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designer:
designer: PJ
PJ Pirrello
Pirrello
editor:
editor: Zac
Zac Jennings
Jennings
cover
cover art:
art: Krystal
Krystal Mossbarger
Mossbarger
T Adventure Summary
he Nightshine Mausoleum is a Fifth Edition
Adventure Hook
additional setup.
Table of Contents Ghouls have been attacking folks traveling through or near
the swamp. The leader of a local village asks the players for
2 Adventure Background, Summary, and Hook help. Alternatively, the party could just stumble upon the
Background tightly fitted together and mortared in place. All the surfaces
are wet and slick. This doesn’t cause difficulty for anyone
Thevalur Nightshine was an elven noble that lived in a long
walking, but scaling walls is more difficult. Climbing walls,
forgotten elvish civilization. There is little left of the ancient
either inside or outside the mausoleum, requires a successful
society, but this ancient mausoleum of the Nightshine family
DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Any creature with a
has yet to be claimed by the swamp. Thevalur Nightshine was
climbing speed makes the check with advantage. The ceilings
a respected noble, but he was secretly a cultist who
throughout are 20 feet high.
worshiped Orcus. Roused from the dead by recent activity in
is dimly lit.
Credits Windows
Story and Design: PJ Pirrello
There are several windows set high on the walls of the
Editing: Zac Jennings
mausoleum. The windows have no glass, but decorative stone
Cover Image Krystal Mossbarger
mullions prevent a medium or larger creature from squeezing
been sinking into the swamp. While the western end of the
its roof at least 20 feet above the ground. The eastern wing of
1d4 hours.
2. Constrictor Lair
This small island has several large cypress trees that provide
water, and reeds near the shoreline quietly sway in the wind.
the vegetation and the dirty water, the snake has advantage
3. Respite
This island is slightly larger than the previous one, but is
otherwise very similar. Large cypress trees and other 5. Sunken Entrance
vegetation grow all over the island, and reeds poke up
Beautifully crafted stone steps once led to an impressive
through the water near the shoreline. Nothing inhabits this
entrance with metal gates standing before carved stone
small island, as most creatures have learned to give the snake doors. The stairs are now almost completely submerged, and
and crocodile on the neighboring islands a wide berth. muck has gathered in the corners of the structure where the
water has stagnated. Reeds grow up near the walls, and two
4. Murder Log putrefying corpses float in the still water nearby. The stench
This tiny speck of land is devoid of large trees, the one that
of death and decay is heavy here. A pair of life-sized statues
had grown here having toppled some time ago. Small bushes
stand watch on either side of the double doors. These statues
and reeds cling to the land and grow near the shoreline and
were once resplendent elvish angels, but something has
fallen tree. From here, characters can get a good view of the
twisted them into mockeries of their once-divine form, and
western end of the mausoleum. While the base of the
they are now squat, ugly figures with bat-like wings.
mausoleum is mostly concealed by large bushes and other
The gates are made of cast iron, very rusty from years in
growth, from this angle a character succeeding on a DC 15
this humid environment. A heavy iron chain secured with a
Wisdom (Perception) check will notice what appears to be a
bulky lock holds the gates closed. The lock and chain are both
large opening in the western wall, where something has
also extremely rusty, making the lock hard to pick. It can be
broken through the stone.
opened with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check using
Encounter. A giant crocodile lives here, spending its time
thieves’ tools. It’s actually much easier to just break the rusty
sunning on the shore or floating in the water mostly
chain, requiring a successful DC 13 Strength (Athletics)
concealed by the fallen tree.
check. Using a crowbar provides advantage on the attempt.
6. Breach
There is a hole in the wall here, but the opening is partially
the inside.
east and west. These corridors are lined on both the north
and south walls with the doors of interment vaults. There are
The first 30 feet of the west corridor is dry. Over the next
70 feet, the slanting corridor drops below the water level, the
water level getting deeper until it’s over 6 feet deep at the
eastern end.
A small altar in the center of the northern wall of the foyer sits
before a beautifully carved relief that covers the entire 20-
foot-wide wall from floor to ceiling. The relief depicts three
elves.
back into the noble crypt on the other side of the wall the
east (indicated by the elf with the staff pointing three fingers),
and in the third row from the bottom (indicated by the elf
the secret door is about 3 feet deep, just below the bottom
Opening the correct vault door reveals area 14. If any other
its contents.
