A secret society of good-aligned wizards built the Amber Temple in the Balinok Mountains more than two thousand years ago. They needed a vault in which to contain the evil vestiges (remnants of dead, malevolent entities) they had captured and the hoard of forbidden knowledge they had amassed. They dedicated the temple to a god of secrets, whom they trusted to keep it hidden from the rest of the world until the end of time. Unfortunately for the wizards, even the will of a god couldn’t prevent other evil creatures from learning the temple’s location. The wizards were forced to guard the temple themselves, to keep its secrets from falling into villainous hands. The evil forces that were imprisoned within the temple eventually corrupted the wizards, turning them against one another.
The wizards were dead and gone by the time an evil archmage named Exethanter arrived at the temple. He breached the temple’s wards, spoke to a vestige trapped in amber, and discovered the secret to becoming a lich. After his transformation, the lich Exethanter took over the temple and turned the skulls of it previous defenders into flameskulls under his command. Exethanter then took it upon himself to watch over the temple, not to hoard its evil secrets but to share them openly. Meanwhile, the evils within the temple fed on each other, growing in power.
Extreme Cold
The Amber Temple is a cold, dark place carved out of the snowy slope of Mount Ghakis. The temperature throughout the complex is −10 degrees Fahrenheit (−23 degrees Celsius). Characters who don’t have heat sources, cold weather gear, or magic to protect them are subject to the effects of extreme cold, as described in the “Weather” section in chapter 5, “Adventure Environments,” of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. If Kasimir Velikov (see chapter 5, area area N9a) is with the party, his
ring of warmth protects him from the effects of the extreme cold.
When Strahd came to the temple seeking immortality, Exethanter sensed that he was a man of destiny. The evil powers in the temple felt something much stronger: a darkness that eclipsed their own. Strahd communed with these evil vestiges and forged a pact with them. When Strahd later murdered his brother Sergei, that pact was sealed with blood. Strahd transformed into a vampire, and the Dark Powers turned his land into a prison.
Strahd has returned to the temple several times to learn new magic and to find a means of escaping his fate, but the Dark Powers have no intention of giving him up. These recent years have been difficult for Exethanter, whose body and mind have been falling apart. The lich has grown weak and forgetful. He no longer remembers his name or his spells. He knows only that the Dark Powers that created Strahd’s domain were born in the temple, and that these entities feed on the evil that Strahd represents. Strahd is the darkness that sustains them.
Characters who visit the temple can sense the presence of great evil. The dark vestiges imprisoned within the temple will try to corrupt them, offering them secrets and gifts in exchange for a taste of the evil that lurks within their true hearts.
I would not be called ‘death' so soon. I made a pact with death, a pact of blood.
- Tome of Strahd
Areas of the Temple
The following areas correspond to labels on the maps of the Amber Temple below.
All the doors in the temple are fashioned from blocks of translucent amber with iron hinges and fittings. Unless otherwise noted, arrow slits in the temple are 5 inches wide, 4 feet tall, and 1 foot thick.
X1. Temple Facade
A snow-swept gravel road climbs the mountainside as it travels north from Tsolenka Pass toward the temple. When the characters reach the end of this road, read:
The road fades away under a covering of snow, but it takes you far enough to see the facade of some kind of temple carved into the sheer mountainside ahead. The front of the structure is fifty feet high and has six alcoves containing twenty-foot-tall statues. Each statue is carved from a single block of amber and depicts a faceless, hooded figure, its hands pressed together in a gesture of prayer. Between the two innermost statues is a twenty-foot-tall archway with a staircase leading down.
The amber statues are impervious to damage. Looking at one for long fills a viewer with unease.
X1a. Narrow Fissure
A natural fissure has opened in the mountainside west of the temple’s facade, creating a gap two feet wide, ten feet tall, and fifteen feet deep. You see light coming from a room beyond, and you hear human voices there as well.
The fissure leads to area area X15. If the characters make a lot of noise outside, one of the creatures in that area investigates the disturbance.
X2. Entrance
If the characters pass through the archway between the statues, read:
Icy steps descend ten feet to a time-ravaged hallway with arrow slits in the walls. Beyond the hall lies a vast, sepulchral darkness.
The hall connects areas X1 and area X4. There are no guards in the rooms behind the arrow slits (areas X2a and X2b).
X2a. Guard Room
This empty room lies behind a secret door. The ceiling is 10 feet high. Two arrow slits are carved into the east wall.
X2b. Guard Room
This room lies behind a secret door.
Two arrow slits are carved into the west wall of this 10-foot-high, twenty-foot-square room. Slumped in the northeast corner is a skeleton wearing a blue wizard’s robe and clutching a wand to its chest.
The skeleton is all that remains of a wizard who froze to death. It poses no threat.
Treasure
The skeleton clutches a
X3. Empty Barracks
Shattered bits of wood cover the floor of this frigid, twenty-foot-square room.
The ceiling in each of these rooms is 10 feet high. The wood is all that remains of guards' bunks.
A secret door set in one wall of each room can be pulled open to reveal area X2a or X2b beyond.
X4. Overlook
A twenty-foot-wide balcony of black marble with a shattered railing overlooks a vast temple. Black marble staircases at each end of the balcony descend thirty feet to the temple floor. The vaulted ceiling is thirty feet above the balcony. The walls and ceiling are covered in an amber glaze, lending the gloom a golden sheen. A set of amber doors stands closed at the west end of the balcony. A similar pair stands open to the east.
Anyone with a passive Wisdom (
The open doorway to the east leads to area area X6. The double doors to the west open into area area X15. Characters who listen at the western doors hear gruff humanoid voices beyond, but can’t discern what’s being said.
