Battlemap
The Seventeenth Legion Road
The dead march beneath the road, still waiting for an order that ended centuries ago.
The Old Roman Road descends beneath a ruined imperial highway, where abandoned temples and military chambers have been swallowed by the earth. The dead of the 17th Legion still patrol its buried route, waiting for an oath to be fulfilled before they can lay down their weapons.
Cold air leaks through every stone seam, carrying the smell of wet earth, old ashes, and rust. Bronze fittings gleam faintly beneath soot-black torch brackets, while distant sandals scrape across flagstones in measured ranks. Banners whisper in drafts that should not exist, and the darkness seems to breathe whenever the legion passes.
☠ Threat
The Undead Legate commands the cursed 17th Legion from a buried command chamber beneath the road. He believes the empire's enemies still advance along the frontier, and every living traveler is treated as a deserter, spy, or rebel. The Legate's patrols grow more organized as intruders descend, surrounding isolated groups and driving them toward the command chamber.
History
The road was built by the old empire to move soldiers, tribute, and prisoners across the frontier. When the 17th Legion received orders to burn a rebel settlement, its officers refused and led the troops away. The emperor branded them traitors, sent another army to destroy them, and buried their command beneath a roadside temple. Their oath survived death, binding them to patrol the road until their honor is restored.
Encounter Table
CRA four-soldier patrol moves in perfect formation, shields touching and spearheads angled forward. They halt whenever they hear a living voice and demand the speaker's name, rank, and allegiance.
The centurion walks alone beneath a torn banner, inspecting dust for footprints. It marks intruders with a smear of grave ash before withdrawing to report their position.
A spectral standard-bearer drifts along the corridor, dragging a banner through puddles that hiss and smoke. It attacks anyone carrying imperial insignia not earned from the legion.
A dead courier crawls from a wall crack clutching a sealed message. It whispers directions toward the Legate, then attacks if the message is opened or destroyed.
Rumours & Whispers
The dead soldiers do not attack anyone who carries a bronze eagle, though no one knows where the eagle came from.
A legion still marches beneath the old road every midnight, and its commander asks travelers whether the emperor has returned.
The ruined temples are not abandoned. Their candles burn whenever someone lies about the empire.
A merchant swears that one of the legion's banners followed his caravan for three days, fluttering in windless air.
The 17th Legion was called traitor because it refused to massacre an entire village, but the official records say otherwise.
Quest Hooks
Quest giver: Marcia Venn, a caravan master with a broken sword and three missing guards
Caravans vanish along the old highway, leaving only boot prints that begin and end beside a ruined milestone. The party must follow the trail beneath the road and discover why the dead are taking prisoners alive.
A rare imperial weapon recovered from the legion's armory, plus safe passage for the party's allies
Quest giver: Brother Calvus, keeper of a roadside chapel
A village priest asks the party to recover a bronze standard from the buried road. He claims it is a relic, but the standard is actually the key to ending the legion's curse.
A rare holy amulet and the gratitude of several settlements along the trade route
Quest giver: Sextus Vale, a scholar of forbidden military history
The party finds an imperial writ ordering the execution of the entire 17th Legion. The document bears a seal still recognized by the Undead Legate, making it possible to challenge the commander's oath or provoke him into revealing the truth.
A royal pardon, access to a sealed archive, and the Legate's enchanted signet if the dead are freed
Corridor Notes
Faded milestones mark distances to cities that vanished centuries ago. Each bears fresh scratches made by iron hobnailed sandals.
Broken shields and snapped spear shafts lie arranged in orderly piles, as if gathered after battle by unseen soldiers.
Tattered crimson banners hang from corroded hooks. Their embroidered eagle symbols turn toward the nearest living creature.
A shallow groove cuts through the floor, filled with black rainwater and tiny fragments of finger bones.
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