A local mariners' guild would like to claim a small, strategically located island and build a lighthouse there. But so far, its representatives have not been able to land safely on the island—every attempt to come ashore has been met by a horde of undead.
The guild posts a lucrative contract offer in nearby coastal communities, seeking adventurers willing to secure the island and its burned-out abbey. When the characters come across this information and decide to investigate the opportunity, the adventure officially gets under way.
Isle of the Abbey is designed for a party of four to six 5th-level characters.
About the Original
“Isle of the Abbey” was designer Randy Maxwell’s contribution to 1992’s Dungeon 34.
In designing this adventure, Maxwell reached back to his early days as a Dungeon Master, restricting himself to using only monsters found in the rulebook he started with. The result is a scenario that shows how restraints breed creativity.
Background
Over the past three months, the evil clerics of Abbey Isle have quarreled violently with a large band of local pirates. Their struggle seems to have left the island uninhabited. The pirates burned the abbey to the ground, but they suffered so many casualties that they were destroyed in turn by the local mariners' guild.
Unknown to the mariners' guild, a small number of evil clerics and their minions survived the pirate assaults by taking refuge in the cellars of the ruined abbey. Hidden halls, dangerous guardians, and shining treasures await those who dare to explore the depths of the abbey.
The Job at Hand
The posted contract explains that any interested parties are to meet with Guildmaster Tabeth at the local guild house. When the characters follow up, Tabeth provides them with the following summary of what he knows:
- Pirates recently ransacked Abbey Isle, an island just off the coast populated by evil clerics and their followers. Much to the guild’s delight, the battle between the two factions weakened them both.
- The mariners' guild then sent a force ashore, and the remaining pirates were killed or driven off by the guild' soldiers.
- The island, though now apparently abandoned, remains a danger due to undead guarding the only safe approach: a beach called the Skull Dunes.
- The mariners' guild is willing to pay 2,000 gp to the characters if they can land, explore the island, and clear it entirely of threats so that the guild can construct a lighthouse on the site. Payment is made upon completion of the job, which will be verified by guild members.
- The mariners' guild contact in the region is Major Ursa, who keeps a lighthouse on an island nearby. He will provide additional information to any group that takes on the assignment. Anyone who accepts the contract will be provided with a large, sturdy rowboat for transportation to Major Ursa’s location.
The guild does not know that there are survivors on the island. In addition to other hazards they encounter, the characters must deal with the remaining clerics and their followers, whether through conflict or negotiation, before collecting their payment. For more on the inhabitants, see “The Survivors”.
Supplies
The mariners' guild can supply the characters with any of the equipment listed in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook except for holy symbols, holy water, thieves' tools, weapons, and armor. The price of any equipment used by the characters must be deposited with the guild and will be refunded when it is returned in good condition or after the successful completion of the mission.
Adventure Hooks
The isle has long been a source of trouble for the region’s mariners' guild. The clerics who inhabited the island’s abbey proved to be capable defenders of their territory—until the pirates' recent success, all of the guild’s attempts to evict the clerics from the island had failed. Use either of the following additional hooks to strengthen the characters' motivation to succeed.
Gilded Rumors
The clerics of the abbey would not build such a defense to guard musty tomes and simple acolytes. Something precious rests in the belly of that place: a golden statue, a staff made from rubies, or a fountain lined with pearls and rare stones. Those hapless pirates cleared a path but failed to discover any treasure. With both pirates and clerics out of the picture, only a few undead stand in the way of untold riches.
For the People
The stretch of water near Abbey Isle is treacherous. The thick fog that rolls through this region sends even the most steadily steered ships veering off course. The sandy floor near the island is littered with broken hulls and lost souls. A lighthouse built at the tip of the island would secure the nearby seas for all. If the characters are well intentioned and civic-minded, helping to make the lighthouse possible can serve as additional incentive.
Adventure Summary
The adventure likely unfolds in the following sequence.
The characters meet with the mariners' guild and accept the contract to make Abbey Isle safe for the construction of a new lighthouse.
The characters travel to a nearby island by boat and meet their contact for the job, Major Ursa. The major shares what he knows about the situation on the island and offers advice before sending them on their way.
The characters explore the island, dealing with horrifying undead, surviving clergy, brutal mercenaries, and living constructs in trapped tunnels. Once they have cleared the isle, they can return to the mariners' guild headquarters and collect the reward from Guildmaster Tabeth.
Placing the Adventure
Abbey Isle offers a perfect adventure site to place just offshore from a coastal location or a short voyage away from seaside locales. Here are some suggestions for placing it in a few classic D&D settings.
Eberron: On Khorvaire the isle is located on the north coast of Karrnath. The local mariners are keen to have a bastion against Lhazaar pirates, but the gold they offer comes, indirectly and deniably, from the coffers of King Kaius. The king is keen to rid his land of the influence of the Blood of Vol. Destruction of the cult on the island certainly draws the attention of the Crimson Covenant and perhaps even Erandis d’Vol herself. Entanglement with the Order of the Emerald Claw will surely follow.
