Throne of The Dead v1.3

 

Throne of the Dead hrone of the Dead  is  is intended for four characters with an average party level (APL) of 3. Characters who complete this adventure should earn enough experience to reach halfway to 4th-level. A secret ruin has been discovered beneath the king's palace and the adventurers must seek out a missing wizard who went exploring. This campaign takes

Empty Rooms. There Rooms. There are a handful of small rooms on the map that lack a number. They can be bathrooms, storage closets, or whatever you wish. Lighting. Aside Lighting.  Aside from the light coming in from the door to the outside, the ruins are pitch black. Unusual Features. An Features. An underground river ows through the center of the complex. It's 5 ft. deep and frigid.

place in Arden, although it can be set in your own world. This adventure favors clerics and paladins though any party composition should be able to nish the adventure with intelligent play.

1. Entryway

Background The royal palace was built on the remains of a keep that was abandoned many years ago. Recent renovations have uncovered a secret passage that leads deep beneath the castle, and the court wizard Dorja went down to investigate... he hasn't been seen since. What no one knows is that the ruins beneath the castle are actually a temple to a dark god. Inside, undead husks roam that once worshipped there before they were sealed in long ago. The high priest of the temple, wishing to elongate his life, made a pact with a dark god and became a vampire. Now he waits on his throne for the day when he'll be freed from his self-imposed prison.

 Adventure Hooks The King's Messenger. The Messenger.  The characters received a letter from the king requesting they come at once to his castle. His court wizard has gone missing in the catacombs beneath the palace. Adventurers for Hire. The Hire. The characters answered a posting on the bounty board regarding a missing wizard and were instructed to inquire at the king's castle. Into the Unknown  The  The characters heard that ruins were recently discovered beneath the royal palace. Eager to explore, they answered the king's call for adventurers.

The Ruins Down Below The ruins beneath the palace are fairly ancient. They were built centuries ago when this place was the center of  worship for a dark god. When that civilization fell, the temple was partially destroyed and built over. Only recently has its existence come to light.

General Features Ceilings. The ceilings are made of nely worked stone Ceilings. The and rise 10 ft. above the oor. Floors and Walls. The Walls.  The oors and walls are made of  cobbled granite. A thick layer of dust and cobwebs cover everything. Doors. The Doors.  The doors are made of thick oak and are held together by iron bands. They're all unlocked unless stated otherwise.

This stone passage leads south to a door and east to a portcullis. A mural is set into the stone wall to the west just south of the northern door.

The portcullis is jammed shut. It can be opened with a DC 18 Strength check. Alternatively, someone can unjam the mechanism holding it closed with a DC 16 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. Trap: Wall Darts. The Darts.  The mural on the wall hides a sinister trap. If someone steps on the square of stone in front of it, tiny needles shoot out at whoever is standing there. They must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw taking 1d10 piercing damage on a failure and half as much on a success.

2. Foyer This small room contains two open armoires, each containing what appear to be ceremonial cloaks.

Obstacle: Only the Worthy May Pass. The Pass.  The southern door is locked by magic and will only open for someone wearing one of the ceremonial cloaks. It cannot be opened otherwise.

 3. Temple Broken benches sit rotted on the oor. At the far end of the room, two inhuman statues can be seen. In the center of the room, gures wearing tattered robes shue about.

Encounter: The Chosen. The Chosen.  The gures are three skeletons and skeletons  and two ghouls ghouls.. They were the former worshippers of the temple who were sealed in when the entrance collapsed many years ago.

 

Treasure. Eyes of Night. The Night.  The eyes of the statues are made of polished onyx. They can be pried out with a DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. There are four in total and they're each worth 25 gp.

4. Half-Flooded Chamber Stairs lead down to a partially submerged chamber. A river currently ows through it and broken pottery and containers can be seen scattered about at the water's edge.

Treasure: All that Glitters. There Glitters.  There is a +1 longsword  at  at the bottom of the river. It can be spotted with a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check. Obstacle: So Very Cold. The Cold.  The water is quite frigid. Anyone who enters it must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or else they take 1d10 cold damage.

5. Collapsed Chamber This chamber appears to have once ben a large hall of some kind, however, it has since collapsed in upon itself. Now, it resembles a cavern more than a manmade structure.

Encounter: Stone Worms. Two Worms.  Two grick grick can  can be found living in this part of the complex. They hide at rst and attack if  anyone tries to move through the center of the chamber.

6. Living Quarters Numerous broken beds lie scattered across the oor here. Shuing about them are half a dozen rotted corpses in tattered robes.

Encounter: The Fallen. There Fallen. There are six zombies  in this zombies in chamber. They attack as soon someoneanyone enters the room. They try to grapple and as overwhelm who gets too close. Treasure: Holy Relics. A Relics.  A container can be found under one of the damaged beds. It contains an ancient holy symbol worth 50 gp and clerical vestments worth 75 gp

7. Throne Room A large stone bridge spans a river 10 ft. below. On the far side, three statues can be seen along with an onyx throne. On it, sits a man with pale skin, white hair, and red eyes.

Encounter: Undeath Becomes Him. The Him.  The man is a vampire spawn. spawn. He was formerly the high priest of the temple. When the entrance collapsed, he made a pact with his dark god to evade his impending death and was transformed into a vampire. He fed o  his  his worshippers until they all were dead and has been slumbering ever since. When Dorja came down to investigate, he inadvertently woke him up and became his rst meal in centuries. The vampire spawn is intelligent and ghts accordingly. He fears the running water and will take acid damage if he ends his turn in it. The characters might be able to use this to their advantage. If he feels he is losing the ght, he'll use the secret door behind the throne to try and ee. Secret Door: Escape Passage. There Passage.  There is a secret door hidden behind the throne. It can be spotted with a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check and opened with a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check. It leads to the top of area 8.

8. Secret Passage The secret passage leads from the water up to a small chamber behind the throne room. Resting against the wall near the secret door is the blood-drained corpse of Dorja the wizard. Encounter: Dark as Night. There Night.  There is a darkmantle on darkmantle  on the ceiling above the large stone in the center of the chamber. It attacks the rst creature to move under it (including the vampire spawn). Treasure: A Wizard's Belongings. The Belongings. The wizard Dorja has a potion of  healing , a +1 quartersta    ,   and his spellbook on him. It contains the following spells. Cantrips:  re re bolt , light , mage hand , prestidigitation  1st-Level: detect magic , mage armor , magic missile , shield 

 Aftermath With the vampire spawn dead, the threat beneath the palace has been neutralized. The king awards each party member 50 gp and allows them to keep whatever they found down below. Although the undead have been dealt with, there's always the possibility that something else moves into the space in the future from deeper underground.

 

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