The Tomb of Yaegar: A serialized adventure

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I created this one off adventure module as a way to introduce a friend of mine to Tabletop RPGs, since she had never played. The map and the resultant adventure turned out better than I had expected. So, I decided to write a back story. The miniatures used for the encounters and NPCs were exclusively Bones miniatures present in the Vampire Box of KS1. I will share the adventure here in several installments starting with the Background, Summary, Notable NPCs, and Map. It was written for my homebrew world of Renascentia, but it can easily be run world independent or modified for any other world. It was designed for a single player with a supporting NPC for Second Edition AD&D. If you want to run it with more players, or in a newer system you will probably want to add more monsters/encounters or scale their power levels to make it more challenging. Additionally I added a hook to the finale so that if you wish it can become the start of a much larger adventure or campaign. I hope that some of you might find it useful, in part or in whole, or at least enjoyable to read. You may freely make use of all the materials provided here for non-commercial use. Please feel free to share it. At the end of the adventure I will provide a synopsis of all miniatures used, and download links for all the NPC sheets and map. Thanks for reading. Cheers. 

 

Legal fun things:

 

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition Player's Handbook Copyright 1989 is the Intellectual Property of TSR and any parent companies.

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition is the intellectual property of TSR and any parent companies.

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The tomb was recently discovered by a group of Knights from the nearby Keep of Greywall. While escorting a personage of some importance they noticed several undead exiting the low entrance of the barrow. They dispatched the undead, but were unwilling and unable to further explore the discovery. Since that time word has gotten out, and several groups of adventurers have tried their luck. To date none of these groups have returned. The barrow is located several days north and west of Greywall Town. While troubled by the reports the ranking knights at the keep currently have enough other problems that they can't spare the manpower to deal with the situation themselves. However, they are more than willing to provide a small bounty, a few minor items, and their blessing to anyone who wishes to investigate. In addition bringing back information about the tomb, or eliminating any menaces inside, would garner some goodwill with the commanders, The Church of The Knight, and the Town of Greywall.  

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Installment 1: The Tomb of Yaegar

 

 

While not an inherently evil man, Yaegar was a very proud one. It was this pride that opened the door to his downfall, and his wife was the warden who flung the door wide and ushered in his doom. - Excerpt from The Fall of Eorlthasach by Erstacles

 

ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

In life Yaegar was a powerful noble of the Realm of Eorlthasach. He was highly skilled at arms, and in return for his service the King raised him to the rank of Thayn, and bestowed upon him the Shire of Addoori as his personal holding. Yaegar's prowess quickly gained him renown, and he eventually rose to the King's right hand, and became a trusted advisor. In time he married, and that was where his troubles began. His wife was the youngest daughter of another Thayn, and coincidentally the youngest half-sister of the Queen. She was a bitter woman, who greatly resented all the children of her father’s first wife, and especially the Queen. She devised a plot to eliminate the Queen and her husband, while putting herself in a position to ingratiate herself to the King. She poisoned Yaegar’s mind, convincing him that he was more worthy to be King. Once the traitorous seeds she had sown took bloom she betrayed her husband by informing the King that Yaegar and the Queen intended to depose him. What she didn’t count on, however, was her husband’s prowess. When the King confronted Yaegar in front of the court the Thayn drew his famed sword, and after cutting his way through the King’s guards, killed the King in front of the remaining nobles. His wife took advantage of the chaos, and under the pretext of trying to comfort her sister she slipped a poisoned dagger between the ribs of the Queen. She then fled from the court. Yaegar did not get to enjoy his victory. His gods, angered by his treachery, cursed him. He flew into a rage and slew everyone in the court who did not flee. As he began raging through the castle killing anyone he crossed paths with a group of guards finally trapped him in the chapel, and after losing half their number were able to finally slay him. His wife eventually married her child nephew, and thus began the reign that brought about the end of Eorlthasach, but that is another story. No one would willingly touch anything Yaegar bore, so a group of lepers called The Brotherhood of the Weeping Blain were brought in to bear his remains away. They took the gold the new Queen gave them, and used it to seal Yaegar’s remains away in a small hidden tomb where his unquiet soul could not affect others. Unknown to the Queen and her advisors their acts were not in the least kind or altruistic. They believed Yaegar was the vehicle of prophecy, and with the proper care would rise again to herald in an age of glory (to their mind) where a wave of undead would cover the land, ending all suffering, pain, and disease. They sealed themselves into the tomb, and warded it to prevent premature entry. As time passed the Brothers died one at a time. Each death fed Yaegar power, and increased the necromantic energies within the tomb. Unfortunately they miscalculated, and when the final brother died there was not enough dark energy to bring about the metamorphosis they had invisioned. The dead brothers rose again as plague skeletons, but Yaegar’s remains lay locked away; awake but unable to break through the wards that held him captive in his tomb. For countless years he has lain in an uneasy slumber dreaming of the day when the tomb will open, his sarcophagus will unseal, and he can begin carving out his new kingdom of the undead.  

