Table of Contents
The Great Father Tree ................................................4
Nestwing Catacomb ..................................................10
Kakruk’s Haunted Park ...........................................14
Tomb of the Three Brothers ....................................24
The Golden Assembly of States ..............................28
Brochure #1 Cult of the Hive ...................................33
One-Page #17 Heart of Solitude ..............................35
Credits
Designer. Elven Tower Cartography
Editor. Arthur Rouise
Cartography. Elven Tower Cartography
Art. Elven Tower Cartography, Adventure Icons by Nathanaël Roux, CC-0 stock art
by freepik which requires no attribution
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2
About this Magazine
Dungeon Vault Magazine is all about providing interesting ideas and lore to DMs
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3
Our father and guardian now dies a slow
and terrible death. We need your help!
-Ossianthe, the centaur.
The Great Father Tree
Background Lore the world was young and the two planes of exis-
tence were closer to each other, the primordial spir-
Very few know the true origin of the it of the tree walked across the veil and entered the
Great Father Tree. Popular stories Material Plane. Back then it was a trivial thing to
and gossip describe it in such a way do. The different properties of the plane forced the
that it appears that the tree has spirit to anchor itself into a physical representation
always been in our world. A perma- of itself. That is when the spirit became a grandiose
nent fixture that has accompanied the humanoid tree in the middle of a valley. It fueled the land and
races since the beginnings of time. But that is not the wildlife around it with only its presence. After
true at all. The written memory of humans and oth- only a few decades, a great forest surrounded the
er races covers only a sliver of time in the Material Father Tree and its purpose to take care of such
Plane. Yes, the Father Tree is old, but it too came repository of life became the only reason for its exis-
from a faraway realm. The true story is known tence. The strong spiritual presence in the area also
because the Father Tree itself told it to an elvish ex- became the focal point for other foreign Fey crea-
plorer and student of history. The tree was younger tures to converge. Centaurs, satyrs, and all kinds
and healthier back then. of fairies and pixies became part of the permanent
population within the forest.
The Father Tree has a long name that can never
be pronounced by bodily organs such as tongues However, the usual state of affairs in the forest is
and throats. It is in the ancient form of the Sylvan about to change drastically. The Father Tree is sick.
language. Its long words and sentences can only A ravenous, morbid aberration eats the tree from
be expressed by the sounds of the wind, the move- the inside. It all started almost a hundred years ago.
ment of the trees, and the unconscious interactions For a few decades, the tree knew its fate but it was
of mindless critters. And the name of the Father strong enough to fight it. But the tree is running out
Tree takes a full month to “pronounce” in its en- of strength and the will to fight little by little. Over
tirety. Thus, the mortal creatures from the Material the past thirty years, the Father Tree has grown
Plane named it the Great Father Tree. The tree did weaker and old. Now its foliage looks pale and sick.
not mind such title as it understood that the locals The trunk’s bark looks dry and cracked. It seldom
were limited in their understanding of nature and speaks anymore, even in the Sylvan tongue which
their physical bodies. used to fill its corner of the forest most days.
The Father Tree is a primordial entity from the The other sentient Fey creatures are well aware
Feywild. It embodies the force of life and the ver- of the tree’s bad health but are unable to help. They
dant strength of the forests and plants. Back when found out when a team of satyrs and one centaur
4
entered the tree to cleanse it from whatever threat It would not die immediately, but the process had
they could find. The strange disease manifests begun and there was nothing any of them could do
itself in the shape of dark plant-life abominations about it. The tree was doomed to die a slow death
that twist and whip anyone who dares enter their that might last up to a decade until it finally kills it.
domain. The Fey invaders did not flinch and con-
tinued until they found the Heart of the Forest, the The centaurs are now looking for help from hu-
source of the verdant energy that keeps the great mans but they have had mixed results. Due to their
forest growing. The heart was poisoned and con- reclusive nature towards mortals in the Material
sumed by the same disease. Not only was it infest- Plane, most of their claims have fallen to deaf ears.
ed, it appeared as if the very nature of the heart had The few that tried to help backed away when they
been perverted by some evil magic. It was the heart saw the Father Tree and the extent of the damage.
that produced the dark plant creatures and a cloud The elves in the forest and even far away settle-
of poisonous gas that killed any Fey creature who ments are sympathetic but are also unable to help.
breathed it. Though their Fey blood has thinned after many
generations in the Material Plane, the elves are still
Only two satyrs came back alive. The others suc- vulnerable to the poison cloud that surrounds the
cumbed to the nature of the poisonous cloud. They Heart of the Forest.
explained to their communities that the tree had
lost its heart, and with it, the Heart of the Forest. Meeting the Father Tree
General Features The adventurers are first approached by a centaur
emissary that explains their bleak situation. Should
These are the general features of the Great Father the adventurers decide to help, a group of six
Tree. It is located in the deepest part of a large centaurs come to escort them to the deepest parts
forest. Its roots grow up to ten miles away from the of the forest. No forest creature dares attack them
trunk and connect all plant life-forms in the forest. with such escort. The centaurs explain what they
believe happened and that the Father Tree is dying
Terrain. The Father Tree is located in a semi slowly.
cleared area in the middle of the forest. The im-
mediate area around it features only small plants, If an adventurer requests a reward or something
bushes, flowers, and moss. The clearing is sur- in return. The centaurs explain that they cannot
rounded by deep forests that soon become dark promise anything on behalf of the Father Tree. But
places as almost no sunlight reaches the surface. they also explain that if the Father Tree recovers to
its former glory, the primordial spirit that inhabits
Light. All areas within the Father Tree are in the tree and the forest can reward them a spiritual
complete darkness. The polyp nests throughout the boon or blessing. A different centaur mentions, in
internal areas produce a 5-foot radius of dim blue passing, that some parts of the Father Tree’s bark
light. Destroying the nests also extinguishes this are harder than most metals and some legendary
light. The Heart of the Forest in the basement also blades have been fashioned from them. Perhaps the
produces a similar effect but the light is white. tree can reward such a weapon.
Smells and Sounds. The natural smell of the pine When reaching the clearing with the Father Tree,
forest and greenery combines with a smell of rot- the centaurs explain that they must first communi-
ten weeds and a faint smell of dead animals. This cate with it in the ancient Sylvan tongue. They then
repulsive smell comes from the polyp nests that kneel and appear to meditate. A successful DC 16
cause parts of the tree to rot and then feed on the Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the centaurs
rotting biomass. are communicating with the tree with their breath-
ing patterns. Their supernatural nature also allows
Sleeping Gas. The underground chamber with them to manipulate the wind currents and the slow
the Heart of the Forest features a dense layer of dance of close trees. This is the only way to truly
pink-hued gas. All creatures are affected upon “speak” the Sylvan tongue. After two hours of slow
descending on the chamber unless they do not exchange, the Great Father Tree reacts and opens
need to breathe. The heart produces this gas as a its barky eyes. Through great effort, it manages to
self-defense mechanism. The effect of this gas is gather the strength necessary to address the adven-
described in Area 9. turers in the Common tongue.
5
6
“Valiant warriors... it humbles me and my forest to walls move. They materialize into faintly humanoid
address you in such a state of disarray. I thank you shapes and attack. They are 2 vine blights, 2 twig
for your presence and regret that our hospitality blights, and 4 needle blights.
is bleak. A terrible disease kills me and brings
me closer to my death with each passing day. It is 4. Climbing Upwards
inside me. It runs through me. I fear it will poison
the forest once I am gone. I cannot speak much This chamber has one polyp nest and a set of crude-
longer. Please! If you will try to help me, come ly made steps that spiral upwards. A successful
closer and I will let you in.” DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals some
strange marks on some of the steps. The person
With a shudder and a thunderous sound, the bark discovers that the Father Tree used druidic magic
of the Father Tree cracks and opens its mouth, when it allowed them in to sculpt the steps in some
revealing an opening inside. A dark tunnel into the tunnels to allow them to continue.
tree.
5. Vine Ambush
Area Descriptions
The chamber features two polyp nests. A group of
1. State of Corruption blight creatures in the middle of the room awaits
the visitors. They attack as soon as the adventurers
The insides of the Father Tree reveal a terrible enter the room. If the adventurers do not enter the
situation. Chambers and tunnels in the inside of room but move towards Area 6, the blights exit the
the trunk appear to be the consequence of acidic room and attack them in the tunnel. There are 4
erosion inside the tree. The floor is uneven with vine blights. If the adventurers try to flee back the
shallow holes where acid dug deeper. The darkness stairs or to Area 6, the blights use their entangling
is broken by small sources of light on the floor and plants ability to restrain them.
walls. The blight creatures create polyp nests that
radiate blue-hued light. A successful DC 14 Intel- 6. Polyp Nests
ligence (Arcana) check reveals that these polyp
growths are the eggs of some kind of malignant This section of the tunnel features several al-
plant life-form. The polyp nests appear to exude cove-shaped openings that burst with polyp nests
acid that burns and rots the tree surface and then from floor to ceiling. This appears to be the largest
feeds on it. The nests are fragile and have 2 HP concentration of polyps so far. A small group of
each. 4 needle blights emerge from the shadows and
do what they can to protect the nests. A circling
2. New Tunnels staircase after the nests leads the adventurers to a
higher level.
Narrow tunnels branch from the main tunnel.
