The Haunted House

of Rysenbry

Introduction
"The Haunted House of Rysenbry" tells a tragic story of
passion, insanity and sorrow. It is an adventure that could be
run either as a one-off module or a part of a larger
campaign. It could take three to four and a half hours to
complete depending on the pace of the game.
The adventure is optimized for 5 first level characters, but
can be modified to accommodate a larger or smaller group.
Adventure Backstory
The noble house Rysenbry used to be a prominent
family with impressive wealth and political influence.
However the line came to an end when all the family
members perished in a fire along with their servants.
No one has visited their manor since then.
Clarissa, the wife of the late lord Nicholas Rysenbry
III, has always been prone to jealousy. As she grew
older, her hidden emotions slowly festered to become
obsession and insanity. Everyone around, from maids
to her own daughter, became potential threats to her
marriage, and so Clarissa’s violent outbursts became
more frequent.
Eventually she came to the conclusion that only in
death she will be together with her beloved with no
one to stand between them. And so one fateful night
she poisoned the dinner for family and servants with
sleeping potion, then locked all the doors so no one
could get in or out and started a fire. All of the
manor’s inhabitants burned alive.
Clarissa got her wish. Now her spirit is locked in her
bedroom along with the charred skeletal remains of
her husband, with whom she holds the same
conversations over and over again. It’s time the
Rysenbry family got their final rest.
Adventure Hooks
The adventurers could become interested in the Rysenbry
manor for the following reasons:
 One of the characters could be a distant relative of the
previous owners of the mansion. He is free to claim the
estate as long as the spirits inside are pacified
 The adventurers are hired by an official to investigate the
unsettling howls and screams coming from the manor
 The late sir Nicholas could have known something
pertaining to the characters' current investigation. Not
even death of the witness could prevent him from being
questioned!
Outside the Mansion
Read or paraphrase the following:
As you approach the building, you start to understand, why
the locals avoid this place. The mansion is little more than a
two-storied tomb. Burned out windows glare at you like the
empty eyesockets of a withered skull. The rusty metal
gates, that once demonstrated the family's wealth, screech
unpleasantly with each gust of wind. A crow sitting on the
rooftop looks at you then caws mockingly and flies away.
The closer you get, the better you feel that you are not
welcome here.
The mansion is a two-storied building, surrounded by an
old fence. The gate is still intact, though rusty, and bears the
old Rysenbry family crest - a gauntlet clutching a hammer.
Part of the roof has caved in, but other than that the
building looks surprisingly intact.
The main door is a piece of solid oak, which still bears
some of the gilt. There is a knocker - a bronze leopard head
holding the ring in its teeth. If any of the characters use it,
the door suddenly opens a little, and a gust of foul-smelling
air blows out of the mansion. Otherwise the door is
unlocked and opens with a creak. The main door leads to the
small lobby (1).
There is another way in - on the rear end of the mansion
there is a hole in the wall, which leads to the kitchen (4).
Mansion Ground Floor
The windows have been boarded shut, so the interior is
dark, and even in broad daylight only the faintest rays of
light pierce the eternal gloom of the building. Its rooms are
dusty and the general impression is that of death, decay and
lost glory.
1. Lobby
This room seems relatively undamaged by the fire,
although the moldy and dirty walls, once lavishly decorated,
now look depressing. A broken wooden coathanger and the
remains of a statue lie among the rubble on the floor.
The door leading to the hall (2) is half-open, but it slams
shut when the first character tries to go through. Make a DC
13 Dexterity save. On a failure the character takes 1d4
bludgeoning damage. The door breaks into splinters, and for
a split second the character sees something like a woman's
enraged face forming from them.
2. Hall
The hall is full of charred furniture, dust and detritus.
The double staircase leading to the first floor is burned and
looks unstable, not to mention that the left portion of it lies
crumbled on the floor. There is a stone statue of a knight in
the corner. It strikes a triumphant pose with a hammer
pointing to the sky. It is blackened with soot and parts of its
hammer have broken off, and now the weapon resembles a
scythe.
A random character hears a quiet whisper: "He is mine".
The remaining staircase is unstable. If a character in
heavy armor or at least two characters go up, it breaks. Any
character failing DC 13 Dexterity save gets 1d4 bludgeoning
damage and is knocked prone. They will have to figure out a
different way up.
3. Ballroom
This room was used for the entertainment of the owners
and their friends. As such it used to be expensively
decorated and furnished. Now the beautiful paintings on the
walls are burned, the rare wood of the floor is stained and
the grand piano in the corner is half-rotten, its few
remaining keys resembling decayed teeth in a zombie's
mouth. If anyone tries to play it, the sounds are really off-
key. One of the strings breaks with a sharp crack.
If players investigate the piano further, they can find an
old leather pouch with 13 gold in it. The pouch itself still
has a slight smell of lavender.
4. Kitchen
The stove here is heavily burned and broken. It seems
like this was the place, where the fire started, and which has
suffered the most damage. The rusty hooks for tableware are
still hanging from the ceiling, the chains on the clinking
ominously with the wind. Characters can feel that someone
is watching them.
The characters can hear a whimper from a place, where
the door to the cellar (6) is located. When approaching
closer, they see a figure of a little boy with his face turned
towards the wall. However as they come closer or try to
attract the boy's attention, he turns and they see that half of
his face is burned to the bone. He asks: "Where is my mom?
Have you seen my mom?" And with increasingly loud cries
he dissipates in the air.
5. Storeroom
Decayed and burned remains of food, utensils and dishes
fill this room. There is nothing of value here. But when the
characters decide to leave, a wine glass, which somehow
managed to remain intact, is hurled by some unseen force
towards one of the characters. To avoid it, they have to
succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. A result of 16
or more means the character has successfully caught the
glass. Failure means taking 1d4 bludgeoning and piercing
damage.
6. Cellar
A hatch in the kitchen (4) leads to the cellar. This place
feels unnaturally cold, and frost covers the walls even if it is
hot outside. Once the last character comes down, the hatch
slams shut and blood starts dripping from it, forming a
phrase "You are next".
The place itself contains several barrels of rotten
foodstuffs and two rows of shelves with bottles on them.
With a successful DC 15 Perception check characters can
find a bottle of vintage Aelfwine, worth 5 gold.
7. Children’s Rooms
The first of the two almost identical children's rooms
belonged to Apius, son of the late lord Nicholas. It is badly
burned, but some remains of the furniture are still here. The
most notable detail in the room is a bed, under which the
characters can find the boy's "treasures" - a piggybank with
25 cp, 15 sp and 2 gp; a toy sword and a toy wolf with only
one fang left.
There is a faint sound, in which characters can perceive
somebody singing a melody (DC 13), and recognize it as a
relatively widespread lullaby with a DC 13 Perform check.
The second room is in even worse condition. Although a
portrait of a young and pretty girl on the wall is surprisingly
untouched by the fire. That doesn't mean, however, that it is
in perfect condition - someone has slashed the girl's face
with a sharp object and has carved "WHORE" on the frame.
There was a different inscription, but it was scraped away.
After the characters look away from the painting, they
see the girl from the picture with horribly scarred face
holding hand of the burned boy from the kitchen. "Come
play with us!" - They say, and rush at the adventurers.
The kids are now Spectres, haunting this place. After
being defeated they silently dissipate. A boy can be
distracted for one round by showing him the wolf.
If the characters visit the children's rooms before goin to
kitchen (4), move this encounter until after the adventurers
meet the boy.
8. Guest Bedroom
This place looks like a battleground because of the
broken furniture and scorch marks. As the characters
explore the room, a bone-chilling shriek pierces the air "He
is mine!" A DC 13 Investigation check shows that
somebody broke everything here in a bout of madness.
9. Servants’ Room
There are six beds in this room, with skeletons laying on
them as if they were peacefully sleeping. Various tools litter
the floor. Most handles have long rotted away, and the metal
parts are rusted through. When the adventurers enter the
room, the 6 skeletons rise and attack, animated by unholy
power. They don't have any tactical sense, attacking the
closest enemy.
10. Bathing Room
Two metal bathtubs and the remains of the mirror could
be found here. Perceptive (DC 15) characters can spot a
Potion of Healing among the glass and wood.
Mansion Upper Floor
The upper floor could be better lit due to holes in the
roof. Nevertheless it is still gloomy and unwelcoming. The
air is cold and heavy and smells of mold.
1. Lord’s Cabinet
This is the room where the late lord Nicholas used to
work. The old paintings on the walls depict glorious battles
of the days of yore and tattered banners lie on the floor
among rusty weapons. Lord's table stands in the corner, near
the window. It is empty, but when the characters approach, a
sudden gust of wind blows a piece of parchment closer to Rewards
them. It is a page from lord's journal (Handout 1).

