DARK SOULS THE ROLEPLAYING GAME BLIND FAITH ADVENTURE MODULE CREATED BY UCHIDANINTRODUCTION In order to use this module, you will need the official Dark Souls Roleplaying Game handbook by Steamforged Games, This isa starter adventure for a 3-4 player party with level 1.3 characters. More players can be added, but you may need, 10 adjust creature counts THE STORY °. Despite his ruthless methods, Saint Gudtrum has always maintained that he is doing the work of a good and just cause, To the villagers who have fallen under his control, he presents himself as a savior, using his black ooze to rid them of their douibis and fears and showing them a new path to salvation and enlightenment, He speaks of Lady Hilda as a benevolent leader who will guide them to this better future, and many of the brainwashed villagers have come to see hit As time went on, the villagers who had been brainwashed bby Saint Gudrum began to exhibit strange and disturbing behaviors. They became increasingly withdrawn and isolated, losing interest in their previous lives and daily activities, ‘Many of them stopped speaking altogether, instead communicating only through grunts and gestures. Eventually, it became clear thatthe black ooze produced by ‘Saint Gudrum was not just a mind-contro! agent, but something far more sinister. The villagers who had been exposed to it had been transformed into mindless hollows, their personalities and identities erased by the powerful substance, ‘Lady Hilda and Saint Gudrus as their loyal servants, sending them out to do their bidding and carry out their dark plans. But the once-thriving village ‘was now a shadow ofits former self, a desolate wasteland inhabited by soulless husks that were litle more than puppets as ahero, continue to use the hollows ona string as THE PLAYERS ae ‘The players wake up in a state of panic and confusion, strugaing to remember even the most basic details about themselves and their surroundings. As they try to make sense of their situation, they realize that they have just experienced a terrifying dream in which they died. With no ‘memory of the dream or their own identities, the players ‘ust search for clues and unravel the mystery of their circumstances. Not knowing the horrors that lurk beyond the light ofthe bonfire. Rule Change In the rulebook, there is a rule that once a player dies their character loses all souls and cannot get them back. Its recommended that their souls now drop here they died and they are able o retrieve them, However, ifthey die again before getting to their souls, then the souls are lost forever,RESURRECTION Have each player close their eyes and wait a moment, ‘Then read the following to the players. GM: “You all wake up in a pani, adrenaline pumping, clutching your chest, as if waking up from a nightmare that ‘felt so very real, However, you cannot remember any details of the nightmare. You also do not remember laying dovwn to rest. When did you fall asleep? Each of you begin 1 look around and realize you do not recognize any of your surroundings either. When did you get here? How did you get here? You search for these answers in your head, onty o find nothing. The only thing you can clearly se is a dwindling bonfire lighting the faces of strangers with the same puzzled expression as you. Allow the players to introduce themselves and ask each other questions. However, each player's memory is a fog and they only really know the following: Players know their own names, their backstory memory, and drive. All players are equally confused and have no knowledge of where they are, All ofthe player's armor or clothes have a symbol bbumed om it. Iisa circle engulfed in flames. ‘The players do not recognize the symbol. Faint moans and groans of tortured souls ean be heard in the distance to the north of the bonfire. To the south and cast, the sound of water crashing into the giant cliff the players begin their journey on, There is no clear way down, and any attempt will result in death. The bonfire flame lights markings of a road ahead that is leading north, In the distance, small flames of torches can be seen. Ifplayers are lacking motivation to move forward, explain to the party that the bonfires flame seems fo be dwindling and soon the darkness that surrounds them will start to consume them, THE ROAD Players traveling north will ind that there is a man-made road that is barely still visible. Not far down that road, players can see a person standing perfectly still. The limited light from the torches ahead make it so players cannot see any details of the figure from a distance, and it makes no response when called to, Ifplayers approach this person, they discover itis a stone statue of a man with the expression of absolute fear on his, face. The amount of detail is almost lifelike, The statue is posed as if he is trying to stop something from happening, to him. There is a sign hanging around the statue's neck, ‘Hereties be warned, only faith welcomed ahead. Ifplayers investigate the statue, on any result besides a 1, they'll notice a small key attached fo the statue. The key is also stone and would need to be removed somehow. 