The Crypts of Ember Hollow — Full Adventure
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--- title: "The Crypts of Ember Hollow" system: "D&D 5th Edition (SRD 5.1)" levels: "1-3" type: "One-Shot Adventure" license: "CC-BY-4.0" attribution: "The Crypts of Ember Hollow by Georges Mahl for LorePanic. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0). This adventure uses rules and monsters from the D&D 5th Edition Systems Reference Document 5.1, which is licensed under CC-BY-4.0 by Wizards of the Coast." --- # The Crypts of Ember Hollow *A D&D 5th Edition adventure for 3-5 characters of levels 1-3* > **License:** This adventure is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY-4.0). You are free to share and adapt this material for any purpose, including commercially, as long as you give appropriate credit. This adventure uses rules, spells, and monster stat blocks from the *Systems Reference Document 5.1*, also licensed under CC-BY-4.0 by Wizards of the Coast. --- # Adventure Background Three centuries ago, the village of Ember Hollow was founded by a band of settlers who discovered a rich vein of copper in the hills east of the Greymist River. Among those settlers was **Aldric Voss**, a human wizard of considerable talent and greater ambition. While the other settlers built homes and tilled fields, Aldric delved into the hills, excavating a series of chambers he called his "laboratory." In truth, Aldric had come to Ember Hollow following a vision -- a recurring dream of a pulsing ember buried deep beneath the earth, a shard of pure necrotic energy left behind by some long-forgotten catastrophe. Aldric found the shard. He called it the **Ember Heart**, a fist-sized crystal of deep orange that glowed with its own sickly warmth. Over the following decades, Aldric used the Ember Heart's power to extend his own life, conducting experiments in the boundary between life and death. The settlers, grateful for his aid in warding off goblin raids and curing plagues, asked few questions about the screams that sometimes echoed from the hills at night. When Aldric finally died -- or appeared to die -- at the age of one hundred and twelve, the townsfolk sealed his underground chambers and built a proper crypt above them, interring Aldric with full honors. They carved his likeness into the capstone and planted ember-leafed maples around the entrance, their autumn foliage a perpetual reminder of the wizard who had protected them. But Aldric had not truly died. His final experiment had been upon himself. The Ember Heart, clutched in his skeletal hands, continued to pulse in the darkness beneath the crypt. Over the centuries, its necrotic energy seeped into the surrounding earth, tainting the graves of those interred nearby. The dead began to stir. At first it was only the oldest corpses -- dry bones that rattled in their alcoves. Then newer dead began to rise, their flesh still clinging to their frames. **Two weeks ago**, the seal on Aldric's deeper chambers cracked. The necrotic energy surged outward. Three villagers who had gone to lay flowers on family graves in the upper crypt vanished. A fourth -- a young woman named Lira Ashwood -- stumbled back to town at dawn, white-haired and raving about "the dead that walk and the light that burns cold." The town is now gripped by fear. The crypt has been barricaded, but strange lights have been seen flickering behind the sealed doors. Animals have gone missing from nearby farms. And last night, the town's eldest resident, **Maren Greaves**, swore she saw a figure standing at the tree line behind her cottage -- a tall, gaunt shape in robes that had not been fashionable for three hundred years. The adventurers arrive in Ember Hollow to find a town in desperate need of heroes willing to descend into the crypts, discover what has awakened below, and put an end to it before the dead overrun the living. --- # The Town of Ember Hollow Ember Hollow is a small settlement of approximately 200 souls, nestled in a shallow valley where the Greymist River bends eastward toward the Copperridge Hills. The town consists of a single main road -- called Lantern Street for the oil lamps that line it each evening -- with a scattering of timber-and-stone buildings on either side. Farms and homesteads spread outward from the town center into the surrounding meadows. The atmosphere is tense. Shutters are closed even during daylight hours. The few townsfolk moving about do so quickly, in pairs, casting nervous glances toward the eastern hills where the crypt entrance is visible as a dark scar in the hillside, framed by the crimson canopy of ancient maple trees. **General Features.** The town has no walls or fortifications. Buildings are constructed of local timber with stone foundations. The Greymist River is about 30 feet wide and 4 feet deep at its deepest point. The crypt entrance is roughly half a mile east of the town center, accessible by a well-worn path that climbs gently into the Copperridge Hills. **Time of Year.** Late autumn. The days are short and overcast, with a persistent chill in the air. Frost covers the ground most mornings. The ember-leafed maples around the crypt are in full, unsettling bloom -- their leaves a vivid orange-red that seems to glow even on the dullest days. ## Key NPCs ### Torvin Blackwell -- Tavern Keeper **Race:** Human male, age 52 **Appearance:** A broad-shouldered man with a ruddy face, thinning brown hair pulled back in a short tail, and a prominent scar across his left knuckles from a bar fight twenty years past. He wears a stained leather apron over a wool shirt and speaks in a deep, unhurried baritone. **Personality:** Torvin is pragmatic and even-tempered, the kind of man who has heard every drunken boast and tearful confession and judges none of them. He keeps a loaded crossbow behind the bar -- "for rats," he says, though the rats he means walk on two legs. **Motivation:** Torvin wants to keep his business running and his town safe. He has lived in Ember Hollow his entire life and has no intention of leaving, but the disappearances have driven away what little trade the town normally sees. He is willing to offer adventurers free room and board and a modest payment (25 gp from the tavern's savings) if they deal with the crypt problem. **What He Knows:** - The three missing villagers are **Ged Ashwood** (Lira's brother, a young woodcutter), **Pella Marsh** (an elderly herbalist who tended graves), and **Donal Fenn** (a teenager who went in on a dare). - Torvin's grandfather told him stories about Aldric Voss -- that the old wizard was "not natural" and that the founders sealed his chambers for good reason. - The merchant **Silas Crook** arrived in town just days before the disappearances began, which Torvin finds suspicious. - Strange sounds -- a low, rhythmic humming -- can be heard near the crypt entrance at night. ### Elder Maren Greaves -- Town Elder and Quest Giver **Race:** Human female, age 78 **Appearance:** A small, wiry woman with sharp blue eyes, deep wrinkles, and silver hair worn in a tight bun. She walks with a blackthorn cane but moves faster than most expect. She wears a heavy woolen shawl embroidered with protective runes -- a family heirloom she claims was blessed by a traveling cleric decades ago. **Personality:** Maren is the unofficial leader of Ember Hollow, respected for her memory, wisdom, and willingness to make hard decisions. She is blunt to the point of rudeness, has no patience for self-pity, and believes firmly that every problem has a solution if you are willing to pay the cost. **Motivation:** Maren has buried two husbands and a son in the crypt. The thought of their remains being desecrated by dark magic fills her with cold fury. She wants the adventurers to enter the crypt, rescue anyone still alive, and destroy whatever is causing the dead to rise. She offers the party a reward of 100 gp from the town's emergency fund, plus whatever they find in the crypt. **What She Knows:** - Maren is the town's foremost authority on its history. She knows that Aldric Voss was a wizard who studied "the boundary