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Dungeons
Crypt · Medium · Level 5 · Medium

The Buried Sun-Lance Fort

A dead lantern burns over the gate, and fresh sand slides uphill beneath it.
Rooms
10
Foes
13, CR 1 to 3
Traps
3
Treasure
1,170 gp
12345678910Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. The Breached Gate

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

Commander Hadrik, once the fort's officer, now leads the ghouls from the sealed command cell in .

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    Sand SharkCR 3

    When: Roll when the party makes sustained noise, causes a collapse, or spends an hour in the fort; on a roll of 1 on a d6, it attacks through a sandy wall or floor.A sand shark's broad head and ridged back surge through loose sand before the creature burrows away again.
  2. 2

    1d4× Fort GhoulsCR 1

    When: They investigate combat sounds or the smell of fresh blood, usually arriving from a connected room after rounds.A pair of ghouls in torn guard cloaks stalk the halls, sniffing for warm blood.
  3. 3

    1d3× Buried SentinelCR 1

    When: It appears when a military alarm bell rings or when intruders disturb a sealed tomb.A restless skeleton still wearing a rusted helmet marches with a broken spear held level.

Rooms

10
1

The Breached Gate

2 foestreasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

A ragged excavation shaft opens into a square guard hall, its old doors hanging crooked beneath a curtain of sand. Four passages branch away, and a dead lantern still glows faintly above a waist-high barricade.

Features

  • The entrance shaft is unstable; loud impacts shake sand loose from the ceiling.
  • A barricade of broken shields bears faded Kethran insignia.
  • Boot prints from recent explorers lead toward and .

What the GM knows

Monsters

2× GhoulsCR 1

Two ghouls in corroded guard armor crouch behind the barricade, their jaws working as if chewing.Tactics. They feign stillness until intruders pass the barricade, then attack from opposite sides and paralyze the weakest target.

Treasure

Kethran Gate Signet25 gp

A military signet stamped with a sunburst, worth more to a historian than a fence.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The ghouls here are a warning of the organized dead deeper in the fort. Scraping from below may indicate a sand shark approaching; a sudden tremor gives the party a round to seek cover.

1 door: N (normal)

The place

What it is

The buried fort's upper chamber has been opened by recent excavation, exposing a web of prison cells, killing corridors, and sealed shrines.

Atmosphere

Fine sand sifts through cracks and whispers across stone floors.

The threat

Commander Hadrik, once the fort's officer, now leads the ghouls from the sealed command cell in .

History

The fort was built by the Kethran army to guard a desert road and hold captured raiders during the last great war.

Rumors

1d4
Roll a rumor

  1. 1The diggers found a sealed door, then heard someone inside counting the dead by name.
  2. 2Sand sharks are drawn to the fort's vibration, and the walls tremble before they arrive.
  3. 3A beam of sunlight once cut a stone watchtower in half, though no army was near enough to fire it.
  4. 4The ghouls wear old uniforms and still attack anyone carrying a torch near the lower rooms.

Plot hooks

3
RescueThe Missing DiggersThe local excavation crew has vanished below the entrance, and their foreman was last heard shouting that the walls were moving. Find the survivors before the sand sharks or ghouls do.From: Nami, an excavation hand who escaped with a cracked mapReward: A share of the recovered artifacts and 150 gp from the crew's sponsor
RecoveryThe Buried WeaponA military collector wants the sun-lance recovered intact, while a village elder insists it must be destroyed. The weapon's separated parts make either choice dangerous.From: Brask, a retired quartermaster turned antiquities brokerReward: A +1 weapon or 300 gp, depending on the party's choice
InvestigationTracks Under the SandGhoul attacks have begun at a nearby caravan track, and tracks lead back to the fort. Discover what has stirred the dead before the route becomes impassable.From: Oru, a caravan guard with a wounded companionReward: Safe passage with a merchant caravan and 100 gp

Corridors

3

  • Passage between and

    A strip of faded red military pennants hangs from ceiling hooks. Their stitched arrows still point toward the prison wing, though the cloth stirs when no breeze is present.

  • Passage between and

    Fresh sand pours from hairline cracks in the floor, gathering in rippling fans around a shallow depression. Something large moves beneath it when the corridor is quiet.

  • Passage near

    A rusted speaking tube connects to the command rooms. Whispers travel through it clearly, but sometimes a dry voice answers in an old military code.

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