LOST CIVILISATIONS

IN MILLENNIA GONE BY...The Dungeon Master’s Guide is a lot betterthan many people give it time for. It has somegreat tables to roll on to create adventures andpages of magic items. Always overlooked is thefirst half of the book which tells us about whata realistic (or better: wondrous) world needs.

One part in particular is regarding currencies.Isn’t it a little odd that your characters keepfinding modern day coins at the bottom ofcave systems, or as loot from a three thousandyear old dungeons? With the passing frommonarch to High Council to monarch again,some currency must have fallen out of fashion.Some of it from thousands of years ago.

Which raises the question of who did it belongto? And why aren’t they around any more?

In this chapter we’ll take a look at the storiesof a few now-extinct races and tribes. In afantasy world like ours, whose to say they’restill dead? They could have fled this plainfor a less dangerous one, or simply gone intoextreme hiding. Either way, they must have leftsomething behind, be it gold, art, or culture. Ormaybe, a curse.

THE ENDARI DRUIDS

The Endari died almost one thousand years ago.They were a rather populous tribe of druids,wiped out in just one night when they sacrificedthemselves to give life back to their dying forest.

During their time they built homes andbuildings within the trees. These were simplebuildings, none of which are likely standingtoday. Something that can still be found aretheir deliberately planted exotic plants - if therewas a way to communicate with the druids’spirits it would surely be these moonlightflowering orchids. After all this time, the spiritsthat linger must be a trove of information.Surely they know about the darkness thatthreatened their forest.

The wants of these druids were few, andso they had no need for commerce. They didhave a system of tracking favours though: inexchange for a kindness, one druid would givea petrified acorn to another. Receiving an acorn

was considered an honour, and they wouldrarely be re-gifted. It was expected that oncegiven, the acorn would be a symbol of pride.Nowadays, antiques collectors find great valuein them.

It was not easy to petrify the seeds - it tookdays of drying and soaking them in vinegar anddrying again. The petrifaction has made theacorns linger on forest floors even now. Thisprocess was perfected by the Endari and hasbeen lost since.

The Endari live on only as a proud memorypassed along by druids and forest elves. Theforest lives to this day, still feeding on thenourishment of the druids. The bodies, thoughmortally wounded, have been protected by thetrees and other flora all this time.

The Endari paid dearly to protect their forestbut no one knows the reason for such a highprice - that message was only given to thedruids themselves. What might an adventurercrawling into a tree knot or a wood cutter thinkwhen they come across the cold, endlesslysleeping druids beneath the bark?

More importantly, what happens when thedarkness can no longer be held off by thedruids’ sacrifice?

MER-FOOTED ELVES

When an infection spread through the elves,there was a desperate search for a cure,but none was found. All that could be donewas for the infected to leave their homeland,and find refuge elsewhere. These elves leftthe forests long before the dark elves wentunderground, and after all that time they foundthemselves better accustom to wetter areas.After generations of this separation, adaptationsbegan to appear prompted by requirement andby the illness that still plagued them. Their feetand hands grew webbed and clawed, suited forhunting the fish in the marsh pools.

There were no suitable homes in the marshesthey moved between. In the forest they couldsettle in alcoves of trees and branches woundinto rooms, but the barren, wet marchesoffered no such comfort. Instead, they movedconstantly, carrying all they owned with them.

1LOST CIVILISATIONS

Each of the mer-footed elves carried a leather,waterproof bag with heirlooms and reminders ofa previous home.

The surprising part was how long theseelves were able to live in such conditions. Forcenturies, estranged from their kin (who hadeither forgotten them or still whispered theirtale to frighten children), they eked out anexistence.

This was all stopped when a few scouts founda cave which seemed large enough (and emptyenough) to move into. The entire communityspent two nights there, unaware of the sacrilegethey were sleeping in. The cave system wasonce a loving temple where halflings came andworshipped their god of fertility, then a vilewarlock bent the place’s link with the gods fordarker deeds. The temple was desecrated withmites which chewed away the remnants of thehalfling god.

These lingering mites found their way into theelves and devoured them whilst they slept.

Those were the last of the Mer-Footed Elves,whose remains and waterproof leather bags stillwait to be discovered in their cave. Infested withdemonic mites.

THE ABANDONED CHILDREN OF

GAIRN

Gairn was the forest named by the nearbyhuman villages. Those villages all emptiedthemselves over night, the inhabitants no whereto be seen. The abandoned villages surroundingGairn were discovered only by traders whopassed by to find the streets quiet and marketsempty. The baron’s men were dispatched toinvestigate. What they found lead them to theforest.

