THE MIST OF HORROR

- A 3rd Level Tale from the Swordcoast -

- Bringing the 5e Dungeon Master’s Guide Maps to Life -

Written by Björn Karsten Wendisch

 INTRODUCTION
Visitors of the Neverdeath Graveyard in Never-
winter have gone missing, and the graveyard
gardener witnessed a dreadful mist flowing out of the
main catacomb. The heroes investigate and are
trapped with hordes of undead, led by an undead evil
king, who turned into a wraith. The wraith is opening
a portal to Evernight, the Shadowfell counterpart of
Neverwinter. Can the heroes defeat the villain and
solve the mystery of the catacomb to close the
portal?
The adventure is optimized for a 3rd level party of
four heroes. The average duration of this adventure
is six hours, and the heroes can gain 6000 group XP.
This will take them most of the way to level 4.
The adventure uses the Dungeon Master’s Guide
map from page 103. Therefore, the 5th Edition DMG
is required to run it.
ADVENTURE HOOKS
The adventure takes place in the rejuvenating
Neverwinter under the rule of Lord Protector Dagult
Neverember, but you can easily adapt it to any other
city setting.
The following reasons could motivate the heroes to
enter the catacombs.
 Sergeant Knox of the Neverwinter City
Guard looks for a party to investigate the
missing visitors of the graveyard.
 The Harpers or some other faction found
out that someone or something summons a
gate to the Shadowfell in the cemetery and
want to know more about it.
 The heroes cross the graveyard by chance
and see the unnatural mist flowing out of the
catacomb.
ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS
Chapter I - Trapped with Skeletons
For one reason or another, the heroes enter the
catacombs and are trapped by activating the pressure
plates in the floor panel. Shortly after, hordes of
skeletons attack them. During or after the battle, they
trigger the mechanism to open all secret doors in the
dungeon.
Chapter II - No Plants … Just Zombies
The heroes fight zombies and ghouls in the east and
west wings of the dungeon and can loot some of the
tombs for random treasure. Although, Kelemvor,
the patron god of the catacomb, will not appreciate
grave robbing.
They also encounter the only intelligible undead in
the dungeon, the former wife of the evil king, who
turned into a ghost. She helps the party to understand
the mystery around the mist.
Chapter III -
The Haunted Main Hall and the Evil King
The former guards of the evil king Dungarth Van
Hyden haunt the main hall in the south. They attack
the heroes in the form of specters. In the small
chamber to the west, the heroes encounter the evil
king in his wraith form and discover the Shadow-
gate to Evergate. Furthermore, they find a way
1
to solve the mystery around the mist and open the
entrance to the catacombs.
COMMON FEATURES OF
THE CATACOMBS AND THE MIST
The Mist of Horror
The whole catacomb is flooded by a waist-deep
unnatural thick and cold mist. The mist flows out of
the Shadowgate, through all chambers and hallways,
to the exits of the catacomb in the north and the
southwest. If the heroes are hit by the undead while
standing in the mist, they are filled with dread (see
the horror mechanic - DMG page 266) and are
inflicted with a form of very short-term madness (see
DMG page 259) if they fail a DC10 charisma save.
They also need to make a saving throw if they are
completely covered by the mist for one reason or
another.
The madness inflicted by the Mist of Horror only
lasts for one round, and once a hero passes three
saving throws, he is immune to the madness.
As soon as the heroes shut themselves in and seal the
main entrance, the Mist of Horror will dam up in the
catacombs. Every hour - every short rest - the mist
will rise about a foot until the heroes reopen the
main entrance by solving the mystery of the
catacombs described later on. Once a hero is