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Installment 2: 

 

“We prepare the coming of the Grey King. He who was promised. He will rise from his own demise like a phoenix from its ashes, and lead us into a gentle age free of mortal care.†- Inscription inside the Tomb

 

ADVENTURE SUMMARY

 

Recent seismic activity has uncovered the entrance to this long lost tomb. A wandering band of exiled kobolds happened upon the tomb, and their leader was drawn in by the dark energies. They quickly took up residence with their riding spiders. The leader of this group is a cleric named Yipgrowl, and his first order of business was to set about dominating all the undead within the tomb.  After being in the tomb some time Yipgrowl started having vivid dreams, sent to him by Yaegar, that prompted him to begin sacrificing his followers in an attempt to secure Yaegar’s release. He started off killing those who angered him, or were otherwise in his bad graces. As time passed and he did not receive the great power he dreamed of Yipgrowl became increasingly irritable, and it took very little to get on his bad side. Before he could kill all the other kobolds adventurers began showing up periodically thus giving him a solution to the problem of what he would do when he had no further minions. The increasing number of undead issuing from the tomb, as well as the frequency with which adventurers are disappearing into its depths have prompted several disparate groups to take an interest in the crypt. Due to the ever increasing amount of necromantic energy in the tomb any living being that dies within has a 25% chance of rising again within 1d4 rounds as a free willed undead. So far Yipgrowl has managed to dominate all the undead within the tomb except for a few that wandered off before he could locate them and two zombies that continue to wander aimlessly around the tomb. So far the zombies and the kobolds have left each other alone, perhaps sensing that they are not working at cross purposes.

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Now we start meeting the NPCs who can potentially accompany the player(s). The module was designed so that only one of the potential NPCs would accompany the PC, but allowing multiple NPCs is at the discretion of the DM.

 

Installment 3:

 

 

Rodrick the Breaker

1st Level Human Warrior

 

Alignment:        Lawful Evil

Armor Class:    3

Move:               9

Thaco:             20

Hit Points:        12

 

 

Strength:       17     Intelligence:  15

Dexterity:       13     Wisdom:       11

Constitution:  16     Charisma:     12

 

Weapon Proficiencies: Long Sword (Specialized), Dagger (Specialized)

 

Nonweapon Proficiences: Blind Fighting, Navigation

 

Languages: Common(Courtly, Slum, Merchant), Orcish(Forest Dialect), Dwarven

 

Armor: Plate and Mail

 

Weapons: Long Sword, Dagger x 3

 

Equipment: Drinking Jack, Gallon of Ale x 2, Clothing, Bedroll, Potion of Light Healing (2 draughts),

Purse with 42 sp 11 cp

 

Age: 27

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 184 lbs.

Hair/Eyes: Black/Brown

 

"There are no problems, only targets."

 