These tunnels are narrow enough that only small 7. Gas Trap!
creature can move through them. There are more
polyp nests at the end of each narrow tunnel. The The room is similar to other chambers in the tree.
tree bark in this section of the tree was damaged There are three polyp nests on the floor. A success-
recently. A testament to the growing disease that ful DC 17 Intelligence (Investigation) check when
kills the Father Tree. inspecting the nests reveals that the eggs in this
chamber are different. They are a little larger and
3. A Grim Welcome seem to be empty. Only a faint pink mist appears to
be inside them.
The tunnel opens to a large chamber with three
polyp nests. The walls of this chamber are covered If any of the nests are destroyed, all of them crack
with dark pale vines that go from floor to ceiling. open and release a smoke of pink smoke into the
A passive Perception score of 18 or higher or a room. This is similar to the gas in the basement
successful DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) check but primarily designed to kill. Any creature inside
reveals that the vines are not immobile. The move the room when the nests crack open must make
and twitch from time to time but it is so faint that a successful DC 16 Constitution saving throw,
it is hard to notice. When the adventurers reach taking 12 (4d6) poison damage on a failed save, or
the middle section of the room, the vines on the half as much damage on a successful one. Any elf or
creature with fey ancestry takes an additional 2d6
poison damage on a failed save.
7
8. Larvae Room removing them is risky if they want to preserve the
heart/flower intact. A successful DC 16 Wisdom
Alien structures by the walls and in the center of (Nature) check reveals that this procedure cannot
the room dominate the chamber. They appear to succeed. Removing the polyps damages the heart to
be made of some kind of wax or hardened slime. some degree and there is no way to know if it will
The structures almost reach the ceiling. They have survive. If the adventurers attempt to remove the
hundreds of shallow recesses. Some of the holes polyp growths they kill the Heart of the Forest. The
are empty but others feature strange larva-like heart is in such a state that no physical attempt can
creatures inside them. A successful DC 14 Intel- achieve this goal.
ligence (Arcana) check reveals that this is a kind
of nursery where larvae are kept before they reach The Deep Dream
maturity. A group of grim-looking blight creatures
stands in between the nursery structure in a last- The centaurs and other Fey creatures in the forest
ditch effort to deter any advance. There are 2 vine do not understand what is happening. Not even the
blights, 2 twig blights, and 6 needle blights. Father Tree knows; for its conscience and the Heart
of the Forest’s are not the same. Each have their
A short tunnel leads to the very center of the own knowledge and sense of self. The Fey think that
Father Tree’s trunk. The center section is hollowed a malignant disease is killing the tree because that
out into a shaft that descends into the darkness. is what they see. But the blight that affects the tree
Flying magic or clever use of climbing gear is need- is a force from the Feywild too, and it is a symbol
ed to go down three levels into the basement of the for change. When a plant dies and rots nothing is
structure. During the descent, it is clear that the lost. Its components return to the earth and become
tunnels slant northwards almost thirty feet from the building blocks for the next generations. In a
the center when it reaches the bottom. way, this is what happens.
9. The Heart of the Forest If one or more non-Fey adventurers fall asleep
from breathing the poisonous cloud in Area 9, they
This chamber is directly below the tree. The Heart enter a deep sleep state from which they cannot be
of the Forest is in the center. It appears to be a awakened by normal means for 1d4 hours. Only a
large flower but it is a mix of different flower kinds. remove curse spell or similar healing magic wakes
The flower sits on a bush that grows on thick vine- a sleeping character. Staying in the room and
like structures that move outwards and bury into breathing more gas does not affect any sleeping
the walls. Other smaller flowers grow from these character further. Upon waking up, the character(s)
vines/roots too. The walls and ceiling of this cham- is immune to the poisonous cloud for 24 hours.
ber are not or natural rock. They look pale, barky,
and root-like. The roots of the father tree surround During this period of deep sleep, the affected
this chamber and form a kind of cocoon that adventurers enter a state of communion with the
shields the Heart of the Forest. life forces around them. This is similar to the way
all Fey creatures are connected to the natural
The poisonous cloud that surrounds the Heart of world. The adventurers can communicate with the
the Forest reaches most of the chamber but hug- Heart of the Forest during this moment of transcen-
ging the walls may still prevent any intruders from dence. In this oneiric plane, the Heart of the Forest
breathing it. Any non-Fey creature within 20 feet appears before the adventurers in the shape of a
of the Heart of the Forest must make a successful humanoid elven-like form, the body appears gas-
DC 17 Constitution saving throw to avoid falling eous and ephemeral and it has a slightly feminine
asleep for 1d4 hours. Creatures with the fey ances- shape. Its voice is neither masculine nor feminine.
try property do not fall asleep but take 2d6 poison Nor does it speak any audible language: the heart
damage each round they are within the cloud. Crea- speaks the ancient Sylvan tongue only, but any
tures of full fey blood die instantly if they breathe adventurers in this place can understand it and
the poison. reply likewise. Behind the figure that represents the
heart, a dark figure looms over. It is a representa-
If an adventurer approaches within 5 feet of the tion of death; the impending doom that awaits the
heart, they can see that polyp growths on the heart Heart of the Forest.
produce the poison and feed from the heart itself.
Removing these growths is not a simple task to do,
however. They appear to bury within the heart and
8
“Mortals, it is not for you to be in this place. I see matter of days, and the Father Tree withers and dies
that your common blood makes you immune to my two weeks after. The death of the father tree also
poison. But there is no place for your actions and causes the death of all plant life-forms within 1000
intentions here. What you see is nothing but the feet of it. Their withered bodies decay and eventu-
natural course of things. This dark figure is nothing ally become the building blocks for a new section
but the other side of my coin. Where there is life of the forest. The withered Father Tree becomes a
there must be death too.” shunned part of the forest, a symbol of death to all
Fey creatures.
If the adventurers try to get rid of the shadow
figure, the heart says: The centaurs become hostile to the adventurers
unless they can explain that they had nothing but
“Mortals! do not meddle in the Feywild affairs. good intentions. With a shade of tragic foreboding,
Know that you are too lowly and common to both the centaurs and the characters have a dream
understand the intricacies of life. I must die by the of the bleak and sad future of the forest a few weeks
shadow and then give my life force to the forest.” after the incident.
If the adventurers insist on attacking, the dark fig- 3. The Darkness Dies
ure comes forward and divides into two shadows.
Use the statblock of the wraith for these ethereal If the adventurers fight the corruption within the
apparitions. deep dream and succeed. They find the Heart of the
Forest withered and dead when they wake up. A
Development successful DC 18 Wisdom (Nature) check reveals
that while both the heart and the tree are dead
1. The Blight Prevails now, it is because their magical essence abandoned
their physical bodies to inhabit the forest beyond.
If the adventurers decide to do nothing with the What the heart explained in the dream is true, both
corruption in the Heart of the Forest, the Father life and death are the same. Destroying death also
Tree gets worse and loses all communication meant destroying life. But the tree’s life force did
abilities in a month. After that, it withers and dies not die, it only changed forms. It abandoned the
after seven years. The blight creatures inside of tree to live in the forest.
it, gorged with the Fey essence of the great tree
come out looking for more but die in the clearing After this, the forest within a 1-mile radius grows
after finding nothing. Their bodies decay and the with an unstoppable force during a month. It be-
magical essence of the Father Tree fuses with the comes so dense and deep that only Fey creatures
immediate area and creates a zone of magical dare traverse it now. The Father Tree, while dead,
properties. Within a radius of 1 mile, the forest becomes the soil for new plants and trees. The cen-
becomes an extension of the Feywild and a sacred taurs become confused at first but after communing
zone for creatures with Fey Ancestry. Additionally, with the forest in the ancient Sylvan language, they
several creatures become sentient in the area and discover that the Great Father Tree is still with
a community of treants emerges to protect the them. It changed forms. The Father Tree is now in
sacred forest. the soil, in the flowers, in the trees, and in them.
While the centaurs in the forest resent the adven-
turers for doing nothing. Both them and the charac-
ters have a dream of the better distant future a few
weeks after the incident.
2. The Blight is Removed
As explained above, physically removing the polyp
growths from the Heart of the Forest is impossible.
They grow so deep that doing this kills the heart.
After the failed procedure, the heart dies imme-
diately. After this, the blight creatures all die in a
9
If we cannot find a solution to the angry
ghosts, we will have to give up our town.
-Town Speaker Fallard.