Forgotten Realms: Abbey Isle lies off the west coast of the Dragon Reach, and a mariners' guild from the Dalelands would like to control the island to help them defend against raiders from Pirate Isle in the Sea of Fallen Stars. A cult devoted to Shar, an isolated remnant of the Netherese occupation, has lived on the island for some time. If the cult is routed from the island, the characters might gain unwanted attention from what remains of Netheril.
Mystara: The Minrothad Guilds are always interested in consolidating their power on the sea and would be glad to wrest control of the island away from the cult that holds it. Due to interference from the Thieves' Guild, the scholars of North Isle have had little luck convincing the guilds to help. As a result, they have hired mercenaries to remove the threat on the Abbey Isle, located between North Isle and Fire Island. The cult could be followers of Alphaks, inspiring Thyatian privateers to set out from Terentias and brave Minrothad territory to wipe out the renegade cult.
Traveling to the Isle
The actual jumping-off point for the mission is an island located up the coast. Getting there in the rowboat takes about six hours. This island has a lighthouse that the characters can use as a safe place when they want to rest, reequip, or regroup. Abbey Isle is another two hours beyond the lighthouse.
The Lighthouse Keeper
The lighthouse where the characters begin the adventure is manned by a retired officer named Major Ursa. The major (LG male human veteran) is a huge, barrel-chested man with a bright red beard and a circlet of thin red-gray hair on his balding head. His usual garb is a gaudy red and yellow kilt with his warhammer and dagger hanging from a broad leather belt.
The major now lives, and enjoys, the solitary life of a lighthouse keeper. He is a respected member of the mariners' guild. If the major is attacked by the party, the local citizenry rallies to his defense. The mariners' guild quickly places a bounty on the party, and the adventurers become hunted criminals. The major does not have the guild’s reward money or anything of value (other than food, drink, and nautical equipment) at the lighthouse.
Roleplaying Major Ursa
Major Ursa is not a mercenary and will not spontaneously join the party. He accompanies the characters only if they have made at least one attempt to land on the island. He remains on their boat, refusing to take part in combat but willing to observe and offer advice.
What He Knows
Major Ursa, as a member of the mariners' guild, is invested in the party’s success. He offers the following information freely:
- “The only safe place to get ashore on the reef-ringed, rocky little island is a large sandy beach known as the Skull Dunes. The dunes are full of undead, because the clerics of the abbey created an army of skeletons to guard the beach. The skeletons lie under the sand and attack anyone who comes near.”
- “The pirates got ashore somehow. There’s probably a path through the undead, but finding it’s the problem. We didn’t catch up with the pirates till after they’d left the island. They’d taken as good as they gave. They were a miserable, sorry lot when we attacked and routed what was left of them. One shipload escaped, but we sank the others. The sea and the sharks got the survivors, so we never got a firsthand account of what happened on the island or of how the pirates got through the dunes.”
- “As for the abbey, who knows for sure? We never got anywhere near the place. Smoke rose from the island for days after the pirates attacked. Maybe that means the island’s been abandoned, or maybe the abbey burned and the clerics are waiting to rebuild. I don’t know. That’s what you’ve been hired to find out.”
What He Might Know
Major Ursa serves as a conduit when you want to give information to the players, particularly if they retreat from the Skull Dunes and return to the lighthouse. The major can offer suggestions and occasional helpful hints. These hints should not be given on demand, and the major might not have advice on every subject. The major’s suggestions concerning the tactical situation on the island depend on how much information the party gives him about the island, its inhabitants, and its traps and monsters.
For example, questions such as “How do we get through the tunnels underneath the ruins?” are inappropriate because the major has no way of knowing about the tunnels under the abbey. The party must first describe the tunnels (see “area The Winding Way") and the situation there before the major can help them.
The Island
Abbey Isle is a small island about a mile wide and two miles long. An overview of the island, including its major areas and features, can be found on map 5.1.
General Features
The island is little more than a slab of rock rising from the ocean. The sea has battered its crumbling cliffs so that almost the entire island is surrounded by dangerous rocky shoals. The waves crashing and splashing over the jagged rocks make it obvious, even to landlubbers, that any attempt to navigate the shoals can only end in disaster.
In fact, there is no reason to pass through the dangerous rocks, because the granite cliffs beyond them rise directly out of the water, offering no place to land or come ashore. Only the sandy area at the southernmost tip of the island offers a safe place to land a boat (see “The Skull Dunes”).
The island has little wildlife but is covered in grass, small flowering plants, and a few gnarled, stunted trees and shrubs. What few animals there are on the island were imported by the clerics, either deliberately or accidentally, when they arrived and built the abbey. Some other more dangerous creatures have also come ashore recently.
The Skull Dunes
The Skull Dunes (see map 5.2) lie beyond a beach of coarse brown sand at the southern end of the island. The dunes are desolate; only an occasional bit of scraggly grass grows here and there in the sandy hollows. When the abbey was built, the evil clerics populated the dunes with hundreds of skeletons brought from the mainland for the defense of the island. The overlord of the abbey carried a special scepter that allowed its holder to safely pass through the dunes, but this scepter was destroyed in the fire that razed the abbey.
