The Buried Voice
The abbey did not bury the bell because it was loud; they buried it because it gives the dead a voice and wakes what hears them.
Interactive Dungeon Module
The Bell Beneath Blackwater
A drowned monastery, a buried bell, and two ways down before the dead answer its next toll.
Blackwater Abbey has been abandoned since groundwater swallowed its crypts. Now a bell no living hand can reach has begun tolling beneath the ruins. The party must descend through the monastery, learn why the bell was buried, and silence it before the drowned dead fully wake. The lower vault can be reached through the Abbot's locked tomb or through the Bellwarden's concealed reliquary.
Adventure Sections
Major Threads
Two Ways Below
Severin controlled the formal tomb route with his seal; Rook maintained a concealed route behind the ninth saint.
Characters
Alive; sheltering in the upper cloisterSister Nera KestLast living caretaker of Blackwater AbbeyAlive; moving through the eastern side of the abbeyMara VennRelic hunter and opportunistic rivalAlive; stranded at Blackwater CrossingEdrin PikeWounded ferryman trapped belowDead; his regret manifests as a Specter in Area 8Abbot Severin ValeLast abbot of Blackwater AbbeyDead; the final Wight preserves a warped version of his dutyBellwarden Elian RookKeeper of the buried bell
Experience
0XP earned
XP breakdown
No defeated creatures yet.
Wandering Monster Table
| d6 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Shadow follows at the edge of the party's light. |
| 2 | 2 Skeletons rise from flooded niches or debris behind the party. |
| 3 | 1 Will-o’-Wisp appears across water and tries to lure one explorer away from the group. |
| 4 | No creature appears. The buried bell tolls once and the nearest corpse turns its head toward the sound. |
Authored Module View
Adventure
Read and run one section at a time. Room, creature, treasure, and map links jump immediately to their dedicated views.
Find why the dead monastery is ringing again.
The Abbey Above
The upper abbey establishes the bell mystery and splits the party's route through archive and refectory wings.
Blackwater Abbey rises from the rain like a drowned thing hauled halfway from a river. Roofless arches frame a courtyard gone black with standing water, and saints worn smooth by weather watch from niches along the walls. Then the stones beneath your feet tremble. Somewhere far below, a bell sounds once—slow, impossibly deep, and answered by a faint scrape from inside the abandoned monastery.
Area details
The Abbot held the key; the Bellwarden kept another way.
Two Ways Below
The middle complex reveals the abbey's attempt to suppress the bell and presents two legitimate approaches to the final vault.
The abbey changes as you descend. The broad devotional halls narrow into service passages cut directly through the hill, where old ironwork disappears into the masonry and black water seeps steadily through the joints. Here the damage is deliberate: ropes severed, mouths struck from holy images, doors sealed with official marks. Whatever lies below was not merely abandoned. The people who lived here tried to make certain no one would ever hear it again.
Area details
Silence the bell or survive what answers it.
The Buried Voice
The two approaches rejoin at the buried bell.
The final descent carries you beneath the oldest foundations of the abbey. The air grows still, but the water around your boots begins to quiver in widening rings. Ahead, bronze groans against stone. A second pulse follows—not loud so much as enormous, a note felt through bone and teeth—and for an instant you hear voices inside it: fragments of prayers, pleas, and final words spoken by people who have been dead for generations.
Area details
Room Key
Areas
Compact master/detail view for running individual rooms without scrolling through the whole module.
AREA 1
1. Pilgrim's Gate
The gatehouse of Blackwater Abbey is a roofless shell of dark river stone, its broken arch opening onto a cracked flagstone court slick with rain. Gray daylight falls through exposed rafters, catching rust on an iron processional gate and moss in the joints. The air smells of wet stone and old metal. Beyond the gate, black water gleams across the inner paving—and somewhere beneath the court, a bell tolls once, deep enough to feel in your teeth.
Features
Processional Gate
The iron processional gate hangs open between the gatehouse and inner court. Small saint figures are worked into each vertical bar, and every face has been struck or chiseled around the mouth; the damage is sharp-edged and deliberate rather than the result of rust or flooding.
Investigation DC 10. The saints once had separate bronze tongues, and every one was deliberately chiseled away rather than lost to age or flooding.
Exits
AREA 2
2. Drowned Cloister
Shallow Flooding• Wading: Difficult Terrain• No swimming, suffocation, or underwater-combat rules by default
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading.