Nestwing Catacomb
Background Lore nels. The ants did this without malice. Their only
intention is to use the remains as fertilizer for their
The Nestwing Family was an import- fungal plantations.
ant group in the area a few hundred
years ago. The head of the family Alice Nestwing was the last matriarch of the
held a position equivalent to a duke family and the last to hold the family name before it
and they were rich, for their time’s disappeared from the family trees. After the untime-
standards. The family name disappeared over the ly exhumation, the spirit of Emil Nestwing returned
years after a few unfruitful marriages and the un- to a state of quasi-life in his coffin. Emil’s spirit
fortunate deaths of the last remaining male mem- was overcome by rage and feelings of vengeance.
bers of the family. The bloodline continued and He was the last great patriarch of the family. Upon
they still have descendants to this day but the fami- returning to the Material World and regarding
ly name was lost to time. Over the years, the power the current ruin of his family he became an em-
they once had vanished and nothing remains to this bodiment of hatred and rage. His powerful spirit
day. A long-forgotten catacomb is the last remain- empowered nearby ones and propelled them into
ing piece of evidence of the once-powerful family. the same state of insanity. Emil Nestwing saw the
The catacomb was located under their large estate desecration of Alice’s tomb as a terrible crime. How-
but nothing remains of it, only the underground ever, the anger and his poor state of mind blinded
chambers of the catacomb. The area is overgrown him and he failed to see the ant colony next to the
with plants as nature slowly reclaims the area. catacombs. Emil looked for someone to blame. His
undead state let him see through rock and ground
The catacomb would have remained lost and and into the territories around the catacombs. He
undiscovered if it were not for an unfortunate saw the nearby settlement of Valai Town and decid-
development. A few weeks ago, a giant ant colony ed to attack them in response to the exhumation.
found its way into the Nestwing catacomb. It was Emil’s spirit cannot be reasoned with, his insanity
nothing but a coincidence; the ants expand out- is beyond comprehension. Emil cannot abandon
wards in many directions as part of their natural the mausoleum but his strength can create shadow
behavior. Their tunnels found the catacombs in spirits that can exit the place and attack the town.
two locations. The ants used their acidic saliva to
weaken the stone walls until the crumbled to piec- The shadows of Emil’s anger have already taken
es. The ants then desecrated the place by remov- the lives of ten people. The morale in town and
ing some of the bodily remains from their resting other nearby settlements is slowly driving them
places. They broke into Alice Nestwing’s coffin and all to more extreme methods. Unfortunately, most
dragged what remained of her body back to the tun- towns are agricultural and lack the means to resist
10
General Features Area Locations
These are the general features of the Nestwing 1. The Serpent Trap
Catacomb. It is located well outside of a small town
in an overgrown area near a forest. Four pillars support this chamber and a large rattle-
snake statue guards the entrance to the catacombs.
Terrain. The stone tiles that cover most of the The rattlesnake is in the Nestwing’s crest. The crest
catacomb are old and dusty but in good condition. is carved onto some walls of the underground com-
Some sections appear to have chipped off due to plex. Stains of recent blood in front of the serpent
seismic activity a long time ago. Signs of cracks on remind the adventurers of the recent failed excur-
the walls are visible on close inspection too. Areas sion from Valai Town.
6 and 10 feature rough uneven stone floors. All
squares with a rock or object in them or hallways The snake statue is a trap. Upon entering the
narrower than 5 ft. are considered difficult terrain chamber it shoots a volley of thunder from its eyes.
for tactical movement. Any creature directly in front of it must make a suc-
cessful DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10
Doors. The catacomb features sturdy stone doors (3d6) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as
with inlaid silver decorations and adornments. The much damage on a successful one. The trap resets
doors are magical and slide sideways when a living itself after 10 minutes.
creature approaches within 10 feet of them. Only
the door to the mausoleum (Area 5) does not open 2. First Niche Chamber
automatically. A dispel magic spell or equivalent
disables the door for 5 minutes. During this time, The chamber holds four niche towers that span the
a person can push it sideways manually with a suc- walls from floor to ceiling. Each niche has draw-
cessful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check. er-like compartments and should be large enough
to hold the ashes of twenty people. The dark energy
Light. Some areas (see map) feature magical torch- from Emil’s coffin reaches this area and materializ-
es or braziers that provide bright light. All of them es 3 shadows which attack any visitor.
are magical and equivalent to the continual flame
spell. All other areas are in complete darkness. 3. Second Niche Chamber
Smells and Sounds. The north half of the cata- This chamber is similar to Area 2 except that it is
comb smells of humidity and dust. Upon access- circular in shape. No undead spirits appear in this
ing the south half of the catacomb a pungent acid chamber.
smell overcomes the senses. It is the formic acid of
the ant colony. A slow pulsating hum comes from 4. Grand Catacomb
Area 5.
This luxurious catacomb holds the remains of im-
or overcome this situation. If they are unable to find portant patriarchs and other members of the family.
someone to fix the problem, the remaining towns- Four wide pillars with niche compartments flank
folk may well have to pack and leave their homes the walls. Each compartment has a carved inscrip-
for good. tion with the name of the person whose remains
are inside. Erosion and humidity have made some
Adventure Hook inscriptions illegible. The center of the chamber
features what appears to be an inner chamber, a
Valai Town is the closest settlement to the Nest- mausoleum of sorts. The stone door does not open
wing Catacomb. The catacomb is so ancient that automatically (see sidebar). The door’s bas-relief
the townsfolk did not even know it was there before depicts a strange pointed crown. 2 shadows and 2
the attacks began. Town Speaker Fallard sent four ghosts of ancient patriarchs come out of the pillars
guards and one hunter to track down the location and attack any visitor who approaches the mausole-
and solve the problem. Only two of them returned um’s door.
with no results. Fallard does not have much to offer
but all in the area have chipped in to collect 120 gp 5. The Source of Hate
to hire mercenaries to do the job. The Town Speak-
er also mentions that the mercenaries may keep Emil’s spirit is trapped with ancient magic to the
any valuables found in the catacomb as an addition- chamber. Opening the door releases the dangerous
al reward. spirit. Emil (wraith) attacks immediately and con-
11
demns the visitors as he attacks. The name of Alice after returning her remains, the ghostly apparition
and the crime of her tomb’s desecration are often of the former family leader thanks them for their
part of his admonishments. Unfortunately, the spir- kindness and offers them the material rewards
it cannot be reasoned with and it never hesitates in his coffin as a token of gratitude. This treasure
in its attacks. Destroying Emil’s evil manifestation is not described in this module and it is up to the
is only a temporary measure, the wraith reforms DM’s discretion.
in 24 hours in the same state. Reclosing the door
does not trap the spirit again. Once it is opened After understanding that it was only the ants, Emil
Emil is free to roam the catacombs and the nearby uses his power to exile the ants from the area. The
lands. ants move away over a period of two weeks and
abandon the area forever.
Only by retrieving Alice’s remains from the ant
tunnels and returning them to her coffin does Emil
regains his mind. If the adventurers visit this area
12
6. Unplanned Expansion to be some kind of fungal farm that the ants tend
too. The acrid smell is so strong in the tunnels that
The south section of the catacombs can only be any creature must make a succ essful DC 12 Consti-
accessed through two different secret entrances. tution saving throw to avoid becoming poisoned.
A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) Any creature who makes the save is immune to this
check reveals the presence of the fake walls and effect for 24 hours.
the switches to open them. This spiral catacomb
holds the remains of some of the newest members The place is crawling with giant ants, though most
of the family. The Nestwings had a fast collapse of them run away or ignore the visitors. It is only the
into oblivion and with empty coffers, there were not soldier ants that retaliate against the adventurers.
many options to remodel the catacomb or enlarge it The remains of Alice Nestwing are in one of the
in the same style. At the end of the tunnel, there are farms (not specified). To reach the place, the adven-
three niche towers were two shadows attack from turers must fight off 1d4 swarms of insects in two
behind to prevent anyone from leaving the area. different encounters.
7. Broken-in Niches
Nothing remains of the niches in this area. The
ants brought down all niches and repurposed all
they could find. The entrance tunnel to the tunnels
reeks of their characteristic formic acid saliva.
8. Explosive Entrance
The door to Alice Nestwing’s Tomb opens automat-
ically upon approaching but it also activates a set
of explosive runes on the floor directly in front of it.
A successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check
reveals the presence of the runes on the floor be-
fore the person steps on them and triggers the trap.
A DC 18 Intelligence (Arcana) check or a detect
magic reveals the dangerous nature of the runes. If
a creature steps on the runes they trigger an explo-
sion in a 10-foot-radius from the door. All creatures
in the area must make a successful DC 16 Dexter
ity saving throw, taking 12 (4d6) fire damage on a
failed save, or half as much damage on a successful
one. The trap resets after an hour. A dispel magic
spell disables the runes for 1d4 hours.
9. Alice Nestwing’s Tomb
A large chamber with an ornate coffin by the south
wall. The coffin shows signs of acidic erosion and
it has crumbled in several parts. There is nothing
inside the coffin. A successful DC 10 Wisdom
(Perception) check reveals acid stains and insect
tracks to and from the crumbled wall section on
the east side of the chamber. The tunnel is similar
in nature to the one in Area 7. Approaching the
tunnel causes a large group of giant ants (swarm of
insects) to attack. Each ant is half a feet long.
10. Ant Colony Tunnels
Moving through the narrow tunnels is a challenge
in itself. Some of the slightly wider sections appear
13
My grandson disappeared after that fraudster sold
him a sock puppet. But no one believes me...
-Old Berthy.
Kakruk’s Haunted Park
Adventure Primer Graney is a town like any other. Its main source
of income is farming; people raise cattle or horses,
This adventure features a Rakshasa named Kakrut. and the townsfolk like having a quiet, peaceful life.
He arrives at Graney village in human form and It had been like this for generations. No one could
lures townsfolk to buy magic trinkets from him. have imagined what was going to happen.
