This is the second encounter for my 4E conversion of The Sunless Citadel. Come back each week for a new encounter.

Encounter 2: Down a dark ravine
Encounter Level 1 (500 XP)

The PCs reach the ravine after 4 hours of travel on the second day. They must climb down a rope and traverse a series of ledges occupied by dire rats to reach the Sunless Citadel. This encounter includes the following creatures:

• 5 dire rats

Read the following to the players:

The Old Road passes to the east of a narrow ravine. Several stone pillars just from the earth where the ravine widens into a deep, but narrow, canyon. Two pillars stand straight, but most of them lean against the sloped earth. Others are broken, their upper halves toppled and lying in nearby piles of rubble. A handful of similar pillars are visible on the opposite side of the ravine.

The pillars are covered in poorly inscribed dwarven runes that spell out threats and warning to trespassers in Goblin. A Perception check (DC 13) reveals the remains of a small campfire. A Nature check (DC 15) will tell a PC that the site is a couple days old and an obvious effort was made to hide any traces from casual scrutiny.

A sturdy, knotted rope is securely tied to the stone pillar noted on the map. A Nature check (DC 10) allows a PC to judge from the rope’s condition that it has been there for two or three weeks. The rope hangs down into the darkness of the ravine.

Climbing the rope does not require an Athletics check unless they want to move at their normal speed, in which case the DC is 10. It is 50 feet from the lip of the ravine to the first ledge. There are also a series of rough-hewn hand- and footholds carved into the walls that a PC can use to climb down (DC 15).

Read the following as the first PC begins their descent:

A sandy ledge overlooks a subterranean gulf of darkness. The ledge is wide and strewn with rocky debris and the bones of small animals. A roughly hewn stairway zigs and zags down the side of the ledge, disappearing from sight.

Tactics
When the PC sets down on the ledge (“1″ on the map), have the 3 dire rats make Stealth checks, opposed by the PC’s Perception check. If the PC fails to notice them, they get a surprise round. The dire rats on the lower ledges will make their way up to the battle. All rats attempt to flank their targets, and fight to the death.

Features
Illumination: Darkness. The PCs must provide their own light source.

Ledges: When the PC sets down on the ledge (“1″ on the map), a Perception check (DC 13) reveals footprints (medium and small humanoids, and large rat prints), the accumulated ash of hundreds of fires (though none more recent than a few years), and a few primitive spear tips.

It is a 5ft fall from ledge 1 to ledge 2. It is a 10ft fall from ledge 1 to ledge 3. It is a 20ft fall from ledge 2 to ledge 4. The total distance from ledge 1 to the courtyard (see Encounter 3) is 80ft.

Stairs: The narrow, poorly made stairs require an Acrobatics check (DC 13) to traverse at full speed. An creature that takes damage while on the stairs must make an Athletics check (DC 10) or fall. It is 5ft from the first to second stairs, 10ft from the second to third stairs, 20ft from the third to fourth stairs, and 50ft from the fourth stairs to the bottom of the ravine.