Gairn, it became apparent, was now hometo a demon. A huge beast, twice the size ofan cow, that crept its way lightly within thedense treetops and snatched up prey thatwandered below. It was a spider that seemed tobe greased with a corrosive liquid that stainedthe trees it perched on. Terrified by theirdiscovery, the investigators ran as fast as theycould through the trees, but were tripped orcaught in the cold arms of others. Men, women,and children pinned them warm blooded menand gorged on them.

Those that escaped returned with storiesof the ghouls in the forest wearing colours of

the surrounding villagers. From their headshad burst nothing of human descent though:husked black flesh, with eight bulging, blackeyes.

More people were sent to clear the forest, butvery few returned. Villagers, for fear of beingabducted and transformed, moved further awayfrom the forest. They say they could still hearthe clicking of enormous pincers though. Thecrisp sound travelling across quiet nights ofmiles.

After some time, the noises stopped. Curiosityoutweighed fear and people investigatedonce again. They found the forest covered inimpenetrable web, with only a single entranceinto the trees. Following it lead to tunnelssapped with poison. Lying lifelessly on the floorwere hundreds of freaks. They made no signs ofattack. They made no movement at all.

The Spider of Gairn was gone, leaving itsinfected drones to wither away. Where ever itdid show up from that day, folk rememberedGairn as they recovered their infected dead.

CREATE YOUR OWN

Creating your own long gone race is a lotof fun, and you can use them to lead yourplayers towards investigating another culture;untapped knowledge for them to comeacross and bring to light - and of course,their treasures are also simply waiting to bediscovered.

WHERE WERE THEY?

Remember that these people lived a very longtime ago. They may have had advanced magicallowing them to live in extreme conditions orbeen simple cave dwellers. How would someonehave to adapt to be able to live in your chosenlocation? (Or maybe they didn’t, and that’s whythey’re dead now.)

Alternatively to rolling below, take a look atyour world map and choose a location fromthere.

2 LOST CIVILISATIONS

ENVIRONMENTd10 Environment1 Rarely, maybe never, left the forest2 Lake and shore dwellings3 Dessert nomads4 Vast cities5 Deep in tunneled mountains6 Open fields and farmland7 Fresh ocean beaches8 Underground tunnelers9 In tree tops, never touching the ground10 In the valley of three volcanoes

WHAT WERE THEY?

Whilst elves and dwarfs have been around foras long as anyone can remember, there mayhave been species that weren’t so lucky. TheDMG has rules on creating a new race, or usethese tables to pick a race to reskin with a newquirk. "Elves but with four eyes" isn’t especiallyinteresting on its own; try find some story aboutwhat set about the transformation. An infectionor curse, like the Mer-Footed Elves? Or maybeelves are just your canvas to build on, creatinga whole new creature.

If the race truly is long dead, you may onlyneed to think about what is left behind. On theother hand, if your players or NPCs find a wayto resurrect one of these dead, you may end upwith a new playable race to think about.

RACE AND TWEAKd10 Like...1 Humans2 Orges3 Elves4 Genies5 Birds6 Gnomes7 Yaun-ti8 Halflings9 Goblins10 Rats

A long forgotten Efreeti

d10 But with...1 Two more eyes2 Gills and double layered eye-lids for a marine

life3 An elemental attribute as their life force4 A much smarter parasite5 Twice as large or small6 Protruding bones of gold or glass7 Wings8 Clawed hands and feet, with sinister features9 A terrible curse, deforming them10 Demon heritage

HOW DID THEY LIVE?Before we decide how they died, how they livedwill tell us what kind of artifacts they mayhave left behind. It’s possible nothing is leftbut rubble. However, with enough excavatingsomething else may be found. There are manypeople in the realms who would be interestedin any of the findings, from historians hopingto fill out their next academic paper to occultmembers who believe this to be an ascendedrace that needs to be returned.

3LOST CIVILISATIONS

SOCIETYd8 Life Discoveries left

behind1 Harmonious, without

strifeTemples with relicsor auditoriums withbooks of plays

2 Consistent strugglesagainst famine andillness

Gravestones or alarge amount of (nowwild) medicinal herbsgrowing

3 Defending or fighting Buried ancientweapons or trophiesfrom many othersocieties

4 Busy cities Large areas ofweathered buildingsand roads or bunkersstocked with old foodsand wines

5 Hidden Rooms found insurprising places, likein hollowed out treesor caves dug alongunderwater coastlines

6 Farmers orbeastmasters

Dozens of animalskeletons or tools ofthe trade

7 Devoutly Few buildings, butfor one large templeor stacks of old holybooks preserved in pigskins

8 Travellers Very little, but forsmall pouches nextto each body andcarts carrying all theirpossessions

DEATH

Maybe death is like the Tarot card and justmeans change.

It may have been a blight that wiped outan entire species, but what brought aboutthat infection? Could it be the Heart of Athena,protected by curses and enchantments, whichlies just twenty feet below where you stand?The discovery of this dead race should pushyour players towards more story, as well as

filling up your world.