These trinkets manipulate people into going to
a clearing in the outskirts of town at night. Once One day, a man arrived at Graney. He was wearing
there, Kakrut kidnaps these poor souls and adds fancy clothes and a pair of sophisticated spectacles.
them to his Haunted Park’s collection. He had an elegant, well-trimmed beard. He was
tall and although he was kind and well-mannered,
Once the adventurers find out about Kakrut’s evil his presence was somewhat intimidating. He had
plans they must go through the portal to access Ka- brought with him a huge covered cart with lively
krut’s Haunted Park. Once inside, they have to find decorations and colorful signs. “Spectacular, spec-
information on how to destroy the generators that tacular” one of the signs read. Another hand-carved
create the pocket dimension, defeat the Rakshasa, sign on top said: “Kakrut’s Haunted Park”. A small
and save the townsfolk. reading below said: “It’ll steal your breath away”.
Background Lore Kakrut was his name. He introduced himself as
a merchant. A seller of antiquities, foreign delica-
Stories and legends are part of the cies, and other strange objects. He left his wagon
life of big and small cities alike. stationed in the outskirts of the village, near a big
Such tales of wondrous exploits or leafless tree. This tree is called “The Leech Tree”
abominable horrors are what help by the locals. Old people from the village named it
common folk dream of great things such because it has no leaves, and all the attempts
and fear the unknown. Other stories help house- to water it and help it grow green again have failed.
wives control unruly children; they threaten them
by describing a monster that might take them away They told him staying by the Leech Tree was a bad
at night if they misbehave. These stories pass down omen, thus, it was a horrible idea to do his business
for generations by word of mouth. But some of there. But Kakrut ignored their warnings, believ-
them are more popular than others, and the story ing it was all just old men’s rattle. He did not wait
of “The Haunted Park” had started to get lost in for clients to come to him anyway. His way to do
time... until now. business was to take some of his merchandise and
carry it in a small basket strapped to his shoulders.
He would walk around town offering everyone his
weird, yet attractive, trinkets.
14
Kakrut had a way to talk to people. Somehow, he old-timers, a couple of stable boys, and some farm-
managed to convince anyone to buy his antiquities. ers that lived a little far from the village itself were
Whether it was his voice, his persuasive manners, his ideal victims.
or the mere charm of his presence, he always went
back to his wagon empty-handed. His trinkets were But the absence of so many villagers started to
not ugly, nor were they expensive. He charged a few be noticeable after a week. The town major, Mr.
copper or silver pieces for his old stuff. A few peo- Poole, organized a search party with a couple of
ple started to wonder how he could make a living town guards. They made some extra rounds at
selling them or dress the way he did only by selling night to see if they could find something suspicious.
baubles. But the guards were missing as well the morning
after. Mr. Poole realized he had to find another way
Kakrut announced he was going to be around for to approach this problem. A good tracker in town
a couple of weeks. After that, he would leave for noticed some footprints but they all ended abruptly
another town or village in the countryside. He also near The Leech Tree. A few villagers suspected of
used this as a means to convince people. He was the newcomer Kakrut, but they had no evidence to
charismatic and eloquent when speaking, leaving point fingers at him since he had sold his stuff to
his potential clients with no other option but to get many more people than the ones that were missing.
whatever he was offering them at
the time. Magic Portal Entrance
However, poor Graney peo-
ple were unaware of what was
happening right in front of their
noses. Some of the trinkets
Kakrut sold were charmed. They
are infused with a suggestion
spell. Those who fall for it, are
compelled to approach The Leech
Tree by midnight and go through a
magical door. Once there, Kakrut
performs illusion spells to make
his victims see surreal land-
scapes. This magic only works
with those carrying a charmed
trinket. Such illusion causes the
viewers to see candy canes and
balloons floating all around the
field. It also creates a river of car-
amel. Crossing this river is neces-
sary to reach the magical portal,
which then leads to Kakrut’s
Haunted Park. The suggestion
spell convinces the people to go
through the portal. They feel this
is as a great idea and comply with
a smile.
Kakrut is perspicacious and
smart. He sells his stuff to many
villagers, but only a couple of
the things he sells are magical.
He knew he should not draw
too much attention so he sold
the charmed trinkets to people
who would not be missed. A few
15
General Features A light blue passageway illuminates all the clearing.
Upon arrival, victims become delighted with every-
Electrical Storms. When any creature comes into thing in view and walk towards the magical en-
physical contact with an electrical storm, they must trance. They walk through the 5-feet deep caramel
make a successful DC 14 Constitution saving river and do not hesitate to go inside the portal.
throw, receiving 10 (3d6) lightning damage on a
failed save, and half that much on a successful one. Adventurers can either buy a trinket or wait for one
Additionally, failing the save by five or more, causes of Kakrut’s victims to come to the clearing at night
the target to be paralyzed for 1d4 rounds. and snatch the magical trinket from them. Since
adventurers want to enter the portal willingly, and
Furniture. Everything is battered and old. Spider not because of the suggestion spell, the Haunted
webs are common as the dust covering every cor- Park releases its security guards. Three barlgura
ner of the Haunted Park. The wooden tiles crack step out of the portal ready to stop any threat to the
and squeak with every step. Park.
Smells. A smell of rot, putrefaction, and foul gas Area Descriptions
pervades the complex. The undead are the source
of the stench. 1. Haunted Park Lobby
Door. Unless stated differently, all doors are simple Crossing the portal leads to the Haunted Park’s
wooden doors with no locks. They are weak and a lobby. All characters who go through the portal
good kick or tackle is enough to bust open any of experience a temporary loss of consciousness. After
them. the blackout, they realize they are riding a drag-
on-themed trolley. This is a two-wagon amusement
There is only one woman who expressed her park trolley cart, which carries all those who cross
disapproval since the merchant arrived, she said the portal at the same time. The cart evaporates
no one should buy anything from that man, and after the last person gets out. Subsequent visitors
that everyone should just wait for him to leave. Her arrive in different carts that also evaporate.
name is Berthy, she is the oldest person in Gar-
ney, and the only living relative she had left is her Following the entrance tunnel back is useless. Af-
grandson Brawn, one of the stable boys who went ter walking half a mile, the person suffers a tempo-
missing. Nobody listened to her due to two reasons. rary loss of consciousness and arrives in a different
The first was her horrible personality and temper, cart to Area 1 again.
and the second was because Kakrut was so charm-
ing and persuasive that no one could avoid buying Upon arrival, a large box with colored polka dots
things from him. sitting in the middle dominates the room. Red vel-
vet stanchions divide the room into several sections.
The old story of The Haunted Park describes The room has a couple of wooden desks on the
an evil demon who steals the body and soul of right, one on each side of a door. There are two
his victims. But no one in town, except for Berthy, trapdoors in both north corners. The one on the left
seems to have heard this story before. The people leads to the tiny corridors in Area 30. The one on
of Graney cannot do much about their situation the right leads to the hallway west of Area 34.
now that Kakrut is set to leave in a couple more
days. Mr. Poole wishes the letters he sent to nearby The large box in the middle of the room produces
towns asking for help work, but he is losing hope. a high-pitched hissing sound. Creatures who ap-
proach it, start hearing gibberish in their heads, the
Portal insane voices suggest them to open the box. There
are two gibbering mouthers inside.
The suggestion spell affects all those who buy a
dark magic bauble from Kakrut. They feel com- The box casts a suggestion spell once per minute
pelled to come near the Leech Tree at night. Once and targets a different creature each time. Any tar-
here, Kakrut’s illusion magic makes them see get creature must make a successful DC 13 Wis-
otherworldly things. Huge candy canes and sweets dom saving throw to avoid a mental compulsion to
float around while producing lights of different open the box.
colors. A caramel river flows with joy below the
floating candies, looking appealing and tasty.
16
2. Park’s Entrance It causes 9 (2d8) slashing damage on a failed save,
or half that much on a successful one. Spotting the
This secondary lobby is divided by wooden planks trap allows for a DC 15 Thieves Tools check to
forming fences. There is a hole in the second fence disarm it.
(from south to north) and pieces of wood scattered
around. A passive Perception score of 15 or high- 3. Small Storage Room
er reveals the presence of a track on the floor and a
prop wall by the north of the room. Torture tools and accessories fill this room. A small
booth hides a trapdoor that leads down to one of
Any character approaching the threshold to Area the middle tunnels in Area 30. Objects are covered
5 triggers the trap and must succeed on a DC 14 with dust and there is a 50% probability that any
Dexterity save. The right wall bursts open and a item the characters take does not work.
hacksaw attached to a metal base pounces forward.
17
4. Small Storage Room 7. Tunnel
Wooden boxes and a broken cabinet dominate the These tunnels are identical to the ones on Area 6
room. There is a trapdoor that leads down to one of but they have broken down and do not rotate. The
the middle tunnels in Area 30. The contents of the do not feature any holes either.
boxes are old, ragged linens and clothes.
8. Darts Room
5. Trap Hallway
This room has a corkboard panel on the west wall.
This two-corridor hallway has a trap on each side. Dozens of different color balloons are glued to the
Any character crossing it must succeed on a DC 15 board. The desk near the entrance has some darts.
