Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion LAIR OF THE SITH From the Shadows The Gothic Conversion Requires the AD&D Ravenloft Adventure From the Shadows, to play by Igor Comunale
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 1 From the Shadows The Gothic Conversion Requires the AD&D Ravenloft Adventure From the Shadows, to play by Igor Comunale DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2022 by Igor Comunale and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
his conversion updates to the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons the AD&D Second Edition TFrom the Shadows adventure set in Ravenloft. This adventure is suitable for characters from 9th to 12th level. This conversion assumes a four 10th level characters party, but can be easily adapted for lower or higher level characters. Adventure Summary Azalin wants desperately to escape from Ravenloft. As long as he is trapped within its misty borders, he cannot learn any new magic. This is the ultimate torment for a lich. Darkon, Azalin's domain, is the second oldest domain in Ravenloft. Azalin entered the demiplane shortly after it was formed and was a slave to Strahd for many years. No creature, living or dead, understands the demiplane better than Azalin. The lich has decided that Strahd Von Zarovich is the lynchpin holding Ravenloft together. To use this theory, he must first understand more about Strahd's relationship with the demiplane. Azalin needs to examine the first moments of Ravenloft's existence. He has been waiting for over a decade for the perfect test subjects - when the characters turn up in his domain, without their heads! He will use the PCs to probe the origins of the demiplane. Azalin deduces that if he can remove the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind from Castle Ravenloft shortly after Strahd becomes a vampire, he might cause the Grand Conjunction to take place. This Conjunction is foretold in the hexad of the Vistana Hyskosa. The famous seer now languishes in Azalin's dungeon. According to the prophecy, when six signs have been fulfilled, the Conjunction takes place, and all the lands of Ravenloft will return to, merge with, or replace lands in the other realms of existence. Azalin believes this will free him of his curse. The lich does not wish to wait for the conjunction to take place. The loss of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind weakens the demiplane, making it possible for a single powerful lord to escape. Once that dark lord wins freedom from the realm of darkness, the Conjunction will occur, freeing all of them. Azalin cares nothing for the other dark lords. He will not wait for one of the other dark lords to escape and break the chains of his own imprisonment. He wishes to be the first dark lord to escape from Ravenloft. Using the prophecy, Azalin lets the PCs escape. He knows that Hyskosa will tell them of the prophecy and direct them to find Azalin's phylactery. The Vistana is blind to anything but fulfilling his own visions. Once the characters recover the phylactery, Azalin will let them destroy his body, which forces his life essence into the phylactery. When the characters take his phylactery into the mists, he will be freed. Running the Adventure To manage the adventure using this conversion, you need the main rules of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition (Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual). Non-player characters and monsters that are not present in these sources are presented at the end of this conversion. Characters' Progression If the characters are at 10th level, they level up during the adventure with an event-based progression as follows: • Characters obtain 11th level at the end of the adventure. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 2 Introduction
his section describes the necessary updates to play the adventure with the rules of Dungeons & Dragons 5 th Edition. The updates follow the same order and have the same title as the parts in the original adventure. If a reference to a part of the adventure is absent, then it means that it does not require any modification and can be used in its original form. T The text appearing in this way is intended to be read or paraphrased to the characters when they arrive at a certain place or certain events occur, as described in the text. The text that appears in these boxes contains additions to the adventure and game recommendations for the DM. Shadowy Beginnings The Headless Horseman The adventure start presented in the original adventure presumes the characters are not in Ravenloft. If the characters are cursed, the next time they are on any road alone, regardless of the time of day (even in broad daylight), the headless horseman appears, summoned by the curse. A cloud passes in front of the sun. Mists rise up on either side of the road. The thundering clatter of hooves is heard just around the bend. If the characters follow Soldani, the same thing happens, but during the night. The moon is only a slim crescent, like the blade of a scythe. The mists rise up on either side of the road, and Soldani vanishes. The demiplane of Ravenloft has refused him. The characters though, have now entered the Realm of Terror. The characters face the Headless Horseman, a powerful version of a dullahan (Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft). The goal of this encounter is to kill the characters. Try to make this seem like a natural consequence of the combat. Don't cheat die rolls unnecessarily, and don't disallow character actions without good reason. Nothing can stop the Horseman's breakneck speed. He is immune to all magic, and will even pass through magical walls of stone or force or similar magic. He and his horse are one. Attacking the horse to unseat the rider is doomed to failure. Fleeing is fruitless. The roadway magically twists and bends to stay beneath the characters' feet, regardless of how they scatter. Any characters on horses are thrown as soon as the Horseman comes into view. The poor beasts are driven mad at the sight. The Horseman appears and charges the characters, then after having attacked, he moves in the Mists vanishing from sight. In the following round, the First to Follow appear. 