X5. Temple of Lost Secrets
Four black marble columns support the vaulted ceiling of the temple, at the north end of which stands a forty-foot-tall statue of a cowled figure in flowing robes. The statue’s stony hands are outstretched as if in the midst of casting a spell. Its face is a void of utter blackness. The ominous statue stands between two black marble balconies, one of which has partially collapsed and fallen on the temple’s black marble floor, in front of an open doorway. The walls of the temple are sheathed in amber, and the doors leading from it are made of amber as well. Arched hallways coated with amber lead away from the temple to the west and east. Flanking these exits are alcoves that hold white marble statues of robed human wizards with pointed hats and golden staffs. One of them has toppled over and lies shattered on the floor.
An arcanaloth named Neferon guards this temple from within the hollow head of the great statue (area X5a) and attacks characters on sight with its longer-ranged spells. Thanks to its
Once the arcanaloth begins casting spells, the three Flameskull in area area X17 take up positions behind the arrow slits that overlook the temple and cast
The temple ceiling is 60 feet high. Wide, black marble staircases ascend 30 feet to the southern balcony (area area X4). The balconies that flank the statue (area areas X11 and area X23) are 30 feet high as well.
Arrow slits cut into the walls of the upper galleries (area areas X8 and area X17) and archer posts (area areas X13 and area X25) look down on the temple. The amber glaze that covers the temple walls makes these arrow slits difficult to spot. Characters who have a passive Wisdom (
The marble wizard statues stand 8 feet tall. Their 9-foot-tall golden staffs are made of wrought iron coated in peeling gold paint. The northeast statue fell over when an earth tremor collapsed the wall of its alcove.
X5a. God of Secrets
This 40-foot-tall statue, carved out of granite, depicts a faceless god of secrets. At the base of the statue, in the back, is a secret door that can be found with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (
Statue’s Head
Neferon the arcanaloth lairs inside the statue’s hollow head, within a field of magical darkness that fills the interior of the head and hides the statue’s humanlike face. The darkness can be dispelled (DC 17).
A pair of 2-foot-wide eyeholes provides an unobstructed view of the temple floor south of the statue, as well as the southern balcony (area area X4). Looking through the eyes, one can’t see the northern balconies (area areas X11 and area X23), the areas beneath them, or anywhere behind or directly above the statue. The eyeholes grant the arcanaloth three-quarters cover against attacks that originate outside the head.
Neferon wears gold spectacles and a magic robe (see “Treasure” below). It uses its
Treasure
The arcanaloth carries a spellbook containing the wizard spells it has prepared (see its stat block in the Monster Manual). It wears small gold spectacles with pink crystal lenses (worth 250 gp) and a
- Bag of 100 gp
- Iron door
Ladder (10-foot) Riding horse - Pit
Rowboat Spell scroll (moonbeam )Mastiff
See the robe’s description in the Dungeon Master’s Guide for more information on each patch.
Fortunes of Ravenloft
If your card reading reveals that a treasure is here, it’s lying on the floor inside the statue’s head.
X5b. Secret Door
Set into the middle of the temple’s north wall is a secret door. A character who searches the wall for secret doors and succeeds on a DC 20 Wisdom (
X5c. Locked Doors
These amber doors are sealed with an
X5d. Amber Reflections
This arched hall rises to a height of twenty feet. You can see your reflections in the amber glaze. But the images don’t mirror your movements. Instead, they wave their arms and scream silent warnings to you.
The characters' bizarre reflections are illusions meant to discourage them from exploring the temple. The illusions can be dispelled (DC 15).
The east hall leads to area area X32, the west hall to area area X36.
X6. Southeast Annex
This room is featureless except for a rough-edged, 10-foot-diameter circular hole in the floor to the east and empty torch sconces along the walls. Double doors of amber stand open to the north and west. A single closed door lies just south of the western set of double doors.
The ceiling here is 20 feet high. Beyond the open doors to the north, the characters can see a long, wide hallway with amber-covered walls (area area X8).
The hole in the floor forms a roughly hewn shaft that descends 20 feet, then breaks through the ceiling of area area X33a. From the bottom of the shaft, it’s another 10-foot drop to the floor of area X33a. The shaft has abundant handholds and can be climbed without an ability check, but characters must still drop the last 10 feet to reach the floor below. If the characters make a lot of noise, the three Flameskull in area X33a float up the shaft and attack them. The flameskulls also attack anyone they can hear attempting to descend the shaft.
A secret door in the south wall opens into area area X7.
X7. Secret Scroll Repository
Carved into the south wall of this dusty space are cylindrical holes fit for scrolls or maps.
The wizards kept magic scrolls here in case the temple came under attack. The scrolls have crumbled to dust.
X8. Upper East Hall
Glazed amber covers the walls of this twenty-foot-wide, seventy-foot-long arched corridor. The amber doors at both ends of the hall stand open. A closed door is in the middle of the east wall, and three arrow slits are cut into the wall across from it. Cracks in the black marble floor run the length of the hall.
The cracks in the floor were made by the golem in area area X10. The arrow slits are 5 inches wide, 2½ feet tall, and 1 foot thick. They look down on the temple (area area X5).
X9. Lecture Hall
This chamber is brightly lit by red copper lanthorns that hang from the ceiling. The walls are sheathed in amber that has been shaped into bas-reliefs of wizards with spellbooks. Stairs to the north and south descend twenty feet to an obsidian lectern, behind which a slab of black slate hangs from chains. Between the stairs are descending rows of red marble benches.
The hanging lanthorns have
Hiding behind the lectern is Vilnius (NE male human mage) and his
Vilnius wears scorched robes, his unkempt hair is half burned away, and his face and arms are covered with blisters from magic fire. He is the apprentice of Jakarion, the dead wizard in area area X17. After the flameskulls there incinerated his master, the wounded Vilnius retreated here. He eats vermin to survive. The amber golem has been patrolling the hallway outside (area area X8), and Vilnius won’t leave this room until he knows the golem has been destroyed.
Vilnius is a greedy, treacherous coward. He curses his dead master for leading them to this wretched land. If the characters try to befriend him, he is suspicious of their intentions. He would like to retrieve his dead master’s staff and spellbook, but otherwise he has no interest in exploring more of the Amber Temple. He knows the following information about the place:
- The temple is a haven for forbidden knowledge.
