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Dungeons
Ruins · Medium · Level 3 · Medium

The Split Bell

A cracked bronze bell rests beneath the open sky, and rain keeps time in its empty bowl.
Rooms
6
Foes
9, CR 1/8 to 2
Traps
2
Treasure
160 gp
123456Entrance
Select a room on the plan to open it.

The party is in

1. Bellfall Entry

Seen

Something wanders by

At a glance

The threat

The sanctum's dead keeper has become a ghast, sustained by the bodies and fear sealed beneath the tower.

Wandering monsters (1d3)

  1. 1

    Chain-Draught SkeletonCR 1/4

    When: It approaches any loud noise from or a door being forced in or .A stray skeleton in scraps of a guard's tabard drags a broken chain behind it.
  2. 2

    2× Ruin RatsCR 1/8

    When: They emerge when the party rests or leaves food unattended.Two gray rats with milky eyes nose through the damp corridor edges, fleeing if cornered.
  3. 3

    Cell WalkerCR 1/4

    When: It appears when the party spends more than ten minutes in the connected corridors.A shambling zombie in a stained prison tunic scratches at doors, following the faint smell of living breath.

Rooms

6
1

Bellfall Entry

treasuresecret

What they see

Read aloud

The entrance chamber is a square room of damp stone, open to the sky through a broken section of tower above. A cracked bronze bell fragment rests on a low plinth, and four exits lead to locked cells, a common room, and the shrine.

Features

  • The bell fragment gives a faint metallic tremor when anyone speaks loudly.
  • The western archway is open; the eastern and southern doors are locked, while the northern door swings freely.
  • Rainwater drips into a shallow basin beneath the broken ceiling.

What the GM knows

Treasure

Cracked Bell Fragment15 gp

The tarnished bronze fragment is worth something to a collector, though it is awkward to carry.
Room secrets · GM only

Notes

The eastern locked door leads to and the southern locked door to . A successful Strength check forces either door, but the noise alerts creatures in the nearest occupied room. The bell fragment is heavy but not magical.

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

The place

What it is

The Split Bell is a small ruin built into the stone beneath a collapsed bell tower.

Atmosphere

Cold air carries the smell of wet limestone, old incense, and rust.

The threat

The sanctum's dead keeper has become a ghast, sustained by the bodies and fear sealed beneath the tower.

History

The Split Bell was built by villagers who feared raiders crossing the nearby ridge.

Rumors

1d4
Roll a rumor

  1. 1The old bell tower rang once in a storm last month, though everyone knows its bell broke generations ago.
  2. 2A peddler swears that blue candlelight moves beneath the stones after midnight.
  3. 3People say the sealed cells still hold a prisoner who can name the family that fled the ridge.
  4. 4A village mason claims the bronze bell fragment is part of a warning signal, and wants it back before the tower is rebuilt.

Plot hooks

3
RecoveryThe Bell FragmentA village mason wants the cracked bell fragment recovered before a new tower is built, insisting it is the original warning bell. The fragment lies near the entrance, but disturbing it may alert the dead below.From: Toma, a mason from the ridge villageReward: 25 gp and a repaired shield stamped with the village mark
InvestigationThe Last PrisonerA relative of one of the prisoners believes the escaped captive left a family record somewhere in the cells. Searchers must open the locked doors and face whatever still answers from inside.From: Dena, a grieving wool-sellerReward: A purse of 40 gp and a small heirloom ring if the record is found
ExorcismA Quiet BurialA local priest has heard that the keeper's reliquary can quiet restless dead. They ask the party to retrieve it and lay the remains in to rest, rather than simply taking the treasure.From: Father Garen, keeper of the roadside chapelReward: A healing potion for each adventurer and a blessing granting advantage on one saving throw against fear

Corridors

3

  • Between and

    A shallow groove runs along the corridor floor, stained brown where rainwater and old blood once drained toward the entrance.

  • Outside

    Someone has scratched tally marks into the mortar, then crossed them out in frantic clusters. The newest marks are still edged with pale dust.

  • Between and

    A thin draft breathes through a crack in the western wall. Its air smells of candle smoke, though no candle burns nearby.

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