15 death's heads (gnashing head) pass by the characters, following the Horseman in the mists. The death's heads will not attack, but the characters can attack them normally before they move and vanish in the Mists. The following round the Last to Follow appear: 15 death's heads (petrifying bite). These heads attack the character and then move into the Mists, disappearing. The following round the Horseman comes back and attacks again, and the sequence begins again. All the heads and the horseman can disengage as a bonus action. Alternative Adventure Start: The Grand Conjunction If the characters are already in Ravenloft following the events of Ship of Horror, you can use this alternative adventure start if the characters are still on Graben Island or begin the adventure normally with the encounter with Soldani if they are elsewhere. If the characters are still in Graben, terrible rumors of a headless horseman comes to the adventurers' ears. The terrified villagers, after the death of a pair of their own found in the morning beheaded, ask the characters to investigate. The villagers say the Horseman appears near midnight and pass through the village on the thundering hooves of a black steed. Somebody may swear that the horseman is followed by a grotesque following of bodiless heads. You can use this alternative beginning to mislead the characters, making them believe the adventure in focused on the horseman murders. If the characters are not willing to investigate on the rumour, every morning a different villager is found death and headless. If this is not enough to catch the characters' attention, make someone they know to die in the night. This should make it more personal to them. Let the characters see the headless corpses and understand who they are. A DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check is enough to reveal they were beheaded and killed by a single precise blade hit. In the area of the murders, the characters can find with a DC 13 Wisdom (Survival) check, many horse hooves tracks circling around the killing spot. If the characters patrol the streets in the night to confront the culprit, the encounter is identical to that described above. The First to Follow will arrive as indicated, but this time you can describe the characters among the various heads those of the villagers killed by the horseman. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 3 Conversion
he encounter with the Headless Horseman deposited the bodies of the characters in the domain of Darkon. Azalin the lich recovered their bodies and intends to use them for a particularly horrifying experiment. When they awaken, they are in the dungeon laboratory of Azalin. T Horror Opportunity: The Tyrant You Know In the original adventure, Azalin's identity is immediately revealed. If you wish to initially make his identity a mistery, you can show the lich in his human tyrant guise. Azalin maintains the illusion of a living king, closely mimicking his late-life persona: an elderly man with aquiline features and a piercing gaze, with unkempt dark hair topped by a heavy iron crown. Make Azalin reveal its identity only if the characters try to invesitgate. He will present himself as Azalin, king of Darkon. Azalin should show its real appearance only after the characters have found the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. Wedding at Castle Ravenloft The Castle Ravenloft's map presented in the original module is enough to meet the ends of this adventure. Anyway, if you wish to expand this part of the adventure, you can refer to the castle map presented in Curse of Strahd. At this time of Strahd's history, the castle is still magnificent and inhabited by commoner servants and nobles. The guards prevent guests to wander into reserved areas of the castle. In the Chapel there are a priest and 2 acolytes. At this time, the characters cannot use any of the powers of the Icon of Ravenloft and of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. Lambs to the Slaughter In their journeys in the past, the characters will play as survivors (as explained in the Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft). Alternatives from the Monster Manual or Monsters of the Multiverse are indicated below. Wedding Guests d8 Encounter 1 Apprentice (wizard, apprentice) 2 Disciple (acolyte) 3 Sneak (bard) 4 Squire (guard) 5-8 Noble from the Monster Manual Magic Item: Holy Symbol of Ravenkind Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a cleric or paladin of good alignment) The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind is a unique holy symbol sacred to the good-hearted faithful of Barovia. It predates the establishment of any church in Barovia. According to legend, it was delivered to a paladin named Lugdana by a giant raven - or an angel in the form of a giant raven. Lugdana used the holy symbol to root out and destroy nests of vampires until her death. The high priests of Ravenloft kept and wore the holy symbol after Lugdana's passing. The holy symbol is a platinum amulet shaped like the sun, with a large crystal embedded in its center. The holy symbol has 10 charges for the following properties. It regains 1d6 + 4 charges daily at dawn. Hold Vampires. As an action, you can expend 1 charge and present the holy symbol to make it flare with holy power. Vampires and vampire spawn within 30 feet of the holy symbol when it flares must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a target is paralyzed for 1 minute. It can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the effect on itself. Turn Undead. If you have the Turn Undead or the Turn the Unholy feature, you can expend 3 charges when you present the holy symbol while using that feature. When you do so, undead have disadvantage on their saving throws against the effect. Sunlight. As an action, you can expend 5 charges while presenting the holy symbol to make it shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. The light is sunlight and lasts for 10 minutes or until you end the effect (no action required). As soon as the characters make their journey to the past, they find themselves inside Castle Revenloft. Strahd von Zarovich seals his pact with the Dark Powers and becomes a vampire. You can use the Monster Manual's statistics or you can use Strahd's profile from Curse of Strahd. Remember the land has given Strahd a limited amount of control over the castle itself. He can open or close the doors and raise or lower the drawbridge just by thinking about it. Such doors can still be opened with a successful DC 15 Strength check. Azalin's Reaction Each time the characters return from the past, they gain a level of exhaustion. While they are in the past, this will not be a problem: being in a different body means their incarnation doesn't suffer any effect from this exhaustion levels. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 4 Body and Soul
