Crypt of Dreams

An adventure for 4-5 Players of levels 3 to 4
Created for Imarand, the Twin Worlds Campaign Setting

 

Backstory

  Border Town has always had a strange reputation: for years people in the area have been plagued by strange dreams and nightmares. The villagers of the town have grown used to this, but recently it has taken a turn for the worst: since a few weeks villagers have started to disappear. Until recently nobody knew what had happened to these people, but a local forester returning to the village in the middle of the night saw someone sleepwalk out of the village. The sleepwalker disappeared into a long-forgotten crypt along the coastline, uncovered by a recent storm.     Border Town knowledge (history)
DC 16: Border Town is a relatively new town, built only 43 years ago as a defensive outpost for Mag Mell. It is built on lands that were once owned by a noble family, but the town came under the direct rule of Mag Mell's aristocracy and military after the family's sole heir went missing a couple of decades ago.   The area knowledge (geography)
DC 14: The coastal area that has been swept away by the storm was once part of a larger peninsula that connected the mainland to the Knucklebone Cemetery.   The crypt knowledge (nobility) or (local)
DC 18: The crypt belonged to the noble family of Westron. The noble family has since been stripped of power and scratched from the history books after a Westron committed treason.
DC 22: The last member of the family was Gil Westron, who was publicly denounced by the city after he murdered his parents and tried to sabotage the portal to Ianna. He was known as an ambitious man who dabbled in both necromancy and alchemy.   Westron family knowledge (arcana) or (nobility)
DC 22: Gil Westron had built many strange labs in the direct vicinity of Mag-Mell to conduct strange and dangerous experiments.
DC 24: The Westron family was curious about what lies beyond Imarand, between the stars. Their Mansion once had an extensive library of occult tomes on the matter.   Ask around town diplomacy, intimidate or knowledge (local)
DC 12: Rumor #1: The entrance of the crypt is too elaborate for a simple crypt. Many people must be buried there.
DC 12: Rumor #2: The crypt is older than the town is but it isn’t ancient.  

Crypt of Dreams

Every night the players spend in or around Border Town, there is a 5% chance that one of the players is drawn to the crypt by the compulsion effect of its inhabitant. Any player affected is haunted by terrible nightmares and begins to sleepwalk towards the crypt. The player needs to make a (DC 13) Will save to snap out of the nightmarish trance.  

The Entrance

The crypt is little more than a hole in the ground, where the storm washed away the sand that has hidden the tomb for many years.    

A small stairway covered in wet sand leads down to a set of double stone doors filled with runes. One of the doors is slightly ajar and water slowly seeps into a large chamber beyond. The chamber is filled with empty alcoves and strange otherworldly statues line up in front of two sarcophagi near the northern and southern walls. To the east, a large statue holding an empty bowl looms over a pool of water.

  A linguistics check (DC 24) or the Read Magic spell reveals that the runes on the doors are supposed to keep something inside, rather than keep intruders out. When the players enter the room, a magical fire ignites in the statue's bowl, illuminating the room. The sarcophagi depict two men dressed as guards. As soon as any player comes within 5 feet of a sarcophagus, two shades rise from the graves and attack the players.  

Allip (2) CR 3

XP 800
hp 30 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 12)
  The allips fight until the trespassers are dead or retreat. They will not leave the tomb. After they are destroyed, the allips reform within 24 hours. Sprinkling the body in the sarcophagus with holy water prevents an allip’s reforming. Searching the room reveals that one of the four statues is holding a jade figurine shaped like a star with a triangular-shaped base. This is one of the keys needed to open the door holding the final experiment. The statues in the room can be identified with a knowledge (planes) check (DC 20) as monsters from the void, the cold emptiness between the stars. The large statue is a physical representation of the void. Besides the two sarcophagi, the room seems to have no other coffins or burial places.   If they open the sarcophagi, the players also find the following items: a pouch containing 110 gp, a potion of Aid (300gp), a masterwork bastard sword (335gp), a potion of Magic weapon (50gp) and a scroll of Entropic shield (25gp).  

The pool

The water in this 20-foot deep pool seems to be constantly replenished with sea water streaming in from the entrance of the crypt. Down in the shaft you can see a dark, rectangular form; possibly a set of doors.