Wisdom (Perception) check to identify the loose Throwing a dart to hit one of the balloons requires
spot on the wooden floor. Failing to see the trap a successful DC 12 Dexterity check. Failing the
causes the character to fall through a hole and suf- check means there is a probability of hitting the
fer 7 (2d6) piercing and bludgeoning damage from wrong balloon color. The balloons pop when mak-
the fall and the splinters. Getting out of the holes ing contact with the darts. There are four different
requires a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check. colors, red, blue, green, and yellow. There are 40
balloons, 10 of each color. A message on the wall
Both hallways take to a square room with a 10- reads “Pop balloons! Look for the truffles!”, “Big-
foot long, 5-foot wide compartment in the middle. foot truffles and Babyfoot truffles available”. There
Such a compartment does not have a door. Instead, is a villager from Graney handling the darts. When
a white and blue curtain covers the entrance. In- there are no more darts on the desk, he rushes and
side, there is a large skull lying on the ground. The picks the ones on the cork board and brings them
flame skull hovers and lights its green sapphire back to users. Interaction with him is useless as his
eyes, chasing those who disturbed it. only responses are “Come play some darts!” “Bal-
loons pop and pop aye!”. He is pop-eyed.
6. Rotating Tunnels
When red balloons pop, blood bursts in a 5-feet ra-
The areas with red and white stripes are tunnels. dius. This stains all balloons on the corkboard and
They start rotating at a high pace the moment makes them look red. If balloons are stained with
someone steps on them. A successful DC 12 Dex- blood, there is a 25% of popping either color bal-
terity save allows anyone to maintain their bal- loons. Yellow balloons redirect thrown darts to their
ance, otherwise, they fall and start rotating with the users. any creatures that pop a yellow balloon must
tunnel. Falling inside the tunnel deals 3 (1d6) blud- make a successful DC 14 Dexterity saving throw
geoning damage. Standing up requires a successful to avoid the returning dart, taking 2 (1d4) piercing
DC 13 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. The middle damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on
section of both tunnel-sections has 3-feet-wide a successful one.
holes in them to access the other hallways (north
and south). If a character falls into one of these Blue and green balloons drop brown and gray truf-
holes while they are crossing, they take another 3 fles respectively. A detect magic spell reveals that
(1d6) bludgeoning damage from the fall and are the truffles are infused with transmutation magic.
prone. A DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. Eating the truffle alters one’s size. Brown truffles
allows a character to safely jump out sideways to make medium creatures tiny for ten minutes, while
access these areas. the gray ones bring its user back to normal. Eating
gray truffles does not alter one’s size unless being
Jumping through the hole in the first tunnel to under the brown truffle’s effects.
the north leads to a trapdoor that leads down to
Area 26. Jumping south leads to a curved corridor The corkboard regenerates all forty balloons in a
leading to Area 10. Jumping through the hole in matter of minutes. This means truffles from blue
the second tunnel in either direction leads to a trap. and green balloons are an infinite resource. If a
The floor in both alcoves features a pressure-sen- character brings any truffles out of the Haunted
sitive panel that triggers with at least 50 pounds of Park after ending this quest, they remain magical
weight. When triggered, a hidden panel on the ceil- for 2d6 weeks.
ing opens and releases hundreds of stone pebbles.
Any creature in the alcove must succeed on a DC
15 Dexterity save to avoid being buried in pebbles.
Prone characters have disadvantage.
18
9. Small Room 13. Large Storage Room
Only tiny creatures can access this 10-foot square Two long wooden tables north and south of the
room. There is a decayed rotting human corpse room display various tools. Hammers, bolts, twee-
in this room. The room stinks of death. The walls zers, and mallets are scattered. A few large planks
have scratch marks, some have the remains of are sitting on the floor next to one of the tables.
fingernails. A DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check
allows a character to discern the word “truffle” 14. Mirror Maze
written with scratches on the wall.
This huge mirror maze features 5-feet wide cor-
Bringing a brown truffle inside this tunnel causes ridors. There are mirrors installed in every wall
the corpse to wake up and attack in a fit of anger section of this place. Each mirror is 5-feet wide and
and violence. It is a ghast. 15-feet tall, leaving no space on the walls uncov-
ered. The surfaces of the mirrors are stained and
10. Trap Room dirty.
This room is empty. There are no pictures or dec- There is a room north of the Mirror Maze with no
orations on the walls. A passive Perception score doors. Characters walking around it can hear des-
of 16 or higher or a successful DC 16 Wisdom perate screams. Cries of suffering innocent souls.
(Perception) check reveals that the floor of the Characters can try to destroy the mirrors and wood-
room looks suspicious. The room is boobytrapped. en panels surrounding the area with a successful
When the floor of the room holds more than 200 DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check, releasing Mr.
pounds it triggers the trap. A sliding door blocks Poole’s undead search party in the process. Three
the 5-foot entrance of the room, locking creatures ghosts fly out of their prison. All three use their
inside. Four spider swarms come out of small possession ability at the first opportunity.
cracks on the walls and ceiling. A successful DC 16
Strength (Athletics) check allows a character to For every minute that characters spend inside the
destroy the door blocking the exit. Mirror Maze, hallucinations manipulate the char-
acters’ reflections in the mirrors to come alive and
11. Hallway attack whoever is creating them. Characters must
make a successful DC 15 Wisdom saving throw,
This 55-feet long corridor has eight small storage taking 7 (2d6) psychic damage on a failed save, or
rooms in total. When characters open the door half as much damage on a successful one.
from Area 1 to enter here, all eight doors in the
hallway open at the same time and eight enemies 15. Hidden Stairs
step out. There are two ghasts, three ghouls, and
three zombies. There is a hidden door behind one of the mirrors
of the maze. A passive Perception score of 16 or
The door at the end of the hall opens to a dead higher or a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Percep-
end. A passive Perception score of 14 or high- tion) check reveals that one of the mirrors has a
er or a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) hollow end. Breaking the mirror requires a DC 12
check reveals that there is something behind Strength (Athletics) check. Inside this secret room
the wall. A DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check is there is a ladder that leads down to Area 34.
enough to break the wooden wall and the mirror
behind it. This gives access to the Mirror Maze 16. The Puppet
(Area 14).
The corpse of a person is lying here. It is Brawn,
12. Pit old Berthy’s grandson. There is a small sign on the
walls that says: “The Puppet Boy”. His body looks
A huge hole on the floor dominates the room. A thin, pale, and beaten. His skin has a blue, purplish
passive Perception score of 14 or higher or a look, and it seems as if there was too much of it.
successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check Some fine threads come out of his four limbs and
reveals that the remains of the floor face down- head and disappear in the ceiling. A closer look at
ward, suggesting that something heavy made the the corpse reveals Brawn is not dead. Under closer
floor collapse. A DC 16 Strength (Athletics) check inspection, the adventurers notice his body is miss-
allows a character to climb down to Area 35. ing many different bones. Brawn wakes up and tries
to talk when approached. The words “kill me” and
19
“puppet” are discernible by those who hear his in- 21. Ball Pit
sane speech. His voice is weak and harsh. After he
speaks, the threads tense up and pull the body up, The large pool in the room is filled with small
lifting it from the floor. He screams in pain as an colored balls. Four children play in the pit, jumping
invisible puppeteer makes him dance. Characters and laughing within it. They are stable boys from
can release Brawn by cutting the threads holding Graney. A closer look reveals that the children
his body. have dozens of needles pinned to their bodies like
pincushions. It does not seem to bother them as
17. Closet they continue skipping with joy amongst the balls.
Whenever at least four creatures stand at the edges
This long closet is locked. The words “Do not open, of the pool at the same time, the four children
too many corpses inside” are legible on the wooden attack. Their arms mutate and grow long, turning
door. Opening the door requires a DC 15 Strength into tentacles. They try to grab creatures around the
(Athletics) check or a DC 15 Dexterity (Thieves ball pit to pull them to its center. They function as
Tools) check. There is a flesh golem stored in chokers.
here. It steps out of the closet and charges forward,
destroying the ghosts’ prison in the process (if the All the balls in the pit have scores of needles in
adventurers have not done that yet). The golem is them. Falling into the pit causes 9 (4d4) piercing
hostile to any creature it sees. damage. Creatures who move inside the pit receive
3 (1d4) piercing damage for every 5 feet of move-
18. Glass Floor ment.
A successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check When any of the chokers succeeds in pulling a
reveals that there is a hidden room behind these target into the pit, one of them hurries to the cen-
mirrors. Destroying the mirrors and the wood- ter to take off the plug at the bottom of the pool.
en panels requires a successful DC 14 Strength This causes all balls in the pit to be sucked into the
(Athletics) check. The floor of the room is a large piping below. It takes four rounds for the ball pit to
mirror panel. A weight of 150 pounds causes the empty. Any creature inside the pit while this hap-
glass to break, taking any creature on it down to pens takes 7 (3d4) piercing damage for every round
Area 33. Falling creatures must make a successful spent in it. A successful DC 14 Strength (Athletics)
DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) blud- check is needed to be able to move while the suc-
geoning damage on a failed save, or half as much tion occurs. The plug hole is not wide enough for
damage on a successful one. creatures to be sucked in.
19. Small Bedroom 22. Game Room
An old stinking bed fills the room with a putrid Three steel frames connect their correspondent
stench. A bucket beside it oozes a disgusting white wooden seat to the wall. Each seat is 5 feet above
thick liquid. Human limbs float in the bucket. Any the ground, and a small pool sits below each of
creature that interacts with the contents of the them. A wooden counter with small wooden balls
bucket must make a successful DC 15 Constitu- on it surrounds the three seats. Graney townsfolk
tion saving throw to avoid becoming poisoned for sit on each of the seats. They beg for mercy, yelling
1 hour. at passers-by, asking them to grab a ball and free
them from their torture.
