(Preview) City of The Undead
(Preview) City of The Undead
(Preview) City of The Undead
Daniele Severin
2
Summary Credits
Introduction...........................................................4 Writer Daniele Severin
Neverwinter and Evernight Editor Ashton Duncan
Cover Art Bob Greyvenstein
Adjusting This Adventure Cartography Stock Art © Derek Ruiz / Elven
Background...........................................................5 Tower Cartography; Daniele Severin
Overview Layout Daniele Severin
Chapter 1: The Investigation.............................6
1. The Crime Scene Internal Illustrations
2. Greycastle’s House David Revoy - Bridge medieval fantasy city
(CC BY 3.0)
3. Report to the Authorities................................7 Arthur Rackham - Bird on a lantern (public
4. The Moonstone Mask.....................................8 domain)
5. The Necromancer..........................................11 Mehmet Canli - Dark City (CC BY SA 2.0)
6. Rosalyne’s Family...........................................13 Forrest Imel - Warrior (M)
7. The Lair of the Many - Jaws........................14 Dean Spencer - Cage
8. The Cemetery.................................................16 Some artwork © Grim Press, used with
Chapter 2: Evernight.........................................18 permission. All rights reserved.
Arrival at Evernight Cartography Stock Art by Elven Tower
“You have no right to be here!”........................20 Cartography
The White Spider Tavern.................................21 Some artwork © 2015 Dean Spencer, used
with permission. All rights reserved.
House of Scream...............................................22
The Corpse Market............................................23 ©2018 Daniele Severin. All rights reserved.
Chapter 3: Agryndox’s Winery.......................24 First digital printing September 2018 and
1. Entrance published under the Community Content
2. Lounge Agreement for the Dungeon Masters Guild
(http://www.dmsguild.com).
3. Cellar
4. Coffins..............................................................25 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards
5. Dining room of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft,
6. Ballroom Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and
7. Altar of Orcus all other Wizards of the Coast product names,
and their respective logos are trademarks of
8. The Prisoners’ Room
Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other
Epilogue................................................................26 countries.
Appendix: Monsters and NPCs......................28
This work contains material that is copyright
Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors.
Such material is used with permission under
the Community Content Agreement for
Dungeon Masters Guild.
3
Introduction Adjusting This Adventure
The “City of the Undead” is an adventure for Dungeons The module is optimized for a group of 5 characters
& Dragons fifth edition playable by a group of 5th- to whose average party level (APL) is 8. This adventure
10th-level characters. The party crosses the streets of provides suggestions for adjusting for smaller or larger
Neverwinter to investigate the disappearance of a young groups. You’re not bound to these adjustments; they’re
aristocrat. The clues will take them to Evernight, a city here for your convenience. To figure out whether you
dominated by the undead located on the Shadowfell. should consider adjusting the adventure, add up the
The names of the creatures are written in bold; total levels of all the characters and divide the total by
unless otherwise specified, NPCs use the statistics of the number of characters (rounding .5 or greater up; .4
the commoner. Creature statistics can be found in the or less down). This is the group’s APL. To approximate
Monster Manual or in the Appendix at the end of this the party strength for the adventure, consult the
document. The parts of text inside a box are to be read following table.
or paraphrased to the players: everything else is for the Determining Party Strength
Dungeon Master only.
Party Composition Party Strength
3-4 characters, APL less than Very weak
Neverwinter and Evernight 3-4 characters, APL equivalent Weak
The adventure takes place in two cities, Neverwinter 3-4 characters, APL greater than Average
and Evernight, which coexist in the same space but are
5 characters, APL less than Weak
on two different planes of existence.
5 characters, APL equivalent Average
Neverwinter is located on the Material Plane, north
of the Sword Coast. Also called the “Jewel of the North,” 5 characters, APL greater than Strong
Neverwinter has now almost completely recovered 6-7 characters, APL less than Average
from the eruption of Mount Hotenow about fifty years 6-7 characters, APL equivalent Strong
ago. The river running through the city is warmed by
6-7 characters, APL greater than Very strong
the volcano’s activity, producing a mild and temperate
climate that lasts all year round. Some encounters may include a sidebar that
Evernight is the decayed and distorted version offers suggestions for certain party strengths. If a
of Neverwinter. Located on the Shadowfell, the recommendation is not offered or appropriate for your
city is inhabited mostly by undead and is ruled by a group, you don’t have to adjust.
ghoul caste. Several portals connect the two cities,
usually located in narrow alleys, dark corners, or
abandoned houses.