A square stone cloister surrounds what was once a small garden, now a drowned patch of reeds and black mud open to the gray sky. Ankle-deep water covers the worn paving beneath the arcade, reflecting rows of carved saints set between squat columns. The place smells of rain, wet limestone, and rotting roots. Doorways in opposite walls lead toward the abbey's old scriptorium and refectory.
Features
Tongueless Saints
The saint reliefs lining the cloister arcade all show the same deliberate mutilation: mouths chipped away and the small fittings that once held bronze tongues removed. Water stains and moss cover the lower carvings, but the damage to the faces is much older and more precise.
Characters Here
Sister Nera Kest
Alive; sheltering in the upper cloisterA practical elderly lay sister who stayed behind to keep scavengers out and now wants the buried bell silenced before the dead fully wake.
On arrival. Nera is kneeling on the dry edge of the cloister steps, sorting a ring of old keys beside a hooded lantern. Each time the buried bell sounds, she stops and watches the water tremble before forcing herself back to work.
Says. “You heard it too. Good. That means I'm not losing my mind yet. If you're going below, I can tell you which stones still hold.”
Wants. Get the party below the abbey, silence the bell, and survive without reopening old wounds she believes were sealed for good reason.
Creatures
Exits
AREA 3
3. Waterlogged Scriptorium
Loose DebrisCollapsed shelving and swollen books clutter the floor.• Difficult Terrain
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain.
This low-ceilinged scriptorium is built from dark monastery stone, with strips of water-stained plaster still clinging between the arches. Weak gray light enters through a narrow window high in the wall. Collapsed wooden shelves crowd the floor, their books swollen into pale bricks of pulp, and the room smells sharply of mildew, wet paper, and stagnant water. At the center stands an intricately carved wooden lectern worked with branching trees and unfamiliar saints; an enormous ledger rests on it, secured by thick iron chains.
Features
Flood Ledger
The oversized ledger on the carved central lectern is swollen with water damage but remains partly legible. Iron links pass through reinforced holes in its wooden covers and bolt it to the stand. The surviving pages record maintenance and flood repairs from the abbey's final months.
Investigation DC 11. Repeated entries order workers to 'keep the ninth saint dry' and note Bellwarden Rook making unscheduled trips to the ossuary.
Characters Here
Mara Venn
Alive; moving through the eastern side of the abbeyA quick-talking professional scavenger who entered ahead of the party looking for the Bellwarden's silver relics and has learned enough to be dangerous but not enough to be safe.
On arrival. Mara is kneeling beside a half-collapsed shelving unit, one boot braced against a swollen cabinet while she stuffs dry scraps of writing into an oilskin satchel. She freezes when she sees the party, then immediately smiles as though their arrival solves a problem for her.
Says. “Good. More hands. I was beginning to think I'd have to drown alone.”
Wants. Reach the Bellwarden's Reliquary first and leave with the Silver Clapper or another relic valuable enough to justify the risk.
Creatures
2 x Shadow (CR 1/2, Monster Manual)
Encounter State0 / 200 XP
Shadow ×2100 XP each
Exits
AREA 4
4. Refectory of Empty Bowls
Shallow Flooding• Wading: Difficult Terrain• No swimming, suffocation, or underwater-combat rules by default
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading.
The refectory is a long vaulted hall of dark stone with narrow windows high along one wall, admitting bands of cold gray light. Shallow water spreads across the flagstones beneath two heavy communal tables, carrying the smell of mud and old wood. Clay bowls remain set at each place as though supper was interrupted. Four skeletal brothers still sit upright among them, their skulls turned toward the sound of the buried bell.
Features
Last Meal
Each clay bowl set along the two communal tables contains a crust of river silt mixed with tiny fish bones. Scraps of rotted cloth still mark several place settings. Nothing suggests a ceremonial burial; the brothers appear to have left an ordinary meal unfinished before the monastery was abandoned.
Creatures
4 x Skeleton (CR 1/4, Monster Manual)
Encounter State0 / 200 XP
Skeleton ×450 XP each
Exits
AREA 5
5. Bell-Rope Chamber
This square service chamber sits deeper in the abbey, where dressed stone gives way to rougher masonry cut into the hill. Old iron pulley beams cross the ceiling above a stone-lined shaft in the floor, and the air smells of rust, damp rope, and cold earth. A bell rope thick as a wrist descends into the shaft; its upper end has been cut cleanly. Beside it lies a long-dead monk in a rusted harness, one fist closed around a black iron seal.
