Adventure Atlas - The Mortuary

Juniper Business Use Only ADVENTURE ATLAS: THE MORTUARY[+] USING THIS SUPPLEMENT[+] [–] Text that appears in a box like this is meant to be read aloud or paraphrased for the players when their characters first arrive at a location or under a specific circumstance, as described in the text. When a creature's name appears in bold type, that's a visual cue pointing you to its stat block as a way of saying, "Hey, DM, you should get this creature's stat block ready. You're going to need it." If the stat block appears elsewhere, the text tells you so; otherwise, you can find the stat block in the Monster Manual. Spells and equipment mentioned in this supplement are described in the Player's Handbook. Magic items are described in the Dungeon Master's Guide. HERALDS OF DUST[+] FACTION TABOO: RESURRECTION [–] Resurrection magic is anathema to the Heralds of Dust. As a result, most Dusters shun spells that restore the dead to life—such as raise dead, reincarnate, and revivify—and they almost never offer such magic to others. Members make exceptions for magic that causes individuals to rise as Undead—a transformation Dusters view as a natural stepping stone on the path to True Death. HERALDS OF DUST ROLES[+] HERALDS OF DUST SERVICES[+] GRISLY COMPONENTS[+] POISONS FOR SALE[+] SPELLCASTING SERVICES[+] HERALDS OF DUST CHARMS[+] CHARM OF THE DEAD TRUCE This charm grants you respect among the dead. Hostile Undead creatures with an Intelligence of 6 or lower are instead indifferent toward you. Additionally, you have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks to interact with Undead creatures, provided the creature can understand you. This charm lasts for 10 days. If you deal damage to an Undead creature during those 10 days, the charm vanishes early. CHARM OF INCORPOREALITY This charm allows you to assume a ghostly, incorporeal form as a bonus action. While in this form, you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. You can also move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, but you take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside a creature or object. You remain in this form for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. Once used, this charm goes away. THE MORTUARY[+]

Juniper Business Use Only APPROACHING THE MORTUARY[+] [–] A sinister jumble of sepulchral towers claws above the Hive Ward. Low, menacing domes adorn the structure's heights, and branchlike walkways wind around its towers. Unending trails of foul-smelling smoke waft from the structure. Fog gathers at the structure's base, partially obscuring the countless tombs that surround it. Somber and shadowy, the monument evokes a hand clawing up from the grave with fingers splayed. ENTERING THE MORTUARY[+] [–] An unsettling chill pervades this solemn monument. Its cold stone walls are reminiscent of a crypt. The halls are dimly lit and uncomfortably silent, save for the occasional distant groan of undead or the plaintive call of a wailing spirit. The acrid sting of chemical odors hangs in the air. MORTUARY FEATURES[+] EXPLORING THE MORTUARY[+] MORTUARY ENCOUNTERS[+] MORTUARY ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 1—4)[+] MORTUARY ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 5—10)[+] MORTUARY ENCOUNTERS (LEVELS 11—16)[+] MORTUARY LOCATIONS[+] CORPSE RECEIVING AND SHIPPING[+] [+] Map 1.1: Corpse Receiving and Shipping Marco Bernardini Player Version Marco Bernardini Three zombies process the dead under the supervision of two Duster morticians (each uses the cultist stat block). An animated coffin (see the appendix) loiters nearby. Periodically, the workers load a corpse into the coffin, which ferries it to a chute in the east wall. The workers are hostile toward those who impede their work. The characters must discern their quarry from the litany of corpses throughout this area. As an action, a character can inspect a corpse within 10 feet of them, identifying the body with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check. It's up to you where in the facility the corpse they're looking for lies. Arrival Chutes. Corpses slide into this chamber via eight 5-foot-diameter pneumatic tubes set into the south walls. Each corpse arrives on an examination slab, where the Heralds of Dust conduct a brief inspection before arranging it to be sent to another area of the Mortuary. Coffin Fitting.