completely immersed in the mist, he is heavily obscured
and blinded.
This mechanic will instill a sense of dread and help-
lessness, especially in the heroes of shorter races 
Construction
The heroes enter the underground catacombs via a
stair set in a small mausoleum. The ceiling is two
meters high, and the walls are constructed from
rough granite blocks. The ceiling in the southern
main hall is five meters high, the upper half of the
hall rises above ground, and the heroes can see it
from the graveyard.
There are no windows or airshafts in the catacombs.
The doors are made out of solid oak planks with iron
brackets. The heroes can pick closed doors with a
DC12 thieves’ tools check, or they can force them open
with a DC15 athletics check unless mentioned other-
wise. The iron bars blocking the entrances to the two
rooms in the south cannot be forced open by hand,
and the lock is more difficult to pick, needing a
DC15 thieves’ tools check.
The circled stars in the map represent granite statues
of the missionaries of Kelemvor. The black circles in
the southern main hall are tall pillars.
Environment and Lighting
The air is humid and cool in the catacombs and flows
slowly from the Shadowgate to the northern and
southwestern exit. A damp and musty smell fills the
hallways and chambers. The whole dungeon is dark,
but there are two to four unlit torches in metal
holders on the walls of each room, depending on its
size.
Except for some rats, spiders, and patches of moss,
there are no living things to be found.
2
 Secret Doors and Pressure Plates
Chamber Size Loot Roll
Seven secret doors are scattered throughout the
catacombs. The heroes can find the doors with an Small closed tomb Roll twice on the 50 GP
active or passive DC15 perception check but cannot open chamber Gemstone table - DMG
them by hand. Alternatively, you can let them page 134
discover the secret doors without any check by mist
Medium closed Roll once on the 250 GP
passing through cracks in the wall. That way, you
tomb chamber Art Objects table - DMG
don’t have to modify the map to cover up the secret
page 135
door signs.
They all spring open as soon as the heroes step on Large closed tomb Roll once on the Magic
the center pressure plate, marked by a large cross. chamber Item Table F - DMG
The four pressure plates are built-in perfectly and page 146
covered by the mist. The heroes cannot detect them
before stepping on them. Using the unmodified
Kelemvor, the patron god of the catacombs (see
map, the players will have to let their heroes act as if
Infobox in chapter II), disapproves of the grave rob-
they do not notice the pressure plates.
bing. As soon as the heroes loot any of the two
chambers containing the missionary statues, they
hear a disappointed sighing.
Resting
If the heroes do not loot any tombs or return the
Since the heroes are trapped in the dungeon, they can loot, they are rewarded after rebuilding the last
only take short rests. The Mist of Horror prevents missionary and lifting the curse (see chapter III).
them from sleeping in the catacombs. There are They are granted a charm of spiritual guardians (see
opportunities for short rests between each of the DMG page 228 for the charm mechanic), which
three chapters. allows them to cast spiritual guardians. If they loot the
tombs after receiving the charms, the charms vanish.
A hero proficient in religion will understand that
Tomb Loot and the Blessing of Kelemvor Kelemvor rewards them for not disturbing the dead.
Some of the tombs of the catacomb contain loot.
The only chambers containing loot are the ones with
closed doors or iron bars. Raiders have already
looted all open rooms. In total, there are four small
closed tomb chambers, five medium closed
chambers, and one large closed chamber in the
southwest.
The tombs of the closed rooms contain random
treasures, according to the following chart.

