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Dungeons
Crypt · Medium · Level 3 · Medium

Ratwife Crypt

Rat tracks cross the dust, and every one of them stops at the same blank wall.
Rooms
10
Foes
15, CR 1/8 to 1
Traps
2
Treasure
46 gp
12345678910Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. The Lowering Chamber

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

The crypt's dead caretaker lingers as a specter in the sealed chamber beyond the prison.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    1d4× Giant RatCR 1/8

    When: A loud noise or the smell of food draws them from cracks in the masonry.A hungry rat slips along the wall, watching for dropped food or an unwatched pack.
  2. 2

    1d2× Crypt SkeletonCR 1/4

    When: The party spends more than ten minutes in the crypt or makes a prolonged disturbance.A restless skeleton in burial wrappings shuffles between chambers, dragging a broken chain.
  3. 3

    Phantom RatCR 1/4

    When: A character separates from the group or carries an uncovered flame through a dark passage.A pale rat-shaped spirit darts across the floor and vanishes through a closed door.

Rooms

10
1

The Lowering Chamber

3 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A low stone antechamber opens beneath the graveyard, with four exits and a ceiling blackened by old funeral lamps. Muddy pawprints cover the floor, and a faint clatter comes from the prison passage to the north.

Features

  • Four doorways lead into the crypt; the eastern wall hides a secret door.
  • A cracked stone basin holds rainwater and rat droppings.

What the GM knows

Monsters

3× Giant RatsCR 1/8

Large, sickly rats with patchy fur and pale eyes, bold from years of feeding on burial offerings.Tactics. They scatter around the room, then bite isolated intruders and retreat through gaps if badly hurt.

Treasure

Basin Offerings8 cp and a brass token worth 1 sp

A few copper coins and a tarnished brass funeral token lie in the basin beneath the grime.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The secret eastern door opens with pressure on a loose stone near the basin. A successful Wisdom (Perception) check notices the draft and disappearing tracks.

4 doors: S (normal), N (normal), E (secret), W (normal)

The place

What it is

The Ratwife Crypt is a compact burial vault built beneath a village graveyard, its old cells and shrines split by damp, crooked passages.

Atmosphere

Cold damp clings to the skin, carrying the smells of wet stone, old wax, and rat musk.

The threat

The crypt's dead caretaker lingers as a specter in the sealed chamber beyond the prison.

History

The crypt was built by two rival village burial houses that were forced to share a graveyard after a boundary dispute.

Rumors

1d4
Roll a rumor

  1. 1The graveyard's oldest stones are warmer than the ground around them, even in winter.
  2. 2A caretaker was buried beneath the cemetery, though nobody remembers her name.
  3. 3Rats have been carrying silver coins out of the graves and into a hole beneath the old chapel.
  4. 4Some say the crypt was built by two families who refused to share a wall, then had to share a tomb.

Plot hooks

3
InvestigationThe Sinking GravesA graveyard keeper asks the party to discover why fresh graves keep collapsing into a sinkhole. The tracks lead to the crypt's entrance and a growing rat nest below.From: A worried graveyard keeperReward: A modest purse and permission to keep any common valuables found in the crypt.
RecoveryThe Missing SignetA family needs a signet ring recovered from the old burial shrine before an inheritance can be settled. The ring is somewhere beyond the locked shrine door, but the local guide refuses to enter.From: A persistent family solicitorReward: The family offers a small fee and a silver signet as thanks.
HauntingA Keeper's Last VigilA restless spirit has begun appearing at the village graveyard, pointing toward the sealed crypt. The party must learn what happened to the prisoners and put the caretaker's spirit to rest.From: A sleepless gravediggerReward: The villagers pool a reward and provide a healer's kit for the expedition.

Corridors

4

  • Passage between and

    Tiny pawprints cross the dust, all leading toward the deeper rooms; some stop abruptly at blank walls.

  • Passage between and

    A line of rusted hooks holds scraps of burial cloth. One scrap stirs even when the air is still.

  • Passage between and

    A narrow drain carries cold water toward the lower crypt, along with occasional flecks of candle wax.

  • Passage between and

    The stones here bear shallow gouges at ankle height, as if something heavy was dragged toward the hidden boss chamber.

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