The skeletons now form an uncontrolled minefield of undead. When anyone passes near, the undead rush up out of the sand and attack. The skeletons are impossible to avoid by stealth because they can detect intruders by noise, vibrations caused by movement, and pressure on the sand. When the pirates landed here, the skeletons made them pay dearly, but the pirates eventually cleared a path through the undead and pushed on to the abbey.
When the characters enter the dunes, use the map to keep track of their location. Assume that the party lands at the southernmost tip of the dunes (in the square south of the number 12) unless the characters decide otherwise. When the characters first come ashore, the hills of sand are smooth and trackless, and the loose sand counts as difficult terrain. As the characters soon discover, the dunes are filled with skeletons that awaken and attack when anything treads on the sand above them.
Encounter Procedure
Use the following rules to play out the Skull Dunes encounter with the help of the map, using a single token or miniature to represent the characters in the square they occupy. Each square is 150 feet on a side. Moving between squares can be done only across sides and not on a diagonal path.
Pirates' Path
Before they start moving, the characters can attempt to find the clear path. The party must select one character to lead the way. That character makes a single Wisdom (
Phase One
If the characters enter an unmarked square, nothing happens. If they enter a square marked with a number, they are immediately attacked by that number of Skeleton. To begin an encounter, the skeletons rise from the sand, expending half of their movement on their first turn. They are encrusted with sand but unhindered by it, so they retain their normal speed while in the dunes.
For example: The characters enter a numbered square marked “7.” Seven skeletons rise and defend that square until they are destroyed. Once all the skeletons in a square have been destroyed, that square is cleared of buried skeletons (but other skeletons could still pursue the party into that square).
The characters continue to move, one square at a time, awakening skeletons and defending themselves until they navigate their way across the dunes to safety, or slay twenty or more skeletons. Once they slay twenty or more skeletons, phase two begins.
Phase Two
All the skeletons within 2 squares of the party animate and attack. Rather than assail the characters individually, half the risen skeletons form three Skeletal Swarm (see appendix C), while the other half coalesce into a skeletal juggernaut (see appendix C). The swarms begin combat within 60 feet of the party, while the juggernaut begins combat 240 feet from the party. Once the skeletons are defeated, the Skull Dunes pose no further threat to the characters.
Avoiding the Skull Dunes
The skeletal guardians of the Skull Dunes do not pursue characters into water deeper than 3 feet. Seawater does them no harm—they have simply not been ordered to defend that area. Thus, characters who decide to come ashore and then wade around the shore in the area of the dunes might be able to avoid the skeletons, or at least minimize their contact with them.
Climbing the Cliffs
If the characters try to circumvent the Skull Dunes altogether by scaling the cliffs, they find plenty of natural footholds and handholds that climbers can use when making their ascent. The danger comes from the slick mixture of water and algae coating the face of the cliff. The top of the cliffs is 45 feet from the water. Climbing a 15-foot section of the cliff requires a successful DC 12 Strength (
Complications on the Dunes
The skeletons of the Skull Dunes wait for the characters to make the first aggressive move. If you see fit, use the table below to introduce additional menace.
Skull Dunes Complications
| d6 | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | Three Manticore that lair on a nearby coast swoop down to attack. They use the skeletons to help finish off land-based prey by landing in a square infested with them, then flying off as they emerge. |
| 2 | The surge of necromantic energy caused by the skeletons' awakening draws |
| 3 | |
| 4 | A sudden squall kicks up! The sudden driving rain causes Skeleton to arise in three random squares. |
| 5 | A pirate, Knife-Catcher Skeen (NE male human bandit), has hidden in a clear square in the dunes. Left for dead by his comrades, he begs the characters for help. |
| 6 | A keelboat with a full crew and carrying five rival treasure hunters (LE human Veteran) arrives at the island. The group scouted the beach earlier and now plans on luring the skeletons out of the dunes and killing them with ranged attacks. They come ashore while the characters are crossing the dunes, and then attack. |
The Abbey Ruins
The ruins of the abbey are located near the center of Abbey Isle, as shown on map 5.1.
Recent Events
The pirate attack on the abbey came as a complete surprise to the clerics, since the pirates and clerics were previously in league with each other. The pirates fenced much of their booty through the clerics, who shipped the goods to distant temples where they could be sold without being recognized as stolen merchandise.
The Abbey Isle clerics often cheated the pirates on these clandestine deals. The pirates grumbled about the poor treatment they received, but they issued no ultimatums to alter the arrangements. Although the two groups had their differences, the clerics never expected the pirates to rebel, confident in their undead defenses even if they did.
Unfortunately for the clerics, the pirates had enough numbers to barely make it through the skeleton horde. After suffering considerable losses against the undead, they proved to be in such a vengeful mood that they set fire to the abbey. With the structure aflame, they didn’t bother looting the building or searching for the cellars being buried by the burning debris.
After the battle, the pirates gathered what loot they could and abandoned the ruins, unaware that they were leaving survivors behind. When the smoldering wreckage cooled, the survivors made their way out through the rubble.
The Survivors
A few of the abbey’s clerics and guards survived the pirate attack and now live a spartan life in the ruins. They made rough accommodations in the abbey’s cellars. The abbey’s vegetable garden and a few barrels of salted pork also survived the pirate attack. The survivors fish from the lower cliffs and raise buckets of seawater up the cliffs by rope. By casting
The survivors have no boat and no means of building one. The island’s few stunted trees and gnarled bushes are incapable of supplying the wood for even a crude canoe or raft. The survivors have no control over the undead of the Skull Dunes and would have to fight their way through the skeletons to launch a boat (they are unaware of the path made by the pirates).