EXTINCTIONd8 Event1 Starvation due to a blight2 Cursed with infertility by an insulted witch3 A predator arrived; a dragon or demon4 Their mountain or entire grass plain collapsed

in on itself over night5 Conquest of an enemy, causing total loss6 An alluring portal to the Feywild opened which

summon each of them through7 Crazed leader, who called an end to his own

race8 Vanished, without a trace

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR

PLAYERS

World building for world building’s sake is afun hobby for a game master. It’s importantto bear in mind that your players will onlycare about your world as much as the storyneeds them to care. Having your playersstumble across The Tomb of the Last CargunCentaurs is an interesting break from travel,but your adventurers will go hunting for aplot line inside those tunnels. Whether it’s acontinuation of a current plot line, or the startof a new story arch, it must be there.

Do not be upset when your players walk pastall your hard work and deliberately placedtracks you left for them to spot; hold onto thatmaterial and fit it in elsewhere.

4 LOST CIVILISATIONS

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MERIDIA

FAMILY

Taking one of the stories above as a seed,this is an adventure describing how a group ofadventurers might come across the remains ofa lost family and see the legacy their loss leftbehind.

This adventure begins with a search tofind the lost family vault of Meridia, a familyof nobles who a village was named for. TheMeridia family were wealthy enough to pay forthe upkeep of the village without asking muchin response, and so were loved by their people.The Meridia family died out quite naturally along time ago, leaving behind their village andstately home.

A problem arises when it appears the locationof the vault is within a dark swamp that’s beencreeping out from its origin. Whatever theswamp is, your heroes will need to find out,as the treasure of the Meridia family is out ofreach until its evil has been vanquished.

ADVENTURE SYNOPSIS

A collection of highly curious Sprites have comeacross a lockbox and they’ve finally understoodhow to open and read the message within; itseems to be a part of a will that the recipientnever received. It gives directions to the Meridiafamily vault.

From there, there are a few expected parts ofthe adventure, though what order they happenin is up to your and your players.

1. Finding the Vault. Finding the vault onlytakes time, but this is not a pleasant journey.The swamp is putrid and littered with thebodies of those who have fallen to the ghoulsand ghasts that linger within. A surprisingnumber of bodies are found along the way, infact.

2. Gaining entrance to the Vault. Getting inis difficult, as the vault is three feet belowthe swamp waste. Your players may find acunning way in, but the recommended way isto push onto the source of the swamp.

3. Deeper into the swamp. Entire mass gravesof unusual bodies are found here. It seemsfamilies are buried here.

4. The Ritual Site. A mound, in the dead centreof the swamp, shows clear signs of arcaneactivity. Inside, the players find an ongoingritual still feeding off the energy of the nearbydead, looking for more energy to finish thetask. The ritual intends to open a largeenough portal for a kraken to make its waythrough.

5. Loot the Vault. Once the ritual has beenended, somehow, the family treasure atthe Meridia vault is available for the taking(potentially).

RUNNING THE ADVENTURE

Whilst you should just be able to read ahead asyour players are talking, you will find it usefulto read all the content in the paperboxes atleast, like the following one talking about thetimeline of the story. These boxes will set thescene better, and allow you to answer questionswhich you don’t contradict later on.

USING ANOTHER LOCATION

Meridia is a small village, which you could swapfor another, if you like. Another required featurefor the adventure is the marshy swamp, butany blighted land will do. A desert creepingcloser towards town or an endless storm whoseradius is getting slightly bigger each year.

ADVENTURE HOOKS

Sometimes your adventurers need more of anudge to get them on the quest track. You canuse these ideas if it’s needed.

TOURISM

The Sprites are a short ride away from Meridiaand are quite well known. If you’re in the

5WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MERIDIA FAMILY

HISTORYThere are a few events that need to happen quitesome time apart for this adventure to make themost sense.

Aryn Vuuvaxath comes to the marshlandand begins her ritual - 3,200 years ago. Theordinary marshland starts to become blighted whena girl who hears demonic voices begins a ritual,but is unable to complete it. The marsh becomesswamp-like, and slowly spreads.

The Meridia Family Vault is built - 1,800years ago. Built near their village, but far enoughinto the marshland for it to remain secret. Theblight was still quite some way off, and not reallyconsidered a concern.

The Death of Lucian Meridia - 500 years ago.He leaves instructions to his only son on where tofind the vault.

The Death of Tyler Meridia - 460 years ago.The last of the Meridia family falls, leaving no oneto inherit their lost fortune.

area you really should pop by and see theircollection. They have a wide selection oftrinkets showing the marks of noble familiesthat they’ve come across, and make theirbusiness to collect.