between worlds" and that the founders sealed his underground chambers with a stone slab engraved with protective sigils. - She has a **hand-drawn map** of the upper crypt level (the public burial chambers), which she gives to the party. It does not include Aldric's deeper chambers. - Two nights ago, she saw a gaunt, robed figure standing motionless at the tree line behind her cottage for over an hour. When she opened the door and shouted at it, it simply turned and walked back toward the hills. She believes it was an undead, possibly Aldric himself. - She knows the protective sigils on the crypt seal were designed to contain something, not merely to keep people out. ### Silas Crook -- Suspicious Merchant **Race:** Half-elf male, age 45 **Appearance:** Lean and sharp-featured, with olive skin, dark hair slicked back with oil, and a thin mustache he strokes when thinking. He wears a traveling merchant's coat with many pockets and carries a brass-tipped walking stick. His wagon, parked behind the tavern, is covered with a heavy tarp and locked with three padlocks. **Personality:** Silas is charming, evasive, and always seems to know more than he lets on. He deflects personal questions with jokes and speaks about his merchandise with genuine passion. He is not evil, but he is morally flexible and primarily motivated by profit. **Motivation:** Silas is a dealer in antiquities and minor magical curiosities. He came to Ember Hollow because he heard rumors of Aldric Voss's sealed laboratory and hoped to find a way to recover artifacts from within. He did **not** cause the crypt to unseal -- that happened on its own -- but he is not above taking advantage of the situation. He wants the adventurers to succeed so he can follow them in and scavenge. **What He Knows:** - Silas has researched Aldric Voss extensively. He knows Aldric was experimenting with a **necrotic crystal** of unknown origin (the Ember Heart) and that his journals, if they survive, could be worth a fortune to the right buyer. - He possesses a **partial map** of Aldric's lower chambers, copied from a document he purchased in a distant city. He will trade it for a promise that he gets first pick of any non-magical books or papers found below. (The map reveals rooms C7-C10 but is incomplete and contains one deliberate error -- it shows C9 connecting directly to C10, when in fact there is a hidden passage through C8.) - He has two *potions of healing* and a *scroll of detect magic* in his wagon that he will sell at standard prices or trade for favors. - He knows the humming sound from the crypt matches descriptions of active necrotic foci he has read about in arcane texts. ### Lira Ashwood -- Grieving Survivor **Race:** Human female, age 19 **Appearance:** Before the incident, Lira was a healthy young woman with auburn hair and freckled skin. Now she is gaunt and pale, her hair turned stark white from root to tip. Her hands tremble constantly, and she flinches at sudden sounds. She wears a blanket around her shoulders and has not changed out of her mud-stained dress since emerging from the crypt. **Personality:** Lira was formerly cheerful and outgoing. Now she alternates between catatonic silence and bursts of frantic, disjointed speech. She desperately wants to help rescue her brother Ged but is terrified of the crypt. With patience and a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Persuasion) check, she can be calmed enough to share useful information. **Motivation:** Lira wants her brother back. She also feels crushing guilt -- it was her idea for the group to visit the graves, and she was the only one who escaped. **What She Knows:** - The group entered the upper crypt to lay flowers on their grandmother's grave. They heard noises deeper in -- scraping and a faint orange glow coming from behind a cracked stone door they had never noticed before. - Ged insisted on investigating. When they pushed through the cracked door, they found a stairway descending into darkness. At the bottom, **skeletons** attacked them. Pella was dragged away. Donal fell and hit his head. Ged told Lira to run while he tried to help Donal. - Lira saw a **cold orange light** pulsing from deeper in the tunnels, and she felt it pulling at her -- "like it wanted me to come closer." Resisting that pull is what turned her hair white. - She can describe the layout of the upper crypt and the location of the cracked door that leads down (the entrance to room C3). ### Brother Alden -- Priest of the Temple **Race:** Human male, age 34 **Appearance:** A tall, thin man with a shaved head, kind brown eyes, and calloused hands that speak of manual labor as much as prayer. He wears simple gray robes with a copper sun-symbol pendant. His voice is soft but carries surprising authority when he chooses to project it. **Personality:** Alden is earnest, compassionate, and quietly brave. He came to Ember Hollow five years ago to tend the small temple and has become a beloved figure in town. He is deeply troubled by the undead activity and feels it is his duty to address it, but he is honest about the limits of his abilities -- he is a man of faith, not a battle-hardened cleric. **Motivation:** Alden wants to protect his flock and consecrate the crypt so the dead can rest peacefully. He suspects a powerful source of necrotic energy is at work and fears it may be beyond his ability to cleanse alone. He will offer to bless the party's weapons (granting a one-time +1d4 radiant damage on the next hit against an undead creature) and provide two *vials of holy water*. **What He Knows:** - Alden has felt a "spiritual disturbance" growing over the past several months -- his prayers have felt muffled, and the temple's consecrated ground occasionally flickers (flowers wilt, then recover). - He found a reference in the temple's old records to Aldric Voss: a notation by a previous priest that reads, *"The wizard is interred. The seal holds. May the light endure where his ambition could not."* - He believes the Ember Heart (if the party learns of it) is an object of profound necromantic power and that destroying it would end the undead threat. He suspects it could be destroyed by exposing it to concentrated radiant energy or by shattering it with a weapon on consecrated ground. - He warns that undead created by the Ember Heart may be more resilient than normal and that their destruction might be temporary as long as the Heart pulses. ## Locations ### The Ember's Rest (Tavern) The Ember's Rest is the social heart of Ember Hollow -- a two-story timber building with a fieldstone chimney that perpetually trails wood smoke. A weathered sign above the door depicts a stylized campfire in faded orange and red paint. **Ground Floor.** The common room holds eight round tables, a long oak bar, and a massive stone fireplace. Trophy antlers line the walls alongside faded maps of the region and a portrait of the town's founders (Aldric Voss is visible in the back row -- a tall, thin figure with deep-set eyes). The floor is packed earth covered with rushes. A door behind the bar leads to the kitchen and Torvin's private quarters. **Upper Floor.** Four guest rooms, each containing two simple beds, a washstand, and a candle. Rate: 5 sp per night, or free for adventurers willing to deal with the crypt. The rooms are clean but drafty. **Atmosphere.** During the day, the tavern is nearly empty. In the evening, a dozen or so townsfolk gather to drink, share rumors, and argue about what to do. The mood is grim. Conversations fall silent when strangers enter, then resume in whispers. ### Town Square and Market The town square is a muddy, open area at the intersection of Lantern Street and the river road. A stone well stands at its center, its bucket chain recently replaced. On normal days, a small market operates here with farmers selling produce and craftspeople hawking wares. Since the disappearances, the market has dwindled to almost nothing. **Notable Features:** - A **notice board** near the well holds a hand-written plea from Elder Greaves: *"BRAVE SOULS WANTED. The crypt is unsealed. Our dead walk. The town offers 100 gold pieces to any who can end this darkness. Inquire at the Elder's cottage. -- M. Greaves."