Juniper Business Use Only Crafters measure corpses for coffins, caskets, and sarcophagi in this fitting area. Corpse Storage. The Heralds of Dust sequester bodies that require further assessment to a cylindrical storage area in the center of this facility. Corpses stored in this area are magically protected from decay. Undead workers sometimes take breaks in this area. At any given time, 1d4 + 1 zombies relax among Sigil's dead. Sorting Chutes. Animated coffins, gurneys, and other conveyance devices ferry corpses from the examination slabs along a set of tracks in the floor to one of four exit chutes. The three chutes in the east wall wind to an autopsy room, a morgue, and another sorting facility. The chute at the end of the tracks in the south wall descends to a crematorium. Oppressive heat radiates from the south chute's opening. Other Areas. Dusters perform deeper examinations in offshoot rooms within the facility, such as the autopsy room. The contents of these rooms are yours to choose; otherwise, they contain nothing of value. SPIRIT SUMP[+] [–] Metal catwalks spiderweb above this vast chamber. Below the catwalks sloshes a faintly glowing reservoir of wispy liquid, an incorporeal soup of howling souls. A frenetic assembly of complex, sputtering tubes and pumps descends from the ceiling into the liquid. Mechanical control stations dot the intersections of the catwalks, each linking to a pump that ascends from the reservoir. Map 1.2: Spirit Sump Jared Blando Player Version Jared Blando Shortly after the characters enter, a chaotic evil ghost and three specters free themselves from the necrotic slurry and attack. One more specter escapes from the liquid at the end of each round until the reservoir is drained. Draining the Reservoir. To drain the reservoir and flush the apparitions from Sigil, the characters must manually activate three of the machine's pumps—convoluted-looking mechanisms connected to the Spirit Sump's circular control stations. As an action, a character at a control station can make a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check to repair that station's pump, doing so on a successful check. A character who has proficiency in smith's tools or tinker's tools has advantage on the check. Ghostly Reservoir. A perpetually wailing slurry of ghosts, specters, and other incorporeal Undead churns 20 feet below the catwalks. A non-Undead creature that enters the liquid for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 7 (2d6) necrotic damage and must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or have its hit point maximum reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The creature dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A Humanoid that dies in the reservoir rises from its corpse as a hostile specter 1d4 hours later unless the Humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed.

Juniper Business Use Only NEVERVAULT[–] For Characters of 8th–10th Level The crypts of the Nevervault imprison deathless threats with a tenacious grip on the realms of the living Robson Michel In this encounter, characters journey to the Nevervault, a hazardous containment crypt deep beneath the Mortuary for creatures that should be dead but somehow aren't. The defenses for the vault and several threats within are detailed here. Map 1.3 depicts a wing of the Nevervault. When the characters enter, read or paraphrase the following text: [–] Otherworldly tubes bathe this lofty crypt in a dim red glow. Skeletal creatures and gangly apparitions bathe in the crimson liquid, occasionally colliding with the glass. A solemn humanoid figure paces the eerie cylinders. As she pauses to examine one of the tubes, a wicked spirit phases through it with a maniacal laugh, causing a spidery crack to run along the length of the glass. Foul ichor spills forth from within. Map 1.3: Nevervault Marco Bernardini Player Version Marco Bernardini A malicious spirit (chaotic evil ghost) has tampered with one of the crypt's magical wards, releasing a necrichor (see the appendix) previously trapped inside. The hostile creatures threaten to overtake the Heralds of Dust exorcist (see the appendix) tasked with guarding this vault. If the characters don't intervene, the Undead might destabilize the vault's magic and release other creatures contained in the crypts (detailed below). Containment Crypts. Eight cylindrical glass crypts span the height of the vault. A permanent magic circle spell (save DC 15) in each tube prevents the creatures trapped here from escaping, but the vault's magic sometimes falters enough for a prisoner or two, all of which are hostile, to slip out from its crypts. An identify spell cast on a crypt reveals the creature trapped within. The contents of the crypts are as follows: Crypt 1. This cracked crypt previously contained a necrichor. Crypt 2. The interior of this tube roils with shadow. Inside is young red shadow dragon. The dragon is Undead. Crypt 3. A dangerous vampire is trapped in mist form within this crypt. While the crypt's magic lasts, the vampire has the incapacitated condition and remains in mist form. Crypt 4. Three wraiths swirl in this crypt, violently slamming against the glass and screeching at creatures that come within 10 feet of it. Crypt 5. This crypt contains five malign anomalies (use the shadow demon stat block). Crypts 6, and 7. These crypts are empty. Crypt 8. A planar incarnate (Celestial form; see the appendix) roils in this crypt. Steles.