The Sprites have a favor to ask of youradventurers, anyway.

HIRED INVESTIGATORS

It was assumed that the swamp would stoponce it reached the perimeter of the marsh land,but it seems to be continuing. The people ofMeridia have grown more concerned that an evilforce must be behind it, and the distress hasbeen enough for the council of the town to callupon adventurers.

They are asking for investigators to inspectthe cause of the swamp, and do what they canto put a stop to it. The reward is quite the sumof gold.

LOST INHERITANCE

A lady from another nearby village insistsshe is a Meridia family member, though herfamily name was lost to her some time ago.She believes she should have access to thelost vault, but needs some help getting in andproving her claim.

MERIDIA

Meridia is an old town that grew around theneeds of the Meridia estate, which is stillthe biggest building. These days it’s used forstoring the large quantities of wax makingsupplies the town uses for its industry: candlestick making. Over the past 400 years withouta noble driving their economy, the townspeopleflocked around one skill a few of them had. Itcontinued as tradition until now and they’requite famous for it around the world.

Meridia Estate. This large building used tobe home to the noble family. It’s been kept ina respectable condition thought its use hasbecome more functional. Inside, you’ll findcandlestick makers, like Gregg Burnheart.

Town Hall. The Council use this buildingto hold any meetings. It has one large roomat the front, and the three smaller offices atthe back. The councilors can almost always befound here, and they’re always willing to helpout travellers however they can.

The Happy Man Pub. A clean tavern, withrooms to spare. The bar keep is Roy McAllister,who’s quite proud that bees have finally takento the beehives he has at the back of the pub.

Convenience Store. Stocked with food andother everyday goods. A tourist trap shelf showsoff candles in novelty shapes. They do smellgood though. It’s run by Elain Conors.

Blacksmith. There’s a group of threebuildings used by blacksmiths, though they’retypically knocking up brass candlestickholders rather than weapons. One of theblacksmiths named Vanesh Kline may be upfor the challenge though, if it comes calling.

Church. Whilst other gods are worshippedhere, the chapel seems dedicated to the god ofFate, who’s been the patron of the town for aslong as anyone can remember. Their beautifulvisage watches over as a carving, ready to listento prayer.

RUMORS AROUND TOWN

• It was recently the 460th anniversary of thedeath of Tyler, the last of the noble family.Most people raised flags or painted theirshirts to show respect. A few of the flags arestill around. Even after all this time, peoplestill revere the family, and tell stories of theirkindness.

6 WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MERIDIA FAMILY

THE GOD OF FATEThe Greek’s had three gods who wound thetapestries of fate. One of them was Lachesis. Theymeasure the threads and decide where to cut them,many saying that they control fate.When wanting to represent herself on Earth,

Lachesis would appear as an old, kind lady.Otherwise, she may appear as a fearsome snake-like beast.

• The sprites pass through town not so longago, returning from their most recentadventures. The people find the creaturesto be endearing, and their collection of bitsand bobs adorable.

• The swamp still approaches. It’s comingincredibly slowly, but it’s definitely movingtowards the town as if intentionally.

• The council building contains very oldrecords, going back hundreds of years whichno one ever really looks at any more, exceptfor one imaginative child who has beenpouring through them. She says that theMeridia family didn’t end with Tyler - therewas a bastard child who was sent away, butis still technically next of kin! No one believesthis, of course.

• Villages near the swamp always seem to be"evacuated" before the swamp approachesthem... well, no one really knows where thepeople go once the swamp grows to near.They’re never heard of again.

THE HERITAGE SPRITES

A few hours away from town you’ll eventuallycome across the a patch of trees in the middleof a field. This patch of trees is home to aroundtwenty Sprites which each pop in and out ofview rapidly.

Around their small home, the sprites areeager to show off bits of their collection. Theredoesn’t appear to be anything especiallyvaluable - there’s no glimmer of magic swords.There are may flags or shields around, andthe sprites are more than happy to share theirknowledge about them. Some of the familysigils appear to go back decades and longer.Despite it’s unusual curators, this may well bethe biggest collection of historical family items.

The current source of excitement for the

sprites is a box with the emblem of the Meridiafamily etched into it. They recently figured outhow to open the unusual mechanism keeping itlocked. Inside, they found a letter which they’reembarrassed to say they broke the seal of.

My son,This pneumonia has not treated me well, and

so it is time for me to pass along the location ofthe family vault to you. Of course, this also meanshanding the responsibilities that come along with it.Head to the marsh, where the greatest oak trees

still stand.Our family will only be blessed whilst our

ancestors are honoured. Take this letter as proof ofyour name, and introduce yourself to our protector.Embrace fate, never turn your back on its fear.Earl Meridia.

