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Castle · Small · Medium

Third Survey Castle

A cold draft stirs the straw in the prison cells, though every window above is bricked shut.
Rooms
8
Foes
11, CR 1/8 to 3
Traps
3
Treasure
190 gp
12345678Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Servants' Passage

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

The castle's last castellan, now a wight, waits in the small chamber beyond the shrine.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    1d3× Castle Skeleton PatrolCR 1/4

    When: Every 20 minutes of noisy exploration, or after a loud fight in rooms 0 through 3; avoid occupied rooms unless pursuing intruders nearby.A patrol of brittle skeletons in pieces of old guard uniform, carrying notched spears.
  2. 2

    1d2× Cell RatsCR 1/2

    When: When food is opened or blood is spilled near or the servants' passage.A pair of giant rats with patchy gray fur and iron tags still tangled in their whiskers.
  3. 3

    Lantern WardenCR 1

    When: When a character opens a locked door or disturbs a sealed passage; it follows for one corridor, then vanishes.A restless, translucent guard in a closed helm, visible only when it passes through a shaft of light.

Rooms

8
1

Servants' Passage

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A low servants' entry opens into a square staging room, with a bench, broken baskets, and three doors leading deeper into the keep. The north door is locked; muffled clinks from the prison passage and a cold draft from the common hall make the place feel watched.

Features

  • A faded service roster is nailed beside the entrance.
  • The northern door has a heavy lock and a viewing slit.

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Servant SkeletonsCR 1/8

Two castle skeletons wear scraps of servant livery and carry rusted kitchen knives.Tactics. They hide behind the bench, then rush whoever tries the locked northern door; they pursue only as far as or .

Treasure

Kitchen Tip Box8 gp

A tin box beneath the bench holds a few coins collected by the old servants.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

This is the entry point. The layout's door directions are reliable: the north door is locked, while the east and south doors open normally. Noise here can draw a wandering patrol.

3 doors: S (normal), N (archway), N (locked)

The place

What it is

Third Survey Castle is a compact fortified keep whose surviving rooms descend from a servants' entrance to prison cells, shrines, and a guarded chamber.

Atmosphere

Damp lime, old straw, and cold iron dominate the air.

The threat

The castle's last castellan, now a wight, waits in the small chamber beyond the shrine.

History

Third Survey Castle was raised by a minor border lord to guard a toll road and store provisions during raids.

Rumors

1d4
Roll a rumor

  1. 1A servant's tunnel runs from the cells to the old family crypt, though no living person remembers where its far end lies.
  2. 2The castellan's ghost still gives orders in the inner rooms, and the armor obeys him.
  3. 3The crypt entrance is wide enough for a funeral bier, but the stair beyond it was sealed from the inside.
  4. 4A blue light in the little shrine appears before someone opens a hidden door.

Plot hooks

3
RecoveryThe Missing Toll LedgerA local reeve asks the party to recover a tax ledger believed lost when the castle garrison disappeared. Its entries prove that a neighboring landholder has been stealing toll revenue.From: The reeve of the nearby market villageReward: A purse of 75 gp and legal claim to any non-hazardous castle stores
InvestigationThe Road of the DeadA gravedigger reports that fresh earth has appeared beside the village cemetery and that a prisoner-shaped shadow was seen walking toward the castle. The party must determine whether the crypt is sending the dead back out.From: The village gravediggerReward: A silvered weapon and the villagers' lasting aid
RetrievalThe Ring in the UndercryptA noble's steward hires the party to retrieve a signet ring from the crypt vestibule. The steward insists it is an heirloom, but the ring's crest may establish a claim to the castle itself.From: A guarded estate stewardReward: 100 gp, with an additional reward if the ring's history is verified

Corridors

4

  • Between and

    A narrow servants' passage retains a waist-high rail for carrying trays. Scratches on the plaster mark hurried traffic toward the prison door.

  • Between and

    A cracked wall niche holds a guttering blue witchlight; it brightens briefly whenever the shrine in is disturbed.

  • Between and

    Old arrow slits overlook the passage. Their inner ledges are dusty except for fresh grit shed from the guard room beyond.

  • Near the secret door connecting and

    A run of paving stones has settled unevenly, and the mortar at the wall base bears a faint carving of a crow pecking at grain.

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