AWAITING COVER

The Case of the Unholy Murders

Keys of Wonder Lore Guide
T G C UG H G UP N MWTFGTU is a the city graveyard has become quite a gaudy and
murder-mystery adventure that tasks the sprawling fixture, filled with numerous shrines,
party with solving a series of disappearances mausoleums, and elaborate headstones.
in the city of Bloom. They will soon learn that Bloom is governed by the Lord Mayor
dark magic, long-kept secrets, and revenge Yedra Ogelthorn (neutral good half-orc noble).
are at the heart of the matter. The lore guide She has developed a reputation for being both
provides additional background information a tough and pragmatic leader, showing little
on the key non-player characters, setting, and tolerance for petty crime. When people started
offers options for expanding the adventure into disappearing in Bloom, she doubled guards’
a broader investigation. shifts, called upon her local guilds for aid, and
eventually locked the city down in hopes of
rooting out whatever evil is lurking within its
The City of Bloom walls.

Bloom is a city northwest of the Tanglebriar Expanding the Investigation

Forest. It is defined by its hallmark gothic archi-
tecture and abundance of fog. It boasts a number
of facilities that are less common in other cities, In T G C U G H G U P N M W T F G TU ad-
such as a bank branch, an orphanage, and a vari- venture module, all pertinent information
ety of guildhouses and religious temples. Many regarding leads and clues are listed at their
prominent figures of history have called Bloom respective locations. If the GM would like to
home at one time or another. Because of this, expand the story to be a broader, more com-

GPKTF HWU
TGC HU
TGUW F M N P U
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CR T KI trtsDWPIGKCBL
Written by Chad Skiles. Edited by David Crennen.
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2
 plex investigation, they may use the following
additional locations, and share the Expanded Note to the GM:
mo lB fo paM with their party. On Running a Mystery
Just like the locations in the adventure Due to the open-ended nature of an inves-
booklet, the party may visit these locations in tigation story, running THESCAOF
any order. Note that many of these locations U N YH O L M U R D E R S may require more
do not contain explicit clues or strong leads, as improvisation than a standard adventure
most of the locations in the adventure booklet - especially when using this expanded
do. They contain a mixture of helpful informa- supplement. For example, the party may
tion and red herrings. Adding these may lead to become suspicious of one of the NPCs and
the adventure requiring more than one gaming wish to confront them, follow them, or oth-
session to complete. erwise make them their focus. As a general
note, a DC 11 Wisdom (Insight) check can
EMUCTFB GW discern that the NPC appears honest. The
Read the following aloud: GM should also take a moment to imagine
You approach the barracks entrance, which how the (innocent) NPC would logically
is flanked by two guards. One of them lends and honestly react. They may take great
against the wall, chatting with a colleague who exception and grow angry, try to leave
is sitting on a wooden crate munching on a half- the party’s presence, or plead their case.
eaten apple. “What if they’ve already escaped?” They might use the NPC’s voice as a way to
the standing guard asks. The other shakes his remind the party that they should refocus,
head. “Didn’t you hear? Another went missing since they are working against the clock
today. They’re here. And we’re trapped inside to find the killer’s most-recent abductee
with them.” (who is also likely a mentor to one or
more of the party). There is sometimes a
If approached by the party, the guards out- fine line between enjoying the unknown
side the building quickly identify the party as aspects of the mystery, and feeling frus-
outsiders. Recent rumors have suggested that trated or confused. The adventure booklet
the Mayor and Order of Passage were seeking mentions in more detail how a mysterious
outside investigators to aid them, so they ghost who appears early on in the story
deduce that is the party’s purpose here. They can be used to offer cryptic clues that can
are willing to escort them inside to speak with help the party if they have wandered too
Com ander Ethridge (neutral good male far off-track.
naret v ), and share the following information.
• The Commander has made them patrol around
the clock, more than doubling their usual shifts. • There are a few eccentric vagrants who wander
They admit that the lack of normal rest and the city. They suspect one of them could be
constant fog have made it difficult to stay alert responsible for this - driven by mad visions.
and investigate the matter.
• They hope that the party can help them catch
• A DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation or the killer and serve justice for Rael Thoem, a
Persuasion) check convinces one of half-elf who served as both an officer for the
the guards to admit that he and some guard and as a holy warrior for the Order of
others were tasked with canvassing the Passage.
entire graveyard, but that they were not
completely thorough - due to a combination If the party wishes to speak with Command-
of fatigue and fear. “It’s an eerie place,” he er Ethridge, they find him at his desk, tirelessly
says with a gulp. reviewing guards' reports. He shares the fol-
• All of the abductees had some holy affiliation: lowing information with the party.
divine spellcasters, priests and priestesses, and • The first undead attacks were carried out
so on. by the raised bodies of the missing victims.