Magic Item: Icon of Ravenloft Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a creature of good alignment) The Icon of Ravenloft is a 12-inch-tall statuette made of the purest silver, weighing 10 pounds. It depicts a cleric kneeling in supplication. The icon was given to Strahd by the archpriest Ciril Romulich, an old family friend, to consecrate the castle and its chapel. While within 30 feet of the icon, a creature is under the effect of a protection from evil and good spell against fiends and undead. Only a creature attuned to the icon can use its other properties. Augury. You can use an action to cast an augury spell from the icon, with no material components required. Once used, this property can't be used again until the next dawn. Bane of the Undead. You can use the icon as a holy symbol while using the Turn Undead or Turn the Unholy feature. If you do so, increase the save DC by 2. Cure Wounds. While holding the icon, you can take an action to heal one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. The target regains 3d8 + 3 hit points, unless it is an undead, a construct, or a fiend. Once used, this property can't be used again until the next dawn. The problem is felt only when the characters return to their bodies. After each journey they feel more weary and if they don't figure out how to obtain the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind they risk to die after the sixth voyage through time. Returning to the Slaughter The sixth trip as the same conditions as the fifth, and will probably be the characters' last chance to recover the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. The most probable outcome of the sixth journey is the death of the characters. But Azalin has different plans for the characters and he will not let them stay dead: he will resurrect them in their actual bodiless condition. If this happens, don't tell the characters they will be resurrected. Let them think for a minute or two they are all dead. Horror Opportunity: Lord Azalin, I don't Feel so Good As Azalin is not interested in the characters' well being, but only in their part in his scheme, if the characters die due to exhaustion, if you wish you can make one ore more characters come back to life as a reborn (Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft). If this happens, tell the players that their characters retain all their memories since the beginning of the adventure or of the Grand Conjunction campaign, but not of their past identities. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 5
he archlich is far from finished with the characters. With the information they secured about Strahd's origin, Azalin has hatched a plot to get himself out of Ravenloft completely. He needs somebody to carry his phylactery into the mists. According to the arcane texts at his disposal, this will trigger the Grand Conjunction and free him from the demiplane of dread forever. T Impish Games Skeever is an imp, while Azalin's “exterminator” is a spirit naga. Zharakim These strange creatures look like small pieces of a black pudding monster. They are about the size of a man's hand and are covered with an oily secretion. Azalin summoned them from the Negative Material Plane as part of an experiment. When placed in contact with a freshly body, the Zharakim can animate the corpse as a zombie. They have no will of their own and are completely subservient to Azalin. They can be given simple commands, like those used to control creatures such as golems. Zharakims have no attacks or actions while not applied on a corpse, otherwise they can act like a zombie if ordered to do so. Zharakims are highly vulnerable to radiant damage, and will die if exposed to it. Getting a Head As long as the characters are headless, they suffer some restrictions. None of the spellcasters can cast spells with a material or somatic component. No character had the time for a long or short rest, so every resource used in the battle against the Horseman is still depleted. Until they are bodiless, the characters can't take neither a long or a short rest. While headless, a character has disadvantage on every Strength and Dexterity ability check, to hit roll, and Dexterity and Strength saving throw. Attempting to run or take the dash action, requires a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, or the character falls prone. Quirks of Fate In general, you should avoid to kill characters in this phase of the adventure. Anyway, it's not impossible that one or more characters will die in Castle Avernus. If this happens, you can make the new characters enter play putting them in the dungeons as prisoners. The new characters should have the same character level as the previous ones. Any character can return in play when the adventurers find the Room of Life as a clone of his previous self. Tell the dead players there's this possibility if they wish to maintain their character in the adventure. Hyskosa Any character succeeding on a DC 10 Intelligence check understands the strong resemblance between Hyskosa and Soldani. Variant: the Grand Conjunction If you are playing this adventure as a sequel to Ship of Horror and as part of the Grand Conjunction campaign, replace the text of Hyskosa's prophecy with the following: "I am Hyskosa, sage and seer of the Vistani. Listen closely and heed my warning..." “The night of evil shall descend on the land when these hex of signs are near at hand. “The light of the sky shining over the dead Shall gutter and fail, turning all to red. “Seventh time the son of suns doth rise to send the knave to an eternity of cries. “In the house of Daegon the sorcerer born though life, unlife, unliving shall scorn. “The lifeless child of stern mother found heralds a time, a night of evil unbound. "The bodiless shall journey to the time before Where happiness to hate creates land and lore. “lnajira will make his fortunes reverse dooming all to live with the dreaded curse. "Know thee now that the circle is complete, What lust hath made, history shall repeat." The text is the same that the characters found during the events of Night of the Walking Dead and of other Grand Conjunction campaign adventures. The order of events of the prophecy has been rearranged to reflect the development of the Grand Conjunction campaign by changing the order of the adventures to take into account the level progression provided by the individual modules. Most of the signs have already come to pass. The characters have witnessed by now the first five signs, the sixth will be discussed in the last adventure Roots of Evil. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 6 Twisted Schemes
