3rd Edition - Adventure - Against the Barrow King, Rpg, D&D 3ed

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How to Use This Product
This adventure is designed to be easily dropped into your existing 3rd edition D&D campaign. It can be run in
a single session, and makes for an excellent evening’s gaming. To prepare yourself to run it, you should read it
completely at least once to familiarize yourself with the material, and you may wish to photocopy the map in the center
of the book for ease of use as well. The text on the back of the book can be read to your players in order to introduce
them to the adventure. After that, you’re ready to begin. Good luck!
Dungeons and Dragons
®
This module requires the use of the Dungeons and Dragons
®
Player’s Handbook, Third Edition, published by
Wizards of the Coast
®
. You won’t be able to run this adventure without it.
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How to Use This Product
Dungeons and Dragons
Adventure Boosters by AEG
Against the Barrow King
by Steve Hough
DM Background
Six months ago, a cult devoted to Voodrith, the god of slaughter, began seeking a location to found a new
temple. Since the open worship of Voodrith is forbidden in many parts of the world, the devout sought a site that was
far away from prying eyes, and yet someplace that would glorify their dread god. The cultists found their locale in the
form of an ancient burial ground far from any large towns or well traveled roads. After conditioning the burial ground’s
resident ghouls by providing equal amounts of bloody brutality and juicy morsels to eat, the cult moved into the warrens
beneath the graveyard.
Several miles to the east of the burial ground lay the small farming village of Glenn Hollow. The superstitious
residents of Glenn Hollow all knew about the ancient burial site and stayed far away, fearing that they might disturb the
Barrow King, an entity that they believed stalked the area.
After the initial consecration of the new temple to their dark god, Abraxes, the cult’s warchief, sent scouting
parties out into the wilderness to insure that the temple’s location would remain secure and secret. Abraxes was furious
to learn of the existance of Glenn Hollow and was preparing a war party when the cult’s spiritual leader, Mordiggian,
calmed him by claiming that the presence of the village was a blessing from Voodrith. The village would provide
fodder for the cult’s bloody sacrifices as well as Mordiggian’s own blasphemous surgical experiments. After some
discussion, it was decided that sentries would be posted all around Glenn Hollow and charged with ensuring that no
villager be allowed to leave the area.
The first raid on Glenn Hollow happened a little over three months ago. The villagers awoke one morning to
discover that a house at the edge of their village had been sacked and all its occupants had gone missing. The villagers
mounted their own search party but found no trace of the missing family. In the weeks that followed, the raids
continued. After the third attack, with no sign of the missing villagers, a messenger was sent to seek aid from a larger
town. He never returned.
In the past month the raids on Glenn Hollow have grown progressively bolder. Instead of skulking into the
village in the dead of night and using silence spells to cover their work, the cultists have begun storming into the village
at least once a week, taking prisoners and keeping the rest of the villagers properly cowed before disappearing again
into the western woods.
The villagers, seeing their fellows dragged off in the direction of the forbidden burial ground, have begun to
believe that the cultists are the servants of the legendary Barrow King come to punish the them for some unknown
transgression.
This module is intended for four to six characters of levels 4-6. To successfully complete the adventure, PCs
must stop the vile activities of the cult leaders (Abraxes and Mordiggian), and rescue as many captured villagers from
the temple as possible.
The village of Glenn Hollow has been left deliberately vague so that you can substitute any sleepy town or
hamlet from your own campaign. The only requirement is that the village be semi-secluded and not within a days travel
of another town or village. The forgotten burial ground is described as being west of Glenn Hollow, but GMs should
feel free to change this to fit their own campaigns.
The Village of Glenn Hollow
You are traveling west along a slightly overgrown but easily traversed road. The sun is setting in the autumn sky and a
chilling breeze is picking up. The sky is growing dark quickly and the night is sure to be cold. Ahead, you can see the
inviting glow of warm fires shining cheerfully through the windows of small cottages. After being on the road all day,
the idea of a warm meal and a good night’s rest in a comfortable bed is quite appealing.