Rodrick is a bitter, self centered man. He was once a scion of a minor noble house until in a fit of rage he challenged a cousin to a duel, and then beat him to death. He loves all of the comforts that only money can provide. As such his primary interest in the tomb is finding as much money as possible to enable him to coast for as long as he can enjoying his favorite things: drink, women, and fine food. His only purpose in being at Greywall is finding some rubes he can sucker into helping him pillage the tomb, and then duping them out of as much of the treasure as possible. At present his funds are rapidly diminishing, and he is getting increasingly desperate to find someone to help him explore the barrow. He will always be found in either the Winged Helm Inn (Inside the Keep proper) or the Dented Cuirass Inn (Greywall Town), though the later is more likely. He will quickly sidle up to anyone he thinks might be adventuring material, and after a short conversation find some pretense to mention exploring the tomb. He will always haggle to get a larger share of the treasure, though will settle for an even share if necessary. He will adhere to the exact letter of any bargain or contract he makes with any Players, though he will always try to turn any contract or accord to his advantage in the end. Violence is his stock in trade, and he relies on his strength and endurance to deal with any situation. He has yet to find any problem that can't be solved (in his mind) by hitting it as hard as necessary. He has no subtlety, and in combat will always take the most straightforward approach. What he lacks in finesse he makes up for in brute force. He always attacks with his long sword in his primary hand, and a dagger in his offhand. His specialization grants him +1 to hit with both, and +2 to damage on top of the bonuses he gains from his strength. In addition because of his specialization he gets 5 attacks every 2 rounds, and he tries to use the sheer number of attacks to offset his lessened accuracy.

 

If the Player Character(s) choose to accompany Rodrick, or allow him in the group, story reward xp should be granted for thwarting his attempts to intimidate the group, bamboozle the characters, or by outlawyering Rodrick on the rules/contracts/agreements.

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Installment 4:

 

 

Alastria Silverbell

1st Level Elf(Dokaelvar) Cleric of Forn Eik

 

Alignment: Neutral Good

Armor Class: 1

MOve: 9

Thaco: 20

HIt Points: 8

 

Strength:      14   Intelligence:  14

Dexterity:      18   Wisdom:       13

Constitution: 12   Charisma:     16

 

Weapon Proficiencies: Staff

 

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Healing, Herbalism

 

Languages: Elven, Common, Gnomish

 

Armor: Chain

 

Weapons: Quarterstaff

 

Equipment: Potion of Light Healing x 4, Iron Rations (1 week), Bedroll, Clothing, 

Purse with 3gp 11sp 9cp

 

Age: 126

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 87

Hair/Eyes: Brown/Green

 

"Ummm...I'll...no, wait...I cast...ummm...OH!

 

Alastria is not comfortable around most people regardless of race. This explains her decision to dedicate her life to the nature Goddess Forn Eik. She would much rather be dealing with the day to day duties of a grove somewhere than trying to figure out the social niceties of whatever. Because of her lack of social skill she often becomes frustrated and indecisive in the presence of people she doesn't know. She is at her best when dealing with situations that require no imagination, and for which there is a preexisting procedure. She has traveled to Greywall in order to find out what befell two acolytes of her order that were sent to investigate a disturbance in the natural balance of the region. The two young druids disappeared some weeks ago, and after much debate her superiors decided that in light of the increasing reports of undead in the area they should dispatch someone who is more qualified to deal with such. After arriving in the area Alastria quickly ascertained that the two young druids headed to the barrow to investigate it, and never returned. Since then she has been trying to recruit someone to help her search for her two brethren. She briefly encountered Rodrick, but after he offered to "Help her with her common tongue" she broke his nose, and he started referring to her as "That elf witch." She can usually be found in the common room of The Winged Helm Inn looking for potential allies, or in the Keep where she has lodgings. She will most willingly accompany other Elves, Half-Elves, or Gnomes. She will not accompany anyone who is obviously evil. In combat she generally likes to have an established plan, and will willingly follow the directions of someone who is more confident than herself. She doesn't hesitate to use her healing magic and potions on her companions. 

 

If Alastria accompanies the Player(s) story reward xp should be given for finding out the fate of each of the two acolytes she is seeking. 

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Installment 5:

 

 

Audhild Copperhammer

1st Level/1st Level Dwarf Fighter/Rogue

 

Alignment:       Chaotic Good

Armor Class:   5

Move:              6

Thaco:            20

Hit Points:       11

 

Strength:      18(53)   Intelligence:  14

Dexterity:      17         Wisdom:       11

Constitution: 15         Charisma:     13

Thieving Skills:

PP:   20%

OL:   45%

FRT: 35%

MS:   15%

HS:   10%

DN:   15%

CW:  50%

RL:   25%

 

Weapon Proficiencies: Short Sword, Dagger, Light Crossbow, Hammer

 

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Mining, Blacksmithing

 

Languages: Dwarven, Common, Halfling

 

Armor: Boiled Leather

 

Weapons: Short Sword, Light Crossbow

 

Equipment: Light Quarrel x 20, Clothing, Iron Rations (2 weeks), Thieves Tools, Lantern, 

Purse with 11gp

 

Age: 49

Height: 3'5"

Weight: 133

Hair/Eyes: Red/Green

 

"That upturned nose will be even worse when I smack it with me hammer."