Juniper Business Use Only Eight granite steles line a semicircular chamber within the Nevervault. Each stele is inscribed with arcane sigils that magically bind a restless soul to the stele. The steles each have an Armor Class of 17, 50 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Casting remove curse on the stele or destroying the stele frees the soul trapped inside, which manifests as a specter. For 1 minute, the specter is friendly toward its liberator and obeys their commands. In the absence of any commands, or if given a command that's likely to result in its destruction, the specter defends itself but otherwise takes no actions. At the end of the duration, the specter attempts to flee the Mortuary. FACTOL SKALL'S ORRERY[–] For Characters of 11th Level or Higher Factol Skall uses his orrery of souls to unravel the mysteries of True Death Andrea Piparo From his orrery of souls, Factol Skall scours the multiverse for secrets about True Death, the annihilation sublime. In this encounter, the characters must aid Skall in dispatching a powerful threat that has come through the orrery to wreak havoc on the Mortuary and its inhabitants. Map 1.4 depicts Factol Skall's orrery. When the characters enter, read or paraphrase the following text: [–] A glowing, ethereal sphere hovers over this chilling sanctum, whose walkways are formed from the vertebrae of some unknown behemoth. The orb resonates with the haunting cries of the dead. A decrepit figure in tattered robes floats above the walkway, examining ghostly threads spun from a skeletal loom. Map 1.4: Factol Skall's Orrery Jared Blando Factol Skall (see the appendix) has repeatedly used the orrery, which has attracted the spirit of a dead and vengeful god (use the planar incarnate stat block; see the appendix). The spirit bursts forth from the orrery and attacks the characters. Skall aids the characters in combat against the spirit but withholds his more potent abilities unless the characters are about to be defeated. If the spirit is reduced to 0 hit points, it is sucked back into the orrery and sent back to the plane from whence it came. Necrotic Flares. The spirit's presence causes Skall's orrery to behave erratically. Until the spirit is defeated, each round on initiative count 10, the orrery erupts with a 100-foot-long, 5-foot-wide beam of necrotic energy that shoots down one of the orrery's six central walkways at random. To determine the direction, roll a d6 and assign a direction to each die face. Each creature in the line must make on a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Skall's Reward. If the characters help Skall and defeat the spirit, they earn the respect of the dead. Skall bestows a Charm of the Dead Truce (see the "Heralds of Dust Charms" section) on each character. MORTUARY CAMPAIGNS[–]

Juniper Business Use Only The Mortuary's size and the multiversal scope of its operations make it well suited to longer adventures, especially those surrounding life, death, and the planes. Use this section as a springboard for a campaign centered on the Mortuary and its inhabitants. Characters don't need to join the Heralds of Dust to undertake these adventures. PATH OF GRAVES[–] Through its many planar portals, the Path of Graves connects the Mortuary to places of death across the multiverse Calder Moore The Path of Graves is a hub of portals to and from morbid sites across the planes. Characters who arrive at the Mortuary via a planar portal might be transported here. Map 1.5 depicts the Path of Graves. The Heralds of Dust leverage the Path of Graves' portals to reach distant sites relevant to their work, such as burial sites on other worlds and magical furnaces on the Plane of Elemental Fire for cremating fire-resistant creatures. Characters can use the Path of Graves to reach the same faraway places, returning to the Mortuary in between adventures. Map 1.5: Path of Graves Jared Blando Player Version Jared Blando MORTUARY ADVENTURES[–] Use the Mortuary Adventure Hooks table to inspire a campaign centered on the Mortuary. Mortuary Adventure Hooks d4 Adventure Hook 1 A wrongfully interred death knight launches a campaign against Factol Skall, fomentingHeralds of Dust into splinter factions. Factol Skall hires the characters to unite the dead beyond repair. 2 A multiversal law dictates that a death council must convene in the Mortuary once everycharged with exhuming a series of influential Undead entombed on other planes and escSome of the council members are especially cranky when awoken. 3 When a godling is born on the Upper Planes, a wave of positive energy sweeps over the portals, restoring hundreds of long-dead creatures to life. 4 Factol Skall (see the appendix) announces his retirement. Before he transcends to True Dto help him name his successor. APPENDIX: MORTUARY CREATURES[–]