The survivors keep a low profile. They stay close to the ruins of the abbey and keep out of sight of passing boats. They do not hail ships or light signal fires. Trapped on the island since the pirate attack, they are unaware that the pirates have been destroyed. They are therefore hesitant to make their presence known for fear the pirates will return and finish them off.
Even though the survivors desperately want to leave the island, their superiors would not approve of their abandoning the island to the mariners. The clerics and the surviving guards would be severely punished (perhaps by death) if they left. Therefore, they have resolved to capture or kill anyone coming to the island. If any of the characters are captured, they are kept alive only if they can be used in negotiations to extract a ransom. Ransom demands are likely to include a boat or at least transportation to the mainland.
The survivors' main goal is to get word to their superiors while still retaining possession of the island. They have sent missives by means of
They typically keep watch on the Skull Dunes during the day, but have grown lax in that duty as boredom and hunger overtake them. Therefore, there is a 50 percent chance that the characters will land unseen at the Skull Dunes during the day. The survivors do not keep watch at night, meaning that the party has a 100 percent chance of landing unnoticed when it’s dark.
During the day, the survivors might be above ground getting water, fishing, or gardening, or they might be in area area 2 of the ruins. At night they stay in their rooms.
The major personalities among the survivors are detailed below.
Ozymandias
Ozymandias (NE male human priest) barely survived the battle against the pirates because he tried to rescue important books and scrolls from the burning abbey, and a collapsing hall closed a doorway behind him. He was forced to abandon the written works, and he escaped only after a wall collapsed and provided him with an escape route.
Ozymandias is now the highest-ranking cleric and the leader of the survivors. He is a capable administrator, but he does not inspire loyalty or trust in those under him. Underlings obey him because of the hierarchical structure of the abbey’s chain of command, not because he shows any strong leadership. If attacked, he defends himself to the best of his abilities. If the characters attempt to negotiate, Ozymandias is treacherous and unlikely to keep any agreement (except at sword point). He wants to get word of the abbey’s destruction to the mainland, and he hopes to hold the island until help arrives.
Ozymandias wears a special golden medallion (see the sidebar) that allows safe passage through the undead guardians of the Winding Way (the tunnels below the abbey ruin). As the highest-ranking cleric on the island, Ozymandias wears the medallion as a symbol of his faith, but he doesn’t know about its special property or about the dangers of the Winding Way.
Golden Medallion
This medallion is a golden disk inscribed with complex geometric designs, worth 30 gp. It is not magical, but undead of the Winding Way recognize it and allow anyone who possesses the medallion, plus their companions, to pass safely unless the undead are attacked. Only the undead guardians recognize the medallion, and it cannot be used for safe passage past traps or other guardians in the Winding Way, or for protection from any other undead on or off the island. The undead do not obey orders from a character who wears the medallion.
Odium
Odium (NE male human cult fanatic) was visiting the abbey on business when the pirates attacked. He gave a brave account of himself during the battle, though he survived by sheer chance. He ran through the burning building to save his spell scrolls and other valuables. As the flames mounted, Odium was forced to retreat to the cellars with his rescued goods.
He is a grumbler and annoys everyone with his constant griping. Odium and Ozymandias dislike each other intensely. If one gets into trouble, the other will do nothing to help.
Odium desperately wants to leave the island and get on with his life. If the characters do not attack Odium immediately, they might be able to strike a deal with him. He will draw a rough map of the abbey ruins in return for 200 gp and safe passage off the island. (If this occurs, you should provide only a rough map of the cellars without including the Winding Way.) Odium refuses to join the party in a fight against the other survivors.
Bayleaf
Bayleaf (LE male elf bard; see appendix C) is a mercenary who works for the highest bidder. He was hired by the abbey as a training instructor for the guards. If the party does not attack him immediately, negotiation is possible. Bayleaf can be bought off for 500 gp and safe passage off the island. He does not draw a map for the party or help them attack his former employers, but he does tell them there are treasure-filled tunnels beneath the abbey. If pressed, Bayleaf admits that the treasure is guarded (true) and claims it is worth 10,000 gp (false).
Bayleaf is an excellent swordsman and an above-average tactician in small skirmishes. Ozymandias placed him in charge of defending the cellars. If Bayleaf is captured, killed, or bribed, defense of the cellars becomes a hectic, haphazard affair.
Ogmund
Ogmund (CE male human gladiator) is a huge, stupid, mean-spirited fighter. In battle he is awesome, wielding his spear untiringly. During the battle with the pirates, a blow from a warhammer knocked him unconscious. He was left for dead and later dragged to safety by clerics retreating to the cellars. He is embarrassed that he did not die in the battle and will not make that mistake twice.
There is no negotiating with Ogmund. His demands are simple: surrender or fight. As a tactician, Ogmund is wholly wanting. He is likely to overlook the simplest of ambush opportunities, and his only offensive tactic is a headlong frontal attack. Ogmund believes he should oversee the defense of the island and resents Bayleaf’s presence. He gladly leaves the elf in the lurch if the chance to do so arises.