- Flameskulls—constructs made from the remains of dead wizards—guard the temple.
- Barbaric mountain folk use the temple for shelter.
Treasure
Vilnius carries his spellbook, which contains all the spells he has prepared. He also has a gold amulet shaped like an upside-down V hidden under his robes. Of exquisite design, the amulet is worth 1,000 gp. It is the
Although he can tell that the amulet is magical, he doesn’t know its purpose. The amulet thrums when it comes within 10 feet of the shield guardian. If Vilnius realizes what the amulet does, he won’t part with it.
X10. Northeast Annex
The walls and ceiling in the eastern portion of this bare stone room have collapsed. To the west and south are open amber doors. In the center of the room is a ten-foot-tall statue of a jackal-headed warrior made of cracked amber. It turns to face you and clenches its fists.
The ceiling here is 20 feet high, and the walls are lined with empty torch sconces. The statue is a damaged amber golem (use the stat block for the stone golem in the Monster Manual). It has 145 hit points and attacks any creature it sees, stopping only when it can’t see any.
An earthquake collapsed the eastern part of the room long ago.
X11. Northeast Balcony
This black marble balcony, thirty feet above the floor, overhangs the northeast corner of the temple. The two amber doors leading from this balcony stand open.
Characters can see an arrow slit west of the northern set of doors (see area area X13).
X12. East Shrine
This bare stone room consists of a foyer to the west and a shrine to the east. Four candlesticks lie on the dusty floor of the foyer. In the shrine, fragments of a shattered obsidian statue are scattered in a raised alcove at the eastern end of the chamber. Two pairs of empty alcoves line the north and south walls of the shrine.
The amber golem in area area X10 knocked over the candlesticks and pulverized the obsidian statue, which depicted the same nameless god that stands in area area X5. Amber doors in the west wall open into area area X13.
A secret door is set into the back of one of the alcoves on the north wall. It can be pulled open to area area X14.
X13. East Archer Post
This narrow room has an arrow slit in the center of the south wall.
The ceiling here is 10 feet high. The arrow slit looks down toward the temple floor (area area X5), beneath the raised left arm of the great statue (area area X5a).
X14. North Staircase
When the characters open the secret door at the top of the stairs, read:
A dusty corridor heads north, then bends to the east, descending a dark staircase. The air is thin, but heavy with the stench of death.
Three 10-foot-long staircases with landings between them descend a total of 30 feet to area X14a. The stench grows stronger down the stairs.
X14a. Collapsed Lower Hall
The stairs descend to a collapsed hall with a high ceiling and amber-glazed walls glazed. Rubble covers most of the floor, and a path through the rubble leads to an open doorway. A deathly stench seems to come from there.
This ruined area once connected to area X32, but an earth tremor caused the ceiling and walls to collapse. The ceiling here is 25 feet high.
Unless the characters douse their light sources and move quietly, the creatures in area area X33c hear them approaching and prepare to attack.
X15. Southwest Annex
This room contains a gladiator (CE female human), five Berserker (CE male and female humans), and one dire wolf. The gladiator and the berserkers are bloodthirsty mountain folk, the dire wolf a servant of Strahd. The dire wolf can’t be
When they aren’t expecting trouble, the gladiator and the berserkers sit on the floor, sharpening their weapons, while the dire wolf sleeps in the middle of the room. The gladiator and the berserkers fight to the death. The dire wolf flees the temple (heading east, through area areas X4 and area X2) if reduced to fewer than half its hit points.
Torches in sconces light this bare stone room. Six bedrolls made of stitched animal furs cover the floor. Cold air enters through a fissure in the southwest wall.
Other than the berserkers' armor and weapons, there is nothing of value here. The berserkers are aware of the flameskulls (“fiery spirits”) to the north and keep the doors to area area X17 closed.
A fissure has formed in the southwest wall. The gap is 2 feet wide, 10 feet tall, and 15 feet deep. It leads outside (area area X1a).
A secret door in the south wall opens into area X16. Neither the mountain folk nor the dire wolf knows of it.
Development
The gladiator, Helwa, uses this room as a shelter while hunting in the mountains. She and her berserkers know nothing about the temple’s history or purpose.
X16. West Scroll Repository
Apart from its location, this room is identical to area area X7.
X17. Upper West Hall
The walls of this twenty-foot-wide, seventy-foot-long arched corridor are sheathed in amber. The southern half of the hall is scorched by fire, and a charred corpse lies on the floor here, under a burned fur cloak. Several amber doors lead from this hall, and three arrow slits are cut into the east wall. Floating in the middle of the hall are three skulls wreathed in green flame.
Three Flameskull guard this hall, attacking creatures that enter. The flameskulls will not leave the hall.
The charred corpse is all that remains of a wizard named Jakarion, who came to the Amber Temple seeking power. The flameskulls incinerated the wizard.
The arrow slits look down on the temple (area area X5).
Treasure
Although the dead wizard’s spellbook didn’t survive, his staff did. It is a
X18. Hallway
This twenty-foot-long, ten-foot-high hallway of bare stone has an amber door at each end.
area Area X17 lies beyond the door to the east, area area X21 beyond the door to the west.
X19. Potion Storage
Stone blocks resembling tables stand in the center of this room covered in dust. Carved into the stone walls are niches filled with hundreds of dusty bottles. Cobwebs hang from wooden ladders that lean against the walls.
The ceiling here is 15 feet high. The bottles contain the dried-up remains of potions that lost their efficacy long ago. The ladders were once used to reach the higher niches, but they can no longer support any weight.
A secret door is set in the north wall. It can be pulled open to reveal a staircase landing (area area X21).
X20. Architect’s Room
Dominating this room is a twelve-foot-tall model of a dark castle with high walls and tall spires. Behind it, tucked in a corner, are some ruined furnishings and a wooden chest.