 

Audhild is an accomplished smith from the town of Dvarrowferj. Despite what her parents wanted for her she decided early on that she wasn't ready for hearth and home. Going against her family's wishes she convinced one of her uncles to teach her his craft. Now she travels around taking commissions, and generally exploring wherever she has the fancy. One of her abiding interests is in finding old weapons and armor. She likes to study them, and then modify the pattern or design to incorporate modern methods to make it better. She was in Greywall finishing a dozen swords, axes, and hammers that had been ordered by Shield Knight Hvala Goldenhair when word came in of the tomb. After completing her work she decided to hang around, and see if any interesting artifacts were uncovered. Since no one has yet returned her patience is quickly nearing an end, and she's rapidly approaching the point of heading out to explore the tomb herself. She can frequently be found in the common room of one of the inns, or in the castle kitchens. She may also be encountered in one of the forges. She will readily agree to accompany anyone who expresses an interest in the tomb. She is a capable warrior, and her skill with locks and traps make her a valuable ally. She strongly dislikes elves, but will accompany them as long as they don't get too "uppity" with her. She is a straightforward down to earth dwarf and will prefer the company of warriors, rogues, and clerics. She will not accompany evil characters willingly, but she gets along fine with good and neutral of all flavors. In combat she will generally try to use her ranged weapons, but she isn't afraid to wade into melee if necessary.  

 

If Audhild joins the group story reward xp should be given for finding any very old to ancient design weapons and armor. She will not want to keep any weapons/armor she can't use, but will insist on hanging on to it long enough to reverse engineer the design. 

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Installment 5:

 

 

Cateel

1st Level Halfling Assassin (Rogue)

 

Alignment:       Chaotic Evil

Armor Class:   3

Move:              6

Thaco:            20

Hit Points:       5

 

Strength:      15         Intelligence:  12

Dexterity:      18         Wisdom:       9

Constitution: 14         Charisma:     13

 

Thieving Skills (without armor penalty):

PP:   25%

OL:   30%

FRT: 15%

MS:   55%

HS:   60%

DN:   20%

CW:  45%

RL:   -5%

 

Weapon Proficiencies: Short Sword, Dagger

 

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Blind Fighting, Disguise

 

Languages: Halfling, Common, Cant

 

Armor: Studded Leather

 

Weapons: Short Sword, Dagger x 4

 

Equipment: Clothing, Thieves Tools, Disguise Kit, 2 Potions of Light Healing, Random odds and ends that he picks up only to abandon them when some other oddment catches his fancy, Purse with 35 gp 11sp

 

Age: 28

Height: 3'4"

Weight: 67

Hair/Eyes: Brown/Black

 

"Oh, so much happy, shiny blood. What a hoppity, skippity, fun day!"

 

Cateel is posing as a good aligned warrior who is concerned with the disappearances that have occurred. He will use this pretext to try and join up with anyone he thinks might be a useful cat's paw. He is in fact a very unbalanced killer with distinctly sociopathic tendencies. He occasionally slips up, especially during battle, and lets some of these tendencies show through in the odd phrase or truly disturbing action. Cateel is an adherent of the evil God Rotnun, and while Rotnun is not strictly speaking opposed to what the Brotherhood of the Weeping Blain, and now Yaegar, were trying to accomplish he wants it to happen on his own terms. Cateel was sent to scout out the situation, and eliminate the competition as it were. If he happens to get killed in the process it will simply solve two problems the Cult of Decay has. Thus far Cateel has been able to maintain his cover, satiating his insanity with acts of petty theft around Greywall Town. He steals just for the pleasure of stealing, and from no real need. However, the urge to kill is growing daily, and he hopes to find an accomplice before something bad happens. Cateel can randomly approach the PC anywhere in the town, but he avoids the Keep for obvious reasons. There are far to many Paladins, Knights, and other goody goodies lurking around. Depending on his mood (that of the DM) he can be painfully blunt about his intentions, or bizarrely subtle. He is so off kilter that the DM can play this any way he feels, and it won't be off the mark. In battle Cateel will always try to use his backstab to the greatest advantage. In any fight that lasts longer than 6 rounds he has a cumulative 2% chance per additional round to randomly attack whoever or whatever is closest to him, abandoning all pretense at unity and strategy. After he will blithely tell any surviving companions he might have attacked, "Sorry, I thought you were a         " or "I was trying to save your life, there was a Fendling Spider behind you." Aside from his random breaks in the heat of combat Cateel will actively try to keep his companions alive at least until the final encounter. After all you don't dispose of a tool before you're done with it. Cateel will accompany anyone who is not an obvious Paladin (due to their detection of evil). Once he has accomplished his goals (as he sees them) he will then decide whether or not he kills his companions.