Disciples
The remnants of the abbey’s faithful (two Acolyte and two Cultist) are not a particularly spirited lot. After the devastating loss to the pirates, they are not eager to join battle with anyone. These low-level clerks and helpers survived the battle and the burning of the abbey by hiding in the cellars. Although the heat, smoke, and lack of fresh air might have killed the disciples in a well-sealed room, the cellars of the abbey are riddled with small rat passages and ventilation shafts that pulled air in from the outside, keeping the heat and smoke radiating upward and permitting the disciples and their guards to survive the flames.
The disciples perform only the functions needed for the survival of the group. They fight only if necessary and surrender at the first opportunity if any fight turns against them. If questioned, they know very little about the island and the abbey.
Guards
These three disciplined warriors (Veteran) are the last of the abbey guards. All were dying of their wounds when they were found and healed by the clerics. Ozymandias has ordered them to obey Bayleaf, but the guards prefer Ogmund as their leader because he is one of them and not a hired sword. They will fight to the death to save the clerics.
The Survivors' Response
The survivors in the abbey provide many potential social interactions and combat encounters. Use the following guidelines to decide how the survivors react to the characters' actions.
Hostile
If the characters enter the abbey with swords drawn and spells blazing, the survivors believe the pirates have returned and mount a solid defense.
Once combat begins, the survivors fight to the death except for Bayleaf. He fights hard, but as the lone nonbeliever he is not ready to die for his employer.
Ogmund, the acolyte, and the cultist call for help and attempt to delay the PCs.
The rest of the cultists rush to attack. They all rush forward, open the door to their chambers, and join in the fray.
The cultists try to attack the characters from multiple directions. The acolytes and cultists throw themselves into the fight without regard for their safety. All of the cultists target clerics, wizards, and other casters in the group first, since they know well that a spell or two can offset their numerical advantage.
Ozymandius and Odium try to remain in their rooms while casting spells through the doorway. Odium uses
The veterans try to keep Ozymandius safe, possibly by standing in the doorway to his chamber. Odium shrinks back in his room, trying to stay clear of the fight. The rest of the cultists don’t particularly like him, and none rush to defend him. If a character moves into his room, however, the cultists might try to corner that character.
Bayleaf cares only about survival. He uses his shortbow to fire from his room, and employs his magic and abilities to hinder the characters. He keeps one 2nd-level slot in reserve for
Conversational
Parleying with the survivors is difficult, because Ogmund is one of the first occupants the characters meet. He is spoiling for a fight, but might be willing to talk as a delaying tactic while the other survivors mobilize.
Ogmund keeps the characters talking until the rest of the survivors enter the room. He then attacks, unless Ozymandius orders him to stand down.
Ozymandius is the first named NPC to arrive, followed by the veterans from areas 5, 7, and 8, and the acolyte from area 6. If the characters appear to offer a way of getting off the island, Ozymandius orders Ogmund to keep his hands off his weapons.
Odium, Bayleaf, and the cultist from area 10 arrive next. Odium begs the characters to take him with them, even offering to join them in battle against the characters. Bayleaf keeps an eye on the situation. If the party appears powerful and confident, he turns
Ozymandius drives the negotiation. He settles for nothing less than passage to the mainland for him and two of the veterans so that he can get help to fortify the island and rebuild. He offers the characters a place of honor in the cult.
The characters might try to trick the survivors into splitting their numbers. Ozymandius refuses to abandon the island, because doing so is deserving of a death sentence in the eyes of his superiors. The rest of the residents can be persuaded to leave peacefully, however, especially if the characters create a ruse to make it appear that Ozymandius or the cult leaders have given permission for them to do so.
If a fight does break out after negotiation, most of the survivors are not eager to die. If Ozymandius and Ogmund are defeated, the veterans will surrender if Bayleaf is alive and capable of counseling them to do so. He also throws down his weapons or attempts to flee.
Treasures Untold
The Winding Way, a series of trapped passages leading to the abbey’s treasure chamber, is a well-kept secret. The senior clerics were slain by the pirates, and with them went knowledge of the abbey’s riches. Now only Bayleaf knows about the Winding Way. He was informed of the tunnels by the overlord who led the abbey, who wanted him ready to defend them if needs arose. The elf does not know the actual layout of the place, nor does he know about its guardians. He uses his knowledge of the place’s existence as a bargaining chip for getting off the island. Bayleaf has not told any of the other survivors about the Winding Way.
Locations in the Ruins
The following locations are identified on map 5.3. Areas 1–10 represent the ruined cellar, and areas 11–14 represent the Winding Way. Access between the two is found in area 6.
The Ruined Cellar
The abbey’s remaining clerics and guards spend their days here in charred, uncomfortable quarters.
1. Rubble and Cellar Entrance
All that remains of the abbey is a great square of stones filled with burned and blackened rubble. As you approach the sooty stones, it is obvious someone has been sorting through the debris. Assorted oddments are piled inside the scorched square of the foundation stones. Ruined cooking utensils, crushed pots and pans, mangled kettles, and less identifiable metal objects lie in one pile. Broken crockery, platters, plates, porcelain, and pottery are heaped in another.