3
 THE LAYOUT PLAN

Skeletons Pressure Plates

Trapped Skeletal Abomination Statues
Zombies Shattered Statue
Zombie Abomination Treasure: Small Tomb Chamber
Ghouls Treasure: Medium Tomb Chamber
Ghast Treasure: Large Tomb Chamber
Specters Treasure of the Wraith
Wraith Helpful Ghost

4
 THE CATACOMBS
Chapter I - Trapped with Skeletons
As marked in the Layout Plan, place one skeleton in
each of the four small open chambers and two
skeletons in both of the larger open chambers, as well
as a skeletal abomination (minotaur skeleton stat block)
below the trap door in the southern hallway. All
skeletons lie in their tombs and can only be discovered
by casting detect magic or similar means.
The abomination seems to be composed of several
skeletons, loosely formed into a single skeletal giant,
wearing a horned helmet and swinging a colossal
greataxe.
You can find the description of the general
functioning of the secret doors and pressure plates
in the Common Features section of this adventure.
As the heroes walk upon the first pressure plates, the
mausoleum entrance is shut by a stonewall and can
only be opened by solving the mystery of the Mist of
Horror (see chapter III). You may read out the
following to your players to set an eerie atmosphere.
“You wade through the thick and whitish mist. It almost
feels like walking in ice water, and you can see little ripples
flowing from your legs over the skin of the mist. A few steps
in, you hear a dampened clicking sound from below, and
you feel your feet sinking an inch or two. Seconds later, a
large stonewall drops down and seals the entrance to the
mausoleum behind you. The last daylight is shut out, and
a shiver creeps up from your feet to your chest as you slowly
breathe in the damp and musty air.”
Once the heroes step on the second pressure plate,
all secret doors swing open, and the skeletons rise
from their graves, attacking the heroes with bows
and swords. If the battle does not challenge the
heroes, the skeletal abomination joins the fight
charging as soon as a skeleton or a hero walks upon
the third pressure plate. Otherwise, the skeletal
abomination stays in the pit and attacks them later
on as they move closer.
Battle loot: See tomb loot in the Common Features
section for treasure. The eight skeletons are worth 400
XP, and the skeletal abomination is worth 450 XP.
Chapter II - No Plants … Just Zombies
Place four zombies and one zombie abomination (ogre
zombie stat block) in the northwestern chamber. The
abomination seems to be sewn together from
various carcasses and is swinging an enormous
morning star. As soon as the heroes enter the room,
the creatures rise from their tombs and attack
immediately.
Place two ghouls in one of the small open chambers
in the east and one ghast in the other. The undead
creatures have already entered through the
Shadowgate and are feasting on the corpses in the
graves. The disfigured carcasses of the missing
graveyard visitors also lie in these chambers. The
creatures attack as soon as they notice the heroes.
The heroes can also enter three chambers with
statues of the missionaries carved out of granite.
Each missionary holds a sign with a single word. The
four statues in the large western chamber hold the
words “Lord” “of” “the” Dead”, the four in the
eastern chamber hold the words “Judge” “of” “the”
“Damned” and the five statues in the northwestern
chamber hold the words “Lead” “each” “soul” “to”
“the”. The evil king in wraith form shattered the
sixth statue in the northwestern chamber a week
ago to corrupt the cemetery and disturb a possible
safeguard of the tombs by Kelemvor, the patron
5
god of the catacombs. The word held by the
shattered statue was “afterlife”.
The heroes can rebuild the statue using the scroll of
stone shape found in the chamber of the wraith
(Chapter III). They will have to figure out the
missing word for themselves with the help of the
following Infobox about Kelemvor, which contains
common knowledge of the god. Supply the heroes
with the information after they read the two titles of
Kelemvor in the chambers with the intact statues. If
a hero is proficient in religion, supply the Infobox
after the heroes read one title of Kelemvor.
Kelemvor
- Lord of the Dead and Judge of the Damned -
Kelemvor is the only non-evil god of death. His
symbol is a golden scale held by a skeletal arm. His
followers worship him as a fair judge guiding each
soul to their deserved afterlife.
His priests support the followers of Kelemvor to
transition to a peaceful afterlife at an old age.
Furthermore, they try to stop diseases and other
threats to life, and they annihilate the undead
wherever they appear.
Place a ghost in the eastern statue chamber. The ghost
was the wife of the evil king Dungarth Van Hyden.
Xandrilla Van Hyden
human - neutral good - ghost
Appearance: Xandrilla is still dressed in her
queenly antique garment. She is floating a foot
over the ground, glowing bluish, and the heroes
can look right through her.
Personality: She used to be a caring and forgiving
wife who always saw the best in those close to her.
Quirk: She nervously tries to arrange her dress
while talking about private matters and loses her
thread of thought when her hands move right