The sprites know of the oak trees the letterrefers to, and can give directions. However,the sprites ask for first claim on any familymarks the adventurers find. It’s too dangerousfor the sprites to travel over the marsh andswamp. One or two of the braver sprites maybepersauded to come along though.

THE SWAMP

The swamp is difficult terrain, likely leavingyour characters to move at half pace the entiretime; the ground is easy to sink into, each stepneeding considerable effort and a high chanceof losing a boot.

At some point whilst walking through swampa player will reach into the mud to find theirswallowed boot and instead find that they havegrabbed the hand of a well preserved body.

An elven person, whose fatal wounds appearto be large scrapes across their necks, as ifsomeone pulled their throat out. This is true.An investigation check (DC 10) will show thatthe elf was killed brutally and mindlessly. He’snot been robbed or eaten. They carry a bag ofmostly rotted parchment but a locked box ofthree rings seems well preserved. The box hasa symbol (the same as is on the bag) of a wolfbiting its own tail, making a circle. The Spriteswill recognise this symbol as the elven house ofDurrenbare - traders of magic rings. Roll 3 d8to see what the rings are.

7WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MERIDIA FAMILY

The sprites are only interested in the box.They would be willing to trade a cloak with theMeridia emblem on it, as they already have two.

BOUNTIFUL RINGSd8 Bountiful Ring of...1 Fortitude. After a long rest roll a d6. On a

4-5-6, maximum health is increased by 1d20until your next long rest.

2 Luck. Add 1d10 to an ability check, savingthrow, or attack roll. Once per long rest. Aftera long rest roll a d6, on 4-5-6 the ring is usableagain.

3 Combat Prowess. When you miss with amelee attack, you can instead choose to hit.Once per long rest. After a long rest roll a d6,on 4-5-6 the ring is usable again.

4 Spell Recall. Cast a spell you know at itslowest level without spending a spell slot. Onceper long rest. After a long rest roll a d6, on4-5-6 the ring is usable again.

6 Night Spirit. Whilst in dim light or darknessyou can become invisible for 1 hour. Once perlong rest. After a long rest roll a d6, on 4-5-6the ring is usable again.

7 Undetectability. A +10 to a Stealth or Sleightof Hand check. Once per long rest. After along rest roll a d6, on 4-5-6 the ring is usableagain.

8 Recovery. As an action, recover half of yourmaximum health points. Once per long rest.After a long rest roll a d6, on 4-5-6 the ring isusable again.

THOSE ARE SOME POWERFUL RINGS...These abilities are slightly watered down versions ofthe Bounties that level 20+ characters get.If that freaks you out, remember that you’re not

playing against your characters. As the DM it’syou’re job to make them feel awesome. Plus, onceword gets out that a bunch of level 3s are runningaround with amazing rings of power, they mighthave to start looking over their shoulders moreoften.

The box is magically sealed with blue twinethat only appears when strained. An Arcana(DC 10) determines this is used by mages tosecure items against theft whilst in transit. Itcan be opened only by a lawful good elf, likethe one carrying the box. The twine itself isreusable.

After investigating the body, the playerswill be attacked by a single Ghast. Perceptivecharacters will note that he looks very similar tothe body they just found but in considerablymore distress. If the ghast survives morethan one round he’ll yell in anguish (not pain),bringing the attention of 3 Ghouls.

Once dealt with, the PCs move on, they maywell look back to see the distressed ghast cryingover the body. (Regardless of if it was "defeated"or not.)

If the PCs look for other bodies in theswamp, they don’t need to look far. Roll onthe Corpses table to see what they find on thebody. Each time they do this, there’s a chancethat disturbing the body will summon moreghasts and ghouls.

CORPSESd6 Body of a...1 Butcher, still clutching at his cleaver. His two

children are nearby.50% to summon a ghast and two child sizedghouls. This is rather creepy.

2 A female wizard, identifiable from her silveredfocus tied around her neck.50% chance to summon a Poltergeist and aghoul.

3 A man with a heavy gold chain around hisneck.50% to summon a ghast.

4 A man in clergy robes. He carried with himsome holy water in an unbroken vial. It sizzles,as if boiling, as soon as the top is opened.50% to summon two ghasts.

5 The skeleton of a horse, and its dead rider, isvisible just above the swamp mud.50% to summon a ghast riding upon aWarhorse Skeleton.

6 A large eagel, with its dead prey still clutchedin its claws.50% to summon a ghasts, but its form is aneagel. It has the same stats as a ghast, exceptit has Flying (40ft). It calls loudly for aid oncehurt, summoning ghouls.

THE VAULT AND CRYPT OF

THE MERIDIA FAMILY

The crypt is very old now. It has been protectedfrom anyone else for hundreds of years, and not

8 WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MERIDIA FAMILY

one person has been to witness it. Certainly,no one has been to clean or pray to the familygod. As Tyler Meridia never found the locationto this place, the lack of attention to the gods inthis place is likely the cause for the end of thefamily line so abruptly. (NB. It was!)