In the months leading up to the construction of Castle Ravenloft, this room was occupied by the castle’s architect, a wizard named Artimus. He built a scale model of the castle out of magically sculpted rock. Anyone who has seen the castle recognizes this replica for what it is.
The ceiling here is 15 feet high. A secret door in the south wall can be pulled open to a staircase landing (area X21).
Treasure
The wooden chest contains an old map case in which Artimus kept floor plans of Castle Ravenloft, but the maps were lost long ago. The chest has a false bottom that can be found with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (
Fortunes of Ravenloft
If your card reading reveals that a treasure is here, it’s hidden in the miniature castle. The characters must smash their way into the castle to reach it.
X21. West Staircase
Three 10-foot-long staircases separated by 10-foot-square landings connect area areas X18 and area X36. Thick dust covering the stairs has not been disturbed in ages.
The uppermost landing has secret doors set into its north and south walls. The south door opens into area area X19, and the north door opens into area area X20.
X22. Northwest Annex
When one of the doors to this room is opened, read:
Torches in sconces illuminate a dining table in the center of the room. Covering the table is a magnificent feast that fills the hall with the rich smells of cooked meat, sweet vegetables, piping hot gravy, and wine.
The ceiling here is 20 feet high. Amber doors lead south to a hallway (area area X18) and east to a shattered balcony (area X23).
The table is real, but the torches, the feast, and the chairs are illusions created by a
Hidden in plain sight amid the feast on the table is a green copper ewer embossed with images of dancing bears, elks, and wolves. The ewer, like the table, isn’t illusory. A
Treasure
Any poisonous liquid poured into the ewer is instantly transformed into an equal amount of sweet wine. Furthermore, a creature that grasps the ewer’s handle can command the ewer to fill with 1 gallon of wine, and it can’t produce more wine until the next dawn.
Many unscrupulous Barovians and Vistani would kill to obtain this ewer. Others would gladly pay for it or accept it as a gift.
X23. Northwest Balcony
This black marble balcony overhangs the northwest corner of the temple, the floor of which lies thirty feet below. Nearly half of the balcony has fallen away, and obvious cracks have formed near its ragged edge.
This balcony is unsafe. Weight in excess of 250 pounds causes it to collapse. Any creature on the balcony when it collapses falls 30 feet to the temple floor below.
Characters can see an arrow slit east of the northern set of doors (see area area X25).
X24. West Shrine
This bare stone room consists of a foyer to the east and a shrine to the west. Candlesticks draped in cobwebs stand in the four corners of the foyer. In the shrine, a faceless obsidian statue stands in a raised alcove at the western end of the chamber. Slumped before the statue are two desiccated corpses in tattered garments. Two pairs of alcoves line the north and south walls of the shrine.
The obsidian statue is 4 feet tall, weighs 250 pounds, and depicts the same nameless god that stands watch in the main temple (area area X5). Any living creature that enters this room must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be drawn to the statue as though affected by the sympathy effect of an
A pair of amber doors in the east wall open into area X25. A secret door is set in the back of one of the northern alcoves. Pulling it open releases hundreds of skulls (see area X26).
X25. West Archer Post
This narrow room has an arrow slit in the center of the south wall.
The ceiling here is 10 feet high. The arrow slit looks down toward the temple floor (area area X5), beneath the raised right arm of the great statue (area area X5a).
X26. Secret Alcove
Two secret doors lead to this room. When either door is pulled open, read:
Hundreds of skulls fall out of a cavity behind the door.
This room has a 30-foot-high ceiling and is packed floor to ceiling with human skulls. It takes 5 minutes for a single character to clear a path into the room. Multiple characters can work together to clear a path more quickly. Once the skulls are cleared away, characters can search the room.
Attached to the thirty-foot-high ceiling of this dark sepulcher is an upside-down iron chest with a barrel-shaped lid.
The iron chest on the ceiling is held in place with
If the chest’s lid is opened, the floor of this room disappears (as if affected by a
The iron chest is empty.
X27. Lich’s Lair
This fifteen-foot-high room contains the trappings of royalty: ornate furniture, exquisite rugs and tapestries, and decorative statuary. Everywhere you look are lit candelabras atop small tables. The beauty of the decor is undone by thick dust and cobwebs. Standing in the center of the room is a decrepit skeleton clad in tattered robes.
Red pinpoints of light burn in the skeleton’s eye sockets. “Do I know you?” it asks.
The lich has fewer hit points than normal (99 hit points), doesn’t remember its name (Exethanter), and has forgotten all of its prepared spells. It does know its cantrips. In its current condition, the lich has a challenge rating of 10 (5,900 XP). A
If the characters restore its memory, the lich gives them the passwords to all the locked doors in the Amber Temple (with the exception of the door into area area X28, where its phylactery is hidden). It also provides all the information pertaining to Strahd and the temple presented at the start of this chapter. If the characters think to ask, it provides them with the command words for any of the books in the library (area area K30).
If the characters restore its body, it offers to escort them while they explore the temple. The other creatures that inhabit the temple don’t threaten the characters as long as the lich is with them.
The lich defends itself if attacked and turns to dust if it is reduced to 0 hit points.
The lich assumes that the characters have come seeking knowledge and power. If it is inclined to help them, it tells them how the amber sarcophagi work (as explained in the “area Amber Sarcophagi” sidebar). The lich has no alliance with or animosity toward Strahd, and no interest in challenging Strahd for control of Barovia.
The furnishings here are in poor condition and fall apart easily.
There are three secret doors in this room. The secret door to area X28 has an
Treasure
The lich’s ancient, bronze-covered spellbook sits on a rotted divan, in plain view. Inscribed on its spine is a title: The Incants of Exethanter. The spellbook contains all the spells on the lich’s list of prepared spells (see the lich stat block in the Monster Manual). The lich attacks anyone who tries to take its spellbook.
X28. Hidden Phylactery
The secret door to this room has an
Behind the secret door is a small, dusty room. Rising from the floor in the eastern half of the room is a scaly arm and claw clutching a small box made of bone.