Features
Severed Bell Rope
The thick bell rope descends through the stone-lined shaft at the center of the chamber, but its upper end terminates several feet above the floor in a clean cut. Frayed fibers are surprisingly fresh beneath the grime, and the hanging length twitches faintly whenever the buried bell tolls.
Investigation DC 10. The fibers were cut from the upper side while the rope was under tension, meaning the rope was severed after the bell had already been lowered below.
Treasure
Story Cache
Location. Clutched in the dead Bellwarden's hand beside the severed rope.
Coins, Gems & Valuables. A silver prayer-chain worth 35 gp.
Abbot's Iron Seal
Story ItemA black iron signet stamped with Severin's closed-mouth saint. It opens the bronze funerary door beyond Blackwater Crossing.
Exits
AREA 6
6. Ossuary of the Ninth Saint
Shallow Flooding• Wading: Difficult Terrain• No swimming, suffocation, or underwater-combat rules by default
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading.
The ossuary is a low chamber carved directly into pale bedrock, with rectangular bone niches stacked from knee height to the vaulted ceiling. Cold water reaches the knees along most of the floor, and there is no light here except what you bring; every movement sends reflections crawling across old skulls and wet stone. The air smells mineral-cold and faintly rotten. Along the far wall, a row of saint reliefs watches the chamber. One—the ninth—still bears an intact bronze tongue.
Features
The Ninth Saint
The ninth relief in the row of saints is carved directly into the far wall above the flooded niches. Unlike every other saint in the abbey, its mouth is undamaged and a thumb-sized bronze tongue remains fitted between its stone lips. The metal fitting and surrounding mortar are cleaner than the rest of the relief.
Investigation DC 12. The tongue is a spring-loaded release. Pressing it inward unlatches a concealed stone panel leading to the Bellwarden's Reliquary.
On a miss. The tongue still looks unusual; another approach, a prior clue, or direct experimentation can reveal the mechanism later.
Creatures
2 x Ghoul (CR 1, Monster Manual)
Encounter State0 / 400 XP
Ghoul ×2200 XP each
Exits
AREA 7
7. Blackwater Crossing
Deep FloodingThe central shaft is deeper than the surrounding wading water.• Wading: Difficult Terrain• Too deep to stand: use Swimming movement• No automatic underwater combat or suffocation while above water
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading. Use Swimming movement where the water is too deep to stand. Breathing is normally available above the waterline.
The converging passages open into a broad rock-cut crossing where the floor slopes beneath black water. A narrow stone ledge follows the walls around a central shaft whose bottom your light cannot reach; a corroded iron chain has been bolted along the ledge as a handrail. Cold damp air rises from the shaft with the smell of river mud. Across the water stands a sealed bronze funerary door stamped with a closed-mouth saint.
Features
Chain Rail
A heavy iron chain runs along the wall-side ledge, fixed to the stone by regularly spaced anchor rings. It gives a steady handhold around the central shaft, though one anchor nearest the deepest water is badly corroded. Several adjacent links are noticeably newer than the rest.
Perception DC 10. Several links nearest the submerged shaft are newer replacements; someone has maintained this route long after the abbey was abandoned.
Characters Here
Edrin Pike
Alive; stranded at Blackwater CrossingA local ferryman who joined an earlier salvage expedition and survived by clinging to the chain rail after the others were dragged into the flooded shaft.
On arrival. Edrin is slumped against the wall-side chain rail with his belt loop lashed to it for safety. One trouser leg is dark with blood, and he keeps a folded strip of cloth pressed to the wound while staring at the black center of the crossing.
Says. “Don't step into the middle. There's no floor where the water goes black.”
Wants. Get out alive, recover his brother's river charm if it can be done safely, and make sure nobody else is pulled into the shaft.
Creatures
▲ Hazard — Blackwater Shaft
The center of the crossing drops into a submerged vertical shaft. The wall chain lets careful characters skirt the deepest water; a creature forced off the route must swim until it regains the ledge.
Exits
AREA 8
8. Abbot Severin's Tomb
Beyond the bronze door is a dry tomb of tightly fitted gray stone, noticeably quieter and colder than the flooded passages outside. Your light falls across shallow wall niches, faded funeral paint, and a single waist-high sarcophagus occupying the center of the chamber. Its lid bears the carved figure of an abbot with both hands pressed over his mouth. Pale lettering circles the stone: WE BURIED THE VOICE, NOT THE DEAD.
