Flowers for the Departed

Quest Hook: Quest Giver NPC: Sister Maribel Role: Kindly herbalist & caretaker of a small shrine near the market. Personality: Gentle, motherly, always humming hymns. Believes in simple remedies and faith. Quest Offer: She asks the party to collect Nightbloom Flowers from Og Durmer’s graveyard for medicine and ritual incense. She apologizes, saying she normally gathers them herself, but her knees have grown too weak for the hill.   Clue Drop: Mentions that old Garren, the graveyard keeper, hasn’t come by in days.   NPCs Encountered in the Graveyard Quest Garren, the Gravekeeper (Missing, then Found) Role: Elderly caretaker of the graveyard. Fate: The party won’t find him at first. Later, they discover he’s been captured and magically bound in a mausoleum by the necromancer, forced to reveal burial sites and rituals. Personality: Grumpy, stubborn, proud of his work. Soft-hearted when it comes to mourning families. Clue Drop: Once rescued, he warns that the necromancer seeks an ancient family crypt rumored to hold something “best left undisturbed.”   Osric “the Mourner” (Encountered Early) Role: Local drunkard often found wandering the graveyard, speaking to his wife’s grave. Personality: Melancholy but kind-hearted, slurs between wisdom and nonsense. Encounter: He’s the first to warn the party: “The dead don’t rest easy tonight… I swear I saw hands clawing up from the dirt.” Utility: Provides atmosphere and hints at danger without being reliable enough to confirm.   The Necromancer (Antagonist) Malrec of the Withered Hand Role: A young, ambitious necromancer who recently arrived in Og Durmer, seeking to raise an undead retinue from the forgotten crypts. Personality: Arrogant, bitter, fascinated by death. Sees himself as a visionary, not a villain. Encounter: Commands skeletons and ghouls; taunts the party during their first clash, then flees deeper into the graveyard’s old catacombs. Goal: To awaken a long-dead warlord interred in Og Durmer’s soil.   Undead Encounters (Not NPCs, but roleplayable foes) Graveborn Skeletons: Recently risen, armed with rusted farm tools. The Wailing Widow: A banshee-like spirit haunting a grave, can be convinced to aid the heroes if they return her wedding ring. Mausoleum Guardian: A heavily armored corpse knight bound by necromantic runes, possibly once a hero of Og Durmer.   Quest Flow: Party sent to gather Nightbloom Flowers. They meet Osric, who hints something’s wrong. The graveyard is disturbed — undead are rising. They discover Garren imprisoned in the mausoleum, and free him. First clash with Malrec, who escapes. Either return with flowers + Garren’s warning to Sister Maribel OR press deeper into catacombs for bonus content.  

Bonus content:

  The Catacombs of Og Durmer Room-by-Room Layout   1. The Broken Mausoleum (Entrance)   Description: The cracked stone entrance lies hidden among overgrown ivy at the graveyard’s edge. Broken doors sag inward, as if pushed from below. Atmosphere: Cold air flows outward like breath from a deep tomb.   Features: Faint trails of muddy boot prints (necromancer + undead). A broken holy symbol of Auroros near the entrance. Encounter: Broken Mausoleum (Entrance Skirmish)   2x Skeletons (CR 1/4 each) 1x Zombie (CR 1/4) XP: ~150   Purpose: Easy warm-up, showcases undead theme. Tactics: Slow, easy to kite. Skeletons with shortbows to make rogues dodge/cover.   2. Chamber of the Silenced Whisper   Description: Walls of black obsidian engraved with the names of Og Durmer’s dead. The air thrums with faint whispers. Whispering Presence: PCs hear fragments of the dead (their own loved ones, or strange voices). WIS save or suffer 1 point of exhaustion from creeping dread. Meditating here for 10 minutes grants Auroros’s Blessing (advantage vs. fear until dawn).   Optional NPC Spirit: Elaris Thornveil, a once-priestess of Auroros, offers cryptic warnings. Hazard Only (WIS save DC 13 or 1 level exhaustion). Optional NPC Spirit for roleplay. No combat, just atmosphere + cleric utility moment.   3. Ossuary of Lanterns   Description: Dozens of lanterns hang suspended by rusted chains, their ghostly light flickering blue. Puzzle/Trap: Only when the lanterns are aligned (pushed to match a constellation carved in the floor) does the door onward open.   If Puzzle Solved Wrong: 2x Will-o’-Wisps (CR 1/2 each, nasty but fragile). 1x Specter (CR 1). XP: ~700 (medium).   Tactics: Wisps target squishiest (sorcerer). Specter drains CON. Difficulty Note: deadly if taken head-on, but avoidable with puzzle success.   Treasure: Lantern of Veiled Souls (shows hidden undead or illusions for 1 minute/day).   4. The Reaping Hall   Description: A wide marble chamber, cracked and broken, with an altar of Auroros. Bones are scattered everywhere. Encounter: Skeletal Guardians of Auroros rise. They do not attack immediately — instead demanding proof of reverence (a prayer, sacrifice, or relic of Auroros). Skeletal guardians: 4x Skeletons (CR 1/4) and 1x Wight (CR 3). If PCs show reverence → No combat, they step aside. If PCs fail or fight → Medium-hard encounter, XP ~1,100.   Tactics: Wight commands skeletons, drains life. Cleric’s Turn/Channel Divinity shines here. Failure to respect them = combat. Success = safe passage + guidance deeper in. Treasure: Vial of Ethereal Shroud Essence (1/day brief invulnerability).   5. The Hall of Twilight’s Edge (Necromancer’s Ritual Chamber)   Description: A fractured crypt filled with unstable necrotic energy. Runic wards flicker dimly on the walls. In the center: the necromancer’s ritual circle, binding a Soulbound Specter. Encounter: Necromancer Boss + Soulbound Specter. Necromancer (Cult Fanatic reskinned, CR 2, with extra necrotic spells) Soulbound Specter (custom, CR 3) 2x Skeletal Minions (CR 1/4 each) guarding ritual circle. XP: ~2,000 (Deadly Boss fight).   Tactics: Necromancer uses Hold Person / Command / Spiritual Weapon (reskinned necrotic). Soulbound Specter deals radiant/necrotic split, making it dangerous to everyone. Cleric can attempt to turn undead, but specter resists. The necromancer attempts to harness the specter as a weapon. The specter is enraged and lashes out at all present.   Choices for Heroes: Disrupt Ritual: WIS or Arcana check to stabilize the circle, freeing the soul peacefully. Kill Necromancer Only: Risk specter going berserk.   Destroy Both: Safe, but dishonors Auroros (consequences later).   Ritual Purification (Cleric’s Role) The Cleric (or anyone with divine training) can attempt a Religion (DC 15) or Wisdom (DC 16) check to stabilize the necromantic circle and undo its corruption. Success: The soul is released, dispersing into the cycle of death under Auroros’s care. Failure: The soul resists, forcing the party to deal with it in combat or try another method. Spells like Turn Undead, Remove Curse, Protection from Evil and Good, or Dispel Magic add advantage here.   Appeal to the Soul (Roleplay / Skill Use) A hero can speak directly to the bound spirit, acknowledging its pain and guiding it toward Auroros’s embrace. Requires Persuasion (DC 17) or Insight (DC 15). Characters who mention Auroros by name, or recall funeral rites of Og Durmer, gain advantage. On success, the specter willingly fades, whispering final words (which can give lore or quest hooks).   Arcane Unbinding (Sorcerer’s Role) The Sorcerer may attempt to disrupt the necromantic tether with an Arcana (DC 16) check. Spells like Counterspell, Dispel Magic, or even a carefully controlled Fireball on the ritual runes can weaken the bonds. Success: The soul is unbound, freed into Auroros’s care. Failure: The tether snaps violently — the specter goes berserk, attacking until subdued.   Symbol of Balance (Mixed Party Effort) If the players combine divine guidance, arcane disruption, and personal appeals, the DC lowers to 13 for each step. This emphasizes teamwork. When done successfully, Auroros himself “notices,” manifesting as a cold, silver-grey light sweeping through the chamber — a subtle blessing.   Treasure: Chalice of Rebirth. capable of restoring a fallen ally, but balanced by Auroros’s laws. Using it propels them one step closer to becoming Auroros’s chosen.   6. Hidden Passage – The Veil Door   Access: Found only if the heroes investigate murals or pry open a cracked wall. Description: A tunnel sealed with silver runes glowing faintly. Must be touched with blessed oil or exposed to moonlight to open. Atmosphere: Silence grows unbearable. Steps echo like a heartbeat. Hazard only, not combat. Requires creative thinking.   7. Sanctuary of Final Passage (Secret Bonus Chamber)   Description: A quiet shrine. Statues of hooded angels stand over an altar of dark stone. The constellations shift faintly across the ceiling. The air here is calm, peaceful. Encounter: None — this is a place of rest.   Divine Gift: Soulbound Blade (Lesser Fragment) — A dagger that deals radiant damage to undead in righteous hands. Corrupts evil users slowly. PCs may also receive Auroros’s Mark of Balance — appearing as a pale silver scar, granting rare visions of death’s flow.  

Dungeon Flow

  Broken Mausoleum → 2. Silenced Whisper → 3. Ossuary of Lanterns → 4. Reaping Hall → 5. Twilight’s Edge (Boss). Optional Side Path: Hidden Veil Door → 7. Sanctuary of Final Passage.   This structure gives combat, puzzles, lore, choices, and moral weight—all tying to Auroros’s lawful neutrality and dominion over death and balance.