  The doors at the bottom of the pool lead to another floor of the crypt. Reaching the doors requires a swim check (DC 10), but the doors are locked (break DC 28; hardness 8, 60 hp). There is no lock, but a set of pressure plates that can open the doors disable device (DC 20).   As soon as the players open the doors the water rushes out. Anyone within the pool can make either a swim check (DC 20) or a reflex check (DC 17) to stop themselves from being flushed out with the water.   Players that fail the check end up prone in-between the two chambers. After roughly five minutes a set of metal gears and levers automatically close the doors again. On the inside an obvious pressure plate can be used to open the doors, requiring no check. It takes about 10 hours for the pool to fill again with water seeping inside through the entrance.   Studying the doors with a knowledge (engineering) (DC 14)reveals the mechanism that closes the doors after a set time. A disable device check (DC 16) prevents the doors from closing, but over time the crypt will fill up with water.  

The Watery Hallway

When the players open the doors, read the following:  

The doors break open and the water rushes into a large damaged hallway. Broken pillars lie scattered around, and the walls are badly damaged. As you pick yourself up, you see four stairways leading down to the north and south. To the east, the hallway opens up to a room with heavy stone doors leading north, east and south. As the water seeps down the stairways you hear the sound of weapons scraping on the floor and shuffling coming from the alcoves flanking the area.

  The broken pillars in the center of the room are difficult terrain. From the rooms, 2 Draugr and 2 zombies appear. These were once villagers, but after their death by the nightmare creature, they have risen again as undead to protect the crypt and prevent anyone from escaping. They ignore anybody under the influence of the nightmare creature. The undead fight to the death.  

Draugr (2) CR 2

XP 600
hp 19 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 110)
 

Zombie (2) CR ½

XP 200
hp 12 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 288)
  The alcoves that held the undead are ancient storages, stocked with rotting coffins, crates and broken urns and smelling strongly of brine and rotting flesh. With a perception check DC 16 the players can find some intact gear among the decaying crates: 2 rusted masterwork great axes, a potion of Water walk (750gp), an oil of Bless weapon (50gp), a potion of Shield of Faith (50gp), a potion of Pass without trace (50gp) and 200 gp.   The stairs west leading north and south are completely submerged. The two stairways in the east are slippery but otherwise unobstructed. The three doors largest room each have an inscription in Aklo. The north doorway reads “Fountain”, the south “Laboratory”. The doors to the east seem to be made of a heavier stone than the other doors in the crypt. The Aklo inscription reads: “Final experiment. Warning: feeding time at midnight.” Information about opening these doors can be found in part: The Final Experiment.    

The Stairs Down

The stairways are identical and lead to four identical containment areas, where Gil Westron could keep his creations. The hallways are slippery and wet and lead down to sets of double doors. The two western staircases are completely submerged and the player will need to swim down to open the doors. In the other two hallways, the water is only a few inches deep at the bottom of the stairs.     The southwest hallway is now home to a swarm of crabs that will do anything to protect their spawning ground.  

Crab Swarm CR 4

XP 1,200
hp 38 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 50)
  The southeast staircase has a Swinging Axe Trap in place to keep people out.  

Swinging Axe Trap CR 1

Type mechanical; Perception DC 20; Disable Device DC 20 Effects Trigger location; Reset manual
Effect Atk +10 melee (1d8+1/×3 multiple targets (all targets in a 10-ft. line)
 

The Containment areas

The containment areas were originally the burial chambers for the Westron family but have been reformed by Gil Westron as areas where he could keep his experiments. All of the stone doors at the bottom of the stairs are locked (disable device DC 20, break DC 28; hard 8, 60 hp). These are a set of 4 containment chambers, the chambers are all identical except for their content. The GM can mix the chambers and decided which one is where. It is possible to use the same chamber multiple times.   The chambers that are blocked by the water use the same mechanics as the ‘front door’. Once opened the water will rush into the chamber, possibly dragging the players inside.  

The doors swing open and you peer into a pitch-black unnaturally cold chamber filled with bones. At the end of the chamber, a large ziggurat is built out bones and skulls. Neat rows of coffins line the walls of the chamber, but they have obviously long been neglected, leaving little more than rusting and rotting shells.