Skeever's Revenge Although Azalin will not bother the characters during their search for his phylactery, his imp familiar has no such restrictions. Skeever will harass the characters whenever he can. The harassment doesn't begin until the PCs have left the dungeon levels and emerged onto the ground floor. From then on, the PCs are fair game. If Skeever is killed, Azalin will be weakened in the final battle against the characters. In Azalin's statistics block is noted which powers he looses if Skeever dies. Skeever has a supreme ring of spell storing and can cast darkness, major image, phantasmal killer, suggestion, and telekinesis. Following are some specific tactics the imp might employ. All of these are optional encounters. The DM can use them or skip them as he sees fit. If the DM thinks of a more clever way to use Skeever's talents, he should do so. If the characters are on a balcony or other precarious position, Skeever flies straight at a leaning character while remaining invisible. He attempts to knock the character over the edge and then fly away. Skeever must first hit a character with an attack (+5 to hit). If the characters can't see the invisible, they are considered surprised by this attack. A successful attack means that Skeever has struck the character solidly. The character is then allowed a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw to avoid falling. The character has disadvantage on this roll due to its precarious position. Skeever can do the same trick with a character standing at the top of a flight of stairs. He will be visible for one round as he flies away, then turns invisible again. Skeever can also try to push a character using telekinesis to make it fall. In the conjuration room (room 31), the imp waits on the balcony at the top of the room. He uses his ring of spell storing to cast darkness when the characters are halfway up. This douses any light sources and allows the wraiths to attack. Once again, Skeever will be visible for a round as he uses the ring, then he will disappear. During the encounter with Axrock, the dwarven vampire (room 17), Skeever will use his suggestion spell. He creeps up on the character at the rear while invisible and whispers the suggestion to race up and knock Axrock down. Since using the suggestion spell makes him visible for a round, Skeever makes certain to remain out of Axrock's sight at that moment. It is quite possible that another character will see Skeever, however. The characters have one round to convince Axrock that they made a mistake before the vampire attacks. Skeever can use his major image spells to create illusions of Azalin. Such illusions in this castle are highly believable Magic Item: Supreme Ring of Spell Storing Ring, legendary (requires attunement) This ring stores spells cast into it, holding them until the attuned wearer uses them. The ring can store up to 20 levels worth of spells at a time. When found, it contains 1d20 levels of stored spells chosen by the DM. Any creature can cast a spell of 1st through 6th level into the ring by touching the ring as the spell is cast. The spell has no effect, other than to be stored in the ring. If the ring can't hold the spell, the spell is expended without effect. The level of the slot used to cast the spell determines how much space it uses. While wearing this ring, you can cast any spell stored in it. The spell uses the slot level, spell save DC, spell attack bonus, and spellcasting ability of the original caster, but is otherwise treated as if you cast the spell. The spell cast from the ring is no longer stored in it, freeing up space. and therefore, anyone attempting to disbelieve illusions has disadvantage. Typically, the imp will have the image of Azalin marching steadily toward the characters, pronouncing their imminent doom. It is reasonable that spells and weapons will not affect a lich of his power, so even attacking it might not break the illusion. If the characters are fighting, Skeever hides nearby and uses darkness, phantasmal killer, and telekinesis to harm and harass the characters. If Skeever realizes the characters have spotted him, he flees. Horror Opportunity: Skeever, the Menace If you want to make Skeever frighten the characters in a more subtle way, don't let him immediately harass the characters physically. Skeever initially tries to hide himself and let the characters wonder at what is happening. Skeever tries to make the characters go in dangerous places or fall in traps using the spells stored in his ring. He disturbs their sleep or guide monsters in the characters' direction. Skeever, using this variant, tries to use major image to scare the characters making them hear voices. He tries to target only some characters letting the others think their companions are going insane. Skeever can replenish his ring two times every day, one time in the morning and one before any time before midnight. Azalin is amused by Skeever's attempts and wants to indulge his familiar's twisted games. Azalin wants the characters to survive and find the phylactery, but he also doesn't want them to discover his plans making it too easy. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 7
his impressive castle sits atop a hill of broken rock a few miles south of II Aluk. The massive structure appears even more solid than the bedrock below it. The natives of Darkon believe this castle is a gateway to a dark abyss, and in a sense, they are right. T Azalin's castle is considered to be a sinkhole of evil. This dark place is considered a sinkhole of evil. Undead have advantage on every saving throw when they are in this place, including on saving throws against attempts to turn the undead. The Room of Life (room 70) does not act as a sinkhole of evil unless Azalin himself is present. General Features Walls and Towers: 63 doom guards patrol the walls and interiors of the watch towers. Rooms of Magic: There are 8 rooms of magic in the castle, one for each spell school. Azalin built them to augment his magical abilities, hoping that they would permit him to learn new spells in those schools. They did indeed augment his power, but did not allow him to learn new spells. Within each room, spells of that school are cast at one level higher than normal (as if they were cast using a higher level slot). Room Descriptions 1. Storeroom Positioning a crooked head impose to the character disadvantage on all Charisma ability and skill checks to interact with humanoids for its awkward appearance. 2. Azalin's Wizard Lab In this room there are some useful magic items: a ioun stone (agility) and two potions of superior healing. The spirit naga by now is hiding in the tunnel, preparing for an upcoming fight. Note that this spirit naga has prepared an invisibility spell instead of an hold person spell. 3. Boneroom A giant skeleton fights the characters after having entrapped one of them in its ribcage. Any attack against the monster inflicts half damage to the undead and half damage to the imprisoned character. A character may try avoid to hit the imprisoned companion choosing to attack with disadvantage. An imprisoned character can only hit the giant skeleton with light weapons or it can try to free itself with a successful DC 20 Strength check. If the monster is reduced at half its maximum hit points or less, the ribcage is damaged enough to let the prisoner escape. If a character escapes in either way, it can move spending half its movement in one space adjacent to the monster. 4. Lower Dungeon All of the cells containing prisoners are protected by arcane lock spells, as is the door that connects the two hallways and the one that connects the outer room to the Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 8 Castle Avernus