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 Members from the city’s Fighter’s Guild
black stallion named “Midnight.” She describes
sprung into action to dispatch the threats.
“A solemn task I wish they would not the owner as a well-dressed man who is stay-
have been forced to do. They were valiant ing at the Weary Weasel, who did not offer his
nevertheless.” name.
• His guards have been instructed to leave “no If the party wishes to interact with Mid-
stone unturned.” He trusts his men to do that. night, Naiella advises them against it, given
the horse’s wild moodiness and mistrust
• The killer is no common criminal. He cites the
methodical nature of the planned abductions toward others - but she will not stop them if
and the ability to raise the dead as indications they insist.
of an advanced intellect. In his isolated stable, Midnight neighs and
• Since spellcasting is being employed, Ethridge bucks as the party approaches. It requires a
is skeptical of the Order of Passage and Temple DC 16 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to
of the Seven-Souled acolytes. “We may have to calm Midnight enough to get close to him.
root out a rotted fruit among them. Someone On a failure, they are targeted by a hooves
who feels wronged by their own order - and attack (+5 to hit, reach 5 ft. 2d4+3 bludgeon-
snapped.” ing damage).
• Some of the bodies have been preserved at the
city morgue. Their burials are delayed until the KIGTUWNF
situation is resolved. Read aloud text:
• He is absolutely confident that no one - not a The brick building displays a wooden sign
single soul - has moved in or out of the city gate carved into the shape of a shield with a sword
since the lockdown, with the exception of the and mace painted onto it in crisscrossed fashion.
party.
“Bloom Fighter’s Guild” appears in curled script.
You’re greeted at the door by a tough-looking
CDNGU ST dwarf with thick, braided hair and a dark beard
Read aloud text: with a shock of gray down the center. Over his
The ground beneath you shifts from laid shoulder, you can both see and hear a pair
cobblestone to soft earth as you approach the of figures clashing steel in a spar. “Help you,
crowded stables to find a lithe elven woman strangers?” he booms.
filling a pail with water. She sets it down and
tucks a loose strand of her copper hair behind a Barevon Hardstone (lawful good male
pointed ear as she approaches you. dwarfrotaid lg ) is the leader of the guild, and
The stablemaster isnov eOal eiaN (neu-
tral good female elf renom c ). She manages
a smile despite the city’s dilemma and exudes
a warm presence. Since the city’s been locked From the Horse’s Mouth
down, some of the town visitors are stuck here, An especially inquisitive or clever
and she’s inherited the responsibility of caring character might use magic - such as
for their horses longer than usual. speak with animals - to communicate
She swears that no one has arrived or left with Midnight more explicitly. He must
on their mounts since the lockdown. still be calmed before he can share
With a bit of coaxing through good roleplay- any useful information. If successful,
ing and a DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check, Midnight can share that his rider has a
Naiella will reveal one unsettling discovery. She dark presence and has often spoken in a
does not know his name or precisely when he frightening, unnatural tongue. He’s also
arrived in relation to the disappearances, but smelled the stench of death on him at
one of the town visitor's horses seems to have times.
experienced some sort of heightened level of
trauma, judging by its behavior. The horse is a