20. Circular Dome
Characters who throw balls at the targets above
This circular room has a 25-feet radius. In the each seat activate the mechanism of the frames
center, a 20-feet-tall wooden and metal cylinder and make the occupant of such a chair fall into the
dominates the room. Above the cylinder, an angry water. There is a contester here. Another villager
mob throws rocks and bottles of alchemist fire at from Graney who cannot escape this never-ending
all those who enter. They yell at all living creatures nightmare throws the balls to make the people fall.
and insult them. Characters can recognize these Contact with the water causes the people to scream
people as the townsfolk of Graney from the de- in pain. The water dissolves their skin and bone
scriptions of other townsfolk. The angry group are in a matter of seconds. Once the victim’s body has
deluded and cannot be reasoned with. Characters disappeared, it reappears at its original spot again,
can get out of this room from either entrance. The sitting in place. The three people trapped in this
angry mob holds their ground in the room.
20
nightmare start begging for mercy again when they clown must make a successful DC 16 Dexterity
come back to their seats. They ask the characters saving throw to avoid receiving 16 (3d10) fire dam-
to hit the targets. They appear to have no memory age from the explosion.
of what just happened. The villager throwing the
balls cries in frustration as he is trying to help them The north middle room has a hidden trapdoor.
be free but always fails. A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check
reveals the hidden pathway underneath a wooden
23. Hallway barrel. The ladder leads down to Area 31.
This corridor features five different small rooms. The rest of the rooms, have dirty boxes with torn
The leftmost room on the north side has the cos- clothes and old looking theater props.
tume of a clown. Interacting with the clown causes
it to explode. Any creature within 10 feet of the
21
24.- Rainbow Slide 29. Tiny People Room
A 15-feet-wide colorful slide makes a U-turn and All entrances to this room are tiny tunnels. Eight
disappears. It has three lanes to choose from, each undersized people are trapped in here. They look
a different color. Any creatures who throw them- famished and weak. Their bodies are too small
selves to the slide surf on it and can get to Area 25, to look normal, but they’re too big to fit in the tiny
Area 26, or Area 27. Creatures who travel on the tunnels again. Two devilish wings grow from their
green and yellow lanes are subjects to the electri- backs, allowing them to fly around. These are
cal storms (see General Features) twice. Sliding people from Garney as well, they are experiencing a
through the red lane allows a character to rest in living nightmare.
Area 25. Creatures in the green lane have access
to Area 26. All three lanes end in Area 27. A suc- When someone approaches, the quasits become
cessful DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check allows invisible. They all attack the same target at the
a character to change lanes during the descent. same time when possible.
Each character can only change lanes twice during
the trip. 30. Tiny Tunnels
25. Rainbow Rest A network of small tunnels connects some of the
rooms on this floor. Only tiny creatures can go
This small side of the slide has a few wooden through these tunnels. Adventurers can use the
crates. There is nothing of value in any of them. magic truffles from Area 8 to cross these tunnels.
Sliding through the rainbow allows a character to 31. Hidden Trapdoor Ladder
see the frame of the metal piping coming from the
bottom of the ball pit (Area 21). The end of the pipe The hidden trapdoor in Area 23 leads to this part
features a small teleporting machine that brings all of the dungeon. An electrical storm blocks the way.
the balls back to the pit in 1d3 minutes. Crossing to the other side of the hallway requires
characters to assume the damage from the electri-
26. Trapdoor cal storm.
A hand ladder leads up to Area 6. 32. Flooded Room
27. Engine Rooms Water pours and leaks through the ceiling flooding
this place. The room has an old, humid smell. The
Two magic crystals power each engine. Concrete hallway to the south features an irregular shaped
walls protect both engines. The magic engineered electrical storm which has three different contact
carburetors make Kakrut’s Haunted Park work. points.
The engines are responsible for all the illusions
and psychic torture inside the Haunted Park. A suc- 33. Storage Room
cessful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check allows a
character to make a crack on the wall to try to get Wooden planks and boxes fill this room with a dry
to the engines. wood scent.
Dealing elemental damage to the engines de- 34. Small Studio
stroys them. This disrupts the magical fabrics of
Kakrut’s phony world. Characters shift through A brown leather rocking chair sits on one side of
time and space, teleporting to four different rooms the room. A simple wooden chair with a desk com-
in the Haunted Park (Area 20, 21, 28 and 29). prehends the rest of the furniture in here. A ladder
This is when Kakrut, the rakshasa, shows his real leads up to Area 15.
shape and fights.
On the desk, there is a journal written in Abyssal
28. Salon language. Upon closer inspection (only if the adven-
turers have a way to read it), the journal reveals that
There is a large electrical storm in the middle of it belongs to the Haunted Park demon. In the book,
the room. It hums and buzzes. The room is other- the demon describes his journeys; years and years
wise empty. of traveling from place to place kidnapping people
for fun. Reading the journal also informs the reader
of the importance of the engines and their function.
22
East of the room, a long corridor crosses an elec- Kakrut Fight
trical storm twice and then turns north to a ladder.
This ladder leads up to Area 1. Disruption teleports Kakrut and his enemies to
four different areas of the dungeon each round. The
35. Materials Room battle starts when the engines blow in a great ex-
plosion. Characters appear in Area 28 first. Kakrut
Balls of yarn and threads of all colors lie scattered tries to lure his enemies into the electrical storms
around the whole place. Interacting in any way to hinder them.
with the materials in here causes them to become
hostile. Stuffed animal parts, thread of yarn, and During the second round, on initiative count 20,
more materials come together and shapes mon- everyone teleports to Area 20. If the adventurers
sters. There are always two monsters at a time, a did not visit or ignored the mob, Kakrut takes ad-
hell hound, and a giant scorpion. These beasts vantage of them to make his foes hesitate.
have the regular monsters’ stats, the only difference
being they are made of yarn. During the third round, on initiative count 20
everyone teleports to Area 29 and then to Area 21
When defeated, it takes 1d10 rounds for the in the next turn. The quasits and chokers assist
sewed animals to come back to life again. The Kakrut if they are still alive.
beasts do not pursue any creature outside this area.
They work as a security measure to prevent guests When Kakrut is defeated, all people inside the
from going to Area 36. Haunted Park are teleported to the area around the
Leech Tree clearing. Nobody remembers anything
36. Workshop except for the adventurers.
Five wooden tables hug the walls of the room. Saving People from the Park
There is an electrical storm on the right south cor-
ner. There are tools and pieces of wood scattered Kakrut’s victims are experiencing a living night-
all over the floor. mare. They are all going crazy inside the park. They
do not know who they are, nor do they recognize
History their name or kin. To save them, characters must
not kill any of them inside Kakrut’s world. If Garney
A character who wishes to know or remember ad- folk are murdered inside the Haunted Park, they
ditional information about The Haunted Park must lose the opportunity to come back to reality and
make an Intelligence (History) check. The charac- their lifeless bodies return to the clearing when Ka-
ter remembers facts according to the next table. He krut is beaten. In the case of the three town guards
remembers all the facts for which DC he meets and from the search party, their bodies are concealed in
exceeds. The character rolls with advantage if he the flesh golem. Destroying the golem prevents the
has spoken with Berthy and heard her stories. three town guards from coming back alive.
●● Everybody Knows – The Haunted Park is one If the adventurers succeed in saving some or most
of the oldest legends. of the townsfolk, Mr. Poole looks for a worthy re-
ward for the heroes’ efforts.
●● DC 14 – The Haunted Park legend is about a
demon who visits towns and cities every once in
a while.
●● DC 16 – This demon steals people’s bodies and
souls. He traps them in his evil, twisted dimen-
sion. Defeating the demon requires facing him
in his real shape, and being able to destroy his
fake world. The tale says the souls of those who
still have a body might return home.
23
Listen to your mother! You rascals... or else
you’ll end up like one of the three brothers!
-Heard near the town square...
Tomb of the three Brothers
Background Lore dren would inherit his kingdom, instead of only the
eldest. This came as a shock to the nobles but his
Unlike most legends and myths about desires were upheld. Papers were signed and peo-
old heroes and forgotten treasure ple got angry, but the three brothers were crowned
piles, there is one tale that remains as “sibling kings”. The eldest assumed all power
in the minds of most people as it immediately because his two younger siblings were
became a staple for nighttime chil- underage at the time. They were only children, after
dren’s stories. The tale of the three brothers found all. And despite the royal title, the eldest was acting
its way to the oral tradition of most cultures and king for a few years.
became a disciplinary tool for unruly children. Per-
haps the message, or better, the moral of the story Later, when the younger siblings became adults,
resonated with people in a way that kept the story rivalry arose and things became complicated. The
alive. two older siblings could not cope with sharing
the position of king. Additionally, the nobles did
Researchers from different cultures find this short not know whom to support. The houses parted as
tale fascinating for one particular reason: the tale some sided with one or the other and the kingdom
of the three brothers remains largely unchanged bled from their division. During this conflict, the
despite the passage of time. Its earliest record goes youngest of them left the kingdom with the intent to
back two thousand years, at least. But the content discover foreign lands and learn of other cultures.
of the message appears to be the same, with a He rejected his position and left his siblings to fight
few changes to adjust to today’s mannerisms and over the throne. After all, being the third son, he
culture. But it is also the same in foreign cultures. had never expected to become king.