The scaly arm is merely a carved pedestal. The bone box is Exethanter’s phylactery. If it takes 20 or more radiant damage from a single source, the phylactery is destroyed.
X29. Secret Room
Dust and cobwebs fill this otherwise empty room.
The ceiling here is 10 feet high.
X30. Preserved Library
This stone library has twenty-foot-high walls and a thirty-foot-high vaulted ceiling. Covering the ceiling is a fresco that depicts angels being set ablaze in a hell. A black marble railing encloses a gold marble staircase that spirals gently down a thirty-foot-wide, thirty-foot-deep shaft to the north. Against the gray walls stand six ten-foot-tall, black marble bookcases. On their shelves are hundreds of well-preserved tomes. Embroidered rugs, chairs, and lit candelabras fill the southern half of the room.
The spiral staircase descends 30 feet to area area X42. Peering over the railing reveals crates in that area.
There are no ladders here to reach the high bookshelves. (The wizards who built this place used
A book that is taken from the library disintegrates as the magic that preserves it is dispelled. The room’s furnishings, which are also magically preserved, deteriorate and become brittle if taken from the room.
The secret door in the center of the west wall can be pulled open to reveal an empty room (area X29). The one in the center of the south wall can be pulled open to reveal a staircase that descends 30 feet to another secret door leading to area area X5.
X31. Central Catacombs
These catacombs contain the moldy remains of the wizards who once defended the Amber Temple. Later generations of wizards who were corrupted by the evil of the temple smashed the amber sheaths covering the dead wizards' bodies and stole everything of value, leaving the formerly preserved corpses to rot.
You smell the horrid perfume of the ancient dead. Stone niches along the walls of these catacombs hold human-shaped amber husks, bones, and tattered shrouds.
If the characters enter these catacombs, add:
Tall, iron candlesticks stand in alcoves. Their candles ignite as you enter, casting flickering light upon the walls and causing the shattered amber to glitter.
The magic candles ignite when a living creature enters the catacombs and melt away if taken from the area.
X31a. West Catacombs
More skeletal remains fill niches in the walls of this smaller annex, the amber husks that once preserved them smashed beyond repair.
X31b. East Catacombs
The niches set into the wall of this annex lie empty, except for a thick coat of dust.
No wizards were entombed here. This annex is empty.
X32. Lower East Hall
The walls and ceiling of this great hall are coated in amber that glistens like fresh honey. Dust covers the black marble floor. To the north, the hall has collapsed, leaving a wall of rubble.
Many amber doors lead from this hall. Standing in front of the south door are three ugly women in tattered black gowns with brooms and black, pointed hats.
An earth tremor collapsed the northern part of the hall. Three Barovian Witch (see area appendix D) are trying to open the amber door to area area X33a by trying different passwords, unaware that they could gain entry through the shaft in area area X6. Frustrated by their lack of progress, they vent their rage by attacking the characters. The witches let loose their three Broom of Animated Attack (see appendix D) while they cast spells.
Development
If two of the witches are killed or
Amber Sarcophagi
An amber sarcophagus looks like a rough block of solid amber 8 feet tall, 5 feet wide, and 5 feet thick. Trapped inside the block is a sliver or wisp of utter darkness no more than a few inches long. The darkness is the vestige of a dead and hateful god—a shard of pure evil with shreds of sentience and awareness. The vestige can’t be harmed or controlled, and it is immune to all conditions.
An amber sarcophagus has AC 16, 80 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Destroying one causes the vestige trapped within it to disappear, leaving no trace. You choose whether it is banished or destroyed.
A creature that touches the amber sarcophagus forms a telepathic link with the vestige inside. The vestige offers the creature a dark gift. The creature must willingly accept the gift to gain its benefits. A dark gift is described to the creature in general terms; its precise game effect isn’t revealed until the creature accepts the gift. For example, a creature that touches Fekre’s sarcophagus in area X33a is offered the power to spread disease. That the gift grants the ability to cast the
contagion spell is not articulated.A dark gift functions like a charm (see “Supernatural Gifts” in chapter 7, “Treasure,” of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). A creature doesn’t receive a dark gift if it is being manipulated or coerced, or if it declines the gift. Once it receives a dark gift, a creature can never receive that same dark gift again.
The instant a dark gift is bestowed, the creature receiving it undergoes a transformation, gaining a sinister physical trait or flaw, or one of each. Unless the text states otherwise, a trait or a flaw that accompanies this gift can’t be removed by anything short of a
wish spell or divine intervention.Each time a non-evil creature accepts a dark gift, it must make a DC 12 Charisma saving throw. If the saving throw fails, the creature’s alignment changes to evil. A character who turns evil becomes an NPC under the Dungeon Master’s control, although the DM can allow the player to continue playing the evil character.
X33. Amber Vaults
Several of these amber-glazed rooms are located along the periphery of the complex. Each room contains two or more amber sarcophagi (see the “area Amber Sarcophagi” sidebar).
X33a. Vault of Shalx
The amber door to this room is sealed with an
Adjust the following text if the creatures in this room have already been encountered and destroyed.
This room has walls of glazed amber, a floor of red marble, and a rough-hewn shaft in the center of its ten-foot-high ceiling. Three amber sarcophagi stand in alcoves, and above each sarcophagus floats a human skull wreathed in green flame.
Three Flameskull guard this room. They attack intruders on sight.
The shaft in the ceiling is 10 feet wide and 20 feet long, with abundant handholds. No ability check is required to climb it. The shaft leads up to area area X6.
Characters who touch the amber sarcophagi are offered dark gifts by the evil vestiges contained within them (see the “area Amber Sarcophagi” sidebar).
West Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Fekre, Queen of Poxes. Fekre’s gift is the power of spreading disease. This dark gift allows its beneficiary to cast the
The beneficiary of this dark gift reeks of filth.
South Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Zrin-Hala, the Howling Storm. Zrin-Hala’s gift is the power to create lightning. This dark gift allows its beneficiary to cast the
As soon as this dark gift is received, one side of the beneficiary’s face sags and loses all feeling.
East Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Sykane, the Soul Hungerer. Sykane’s gift is the power to raise the recently deceased. This dark gift allows its beneficiary to cast the
As soon as this dark gift is received, the beneficiary’s eyes glow a sickly yellow until the dark gift vanishes. The beneficiary also gains the following flaw: “If I help someone, I expect payment in return.”
X33b. Vault of Maverus
The amber door to this room is sealed with an
This room has amber-glazed walls, a blue marble floor, and three amber sarcophagi standing in alcoves.
The ceiling here is 10 feet high. Characters who touch the amber sarcophagi are offered dark gifts by the evil vestiges contained within them (see the “area Amber Sarcophagi” sidebar).
North Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Savnok the Inscrutible. Savnok’s gift is the power to shield the mind. This dark gift takes the form of a
The beneficiary’s eyes melt away upon receiving this dark gift, leaving empty sockets that can still see.
East Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Tarakamedes, the Grave Wyrm. Tarakamedes’s gift is the power of flight. The beneficiary of this dark gift grows skeletal wings and gains a flying speed of 50 feet.
The beneficiary of this dark gift must eat bones or grave dirt to survive. At dawn, if the creature has not eaten at least 1 pound of bones or grave dirt in the past 24 hours, it dies.
South Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Shami-Amourae, the Lady of Delights. Shami-Amourae’s gift is the power of persuasion. This dark gift allows its beneficiary to cast the
The beneficiary of this dark gift gains an extra finger on each hand, as well as the following flaw: “I can’t get enough pleasure. I desire others to create beauty for me at all times.”
X33c. Ghastly Vault
The amber door to this room hangs open, and the chamber reeks of death.
This room has amber-glazed walls and a floor of dark green marble. Three amber sarcophagi stand in alcoves. Two feral humanoids with ghastly gray skin stare at you hungrily with three eyes—two normal eyes and a third lidless eye blinded by cataracts. Five more cling to the walls and ceiling.
The ceiling here is 10 feet high. The seven hungry Ghast that lair here fight to the death. The ghasts have the following additional feature:
Spider Climb
The ghast can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Characters who touch the amber sarcophagi are offered dark gifts by the evil vestiges contained within them (see the “area Amber Sarcophagi” sidebar).
North Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Drizlash, the Nine-Eyed Spider. Drizlash’s gift is the power to walk on walls and ceilings. This dark gift allows its beneficiary to climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
The beneficiary of this dark gift grows an extra eye somewhere on its body. The eye is blind and ever open.
East Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Dahlver-Nar, He of the Many Teeth. Dahlver-Nar’s gift is the power to live many lives. Upon receiving this dark gift, the beneficiary instantly reincarnates when it dies, as though it was the target of a
The beneficiary of this dark gift loses all of its teeth until it reincarnates for the third and final time.
South Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Zantras, the Kingmaker. Zantras’s gift is power that comes from great presence and force of personality. This dark gift increases the beneficiary’s Charisma by 4, up to a maximum of 22.
The beneficiary of this dark gift gains the following flaw: “I won’t take no for an answer.”
X33d. Breached Vault
The amber door to this room hangs open.
This room has amber-glazed walls and a floor of purplish-black marble. Two amber sarcophagi stand in alcoves to the west and east. A third sarcophagus that once stood in the north alcove lies shattered on the floor. Clustered in the middle of the room are four loathsome, hunched creatures. Each one has a single large, baleful eye.
The creatures huddled in this room are four Nothic—former wizards reduced to this evil state by their mad quest for forbidden lore. The nothics use their Weird Insight feature to pry secrets from the characters. Although this power is wickedly invasive, the nothics don’t consider their prying to be offensive, and so they are taken aback if the characters retaliate. The nothics fight only if one of them is accosted, or if the characters try to destroy the amber sarcophagi.
Characters who touch the amber sarcophagi are offered dark gifts by the evil vestiges contained within them (see the “area Amber Sarcophagi” sidebar).
West Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Delban, the Star of Ice and Hate. Delban’s gift is the power to unleash deadly cold. This dark gift allows its beneficiary to cast the
The beneficiary of this dark gift gains the following flaw: “Fire terrifies me.”
North Sarcophagus
This sarcophagus has been shattered in a way that suggests the vestige inside it somehow broke free.
West Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Khirad, the Star of Secrets. Khirad’s gift is the power of divination. This gift allows its beneficiary to cast the
The beneficiary’s voice becomes a low whisper, and its smile becomes cruel and evil.
X33e. Vault of Harkotha
The amber door to this room is sealed with an
This room has amber-glazed walls, a black marble floor with red veins, and three amber sarcophagi standing in alcoves.
In the center of the room, a death slaad has cast
Characters who touch the amber sarcophagi are offered dark gifts by the evil vestiges contained within them (see the “area Amber Sarcophagi” sidebar).
North Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Yrrga, the Eye of Shadows. Yrrga’s gift is the power of true seeing. This dark gift grants its beneficiary the benefits of
The eyes of the beneficiary become starry voids until the dark gift vanishes. The beneficiary of this dark gift also gains the following flaw: “I believe that all life is pointless and look forward to death when it finally comes.”
West Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Great Taar Haak, the Five-Headed Destroyer. Taar Haak’s gift is great strength. This dark gift grants its beneficiary the benefit of a
The beneficiary of this dark gift the following flaw: “I like to bully others and make them feel weak and inferior.”
South Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Yog the Invincible. Yog’s gift is one of physical resilience. This dark gift increases the beneficiary’s hit point maximum by 30. This benefit lasts for 10 days, after which the dark gift vanishes.
Oily black fur covers the beneficiary’s face and body.
X33f. Vault of Thangob
The amber door to this room is sealed with an
This room has amber-glazed walls, a floor of grayish marble with black veins, and three amber sarcophagi standing in alcoves.