 

Hazard CR 1

Unnatural Cold (unprotected creatures must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw every round (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d6 points of non-lethal damage. One of the chambers still has an active acid bath, once used by Gil to discard his refuse, covered by piles of bones.  

Acid Pit Trap CR 3

Type mechanical; Perception DC 20; Disable Device DC 20 Effects Trigger location; Reset manual
Effect 10-ft.-deep pit (1d6 falling damage Creatures that fall into the pit take falling damage as normal, plus 2d6 points of acid damage per round spent in contact with the acid. In addition, exposed items carried by a creature in the pit may be harmed. A reflex (DC 20) save to avoid the trap; multiple targets (all targets in a 20-ft. by 25-ft. area).
  Some of the chambers have residents that survived after all this time, feeding of vermin that found their way into the chambers. The monsters want to escape their imprisonment and will do anything to get rid of the players. They fight to the death if needed. The rooms that are still inhabited are occupied by either an Adherer or a group of Reefclaws.  

Adherer CR 3

XP 800
hp 30 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 8)
  In the room that houses the Adherer, the ziggurat of bones holds a pouch with coins (22 gp, 15 sp, 59 cp), a waterproof scroll case containing a scroll of Call Lightning and a wand of Reduce Person (22 charges). The adherer chamber doesn’t have the Unnatural cold hazard.  

Reefclaw (4) CR 1

XP 400
hp 13 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 234)
  The chamber with the reefclaws is filled knee-deep with water but doesn’t hold the trap or the hazard.  

The Fountain

From the hallway, the northern doors lead to the fountain. The stone doors aren’t locked and lead into a short hallway.  

A small corridor lined with alcoves leads to 2 broken stone doors. Ahead, the sound of a fountain can be heard. As you move into the room you can see that the bottom of the fountain sparkles with golden coins.

    The fountain works as a decanter of endless water to replenish the fountain. The fountain is waist deep and once served as a relaxation chamber, but is now home to a pair of Kappas.  

Kappa (2) CR 2

XP 600
hp 19 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 166)
  The kappas defend their home but will not attack first. Instead, they try to warn the players away or challenge a player to a grappling match in exchange for one of their treasures. If attacked, the kappas try to flee through a tunnel behind the northwestern pillar. The hole is large enough for a small creature to squeeze through.   Within the fountain lies one of the jade star-shaped keys which fits the door to the Final Experiment. In addition to the key, the fountain holds a potion of Spider climb (300gp), a potion of Cure serious wounds (750gp) and 800gp.   If the players investigate the fountain they learn that the water of the fountain can be magically heated to turn the entire room into a sauna. A knowledge (arcana) DC 16 and 10 minutes are needed to repair the damage years of neglect has done to the place. The water can then be heated and cooled with 2 aklo words for ‘fire’ and ‘ice’.  

The Laboratory

A small hallway leads to another set of stone double doors. The hallway is dry and seems to be preserved by powerful magic. A couple of strange metallic cocoons sit in the alcoves and two blue lion-like creatures step forward from the alcoves.

   

Akata (4) CR 1

XP 400
hp 15 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 23)
  The Akatas were used as guard dogs and the presence of the players has awoken them from their hibernation. The Akatas attack anyone who enters the corridor but won’t go past the double doors because of the sea water in the hallway. There are 6 cocoons within the alcoves, but only 2 are hatched before the players arrive. The others hatch 1d6+1 rounds later (roll separately for each cocoon).     Beyond the corridor, the double doors lead down into the laboratory, neatly kept and maintained by magic. The entrance is decorated with 4 otherworldly statues and several magic circles have been drawn on the ground. In the west, several workbenches are stacked with books and to the east sits an empty cage.     As the player starts searching the room, one of the statues comes to life and starts cleaning up by first evicting the trespassers in her master lair.  

Caryatid Column CR 3

XP 800
hp 36 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 46)
  Although the statue has no language or capability for speech, it has been created as a caretaker and guardian. Gil Westron made sure the creature could distinguish friend from foe. A bluff (DC 22) check convinces the column that the players are here on orders of its master and it will return to its starting position and wait until the players have left before cleaning the room once more. Otherwise, the statue fights until it is destroyed.  