According to said researchers, this behavior is
common when a legend is rooted in reality, even if Time passed and the two kings continued to
it is just a sliver of truth in the distant past. How- plot against each other. Each time with increasing
ever, other scholars disagree with this conclusion strength and rhetoric. The peasantry suffered in un-
and there seems to be no end to the squabbles of rest as the nobles cut each other’s throats over their
intellectuals over what the populace calls “useless allegiances to one king or the other. One day, the
bits from the past”. As it stands in most forms, the middle sibling found himself drowned with anger
tale of the three brothers goes like this: and frustration and asked his brother to solve this
situation, once and for all, in a sword duel. Accord-
“Once upon a time, there was a dying king. In his ing to law, only a king or equivalent can ask another
deathbed of roses, he asked for one last thing. The king to duel. Well, they both had the same title and
last royal command was that his three male chil- a formal duel was arranged the next morning. The
24
eldest king died that day by his sibling’s sword he did not feel surprised. It was expected from such
and only the middle one remained. However, it did spoiled children as the three of them were. The
not take long for the kingslayer to understand the youngest assumed power and the kingdom im-
terrible weight he had brought upon himself. Guilt proved over the course of his reign.”
became an unbearable burden that accompanied
him everywhere. There was only one way to truly The tale of the three brothers carries a message
escape the guilt of his actions. He flirted with the or brotherly camaraderie, admission of guilt, re-
idea for a few moons and then took his own life. spect among siblings, and the importance to let
The servants found the king hanging from the bed- envy and ambition go.
post in the evening.
The tale is rooted in reality. The kingdom the
Then the young brother returned to the kingdom three brothers ruled disappeared eons ago and
after some years abroad. The untimely demise of there is not even a single recorded instance of its
his siblings saddened him. But, on the other hand, name. Or the name of the three kings. After their
25
deaths, the three kings were buried together in General Features
an ancient tomb. The passage of time has almost
destroyed their resting place. Particularly because These are the general features of the forgotten
the semi-active volcanic activity has ravaged the tomb of the three brothers. It is located in the
place. The tomb is located in the depths of the depths of the Vaseris Mountain Range, in what
Vaseris Mountain Range, near the Vaser Volcano. appears to be a dormant volcano.
This volcano has been active on and off for the past
thousand years. At least the records go back that Terrain. The area within the tomb consists of
far. It is said that part of the three king’s treasure stone platforms and fluid hot lava. The platforms
vault was carried to their tombs after the youngest are solid enough to stand. Any square not covered
brother died of old age. Among treasure hunters, with stone in its entirety is considered difficult ter-
the tale of the three brothers remains the source of rain for the purposes of tactical movement.
one of those fabulous gold piles that tomb robbers
dream of finding. Lava. The hot gases and temperature from the
chamber deal 4 (1d6) fire damage for every ten
Area Descriptions minutes within. While the lava is in a fluid state, it
is viscous enough that falling on it does not cause a
1. Entrance medium-sized creature to sink immediately. Touch-
ing the lava deals 10 (3d6) fire damage. A creature
A long winding tunnel leads down into the crust of that remains in the lava sinks gradually over the
the earth itself. The tunnel features a set of crudely course of three turns, taking 13 (4d6) extra dam-
carved stone steps that lead the way down to the age each round.
lava pool. This tunnel is one mile long, though it
only descends half that distance. As minutes pass, Light. Hot lava produces reddish dim light in the
the temperature rises to an almost unbearable large chamber. The secret tomb features two mag-
level. ical braziers that never go out and keep the cham-
ber in bright light.
2. Lava Pool Smells and Sounds. The flow of lava produces
a low humming sound in the background. The
The floor of this chamber broke off and melted a intense smell of sulfur and molten rock causes a
long time ago. The floor appears to have been iden- strong bodily reaction in most vertebrates. Any
tical to the one near the sarcophagi and it should creature in the area must succeed on a DC 14
have covered the entirety of the chamber. There Constitution saving throw to avoid becoming poi-
appears to be the illegible remains of writings soned for 1 hour. A creature who succeeds on this
and frescoes on the walls but they have long been save is immune to the effect for 24 hours.
erased
3. Tomb of the Youngest Brother marks on the cracks make it appear as if something
had come out of it. A successful DC 14 Strength
A large and heavy stone sarcophagus sits on the (Athletics) check allows a character to push the
south platform of the chamber. The box is identi- lid to the side to access the interior of the box. The
cal to the others except for the facial features. The weathered bodily remains of a long-dead king are
painting and scripts on the sarcophagus must have inside.
been coated with a resistant substance as they have
withstood the passage of time reasonably well. 5. Tomb of the Eldest Brother
Despite it appearing genuine, this sarcophagus is a
decoy with nothing inside. The real tomb is in the A large and heavy stone sarcophagus sits on the
secret room (Area 6). east platform of the chamber. The box is identical
to the others except for the facial features. The
4. Tomb of the Middle Brother sarcophagus has similar cracks to the one in Area
4. A successful DC 14 Strength (Athletics) check
A large and heavy stone sarcophagus sits on the allows a character to push the lid to the side to
east platform of the chamber. The box is identical access the interior of the box. The weathered bodily
to the others except for the facial features. Under remains of a long-dead king are inside.
closer inspection, large cracks on the back of the
sarcophagus reveal that it is slowly crumbling. The
26
After inspecting either sarcophagus (Areas 4, and
5) the dim shadows in the chamber move erratical-
ly as a small group of vaguely discernible humanoid
creatures emerge from the walls and lava below.
The creatures appear to be made of either mist or
volcanic smoke. The two failed kings (2 ghosts)
arise with an army of undead (2d6 shadows)servi-
tors to defend their resting places. Even in death,
the two brothers remain vengeful cruel people who
attack any visitor on sight.
6. Secret Tomb
The final resting place of the youngest sibling is
in a secret chamber behind a fake wall. A passive
Perception score of 16 or higher or a successful
DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check when walking
close to the secret door reveals the fake nature of
a portion of the wall. The panel of fake rock can be
moved easily once identified. a sarcophagus like
the ones outside is in the center of the room. It is
significantly better conserved due to its relative
isolation. Two braziers shine bright inside. A mag-
ical spell keeps them burning eternally. The bodily
remains of the youngest sibling are inside the box.
Around the sarcophagus, there are several vases
and containers full of diamonds, rubies, emeralds,
and a few other precious stones of less value. The
collective value of such collection of stones, if sold
to the correct merchant, ascends to 3000 gp.
27
Do you think the new name will attract more
customers? I think it’s real good!
-Local Shoemaker
The Golden Assembly of States
Background Lore themselves overwhelmed with the amount of pres-
sure they get when outside.
The Golden Assembly of States is This behavior is less intense in certain areas of
often ridiculed and mocked by out- the city. The Merchant District is the worst offender
siders and foreign folks. They refer in this category. Despite that, the grandiose names
to this deconstruction of a city as a are a common thing in any district. Names tend to
bunch of bureaucrats, leeches, and change all the time, some places change their name
clowns trying to coexist in the same area. While the once a year to keep up with the increasing addition
comments are ill-intended, there is a rational basis of adjectives and descriptions from their competi-
for their misguided beliefs. tors. This is how a place like an apothecary shop,
which used to only have a small wooden sign that
The Golden Assembly of States is, in essence, an read “Apothecary”, had several name changes until
exercise in political migration and the struggle of they opted for the current one “Joshua’s Healthy
a large community with newfound freedoms un- Apothecary”. Is it an exaggeration, is it too much?
bound. That is how a respectful local would say it. Some locals agree that this type of competitive
A more honest person would say that the shift from language should not be encouraged, especially
nobility to achievable oligarchy also came with a when people open shop. But others care not for the
large number of flaws. The one they quote the most method and only care about the gold coins behind.
is the unending search for greatness. Looking for
greatness appears to be a noble pursuit, but the The Golden Assembly of States is unique be-
Golden Assembly of States changed this quest cause it is the natural evolution of governments
into something different. People, stores, business- after a large period of kingdoms and empires. It all
es, and bureaucrats want to stand out from those changed when the last king, King Nami, abdicated
around them. The way they try this is so aggressive almost 30 years ago and decided to shift the coun-
that people sell stuff on the streets, they jump cus- try towards a different system. He helped set up a
tomers from behind, politicians self-congratulate in senate and a way that allowed the people to elect
ever-larger parties, people name and rename their their ruler. Democracy is not a tried method but it
businesses large evocative names to attract more seemed like an idea good enough to try out. Other
clientele. The behavior is particularly competitive benefits were fewer tithes (no more royal family),
in business. People compete so fiercely that the city standardization of taxes, and more opportunities
has a nasty population with travelers. The locals for the townsfolk to rise from poverty and become
con handle the ongoing barrage of salesmen and statesmen. The large kingdom was divided into
businesses on the streets but visitors often find five states where the locals would elect their repre-
28
sentatives for the senate. The largest city, formerly The current iteration which empathizes how faith-
known as Catunna, became the Golden Assembly ful they are is working a little better than the last
of States. A place where the senate and represen- one. However, it is not simple to prove or test the
tatives from all states would gather to vote on the loyalty of a mount and this is nagging Deanna. She
future of the country. This system has been in place is looking for a new name already.
for a little less than 30 years and has functioned
somewhat correctly. The Golden Assembly of 4. Golden Fleet’s Grand Tower
States is a cosmopolitan city where all humanoid
races and a minority of sentient races are repre- The east side of the city is bordered by a large lake.