1
Against the Barrow King
DM Background
Adventure Summary
If they cry out a friendly greeting as they calmly approach the village, their welcome will be little warmer. The
women and children of the village will all retreat to the safety of their homes. Only Obed, his two grandsons, and a few
other men will greet the PCs as they enter the village.
The old man steps forward and introduces himself. “I am Obed.” he says, “You’ll have to forgive our less than
hospitable greeting. Our village has fallen on dark times and we thought you might be servants of the Barrow King.”
Obed looks as if he’s about to ask a question, but then reconsiders. “Let’s go inside where it’s warm. We can talk more
then.
A bard can make a bardic knowledge check (DC 15) with a bonus equal to the bard’s level plus intelligence
modifier to have heard of the Barrow King. According to local legend, the Barrow King is a restless spirit from an age
long past. This malevolent spirit is said to loathe all life. It seeks to destroy the living whenever possible, especially
delighting in the suffering it can inflict upon its victims before it snuffs out their lives.
The elder leads the PCs into his cottage and has them sit around a great oak table. Obed waits until everyone is
comfortably seated with a hot meal in front of them before he begins to speak again. He tells the PCs about the raids as
described in the Adventure Background above. He describes the black-clad raiders and how they sweep out of the
western woods to pillage their poor village. He also relates the legend of the Barrow King, the restless spirit of a
forgotten king that haunts an ancient burial ground several miles to the west of Glenn Hollow. Obed then asks the PCs
for their aid and offers the party 100 gp. for their help. At this point, Obed will retire for the evening to let the PCs
discuss their plans.
Assuming that the PCs have agreed to aid the villagers of Glenn Hollow, they are given fresh supplies the next
morning and told that the burial ground lies six miles to the west. Following the path left by the cultists on their last raid
is a relatively easy task for any PC with the Track feat (Wilderness Lore check DC 15). If they succeed, the PCs locate
the burial ground in only 4 or 5 hours. If they fail this test or no member of the party has the Track feat, it takes almost a
full day to locate the burial ground.
Obed
(male human Corn 2, Local Lore +4) Village Elder.
Obed’s Grandsons
(male humans Corn 1; Handle Animal +2).
After traveling for several hours, the sight before you is unmistakable. The burial ground is just as the villagers
described it. Sixteen ancient burial mounds form a ring on the grassy knoll below you. Each of the mounds has a round
opening that faces the center of the circle. Most of these openings are filled with rocks or a rotting wood panel, but one
stands open. A burning torch is placed to either side of its entrance.
The grass around the entire area has been trampled down. A large bonfire blazes in the center of the burial ring. You
can see several shapes moving against the flames.
The barrows are approximately 30 feet wide and do not contain anything of interest.
Five orcs guards and four ghouls are currently stalking around the burial mounds. The orcs will attack anyone
who approaches the open barrow.
The orcs will fight to the death. They are fiercely loyal to Abraxes. The ghouls, on the other hand, will only
attack someone with the scent of the purple mushrooms in #14 on them. Otherwise, they are content to stay clear of any
fights that occur and sate their hunger on the fallen once it is safe. If the ghouls attack, they run as soon as two of their
number are slain.
Once the PCs have dealt with the orc guards (and possibly the ghoul lurkers) they may make their way safely
into the open crypt. If the PCs leave mounts outside the crypt and the ghouls have not been slain or driven away, the
unprotected animals will be eaten by the time the PCs return.
Orcs (5):
CR 1/2; SZ M (humanoid); HD 1d8; hp 5 each; Init +0; Spd 20 ft.; AC 14 (+4 scale mail); Atk: greataxe +3
melee (1d12+3); SQ darkvision 60 ft., light sensitivity; AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will –1; Str 15, Dex 10, Con 11,
Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 8. Skills: Listen +2, Spot +2. Feats: Alertness.