Features
Severin's Confession
Opening the central sarcophagus reveals writing cut into the underside of its heavy stone lid. Severin's confession states that the bell repeats the final thoughts of anyone who dies within earshot and records that the Bellwarden hid a silver clapper capable of deadening its supernatural voice.
Creatures
Specter (CR 1, Monster Manual)
Encounter State0 / 200 XP
Specter200 XP each
Treasure
Tomb Treasure
Location. Inside the sarcophagus beneath the written confession.
Coins, Gems & Valuables. Three blackwater pearls worth 25 gp each.
Periapt of Wound Closure
Wondrous Item, UncommonSee Dungeon Master's Guide.
Exits
AREA 9
9. Bellwarden's Reliquary
The concealed panel opens into a small reliquary lined with smooth pale stone and dry cedar shelves, untouched by the flooding outside. The stale air smells of dust, wool, and old metal. Small saint-icons and sealed boxes fill wall niches, while a bronze-framed case stands alone in the center. Inside it, a heavy silver bell-clapper wrapped in black wool rests beside an old brass lantern. A narrow stone stair descends from the rear wall toward the buried vault.
Features
Bellwarden's Case
The bronze-framed case in the center of the reliquary is latched but not trapped. Its padded interior holds the Silver Clapper and a Lantern of Revealing, each wrapped against moisture. Behind the case, a narrow descending passage continues toward the bell vault.
Treasure
Hidden Cache
Finding the Cache. Preserved in the dry hidden chamber.
Coins, Gems & Valuables. Four tiny silver saint-icons worth 15 gp each.
Lantern of Revealing
Wondrous Item, UncommonSee Dungeon Master's Guide.
Silver Clapper
Story ItemA heavy silver bell-clapper wrapped in sound-deadening black wool. It fits the empty cradle inside the Bell of Saint Orra and can silence its supernatural voice.
Exits
AREA 10
10. The Bell Beneath Blackwater
Shallow Flooding• Wading: Difficult Terrain• No swimming, suffocation, or underwater-combat rules by default
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading.
The final stair opens into a vast foundation vault cut from rough black stone. Knee-deep water covers the floor, perfectly still except for widening rings that appear without warning, and the air tastes of cold minerals and stagnant river water. In the center, a bronze bell taller than a person hangs from massive chains, green with age and suspended just above the water. Beneath it stands a drowned figure in a bellwarden's harness. No rope reaches the bell, yet it begins to swing.
Features
Bell of Saint Orra
The enormous bronze Bell of Saint Orra is the supernatural source of the waking dead. Its inner cradle is conspicuously empty. Fitting the Silver Clapper into that cradle causes one final muted strike and deadens the bell's unnatural voice, resolving the encounter objective without requiring the Bellwarden's destruction.
Creatures
Wight (CR 3, Monster Manual)
Encounter State0 / 700 XP
Wight700 XP each
▲ Hazard — Bell Surge
When the Bell of Saint Orra tolls in the final vault, the black water shudders and dead hands briefly rise from below. Use this as scene pressure and difficult footing rather than a separate live subsystem.
Exits
People in the Story
Characters
Living NPCs and historical figures who matter to this module, with the context needed to run their interactions.
Alive; sheltering in the upper cloister
Sister Nera Kest
Last living caretaker of Blackwater Abbey
A practical elderly lay sister who stayed behind to keep scavengers out and now wants the buried bell silenced before the dead fully wake.
On Meeting
Nera is kneeling on the dry edge of the cloister steps, sorting a ring of old keys beside a hooded lantern. Each time the buried bell sounds, she stops and watches the water tremble before forcing herself back to work.
“You heard it too. Good. That means I'm not losing my mind yet. If you're going below, I can tell you which stones still hold.”
Motivation
Get the party below the abbey, silence the bell, and survive without reopening old wounds she believes were sealed for good reason.
Demeanor
Blunt, frightened, and useful; she dislikes heroics but responds well to calm competence.
Interaction Beats
- She first tries to learn whether the party came to silence the bell, loot the abbey, or both.
- If they seem competent, she sketches the upper branching route and identifies the Bell-Rope Chamber as the last place she will willingly enter.