Vault Contents
d8 Contents
Elvish corpse, dressed in common clothes but
1-3
with nothing of value
A single ghoul that bursts from the vault.
1d4 additional vaults burst open at the same time,
4-5 and ghouls from each join the fight.
After triggering this twice, treat additional rolls of
4 or 5 as empty as well.
6-7 Empty
Elvish corpse dressed in fine clothes wearing
8
a gold signet ring worth 50 gp
thralls of Orcus.
and each has the weapon they used in life to destroy the
the party. There are one adult raccoon and four kits living
here.
feet deep to the west and 6 to the east. The lid on the eastern-
has remained closed, but has filled with swampy water. If the
lid of the coffin is removed, the body inside will float freely to
the surface. Neither the body nor the coffin contain anything
of value.
water.
above the door. They will attack the first creature to enter the
which sits a shallow golden bowl. There are a couple inches sarcophagi, all of which are partially open. An oversized
of standing water in here, but overall this area appears in stone throne sits in the middle of the northern wall. There are
mostly good condition - undisturbed by looters or the undead. no windows in this room, and it is dark whether day or night.
Treasure. The bowl itself is not solid gold, but merely A repulsive creature sits upon the throne, playing with a foot-
plated and is worth 5 gp. Inside the bowl are 35 cp and 6 sp. long centipede that skitters from one of the creature’s cruelly
13. Trapped Offerings abominations crouch atop the coffins nearest the entrance.
This small alcove mirrors the one in Area 12. The water here Encounter. The creature on the throne is Thevalur
is 2 to 3 feet deep. The bowl upon the altar here contains a Nightshine, a ghastly warlock of the fiend, and the
few coins and a large glass gem skillfully made to look like a centipede is actually his quasit familiar. The remaining two
Treasure. A gold-plated bowl holding 5 cp. The bowl is attack, Thevalur will speak with them while the remaining
worth 5 gp. two ghouls shift about in their places, menacingly licking
Trap. The diamond is actually just a piece of cut glass. It’s their lips and claws. Thevalur simply enjoys playing with his
coated with a contact poison. Anyone touching the gem must food and, when he gets bored with the conversation, he and
paralyzed for 1 minute. Treasure. If all the sarcophagi are searched, the party will
through in either direction. in the mausoleum will be allowed to rest quietly. Undead
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and 16 (+3) 17 (+3) 15 (+2) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 18 (+4)
slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t
adamantine Damage Resistances necrotic
Damage Immunities poison Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, petrified, poisoned Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion,
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 poisoned
Languages Terran Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Challenge 2 (450 XP) Languages Common, Elvish
Challenge 3 (700 XP)
False Appearance. While the gargoyle remains
motionless, it is indistinguishable from an inanimate Stench. Any creature that starts its turn within 5 feet
statue. of the ghastly warlock must succeed on a DC 10
Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the
Actions start of its next turn. On a successful saving throw,
the creature is immune to the ghastly warlock’s
Multiattack. The gargoyle makes two attacks: one stench for 24 hours.
with its bite and one with its claws.
Turning Defiance. the ghastly warlock and any ghouls
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
within 30 feet of it have advantage on saving throws
one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. against effects that turn undead.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) slashing damage. Actions
Multiattack. The ghastly warlock makes one claw and
one bite attack or two ghastly blast attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) slashing damage. If the
target is a creature other than an undead, it must
succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or
be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the
saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending
the effect on itself on a success.
Ghastly Blast. Ranged Spell Attack: +5 to hit, range
120 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 3) force damage.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 21 (+5) 9 (−1) 17 (+3) 2 (−4) 10 (+0) 7 (−2)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
5 (−3) 17 (+3) 10 (+0) 7 (−2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 1 (−5) 28 (+9) 10 (+0) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 11 (+0)
10
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W
e certainly hope you did. If so, please check out some of our other 5e adventures, like the Into the Underdark
adventure series available now on the DMsGuild, or the first of our dragon series, Bronze, available on
DriveThruRPG.
12
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