first hallway. The door that connects to the bone room (#3) is not locked or protected by arcane lock. It is fully 12 inches thick, made of oak and banded in iron. It cannot be smashed open even by a giant. The large outer room is home to the bone golem warden of the dungeon. It attacks anything that tries to enter or leave the dungeon. It will enter the dungeon corridors if necessary, but will not enter the bone room. The following creatures are imprisoned in the dungeon (one each): drow, werefox*, mind flayer, wolfwere*, werebear, red widow*, wereraven (Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft), three neutral good elven scouts, and Hyskosa (bandit captain, Wisdom 18). The creatures followed by an asterisk (*) are detailed at the end of this conversion. The Dungeon Master should arbitrarily decide which creatures occupy which cells. They do not have arms or equipment. The good-aligned creatures will gladly join the party if asked. In any future fights, traps, or other dangerous situations, these brave souls are the first to be attacked (in effect, cannon fodder). 5. Treasure Chamber The door is closed with an arcane lock. In the room there is the equivalent of 2,000,000 gp in coins of various metals. The coins are cursed as indicated in the original adventure. Note that the characters will never be able to carry with them all the coins in this room. Let them take a reasonable amount of coins. Even outside of Darkon, the real value of these coins would be half the normal due to the curse (1 cursed gp is equal to 5 sp in value). Hidden in a false bottom (CD 20 Wisdom (Perception) check) of one of the chests there are three spell scrolls (calm emotions, greater restoration, resurrection) and a cloak of protection. 7. Arcane Torture Chamber The door has an arcane lock spell cast on it. The magical weapons are +1 daggers. 10. Upper Dungeon The prisoners in the cells are simple commoners. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 9
Geoff and Janeth are two bandit captains. The guardians are 6 ju-ju zombies. 15. Hall of Records Ignore the reference to the quill of law. The ghost librarian is Elzarath. If attacked, he will flee. He is a zero magnitude ghost as explained on The Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins' Guide to Ghosts (published on DMSGuild). 17. Smithy Axrock is a dwarf vampire. 19. Servitor's Quarters The Tallows have a living appearance, but they are zero magnitude ghosts as explained on The WeathermayFoxgrove Twins' Guide to Ghosts (published on DMSGuild). They can interact with their surrounding with a limited form of telekinesis (in fact, it seems like they are using their hands to manipulate objects). They are not hostile and if attacked they will flee. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 10
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 11
21. Waiting Room Two doom guards are here, one to either side of the door. 22. Throne Room The giant figure is a normal zombie. 23. Hidden Hallway The locked door can be picked on a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. The secret door can be spotted on a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. 26. Gate Towers A doom guard patrols here. Its circuit starts in room 25. It walks up into this room, over to the other tower, and down again. 27. West Bailey Outer Wall This wall is patrolled by a doom guard. The door to the main keep is locked (DC 20 Dexterity check to pick). 29. Inner Bailey Wall This area is patrolled by 2 skeletons at all times. 30. Room of Enchantment One of the 8 rooms of magic, all enchantment spells cast here are cast at one level higher than normal (as if they were cast using a higher level slot). All saving throws versus such spells are made with disadvantage. A long shelf against the south wall holds all the spell components necessary to cast any enchantment spell. Any creature that enters this room is subject to a fear spell (DC 20 Wisdom saving throw). 31. Room of Conjuration One of the 8 rooms of magic, all conjuration spells cast here are cast at one level higher than normal (as if they were cast using a higher level slot). Any casting on the staircase or while flying or levitating is considered to be within the room. All saving throws versus such spells are made with disadvantage. A long shelf against the west wall holds all the spell components necessary to cast any conjuration spell. Any attempt to fly up to the top of the pillar or to the small landing area between the doors (see room 55 description) results in the character slamming into the invisible ceiling. There is very little chance that the character will safely pass through one of the entry holes. The character suffers 3d6 bludgeoning damage from the collision and must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be knocked unconscious. An unconscious character will then fall 60 feet and suffer 6d6 bludgeoning Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 12
damage upon landing. One of the doors on the topmost level is inscribed with a symbol (fear) spell (DC 20 Wisdom saving throw). Behind this door is a short hall leading to the Room of Invocation (room 50). 4 wraiths and 20 spectres attack the characters when they reach halfway ascending the stairs. 34. Library This library holds only mundane books. 35. Guest Rooms The secret doors can be found on a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. 36. Inner Bailey Wall The corridor is patrolled by 2 skeletons at all times. 37. Room of Abjuration One of the 8 rooms of magic, all abjuration spells cast here are cast at one level higher than normal (as if they were cast using a higher level slot). All saving throws versus such spells are made with disadvantage. A long shelf against the straight south-west wall holds all the spell components necessary to cast any abjuration spell. Ignore the protection from good spell reference. 38. Outer Bailey Wall This tunnel connects the gate towers to the main keep. It is patrolled by a doom guard. 39. Gate Towers This area is patrolled by the doom guards. 40. Room of Wild Magic The door is closed with an arcane lock spell. Every time a spell is cast in this room, roll on the Wild Magic Surge table (Sorcerer class, Player's Handbook). All saving throws versus spells are made with disadvantage. Ignore the reference to the wild magic spell school and to the spell components stored here. 41. Gate Towers 24 giant spiders lives here, they attack in groups of 6. The webbed areas works as a web spell (DC 15 Dexterity saving throw). The webs burn in 5 rounds, dealing 2d4 fire damage to any creature that starts its turn in the fire. 42. Outer Bailey Walk This is the top of the high wall that overlooks the outer bailey. It is patrolled by doom guards. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 13