Hidden Treasure

Perception (DC 16) Within the room, the players find a masterwork Longsword, 2 potions of Protection from evil (50gp), and a scroll of Light (12gp)   Several intact logs can be found on the workbenches. They reveal that the site was indeed once the burial grounds for the Westron family, but has been converted by Gil Westron to conduct his illegal necromantic experiments. The logs contain detailed information about many of the creatures used in the experiments and the process of twisting these captured specimens to Gil’s whim. Special mention is made of a creature called the ‘final experiment’: a fungoid creature warped by Gil Westron and exposed to the void between the stars, before being locked up somewhere within the crypt. Reading the logs for one hour gives the reader a +2 bonus to identify any of the creatures within the crypt and allows him to make the appropriate knowledge checks untrained.   The holding cell to the east is open and empty, but the wall of the cell is brimming with arcane energy. A spellcraft (DC 18) reveals that a teleportation spell is active but not completed. With knowledge (arcana) (DC 20) or use magic device (DC 25) a player can either complete or disrupt the magic. If the players complete the teleportation circle a Grick is teleported in and starts attacking any creature nearby.  

Grick CR 3

XP 800
hp 27 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 146)
 

The Final Experiment

The massive doors are adorned with an intricate relief showing a constellation of stars. Three of the stars seem to be missing, with only triangular slots showing where the stars are supposed to be.

  Players inspecting the door can make a perception check (DC 18) to notice that the left door has a hatch, roughly the size of a small humanoid creature that can be opened separately. An intricate device in the walls seems to open the hatch automatically at set intervals. Although the players can try to open the hatch manually, it is very difficult to do so (disable device (DC 40)). Opening the doors themselves without the keys is impossible as a complex collection of metal bars and interlocking gears inside the door keep the creature inside from escaping. Opening the door requires all 3 of the jade keys.   The players may choose to wait for the next villager (or one of their own party) to be drawn into the dungeon. If they follow the sleepwalker they will see the person swim down to the bottom of the pool (or fall down if the pool has already been drained, taking 2d6 points of falling damage) and, without hesitation, operate the panels to open the door to the hallway. If any of the enemies remain in the hallway, they leave the sleepwalker alone, recognizing the superior mind of the creature drawing the sleepwalkers in. They will, however, attack the players if they accompany the hapless victim.   The sleepwalker will wait before the double doors leading to the final experiment until midnight strikes and the hatch in the door is automatically opened. Eagerly waiting for its next meal, the creature within immediately wraps long tentacles around its victim, pulling the defenseless person into its chamber. The creatures hold on the victim breaks as soon as it is pulled inside and he has time for one last bloodcurdling scream before the final experiment eats him.   The hatch only stays open for a matter of seconds before closing again, not allowing the large creature within time to squeeze through the opening. If the players gather all the jade keys within the crypt they can open the doors. Read the following when the doors open:  

As soon as you put the last key into its triangular recesses, the hallway fills with the sound of groaning metal gears and the rattling of iron bars. Slowly the massive doors swing open, exposing darkness inside. Gingerly, as if they fear the wide-open space beyond, several vibrantly purple-colored tentacles as thick as your waist snake out of the room, rattle excitedly in the humid air and retreat once more into the shadows. Each of you hears the malicious chuckle that seems to come from deep within your own mind. Although no words are spoken you all hear it speak: ‘Give yourself to me and I’ll reward you and free you from your mortal shells. Your souls are bound to mine. All hail the nightmare lords!’

  The doors take 1 round to open completely, restraining the creature inside, although it can still attack with its tendrils.  

Nightmare Cerebric Fungus CR 4

XP 1,200
hp 38
  Among the remains inside the creature’s lair the players find the following items: 400gp, a potion of Remove disease (750gp), a potion of Cure serious wounds (750gp), a +1 light wooden shield (1003gp), a handy haversack (2000gp), and an elixir of swimming (250gp).  

Conclusion

Although the Westron family has died out years ago, they left a dangerous legacy behind. If the players defeat the Nightmare Cerebric Fungus they find the remains of the villagers in its enclosure. With its demise, the villagers aren’t haunted by nightmares anymore.