ENTRANCE TO THE CRYPT

The entrance - usually hidden by anenchantment - is now hidden by 3 feet offresh swamp. Now, it’s only identifiable by therotting twin oak tress mentioned in the Meridialetter. Digging a way through the swamp isn’tpossible - the swamp returns, flooding in likea sandcastle washed away on the shore. Magiccan be used, of course.

Once the swamp is gone, a detect magic spell,or similar will light up the vault doors thatsimply need two large nobs turning to open thedoors. A Meridia family member present will seethe doors without any magic.

The oak tree stumps are a cunning, non-arcane method of access to the ground below;tearing into the rotting tree and digging down.This is a rather noisy method, and the groupwill be greeted with an onslaught of enemiesuntil they to get into the safety of the crypt.

The tree is weak enough to easily breakthrough its centre, but the ground willneed some kind of bludgeoning damage. Tobreak through, it has 55 hit points that needdepleting.

Once in the tomb, the undead of the outsideno longer follow; this is holy ground still,despite its surrounding environment.

ANTECHAMBER

The highest room, and the one most likely tofall into, is the antechamber. In the roof areclearly the ordinary method of entrance: stairslead from a hatch in the roof down to the floor.The hatch is too heavy to open from this sidewhilst the swamp is above.

The room is pristine, with the Meridiatapestries hanging from the wall, framing aset of stairs leading down further. On the wallsare paintings of men and women smiling, inMeridia colours. A long table in the middle ofthe room has vases with dried dead flowers.This would be impressive if they were in fullbloom.

If the flowers are revived or replenished insome way, those in the room feel a blessing - awarm sensation. For the rest of the day, until along rest, the players each receive a blessing.

BLESSINGd4 Blessing1 You feel you’ve gained a resistance to poison

and necrotic damage.2 A divine force guides your hand, adding 1d4

Radiant damage to any Damage rolls.3 Undead fear the watchful gaze this god has

over you, and will act as if Frightened of you,until they make a DC 10 Wisdom save.

4 A Bright Imp crawls out from the flowers andsits subserviently, waiting for your orders.

BRIGHT IMPTiny, controlled fiend, shapechanger. Neutral.

Armor Class 13Hit Points 10 (3d4 + 3)Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA6 (−2) 17 (+3) 13 (+1) 13 (+1) 13 (+1) 11 (+0)

Skills Insight +4, Stealth +5, Religion +4Damage Resistances Cold, Radiant. Bludgeoning,Piercing, or Slashing from non-magical or silveredweapons.

Damage Immunities Fire, PoisonCondition Immunities CharmedSenses Darkvision (120ft.), Passive Perception 11Languages Common, Infernal, CelestialChallenge 1 (200 XP)

Shapechanger. As an action, the imp can change intoan ermine (same stats as a weasel), an owl (fly 60ft.),or its true form. It maintains its Intelligence, Wisdom,and Charisma whilst in other forms.Hallowed Sight. Magical darkness does not impede itsvision.Magical Resistance. Takes half damage from magicalsources.Powerfully Compelled. Some source a great good hascommanded the loyalty of the imp, turning it away fromits fiendish master. This loyalty is unshakable, and assuch the imp is immune to the Charmed condition.

ACTIONS

9WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MERIDIA FAMILY

Sting (or Claw or Bite). Melee Weapon Attack:+5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3)piercing damage, and the target must make on a DC 11Constitution saving throw, taking 13 (3d6 + 3) poisondamage on a failed save, or half as much damage on asuccessful one.

HEIRLOOMS

The first room that you enter, coming from theantechamber, is a room filled with tables whichhave family heirlooms on them of some value,but more filled with historic and sentimentalvalue. Some are rather pretty though.

• A tiara, which seems to be sized for a younggirl.

• One wall is covered with shields and swords.• Fine paintings of the family are on easels.• A book, called "The Truth in the Face of God",

has its author listed as Tilda Meridia.• Many large crates, filled with trinkets; hair

brushes, clothes, silver decorations.• A huge rug with the family emblem of a sword

and flower surrounding an orange sun.

There are subtly different emblems aroundthe room which may jog your character’smemories about the Meridia family. The piecesof each item may also tell such a story.

A DC 10 History check will reveal the originof the Meridia family fortune and earldom.The old legends tell of Katherine Meridia whosuccessfully defeated the old Southern Empiresassault on the villages in the area. Further, herhusband managed the peace treaty betweenthis land the the Southern Empire, makingboth of them quite important to safe andpeaceful living.

A rather heavy wooden door stands as theonly other exit to the room. It is barred, but thebars are on this side, and so just need somestrength to lift them.

