Two caves yawn open beneath the rocky rise. One, mossy and quiet, offers modest shelter: dry stone, scattered fire remains, and signs that others once rested here — briefly. The other? A darker mouth, lined with broken bones and the twisted remains of prey. Blood stains the rocks, and the foul stench of predator lingers in the air like a threat unspoken.
This is the lair of the hodag — a monstrous, cunning beast known to stalk travelers and tear through steel as if it were bark. Its den is a nest of violence, padded with cracked antlers, snapped ribs, and fleshless skulls. Tracks lead in, but not out.
In summer, the forest buzzes with insects and tension. In winter, the snow piles high around the cave mouths — and the silence is only broken by low growls echoing from within.
Hodag Den offers Dungeon Masters a classic two-path setup — safety versus risk, choice versus instinct. Will your players brave the monster’s lair, or camp too close to something that never truly sleeps?
The bones aren’t buried.
They’re on display.