2. Arsenal Experience
The roof of this room has caved in and left the interior
exposed it to the elements. The shelves that once held Specters: 400 XP
weapons have long turned to dust, swords, spears and Skeletons: 300 XP
hammers have become piles of rust and bows and crossbows Poltergeist: 450 XP
have simply burned during the fire.
Solving the Mystery
of the Haunted Manor: 350 XP
3. Bedroom
This room is in pristine condition, untouched by the fire Treasure
or passage of time. Only a thin layer of dust on the floor
shows that no living being has been here for decades. In the
middle of the room stands a large bed, covered in majestic Cache in the piano: 13 gp
purple bedsheets. Upon it lies a dessicated body of a man. Wine in the cellar: 5 gp
Its pose is peaceful, as if sleeping. Piggybank: 2 gp, 15 sp, 25 cp
When the characters try to approach the bed, a horrific Lord's gratitude: 198 gp
scream echoes across the mansion. "He's mine!" - shrieks
the poltergeist of the lady Clarissa, and attacks the
characters. It aims to drive them away from the bed first, so
it uses Telekinetic Thrust first and targets the character
which is closer to the body of the lord.
If the characters have taken a girl's portrait from room 7,
the poltergeist could be provoked into attacking it for one
round with good roleplaying.
If the players have not found the Lamp of Revealing,
they can attempt to spot the invisible enemy by passing a
DC 17 perception check to see the swirls of dust in the place
where the poltergeist is.
After the poltergeist is defeated, the characters hear a
voice, calling them from the shrine (17)