The door that connects to the abjuration room (37) is locked (DC 20 Dexterity check to pick). 43. Room of Necromancy One of the 8 rooms of magic, all necromancy spells cast here are cast at one level higher than normal (as if they were cast using a higher level slot). All saving throws versus such spells are made with disadvantage. A long shelf against the north-west wall has all the spell components necessary to cast any necromancy spell. In this room, undead are immune to turn attempts. 44. Room of Elemental Magic Ignore all the references to the elemental magic school. The guardians of this room are a blood elemental and a grave elemental. 45. Inner Bailey Wall This wall is patrolled by 2 doom guards, walking in opposite directions. 46. Golem Room A zombie golem attacks the characters. 47. Treasury The gems inside the six chests are cursed. They can be sold outside Darkon only at half their actual value. The seventh chest contains four spell scrolls with the following spells: heal, greater restoration, raise dead, and resurrection. 50. Room of Invocation Rename this place “Room of Evocation”. One of the 8 rooms of magic, all evocation spells cast here are cast at one level higher than normal (as if they were cast using a higher level slot). All saving throws versus such spells are made with disadvantage. A long shelf against the west wall has all the spell components necessary to cast any evocation spell. 51. Room of Alteration Rename this place “Room of Transmutation” One of the 8 rooms of magic, all transmutation spells cast here are cast at one level higher than normal (as if they were cast using a higher level slot). All saving throws versus such spells are made with disadvantage. A long shelf against the south wall has all the spell components necessary to cast any transmutation spell. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 14
Cages line the east and west walls of this room. Each cage holds an animal or monster. All are victims of Azalin's polymorph spells. Most are actually humans and demihumans. As a result, each animal or monster radiates magic if the characters detect for it. Stacked cages on the east wall hold small, innocuous animals: mice, rabbits, frogs, cats, snakes, bats, moles, and so on. The eight 10' x 10' cages on the west wall hold the larger or more dangerous animals. One cage is empty. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 15
The table below shows polymorphed forms and true forms of each animal: Wedding Guests Polymorphed True Form Aurochs* Knight Purple worm larva (Small) Carpet merchant (noble) Gremishka** Wizard, enchanter* Baboon Barmaid (commoner) Mongrelfolk*** Bandit captain Giant toad Tax collector (noble) Halfling female Mind flayer * Monsters of the Multiverse ** Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft *** Curse of Strahd 52. Vampire Tower On the lowest level of the tower, adjacent to the divination room, there is a small crack in the stonework that connects the two rooms. Any character that examines the walls will discover the crack on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. The crack is only a few feet long and a fraction of an inch wide. 53. Room of Divination One of the 8 rooms of magic, all divination spells cast here are cast at one level higher than normal (as if they were cast using a higher level slot). All saving throws versus such spells are made with disadvantage. A long shelf against the north wall has all the spell components necessary to cast any divination spell. In this room there is a crystal ball of true seeing. Unlike most crystal balls, this one can focus on domain lords. With it, Azalin is able to occasionally spy upon the other domain lords. The archlich can sense anyone viewing him through the crystal ball. He is able to mentally reach out and attempt to charm anyone who uses it to spy on him. Roll for this secretly, and tell the player only if the charm person attempt failed. In that case, the character was able to feel the insidious attention of the lich as it tried to invade his mind. If the character fails his save, he should be told about Azalin's current activity, but nothing else. Later in this adventure when the characters confront Azalin, that character will turn traitor and attack his comrades. 55. Room of Illusion One of the 8 rooms of magic, all illusion spells cast here are cast at one level higher than normal (as if they were cast using a higher level slot). All saving throws versus such spells are made with disadvantage. The shelf of spell components appears to be bolted to the wall. Any spell designed to dispel or reveal illusions will not work here, but it is possible to disbelieve them. Anyone falling through a hole suffers a 60-foot fall (6d6 bludgeoning damage). 57. Hangman's Walk A doom guard constantly walks from one end of this wall to the other. A wrongly accused man, hung on the hook decades ago by Azalin, rose as an undead creature: a valpurgeist. It haunts Hangman's Walk, particularly around the arch. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 16
58a-d. Aquinus' Rooms Aquinus is a vampire. 62. Crypt of Irik Zal'honan Irik is a ghost. 64. Shadow Lair Ebb is an adult black shadow dragon. 66. Lower Keep Roof This rooftop is patrolled by 2 doom guards. 68. Upper Banshee Tower Willow is a powerful fourth magnitude ghost as explained on The Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins' Guide to Ghosts (published on DMSGuild). 70. Hall of Life Every healing spell cast in this room restores the maximum hit points. Characters spending a short rest in this room doesn't need to roll when they use hit dice, they gain the maximum hit points. Every spell able to make a character come back to life works normally, but imposing no penalities to the resurrected character. Any undead in the room takes 5 radiant damage for every round it remains in this room. 71. Phylactery Room The dragon skull in this room is that of a Greyhawk Dragon (or Steel Dragon) plated in gold. As a result, any attempt to identify the exact species of dragon fails unless a character is native to Oerth. Azalin's phylactery is this skull. It was altered magically from an ordinary skull into this massive, almost immovable dragon skull. The skull itself weighs 200 pounds. It measures 4½ feet from snout to base. Although difficult to lift and carry, the phylactery can be rolled. Any character rolling it alone moves at a speed of 10 feet. No amount of added strength or extra people rolling it can get it moving faster than a rate of 30 feet. Obviously, if it is dropped out a window or rolled down a staircase, its speed would exceed 30 feet. The keeper of this room is a guardian daemon. It appears as a gigantic, winged bear with ram horns protruding from its forehead, and eagle talons for hands. The daemon's strategy is to wait until the characters' attentions are completely focused on the phylactery. It then rushes out and breathes fire on them. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 17