A great deal of wood has been sorted into one large mound of badly burned scraps. In the center of the ruins is an opening, and as you move nearer, you see a stone staircase leading down into darkness.
If the characters investigate the piles of rubbish, they find nothing of value. The survivors have sorted through the remains of the abbey, and all valuable or usable objects have been removed. The pile of charcoal is used as fuel for cooking and heating. The stairs lead down to a charred wooden door (AC 15, 30 hit points, damage threshold 5), which can be forced open by a character who makes a successful DC 14 Strength check.
2. Common Area
This combination dining hall and gambling den reeks of greasy, soured food. The main feature of the room is a makeshift table made of burned planks supported at either end by upended barrels. Beneath the table are several small kegs that serve as chairs. Scraps of food are strewn across the table and on the floor nearby.
Three weary-looking humans look up, startled, as you appear.
Ogmund (gladiator) and two disciples (one acolyte, one cultist) sit at the table gambling.
This is the dining and recreation area for the survivors. The guards and clerics have a standing argument over who should keep the area clean. As a result, no one is willing to clean the place.
Development
The moment the characters are spotted, Ogmund takes a defensive posture and questions why they are there. The commotion is certainly heard by the rest of the survivors, who soon poke their heads out of their quarters. See “area The Survivors' Response” for guidance on the party’s initial encounter with the survivors.
3. Kitchen
A large cauldron filled with smoldering charcoal burns in the center of the room. Assorted cookware and seasonings rest on the floor and on shelves. There is also an ornate scroll tube on the shelf. The room is fairly clean, but the air is humid and greasy. A large tub of dirty water stands in the corner, surrounded by dirty dishes.
The cauldron was originally used in the abbey laundry, but the survivors rescued it from the ruins and now use it for cooking. Meals prepared here consist of boiled vegetables and fried meat. Characters can find little of value here except three large butcher knives (treat as daggers). The scroll tube on the spice shelf contains a scroll of simple recipes (flatbread, fish stew, and seagull loaf).
4. Ogmund’s Quarters
This chamber reeks of wine. Small kegs are scattered everywhere. A floor-to-ceiling wine rack filled with bottles dominates the southern wall. A crudely made pallet of rags and sacks covers the center of the room.
The old wine cellar serves as Ogmund’s private quarters. All the kegs and bottles are empty. A careful search of Ogmund’s foul-smelling pallet reveals a pouch containing 25 gp and a dagger with a laminated whalebone handle and scabbard, worth 50 gp. Ogmund has also stashed a backup high-quality suit of studded leather armor and a pair of sturdy leather boots in one of the kegs.
5. Barracks
Three crude pallets lie on the floor, and a large iron kettle stands in the center of the chamber. In the northeast corner is a jumbled pile of broken lumber.
Unless alerted by a commotion in area 2, one guard (veteran) is napping on a pallet.
The pallets hold nothing but rags stuffed inside flour sacks to make crude mattresses. The kettle, used for heating the room, contains ash and charcoal. The lumber in the corner fuels the kettle. If the characters search through the lumber, they find the guards' weapon hoard hidden behind it: five spears, a shortbow and quiver of twenty arrows, two shortswords, three daggers, two shields, and one suit of chain mail armor sized for a Medium creature.
6. Meditation Room
This room has been cleared of all debris and is currently being scrubbed clean by a single robed figure. Three walls are heavily curtained with draperies of thick black velvet, and the east wall is decorated with a horrible mural depicting a red dragon devouring sheep. Near the west wall is a stone table on which a large iron brazier burns. The table has been scrubbed and scoured, but it has many odd discolorations and scorch marks. A half-melted statue and two badly damaged candlesticks sit beside the brazier.
If not drawn into area 2 by intruders, one disciple (acolyte) is cleaning the table and floors here.
This was a meditation and study room before the abbey burned. The clerics still perform what few rites and ceremonies they can, given the circumstances. The furnishings were salvaged from the rubble.
A character who has a passive
The abbey residents do not tamper with the curtains, seeing them as sacred objects. Thus they do not know about the hidden door behind them. They consider any attempt to move or tear down the curtains blasphemous attacking the perpetrators if they witness such an act or learn of it.
Table
The table, discolored by fire and heat, serves as the ceremonial platform where incense is burned and where larger sacrifices are made by burning rich, costly items in the brazier.
Treasure
The candlesticks are gold and worth 10 gp each. The statue was badly damaged in the fire but is made of pure silver and is worth 20 gp.
7. Ozymandias’s Quarters
This room is full of kegs, bags, and boxes. There is a rough cot in one corner and a great deal of clutter everywhere. Except for the cot, this appears to be nothing more than a disorganized storage room.
Until unknown voices or the sounds of battle draw his attention, Ozymandias (priest) is in this room discussing survival tactics with a guard (veteran). The room serves as Ozymandias’s bedroom, office, and storeroom.
If the characters search the jumbled mess, they find a couple of kegs of corned beef and pork; bags of beans, rice, and flour; and two boxes of fresh vegetables from the abbey’s garden. They also find gardening tools, a keg of nails, a box of carpentry tools (saws, hammers, planes, and so on), three lanterns, ten flasks of oil, two 50-foot coils of rope, twenty torches, and two 10-foot wooden poles.