FAILING FORWARDSThere are occasions when a skill check is onlyneeded to see how well the PC will manage a task.In the case of trying to lift a heavy bar to unlock adoor, it’s traditionally possible that rolling a 1 couldblock the entire story (or each player "having a go"until the spindly wizard rolls an 18). In these cases,rolling a 1 should still mean the job is done, butmaybe the block falls loudly to the floor and drawsattention, or takes twenty minutes rather than afew seconds.

TOMB AND CHAPEL

A chapel takes up almost a half of the room. Itsclear this room has wasted away over time. Theair here is wetter and no longer fresh. Braziersare toppled, chandeliers fallen, and the altercollapsed.

The other half is a tomb. Damaged restingplaces where skeletal ancestors lay with fallenstone pinning their bones to dust.

A secret door can be spotted by realising theonly standing lamp holder ring-thing is a pulley,which winds a mechanism to open the door.They must keep pulling it to power the spinninggear, and then the wall slides upwards.

This leads to a long, dark chamber wherenon-magical lights are extinguished.

HALL OF STATUES

At the far end of the room is a hideous figurebrandishing a weapon (the same as is in thehouse iconography, a few people notice). If thecharacters get closer to investigate it, havethem make a Religion or History check (DC 15)to recognise this as Lachesis, one of the godsof fate, but in their more terrifying, snake-likeform.

Approaching or investigating the statue alsoprompts a Constitution check (DC 10), or elsethe characters becomes frightened of it. Theycan make another saving throw in 5 minutes orif they are comforted by another character.

Six statues of Meridia family members arefacing away form the statue of Fate, their facesin fear, cowering. These statues are magical (asis Fate’s). Saying calming words to the statues,encouraging bravery, including reading thefamily motto ("Embrace fate! Never turn your

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back on fear!"), will reduce the stress of thestatues. They being to turn and face Fate, whothen turns into a more pleasant version of themself, with a flower in hand.

If the characters haven’t recognised thestatue yet, the History or Religion check isnow only DC 5, as this is a more commonrepresentation of Fate.

If one player presents the letter (or anysymbol of the family) and introduces themselvesas a Meridia then the statue steps aside. Thestatue is naive and not attempting to discerntruth. It is simply looking for phrases it hasbeen told to move aside for.

TREASURE ROOM

Past them is the family’s treasure room. There’sa great deal of treasure inside. The treasureisn’t collectible whilst in the presence of evilthough; it simply ceases up, impossible to opencontainers or too heavy to lift even the smallestcoin. The ’evil’ it’s protecting itself against isfrom the swamp it can sense above - and anyevil characters!

There’s a portrait of an old lady, the first totake the Meridia name - Lady Jane Meridia. It’san animated portrait and addresses the group.She’s incapable of telling how much time haspassed - "I’m timeless, you see!"

She’s eager to hear about the family news,and is furious if she finds out that none ofthe group are actually of the family. Deceivingher is a DC 10 Deception check, this checkhas disadvantage applied to it if the deceiverisn’t human. She is the one in charge the ofthe magic around the treasure, but will refuseto allow the treasure to be taken whilst evillingers.

She can cast Detect Good and Evil at will.Before the treasure is available, they must get

rid of the swamp plague. Lady Meridia detectsthat the evil is concentrated to the south, nearthe centre of the swamp.

DISCOVERING THE RITUAL SITE

The ritual site is easy to find by travelling tothe centre of the blight. This is also where thehighest concentration of bodies are. It’s quitea slow journey; remember that whilst in theswamp your adventurers will be travelling athalf pace due to the difficult terrain.

There is an organic looking "construction" atthe centre of the swamp - a large mound, or asmall hill, made out of the swamp itself. Thereare no windows. Sometimes a bubble will poprevealing a green light shining within, beforequickly rebuilding itself.

As the characters get closer they may noticethat there are a great many more bodies invarying state of decay, in the "walls" andaround the area. Use the Corpses table if anyof are interfered with, or if you feel like morecombat!

The atmosphere of primordial evil is quitestrong now. Even those with no sense for itcan feeling the damper on their emotions andmorale.

There is just one large room inside of theritual site, but it is quite the scene.

The entire floor - wall to wall - is coveredwith bodies. Slime blankets them with a greenluminescent sheen. The middle of the roomhas a blazing light in it - being channelled bya person kneeling. They seem to be as still asthe bodies, maybe even dead, but for the energythat seems to be flowing through them.

The energy is directed to a portal that lingersopen, wobbling. Looking through the portalshows a similar swamp-like land with a dyingsun only dimly lighting the world. Tainted waterand slivers of land expand as far as the eyecan see. If the PC’s watch for a while they’ll seeenormous creatures diving in and out the water.Sometimes huge beasts are caught in the jawsof even bigger monsters.