- She asks them not to smash sacred objects blindly; she believes the abbey's founders broke and sealed things for specific reasons.
Under Pressure
- If accused of hiding information, she admits she knows more abbey history than she first volunteers but insists she never learned the Bellwarden's secret route.
- If threatened or attacked, she backs toward the gatehouse, tries to end the confrontation, and uses the Commoner stat block only if escape or surrender fails.
What They Know
- The bell does not toll on a schedule; violent disturbance below often precedes a toll.
- Abbot Severin kept an iron signet that opened the funerary route beneath the crossing.
- The brothers systematically removed tongues from images after the bell was buried, but she never learned why one statue was spared.
Running This Character
- She will sketch the upper branching route from memory if the party treats her respectfully.
- She refuses to descend past the Bell-Rope Chamber unless someone helpless is in immediate danger.
- If asked whether the bell should simply be smashed, she warns that Severin feared what an uncontrolled final toll might do.
Combat Profile
This is a contingency profile, not a pre-scripted encounter.
Carried Gear & Loot
- Stout walking staff (use the Commoner club attack)
- Ring of abbey service keys (none opens the lower bronze vault)
- Hooded lantern and 2 flasks of oil
- Healer's kit with 6 uses remaining
- Simple wooden holy symbol of Saint Orra
- 9 sp and 4 cp
Initial Location
Relevant Areas
Alive; moving through the eastern side of the abbey
Mara Venn
Relic hunter and opportunistic rival
A quick-talking professional scavenger who entered ahead of the party looking for the Bellwarden's silver relics and has learned enough to be dangerous but not enough to be safe.
On Meeting
Mara is kneeling beside a half-collapsed shelving unit, one boot braced against a swollen cabinet while she stuffs dry scraps of writing into an oilskin satchel. She freezes when she sees the party, then immediately smiles as though their arrival solves a problem for her.
“Good. More hands. I was beginning to think I'd have to drown alone.”
Motivation
Reach the Bellwarden's Reliquary first and leave with the Silver Clapper or another relic valuable enough to justify the risk.
Demeanor
Friendly under pressure, evasive about money, and unwilling to fight the party unless cornered.
Interaction Beats
- She claims she is documenting relics before the abbey collapses and immediately asks what brought the party here.
- She probes for whether they have heard the phrases 'ninth saint' or 'silver clapper' without naming the clapper herself unless she thinks they already know it exists.
- She will trade her route knowledge for first choice among mundane valuables and tries to make the bargain sound like a favor to the party.
- If she learns the Silver Clapper can actually silence the bell, survival begins to outweigh profit and she can be persuaded to help use it.
Under Pressure
- If caught lying, she drops the preservation story and admits she is a relic hunter, then tries to renegotiate rather than double down on an obvious lie.
- If cornered, she offers information, money, or a future share before drawing a weapon.
- If attacked, she uses the Spy stat block, fights only long enough to create an escape, and does not pursue a fleeing PC.
What They Know
- A damaged ledger repeatedly mentions keeping the ninth saint dry.
- The ossuary contains one saint image whose mouth was never mutilated.
- The lower dead become more alert after the bell tolls.
Running This Character
- She will trade her information for a promise of first choice among mundane valuables.
- If she learns the Silver Clapper can actually silence the bell, self-preservation competes strongly with greed and she can be persuaded to use it rather than sell it.
- If rebuffed, she does not become a mandatory combat encounter; she may simply race ahead, retreat, or reappear when bargaining becomes useful.
Combat Profile
This is a contingency profile, not a pre-scripted encounter.
Carried Gear & Loot
- Hand crossbow and 10 bolts
- Shortsword
- Thieves' tools
- Oilskin satchel containing charcoal rubbings, copied repair notes, and dry tinder
- 20 feet of silk rope and chalk
- 18 gp and 7 sp
Initial Location
Relevant Areas
Alive; stranded at Blackwater Crossing
Edrin Pike
Wounded ferryman trapped below
A local ferryman who joined an earlier salvage expedition and survived by clinging to the chain rail after the others were dragged into the flooded shaft.
On Meeting
Edrin is slumped against the wall-side chain rail with his belt loop lashed to it for safety. One trouser leg is dark with blood, and he keeps a folded strip of cloth pressed to the wound while staring at the black center of the crossing.
“Don't step into the middle. There's no floor where the water goes black.”