 

If Cateel accompanies the player(s) story reward xp should be granted for figuring out his duplicity, thwarting his schemes, and/or surviving any attempts by him to assassinate said player(s).

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Installment 6:

 

 

Soraya Silverbane

1st Level Human Paladin

 

Alignment: Lawful Good

Armor Class: 2

Move: 9

Thaco: 20

HIt Points: 12

 

Strength:      16   Intelligence:  16

Dexterity:      10   Wisdom:       14

Constitution: 17   Charisma:     17

 

Weapon Proficiencies: Bastard Sword, Dagger, Short Sword

 

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Ancient History, Ancient Languages, Reading/Writing

 

Languages: Common, Elvish

 

Armor: Plate and Mail, Kite Shield

 

Weapons: Bastard Sword (1 Hand)

 

Equipment: Potion of Light Healing x 2, Bedroll, Backpack, Iron Rations (2 weeks), Parchment, Quills x 4, Ink, Candles x5, Purse with 9gp 11sp 8cp

 

Age: 31

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 147

Hair/Eyes: Red/Green

 

"Careful study of ancient societies provides many good examples that can applied to analogous situations to turn them to your advantage."

 

Soraya was born into the Silverbane family, and was raised on tales of the legendary sword from which the family takes its name. The sword went missing some 600 years previous with the last known member of the family to wield The Silverbane. As a young child she used to beg for stories about the various wielders of the blade throughout the family's history. When she was very small she used to hope her hair would turn white, signifying she was destined to wield the great sword. As she grew older she realized it wasn't meant to be. She came to believe instead that it was her purpose to locate the missing weapon, train the next wielder, and follow him or her into battle. To this end she has dedicated herself not only to honing her martial skills, but also to studying history. She is currently pursuing hints and rumors trying to find out what happened to the weapon. She is currently at Greywall doing research in their library. She jumps at any chance to explore ancient tombs or ruins in the hopes of finding some lost lore that will point her in the right direction. Upon hearing about the nearby tomb she has begun feeling out potential allies with whom to explore it. Soraya is a very quiet, almost withdrawn young lady. She doesn't really understand why some people feel the need to fill up perfectly good silence with conversation. Her extensive studies in ancient history and languages have given her a decided edge when exploring or navigating ruins or tombs. She is a skilled swordswoman and tactician. In battle she can generally asses the situation in a calm and methodical method, and direct her efforts to where they are of the most benefit. She is also intelligent enough to know when the odds are bad, and a tactical flanking maneuver (retreat) is the best option. She will not join any group containing evil characters, or those of a cruel or malicious disposition.

 

If Soraya joins the group award story reward xp for any old writings or inscriptions the group finds. 

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Installment 7:

 

 

Valxthus Gravebinder

1st Level Human Necromancer

 

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Armor Class: 10

Move: 12

Thaco: 20

Hit Points: 4

 

Strength:      11   Intelligence:  18

Dexterity:      9     Wisdom:       16

Constitution: 13   Charisma:     10

 

Weapon Proficiencies: Staff

 

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Herbalism, Ancient History, Religion

 

Languages: Common

 

Armor: None

 

Weapons: Staff

 

Equipment: Potion of Light Healing x3, Spell Components, Formaldehyde (small jar) x2, Holy water, vial x1, Unholy water, vial x1, Iron Rations (1 week), Grimoire, Shroud cloth, Charcoal, Corpse dust, Purse with 2 ep 37sp 11cp, Chalk, 5 candles.

 

Age: 42

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 132

Hair/Eyes: Brown and Grey/Brown

 

"If you carefully regulate the amount of energy that you channel through the necrotic flesh then you can create a more efficient transformation from death. It's all about the careful husbandry of resources. Efficiency is really the key."