Juniper Business Use Only This appendix provides lore and stat blocks for five creatures that, while connected to one of many factions in the infinite and wondrous Planescape setting, are suitable for any Dungeons & Dragons campaign. The creatures in this bestiary are organized alphabetically. If you are unfamiliar with the monster stat block format, read the introduction of the Monster Manual before proceeding further. It explains stat block terminology and gives rules for various monster traits—information that isn't repeated here. ANIMATED COFFIN[–] Animated coffins are heavy, macabre Constructs designed to ferry the dead to places of rest. They waddle the Mortuary's halls unbothered, scooping up corpses and carrying them to the next stage of the funerary process. An animated coffin has an array of spidery metal legs it uses to skitter along steep inclines, walls, and ceilings, and the coffin's spacious interior bristles with retractable spikes. Like their inanimate counterparts, animated coffins range from plain wooden boxes with simple fittings to elaborate, gilded sarcophagi and reverent, fabric-lined caskets. Beyond the City of Doors, animated coffins serve similar—albeit less industrial—roles. Natural ambushers and tireless sentries, animated coffins guard ancient necropolises, family crypts, and the lairs of powerful Undead. A cautious vampire might sleep in an animated coffin to evade hunters during the day, while a necromancer might enlist animated coffins to conscript corpses from faraway settlements into an Undead army. Animated coffins are rarely empty. The Animated Coffin Contents table presents some contents an animated coffin might contain when encountered. Animated Coffin Contents d6 Contents 1 1d4 swarm of bats 2 1d4 skeletons packed like sardines 3 A groaning mummy 4 A patch of yellow mold (see the Dungeon Master's Guide) 5 A slumbering vampire spawn 6 A portal to the Path of Graves (detailed earlier in this supplement) FACTOL SKALL[–] Skall is the current factol of the Heralds of Dust and the only leader the faction has ever had. A popular Duster legend holds that other than the Lady of Pain herself, Skall is Sigil's oldest resident, the first creature to live and die in the City of Doors. The Heralds of Dust idolize their ageless factol, whose stoic visage has become the faction's emblem. Skall can usually be found examining his orrery of souls (detailed earlier in this supplement). After eons of existence, Skall is in an advanced state of deterioration. Once a spry lich with a wrinkled frame, he now drifts listlessly through the Mortuary's forlorn halls, rasping to himself. Skall appears as little more than a floating, disembodied head and two hands, his tattered cloak fluttering behind them. Notorious among the factols of Sigil but rarely seen in the flesh, Skall often delegates his bureaucratic responsibilities to Undead proxies or—on rare occasions—appears as an illusory duplicate. Subtle social cues are lost on the factol, whose eternal nature has eroded any memory of mortal life.

Juniper Business Use Only As a result of his decay, Skall's power has waned considerably, but challenging him in combat is as much a death sentence as ever. Factol Skall imparts a lasting oblivion to his enemies. Caretaker, custodian, and grave keeper, the factol ushers allies and foes alike from this false existence toward the path to True Death. HERALDS OF DUST EXORCIST[–] Dauntless in the face of death, exorcists in the Heralds of Dust cleanse hapless creatures and resting places haunted by ghosts, specters, and other malign entities that prevent the dead from being interred or jeopardize those already in repose. Though most Duster exorcists conduct their operations in the Mortuary, many heed calls throughout Sigil and the planes beyond. The vagaries of undeath make spirits difficult to predict. Nevertheless, exorcists are well equipped for their work. Molded by experiences with apparitions and their ilk, exorcists channel the forces of death to preserve the living, commune with the dead, and drive evil spirits back to their graves. They can also fire versatile bolts of necrotic or radiant energy from their staves to repel a host of supernatural entities. An exorcist's senses pierce the veil of death to perceive wandering ghosts on the Ethereal Plane as well as shadow demons, wraiths, and other incorporeal entities hiding in palls of darkness. With a brief reboant chant, an exorcist can expunge a harmful entity from a possessed creature—or make that creature vulnerable to a painful spiritual inhabitation. NECRICHOR[–] A necrichor is a being of living blood, formed from the ichor of evil gods or the sludge in the crypts of failed liches. Despite the loss of a solid physical form, these foul creatures retain their terrible intellects and aspire to megalomaniacal goals—the first of which involves regaining a body. To do this, they seek servants to exact their will, coercing even the most stubborn potential minions by turning their own blood against them. Necrichors prove exceptionally difficult to destroy, since they leave a trace of their essence within the veins of every creature they've controlled and can regenerate themselves from those creatures' blood. Unable to extinguish their horrific unlife, virtuous faiths and vigilant organizations (like the Order of the Guardians detailed in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft) seal these viscous horrors in magically warded prisons. As ages pass, though, the knowledge of what these prisons contain and where some lie have been lost. And every imprisoned necrichor understands that its captivity might be lengthy, but time is of little consequence to the ageless. Necrichors that escape their imprisonment have the statistics presented here. PLANAR INCARNATE[–] The Upper and Lower Planes are fundamental manifestations of good and evil, law and chaos. In the most dire and fateful circumstances, these planes can manifest primal embodiments of their might. These expressions of a plane's power are called planar incarnates, and they appear as roiling energies with features distinct to the plane that created it. They protect their home from destructive or otherwise antithetical forces, then merge back into their plane of origin. Planar incarnates are akin to natural disasters that work to protect and further the virtues and vices of the planes they originate upon. Those from the Lower Planes might appear as roiling waves of fiendish flames or other sinister forms, while those from the Upper Planes often appear as blooms of light and wild growth or similarly majestic shapes. On the rare occasions that planar incarnates appear on another plane, they might take either form or appear as unique manifestations of the philosophies they embody.