72. Main Keep Roof This roof is patrolled by 2 doom guards. 73-76. Azalin's Rooms The ghost butler is Erasmus. He is a zero magnitude ghost as explained on The Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins' Guide to Ghosts (published on DMSGuild). He has statistics similar to Elzarath, but he has not the beheaded trait. 79. Skeever's Room The ceiling is over 30 feet high. Wooden beams and rafters criss-cross the open space, making it an ideal home for a small flying creature like Skeever. The imp usually sleeps high in these rafters, in a small nest made of mud and bones. A character can spot it on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check. When the characters enter this room there's a 10 % chance that Skeever will be here if he's still alive. As mentioned earlier, Azalin has granted his imp a special enchantment. By uttering the word "sanctuary," he is instantly teleported to this room. When the characters first escaped Azalin's control, he used this power to evade the naga in the wizard's lab. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 18
f the characters take time to look over their surroundings, they can spot a road to the north and west of Castle Avernus. The road cuts diagonally south-west to north-east. Visible from the walls and towers of the castle, but not the grounds, is the city of II Aluk to the north-east. I Anyone the PCs meet can give them directions to Nevuchar Springs. "Follow the road out of II Aluk to the east. Travel through the towns of Viaki, Karg, and Maykle. After Maykle, you will have to hire a boat to take you upriver to Nevuchar." There is no road between Maykle and Nevuchar. Il Aluk Il Aluk is a sprawling metropolis with a population of 25,000. Its people are a mix of races: humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes and half-elves live together in harmony. Although they originated in many different lands, all share one common trait: after three months in Darkon, each firmly believes that he was born and raised in this domain. The city lies on the broad Vuchar River and is built along either side o a brick-lined canal. A number of arched stone bridges cross this waterway, connecting the busy docks on either side. To the north of the city, the land becomes swampy and is difficult to build on. For this reason, the poorest sections of town lie to the north of the Vuchar River, where tumbledown apartment blocks crowd out the sun. South of this dividing line the land is firm and fertile. The middle class merchants have thus built their homes here. At the southernmost outskirts of the city, surrounded by lush woodlands, are the large estates of the wealthy. The public buildings of Il Aluk are constructed along gothic lines. There are foreboding towers of gray and black stone, decorated with grim statues of fearsome beasts. The streets are filled with grim-faced statues of the city's founding fathers. Il Aluk is home to both the immense Temple of Eternal Penitence, primary church of the Eternal Order (the state religion of Darkon; a neutral evil religion that from its inception has served the interests of Azalin Rex), the chief prisons and headquarters of the Kargat secret police force. The Eternal Order There is a widespread belief among the populace that the dead must be honored and propitiated, lest they rise up from their graves during the Hour of Ascension to exchange places with the living. This belief has given rise to a popular saying: “We claim the dead, lest the dead claim us”. According to legend, Darkon was originally a realm of the dead. These once-restless spirits were dislplaced by the arrival of the living and now brood, deep in their tombs, awaiting a chance to rise up and reclaim what was once theirs. This evil day lies at some point in the near future and is believed to be kept at bay only by the worship and propitiation of the gods of death. Darkonians are compelled by law to worship every fourth evening at a temple of the Eternal Order. Mass begins at sunset and ends at the stroke of midnight, known as the “hour of unbalance”. Unless the populace prays under the guidance of priests, the pendulum will start to tip, and the dead shall come one step closer to the land of the living. So long as the people worship, this dreadful event shall not happen within their lifetime, or so they are told. Viaki Viaki is a small city at a crossroads in the Boglands region of Darkon. Although considered populous enough to be a city, it has more the feel of clustered village of the rural poor spread out across a distance of several miles. Viaki hosts a number of ramshackle inns. The Manticore's Tongue is relatively dry and clean. In his common room there is an alarmingly large serpent killed nearby some years ago. The Mosscloak, the Toadfoot and Clearwater inns are all dirt-floored hovels. Horror Opportunity: The Vanishings If you want to add a quest available to the characters in Viaki, you can use this to spice up the voyage. Lately, in the last month or so, people are vanishing, leaving no trace. Seven people are missing up to now, and two of them are only children. The local midwife Glennis McFadden asks the characters to investigate, offering a magic item as reward. If the characters accept, she says she fears the missing people has been kidnapped by an ancient evil of the bogs. Nothing is known about this evil, only that the same vanishings happened 50 years ago and strange fires were spotted in the swamp. The culprits of the vanishings is a coven of 10 green hags, a wicked alliance that makes horrible human sacrifices in the swamp to fuel evil rites. If the characters explore the bogs at night, they will soon spot a large bonfire in the distance. There is reunited the coven, and they are carrying over the sacrifice of a seven year child. Give the characters the opportunity to stop the rite and fight to save the child. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 19 Culmination