* - **Fenn's General Store** faces the square (see below). - A **war memorial** -- a simple granite obelisk listing the names of Ember Hollow residents who died in various conflicts over three centuries. Several of the oldest names have been scratched out and recarved multiple times. ### The Temple of the Morning Light A modest stone chapel on the north end of Lantern Street, the Temple of the Morning Light serves as Ember Hollow's place of worship, community hall, and informal courthouse. The building is rectangular, with a peaked roof topped by a copper sun-symbol that has turned green with age. **Interior.** Simple wooden pews face a raised altar of pale stone. Behind the altar hangs a sun-motif tapestry, faded but intact. Candles in iron sconces provide warm light. A door to the left of the altar leads to Brother Alden's modest quarters and a small library of religious texts and town records. **Consecrated Ground.** The temple and its surrounding yard (a 60-foot radius from the altar) are consecrated ground. Undead have disadvantage on attack rolls while on consecrated ground, and any undead destroyed here cannot be reanimated by the Ember Heart. **The Records Room.** Brother Alden allows the party to search the temple records with a successful DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check or if they explain their mission. An hour of searching and a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals: - A ledger entry from 297 years ago recording the "sealing of the lower chambers per the wishes of the Town Council, with sigils of binding provided by the visiting arcanist Yenna of Greymoor." - A warning notation in the margin: *"The crystal must not be removed from the chamber. It is bound to the earth. To take it is to unleash it."* ### Fenn's General Store A squat, stone-walled building with a creaking wooden sign that reads "FENN & SON -- PROVISIONS." Run by **Gareth Fenn**, the anxious father of missing teenager Donal Fenn, the store sells mundane adventuring supplies at standard prices. **Gareth Fenn** (human male, age 44) is a nervous, thin-faced man who has barely slept since his son vanished. He will sell equipment to adventurers at a 10% discount and beg them to prioritize finding Donal. He offers an additional 20 gp personal reward for Donal's safe return. If pressed, he admits he blames himself -- he told Donal the crypt was nothing to fear, just "old bones and dust." **Available Equipment:** Standard adventuring gear as listed in the SRD, including rope, torches, pitons, rations, and basic weapons. No magical items. Gareth also sells a *healer's kit* (5 gp) and *oil flasks* (1 sp each), noting grimly that "fire works on the dead, or so I've heard." ## Rumors and Hooks When adventurers spend time in the tavern or around town, they may hear rumors. Have each player roll a d8 or select entries appropriate to their interactions: | d8 | Rumor | True? | |----|-------|-------| | 1 | "Old Aldric Voss was a necromancer. Everyone knew it, but nobody said it out loud because he kept the goblins away." | **Mostly true.** Aldric studied necromancy among other schools, though he considered himself a researcher, not a villain. | | 2 | "The crypt has been making sounds for months -- humming, like a hive of bees inside a drum. We just tried to ignore it." | **True.** The Ember Heart's energy has been building for months. | | 3 | "That merchant, Silas -- I saw him poking around the crypt entrance three nights before everything went wrong. He's behind this, mark my words." | **Mostly false.** Silas investigated the crypt entrance but did not cause the seal to break. His timing is coincidental but suspicious. | | 4 | "Pella Marsh, the herbalist who went missing, she always said the earth near the crypt smelled wrong -- like hot metal and old blood." | **True.** Pella was sensitive to the necrotic taint seeping from below. | | 5 | "My cousin in Greymoor says a traveling scholar was asking about Ember Hollow and something called the 'Ember Heart' two months back." | **True.** This was a contact of Silas Crook's, gathering information for him. | | 6 | "There's a secret tunnel from the crypt that comes out by the river. Smugglers used it during the trade wars." | **Partially true.** There is a natural fissure (the escape passage from C10) that exits near the river, but it was never used by smugglers. | | 7 | "Brother Alden tried to bless the crypt entrance last week. His holy symbol cracked right down the middle." | **True.** The necrotic energy emanating from the crypt overwhelmed his blessing. He has since repaired the symbol but is shaken. | | 8 | "The dead don't just wander -- they're looking for something. I saw two skeletons at the tree line, and they were facing the town like they were watching us." | **True.** Undead animated by the Ember Heart are drawn toward living creatures. Aldric's lingering will directs them to patrol the perimeter. | --- # The Crypts of Ember Hollow ## Overview The Crypts of Ember Hollow consist of two distinct levels: the **Upper Crypt** (rooms C1-C3), which served as the town's public burial chambers for three centuries, and the **Lower Chambers** (rooms C4-C10), which were Aldric Voss's sealed laboratory and personal sanctum. ### General Features Unless otherwise noted, the following features apply throughout the crypts: - **Ceilings.** The Upper Crypt has 10-foot vaulted ceilings of dressed stone. The Lower Chambers have 8-foot flat ceilings of rough-hewn rock. - **Walls.** The Upper Crypt walls are smooth limestone blocks, many bearing carved names and dates of the interred. The Lower Chambers are rougher, cut directly from the bedrock, with occasional veins of tarnished copper catching torchlight. - **Floors.** Flagstone throughout, uneven in places. Puddles of stagnant water collect in the Lower Chambers. - **Lighting.** The Upper Crypt is completely dark. The Lower Chambers have a faint ambient orange glow emanating from deeper within -- never enough to see by (still counts as darkness), but enough to create unsettling, shifting shadows at the edge of torchlight. - **Sounds.** A low, rhythmic humming pervades the Lower Chambers, growing louder as one approaches room C10. The sound is felt as much as heard -- a vibration in the teeth and bones. - **Temperature.** The Upper Crypt is cold. The Lower Chambers are unnaturally warm, almost feverish, despite being underground. - **Necrotic Taint.** Any creature that finishes a long rest in the Lower Chambers must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or gain one level of exhaustion. This exhaustion cannot be removed while the Ember Heart remains intact. ### Wandering Encounters While the party explores the Lower Chambers (C4-C10), roll a d6 each time they take a short rest or spend more than 30 minutes in a single room: | d6 | Encounter | |----|-----------| | 1-3 | No encounter | | 4 | 1d4 **skeletons** shamble through, drawn by noise | | 5 | 1 **shadow** seeps through the walls, attacks the character with the lowest hit points | | 6 | The humming intensifies; all creatures must succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn | ## Keyed Locations ### C1. The Sunken Vestibule > *The crypt entrance is a rectangular doorway cut into the hillside, framed by the gnarled trunks of ancient maple trees whose crimson leaves carpet the ground like scattered embers. A flight of stone steps descends into darkness. The air rising from below is cold and carries the scent of turned earth and something else -- a faint, acrid sweetness, like burnt copper. The town's hasty barricade of planks and nails has been torn apart from the inside. Splintered wood and bent nails litter the steps.* The vestibule is a 20-foot-by-30-foot chamber at the bottom of the entry stairs (15 feet down from the surface). Two stone benches flank the entrance, placed here long ago for mourners to rest. The walls bear carved inscriptions: blessings for the dead, dates, and the names of Ember Hollow's founding families. **Environmental Clues.