The Tomb of the Grave Knight
Background
In ancient times, the land was ruled by an evil king named
Zagren the Ruthless. When he was eventually overthrown,
he was buried with his closest allies in a tomb built to hold
his rage forever. Over the centuries, tales of his brutality
faded into myth, and became nothing more than ghost
stories to tell misbehaving children. He would have been
lost to the annals of history had it not been for his
overwhelming and deep seated anger. That rage
corrupted his soul and those of his allies turning them into
undead horrors. Now, the undead king stirs in his tomb.
His knights roam the land raising the dead as soldiers and
preying on the living wherever they might meet. Unless
someone defeats Zagren once and for all, darkness will
consume the land.
Adventure Hooks
Treasure Map. The characters discovered a map that
supposedly leads to the resting place of an ancient king.
A King's Plea. The characters heard of the darkness
spreading across the land and answered the king's call for
help.
Cold Hard Coin. The characters heard of the reward
being o΍ered to whoever could banish the undead from
the land and plan on collecting.
The King's Court
The halls of King Fulgrim are lined with
tapestries depicting his family's great victories
in wars past. The king himself sits on a throne
of iron with golden accents. Despite his
station, he wears practical armor and carries
a beautiful blade. "Greetings adventurers. I
am glad to see that you've arrived safely in
these troubling times. The dead walk the land
and assail the living. I've sent my best men to
investigate the undead incursion, but none
have returned... not alive anyway. My court
wizards have determined that the source of
the necromantic energies at work is an
ancient crypt deep in the wilderness. I would
ask you to travel there, ȴnd whoever is
responsible for this, and bring me their head.
For this task I can o΍er you 1,000 gold pieces.
What say you?"
The characters are welcome to haggle for more money or
provisions. King Fulgrim will agree to provide them with
rations and travelling gear if they request it. If they want
more money they'll need to succeed on a DC 15 Charisma
(Persuasion) check. If they do, the king will go up to 1,250
gp.
Once the party agrees to a price and gets outȴtted
properly, they're free to start the journey to the tomb.
On the Road
As the party travels the road from the king's castle to the
forest's edge that leads to the tomb, they see the
destruction being wreaked by the undead soldiers. Bodies
lie by the side of the road, the stench of death ȴlls the air,
and the towns and villages they pass through are mostly
abandoned as everyone has sought shelter in the cities
from the undead hordes.
Graveyard
Ahead, a graveyard can be seen through the
mist. Silhouettes humanoid in shape move
about and it seems as though they're carrying
tools and lights.
Encounter: Graverobbers. The men are a gang of
bandits that have come to rob the graves of the recently
risen dead. They consist of a bandit captain, his pet
blood hawk, two thugs handling two mastiffs, two
Scouts, and three Bandits. They accost the characters as
soon as they see them and try to extort them. The ruɝans
are not looking to die. They'll surrender or ȵee if the ȴght
doesn't go their way.
Treasure: Pilfered Loot. The bandit captain has a
fancy silvered scimitar. The group as a whole has 79 gp,
125 sp, and 465 cp.
End of the Road
The road ends here at the edge of a vast
forest. No signs of animal life can be heard.
Suddenly, a twig snaps in nearby. From that
direction, a corpse shambles forward out of
the brush. It's followed by another and
another, until half a dozen or so corpses
stand ready to ȴght. One of them raises its
sword and emits a shriek from its long dead
lips.
Encounter: Corpses on the Road. There are six
skeletons being led by a wight. While the wight lives, the
skeletons ȴght using basic tactics. Once it is destroyed,
they ȴght mindlessly.
The Tomb of the Grave
Knight
The tomb is ancient. It hasn't been opened in centuries
until recently. Cobwebs and dust cover nearly everything.
The entrance, a large slab of stone, has been cracked and
broken from the inside. The stench of death is strong here.
General Features
Ceilings. The ceilings are made of worn stone and rise 10
ft. above the ȵoor.
Floors and Walls. The ȵoors and walls are made of
cobbled granite. Cobwebs hang from the walls and dust
covers much of the ȵoor.
Doors. The doors are made of thick oak and are held
together by iron bands. They're all unlocked unless stated
otherwise.
Lighting. The tomb is dark as pitch.
The following rooms are keyed to the included map and
numbered for ease of use.
1. Entryway
This large circular room has two large double
doors to the north and hallways to the east
and west. Four large stone pillars stand at the
center of the room.
Encounter: Undead Knights. Each of the four rooms o΍
of the hallways to the east and west contain a single
wight. They do not rise unless disturbed.
2. West Wing
A long corridor with numerous alcoves leads
o΍ to the west towards a large open room.
Encounter: Western Skellys. The alcoves contain eight
skeletons that rise up and attack the characters once
they reach the center of the large room.
3. Burial Preparation
Two rooms sit o΍ of the hallway to the west
and east. They contain old wooden tables that
appear to have been used in the preparation
of those who were buried.
Encounter: Unwanted Growth. There is a shambling
mound growing in the western room. It tried to eat
anyone who enters.
Secret Doors: Storage Rooms There are two secret
doors in the eastern room. They can be located with a DC
16 Wisdom (Perception) check and opened with a DC 16
Intelligence (Investigation) check. Behind the north one is a
statue of an unknown ȴgure. Behind the south one is a
chest.
Treasure: Hidden Belongings. The statue's eyes are
rubies worth 50 gp each. They can be pried out with a tool
or blade. The chest contains a silvered dagger, a vial of
alchemist's ȴre, a vial of acid, and a vial of holy water.
4. Ceremonial Bath
This room is dominated by a large pool of
water in the center. Four stone pillars sit at
the corners of the room. The water in the pool
is a black color.
Encounter: Oozes. There are two black puddings in the
pool. They remain still until disturbed, then they attack
mindlessly. If the characters ȵee the room, the oozes do
not pursue them once they're beyond their sensory range.
5. East Wing
A long corridor with numerous alcoves leads
o΍ to the east towards a large open room.
Encounter: Eastern Skellys. The alcoves contain eight
skeletons that rise up and attack the characters once
they reach the center of the large room.
6. Hall of Remembrance
Grave Knight
This massive room contains numerous thick large, neutral evil
stone blocks 5 ft. thick and 10 ft. high.
Inscribed on them are what appear to be
names. At the far end of the room, a large Armor Class 18 (plate)
statue of a warrior stands. Hit Points 136
Speed 30 ft.