Treasure
Ozymandius wears the special golden medallion (see the sidebar). Carefully searching under the cot reveals four
8. Bayleaf’s Quarters
Empty weapon racks and several empty bins and shelves line the walls of this room. On the floor is a bedroll of three blankets next to a pair of shiny leather boots.
Bayleaf (bard) is in this room exchanging war stories with one of the guards (veteran) unless they hear a disturbance outside. This former armory of the clerics and the abbey guards is now devoid of such contents.
Bayleaf has hidden his personal wealth and collection of scrolls under a loose stone in the floor. A character who makes a successful DC 14 Wisdom (
Treasure
Bayleaf’s
9. Odium’s Quarters
This room contains small statues and figurines. There are statues of dogs and horses, monks and pilgrims, footmen and knights on horseback, and several garden gnomes. All the statues are between one and three feet tall. Standing against the northern wall are two life-size statues. One is a robed skeleton holding a large scythe, and the other is a medusa. On the floor in front of these statues is a pallet of several blankets.
Odium (cult fanatic) now lives in this storage area and is plotting his escape. He emerges hoping that the visitors will provide an opportunity.
Statues
The small statues and figurines are all made of glazed clay and poorly fashioned. The two large statues are made of stone, and each stands on a square base. They were used as scarecrows in the garden. The island’s birds stopped being frightened by them and began roosting on the figures, so they were removed to the cellars. Bits of old birds' nests can still be found in the medusa’s snaky hair and between the skeleton’s ribs. The characters can remove the statuary if they want. The statues weigh 700 pounds each. The mariners' guild charges a stiff fee for transporting them, and the characters soon discover that no one wants to buy an ugly statue of Death or a medusa.
A character who has a passive
Treasure
The hollow base of the medusa statue contains several items that Odium has hidden here: a
10. Disciples' Quarters
Several large bookcases lean against the walls in this cold room, and a high chair and a scribe’s desk sit to the right of the door. The bookcases are loaded with books and scrolls. Four bedrolls are stacked neatly in the comer.
The four disciples make this room their home. A single cultist is here most of the time, scribing a scroll. Overly cautious, the disciples dare not heat the room for fear of setting their precious books and scrolls alight. The bedrolls are made of scratchy blankets and hold nothing of interest or value.
Bookshelves
The majority of the books and scrolls are merely bookkeeping documents. One set of five books, bound in sky-blue leather and trimmed in copper, is of a more sinister nature. These five tomes have old, fragile pages; if the characters examine them, they discover that the ancient books describe procedures and details for several evil rites and ceremonies. The books make grim and harrowing reading for any character.
The tomes can be turned over to any non-evil-aligned temple for destruction (adding to the characters' reputation as upstanding adventurers) or sold in shady markets for 20 gp each. Selling such rare items is sure to attract attention from sources as dark as the tomes themselves.
Treasure
The desk is locked. A character who makes a successful DC 12 Dexterity check using thieves' tools can open the desk. Inside the desk are two vials of rare ink worth 25 gp each. The ink smells faintly of copper. Amid the papers and dusty ledgers on the bookshelves are a
The Winding Way
When the abbey was constructed, the cultists dug these tunnels for treasure storage. Only the abbey’s overlord was privy to all the passage’s secrets, and he died in the pirates' assault. The tunnels are well made, with smooth walls, floors, and 10-foot ceilings. The Winding Way contains an abundance of traps and guardians meant to protect the abbey’s treasure.
Traps in the Winding Way are denoted by letters on the map. Each type is described below.
A. Trip Wire
A wire stretches across the floor at ankle height. A character who has a passive
The trap triggers if a character walks through the trip wire, or if an attempt to disarm it fails. When the trap triggers, the ceiling stone falls onto the creature. That creature must make a successful DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 18 (
B. Open Pit and Illusion
The builders placed several open pits throughout the Winding Way, each measuring 6 feet by 6 feet and with a depth of 10 feet. Covering each pit is an illusory section of floor (
C. Spiked Pit Trap
Each of these pits, measuring 6 feet by 6 feet and with a depth of 10 feet, has long wooden spikes affixed to the bottom. The opening is covered by a wooden trapdoor painted to blend into the stone of the tunnel. A character who has a passive Perception score of 16 or higher notices the trapdoor. A character who is searching carefully and who makes a successful DC 14 Wisdom (
The trapdoor opens when a weight greater than 50 pounds is placed on it. Any creatures on the trapdoor when it opens fall into the pit, taking 3 (
D. False Door with Overhead Block
A false door is installed in the wall in these locations. The handle of the door is connected to a hidden wire that releases a large stone above the door onto anyone who tries to open it. A character who has a passive
The trap triggers if a character tries to open the door, or if an attempt to disarm it fails. When the trap triggers, a large stone falls onto the creature standing next to the door. That creature must make a successful DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 36 (
E. Door with Crossbow
A loaded ballista is trained on the doorway, and it fires on anyone who opens the door. The ballista makes an attack (+6 bonus to hit) with advantage against that individual. The attack deals 16 (
11. Entrance Guardroom
A short tunnel widens into an unfurnished and undecorated thirty-foot-square chamber. Standing next to one another in the center of the room are two enormous skeletal guardians; their heads feature prominent horns, and each wields a massive, rusted axe.