 

Valxthus is obsessed with death. More specifically with avoiding it. He was a apathetic and uninspired apprentice who managed to maintain his position solely through his family's great wealth. His epiphany came one day when he realized that for all the great power he possessed even the Arch Mage was doomed to succumb to the ravages of time. From that point forward he began studying the necromanctic arts with a fervor that surprised, and slightly worried his instructors. He is constantly looking for new undead subjects to study in order to better understand life and the transformation to death. While he doesn't give much thought to good or evil he has unknowingly already set his feet on the path to Lichhood. His genius level intellect and high wisdom give him frequent stunning insights into whatever he is currently bending his mind toward. He has hypothesized (correctly) that there is a large build up of necromantic energy within the Tomb. He is also intelligent enough to realize that his current power levels afford him a poor chance at surviving on his own. To this end he is seeking help exploring the tomb. He will most usually be found in the church discussing various theories on afterlife with the priests, in the library speed reading through the tomes, or in one of the inns poring over his grimoire while he eats. He has run across Soraya several times, and found her intelligence refreshing. He thinks her obsession with "useless family heirlooms" is a bit quaint, but they have shared a few notes on the various types of undeath, and tactics. He is primarily interested in studying the tomb itself, and any writings/runes/hieroglyphs within. He also understands that his research and ascent to power will require quite a lot of expense so he will gladly share in any monetary rewards, but has almost no interest in "the trappings of brainless louts who bash upon each other." He is not picky about who he accompanies, as long as they don't interfere with his studies. He keeps his word, but will brook no foolishness from those he accompanies. In combat he will always study the situation, and attempt to make the most efficient use of his skills.

 

If Valxthus joins the group reward story xp reward for each type of unique undead the party vanquishes giving him a chance to study it. He is particularly interested in free willed undead. 

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Installment 8: The Map

 

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Installement 9: Entrance

 

The entrance to the tomb is low in the side of a hill or barrow. The doorway is below the level of the ground, and if you are looking straight at it you can only see about 1' of the doorway above the ground. The ramp leading down to the entrance is a mass of torn dead grass and dirt. In wet weather it becomes a morass. At any given time there are a least one set of strange tracks leading away from the entrance made by undead. There is also a 5% chance that 1d4 Skeletons or Zombies will be encountered immediately outside the tomb. 

 

1. This is the entrance to the Tomb. Directly across from the entrance is a Statue/Font of a larger than life size heroic figure in archaic plate armor holding a sword aloft. Close examination of the worn statue (Int or Wis roll of at least 10) will reveal that the figure exhibits signs of decay and certain features of undeath. There are a series of runes running along the lip of the font below the statue. If a successful Ancient Languages check is made the runes can be deciphered to read "We prepare the coming of the Grey King. He who was promised. He will rise from his own demise like a phoenix from its ashes, and lead us into a gentle age free of mortal care."

 

There are 4 massive pillars in the room rising up to the ceiling. They are decorated with images of undeath. Between the pillars are stairs leading to raised ledges on the eastern and western walls. Hiding behind the two southernmost pillars are two skeletons. They currently appear to be fallen bodies, laying in wait. The skeleton behind the western pillar has a short bow and 15 arrows. The skeleton behind the eastern pillar is armed with a short sword and a rusted rotted round shield. They remain inanimate unless attacked or until someone touches the door in the eastern wall.

 

Skeleton

AC 7

MV 12

HP 6

THACO 19

 

There is a secret door hidden in the northwestern wall that is one way, it requires a roll of 6 on a 1d6 to find hidden doors. It was not designed to open from this room, and can only be forced by someone with a strength of 20 or higher. If the secret door is forced it triggers a trap that drops a massive block of stone from the ceiling. Dex check with a -2 penalty to avoid the trap or anyone occupying the square below (in front of the door) will take 1d20 damage. The door to the east is made from some type of wood that is still rock solid, if weathered. It is banded by pitted iron fixtures. The hinges are extremely rusty, and unless oiled will make a loud protest when opened. It is currently stuck, and requires a 9 strength minimum to open. No roll required, but the door will not open easily. 
 