Stepping through the portal takes the PC’sto a world with air they cannot breath. Waitaround too long and they will be attacked by ahorrendous sea creature. They’ve likely neverseen anything like this and is completely aweand terror invoking.

The person in the middle of the room, trappedin their own ritual is Aryn Vuuvaxath. Dealingany damage to her breaks the ritual. It endsabruptly, explosively: those within 20 feet ofher are thrown back 10 feet. Have anyonethrown back make a DC 10 Dexterity save,or be knocked prone. If they hit a wall, theyshould take 7 (2d6) Bludgeoning damage. Ifthey are pushed back into the portal, theyfall into the water and must scramble back tosafety.

Even after the ritual has been disrupted, theportal remains open, drawing energy from the

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dead bodies of the swamp.

ARYN VUUVAXATHAryn was born from a deva and a human. Childrenborn this way rarely come quietly and word spreadsquickly amongst angelic and demon ranks alike.An angel with the whims of a human is dangerousfor angel-kind but a potential asset to demons anddevils who can work their way in.Once the deva moves on - they always move on

- Aryn is left alone with her mortal father. It’s notlong before the voices start talking to the younggirl, poisoning her view of her useless (heavilydepressed) father and abandoning mother.The voices tell her about bringing together a new

family. But first, they need help getting here...

Aryn looks around and sees people aroundher and immediately tries to deceive them:"Thank goodness you got me out of this curse!We need to get out of here right now!" She’syelling loudly; her objective is to have the PC’sdie here, giving more fuel to the ritual. She’strying to rouse Ghasts. "Help me! Please!"

If the PC’s don’t believe her tormented girlroutine, she begins fighting. 3 Ghasts and 2Ghouls join her.

ARYN VUUVAXATHMedium, Fallen Aasimar

Armor Class 10Hit Points 65 (8d10 + 21)Speed 35ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA12 (+1) 11 (+0) 17 (+3) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)

Skills Deception +6, Perception +5Condition Immunities CharmedSenses Passive Perception 11Languages Common, CelestialChallenge 3 (700 XP)

Innate Spellcasting. At will: Command, Darkness2/day: Control Water, Water WalkWater Dancer. Can Disengage as a bonus actionwhilst under the affect of Water Walk and is in thewatery swamp.

ACTIONS

Cursed Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit,reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) piercingdamage.Feed the Portal. Ranged Spell Attack: 20 ft range, 10ft area. All creatures within the area of the spell mustmake a DC 12 Con save. On success, nothing happens.On failure, the targets take 10 (2d6 + 3) Necroticdamage. The damage is fed to the portal, increasing itshealth.Creatures who die, or fall unconscious, due to thisspell, are unable to wake up, make Death Saves or beresurrected. Their soul is wrenched from them and heldby the ritual. This affect ends if the body is taken to aholy place.

STOPPING THE RITUAL

An Arcana check with a DC of 12 will revealthat portals like this are very sensitive tomagic. Any non-necrotic spells which are usednear the portal cause it to shimmer a little,like a disturbed reflection in a puddle, beforereturning back to its solid self.

Targeting the portal with magic or magicalweapons will disrupt it eventually, however. Theportal has an AC of 8, and has no modifierswhen making saving throws.

When the characters find it, the portal hasmanaged to gain 42 hit points, after decayingslowly over the years. Aryn hopes to continuethe ritual by feeding the portal, causing it toexpand.

If the portal ever gets to 66 hit points then itis wide enough to draw the attention of 2 DeepScion, who scuttle through as scouts, but jointhe fight immediately.

If the portal gets to 162 hit points, then itis large enough to for a kraken to pull itselfthrough... Once this happens, it’s not likelyyour characters will succeed. Stomp them out.Have them roll new characters, and begin againin a world where a kraken has begun to takepower.

A SUCCESSFUL END

With the ritual ended and the portal collapsed,the swamp ceases its incursion on the landaround.

Clerics can be notified, and help the bodiesand souls of the fallen be laid properly to rest.Druids begin work to cleanse the land and

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return it to the marsh it once was.It’s up to your players how they want to

handle the Meridia crypt. If they manage topersuade the portrait of Lady Jane, the treasureis there’s. There’s a huge amount of wealthin that vault. Consider though, there is stillone last relative of the Meridia line who maydiscover their heritage.

The Sprites, if brought some cool itemswith the Meridia family symbol on don’t dealin coins. Instead, the PC’s will gain a goodreputation with the Heritage Sprites, who areoften travelling the world.

CREDITS

This article was written by HaikuShane in LATEX,with a template by evanbergeron, et al onGitHub.

The Efreeti image is a public domain image,created by LadyofHats.

13WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MERIDIA FAMILY