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Dungeons
Crypt · Medium · Medium

The Ashen Crypt

The dead were buried to guard a secret, but something beneath the ashes has begun to breathe.
Rooms
13
Foes
26, CR 1/8 to 6
Traps
3
Treasure
3,050 gp
12345678910111213Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. The Fallen Narthex

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

High Mortician Veyr, once the leader of the Ashen Ministry, now exists as a deathless priest bound to the crypt's central vault.

Wandering monsters (1d4)

  1. 1

    1d3× Ash-Wrapped ZombieCR 1/2

    When: The party makes loud noise, disturbs a burial plaque, or leaves a corpse unattended for more than 10 minutes.A shambling corpse wrapped in burial cloth, dragging a broken censer that spills choking ash.
  2. 2

    1 swarm× Whispering Skull SwarmCR 1

    When: A shrine is desecrated or a locked door is forced open.A cluster of skulls bound together by black funerary thread, whispering the names of living adventurers.
  3. 3

    Lost EmbalmerCR 2

    When: The party spends a short rest in an unpurified chamber.A pale, exhausted ghost wearing an embalmer's apron and carrying a rusted lantern.
  4. 4

    Seal InspectorCR 3

    When: The party purifies a shrine or destroys one of the crypt's guardians.A skeletal priest with a censer of green flame, sent to inspect the shrine seals.

Rooms

13
1

The Fallen Narthex

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A broad funerary hall descends beneath the ruined chapel. Three archways lead toward the outer chambers, while a locked northern door bears the faded seal of the Ashen Ministry.

Features

  • Broken bier near the entrance
  • Blue funeral flames in wall niches
  • A cracked stone relief showing four hooded priests
  • Dust disturbed by recent footprints

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× Skeleton AttendantsCR 1/4

Former chapel attendants wrapped in rotting burial cloth, animated by the crypt's lingering magic.Tactics. They advance in pairs, using the narrow archways to block retreat while one raises an alarm by striking the copper bells nearby.

Treasure

Ministry Token25 gp

A silver funerary token stamped with the crypt's seal, useful as proof of the party's discoveries.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The party can enter safely, but loud combat alerts . The locked northern door opens with the key from or by forcing the ancient mechanism.

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

The place

What it is

The crypt lies beneath a ruined chapel, its sealed halls now disturbed by grave robbers and a growing undead presence.

Atmosphere

Cold, stale air drifts through the crypt, carrying the smells of wet limestone, old incense, and opened graves.

The threat

High Mortician Veyr, once the leader of the Ashen Ministry, now exists as a deathless priest bound to the crypt's central vault.

History

The crypt was built three centuries ago by the Ashen Ministry, an order of priests who believed death should be administered with ritual care.

Rumors

1d5
Roll a rumor

  1. 1The dead beneath the ruined chapel have begun knocking from inside their graves.
  2. 2A priest who entered the crypt returned without his shadow and died three days later.
  3. 3The old noble families buried more than ancestors beneath the chapel.
  4. 4Four candles must be lit before the black coffin can be opened.
  5. 5A silver key and a bowl of ash are enough to keep the crypt's master asleep.

Plot hooks

3
InvestigationThe Empty GravesA village gravedigger has vanished after discovering that several sealed graves were opened from below. The villagers want the party to find him and learn what disturbed the crypt.From: Mara Pell, the frightened village sextonReward: 150 gp, a silver burial key, and free lodging in the village
RetrievalThe Stolen SignetA noble family claims an ancestor's signet ring was buried in the crypt, but the ring is actually one component of the shrine seals. Recovering it without damaging the wards requires reaching .From: Lord Edrin Vale, an anxious minor nobleReward: 250 gp and a family letter of recommendation
ExorcismAshes ReconsecratedThe party is hired to cleanse the four shrines before Veyr's undead servants spread beyond the crypt. Each shrine demands a different act of restoration, not merely the destruction of its defenders.From: Sister Calwen, priest of the ruined chapelReward: A consecrated weapon worth 300 gp and a blessing against undead

Corridors

4

  • Between and rooms 1-3

    Thin copper bells hang from black cords across several passages. Most are silent, but one rings softly whenever the crypt's guardian senses living creatures nearby.

  • Corridors near and

    Funerary plaques line the walls, each bearing a name that has been carefully chiseled away. Fresh scratches around some plaques suggest someone has been searching for hidden compartments.

  • Passage between and

    A trail of gray ash runs toward the deeper chambers, interrupted by occasional bloody fingerprints. The marks begin at and continue toward .

  • Deep corridors around rooms 9-12

    Cracks in the floor exhale warm air that smells of iron and myrrh. At irregular intervals, something beneath the stone gives a slow, heavy pulse.

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