Characters who touch the amber sarcophagi are offered dark gifts by the evil vestiges contained within them (see the “area Amber Sarcophagi” sidebar).
West Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Norganas, the Finger of Oblivion. Norganas’s gift is the power to turn life into undeath. This dark gift allows its beneficiary to cast the
This dark gift turns the beneficiary’s blood pitch black and viscid, like tar.
South Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Vaund the Evasive. Vaund’s gift is the power of evasion. This dark gift grants its beneficiary the benefits of an
The beneficiary of this dark gift becomes twitchy and nervous, and also gains the following flaw: “I can’t give a straight answer to any question put to me.”
East Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Seriach, the Hell Hound Whisperer. Seriach’s gift is the power to summon and control hell hounds. As an action, the beneficiary of this dark gift can summon and control two Hell Hound. Both hounds appear at the same time. The beneficiary can summon hounds only once, and the dark gift vanishes when they die.
The beneficiary gains the ability to speak and understand Infernal, if he or she doesn’t already know the language. (The hell hounds understand no other language.) Sulfurous smoke issues from the beneficiary’s pores whenever he or she speaks Infernal.
X34. Wizard’s Bedchamber
A white marble bed stands in the center of this bare stone room, its mattress long since rotted away. Golden hawks perch atop the bed’s corner posts. The room’s remaining furnishings have been reduced to dust-covered heaps. Cobwebs cover arcane sigils carved into the walls.
The ceiling here is 10 feet high. The sigils that cover the walls were once wards designed to protect the room’s contents from theft, but they have been bled of their magic and can no longer harm anyone.
Treasure
The four golden hawks are worth 250 gp each.
X35. Sleeping Guardian
The furnishings of this bare stone room have succumbed to decrepitude. Standing in the center of the room, its head scraping the ten-foot-high ceiling, is a vaguely man-shaped construct made of dark wood and riveted iron. Its helmed head stares blindly in your direction. Cobwebs stretch from this terrible artifice to the wrecked furniture that surrounds it.
This room was once a wizard’s bedchamber. The construct is an
X36. Lower West Hall
Glistening amber coats the walls and ceiling of this enormous hall like sculpted honey, and dust covers the black marble floor. The vaulted ceiling is twenty-five feet high. Set into the walls at a height of five feet are amber ledges lined with life-sized alabaster statues of cats, frogs, hawks, owls, rats, ravens, snakes, toads, and weasels. Many of the statues have fallen off their perches and lie shattered on the floor.
An amber door in the north wall stands open. Four other amber doors to the west and south stand closed.
The animal statues represent different kinds of familiars, and they are harmless.
X37. Wizard’s Bedchamber
Furnishings made of ancient, colorless wood have collapsed under their own weight and now lie covered with cobwebs and dust.
X38. Haunted Room
This room, once a bedchamber, is littered with broken furnishings. Scattered about the room are the remains of a bed, a wardrobe, two trunks, three tall candlesticks, a desk, a bookshelf, and several chairs. Torn-up books, old quill pens, and tattered clothes are also strewn about.
The ceiling here is 10 feet high. A poltergeist (see the specter entry in the Monster Manual) haunts this room and telekinetically hurls broken furnishings at intruders so as not to give away its location.
Treasure
A search of the room yields a wooden scroll tube containing an intact
X39. Plundered Treasury
The amber doors that once sealed this great stone room have been smashed, their pieces lying amid crushed bones, armor, and weapons.
The ceiling here is 30 feet high and flat. A 10-foot-square hole in the northwest corner of the ceiling magically forms if the iron chest in area area X26 is opened.
An amber golem once stood guard here, but it escaped after thieves broke into the treasury and looted it. The golem has since made its way upstairs (see area area X10).
Not all of the thieves escaped, and the pulverized remains of those who died here lie strewn upon the floor. Their restless spirits survive here as four Poltergeist (see the specter entry in the Monster Manual). The poltergeists can’t leave the room and fight until destroyed.
X40. Sealed Treasury
The amber doors to the south are sealed with an
Piles of treasure are heaped against the west and east walls of this stone room.
If the golem is visible, add:
A ten-foot-tall statue carved from amber in the likeness of a hawk-headed humanoid stands in a wide alcove to the north. Behind it, a crack has formed in the wall.
The ceiling here is 30 feet high and flat. The statue in the northern alcove is an amber golem (use the stat block for the stone golem in the Monster Manual). It attacks any creature that disturbs the treasure. The golem can leave the room but can’t leave the Amber Temple.
See area X41 for a description of the cracks in the south wall.
Treasure
Six piles of treasure are numbered on the map.
Pile 1
- 17,500 cp (loose)
- Thirty 50 gp gemstones
- Three rusted suits of plate armor (worthless)
- Nine rusted shields (worthless)
- A child-sized sarcophagus made of black wood inlaid with gold (worth 250 gp)
Pile 2
- 12,000 sp (loose)
- Five rusted suits of ring mail and six rusted breastplates (worthless)
- A silvered
rapier with a pink glass hilt - Four rusted greatswords (worthless)
- A gilded chariot (worth 750 gp)
Pile 3
- 6,600 ep (loose), each coin stamped with the profiled visage of Strahd
- Seventy-five empty bottles
- A trunk filled with six fine dresses and gowns (worth 25 gp each)
- Ten pieces of jewelry (worth 250 gp each) and 500 gp in a rotted wooden chest
- Eight painted ceramic statues of saints (worth 250 gp each and weighing 50 pounds each)
Pile 4
- A pile of iron ingots (worth 250 gp total and weighing 2,500 pounds)
- Thirty
Holy Symbol (worth 5 gp each) of gods from various worlds - A set of twelve copper chalices with silver filigree (worth 25 gp each)
- A gilded skull with red garnets in its eye sockets (worth 250 gp)
- Eight
Warhammer and sixWar Pick
Pile 5
- 9,000 sp (loose)
- Six nonmagical crystal balls (worth 20 gp each)
- A bronze crown with tiny gem-eyed dragons for spires (worth 750 gp)
- A life-sized wooden pony (worth 25 gp)
- Six marble vases (worth 100 gp each and weighing 100 pounds apiece)
Pile 6
- 7,000 wooden coins painted gold (worthless)
- 15,000 cp in fifteen iron pots
- An obsidian scepter with gold filigree (worth 2,500 gp)
- Eleven rusted helms (worthless)
- Fifteen thin, leather-bound tomes, all of them signed copies of a storybook called Snow Dwarf and the Seven Wights, by Nitch Rackmay.
