Challenge: Unlocking the vault (Thieves’ Tools DC 17 or spell). Inside, magical items remain, protected by an old ward.

• Loot:

  • Veil of the Bound Soul: Grants the wearer resistance to psychic damage; wearer can once per day detect lies automatically.

  • Shard of Unraveled Time: Once per long rest, reroll a failed save.

• Esmeray’s Locket (plot item): As the Anchor feeds on Esmeray’s soul, it resonates with Esmeray’s Locket, a token from her childhood imbued with residual protective magic by her mother, Isolde. The locket glows faintly when brought near the Anchor, reacting to the pulse of the ritual.

  
  

  DM Guidance

If a player places Esmeray’s Locket on the Anchor Core, or wears it and touches Esmeray during the battle, roll an Arcana check (DC 15).On success, a radiant pulse disrupts the soul siphon, weakening Vallok’s tether to Esmeray. She falls to the ground, unconscious but alive.On failure, the locket begins to resonate — allowing another attempt on the next round.

Optional Boon: If the locket is used successfully, the Anchor’s energy becomes volatile — reducing Vallok’s AC by 2 and removing one of his magical resistances as the ritual falters.

🧿 Room 5: The Anchor Core Final Confrontation)

• Features: A dome-like chamber, half-flooded with brackish, black swamp water that swirls unnaturally, rippling toward a jagged obsidian platform in the center.

  
  

  • Floating in the air above the platform is the Anchor, a fractal mass of impossible geometry and blood-colored light.

  
  

  • As Esmeray enters the room, the Anchor pulses. Red lightning arcs from the core, slamming into her chest and lifting her violently into the air. Her body twists, suspended, eyes wide in pain.

• Boss Fight: Sorenn Vallok and 2 Hollow Wraiths

• Battle Terrain: Shifting gravity, and energy pulses (roll 1d4 each round for a new effect: gravity shifts psychic shockwave, temporal echo of actions).

Sorenn Vallok (stepping from the shadows): "She was born to carry the wound. My blood—her tether. You think you can sever it? No, heroes. You’ll witness what salvation truly costs."

• The Anchor feeds on her soul, glowing brighter with each second. Tendrils of corrupted magic wrap around her like marionette strings.

• The players must fight Vallok, his summoned horrors (Hollow Wraith) and find a way to weaken the Anchor’s bond before it consumes her completely.

  
  

  The walls hum with energy. The ceiling drips thick crimson condensation. The ritual has begun, and the time to stop it is short.

Final Battle Setup

• Warped Environment: Gravity shifts, walls move, terrain phases

• Minions: Corrupted Beasts and Hollow Wraiths

• Allies:

  • Isolde: Provides healing and teleportation support

  • Vireth (optional): May assist or betray, depending on prior choices

PC Perception/Wisdom/Arcana check (DC 15):

As the battle rages, the Anchor pulses red with Esmeray’s life force. Her locket — once dim and forgotten — glows bright. The hum of the Anchor shifts, uncertain. You see it now: a crack in the ritual’s weave.

If you act fast, you can shatter the chain between father and daughter.

Esmeray:

Sorenn attempts to use her soul to rebind the Anchor. As reality collapses:

Esmeray (if conscious): "Please... I can feel it eating me. Don’t let him... don’t let it win."

NPCs

Isolde, Witch of the Hollow

• Appearance: Tall, silver hair, violet-glowing eyes, robed in ivy

• Abilities:

  • Shadowstep (30 ft teleport)

  • Animal Kinship (utility familiar)

  • Minor Healing Magic (2d6 HP, 3/day)

Vireth, Stormkeeper Warden

• Loyal to Stormkeepers, conflicted by rising doubts

• If players make a convincing case or earn his graces, Vireth becomes shaken by the events that transpire:

"Maybe they were right... maybe we aren’t protecting the world. Maybe we’re preserving its cage."

Monster Statblocks

Corrupted Beast

• AC 13 | HP 30 | Speed 40 ft.

• Berserk Charge: Knock prone on charge

• Multiattack: Bite +5 (1d8+3), Claw +5 (1d6+3)

Hollow Wraith

• AC 15 | HP 55 | Speed 50 ft. (hover)

• Incorporeal Movement, Soul Drain (+6, 3d8+2 necrotic, reduces max HP)

• Fade Into Shadows: Recharge 5-6 (Invisibility until attack)

Stormkeeper Guard

• AC 17 | HP 45 | Speed 30 ft.

• Tactical Order: Ally within 30 ft. may attack as reaction

Rewards (At DM’s Discretion)

These rewards may be granted based on player choices, story outcomes, and alliances:

Magic Items

• Anchor-Touched Shard (Rare): Misty Step 1/day, advantage vs. illusions, resonates with Anchors.

• Esmeray’s Pendant (Rare): Resist psychic damage; survive at 1 HP once per long rest; mental link to Esmeray.

• Witchwood Cloak (Uncommon): +1 AC in dim light; advantage on Stealth in natural terrain.

• Spellblade of the Broken Oath (Rare): +1 sword, extra psychic damage, bonus force on spell-attack combo, reroll concentration 1/day.

Boons & Supernatural Gifts

• Mark of the Hollow: Detect Thoughts 1/day; haunting dreams offer vision or warning.

• Witch’s Favor: +1 to Spell Save DC for nature/illusion; Isolde’s animal spirit guide appears once in a future module.

• Stormkeeper’s Recognition: Writ of Passage grants safe entry or healing shrine access.

Narrative Consequences

• Anchorborn Reputation: Feared and respected across Aithos—doors may open… or close.

• Enemy of the Cult: Sorenn’s agents pursue the party across modules.

• Esmeray’s Debt: If saved, she becomes a recurring ally with growing Anchor powers.

Conclusion & Hooks

After Sorenn’s defeat (or escape), the players must choose:

• Will they sever the Hollow Anchor for good?

• Will Esmeray be saved, sacrificed, or corrupted?

• Will they flee or stand trial before the Stormkeepers?

Sequel Setup:

• If Esmeray is saved: She has latent Anchor-stabilizing magic.

• If the Anchor remains: Other Anchors begin to resonate. The Stormkeeper's demand action.

"The Anchors are waking up. One fell... and the others heard it scream

The Hollow That Hungers ends with the players having shaped not only the fate of a cursed village, but the balance of reality itself across Aithos.

For this series the adventure ends and the door opens up for you to run your own adventures inspired by this world. But as for me, I will look to write something new in the world of Ascendant: Saga of Valor

And for those who want to dive deeper into the mysteries of Aithos, the novel awaits…

Read Aithos: Dragonsfall Cycle to discover the full world beyond the game!

GET AITHOS HERE