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happily welcomes the party inside once he’s went into lockdown. Rather than continue to
made aware of their mission. He explains that: pay to stay at the inn, he decided to join the
• Their guild was formed a decade ago guild, where he could sharpen his skills while
by Barevon’s uncle. He’s inherited the he waits it out. He is willing to speak with the
responsibility of maintaining their mission to party, but stays tight-lipped about his mission
train competent martial combatants, most of or personal background. He says that he came
whom are adventurers.
to Bloom “looking for work.” If pressed about
• A DC 11 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals what sort of work, he smirks and says, “Odd
that Barevon is an easy read, wearing his jobs. Bit of this and that.”
heart on his sleeve. While honest about most
If the party were to find a way to search
information, his mustache twitches oddly
and his eyes find the floor when he speaks through Soryn’s belongings, which are con-
of his guild members. A DC 12 Charisma tained with an unlocked chest in his room,
(Intimidation or Persuasion) check causes him they would find the instruments of a trained
to reveal that he’s admittedly been lenient in assassin: poison vials, manacles, a grappling
admitting some unsavory/mercenary types on hook, a net, several daggers, a disguise kit,
occasion. He citeslyhtarI nyroS - who joined and a list of names - some of which have been
a month ago - as an example.
crossed off. Soryn will fess up to his true line
• One evening about two weeks ago - a week
after the initial abductions - he and his
guildmates heard the sounds of combat on
the streets. They rushed out to intercept
the undead attacking citizens. Luckily, they
were able to dispatch the threat before any
innocents were killed.
• During their battle, it was clear that these undead
were not susceptible to damage from fire. He says
that he’s not an expert on the nature of undead,
but thatas E newG s et irP at the Temple of
the Seven-Souled has studied such things.
• Once he realized the undead were the prior
abductees, it turned his stomach (no easy
task for a dwarf). “I’ll tell you this, comrades,”
Barevon says. “It was a sick sight. But it had to
be done. Looking into those lifeless eyes, you
just knew there was no semblance of what they
once were.”

The party can also speak with some of the

guildmates (ts g u h ), who reiterate what Barevon
shared and add that they’ve increased their train-
ing, wary that more attacks could be imminent.
A character with a Passive Perception score of 14
or higher notes that one of the individuals present
stands out from the crowd: Soryn Irahtyl (chaotic
neutral half-elf malen i s a s a ), a roguish figure
with dark, untamed long hair. In sparring, his skills
appear a cut above the rest, and quickly disappears
into his room when he notices eyes on him.
In truth, Soryn is a bounty-hunter who
was searching for a target in the surrounding
region. His hit was complicated when Bloom

5
of work and motives only in an effort to clear
his name as a suspect in the case. Martial Training
Once the party is not under the ticking
SWNGFPHORT clock of catching Bloom’s killer, they
Read-aloud text: may revisit the guildhall another time.
The Temple of the Seven-Souled is a sturdy Barevon regards them as town heroes
structure of gray brick. Shuttered windows are if they were successful in their quest,
open, beckoning in the light. A circular tableau and offers his training free of charge.
of stained glass hangs over the trance, depicting If a character spends at least three
a man with a godly light around him cradling downtime days training there, they
seven newborns. Inside, a human woman sweeps learn the Martial Adept feat (PHB, pg.
around the temple. 168).
The woman is Gwen Eas (lawful good
female human priest), the head priestess at
the Temple, which was built four decades ago members of their Temple. Their code is to treat
in honor of Beran the Seven-Souled - the god all beings with peace and guide them along the
of birth. She welcomes the party inside and seven-stepped journey.
offers them hot herbal tea. She can share the • One of her colleagues, Kora Falreth, was abducted
following information: a week ago and found dead and revived as
• She cannot imagine why anyone would target a zombie just days ago. Gwen manages an

Gwen Easa, Adherent of the Seven-Souled.

Personality Traits: “Calmness and steadiness open the mind, and soul, to their greater pur-
pose. Anger and impulsiveness only cloud the truth.”

Ideals: “Our souls will continue to grow until it has found its seventh vessel. We must never put
too much weight on the struggles of our temporary lives; we must endure with quiet strength.”

Bonds: “Beran’s teachings offer all a way to live a full life, guided by peace, and free of vanity
and shortsightedness.”

Flaws: “Those who do not understand are merely young souls. They will in time.”