Five corpse-like figures stand shoulder to shoulder, guarding a door in the eastern wall. Their faces have been painted in gruesome colors.
Unless a character in the party is prominently wearing the special golden medallion (see the sidebar), all the creatures in this area attack the party.
Two Minotaur Skeleton, two Specter, and a bodak (see appendix C) guard this area. The undead attack until they are destroyed or the intruders have been driven away. They pursue intruders throughout the tunnels but do not leave the Winding Way. Once any intruders have been killed or driven back through the door of the room, the undead return to their original positions.
The specters hang back from the fight, and if the characters appear on the verge of victory, they move through the door to the east. They use hit-and-run tactics to harass the characters and try to lure them into triggering the traps in the Winding Way.
12. Hallway Guardroom
The hallway widens out into a bare fifty-foot-square chamber. Three enormous, rotting ogres stand close to the southern wall. They clutch large morningstars, which drag on the stone floor.
Standing directly in the exit on the southern wall, effectively blocking it, is a large crystal statue of a minotaur.
One ogre zombie, two Ghast, and one minotaur living crystal statue (see appendix C) guard this area.
Unless a character in the party is prominently wearing the special golden medallion (see the sidebar), all the undead in this area attack the party. The crystal statue does not move until the undead have been turned or have joined battle against the intruders. The statue then attacks the nearest trespasser. Like the undead, the statue attacks until all intruders have been killed or driven from the complex. The statue does not pursue any targets beyond area 11 and returns to its original position once intruders have been dealt with.
13. False Treasure Room
The door leading to this room is trapped with a vial of poisonous gas hidden above the door. A thin wire connects it to the latch of the door. A character who has a passive
The trap triggers if a character opens the door, or if an attempt to disarm it fails. When the trap triggers, a vial of poisonous gas falls to the floor and releases gas in a 10-foot-by-10-foot area. Creatures caught in the gas’s area must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 9 (
When the party enters the room, read:
Chests, urns, and a large strongbox stand in alcoves set uniformly along this chamber’s walls. Some chests are open, and you see jewelry and coins spilling out. Colored flashes of light sparkle with the promise of gems and jewels. In the center of the room is a green stone statue of a beautiful elf.
The statue is actually a vampiric jade statue (see appendix C). Its face becomes a dreadful fanged mask when it attacks. If the characters attack the statue or touch a chest, an urn, or the strongbox, the statue attacks and pursues them ceaselessly until either it is destroyed or the party is driven from the Winding Way. It will not pursue beyond area 11.
Trapped Strongbox
The strongbox is locked and trapped. A character who studies the chest carefully before trying to open it and who makes a successful DC 16 Intelligence (
The trap triggers if it is not disarmed before the strongbox is opened or if an attempt to disarm it fails. When the trap triggers, a poisoned needle fires out. A creature standing in front of the chest’s locking mechanism when the needle fires must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 18 (
The strongbox contains nothing but old rags, bits of metal, and a small piece of paper with the message: “Dear thief: A lot of work for nothing, wasn’t it?”
A character who has a passive
False Treasure
The shining contents of the treasure chests and urns are deceptive. They consist of nothing more than gold-painted wooden coins, iron rings painted silver, and bits of colored glass.
14. Treasure Room
This room is a large square whose ceiling is held up by two massive gray granite pillars. The walls, floor, and ceiling are made of shiny black iron, and several bags, chests, and urns lie scattered about. You notice a shimmer in the air, like heat rising from a fire.
Suddenly, the shimmering passes between you and one of the pillars, and you see two humanoid forms made of the same iron as the walls.
The walls in this area are under the effects of a
Two Living Iron Statue (see appendix C) guard this area. They immediately attack anyone entering the room who is not a resident of the abbey.
The statues have been constructed purely as fighting machines. Their heads are smooth, featureless iron balls. Their torsos are short and broad, and their legs are thick and stumpy. The right forearm of each one is a razor-sharp sword blade, and the left arm ends in a hammer head instead of a hand.
Treasure. If the characters overcome the statues and search the bags, chests, and urns, they find 480 gp and 1,200 sp. Another 1,000 gp in gems and jewelry can be found in the urns. A large chest in the northwest corner contains five bolts of rare silk worth 100 gp each, two
Conclusion
If the characters cannot reach the abbey and are forced to retreat, they receive nothing from the mariners' guild other than the return of deposits on borrowed equipment. If the characters clear or find a path through the Skull Dunes but do not remove the abbey’s occupants, they receive a 100 gp reward.
The characters are given the full reward if they clear a path through the Skull Dunes and kill, deport, or capture the abbey’s survivors. Captured survivors are held by the mariners' guild until it has secured the island and the construction of the lighthouse is well underway.
Once the mariners take control of the island, it is unlikely that the cult that built the abbey tries to retake it. Doing that would require a much larger force than they are capable of mustering at present. The cult will certainly not forget about the island or the characters, though.