TEXT: Setup
  You have all traveled north as part of  the Black Banner 
  mercenary company, hired to help the baron of Hog-
  arth’s Keep repel raids on his land by the local barbar-
  ian tribes. Your campaign was successful as the Black 
  Banners crushed the savages. Flushed with victory, you 
  took your earnings and mustered out of the company, 
  planning on continuing your adventuring careers as 
  free agents. 
  Unfortunately, like so many adventurers, drink was 
  your downfall. As the rest of the Black Banners left 
  town, you stayed behind in Drunken Dowager Inn. 
  The wine and ale flowed a bit too freely as you all 
  celebrated. Insults were spoke, punches were thrown, 
  tables were turned, and you woke up hungover and 
  bruised in the dungeons of Baron Markus Hogarth.
  You now stand before the Baron, a mountain of a man 
  with a bristling blood-red beard. He stares you down 
  with steely eyes. “You have caused a lot trouble and 
  carnage in my town. By rights, I should have you in 
  the pillory, ready for a flogging. But I remember your 
  valor in the campaign against the savages, and I am in 
  a forgiving mood. I’m going to pardon your crimes and 
  even cover your bar tab, but I want you to do a simple 
  task for me...”
  While the heroes were busy whooping it up last night, 
  a group of thieves were busy breaking into Baron 
  Hogarth’s treasury. They stole no gold, and took but 
  a single item—a black gem of questionable value set 
  between two serpents of red-gold and set into a simple 
  headband of silver. The circlet has been in the treasury 
  since  the baron’s grandfather’s rule, and  it was far 
  from the most valuable thing in the vault.
  A trap in the vault disabled one of the thieves, and the 
  Baron’s guards captured him while his fellow thieves 
  escaped.
  Under the “gentle persuasions” of Hogarth’s chief inter-
  rogator, the thief revealed that his group of robbers 
  were hired by a magician named Varnagon. They were 
  instructed to retrieve the circlet (and only the circlet) 
  from the Baron’s vault and bring it back to him. Var-
  nagon and the bandits have set up base in the ruins of 
  an ancient crypt to the north of the Hogarth’s Keep. He 
  does not know what Varnagon want’s with the circlet, 
  but he paid well for their services.
  Unfortunately, the captured thief died under interroga-
  tion, so the heroes are unable to question him person-
  ally (not without dark magic, anyway).
  Baron Hogarth wants the heroes to retrieve his stolen 
  property. He’ll also pay them a bounty for each bandit 
  (50gp a head) and 200gp for the head of the wizard 
  Varnagon. They’re also welcome to whatever they find 
  in the crypt.
  Hogarth will not risk his own men to hunt down a 
  sorcerer in a shunned tomb. The heroes might be able 
  to hire help in town.
  What’s going on here?
  The black-jeweled circlet once belonged to Morgrath, 
  a sorcerer from Times of Old. While the circlet is not 
  magical, it was a prized heirloom of great sentimental 
  value to the evil wizard. After Morgrath’s death and 
  rebirth, the circlet fell into the hands of wandering 
  adventurers and passed through many hands before 
  finding its way back to Morgrath’s former haunts and 
  into the coffers of Hogarth’s ancestors. 
  Morgrath had ambitions of becoming a lich, but the 
  rituals proved to be beyond his ability.  He had to make 
  do with becoming a ghoul. While he lost his ability to 
  perform magic, immortality was immortality, as far as 
  Morgrath was concerned. 
  Varnagon is an evil magician with dreams of power. He 
  has located Morgrath’s tomb and divined the existence 
  of the circlet. He hopes to earn the favor and tutelage 
  of the undead former wizard by returning to him his 
  lost treasure. 
  The Crypt of Morgrath
  A Crypts & Things adventure for some low-level characters
  by Josh Burnett (bernietheflumph.blogspot.com)
  
  The Crypt of Morgrath
  The surface structures of the old mausoleum have long 
  ago fallen to ruin. Only the underground structure 
  remains intact. The crypt lies about a day’s ride to the 
  north of Hogarth’s Keep. The terrain consists of hills 
  and pine forests lightly covered with snow. The crypt’s 
  location is commonly known and shunned by the 
  locals as a haunted place. 