through herself.
Secret: Xandrilla knows about a secret chamber in
the castle Neverwinter holding an ancient trea-
sure.
Quote: “Oh dear, my mother was right. My
beloved Lord Ereghast wasn’t a noble king after
all.”
Xandrilla is non-hostile to the heroes and will enter
the ethereal plane if attacked, sighing, “Why do you
want to harm me?” She will return once the heroes
conduct themselves peacefully. Talking to her, the
heroes can learn about the background of the
undead corruption and get clues on how to end it.
 Xandrilla was the wife of Dungarth Van Hyden,
the king of Neverwinter many centuries ago.
Orcs slaughtered them after a long and grueling
siege.
 Dungarth spent his last days during the siege
with his court mage, who was skilled in the dark
arts of necromancy.
 Dungarth rose ten days ago and brought her
back from the dead. He shattered the statue in
the northwestern chamber and returned to his
southwestern room. Shortly afterward, the mist
appeared.
 He told her that soon they were going to rule
Neverwinter again and lead a war against the
orcs and other occupants of the city with his
6
 new army. Dungarth does not understand that
centuries have passed.
 Xandrilla finally sees Dungarth for the evil king
he is and wants to support the heroes in stopping
this madness.
The ghost will offer the heroes healing and
resurrection if the heroes are struggling with their
quest. Empower her with according spells, as you
seem fit (e.g., cure wounds, revivify, and restoration spells).
Her chamber is also an ideal place to take a short
rest.
Battle loot: See tomb loot in the Common Features
section. The four zombies are worth 200 XP and the
zombie abomination 450 XP. The two ghouls are
worth 400 XP and the ghast 450 XP.
The pressure plate in the east, close to the chamber
of the ghost, has no significant function. You could
use it as a “joke” trap. Every time a hero activates
the mechanism, an eerie wooing sound emerges
from down the hallways.
Chapter III -
The Haunted Main Hall and the Evil King
The double-winged oak door leading to the main hall
is sturdy. The heroes can force it open with a DC 20
athletics check or unlock it with a DC 18 thieves’ tools
check. Brass adornments depicting the skeletal scale
of Kelemvor are fixed upon the planks of each door
wing.
Behind the door lies the tall main hall, supported by
eight massive, five-meter-high pillars. Place four
1You can find a description of Evernight at
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com
specters behind the pillars and one wraith in the small,
upper westerly chamber. As soon as the heroes enter,
the raised personal guards of the evil king attack
them. If the heroes seem to deal easily with them,
you can have the wraith join during or directly after
the battle.
The door to the king’s room is unlocked. As soon as
the heroes enter, the wraith will attack with the words,
“Who are ye? It does not matter. Ye shall not disrupt
my glorious return!” The room is empty except for a
small table with a casket in one corner and an open
coffin leaning against the western wall. The Mist of
Horror flows steadily out of the coffin. The heroes
see no wooden planks at the bottom of the coffin
but a curling, glowing, dark-red surface. It functions
as a portal to the Shadowfell. If the heroes enter, they
shift to Evernight1, the Shadowfell counterpart of
Neverwinter. They will step into the same room, but
the small table and the casket will be gone. The
catacomb building functions as an indoor market-
place for grim wares in Evernight. Ghouls, ghasts, and
other undead roam the building. You might
improvise or plan a whole new adventure in the
Plane of Shadow.
Battle loot: The casket on the small table contains
the old crown of the king worth 500 gold, a Ring of
Vampiric Touch (see appendix), a map of Evernight,
and a scroll of stone shape.
The four specters are worth 900 XP and the wraith
1800 XP. Closing the portal yields another 950 XP.
To close the portal, stop the mist and reopen the
stone door at the catacombs entrance, the heroes
have to purify the catacombs by rebuilding the 14th
missionary in the northwestern statue chamber.
7
They can use the scroll of stone shape to reconstruct the
statue out of its debris. Furthermore, they have to
choose the correct word “afterlife” for the sign of
the statue with the help of the Infobox of Kelemvor
provided in chapter II. Solving the mystery of the
catacombs, Kelemvor rewards the heroes as
described in the tomb loot section in the Common
Features chapter.
If the heroes fail to do so, they can still exit the
catacombs through the southwestern hallway. The
rough tunnel leads to a remote part of Neverwinter’s
canalization. Other dangers might await the heroes
there…
APPENDIX
Magic Items
Ring or Vampiric Touch - Rare
The smooth ring is forged out of a mysterious, dark
red metal and feels cool to the touch. Once a hero
attunes to it, he can cast the spell vampiric touch once
per long rest. He also has advantage on saving throws
versus life drain attacks.
Official WOTC Resources Used
The Catacombs:
The map on page 103 of the DMG is used here and
is necessary for running the adventure.
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