Motivation
Get out alive, recover his brother's river charm if it can be done safely, and make sure nobody else is pulled into the shaft.
Demeanor
Exhausted, ashamed, and immediately grateful for practical help.
Interaction Beats
- He warns the party about the submerged shaft before asking for help for himself.
- He can point out the safest ledge and the weak chain anchor, and he recognizes the seal-mark on the bronze funerary door.
- If stabilized and given a secure line, he will help another creature cross the dangerous section but refuses to enter the final vault.
- He asks the party to recover his brother's simple river charm if they see it near the shaft, but does not demand they risk themselves for it.
Under Pressure
- If ordered toward the shaft, he panics and refuses unless someone is visibly in immediate danger.
- If attacked, he uses the Commoner stat block defensively but quickly surrenders or crawls for cover rather than fighting to the death.
What They Know
- The bronze funerary door beyond the crossing is locked and bears the same seal-mark he saw on a corpse in the upper works.
- Something moved behind the ossuary wall before his group reached the crossing, suggesting another route exists.
- The wall chain is secure except for one badly corroded anchor near the deepest water.
Running This Character
- He can explain the safest route around the shaft without removing the hazard from play.
- If healed or given a secure line, he will help another creature cross but will not willingly enter the final vault.
- His brother's simple river charm can be found among debris near the shaft; returning it earns his trust but is not required progression.
Combat Profile
This is a contingency profile, not a pre-scripted encounter.
Carried Gear & Loot
- Hardwood boat hook (use the Commoner club attack)
- River knife
- Coil of tarred cord
- Ferryman's whistle
- Soaked wool cloak and empty waterskin
- 6 sp and 11 cp
Initial Location
Relevant Areas
Dead; his regret manifests as a Specter in Area 8
Abbot Severin Vale
Last abbot of Blackwater Abbey
Ordered the Bell of Saint Orra buried after learning what its voice carried, then sealed the conventional route with his iron signet.
Motivation
In death, prevent another catastrophic toll while forcing intruders to understand why the bell was buried.
Demeanor
Regretful, formal, and defensive rather than automatically murderous.
What They Know
- The bell carries the final thoughts of people who die within earshot.
- Bellwarden Rook hid a silver clapper that can deaden the bell's supernatural voice.
Running This Character
- His Specter can be addressed before combat; admitting the party intends to silence rather than exploit the bell can de-escalate the encounter.
Relevant Areas
Dead; the final Wight preserves a warped version of his duty
Bellwarden Elian Rook
Keeper of the buried bell
Created the secret reliquary route and hid the Silver Clapper as a last-resort way to silence the bell without destroying it.
Motivation
His surviving Wight-self interprets duty as keeping everyone away from the bell, even those who might finally silence it.
Demeanor
Severe, ritualistic, and focused on the bell rather than slaughter for its own sake.
What They Know
- The Silver Clapper is the safest way to stop the bell.
- The blind stair joins the reliquary directly to the final vault.
Running This Character
- He can issue a warning before combat; presenting the Silver Clapper creates a moment of hesitation even if his warped duty still drives him to interfere.
Relevant Areas
Reusable Encounter References
Creatures
Creature references, encounter placements, and ready-to-run stat blocks are collected here for immediate use at the table.
Commoner
Armor Class 10
Initiative +0 (10)
Hit Points 4 (1d8)
Speed 30 ft.
STR10 (+0)
DEX10 (+0)
CON10 (+0)
INT10 (+0)
WIS10 (+0)
CHA10 (+0)
Senses Passive Perception 10
Languages Common
Challenge 0 (XP 10; PB +2)
Traits
Training. The commoner has proficiency in one skill of the GM’s choice and has Advantage whenever it makes an ability check using that skill.
Actions
Club. Melee Attack Roll: +2, reach 5 ft. Hit: 2 (1d4) Bludgeoning damage.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- Combat profile for Sister Nera Kest; not a pre-scripted encounter.
- Combat profile for Edrin Pike; not a pre-scripted encounter.
Ghoul
Armor Class 12
Initiative +2 (12)
Hit Points 22 (5d8)
Speed 30 ft.
STR13 (+1)
DEX15 (+2)
CON10 (+0)
INT7 (-2)
WIS10 (+0)
CHA6 (-2)
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 10
Languages Common
Challenge 1 (XP 200; PB +2)
Actions
Multiattack. The ghoul makes two Bite attacks.
Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) Necrotic damage.
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) Slashing damage. If the target is a creature that isn’t an Undead or elf, it is subjected to the following effect. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 10. Failure: The target has the Paralyzed condition until the end of its next turn.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
Shadow
Armor Class 12
Initiative +2 (12)
Hit Points 27 (5d8 + 5)
Speed 40 ft.
STR6 (-2)
DEX14 (+2)
CON13 (+1)
INT6 (-2)
WIS10 (+0)
CHA8 (-1)
Skills Stealth +6
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 10
Languages None
Challenge 1/2 (XP 100; PB +2)
Traits
Amorphous. The shadow can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch without expending extra movement to do so.
Sunlight Weakness. While in sunlight, the shadow has Disadvantage on D20 Tests.
Actions
Draining Swipe. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Necrotic damage, and the target’s Strength score decreases by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces that score to 0. If a Humanoid is slain by this attack, a Shadow rises from the corpse 1d4 hours later.
Bonus Actions
Shadow Stealth. While in Dim Light or Darkness, the shadow takes the Hide action.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- 1 Shadow follows at the edge of the party's light.
Skeleton
Armor Class 14
Initiative +3 (13)
Hit Points 13 (2d8 + 4)
Speed 30 ft.
STR10 (+0)
DEX16 (+3)
CON15 (+2)
INT6 (-2)
WIS8 (-1)
CHA5 (-3)
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 9
Languages Understands Common plus one other language but can’t speak
Challenge 1/4 (XP 50; PB +2)
Actions
Shortsword. Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) Piercing damage.
Shortbow. Ranged Attack Roll: +5, range 80/320 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) Piercing damage.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- 2 Skeletons rise from flooded niches or debris behind the party.
Specter
Armor Class 12
Initiative +2 (12)
Hit Points 22 (5d8)
Speed 30 ft., Fly 50 ft. (hover)
STR1 (-5)
DEX14 (+2)
CON11 (+0)
INT10 (+0)
WIS10 (+0)
CHA11 (+0)
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 10
Languages Understands Common plus one other language but can’t speak
Challenge 1 (XP 200; PB +2)
Traits
Incorporeal Movement. The specter can move through other creatures and objects as if they were Difficult Terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) Force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the specter has Disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls.
Actions
Life Drain. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (2d6) Necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, its Hit Point maximum decreases by an amount equal to the damage taken.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
Spy
Armor Class 12
Initiative +4 (14)
Hit Points 27 (6d8)
Speed 30 ft., Climb 30 ft.
STR10 (+0)
DEX15 (+2)
CON10 (+0)
INT12 (+1)
WIS14 (+2)
CHA16 (+3)
Skills Deception +5, Insight +4, Investigation +5, Perception +6, Sleight of Hand +4, Stealth +6 Gear Hand Crossbow, Shortsword, Thieves’ Tools
Senses Passive Perception 16
Languages Common plus one other language
Challenge 1 (XP 200; PB +2)
Actions
Shortsword. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) Poison damage.
Hand Crossbow. Ranged Attack Roll: +4, range 30/120 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) Poison damage.
Bonus Actions
Cunning Action. The spy takes the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- Combat profile for Mara Venn; not a pre-scripted encounter.
Wight
Armor Class 14
Initiative +4 (14)
Hit Points 82 (11d8 + 33)
Speed 30 ft.
STR15 (+2)
DEX14 (+2)
CON16 (+3)
INT10 (+0)
WIS13 (+1)
CHA15 (+2)
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 13
Languages Common plus one other language
Challenge 3 (XP 700; PB +2)
Traits
Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the wight has Disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls.
Actions
Multiattack. The wight makes two attacks, using Necrotic Sword or Necrotic Bow in any combination. It can replace one attack with a use of Life Drain.
Necrotic Sword. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) Slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) Necrotic damage.
Necrotic Bow. Ranged Attack Roll: +4, range 150/600 ft. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) Piercing damage plus 4 (1d8) Necrotic damage.