2] Failure result: The the key, Ifplayers venture from the road to the west, in the darkness, they will walk into a very thick forest, There aré ‘many branches of long sharp thom on al of the trees, ‘making entrance into the forest impossible, If players still attempt to progress inthe forest [Survival Check: 30] Failure result: 1d8 Damage. To the east is the same giant cliffs before. The only true way forward is north‘While continuing to walk along the road, players begin to smell a decayed odor, as if death itself entered their nostrils ‘The road begins to showcase several bodies hanging on crosses with torches attached above them, Some of the bodies, barely have any skin remaining, picked clean by nearby birds pethaps, or judging by the smell alone, rotted off completely. Players can hear a faint moaning coming from a couple of them and a erunching sound in the distance. Any attempt to speak to the hanging vietims and they will respond by moaning in pain, or hardly speaking, Some of them may ask “Kill...ne..please. Further ahead characters see gravestones, a small cemetery, and a building that resembles a church a litle further in the back, While continuing to walk, the ongoing sound of chewing and crunching is discovered to be three hounds feasting on a corpse that has fallen off a nearby cross However, these hounds don’t look like normal wild dogs. ‘They're sickly looking, with patches of skin missing from their bodies. One of them has chewed flesh falling out of a hole in its stomach, Starved Hound (pg. 273) Walking/Running past the hounds will cause them to notice the players and attack, Sneaking [Group Stealth Check: 15] Failure result A twig snaps beneath your fee, the dogs quickly snap their attention towards you and begins to growl Distract the dogs by throwing an abject IDC check of: 14] Failure result: Hounds undisturbed. | After defeating the hounds, read the following: GM: “You notice a subtle white light appear from the lifeless corpse and float towards each of you. When the light touches you, you feel a sense of power enter your body, as ifyou just absorbed their soul. You feel as though you can harness this power somehow.” Player Death When a player dies forthe first time, they retum fo the bonfire in absolute shock as they felt the embrace of death, but are somehow alive. Players who have not died yet, will also be in disbelief that their companion, has returned from the dead, Have players roll on the madness table (pg. 90). Depending on the effect will create interesting dialogue options for the players, specially if they suffered a hollowing effect after rolling for hollowing (ps. 86) THE CEMETERY ° ‘This cemetery isin bad shape. Broken tombstones, unburied bodies without heads, and in the middle of it all, a bloody guillotine. Players begin to hear chanting coming, from the direction of the church. The chant is low and in rythm, but itis more ofan in syne groaning, A group of figures can now be seen by the torchlight within the cemetery, there are 5 of them. Two are holding torches with crossbows on their backs, two others equipped with rusty blades appear to be dragging someone with a brown sack oon their head, and finally a large figure with an even larger axe trailing behind them. It appears they are all heading towards the guillotine. The chanting continues, Any perception check will reveal that the group of people look pale and have lifeless expressions on their faces. ‘The group begins to load their victim into the guillotine, ‘The chanting comes to an abrupt stop. The large one signals o ready the guillotine, The group begins to gurgle and repeat the words: “Heretic, Heretic, Heretic Players can attempt to sneak through the cemetery behind _ravestones. Sneaking [Group Stealth Cheek: 14] Failure result: One of them notices one of you, and yells loudly “INTRUDERS”, alerting the rest of your presence, ‘Three of them draw their weapons, and two load their crossbows, Rell for initiativeFor this encounter, use Hollow (pg. 322) two of them use rusty swords, two of them se light crossbows ata distance. For the Large Hollow use the Hollow Soldier version with the Halberd, Ifplayers are able to save the ‘victim from the Hollows, itis revealed thatthe vietim isan already dead and rotting ccompse. There is a white glow inside one of his empty eye sockets. Players can retrieve it and receive a Fading Soul (pg. 217). Players can discover a mausoleum ‘with a locked stone door. Players can unlock the door if they retrieved the stone Key fom the statue on the road, Within the mausoleum, players will find Ix Crest of woman holding a skull. 1x Broadsword (pe. 173) bx Charcoal Pine Resin Pg. 136), and a Note. Players can destroy the door [Strength Check: 14] oF the lock can be picked [Sleight of Hand Check: 15] Note: “cannot allow myself to be a part of this any longer, feel itis my faith being challenged, but my sanity even more 0. Lhave discovered the truth about Lady Hilda, she will not take us to the promised land, she is using us, grooming us, ‘and eventually intends to devour us in her chamber tnder neath the church. She is a monster filled with darkness that ‘must be burned. I must inform Saint Gudram at once, he'll now what to do, trust him. Other items that can be foun the Cemetery Broken Straight Sword (pg. 173) Plank Shield (pg. 159) Carthus Milkring (pg. 213) —~ THE CHURCH (OUTSIDE) ° ‘There is a tall cathedral in front ofthe