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Background
Exactly one week before the beginning of this
adventure, the young aristocrat Dorn Greycastle
discovered that his beloved Rosalyne had disappeared.
The love between the two had never been easy: the girl’s
humble origins would have prevented the Greycastle
nobles from accepting such a marriage, so the two
decided to keep their relationship secret. After days of
anguish and fruitless research, Dorn decided to visit her
family, hoping to get some news. Rosalyne’s parents first
blamed the boy for their daughter’s disappearance, but
then, noticing Dorn’s despair, they became convinced
of his innocence. Rosalyne’s family had no clue about
her daughter’s fate: no note had been found, and all her
belongings had remained at home. The only suspicion
was an old legend spread in the neighborhood: it is said
that a monster, nested in the sewers, uses demonic
rats to kidnap people and feed on them in its lair. The
young aristocrat didn’t hesitate for a moment - he
drew his sword and ventured into the sewers to find
the monster. Once he reached the creature’s lair, he
discovered that it was a swarm of cranium rats (see
Volo’s Guide to Monsters). The hive mind revealed to
Dorn that the missing people had been kidnapped by
Agryndox, an undead inhabitant of Evernight, who
kidnaps Neverwinter citizens to sell their blood to
ghouls and vampires. The swarm possessed an object
— a mummified claw of a dragon-lich — that can be used
as a key to open a portal to Evernight. The monster
used this object to conduct his business with the City
of the Undead. Unfortunately, not long ago, the claw
was stolen by a group of adventurers who came to raid
his lair. According to his spies, the object was sold to
a necromancer called Ishte Cressel. Dorn then went
to the spellcaster, offering to buy the object, but she
categorically refused to give it away. Determined not
to give in to a refusal, Dorn hired a professional thief
to take the claw from the enchantress. The night this
adventure begins, the young man was going with his
escort to the Moonstone Mask tavern to pay the first
deposit to the criminal. On the way, he was attacked by
Agryndox’s servants, who, alerted by his spies to the
boy’s investigation, decided to kidnap him and transport
him to his lair at Evernight.
Overview
The adventure is divided into three chapters:
Chapter 1: The Investigation. The adventurers
discover that a young aristocrat has disappeared, his
escort slaughtered.
Chapter 2: Evernight. The investigation brings the
characters to the City of the Undead, where they will
have to find the kidnapper without ending up in the jaws
of ghouls.
Chapter 3: Agryndox Wineries. The characters
infiltrate the lair of the kidnapper, trying to bring
whoever survived to safety.
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Chapter 1: The Investigation
he characters have been in Neverwinter
T
for a few days, looking for engagements
and adventures. Since the characters will
start at least from level 5, it is likely that Lord
they already have some accomplishments Greycastle
and their fame is well-known in the city. Our adventure
begins a few minutes after sunset when the characters
notice a half-hidden corpse in a little-known alley.
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Of course, Lord Greycastle will also ask the city
The door of the room opens wide: a man enters the
guard to investigate. If the characters have not arrived
room with imperious and heavy steps. Despite the
with the guards, the Lord will order to immediately
refined robes and golden rings, Lord Greycastle
prepare a carriage for the barracks (if the characters
reminds you more of a soldier than a nobleman. As
decide to accompany him, see paragraph 3. Report to
he advances with martial stride, his hard gaze rests
the Authorities).
on each of you. “I hope it is important,” he says dryly,
smoothing his mustache with one hand.