** A character who examines the destroyed barricade and succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check determines that the planks were broken outward with considerable force -- whatever broke through was coming *from inside* the crypt. Claw marks on the wood are consistent with skeletal hands. **The Founding Mural.** The north wall bears a faded but intact mural depicting the founding of Ember Hollow. It shows settlers clearing land, building homes, and -- in the rightmost panel -- a tall robed figure standing at the entrance to a cave, holding something small and bright in his cupped hands. A character who succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence (History) check recognizes the robed figure as a depiction of Aldric Voss, and the bright object as a stylized crystal. Beneath the panel, barely legible text reads: *"Aldric the Wise, Guardian of Ember Hollow, who brought light from the deep earth."* **Exits.** A wide corridor leads east into the Upper Crypt (to C2). The corridor is lined with burial niches, most still sealed with carved stone covers. A few covers have been pushed aside from within, revealing empty alcoves. ### C2. The Hall of the Honored Dead > *A long, high-ceilinged hall stretches before you, its walls lined with three tiers of burial niches from floor to ceiling. Most are sealed with carved stone slabs bearing names and dates, but dozens have been broken open, their contents missing. Shattered stone and fragments of old bone litter the floor. The air is thick with dust, and your footsteps echo sharply in the silence. At the far end of the hall, a large stone slab has cracked down its center, and a faint orange light leaks through the gap like the glow of a dying fire.* The Hall of the Honored Dead is a 60-foot-long, 20-foot-wide corridor with a 10-foot vaulted ceiling. It is the primary burial chamber of Ember Hollow, holding the remains of nearly two hundred years of townsfolk. **The Broken Niches.** Of the approximately 120 burial niches, 34 have been broken open from within. Their occupants have risen and now wander the lower chambers or patrol the hillside above. The remaining niches are intact but radiate a faint warmth to the touch -- the Ember Heart's energy is reaching them, but they have not yet been fully animated. **Treasure.** A thorough search of the broken niches (10 minutes) and a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a few items left behind by the risen dead: a tarnished silver brooch worth 10 gp, a copper ring engraved with a family crest worth 5 gp, and a *dagger* of fine craftsmanship (non-magical, but worth 25 gp to a collector). **The Sealed Door.** The cracked stone slab at the eastern end of the hall was the seal placed by the town founders over the entrance to Aldric's lower chambers. It is a 6-foot-by-4-foot slab of granite, 8 inches thick, carved with faded protective sigils. The crack runs vertically down the center, wide enough for a Medium creature to squeeze through (no check required, but the edges are rough -- each creature that passes through takes 1 point of slashing damage unless they spend an extra round carefully navigating). A character who examines the sigils and succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check determines that they were wards against necrotic energy, designed to contain the power emanating from below. They have failed -- likely eroded over centuries by constant exposure to the very energy they were meant to suppress. **Encounter: Restless Bones.** When the party reaches the midpoint of the hall, 4 **skeletons** claw their way out of previously intact niches and attack. They fight mindlessly, focusing on the nearest living creature. ### C3. The Descending Stair > *Beyond the cracked seal, a narrow stairway descends steeply into the earth. The dressed stone of the upper crypt gives way to rough-hewn rock within the first few steps. The orange glow is stronger here, painting the walls in shifting amber light, and the humming vibration is now clearly audible -- a deep, resonant pulse like a slow heartbeat. The air is warm and dry, carrying a faint metallic tang. Scratches on the walls -- claw marks, dozens of them -- suggest that many things have passed this way recently, all heading upward.* The stairway descends 30 feet over a distance of 60 feet (a steep but manageable grade). The steps are uneven and damp with condensation. **Trap: Loose Step.** Aldric built a simple but effective trap into the stairway. The seventh step from the bottom is a pressure plate. A character with a passive Perception of 13 or higher notices that the step sits slightly higher than the others and shows less wear. If the step is triggered, a section of the ceiling 10 feet ahead collapses, showering the 10-foot area at the base of the stairs with rubble. Each creature in the area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. The trap can be disarmed with a DC 13 Dexterity check using thieves' tools, or simply avoided by stepping over the seventh step once it is identified. **The Claw Marks.** A character who succeeds on a DC 11 Wisdom (Survival) check can read the claw marks to determine that the majority of the traffic has been upward (undead heading toward the surface), but a few sets of marks -- including what appear to be human boot prints in the dust -- lead downward. This suggests the missing villagers descended into the lower chambers. ### C4. The Antechamber of Whispers > *The stairway opens into a roughly circular chamber, perhaps 25 feet across, with three exits: a wide passage to the east, a narrow corridor to the south, and a heavy wooden door to the north that hangs ajar on rusted hinges. The walls here are covered in faded writing -- hundreds of lines of cramped, spidery text in Common and in languages you do not recognize, covering every surface from floor to ceiling. The orange glow pulses faintly from the eastern passage.* This chamber served as Aldric's study and planning room. The writing on the walls represents decades of notes, formulae, observations, and increasingly erratic musings. **The Wall Writings.** A character who spends 10 minutes reading the walls and succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence (Arcana) check can extract the following useful information: - Aldric was studying a "necrotic nexus crystal" -- the Ember Heart -- which he believed was a remnant of a planar incursion from the Shadowfell, possibly thousands of years old. - The crystal's power could be focused through specific geometric arrangements of bone and copper wire (explaining the construction of the lower chambers). - Aldric's later writings become fragmented and obsessive. Recurring phrases include: *"The boundary thins,"* *"I will not be confined by flesh,"* and *"The heart and I are one. When it beats, so do I."* - A final, larger inscription near the eastern passage reads: *"To those who follow: the Heart cannot be taken. It can only be broken. And to break it, you must first wake me."* This is a warning and, characteristically for Aldric, a riddle (see room C10). **Northern Door (to C5).** The wooden door to the north is swollen with moisture and hangs open at an angle. The room beyond is dark and quiet. **Southern Corridor (to C6).** A narrow, 5-foot-wide corridor extends south for 40 feet before turning east. **Eastern Passage (to C7).** A wide, 10-foot passage leads east toward the heart of the complex. This is the main route deeper into the chambers. ### C5. The Web-Choked Storeroom > *This rectangular room reeks of decay. Thick webs stretch from floor to ceiling, coating shelves that line the walls and shrouding their contents in gray silk. The remains of crates and barrels, long since rotted, litter the floor. Something large moves in the far corner, and you catch the glint of multiple eyes reflecting your light.* This 20-foot-by-30-foot chamber was Aldric's storeroom, holding supplies, reagents, and materials for his experiments. In the centuries since his death, it has become the lair of giant spiders that entered through small fissures in the rock. **Encounter: Giant Spiders.