players. At the top of this building, there is a symbol ofa woman holding a black skull. On the giant wooden doors below, players ean see the word “Faith” is written in what looks to be dark: dried blood, There are several steps leading up to those stained doors and upon them is a young man, playing with a stick. The young man does not notice the players, yet ‘When approached or spoken to, the young man will respond with the following: ‘Young Man: “Oh, hello! I did not see you there. I’m sorry, Iwas in my imagination. Such a wonderfil place my imagination is. Heh Hel ‘The Young Man’s name is Wulfied. He is waiting for his ‘younger brother, Alfted to return. Wulfted will explain that he gave up on a game of hide and seek with his brother. He assumes that Alfred ventured into the nearby cave to the northyest, and is trying to scare him, Wulfred has never centered the cave before, but really believes his brother can be found there. Wulfred will explain that, if they find Allred, he can give the them crest needed to enter the church, Wulffed lost his awhile ago and cannot receive his “token of devotion” until he finds it Ifasked about the church, Wulired will cheerfully say ‘Oh, Saint Gudram is the priest here. He makes sure we all constantly keep our faith to Lady Hilda, or else we will lose ‘our heads to the voices of doubt and dissolution, heh!" If players ask any more questions, he will repeatedly tell them to please find Alfred, as he’s getting worried that his par- cents will be angry with him, Before the players leave, ‘Wulfred asks if they have a torch, Ifnot, he laughs at them and calls them stupid, but Wulfted gives them Cast Light Spell (Pe. 123). Wulfied also will give this spell, ifthe players are nice to him, and willing to help without asking 100 many questions. Ifplayers have retrieved the Crest of a Woman with a ‘Skull, they can enter the church, however Wulfied will try everything to stop them until they find his brother. I players continue anyway, he will rll them “You re going 10 die in there, heh heh” and ran off.THE CAVE Star By having the GM read the following to the players GM: “You arrive atthe northwest cave without any encounters, however outside ofthe cave there are several signs stating “Keep Out”, and “Death Ahead. Several bones and skulls can be seen outside leading nto the entrance ofthe cave. Darkness isthe only thing that can be seen when looking into the cave. A light source of some kind would be wise Defore venturing in ‘As players venture into the eave they are presented with a fire pit with an iron sword sticking out of it. Similar tothe first bonfire. Players can light the bonfire by torch or by touching the handle ofthe sword. The bonfire lights up 3 narrow paths, only enough room for 2 people to stand next to cach other. A left ht, and forward path with no discerning distinctions between them. Forward Path: As players move forward, they feel the ‘ground they just stepped on lower slightly and a sublle click cean be heard. A barrage of 3 arrows shoot 3 times toward the player(s) standing in front. [Dexterity Check: 12 x 3] Failure: 2 damage for each failed check. On each success, the player dodges the arrow, but now the player(s) behind ‘must make the Dexterity Check. In front ofthe trap there is a decomposed body filled with arrows inside it, The body has the following items: x9 Arrows, Binoculars, Rope, and a Torch, Further down is a dead end with three holes on the ‘wall where the arrows shot from. Left Path: This path eventually leads (0 a hole, Ifplayers do not have a light source, the player(s) in the front must roll [Dexterity Check: 15] on a success, they avoid falling and notice the hole. Failure result: The player(s) falls down into the hole (20 ft.) Roll 2d6 for damage. If players have a rope or ther climbing equipment, they can climb down into the hole, ‘The floor is covered in bones. It is pitch black, and a rattling ccan be heard after entering this area. Players inthe area roll passive [Perception Check: 12] on.a success, they see bones starting to pull together and form 4 Skeletons, Roll initiative. Failure results: Players are surprised and attacked by the Skeletons, For these skeletons use the Hollow creature stat block (pg, 322), but be sure to use Keeps Crawling On. as these skeletons animate back to life. After defeating the skeletons, players can find a chest in the back of the room. Ifthey open it, they'll find Estus Ring (pg. 214), and a Soul ofa Deserted Corpse (ps. 200), Ifplayers fell down {nto the hole, there is a ladder on the floor that was previously ‘knocked down that can be used to climb back up. Right Path: After walking down the right path, it eventually opens into a bigger room where a foul stench, ccan be smelt. Players can hear a loud squeaking from the walls within the room, Venturing further into the room, will cause $ Giant Rats, and 1 Diseased Giant Rat (pg. 278) to emerge from holes in the wall ‘Small footprints can be seen on the floor that run through the middle of the room to a puddle that is near the back and _ looks like black ooze. Ifany light source is moved towards the puddle, it begins to move away from it, The black ooze ‘will eventually move on its own into a large erack in the wall. The hole is big enough for one person at a time to fit through, Players will hear a faint “help” coming from ‘within the crack.Ifplayers decide to go through the hole, they'll have to go on all fours to enter property. As they craw! down this narrow pathvvay, a small body can be seen covered in the black ooze, a Note is a few feet in front of it, and a crest in the bodies hhand, shines off any lightsouree the players have. Note: Wilfred, Ifound the black water ike you said, I drank it just like you told me, But now Fan walk, Fan barely move. 