  Random Encounters
  While in the crypts, check for random encounters 
  every hour. The heroes have a 1-in-6 chance of having 
  an encounter.
  Roll 2d6 Encounter
  2
  1 Giant spider, man-sized
  3-4
  A chunk of masonry falls on a random 
  hero. Save or take 2d4 damage. 
  5-7
  1 bandit, frightened, insane, and desperate
  8-9
  Thick mist rises from the stones, -1 to 
  attack rolls for the next hour, +1 stealth 
  saves.
  10-11
  1d3 skeletons
  12
  1d2 zombies
  1) Upper Courtyard
  An ancient courtyard of broken stone flagstones made 
  of some gray-green stone. Old stone columns are shat-
  tered and toppled. Moans of pain and pleading echos 
  across the flags. 
  A dying bandit with nasty gut and leg wounds (he was 
  attacked by skeletons) lies behind rock, menaced by 
  wolves.
  The bandit is mad with pain and terror and will die 
  shortly unless the heroes decide to help him. He will 
  tell them that Varnagon went mad and summoned up 
  “fiends from Hell” to slaughter his fellow bandits. Even 
  if healed, he refuses to return to the crypt and will fight 
  the heroes if they try to force him. 
  2 Wolves
  Armour Class: 12
  Hit Dice: 2+2 (10, 12hp)
  Attacks: Bite (1d4+1)
  Saving Throw: 16
  Special: None
  Move: 18
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30
  Wounded Bandit
  Armour Class: 12
  Hit Dice: 1(4 hp,  currently 0)
  Attacks: 1 (unarmed)
  Saving throw: 17
  Special: None
  Move: 1
  Challenge Level/XP: 0/0
  2) Main Gallery
  A huge, arched chamber of crumbling black stone. The 
  thick dust on the floor was recently disturbed, but the 
  tracks are too jumbled to follow. 
  A large ruined statue of black marble sits in the center 
  of the room. Five thick, trunk-like legs are all that’s left 
  of the alien statue. 
  The heroes can hear the meaty sounds of rending and 
  chewing to the south.
  3) Temple
  An arched chamber with nooks evenly spaced around 
  the walls. The nooks hold the residue of ancient black 
  candles. A large altar of black-green metal covered 
  with tattered black cloth rests near the back.
  Four skeletons hunker down around two human bod-
  ies, tearing off bloody hunks of meat, shoving them 
  into their mouth, and chewing. Bloody gobs of flesh 
  fall out of their empty torsos and splat to the floor. This 
  triggers sanity check. Upon detecting the heroes, the 
  skeletons will attack the fresh prey.
  A strength save moves the altar. A hidden compart-
  ment holds Morgrath’s spellbook, a rotting black 
  leather tome with an iron seal on front bearing the 
  impression of left hand. This magic lock only opens 
  if Morgrath’s left hand (dead, alive, or otherwise) is 
  placed on seal. Forcing open the lock destroys 1d4 
  spells per level.
  4 skeletons
  Armour Class: 11
  Hit Dice: 1(2,2, 3, 7 hp)
  Attacks: Weapon or strike (1d6)
  Saving Throw: 17
  Special: None
  Move: 12
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15
  
  Morgrath’s Spellbook
  Level 1
  Cause Light Wounds
  Hex
  Hold Portal
  Sleep
  Soul Blast
  Wailing Lament
  Level 2
  Curse
  Invisibility
  Snake Charm
  Wizard Lock
  Level 3
  Fireball
  Monster Summoning I
  4) Pool of Madness
  This wooden door is locked. This low-ceilinged room 
  contains a low pool of cold black water. A statue stands 
  in center of pool—a faceless woman in a hooded 
  robe holding a horned animal skull from which water 
  pours. 
  Several gold coins (58gp) and a couple of bright red 
  jewels (worthless cut glass) glint in the bottom of the 
  pool.
  Touching the water triggers horrific hallucinations, 
  paralyzing the character (CON save to avoid ) for 
  1d4x10 minutes and triggering a sanity check. The 
  screams of the effected causes a wandering monster 
  check.