** Two **giant spiders** lurk in the webbing. They attack any creature that enters the room, attempting to use their webs to restrain targets before biting. The webs throughout the room count as difficult terrain. **Webbed Victims.** One of the spider's webbed bundles contains the body of **Pella Marsh**, the missing herbalist. She is dead -- killed by spider venom, not undead. Her body is intact and can be recovered for burial. She carries a *healer's kit* (6 uses remaining), a pouch of dried herbs (worth 3 gp to an herbalist), and a handwritten note that reads: *"The glow comes from below the old wizard's chamber. If I can find nightshade root in the lower levels, I can make a poultice to help Lira. I'll be quick."* (Pella came down alone, after the initial incident, to gather ingredients. She never made it past the spiders.) **Treasure.** Searching the shelves behind the webs (10 minutes, DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check) reveals: - Three intact glass vials of **alchemist's fire** (50 gp each) - A copper box containing six **crossbow bolts** tipped with silver (valued at 5 gp each; effective against certain undead) - A rotted leather satchel holding Aldric's personal journal (see **Appendix B: Handouts**) ### C6. The Puzzle of the Three Flames > *The corridor opens into a square chamber, 20 feet on a side, with a high ceiling lost in shadow. Three stone pedestals stand in a row at the center of the room, each topped with a shallow bronze basin. On the far wall, a heavy stone door is carved with the image of three flames -- one tall, one medium, one small -- arranged left to right. Beneath the carving, an inscription reads: "Feed me in the order of my hunger, and I shall open. Feed me wrong, and I shall bite."* This room is Aldric's test for intruders -- a puzzle lock that controls access to the eastern chambers. **The Puzzle.** The three basins must be filled with fire in the correct order. The carving on the door shows three flames of different sizes, but the solution is not to light them left-to-right or largest-to-smallest. The key is the word *"hunger."* - The **left basin** has scorch marks around its rim and residue of old oil. It has been fed many times. *Least hungry.* - The **center basin** is pristine and clean. It has never been lit. *Most hungry.* - The **right basin** has faint scorch marks. It has been fed only a few times. *Moderately hungry.* **Solution:** Light the center basin first (most hungry), then the right basin (moderately hungry), then the left basin (least hungry). Each basin can be lit with any fire source (torch, tinderbox, *fire bolt*, etc.). **Success.** When the basins are lit in the correct order, the three flames burn bright blue for a moment, and the stone door rumbles open, revealing a passage leading east to C7. **Failure.** If the basins are lit in the wrong order, all three flames flare red, and jets of fire burst from hidden nozzles in the pedestals. Each creature in the room must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. The flames then extinguish, and the puzzle resets. The puzzle can be attempted any number of times. **Clues.** A character who succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check while examining the basins notices the varying degrees of scorch marks and residue, providing the key to the solution. A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check recognizes the puzzle as a common arcane lock design and gains advantage on the Investigation check to solve it. **Bypassing the Puzzle.** The stone door has AC 17, 30 hit points, and a damage threshold of 5 (it ignores damage of 4 or less from any single source). Alternatively, a character can attempt to pick the lock mechanism hidden behind the center pedestal with a DC 16 Dexterity check using thieves' tools. ### C7. The Hall of Copper Mirrors > *This long hall gleams with a strange, tarnished light. The walls are lined with panels of beaten copper, now green with verdigris but still faintly reflective. Your own distorted reflections stare back at you from a dozen angles, warped and elongated like figures in a fever dream. The humming is louder here, resonating through the copper panels so that the walls themselves seem to vibrate. Halfway down the hall, a figure lies crumpled against the wall -- a young man, unmoving, his leg bent at an unnatural angle.* The Hall of Copper Mirrors is a 50-foot-long, 10-foot-wide corridor connecting the puzzle room to the deeper chambers. Aldric lined the walls with copper to amplify and direct the Ember Heart's energy through the complex. **The Injured Youth.** The crumpled figure is **Donal Fenn**, the missing teenager. He is alive but unconscious, with a broken leg (from falling down the stairs during the initial attack) and severe dehydration. He is at 0 hit points and stable but will die within 24 hours without healing. A *cure wounds* spell or a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check stabilizes him further. A *healer's kit* can be used to splint his leg enough for him to be carried. If revived, Donal is terrified but coherent. He can share: - After Lira ran, skeletons dragged him and Ged deeper into the chambers. He was dropped here when his leg broke -- apparently the undead lost interest in a non-mobile target. - Ged was taken further east, toward the source of the orange glow. - Donal heard a voice -- not spoken aloud, but in his mind -- saying, *"Bring me the living. I require warmth."* **The Copper Mirrors.** The copper panels have a secondary purpose: they reveal invisible creatures. Any creature that is invisible appears as a faint, coppery silhouette in the panels. This is relevant in room C8. **Exits.** The hall continues east to a junction. A passage north leads to C8, and a passage south leads to C9. ### C8. The Shadow Vault > *This chamber is cold -- far colder than the surrounding tunnels, as if all warmth has been drained from the air. Frost rimes the floor and clings to the walls in delicate, fractal patterns. The room is roughly 30 feet square, and at its center sits a stone sarcophagus, its lid slightly askew. The darkness here seems thicker than elsewhere, pooling in the corners like black water, and you have the unsettling sensation of being watched from every direction at once.* The Shadow Vault is where Aldric conducted his most dangerous experiments -- attempts to summon and bind entities from the Shadowfell. The residual energy has attracted shadows, which now lair here. **Encounter: Shadows.** Two **shadows** inhabit this room. They hide in the thick darkness (gaining advantage on Stealth checks in this room) and attempt to ambush the party, targeting characters with low Strength scores. The shadows can be detected in the copper panels of the adjacent hallway (C7) if the party thinks to look before entering. **The Sarcophagus.** The stone sarcophagus is empty -- it was a containment vessel for shadow-stuff, not a burial site. Its interior is lined with lead and inscribed with binding sigils. A character who succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check recognizes the sigils as planar binding runes and realizes this room was used to anchor creatures from the Shadowfell. **Hidden Passage.** Behind the sarcophagus, a section of the wall is illusory -- a permanent *minor illusion* effect that makes the wall appear solid. A character who touches the wall discovers their hand passes through. The passage beyond is a narrow, 5-foot-wide tunnel that leads directly to C10, bypassing C9 entirely. This is the passage that Silas Crook's map does not show correctly. A character can detect the illusion with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check or by casting *detect magic*, which reveals an aura of illusion magic on the wall. **Treasure.