2
1. The Burial Ground
Ghouls (4):
CR 1; SZ M (undead); HD 2d12; hp 13 (x2), 15, 10; Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural);
Atk bite + 3 melee (1d6+ 1 and paralysis), 2 claws +0 melee (1d3 and paralysis); SA paralysis, create spawn SQ
undead, +2 turn resistance, AL CE, SV Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +5; Str 13, Dex 15, Con —, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16. Skills:
Climb +6 Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intuit Direction +3, Jump +6, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Search +6, Spot +7.
Feats: Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (bite).
A set of shallow stairs descends for about 20 feet from the opening you just entered to a corridor below. The walls are
made of rough stone blocks tightly fitted together. Three alcoves line either side of the corridor. At the far end of the
hall, a filthy hide rug hanging from the ceiling conceals the back wall. Tracks can be clearly seen in the dust on the floor
leading back and forth between the hide curtain and top of the stairs where you are standing. Cracked and peeling
paintings of a long forgotten hero line the inside of the first four alcoves. Two rotting, wooden doors are set into the last
two alcoves.
There are no actual dangers in the crypt hall, but feel free to add to the gloomy atmosphere. The hide hanging
against the back wall hides the entrance to the ghoul warrens described in locations 5-17.
The air is thick and stale. Cobwebs dominate every corner of the room, but the doorway remains clear. Man-sized
footprints can also be easily seen in the dust on the floor. Discolored spots on the floor reveal where chests or barrels
once stood. A stone sarcophagus lies on a raised dais in the center of the room. The lid shows signs of being recently
moved and lies cracked on the floor. A bas-relief of rather plain-looking woman in an unfamiliar style of dress is
depicted on its worn surface. There are no sign of valuables in the chamber.
All of the valuables from this tomb were looted months ago by the cultists and have been moved to #17.
A nauseating odor hangs in the air of this room. Man-sized footprints can be easily seen leading through the dust on the
floor. Discolored spots on the floor reveal where chests or barrels once stood. Upon a raised dais stands a stone
sarcophagus. The stone lid of the sarcophagus lies shattered on the floor.
All of the valuables from this tomb were looted months ago by the cultists and have been moved to #17.
If the PCs enter the room, The King and Queen, now transformed into ghasts, will attack them from the corner
of the room to the left of the door, and will fight until destroyed.
The Queen has an antique hair comb crafted into the shape of a gold dragon set with a red garnet clinging to
her matted hair. The comb is worth 1,050 gp.
Pushing aside the filth-encrusted hide, you see a large, irregularly-shaped room. Two corridors lead off from this room
to the west and the east. Both are large enough for a man to travel through with ease. Gliding towards you are three
twisted parodies of the human form, standing 6-feet tall. Steel pins and rods stretch the flesh of these creatures in
horrific mockeries of their original appearance. Stitches crisscross their bodies making them look like living jigsaw
puzzles. Gore-smeared surgical tools extend from the stumps of their arms like slender fingers. A constant gibbering
caterwaul comes from their twisted mouths.
There are three
Chirurgeons (hp 11, 10, 9)
here that attack the PCs as soon as they enter the room and fight to
the death (see Appendix for complete statistics).
From the dark recesses of this room come the wet sounds of tearing flesh, punctuated by the cracking of bones and feral
growls. Loud laughter, cheering, and curses in a guttural language can be heard from the north.
Ghasts (2):
CR 3; SZ M (undead); HD 4d12; hp 35, 28; Init +2 (Dex) Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural); Atk bite
+4 melee (1d8+ 1 and paralysis), 2 claws + 1 melee (1d4 and paralysis), SA stench, paralysis create spawn ), SQ undead
+2 turn resistance, AL CE, SV Fort +1, Ref +3 Will +6, Str 13, Dex 15, Con—, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16. Skills: Climb
+6, Escape Artist +8, Hide +8, Intuit Direction +3 Jump +6, Listen +8, Move Silently +7, Search +6, Spot +8. Feats:
Multiattack, Weapon Finesse (bite).
3
2. The Crypt Hall
3. The Queen’s Room
4. The King’s Room
5. Room of Gibbering Chirurgeons
6. Ghoul Cave
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