Glennis will give the characters their reward (an amulet of health), never revealing she was the leader of the coven, a green hag living in disguise in the village. She hoped to give her sisters the characters as additional sacrifices, but underestimated their power. Karg Karg is an ancient and wealthy city surrounded by grain fields. Karg's populace is predominantly human, but the city has a cosmopolitan flair hampered only by its ancient and ominous fortifications. Karg is divided into two wards, Upper and Lower Karg, with the latter sitting in a shallow depression. Architectural styles are similar in both wards; first stories are built from stone, with additional floors made by timber. Most buildings are two or three stories and crushed together, with narrow alleys. Upper Karg is home to the city's industries and upper classes. It features wide boulevards and bustling open-air markets. The granaries fill entire city blocks: towering silos in which the region's grain are stored. In this part of town there is also the Church of Sorrowful Dead, a large cathedral of the Eternal Order. Lower Karg, by contrast, is an urban nightmare of meandering narrow streets, crowded with slums for the city's peasantry, who must share their district with Karg's most fearsome landmark, the Foramen Atrum. This towering citadel of black brick is a prison and the public headquarters of the Kargat. Crime is rampant here and life is cheap. In Upper Karg, the characters can stay at the Old Mill: a waterwheel-powered mill expanded into the city's most comfortable inn. The rooms of the Amber and Gold inn have large and well appointed rooms, even if saturated with the stench of fermentation. The inn compensates with exquisite meals and the widest selection of wines and liquors in Darkon. In Lower Karg, lodgings are considerably cheaper. The Market Hostel caters to regional farmers carting their crops to the silos. The disreputable Stranger's Haven offers anonymity, but many guests who sleep here never reach their next destination. Horror Opportunity: Stalked In Karg, the characters have always the impression of being followed. They are right: agents of the Kargat are following them. Never let the characters confirm their impression, but give them some hints from time to time. In Upper Karg they are relatively safe, in Lower Karg, if the characters wander at night, they will be attacked by 4 rogue vampire spawns. Maykle Maykle is a predominantly human community that sprouted up around a natural harbour on the Vuchar just downriver from the Khourx River. The sleepy town is a transfer point where regional crops are gathered and shopped via the Vuchar or the King's Highway. Maykle is also a waypoint for travellers continuing to upriver communities. Maykle's buildings are blocky structures of red brick; interior walls are plastered, but the villagers prefer to leave exterior brick exposed. The baronial manor overlooks the gently sloping common green where local festivals are held. The Ward of Perdition stands atop a low hill to the east, a temple of the Eternal Order. Maykle's most significant landmark is Clangor Asylum, home to more than a hundred tormented souls from throughout Darkon. Clangor's tallest towers peer out over the entire town from behind the asylum;'s walled grounds. In Maykle, the characters may sleep at the Serenity House, a tall, weathered building near the gates of Clangor Asylum. The upper floor's windows peek over the asylum walls, providing an entertaining view of the harmless inmates allowed to stroll about on fair weather days. Horror Opportunity: Sturlock's Hunger An optional quest for the characters can present itself to the characters in Maykle. Baron Sturlock has a manor in the outskirts of the town. He is a reclusive man, but known in town for the scandalous story of his wedding with en elven commoner woman. Iris Sturlock, the half-elven daughter of the baron, lives in town and asks the characters an easy favour promising a reward of 200 gp. She asks them to go to his father's manor and assure her parents are well. She is not able to go to the manor herself because she injured herself falling from horseback and her leg is still healing. If the characters accept and go to the manor, they will find the door unlocked. No knocking or ringing of the bell will be answered. Entering the manor, the characters find the building deserted. Suddenly, a far growl comes from the stair giving access to the cellar. If the characters descend in the cellar, they will find an horrible scene: the elven baroness is lying on the floor, apparently dead. Baron Sturlock is upon her, horribly tearing at her flesh with his bare teeth. The baron spots the characters, and with a bloody face look at them with red eyes. He screams and from the shadows come out 6 ghasts. The baron screams again and faints while the monsters attack. Once the ghasts are dead, the cellar seem to present no other dangers. The baron has completely lost his mind. Even if the Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 20
characters manage to make him come to his senses, the crazed baron tries to tear his own flesh with his teeth. He is now completely crazed and the reason of his descent into madness and of the presence of the ghasts will forever remain an unsolved mystery. His destiny, if he is not killed, is to end his days as an inmate in Clangor Asylum. Nevuchar Springs This settlement has long been one of Darkon's most secluded town. An elven community straddling the Vuchar River just a mile downriver from the revered Nevuchar Shrine itself. No reliable rods lead here, and the shallow river allows only for light craft. Just like its inhabitants, the town has changed little over the centuries. The elves enjoy the novelty of the occasional visitor, but they are content to be left alone. Nevuchar Springs is a quaintly rustic community, awash in consciously overgrown hedgerows, ivied walls, and herbal gardens. Cottages are constructed of wood and stone, often incorporating living trees into their frames. The town was laid out around a series of natural springs and is now dominated by the Baths, a soaring marble structure surrounded by wild gardens. The Bath's mineral waters are famed for their therapeutic qualities. Nevuchar Springs' sole inn is the Riverview, a large and comfortably rustic inn atop a bluff that offers an excellent view of the Vuchar. Against Azalin Azalin is invisible when he creeps within 60 feet of the characters and casts prismatic wall. The scintillating wall stretches 90 feet long and 30 feet high, creating a barrier difficult to cross and cutting the escape route to the characters. Azalin does not use any of the brilliant strategies or tactics that he is fully capable of engineering. Instead, he merely blasts away at the characters while attempting to get to the phylactery. Any character who tries to move the phylactery will receive full and dire attention. Once he gets to his phylactery, Azalin stands with his back to it and always attacks the character nearest him. If anyone tries to knock him into the skull, the DM should roll to see if he avoided being knocked down, but it will automatically fail. Azalin will let himself be knocked into his phylactery. Azalin's magic jar will trigger on himself if his body makes contact with his phylactery (due to a wish spell previously cas by him). This results in his life essence being forced into the phylactery and his skeletal body becoming a simple, unanimated corpse. If the characters are playing through the Grand Conjunction campaign, this event leads on to Roots of Evil. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 21
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 22 Who's Doomed
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 23
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 24
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. From the Shadows - The Gothic Conversion 25