** The sarcophagus contains a **Cloak of Shadows** (see Appendix A: Magic Items). ### C9. The Bone Workshop > *The stench hits you before you see the source -- a thick, cloying reek of old death and alchemical preservatives. This large, irregularly shaped chamber is filled with long stone tables covered in bones. Not scattered randomly, but arranged with meticulous care: femurs sorted by length, skulls in neat rows, ribcages stacked like cordwood. Copper wire and strange crystalline dust connect some arrangements in geometric patterns. Against the far wall, a half-assembled skeleton stands upright in a wooden frame, copper wire threaded through its joints, its empty eye sockets glinting with faint orange light.* This 40-foot-by-30-foot chamber was Aldric's primary workshop, where he refined his techniques for animating the dead. The geometric bone arrangements amplify and channel the Ember Heart's energy upward through the crypt. **The Bone Conduits.** The arranged bones and copper wire function as a kind of circuit, channeling necrotic energy from C10 to the burial niches in C2. Disrupting the arrangements (which takes about 10 minutes of deliberate work) reduces the Ember Heart's range, preventing it from animating any new undead in the upper crypt -- though existing undead remain animated. **Encounter: Skeletons.** Four **skeletons** stand motionless among the bone arrangements, indistinguishable from the inert remains until a living creature comes within 10 feet. They then animate and attack. A character with a passive Perception of 14 or higher notices the faint orange glow in their eye sockets before they animate. **Ged Ashwood.** In the northeast corner of the room, **Ged Ashwood** is alive, bound to a stone table with copper wire, semiconscious. He has been partially drained by the Ember Heart's energy (reduced to 4 hit points, maximum hit points reduced to half his normal total). Freeing him requires cutting the copper wire (any edged weapon, no check needed) and providing healing. If freed, Ged is disoriented but grateful. He can confirm that a "presence" in the room beyond (C10) directed the skeletons to bring him here, and that the copper wire was slowly draining his life force to "feed the crystal." **Treasure.** Among the workshop materials: - A set of fine **jeweler's tools** worth 25 gp - Three **copper ingots** stamped with Aldric's personal seal (15 gp each) - A *scroll of protection from evil and good* tucked into a bone-and-copper scroll case ### C10. The Heart Chamber > *The passage opens into a domed chamber, roughly 40 feet in diameter, with a ceiling that rises 20 feet to a point. The walls are entirely covered in copper panels, now glowing with reflected orange light. At the center of the room, atop a raised stone dais, rests a crystal the size of a human fist. It pulses with deep amber light, each pulse sending a wave of warmth through the chamber and producing the heartbeat-like hum that has pervaded the entire complex. Copper wires radiate outward from the crystal in every direction, embedded in the floor like the roots of a metal tree.* > *Standing before the dais, facing you, is a gaunt figure in tattered robes. Its flesh is desiccated and gray, pulled tight over sharp bones. Its eyes are empty sockets filled with the same orange light as the crystal. It raises one skeletal hand, and when it speaks, its voice is a dry rasp that echoes from the copper walls.* > *"You come at last. I have waited... so long. The Heart called you, as it calls all living things. Will you feed it willingly? Or must I compel you?"* This is the climax of the adventure: the final confrontation with **Aldric Voss** and the **Ember Heart**. **Aldric Voss.** Aldric has become a **wight**, sustained and empowered by the Ember Heart. Use the standard wight stat block with the following modifications: - Aldric's hit points are increased to **52** (8d8 + 16). - He has the *Spellcasting* trait: He can cast *chill touch* (2d8 necrotic damage) at will and *shield* once per short rest. - While the Ember Heart is intact, Aldric regenerates **5 hit points** at the start of each of his turns. If he is reduced to 0 hit points while the Heart is intact, he is destroyed for 1 hour, then reforms adjacent to the Heart at half his hit point maximum. - Aldric fights intelligently. He uses *chill touch* at range, *shield* to deflect attacks, and his longsword in melee. He commands any remaining undead in the complex to converge on this room. **The Ember Heart.** The crystal on the dais is the source of all the necrotic energy in the complex. It has the following properties: - **AC** 15, **HP** 20, **Damage Threshold** 5 - **Vulnerability** to radiant damage (takes double damage from radiant sources, and radiant damage ignores the damage threshold) - **Immunity** to necrotic and poison damage - **Aura of Dread:** Any creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of the Ember Heart must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the start of its next turn. Undead are immune to this effect. - The Heart cannot be moved. It is anchored to a planar nexus point. Any attempt to lift it causes 3d6 necrotic damage to the creature making the attempt. - **Destroying the Heart:** When the Ember Heart is reduced to 0 hit points, it shatters in a burst of dissipating energy. All undead within 1 mile that were animated by the Heart are immediately and permanently destroyed, including Aldric. The burst deals 2d6 radiant damage to all creatures within 20 feet as the necrotic energy converts to a final flash of light. **Tactics.** Aldric prioritizes protecting the Ember Heart. If the party attacks the Heart, he focuses all his attacks on whichever character is dealing the most damage to it. He positions himself between the party and the dais, using *chill touch* to pick off characters who try to circle around. If reduced to fewer than 15 hit points (while the Heart is intact), he retreats to within 10 feet of the Heart to benefit from both his regeneration and the Heart's frightening aura. **Roleplaying Aldric.** Despite being undead, Aldric retains fragments of his intellect and personality. He speaks in measured, archaic sentences and genuinely believes he is protecting Ember Hollow -- in his mind, an immortal guardian powered by the Heart is the ultimate defense. He views the party as either potential servants or fuel for the Heart. If the party attempts to reason with him (DC 18 Charisma (Persuasion) check), he hesitates for one round, lost in fragmented memories, before the Heart's influence reasserts control. This can provide a crucial tactical opening. **Victory.** When the Ember Heart is destroyed: - Aldric collapses, his body finally dying after three centuries. His expression, in that last moment, is one of relief. - The orange glow fades from the copper walls. - The humming ceases immediately. - Any undead elsewhere in the complex crumble to dust. - The oppressive warmth dissipates, replaced by a natural chill. - The copper panels on the walls lose their reflective quality, tarnishing rapidly. **Treasure.** Aldric's remains hold: - A **Spellguard Amulet** (see Appendix A: Magic Items) - A tarnished copper key that unlocks a hidden compartment in the dais (DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) to find). Inside: 200 gp in old coins, a *potion of greater healing*, and the **Ember Blade** (see Appendix A: Magic Items). **The Escape.** After the Heart is destroyed, the lower chambers begin to settle -- small tremors, dust falling from the ceiling, cracks appearing in the walls. The complex is not collapsing immediately, but it is clear that the magic holding the deeper chambers stable is failing. The party has approximately 10 minutes to gather their treasures and exit before sections of the ceiling begin to cave in. If they use the hidden passage from C8, they can reach the stairs in 4 minutes at a normal pace. --- # Monsters and Stat Blocks The following stat blocks are used in this adventure. All are drawn from or based on the SRD 5.1. ## Skeleton *Medium undead, lawful evil* - **Armor Class** 13 (armor scraps) - **Hit Points** 13 (2d8 + 4) - **Speed** 30 ft. | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| | 10 (+0) | 14 (+2) | 15 (+2) | 6 (-2) | 8 (-1) | 5 (-3) | - **Damage Vulnerabilities** bludgeoning - **Damage Immunities** poison - **Condition Immunities** exhaustion, poisoned - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9 - **Languages** understands all languages it knew in life but can't speak - **Challenge** 1/4 (50 XP) ### Actions **Shortsword.** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. **Shortbow.** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. *Hit:* 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. --- ## Giant Spider *Large beast, unaligned* - **Armor Class** 14 (natural armor) - **Hit Points** 26 (4d10 + 4) - **Speed** 30 ft., climb 30 ft. | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 2 (-4) | 11 (+0) | 4 (-3) | - **Skills** Stealth +7 - **Senses** blindsight 10 ft., darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 - **Languages** -- - **Challenge** 1 (200 XP) **Spider Climb.** The spider can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. **Web Sense.** While in contact with a web, the spider knows the exact location of any other creature in contact with the same web. **Web Walker.** The spider ignores movement restrictions caused by webbing. ### Actions **Bite.** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 11 Constitution saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way. **Web (Recharge 5-6).** *Ranged Weapon Attack:* +5 to hit, range 30/60 ft., one creature. *Hit:* The target is restrained by webbing. As an action, the restrained target can make a DC 12 Strength check, bursting the webbing on a success. The webbing can also be attacked and destroyed (AC 10; hp 5; vulnerability to fire damage; immunity to bludgeoning, poison, and psychic damage). --- ## Shadow *Medium undead, chaotic evil* - **Armor Class** 12 - **Hit Points** 16 (3d8 + 3) - **Speed** 40 ft. | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| | 6 (-2) | 14 (+2) | 13 (+1) | 6 (-2) | 10 (+0) | 8 (-1) | - **Skills** Stealth +4 (+6 in dim light or darkness) - **Damage Vulnerabilities** radiant - **Damage Resistances** acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks - **Damage Immunities** necrotic, poison - **Condition Immunities** exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 - **Languages** -- - **Challenge** 1/2 (100 XP) **Amorphous.** The shadow can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. **Shadow Stealth.** While in dim light or darkness, the shadow can take the Hide action as a bonus action. **Sunlight Weakness.** While in sunlight, the shadow has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. ### Actions **Strength Drain.** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 9 (2d6 + 2) necrotic damage, and the target's Strength score is reduced by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces its Strength to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest. If a non-evil humanoid dies from this attack, a new shadow rises from the corpse 1d4 hours later. --- ## Wight (Aldric Voss) *Medium undead, neutral evil* - **Armor Class** 14 (studded leather) - **Hit Points** 52 (8d8 + 16) - **Speed** 30 ft. | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA | |-----|-----|-----|-----|-----|-----| | 15 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 14 (+2) | 16 (+3) | 13 (+1) | 15 (+2) | - **Skills** Arcana +5, Perception +3 - **Damage Resistances** necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered - **Damage Immunities** poison - **Condition Immunities** exhaustion, poisoned - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 - **Languages** Common, Elvish, Draconic - **Challenge** 4 (1,100 XP) **Sunlight Sensitivity.** While in sunlight, Aldric has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. **Ember Heart Regeneration.** While the Ember Heart is intact, Aldric regains 5 hit points at the start of each of his turns. If reduced to 0 hit points while the Heart is intact, Aldric is destroyed for 1 hour, then reforms adjacent to the Heart at half his hit point maximum. **Spellcasting.** Aldric can cast the following: - *Chill touch* (cantrip, at will): ranged spell attack, +5 to hit, range 120 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 9 (2d8) necrotic damage, and the target can't regain hit points until the start of Aldric's next turn. - *Shield* (1/short rest): As a reaction when hit by an attack, Aldric gains +5 AC until the start of his next turn, including against the triggering attack. ### Actions **Multiattack.** Aldric makes two longsword attacks or uses chill touch and makes one longsword attack. **Longsword.** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. *Hit:* 6 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage, or 7 (1d10 + 2) slashing damage if used with two hands. **Life Drain.** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. *Hit:* 5 (1d6 + 2) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid slain by this attack rises 24 hours later as a **zombie** under Aldric's control, unless the humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed. --- # Appendices ## Appendix A: Magic Items ### Ember Blade *Weapon (shortsword), uncommon (requires attunement)* This shortsword has a blade of dark, smoky steel with veins of copper running through it like frozen lightning. The crossguard is shaped like two curling flames, and the grip is wrapped in heat-resistant leather. When drawn, the blade emits a faint warmth. You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you hit an undead creature with this weapon, the target takes an extra 1d6 radiant damage. The blade sheds dim light in a 10-foot radius, which you can activate or suppress as a bonus action. **Curse of the Crypt.** The first time you attune to the Ember Blade, you dream of a dark chamber lit by orange light. A dry voice whispers, *"Guard them as I could not."* This dream is harmless but recurs once each tenday while you remain attuned. ### Cloak of Shadows *Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)* This cloak is made of dark fabric that seems to drink in light. Its edges are ragged and indistinct, as though constantly dissolving into smoke. When worn in dim light or darkness, the cloak's hem seems to merge with the surrounding shadows. While wearing this cloak in dim light or darkness, you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. Additionally, once per long rest, you can use an action to become invisible for 1 minute or until you attack, cast a spell, or enter an area of bright light. ### Spellguard Amulet *Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)* A tarnished copper amulet in the shape of a stylized eye, set with a tiny amber crystal at its center. The crystal pulses faintly when magic is directed at the wearer. While wearing this amulet, you have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Additionally, once per long rest, when you fail a saving throw against a spell, you can use your reaction to reroll the saving throw. You must use the new roll. --- ## Appendix B: Handouts ### Handout 1: Aldric Voss's Journal (Found in C5) The journal is bound in cracked leather, its pages yellowed and brittle. Most entries are technical notes on arcane experiments, but several personal entries are legible: --- *14th of Highsun, Year 47 of the Founding* The crystal responds to proximity. When I hold it, I can feel the boundary -- that membrane between our world and whatever lies beyond. It is thin here, thinner than I have ever encountered. The settlers do not understand what lies beneath their feet. They see copper. I see a doorway. --- *3rd of Leaffall, Year 52 of the Founding* Success. The first animation held for a full hour before the subject collapsed. A rat -- nothing more -- but it moved with purpose, responded to simple commands, and showed no signs of decay during the animation period. The crystal's energy is more versatile than I hypothesized. I must build a proper apparatus to focus and direct it. --- *21st of Deepwinter, Year 68 of the Founding* They brought me Alderman Holt's son today. The fever was beyond any herbalist's skill. I used the crystal -- just a touch of its energy, redirected, inverted. The boy lives. His father wept. They call me wise, generous, a protector. They do not ask how I did it. They do not want to know. Perhaps that is for the best. --- *9th of Midsummer, Year 91 of the Founding* I am dying. My body, at least. Eighty-seven years of age and this flesh betrays me at last. But the crystal offers another way. I have spent forty years studying the boundary. I know how to step across it without fully crossing. The body dies. The will persists. The crystal sustains. It will hurt. It will change me. But Ember Hollow will have its guardian, now and always. --- *No date. The handwriting is barely legible, scratched into the page with what might be a bone stylus rather than a quill.