Fortunes of Ravenloft
If your card reading reveals that a treasure is here, it’s buried in a random pile of treasure (roll a
X41. Fissure
An earth tremor split the rock between areas X40 and X42, creating two natural openings that are virtually side by side. The openings are 3 feet wide, 8 feet high, and 10 feet deep.
X42. Amber Vault
A golden marble staircase with a black marble railing hugs the north wall as it spirals gently up a thirty-foot-wide shaft. Lying in the middle of the room are six rotting wooden crates.
The amber-covered walls are sculpted to look like tentacles that entwine around marble bas-reliefs of kings, queens, pharaohs, and sultans attended by myriad slaves.
The west, south, and east walls contain alcoves, and standing in each alcove is a tall, rough block of amber. Two wide cracks have opened up in the south wall, spilling rubble and shattered pieces of amber onto the floor in the southeast corner of the room.
The spiral staircase climbs 30 feet to area area X30. See area X41 for a description of the cracks in the south wall.
Inside the wooden crates, buried in earth, are six vampire spawn created by Strahd from a dead party of adventurers. As soon as they hear intruders in the room, the vampire spawn burst out of their crates and attack, fighting until destroyed.
Teleport Destination
Characters who teleport to this location from area area K78 in Castle Ravenloft arrive at the point marked T on the map.
Amber Sarcophagi
Characters who touch the amber sarcophagi are offered dark gifts by the evil vestiges contained within them (see the “area Amber Sarcophagi” sidebar earlier in this chapter). Kasimir will know when he touches the east sarcophagus in this area that he has found the dark gift he seeks.
West Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers “the dark gift of the Vampyr” to any humanoid creature of evil alignment that touches it. The Vampyr’s gift is the immortality of undeath. If the dark gift is accepted, its effect doesn’t occur until the following conditions are met, in the order given below. The creature becomes aware of the conditions only after accepting the dark gift.
- The beneficiary slays another humanoid that loves or reveres him or her, then drinks the dead humanoid’s blood within 1 hour of slaying it.
- The beneficiary dies a violent death at the hands of one or more creatures that hate it.
When the conditions are met, the beneficiary instantly becomes a vampire under the Dungeon Master’s control (use the stat block in the Monster Manual).
After receiving the dark gift, the beneficiary gains the following flaw: “I am surrounded by hidden enemies that seek to destroy me. I can’t trust anyone.”
South Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers “the dark gift of Tenebrous” to any humanoid creature of evil alignment that can cast 9th-level wizard spells. Tenebrous’s gift is the secret of lichdom. This dark gift grants its beneficiary the knowledge needed to perform the following tasks:
- Craft a phylactery and imbue it with the power to contain the beneficiary’s soul
- Concoct a potion of transformation that turns the beneficiary into a lich
Construction of the phylactery takes 10 days. Concocting the potion takes 3 days. The two items can’t be crafted concurrently. When the beneficiary drinks the potion, he or she instantly transforms into a lich under the Dungeon Master’s control (use the stat block in the Monster Manual, altering the lich’s prepared spells as desired).
The beneficiary of this dark gift gains the following flaw: “All I care about is acquiring new magic and arcane knowledge.”
East Sarcophagus
The vestige within this sarcophagus offers the dark gift of Zhudun, the Corpse Star. Zhudun’s gift is the power to raise the ancient dead. As an action, the beneficiary of this dark gift can touch the remains of a dead creature and restore it to life. The effect is identical to that of the
The beneficiary of this dark gift takes on a corpselike appearance and is easily mistaken for an undead.
Special Events
Two dusk elves are drawn to the Amber Temple for different reasons. You can use one or both of the following special events while the characters explore the temple.
Rahadin’s Prayer
Strahd’s loyal chamberlain, Rahadin (see area appendix D), believes that his master forged a pact with the nameless god of secrets to whom the Amber Temple is dedicated. The dusk elf comes to the temple on occasion to petition the dark god into releasing his master from his torment.
Rahadin rides a
Development
Rahadin knows that Strahd will deal with the characters when he sees fit. If the characters confront the dusk elf, he defends himself but won’t cause them any permanent harm. Strahd’s chamberlain would sooner die than allow himself to be captured. Rahadin doesn’t divulge his reason for visiting the temple, or even who is he or what role he serves. Left to his own devices, he rides back to Castle Ravenloft.
Kasimir’s Dark Gift
If Kasimir Velikov (see area appendix D and chapter 5, area area N9a) finds his way to area X42 and accepts the dark gift of Zhudun, he then asks the characters to accompany him to the catacombs of Castle Ravenloft so that he can restore the life of his centuries-dead sister, Patrina Velikovna (see chapter 4, area K84, area crypt 21).
Development
If Kasimir succeeds in his quest, the newly resurrected Patrina (NE female dusk elf archmage) feigns repentance until she regains her strength and her spells, whereupon she travels to Castle Ravenloft and attempts to return to Strahd, seeking to become his vampire bride at last. The mutilation of her brother at the hands of Rahadin, Strahd’s chamberlain, doesn’t sit well with her. She hopes to avenge her brother and distract the characters by setting them on a path to killing Rahadin, who has long opposed her marriage to Strahd.
Strahd has lost interest in Patrina as a consort. Given the chance, he turns her into a vampire spawn and puts her back in her crypt—a fate she would do everything in her power to prevent. Her attraction to Strahd is outmatched by a desire to increase her own power. She is no one’s plaything.