Gwen is a mysterious presence. Her commitment to the ideals of Beran have bred an intense
embracing of the transitory nature of life. Her removed disposition when discussing death
(even ones with the brutality of the recent slayings) might seem odd or suspicious to the party.
In truth, this is not usual for someone who is an ardent worshiper of Beran the Seven-Souled.
Given that she is stoic and hard to read, it requires a DC 16 Wisdom (Insight) check assuages a
character’s suspicions about Gwen.
A DC 11 Intelligence (Religion) check recalls the following information: Beran’s teachings
say that each being has seven souls - seven being a holy number. Their first incarnations are
filled with purposes that serve a greater, divine purpose - all culminating in subconscious,
spiritual lessons learned that manifest in the final soul. When someone dies fulfilling a great
purpose, followers of Beran view this as the achievement of their seventh soul, which can
finally rest eternal. Until then, their pre-seventh deaths should not be mourned, but rejoiced
in - as they are actually advancing toward their ultimate manifestation.

6
 optimistic mourning of her friend, saying that she
He explains that all of them have had their
will be reborn again, convinced that she has not
lived the seventh and final iteration of her soul. throats slit, severing arteries that made them
lose massive and lethal amounts of blood. The
• In a sense, the killer - whoever they are - is
following checks can be made to discover the
unknowingly bringing each victim closer to
their final purpose as a seventh-soul. “Beauty following information about the body:
and purpose can emerge from even the most • sCD Inoituag sevnIH ecn gil etnI - All of
ugly and twisted events, praise be to Beran.” the bodies have matching strange symbols
carved somewhere onto their flesh (refer to the
A bookshelf in the temple contains various lobmyS egnartS handout).
spiritual tomes, as well as some spellbooks. A • sCD sIenic deMH modsiW - None of the
DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana or Investigation) victims show defensive wounds, although one
check reveals that the spells within it range of them - Rael Thoem - has blunt-force trauma
to the back of the head.
from divination, evocation (with a focus on
healing), and necromancy (such as raise dead). • sCD I an crAHtecn gil etnI - Kora’s body
bears injuries to her skin that are tainted with
necrotic energy, caused by a spell such as inflict
IWGMT wounds.
Read aloud text:
Inside the city morgue, a pungent chemical • sCD vInoitpecr PH modsiW - All of the
wounds to the throat were caused by the same
odor permeates the plain building. A halfling’s
blade - a small dagger with an usual shape. Any
voice prefaces his small form emerging from the character trained in the Intelligence (Religion)
basement steps. “Be right there!” he calls. The skill deduces that this is a ceremonial
man’s eyes squint through his thick, circular implement.
spectacles. “How can I help you?”
In discussing these potential observations
hsurbeltsirB dyS (lawful neutral male hal- with Syd, he will agree that it is reasonable to
fling renom c ) is the presiding mortician at conclude that: the victims were all ambushed,
the city morgue. He has inherited the unfortu- caught unawares, and unable to defend
nate duty of tending to the recent victims. Even themselves; they were not killed immediately,
with his experience in dealing with all manner but moved somewhere else and later slain;
of cadavers, he admits that these victims’ states and thorough planning and knowledge of
are unsettling. He warns the party of this before necromancy spells are evident in the killer’s
agreeing to let them examine the corpses. methodology.
Downstairs, several bodies lay on slabs,
surrounded by chemical solutions in vari-
ous-sized glass flasks and colors. He directs GOTFH
the party to the five most-recent victims, as
follows: IGCU P
• Rael Thoem (lawful good male half-elf) was a
warrior in service to the Order of Passage and This holy order was formed three centuries
an officer in the town guard. ago with the purpose of investigating and
• Tyl Lilacmead (lawful good female gnome) rooting out paranormal evils. The first roster
was an acolyte at the temple and an aspiring was formed as an extension of an adventuring
member of the Order of Passage. party of the same name, led by a legendary
• Ezek Holstad (neutral good male human) was a cleric known as Vantyr the Pure - whose repu-
priest and member of the Order of Passage. tation was such that the city of Bloom commis-
• Kora Falreth (lawful good female human) was sioned the construction of their temple, which
an acolyte studying at the Temple of Beran the remains. The Order dedicated themselves to
Seven-Souled. spoiling the covert work of fiends and their