Trap: Lighting Bolt. If anyone comes within 15 ft. of the
statue, it emits a wave of lightning. Anyone not standing
directly behind one of the large stone blocks must make a
DC 16 Dexterity saving throw taking 8d6 lightning damage
on a failure or half as much on a success.
7. The Tomb of the King
This chamber contains six large stone pillars
that reach from ȵoor to ceiling 50 ft. up. On
an elevated platform at the northern end of
the room, a large sarcophagus can be seen
standing upright. The outside of it is carved to
resemble a man screaming.
Encounter: The Undead King. Inside the sarcophagus iss
Zagren the Ruthless. He uses the included stat block for
a grave knight. Once the characters approach the
sarcophagus, Zagren bursts out of it and engages them in
combat. He ȴghts like a man enraged, roaring and
swinging his weapon about. He will prioritize whoever he
deems to be the biggest threat. Despite his undead state,
he still retains enough of his mind to ȴght intelligently.
Treasure: The Dead King's Blade. Zagren's spirit
inhabits his +1 greatsword, Bloodreaver once his body has
been destroyed. It curses the item, but gives its wielder
enhanced combat abilities.
Bloodreaver
Weapon (greatsword), rare (requires attunement)
You have a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls with
this weapon while attuned to it. Whenever you reduce a
creature to 0 hp with an attack using this weapon, you
must immediately make another attack with this weapon
against a target in your melee range.
Cursed: Once attuned to this weapon, you may not
wield another. You refuse to let anyone else hold it, and if
it is taken from you, you will stop at nothing to recover it.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
18 (+4) 14 (+2) 16 (+3) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 15 (+2)
Saving Throws Strength +7, Constitution +6
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +5
Damage Immunities necrotic; bludgeoning,
piercing, and slashing from nonmagical
weapons that aren't silvered
Condition Immunities poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages the languages it knew in life
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)
Actions
Multiattack. The grave knight makes two
greatsword attacks. It can use its Life Drain in
place of one greatsword attack.
Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 4)
necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a
DC 13 Constitution saving throw or its hit point
maximum is reduced by an amount equal to
the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the
target ȴnishes a long rest. The target dies if this
e΍ect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
+2 Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 6) slashing
damage

Aftermath
With Zagren ȴnally laid to rest, the undead his rage
summoned collapse into piles of bone and dust. King
Fulgrim pays the reward happily and the characters are
treated as heroes by the locals going forward. If one of the
characters attuned to Zagren's sword, the next adventure
could be ȴnding a way to break the curse.

Art: Shutterstock
Writing: Benjamin Palmer
www.adventuresawaitstudios.com
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