  5) Ruined Library
  The wooden door to this room has been battered 
  down. Several rotten wooden bookshelves fill the 
  room. Mouldered old tomes are torn apart and scat-
  tered across the floor. Several have Morgrath’s sigil on 
  the pages. 
  Spending an hour or so piecing together fragments of 
  the books will reveal that the books are mostly theolo-
  gy of dark gods and Morgrath’s mostly-ruined journals. 
  One scrap reads: “Though lichdom has been denied 
  me, I pray the Unpeakable Ones will at least...”
  The heroes can hear the sounds of fists pounding on 
  wood to the south.
  A giant centipede lurks beneath a pile of books and 
  will probably surprise the heroes if they search through 
  the litter. 
  Giant, man-sized centipede
  Armour Class: 14
  Hit Dice: 2 (6 hp)
  Attacks: Bite (1d8)
  Saving Throw: 16
  Special: Lethal poison, +6 save
  Move: 15
  Challenge Level/XP: 4/240
  6) Hallway
  Three desiccated corpses (zombies) in tattered black 
  and green robes hammer on the splintering wooden 
  door at the end of the hall. The will not notice the PCs 
  unless they make themselves targets, as they are con-
  centrating on the bandits behind the door. If the PCs 
  do nothing, they will break through to the next room 
  in 1d4+1 rounds. 
  3 Zombies
  Armour Class: 11
  Hit Dice: 2 (3, 7, 10 hp)
  Attacks: Weapon or strike (1d8)
  Saving Throw: 16
  Special: Immune to sleep and charm
  Move: 6
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30
  7) Bandit Barricade
  Three bandits and their leader, the only survivors of 
  Varnagon’s mad scheme, have holed themselves up 
  in here, hiding from the undead until they can figure 
  how to get out of the crypt. They have piled crates and 
  chests against the door, giving a -2 penalty to knock it 
  down.
  The chests contain 12 blankets, 2 flint & steel, 12 torch-
  es, 100 feet of rope, a grappling hook, 3 large sacks, 9 
  days of rations, 138 gp and 127sp in a small sack, and 2 
  bottles of strong wine (3 “strong drink” in each bottle)
  The bandits are eager to get the hell out of the crypts. 
  Even if the heroes rescue them from the zombies. 
  they will want to leave. It will take a lot of convinc-
  ing (threats, bribery, etc...) to convince them to stick 
  around. 
  
  The bandits can tell the heroes that once they returned 
  to the crypts and gave the circlet to Varnagon, the 
  wizard went mad and turned against them with his 
  magic. He captured a couple of the younger bandits 
  and took them further into the crypts, no doubt to sac-
  rifice them to his dark gods. Before the bandits could 
  regroup and try and rescue their fellows, they were set 
  upon by the undead.
  3 Bandits
  Armour Class: 12 (Leather Armor)
  Hit Dice:1(2, 3, 4 hp)
  Attacks: 1 Short Bow (1d6) or Shortsword (1d6)
  Saving throw: 17
  Special: None
  Move: 12
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15
  Bandit Leader
  Armour Class: 13 (Leather Armor + DEX)
  Hit Dice:2 (8 hp)
  Attacks: 1 Longsword (1d8)
  Saving throw: 16
  Special: None
  Move: 12
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30
  8) Stairs Downward
  Sloping passage and eroded stone stairs twist further 
  into the earth. A group of skeletons armed with bone 
  shortbows and rusty swords lay in wait on the stairs.
  5 skeletons
  Armour Class: 11
  Hit Dice: 1(1,2,4,6,6 hp)
  Attacks: Weapon or strike (1d6)
  Saving Throw: 17
  Special: None
  Move: 12
  Challenge Level/XP: 1/15
  9) Crypt Corridor
  The corridor is cold and damp. In the flickering circle 
  of light from a dying lantern, a dead bandit lies in front 
  of a the door to Room 10. His head is missing.
  On the bandit’s body: Leather armor, short sword, 
  hooded lantern, flint and steel, 1 flask of oil.