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 underlings. Among their ranks were paladins
A Ringing Ring (of various good and neutral-aligned patrons),
If using the Alternate Plot Hook (see pg. 9) priests and priestesses, investigators, and
for the SYEKRFODNW campaign set- arcane experts. Within their first five years of
ting, add this additional finding to a success- existence, they rose to prominence when they
ful Wisdom (Perception) check: a blackened exposed a cult called the Serpent-Sworn, who
iron ring on Ezek’s finger has a small purple worshiped a htil ram in the city of Esker.
amethyst and hums with a faint diminished The Order of Passage has always had one
melody if one puts their ear near it. It is one Speaker (their leader), but the order has always
of the Lost Keys of Wonder! Syd only rais- functioned with a loose hierarchy that meets
es a curious brow at the party if they tap frequently and makes important decisions as
the golden tuning fork to the item, which a collective. As their name implies, the Speaker
records the note. However, to recover it, has the responsibility of being the public face of
the party needs to either convince Syd that their order. Others within the order are rarely
they need the ring as evidence with a DC 12 as vocal, given the covert and time-consuming
Charisma (Persuasion) check or slip it from nature of their work.
the corpse’s finger without him noticing
with a DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand)
check. If Syd catches them stealing from a
body without explanation, he demands they
leave the morgue. The ring is rare, requires
attunement, and enables the attuned wear-
er to cast the dissonant whispers spell at 3rd
level 1/day, requiring no spell slot.

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MGET GPN CT AN
The demon lord Eroketh (au z e r b a l g ) is a crea- HM
ture with immense cunning and lust for manip-
ulation, trickery, and cruelty. He descends from If you are using the SRYEFDKONW cam-
an ancient lineage of fiends, who were among paign setting, you may add the following plot
the first to inhabit his native Lower Planes. hook before you proceed with the events of the
Given this, the concept of legacy has long-fasci- SRED UM YLOHNU EHT FO ESAC adventure.
nated Eroketh. For centuries, he has tormented This works best when the party has made a
entire family trees and taken great pleasure in return visit to Maestro Hewert’s tower - to
ruining families in the Material plane. share the lost notes they have acquired. Alter-
Eroketh is also quick to anger, and noth- natively, the scene below could be presented as
ing angers him more than seeing one of his a flashback that occurred sometime before the
elaborate schemes disrupted. Such was the party left the tower.
case when he possessed Jorum West thirty The Maestro presses his nimble fingers
years before the events of the adventure. His over the Calliope of Wonder. As he presses
connection to the human was severed in an one key, no sound bellows from it, save a
exorcism, which was not entirely successful. soft click. He frowns slightly, then calls out
Jorum perished in the process, and Eroketh was to you. “This eerie chord is thought to have
left without a thrall. However, true to his sa- been lost somewhere in the city of Bloom,
distic nature, Eroketh began to advance a new concealed - perhaps - in its abundance of fog
mission: to capitalize on the sadness and anger and shadow. Sadly, I do not have any leads
of his original target’s son. It was quaint - just on an exact location. Should you find the
perfect - from the fiend’s twisted perspective. time, explore the city and keep an ear out
Another legacy to ruin. for a dissonant, haunting sound. How I’d love
to have it restored to its rightful place.” The
half-elf presses the soundless key again, this
time managing a slight smile.
This plot hook can replace the adventure
booklet’s letter from Leeza, or be used in ad-
dition to it. If the letter is removed, consider
changing Leeza to someone else the party
knows and cares for, and have them arrive
in Bloom before the first murder occurs. The
city can then go into lockdown, essentially
trapping them inside and giving them a strong
motivation to solve the case - to be able to leave
Bloom, if nothing else. The party can discover
the lost key imbued in an item worn by one of
the corpses found at the city morgue (see pg. 7).

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 Adventure Handouts

Handout 1: Leeza's Letter

sr
Handout 2: Leeza's Journal

ss
 Handout 3: Strange Symbol

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Handout 4: Hidden Report

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 Handout 5: City of Bloom Map

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