3. Report to the Authorities
Lord Pontyr Greycastle is a noble in his fifties, with a Whether they decide to turn to a patrol that has just
severe appearance and muscular physique. From his discovered the crime scene or to accompany Lord
military past, the Lord is easy to anger and used to Greycastle to the barracks, the characters will, in any
giving orders. case, find themselves talking to Sergeant Botor (use the
When the characters tell him about the crime scene statistics of a veteran). The sergeant is a six-foot tall
and show him the sword, Greycastle reacts with anger, elderly half-orc. He seems posed and thoughtful. Botor
cursing alleged rivals. The Lord will explain that the will ask the characters circumstantial questions, asking
sword belongs to his son: his immediate concern will them how they found the bodies and if they noticed
be to find him and bring him home safe and sound. anything particular. The sergeant is able to immediately
The characters will be asked to investigate: the Lord recognize the symbols on Dorn’s ceremonial sword as
offers as a reward 2,000 gold coins each character. belonging to the Greycastle house. As soon as the name
Alternatively, the DMs can replace the reward with a Greycastle comes up, the half-orc will reveal:
magic item of their choice.
Developments. If the players don’t do it first, Lord The sergeant makes a thoughtful face, massaging his
Greycastle will ask the servants where his son was jaw just below the protruding canines. “Exactly seven
going tonight; however, the servants don’t know days ago, the young Dorn Greycastle came into the
anything about it. At that moment, the child will pop barracks to report the disappearance of a woman... a
up from behind the door, shyly admitting that he heard certain Rosalyne. She’s a young girl from the slums.
Dorn talking to his escort: the young man was planning The boy was very agitated and worried, but when I
to go to the Moonstone Mask tavern (see paragraph 4. asked him what his relationship with the girl was, he
The Moonstone Mask). was rather evasive. We went to question her family,
but we found no clues or suspects”.
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Sergeant Botor If the characters enter the tavern, continue:
The two men are between twenty and thirty years old.
One of them is aspirating some flavored tobacco in a
long pipe; he is a half-elf with long, gathered hair, with
a white shirt through which you can see his muscular
figure. The second is a half-orc with refined clothing
and a relaxed look. On the table, there is a glass
Developments. The city guard will begin investigating bottle containing a thick amber liquid, now almost
the murder, but these will go slowly due to the lengthy finished, and two finely worked glass goblets. When
bureaucracy: in any case, the guards will not oppose a you approach their table, the two men look curiously
parallel investigation conducted by the characters. at you.
If the characters request it, Sergeant Botor provides
the address of Rosalyne’s family (see paragraph 6). If The two men are Korfel Liadon and Gubrash Holg,
the Greycastle family has not yet been informed of the two aristocratic friends of Dorn Greycastle. In recent
crime, the guards will ask the adventurers to accompany times Dorn did not show up very often, and even in
them as witnesses to tell the Lord what they saw (see the moments they spent in his company he seemed
paragraph 2. Greycastle’s House). distracted and absent.
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Korfel Liadon Lucan Amakiir
The two began to make increasingly fanciful Lucan had to meet with Dorn to receive an advance
assumptions about Dorn’s strange behavior: in the end, on a job that the nobleman had commissioned him:
caught in a vice between curiosity and worry, the two he was supposed to steal an object from the house of
nobles decided to follow him. The explanation of the a necromancer, Ishte Cressel. Dorn had explained to
mystery turned out to be rather unsatisfying — Dorn had him that it was the key to a planar portal, an amulet
fallen in love. The boy spent almost every night secretly consisting of the claw of a dragon-lich. To complete the
meeting a young girl. The reason for such secrecy is job, Lucan asked Dorn for 200 gp on acceptance and
simple: his beloved is poor as a church mouse. Korfel another 2,000 gp when the job was finished.
and Gubrash have suspected it ever since they spied on Developments. If requested, Korfel and Gubrash
their romantic walk from the Winged Wyvern bridge. are able to provide directions to Rosalyne’s house (see
When they followed them to her house, the suspicion paragraph 6. Family of Rosalyne). Lucan can provide
materialized: the girl lives in a hovel in the suburbs, not the address of the enchantress (see paragraph 5. The
far from where the Chasm stood a few years earlier. Necromancer).