* I am awake. It is dark. How long? The crystal pulses. I pulse with it. I cannot leave the chamber. I cannot... I cannot remember the boy's name. Holt's son. I saved him. I know I saved him. Why can I not remember? The crystal remembers. It remembers everything. But it does not share willingly. I will wait. They will come. The living always come, drawn by the warmth. And when they come, the crystal will be fed, and I will remember. I will remember everything. --- ### Handout 2: The Protective Seal Inscription *This text was carved into the stone slab that sealed Aldric's lower chambers. It can be transcribed by a character who examines the cracked seal in room C2.* > IN THE NAME OF EMBER HOLLOW AND ITS FOUNDERS > > LET THIS SEAL ENDURE AGAINST THE DARK BELOW > > ALDRIC VOSS, GUARDIAN AND WIZARD, RESTS WITHIN > > BY THE BINDING SIGILS OF YENNA OF GREYMOOR > > LET NO POWER PASS THIS STONE > > LET NO DEAD WALK BEYOND THIS THRESHOLD > > AND LET THE HEART OF EMBER SLEEP UNTIL THE WORLD'S ENDING > > YEAR 112 OF THE FOUNDING --- ## Appendix C: Adventure Scaling ### Adjusting Difficulty This adventure is designed for a party of four characters at 2nd level. Use the following guidelines to adjust difficulty for different party compositions: **Smaller Party (3 characters):** - Reduce the number of skeletons in C2 from 4 to 3. - Use only 1 giant spider in C5 instead of 2. - Remove 1 shadow from C8. - Reduce the skeletons in C9 from 4 to 2. - Reduce Aldric's hit points to 40 and remove his Multiattack (he makes one attack per turn instead of two). - Reduce the Ember Heart's hit points to 15. **Larger Party (5-6 characters):** - Increase the skeletons in C2 from 4 to 6. - Add 1 additional giant spider to C5 (3 total). - Add 1 additional shadow to C8 (3 total). - Increase the skeletons in C9 from 4 to 6. - Increase Aldric's hit points to 65 and give him a Lair Action: at initiative count 20, copper wire in the floor lashes out at one creature within 10 feet of the dais -- the target must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be restrained until the end of its next turn. - Increase the Ember Heart's hit points to 25. **Lower Level (1st level):** - Halve the number of enemies in all encounters (round down, minimum 1). - Reduce trap damage from 2d6 to 1d6 (both the stair trap in C3 and the puzzle trap in C6). - Reduce Aldric's hit points to 35, remove his *shield* spell and Multiattack. - Add 1-2 additional *potions of healing* as treasure in C5 or C7. - Consider having Brother Alden accompany the party as a non-combatant healer (he can cast *cure wounds* once per short rest as a 1st-level spell). **Higher Level (3rd level):** - Add a **specter** to room C4, bound to the wall writings. - Upgrade the shadows in C8 to 3 shadows and add 2 skeletons. - Give Aldric a 2nd-level spell slot: *hold person* (1/long rest, DC 13 Wisdom save). - Increase the Ember Heart's hit points to 30 and its Aura of Dread DC to 14. - Add a zombie version of a previous adventurer in C9, wearing half plate (AC 16) and carrying a magical shield (+1 shield, which the party can claim). ### Experience Point Awards In addition to XP from combat encounters, award the following story XP: | Accomplishment | XP Award | |----------------|----------| | Solving the Three Flames puzzle without triggering the trap | 100 XP | | Rescuing Donal Fenn alive | 100 XP | | Rescuing Ged Ashwood alive | 100 XP | | Recovering Pella Marsh's body | 50 XP | | Destroying the Ember Heart | 200 XP | | Disrupting the bone conduits in C9 | 50 XP | | Discovering the hidden passage in C8 | 50 XP | | Convincing Aldric to hesitate (DC 18 Persuasion) | 75 XP | | Completing the adventure and returning to Ember Hollow | 100 XP | **Total Possible XP (excluding combat):** 825 XP Combined with combat XP, a full clear of the adventure should bring a party of four 2nd-level characters close to or past the threshold for 3rd level. ### Alternative Hooks If running this adventure as part of a larger campaign rather than a one-shot, consider the following hooks: - **The Traveling Scholar.** The party is hired by an academic institution to investigate reports of an active necrotic nexus near Ember Hollow. Their patron warns that such nexus points, if left unchecked, can spread corruption over an ever-widening area. - **The Missing Mentor.** One of the party members had a mentor or relative who traveled to Ember Hollow to study its history and has not been heard from in weeks. (This person can replace Pella Marsh as the body found in C5.) - **The Merchant's Map.** The party acquires Silas Crook's partial map through other means -- purchased at an auction, found among a dead adventurer's effects, or given by a rival of Silas who wants someone else to take the risks. - **The Recurring Dream.** One or more party members begin having dreams of a pulsing orange light deep underground and a dry voice repeating, *"Come. I have waited so long."* These dreams grow more insistent as the party nears Ember Hollow, a sign that the Ember Heart's influence is spreading. ### Running the Adventure: Tips for the GM **Pacing.** This adventure works best when the town exploration takes about one-third of the session and the dungeon crawl takes two-thirds. Encourage the party to gather information in town before descending -- the more they know about Aldric and the Ember Heart, the better prepared they will be for the final encounter. **Tone.** Ember Hollow should feel eerie but not hopeless. The townsfolk are frightened but resilient. The crypt is dangerous but not overwhelming. The undead are menacing but beatable. The goal is creeping dread, not horror -- the kind of adventure where players feel genuinely heroic for facing their fears and saving a small town. **The Ember Heart.** Make sure the players understand (through clues, NPC dialogue, and environmental storytelling) that the Ember Heart is the source of the problem. Killing Aldric alone is not enough -- he will regenerate. The Heart must be destroyed. Drop this information in multiple places: the wall writings in C4, Donal's account in C7, and Aldric's own dialogue in C10. **NPC Fate.** The fates of the three missing villagers provide emotional stakes. Pella is dead (creating a somber moment and a body to return). Donal is injured but saveable (a mid-dungeon reward). Ged is in the most danger, held in the room before the final boss (creating urgency). These are real people the party met through Lira's grief and Gareth's desperation -- their rescue should feel meaningful. **Aldric as Villain.** Aldric is not a cackling evil wizard. He is a man who loved his town, made a terrible bargain for immortality, and lost himself over centuries of isolation. His tragedy is that he became the very threat he sought to protect Ember Hollow against. If the party engages him in conversation, let fragments of his humanity show through -- a flicker of recognition when Ember Hollow is mentioned, a moment of confusion when he cannot remember who he once was. His final expression of relief when the Heart is destroyed should land as a genuine emotional beat. --- *End of Adventure* --- > **The Crypts of Ember Hollow** -- an original adventure by Georges Mahl for LorePanic. > Licensed under [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). > Uses rules and content from the *Systems Reference Document 5.1* by Wizards of the Coast, also licensed under CC-BY-4.0.