4. Chapel
A small shrine to Tempus, Lord of Battles, is in this
room. It contains an altar, a couple broken suits of armor,
assorted religious items and a large armchair. After the
characters have defeated Clarissa, they can meet the ghost of
Nicholas here.
Read or paraphrase the following:

A man in his fourties is sitting in this armchair. His stern

face and posture show that he is used to command and
being obeyed. However there is an uncanny sorrow in his
gaze, as if something has broken inside him and the hard
outer shell covers a wounded soul. You can see through his
body, so there is no mistake - he is a ghost.

Lord Nicholas tells the characters of his family's tragic

fate and freely gives out any information that he could know
about their quest. He asks them for help - he wants to pray to
his god one more time and move on to the afterlife. He,
however, can't do it himself for he can't remember any
prayers. Any character that passes a DC 13 Religion test can
remember a simple litany and with the final words spoken,
the spirit disappears (clerics and paladins of Tempus) have
advantage on the check). The character that helped him
suddenly understands, that there is a small cache of gold
hidden under a tree in front of the manor.
And the adventure is over.
 Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder;
Enemies bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage immunities necrotic, poison
Condition immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed,
petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
Skeleton Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Medium undead, lawful evil
Armor Class 13 Languages: understands languages it knew in life but can't speak
Hit Points 13
Speed 30 ft. Challenge: 2 (450 XP)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 6 (-2) 8 (-1) 5 (-3) Incorporeal Movement. The poltergeist can move through other
Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10)
Damage immunities poison force damage if it ends its turn inside an object
Condition immunities exhaustion, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9 Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the poltergeist has
disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) rolls
Languages: understands languages it knew in life but can't speak that rely on sight.
Invisibility. The poltergeist is invisible.
Challenge: 1/4 (50 XP)
Actions
____________________________________________________
Forceful Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) force damage.
Actions
Telekinetic Thrust. The poltergeist targets a creature or an
Bone Punch. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
unattended object within 30 ft. of it. A creature must be Medium or
Hit: 5 (1d6+2) bludgeoning damage.
smaller to be affected by this magic, and an object can weight up to
150 pounds.
If the target is a creature, the poltergeist makes a Charisma check
Child Specter contested by a target's Strength check. If the poltergeist wins the
contest, the poltergeist hurls the target up to 30 ft. in any direction,
Medium undead, chaotic evil
including upward. If the target then comes into contact with a hard
Armor Class 12
surface or a heavy object, the target takes 1d6 damage per 10 ft.
Hit Points 22
moved.
Speed 0 ft., fly 50 ft. (hover)
If the target is an object that isn't worn or carried, the poltergeist
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
hurls it up to 30 feet in any direction. The poltergeist can use the
1 (-5) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 11 (+0)
object as a ranged weapon, attacking one creature along the object's
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder;
path (+4 to hit) and dealing 5 (2d4) bludgeoning damage on a hit.
bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage immunities necrotic, poison
Condition immunities charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed,
petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages: understands languages it knew in life but can't speak

Challenge: 1 (200 XP)

Incorporeal Movement. The specter can move through other creatures

and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force
damage if it ends its turn inside an object
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the specter has disadvantage on
attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) rolls that rely on sight.

Actions
Life Drain. Melee Spell Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit:
10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 10
Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an
amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the
creature finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit
poing maximum to 0.

Clarissa (Poltergeist)
Medium undead, lawful evil
Armor Class 12
Hit Points 40
Speed 0 ft., fly 50 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
1 (-5) 14 (+2) 11 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 11 (+0)
Clarissa has been rather irritated lately. Even the children
are scared. Especially Alice. Poor girl is doing her best to
avoid being seen by her mother. I probably should send her to
our relatives in Tolero. It would be a good chance for her to
become better acquainted with her future husband. I’m sure
young Wolverton would be a good match for my daughter.

I had to fire the maid and pay her a year’s wages to keep her
silent. I hope no one will ask too much about the scars on
her face, otherwise they might learn what Clarissa did to her.
It would be prudent to replace the other servants as well.

Finally! It seems my wife started behaving as a noble lady

should. It has been a long time since I’ve seen her smiling so
happily. She promised something special for tonight, to bring
our family closer together. Oh how am I looking forward to
the evening!