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Chapter 2: Evernight chapter. They might only know that Dorn Greycastle
went to Evernight for some reason, or they might have
vernight is the dark and decayed reflection found out that an undead named Agryndox kidnaps
E
of the city of Neverwinter. The City of the the mortals from Neverwinter to sell their blood in the
Undead has stone buildings marked by City of the Undead (if they talked to Many-Jaws). In the
cracks and putrescent wooden houses. Its first case, the characters will be more confused, and
streets are mostly on beaten ground, while they won’t be able to do much more than ask around
the many missing tiles make the path difficult in the about Dorn; in the second case, they might guess that
few paved streets. The sky is a grey field where the sun the victims’ blood is being sold at the market, or they
never rises. will ask around about Agryndox. If the characters
The city is inhabited mostly by the undead. Zombies, wander around Evernight looking for information, roll
wights, and vampires spend their unlife in Evernight, or choose a random encounter from the Encounters at
ruled by the ghoul caste. The few living beings present Evernight table, or have them end up near the White
in the city are necromancers, mad spellcasters, Spider Tavern. If they decide to go to the market, see the
worshippers of demonic entities; in any case, only those paragraph The Bone Market.
who find a way to make themselves useful to the undead
keep the right to live.
Evernight’s government takes the form of a tribunal,
Arrival at Evernight
composed of particularly powerful ghoul inquisitors After passing through the portal in the crypt of Ardik
(see Appendix). The organ proclaims very few edicts: its Durthane (see 1.8 The Cemetery), the characters find
main task is to resolve disputes between those who have themselves in one of Evernight’s alleys. If the ghosts
disagreed. This role is rarely invoked since those found have not been defeated, they will chase them through
guilty by the court are devoured. the portal. The alley in which the characters are
The court is responsible for a very unpopular law transported is isolated enough to allow them to fight the
among the undead: the organ is able to declare a living ghosts without drawing attention.
being as a citizen of Evernight, granting it safety from
the hunger of vampires and ghouls. As soon as you set foot in the portal, you are
surrounded by blinding darkness; noises and smells
Characters in the City of the Undead disappear in the distance: you can only perceive your
If a mortal is in the city of Evernight, the undead will bodies swirling furiously in absolute darkness.
assume that it has the right to be there. This means A moment later, everything stops: your eyes get
that the characters will be able to walk the streets of used to the darkness, your senses start working
the city with the reasonable hope of not being attacked normally again.
on sight. However, if the characters attract too much You find yourself in a dark alley. Everything around
attention, upset someone, or are simply unlucky, they you comes in various shades of black and gray: you
are questioned by some undead who asks them for do not see even the smallest source of light. The sky
proof of their right to be in the city. If the characters is a grey and gloomy field, covered with black clouds.
cannot prove that they have the protection of someone It seems that you are still in Neverwinter, but all the
important and cannot come up with a credible excuse, houses and streets are shabby and in ruins: pieces
they will be attacked immediately. of plaster come off the walls, the wood is rotten and
The information the characters have may vary a putrescent, puddles and slush invade the streets.
lot, depending on how they behaved in the previous
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Bloodlust
The characters are halted by 2 bloodthirsty vampire
spawn. The two undead have gone too long without
feeding themselves, so they interrogate the characters,
looking for an excuse to attack them. The adventurers
will have to be very convincing or quickly eliminate the
two undead before they attract too much attention.
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Chapter 3: Agryndox’s 2. Lounge
Winery This room is partially covered by a pile of debris,
gryndox’s home is an old, dilapidated manor perhaps transported here from somewhere else. A
A
located in what in Neverwinter would be shabby spiral staircase occupies the center of the
called the River District. The building has room and leads to the upper floor.
collapsed in several places, but what remains
standing retains its ancient appeal. Debris. Scattered rubble throughout the room is
difficult terrain.
Features of the Area Enemies. 10 vargouilles (see Appendix) come from
Light. All areas of the house are in total darkness. the staircase and attack the characters.
Smells. The house is impregnated with a stench of
closed, mold, and blood.
Adjusting this Encounter
Rubble. Part of the building collapsed on itself, Here are some suggestions for adjusting this
making some of the rooms uninhabitable. The rubble encounter, according to your group. These are not
can only be removed with several hours of work. cumulative.
• Very Weak: Use 5 vargouilles.
1. Entrance • Weak: Use 7 vargouilles.
• Strong: Use 1 chasme and 6 vargouille.
The old front door is semi-destroyed, with one of the • Very Strong: Use 2 chasmes and 5 vargouilles.
wings abandoned on the ground.
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