  10) Idol Room
  The stone door is locked and trapped. A spring-loaded 
  scythe blade inflicts 2d4 damage (save to avoid) to 
  anyone who tries to open the door. 
  The room is a small shrine to a forgotten and lost god. 
  A small statue of green-black metal depicts a writhing 
  mass of teeth and tentacles on top of five trunk-like 
  legs. It is flanked by large black candles that glow green 
  when lit. The idol is worth 500 gp to the right buyer, 
  but will plague its bearer with nightmares, triggering 
  a sanity check each evening and interrupting sleep. It 
  weighs 50lbs. 
  11) Crypts
  This is the resting place of Morgrath’s minions, who 
  followed him into death. 
  A) Eight stone slabs, dusty but empty, hold only the 
  tattered remnants of black and green robes. Three 
  ornate longswords, rusted beyond repair, can be 
  found among the scraps.
  B) Slabs, flagstones, and coffins are all busted up. 
  Large, thorny grey-green roots or vines have burst 
  through the walls from the earth. A skeleton in 
  rusted black platemail with a large green gem on 
  silver chain hanging around his neck (250 gp value) 
  lies twisted in the vines. 
  Sick Weed
  Armour Class: 14
  Hit Dice: 3 (14hp)
  Attacks: three tendrils 1d8 each
  Saving throw: touch Causes Vomiting. Pollute 
  water by touching it.
  Special: 14
  Move: 0
  Challenge Level/XP: 4/120
  C) Eight stone slabs hold skeletal remains of men 
  and women in tattered black and green robes. These 
  bodies are non-animate, and bear no treasure. 
  12) Abyssal Well
  This room contains only a round stone well. A cold, 
  charnel wind blows from the darkness bellow. The 
  stone shaft descends for 75 feet, then opens into a mas-
  sive, dark, bottomless abyss.
  
  Whether this abyss is merely a huge natural cave, an 
  entrance to further chambers below the earth, or a 
  literal portal to some nether hell is up to the GM, but it 
  should be used as a seed for further adventure and/or 
  danger. 
  13) Morgrath’s Tomb
  Varnagon is here, sacrificing a bandit on a burial 
  slab, under the direction of Morgrath (now a ghoul). 
  Morgrath wears the jeweled circlet stolen from Baron 
  Hogarth and is dressed in black and green velvet robes, 
  eaten by age. A pile of gold and treasure (1030gp,  
  123sp, and a platinum ring with a bird motif worth 
  121gp) lies in the cob-webbed shadows behind the 
  slab.
  Morgrath has agreed to teach Varnagon the ways of 
  black magic and thus bring glory to the Ancient and 
  Unspeakable Ones. His first test of devotion is to kill 
  his hirelings, a task Varnagon readily accepted. Unless 
  stopped, he will kill the helpless bandit, who will rise 
  up as a zombie the next round.
  Varnagon is a shabby man in a dirty brown robe with 
  thin yellow hair going prematurely bald. An iron 
  scimitar hangs from a black chain around his waist.  
  He is quite mad indeed. 
  Morgrath (ghoul)
  Armour Class: 13
  Hit Dice: 2 (10 hp)
  Attacks: 2 claws (1d3), 1 bite (1d4)
  Saving Throw: 16
  Special: Immunities, paralysis
  Move: 9
  Challenge Level/XP: 3/60
  Varnagon
  Armour Class: 10
  Hit Dice: 3 (12 hp)
  Attacks: 1 scimitar (1d8)
  Saving throw: 13
  Spells:  Magic Missile,  Entangle, Mirror Image
  Move: 12
  Challenge Level/XP:3/120
  Zombie Bandit
  Armour Class: 11
  Hit Dice: 2 (6 hp)
  Attacks: Weapon or strike (1d8)
  Saving Throw: 16
  Special: Immune to sleep and charm
  Move: 6
  Challenge Level/XP: 2/30
  Crypts & Things is (c) 2011 Paul Newport and D101 Games (www.d101games.com). It’s wicked cool, go buy it!
  This adventure is a fan-creation by Josh Burnett and is released under Creative Commons: Attribution-Non-
  Commercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
  
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  1 square = 10 feet
  
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