'm scared. Please come soon [players atempt to retrieve the crest, the black ooze will expand violently within the narrow space, have players roll the following check tose i they got out in ime [Group Dexterity Check: 15 with Disadvantage] Failure results Each player rolls 1d Damage. The black ooze pushes them breaking through the hole inthe wall, returning them tothe previous room. The black o07e then enters the room using the small body’as a host for its movement Bubbles start to form from within the ooze and all pop at once, letting out a gargled “NO!". The ooze creates long ‘extensions off the small body making legs tall enough to tower over you, and arms with large hands ready for combat For this monster, use Man Serpent (pe. 315) with weakness to fire. After defeating the black ooze monster, players retrieve Lx Crest of a woman holding a black skull. The black ooze evaporates and the body of a small boy is all that remains. THE CHURCH (INSIDE) ° (Once players make it back to the church, Wulfred is nowhere to be found. Once the crest is placed in the door, they hear it unlock, and begin to o ‘open, the building is full of broken pews, tattered rugs, ripped banners, and countless amounts of lit candles with ‘wax dripping onto the floor. There isa smell of dust and despair in the ait. Several people are here, on their knees, facedown, and appear to be possibly praying. These people look as if they have been here for weeks, rib cages can be hot them have a black colored pus located somewhere on their body, Before anyone ean speak, a commanding voice ‘comes from the head of the room, GM should read the following to the players: Saint Gudrum: Melcome! Welcome! Isee you have n slowly. As the doors seen, bones with barely any meat attached, and e {found your way, found your way t0 me. Ihave faith that it was your destiny, as well as my destiny for us to meet. Lam Saint Gudram and you are now...home. Please kneel and show your gratitude for Lady Hilda, as it was she who kept you safe on your journey here. Saint Gudram is standing at an Altar, Below him are two figures with rusty looking armor and swords. They appear to be his guards. The people of the church do not mo\ speak. Ifplayers speak, he will eventually interrupt them and tell them to knee! if they have not. If players refuse or continue to speak without agreeing to knee!, he will tell them that they are disrespecting Lady Hilda which is considered heresy, He will eventually lose his patience and order his guards to seize the players. However, if players agree (o kneel, Saint Gudram will inform them that he will now prepare their “Token of Devotion.” He grabs a large chalice, opens his mouth, and begins to slow! dark in color, He will want players to drink it, and join the fellow members of the church in prayer. If combat happens, 1! Gudram will not attack until he is tacked or his guards have been defeated. salvate into the cup. His saliva is thick andAfter being defeated, Saint Gudram gurgles “My Lady, 1 have failed you. My faith was not enough.” His body then explodes, as the black pus splatters on the walls, the floor, and..the players. I begins to dry up and disappear, and ‘where Saint Gudram was defeated, a ring hits the ground. Players can retrieve the Life Ring (pg. 215). Ifplayers search the rest of room, they'll find a large ‘wooden stall with a small bonfire wit stall, also has a key hanging from a nail on the wall, The key has “below” engraved on it, There is a door to the back right of this room, In that room is a lift, the lit requires a kkey before the lever can be pulled. Above th picture of an ordinary looking woman, below itis an engraving of the words it. The wooden litisa ‘Our Lacy, Our Protector, Our Savior Players ean choose fo activate the lift, and proceed down to the their next adventure, For Saint Gudrum’s guards use the Skeleton (pg. 326) and for Saint Gudrum use the Hollow Soldier (pg. 322) Once Saint Gudram is defeated, GM read the followin Saint Gudram compete with my faith and the faith ofthis church. I belong to Lady Hilda and soon you will too!” He then reaches his hand on fools, you heretics! You cannot possibly up and whispers “come to me As these words leave his lips, the people of the church, begin moving toward him, but not by thei feet, they are being dragged by the black pus on their bodies. They begin to smash into Saint Gudram, bursting on impact. The only thing is the black ooze which begins to consume Saint Gudram, Then, he emerges, his upper body covered completely in black pus, vaguely resembl beast in silhouette, but has no recognizable shape. His eyes red as the blood stained floor. He screams uncontrollably and rushes forward, For Black Ooze Monster Saint Gudrum use the Asylum Demon (pg. 299) some horrific