sented. Humans remain a majority group with The body of water is so large that it reaches the
45% of the population while the rest is split among horizon. The northern end of the city coast is walled
many smaller groups. and features a military port. Two sections of the city
wall go into the water and isolate this section of the
Area Descriptions bay. The city had a bloody history and there were
a few attempts to storm the coasts in the past. The
1. The Grand Assembly city never fell to outside forces thanks to the coast
wall and the king’s fleet. Next to the coast wall, a
Formerly known as the Catunna Palace, the Grand large squat tower fortress overlooks the bay. This is
Assembly is a beautiful building where the senate the largest fortified building in the city that is still in
and the state’s representatives gather to vote on dif- control of the military.
ferent matters. The building remains a small castle
but many places and chambers have been remod- General Features
eled to better reflect the welcoming intention of the
senate and the freedom of democracy. These are the general features of the Golden
Assembly of States. It is located on the shores of
The Head of Senate is a seventy-year-old man a large lake. The city is the capital of an emerg-
named Apojo. He is an advocate of peace and has ing proto-republic. Representation of six different
supported having cordial relationships with neigh- states is common throughout the town.
boring kingdoms. However, he is old and frail. As
his vitality vanishes, other representatives gain Terrain. The general area around the city consists
more power. The new school of thought is to attack of rolling hills and farmed land. The closest forest-
close neighbors to “bring them democracy and ed area is 3 miles from the city walls.
freedom”. Other people say that this is the same as
having an empire and not much of an improvement. Gates. While the city has outgrown its walls for de-
cades now, the schedules and control of the gates
2. Golden Office of Records remain strict. All gates open at dawn and close
at sunset. Most people are let in or out of the city
As instructed by King Nami, written records of all without much questioning. The only exception is
senate meetings, official events, and foreign inter- merchants. All merchant parcels, carts, crates, and
actions had to be as precise as possible, as well as similar are registered and inspection at the gates.
the proper handling of such deluge of documents. The main purpose is to ensure that the correct
Scribes ran out of space at the Grand Assembly six amount of taxes and tithes is paid for any incoming
years ago and opened the Golden Office of Records products.
a few blocks away. All documents from the past
six years are here. The catalog’s organizing is not Light. The city does not lack for open space ar-
perfect and it may take a while to find a particular eas and decorative vegetation. A system of public
document or transcript but it is to be found there. lighting with oil lamps is maintained by a group
of laborers called the fireholders. Other than that,
3. Deanna’s Faithful Mounts lighting conditions are dependent on the time of
the day and weather conditions.
Deanna is a sixty years old woman whose vitality
refuses to leave her. The old woman works all day Smells and Sounds. The sounds of fast-pace life,
with her horses and the stables. She is an interest- ongoing carts, horses, businessmen, and salesmen
ing woman who likes the current state of affairs in are the staples of the Golden Assembly of States.
the Golden Assembly of States. She is obsessed Every day is packed with energy, barter, sales, and
with finding the most alluring name for her stables. angry folks. The city smells bad like most dense
settlements, but the sewers system works well
enough to keep things in check. 29
30
5. The Spice Coast 10. Gray Griffon in Prance Inn
East of the Merchant District, where the city meets Formerly named “Grey Inn”, this place of business
the lake shores, the docks are a large source of is also a victim of the current trends. The Grey
work and foreign merchandise. City officials screen Griffon in Prance Inn is a large three-story building
every boat as it docks to inspect the cargo and with 20 rooms available for travelers and mer-
register the contents for tithing. Fishing boats, plea- chants. The owner is a bronze-skinned man named
sure barges, and merchant cargo ships crowd the Arcturus Grey. The inn brings in a large sum of gold
bay. The city needs a larger dock area and the sit- every month for Grey and with it, a large tax note
uation is critical already. However, the only way to from the Grand Assembly. Since the Grey Inn is the
do that is to demolish a section of the coastal wall. largest tax contributor outside the city walls, Mr.
The Senate has not come to a decision about this Grey has been pushing for the Senate to approve
after years of pondering the issue. The area owes the construction of a new section of the city wall
its name to the number of spice merchants that that would protect his place of work.
dock her throughout the year. The exquisite smells
of foreign spices pervade the area most days. 11. Joshua’s Healthy Apothecary
6. The King’s Sewers Joshua Green is a person many deem too young
to run an apothecary shop. They are correct as he
The city sewers work well enough to keep the city is only twenty-two years old. The old Apothecary,
clean and with a stench somewhat better than Gushom, had an accident last year and had an
similarly-sized settlements. The sewer system untimely death a few weeks after. Gushom had no
directs its contents to this area where everything is relatives and Joshua was his only employee. The
dumped into the lake. The area’s stench is strong young lad appears to be a gifted individual that un-
enough that property values around this area have derstands his trade as well as the old Gushom did.
crumbled over the years. The place did not have City officials have threatened to close the shop if it
a name until recently. The current state of giving is demonstrated that he cannot handle the apothe-
things impressive names reached its peak when cary.
the senate had a hearing on what to name the end
of the sewers and this is what they came up with. 12. Perfume Shop
7. The North Gate A small house near the outskirts of the city and
outside the city walls. The old man who owns the
This gate is one of the most transited entrances of place is named Karja. He is immune to current
the city. The road north eventually connects with trends and refuses to rename the shop. Though he
three of the states allied with the republic. has received a recommendation from many sourc-
es to rename the place “Master Perfumer Karja’s
8. The Gate of Mud Incredible Essences”, he remains immutable in his
position. Karja often looks for exotic ingredients for
The majority of farmed land is found south of his shop and pays a fair amount for the appropriate
the city. Every day, scores of farmers come to the samples from certain plants and animals.
city with their horse carts from their farms. The
amount of dirt they bring with them, along with 13. Sundown Gate
horse manure hat collects by the gate as each cart
is inspected by city officials are what gives the gate The gatehouse of this entrance features a large
its derogative name. brass blowhorn over the entrance. Every morning
and evening a soldier blows the horn three times to
9. Farmer’s Market announce the other gates when to open or close.
Many farmers and traveler merchants do not like 14. Tithe Collector’s Office
the city bureaucracy and inspections at the gates.
On crowded days, a person may take a few hours The Collector’s Office is a hell of paperwork, bu-
just to enter the city with a cart. In response, local reaucracy, and unending document cabinets. It is
farmers and barterers opened shop in an open just as full, if not more, as the Office of Records.
square south of the city wall. This part of town is Careful documentation of all places of businesses
still considered to be inside the Golden Assembly and the records from all the gates for the past thirty
of States though it is still outside the walls. Most years are in this building. The name of the place
mundane items and supplies are available in this
market.
31
adds salt to insult because the office does not em- rant’s office controls the entrance and exit of all
ploy any collectors as citizens are expected to show vessels in both docking areas. This is a slow and
up and pay their tithes and taxes every month. The boring job but the almirant only needs to sign a
unending queue of grim-faced individuals waiting bunch of parchments every day as the clerks handle
for their turn to pay is enough to discourage the the bulk of the paperwork.
most optimistic person.
20. Gordran’s Amazing Weaponry
15. Rushan’s General Store
Gordran is a dwarven forgemaster that found a
A popular corner in the Merchant district, bustling niche in the Golden Assembly of States. His master-
with people and itinerant salesmen, is the location work pieces in weaponry and armory are the best
of Rushan’s General Store. Rushan is a retired in the city. They are so good that no one even comes
adventurer who claims to have lost a leg fighting close. As it is now, Gordran works on commission
an “evil demonic minotaur”. His shop sells all kinds but the queue is so large that he is not interested
of mundane traveling gear, herbal potions, hunting in new orders. He still has a good catalog of exqui-
gear, and a few weapons and shields. From time to site weapons in his shop that will draw the eyes of
time, he claims, a magical item is on sale too. anyone familiar with blade weaponry. Armors are
a different story, he mostly only does armor work
16. The Exclusive Dawn Saloon for the last renowned knights in the city and the
guards of the most powerful in the senate. Gordran
This tavern is the most exclusive leisure location is looking for an ancient dwarven forge mask. Such
in the Golden Assembly of States. It is located in legendary artifacts are said to be lost but he would
Harold’s Reach. The district owes its name to the be able to forge magical items with such a mask. Or
next to the last king. The Exclusive Dawn Saloon at least he claims that.
is large enough to accommodate 50-60 patrons.
However, the dress code and prices prevent most
cityfolk from attending. They sell the same bever-
ages as in other parts of town except for a few rare
brew wines they make locally. Other than that, the
only interesting feature is that the often hire great
artists and entertainers.
17. Valiant Conscription Office
The Golden Assembly of States still employs a
large army to protect the city and the neighboring
states. Anyone, local or foreign can come to the
conscription office and sign up for the army. For-
eign individuals become citizens after two years of
soldier work.
18. Spice Market
The spice market is a medium-sized building with
twenty tiny booths where merchants sell their
wares. The only requisite to rent a booth here is to
sell spice. Spices are valuable and a large amount
of its equivalent in gold can fit in a little box. A large
body of city watch guards is in the area most of the
day to prevent robberies.
19 Grand Almirant’s Office
The Grand Almirant works from here. Almirant
Triesle is a serious man who takes great responsi-
bility in his position. He is in charge of the Golden
Fleet and answers to the senate only. The Almi-
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Thank You
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