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Installment 10:

 

2. This 15'x15' room was originally a small library and dining area. Over the years part of the ceiling has collapsed destroying the furniture and most of the book cases. There are many destroyed books here that yield 3d10 pages of fine parchment if the players spend 1d20 minutes sifting through them. Additionally there are 3 books here that somehow managed to survive. Each books requires the player to spend 2d20 minutes sifting through the rubble and destruction to find. The Fall of Eorlthasach is a historical tome concerning the heraldry, politics, and eventual downfall of the long dead Kingdom. It is not magical, but it is possible to sell for 50-100 gold to the right historian or collector. The Final Peace is a treatise on the tenets of The Brotherhood of the Weeping Blain. It contains information on their beliefs, it also contains information on certain unique undead types (Plague Zombies, Burning Skeletons, Variant vampires, etc.) Anyone who spends at least 1 month studying this tome will gain a one time bonus to any animate dead spell allowing them to cast it as if one level higher. The final book Practical Flora is a book concerning the use of herbalism and alchemy in necromancy. To certain shadier scholars and collectors it can bring as much as 500 gold. 

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Installment 11:

 

3. Five small cells here served as sleeping quarters for the Brothers while they built the tomb. Several of them retired here to die, but as they rose again as undead they didn't leave any real remains. Since the Tomb's reopening two Giant Rats have made this area home, drawn in by the dark energies and decay. 

 

Giant Rat

AC 7

MV 12

HP 6

THACO 20

Dmg 1d4 (Disease)

 

The two southwestern most cells are filled with refuse and remains. The two mated rats are hiding inside these piles, and as soon as the players approach they spring out to attack. After the first rat attacks the second will join the battle within one round. Sifting through each pile for 2d10 minutes will reveal 1d4-1 electrum, 1d8 gold, 1d12 silver, 2d20 copper, and 1d4 random non-magical weapons. Any weapons found will be slightly oxidized, but serviceable and easily repairable with a little maintenance. One weapon will always be a well made scimitar decorated with ornate copper leafs along the length of the blade. Additionally anyone sifting through the refuse will find that two sets of remains are rather fresher than the rest. Closer inspection of these remains will reveal the remnants of (shreds of cloth) green and brown rough spun robes. They will also find two small silver leaf Holy Symbols. Anyone familiar with the faith of Forn Eik will immediately recognize them as symbols of that order. Any other character can deduce this with a successful Wisdom check. These symbols have little monetary value, though returning them to the proper authorities would possibly earn a measure of goodwill. Any characters sifting through the piles will need to save vs. poison or be nauseated. 

 

There is a long hall and doorway to the south. The door is identical to the first door in area 1. In addition once the players move through the doorway they will have a 1 in 4 chance of encountering 1d2 of the wandering zombies that are loose in the hallways between the door and area 10. Once the players enter this area roll 1d4 every time they enter, or reenter an area, to see if they encounter the zombies. Once this doorway is open it's possible that the zombies might miss the players completely and wander out at the discretion of the DM. 

 

Zombie

AC 8

MV 6

HP 10

THACO 19

DMG 1d8

[Loim]

Installment 12:

 

4. Both of the doors to this room are identical to the previous doors in construction. They are also both barred from the inside. One or both of the doors should be allowed to be forced or otherwise opened. Once inside the doors can easily be re-barred against any external threats using materials found inside the room. What the players discover inside is a tragic scene straight from a horror story. The room is strewn with five bodies that are still relatively fresh (1-4 days old). There is a lot of dried blood in pools, splashes, and arcs all over the room. The corpses belong to an aspiring group of young adventurers who had named themselves The Band of the Crimson Claw. There are 5 of them. They entered the tomb with hopes of clearing it, and starting their rise to fame, but instead they managed to run into a large group of undead. After suffering serious wounds and being cut off from the exit they made a fighting retreat to this room, and barred the doors. Unfortunately the group's healer was unconscious, and bleeding out. Before they could stabilize him he died, and due to the nature of the tomb he rose again. Trapped inside with the abomination their situation quickly grew desperate. He quickly killed two of the remaining members, one of which also reanimated. After a fierce battle the final surviving member managed to dispatch the undead, only to succumb to her wounds. Fortunately all the dead stayed dead this time. This room is a great place for the players to rest up, heal, and regain spells if necessary. It's also a good way to allow them to replenish their supplies from the equipment of the deceased party.