Life Drain. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 13, one creature within 5 feet. Failure: 6 (1d8 + 2) Necrotic damage, and the target’s Hit Point maximum decreases by an amount equal to the damage taken. A Humanoid slain by this attack rises 24 hours later as a Zombie under the wight’s control, unless the Humanoid is restored to life or its body is destroyed. The wight can have no more than twelve zombies under its control at a time.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
Will-o’-Wisp
Armor Class 19
Initiative +9 (19)
Hit Points 27 (11d4)
Speed 5 ft., Fly 50 ft. (hover)
STR1 (-5)
DEX28 (+9)
CON10 (+0)
INT13 (+1)
WIS14 (+2)
CHA11 (+0)
Senses Darkvision 120 ft.; Passive Perception 12
Languages Common plus one other language
Challenge 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Traits
Ephemeral. The wisp can’t wear or carry anything.
Illumination. The wisp sheds Bright Light in a 20-foot radius and Dim Light for an additional 20 feet.
Incorporeal Movement. The wisp can move through other creatures and objects as if they were Difficult Terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) Force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Actions
Shock. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 11 (2d8 + 2) Lightning damage.
Bonus Actions
Consume Life. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 10, one living creature the wisp can see within 5 feet that has 0 Hit Points. Failure: The target dies, and the wisp regains 10 (3d6) Hit Points.
Vanish. The wisp and its light have the Invisible condition until the wisp’s Concentration ends on this effect, which ends early immediately after the wisp makes an attack roll or uses Consume Life.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- 1 Will-o’-Wisp appears across water and tries to lure one explorer away from the group.
Dungeon Rewards & Objects
Treasure
Magic items, story objects, and room-level hoards are indexed separately. Coins, gems, and ordinary valuables stay grouped with the hoard where they are actually found.
Lantern of Revealing
Wondrous Item, Uncommon
While lit, this hooded lantern burns for 6 hours on 1 pint of oil, shedding Bright Light in a 30-foot radius and Dim Light for an additional 30 feet. Invisible creatures and objects are visible as long as they are in the lantern’s Bright Light. You can take a Utilize action to lower the hood, reducing the lantern’s light to Dim Light in a 5-foot radius.
Dungeon Master's GuideFound In
Treasure Context
- Preserved in the dry hidden chamber.
Periapt of Wound Closure
Wondrous Item, Uncommon (Requires Attunement)
While wearing this pendant, you gain the following benefits. Life Preservation. Whenever you make a Death Saving Throw, you can change a roll of 9 or lower to a 10, turning a failed save into a successful one. Natural Healing Boost. Whenever you roll a Hit Point Die to regain Hit Points, double the number of Hit Points it restores.
Dungeon Master's GuideFound In
Treasure Context
- Inside the sarcophagus beneath the written confession.
Story Item
Abbot's Iron Seal
A black iron signet stamped with Severin's closed-mouth saint. It opens the bronze funerary door beyond Blackwater Crossing.
Found In
Discovery Context
- Clutched in the dead Bellwarden's hand beside the severed rope.
Story Item
Silver Clapper
A heavy silver bell-clapper wrapped in sound-deadening black wool. It fits the empty cradle inside the Bell of Saint Orra and can silence its supernatural voice.
Found In
Discovery Context
- Preserved in the dry hidden chamber.
Area 5
Story Cache
Story Cache
Location. Clutched in the dead Bellwarden's hand beside the severed rope.
Coins, Gems & Valuables. A silver prayer-chain worth 35 gp.
Abbot's Iron Seal
Story ItemA black iron signet stamped with Severin's closed-mouth saint. It opens the bronze funerary door beyond Blackwater Crossing.
Location
Area 8
Tomb Treasure
Tomb Treasure
Location. Inside the sarcophagus beneath the written confession.
Coins, Gems & Valuables. Three blackwater pearls worth 25 gp each.
Periapt of Wound Closure
Wondrous Item, UncommonSee Dungeon Master's Guide.
Location
Area 9
Hidden Cache
Hidden Cache
Finding the Cache. Preserved in the dry hidden chamber.
Coins, Gems & Valuables. Four tiny silver saint-icons worth 15 gp each.
Lantern of Revealing
Wondrous Item, UncommonSee Dungeon Master's Guide.
Silver Clapper
Story ItemA heavy silver bell-clapper wrapped in sound-deadening black wool. It fits the empty cradle inside the Bell of Saint Orra and can silence its supernatural voice.
Location
Passages & Environmental Features
Corridors
Named corridor and passage features are navigable objects with their own map locations.
Passage Feature PASSAGE-FEATURE-BELL-CONDUIT
Bell Conduit
Read Aloud
A narrow iron channel runs along the wall at knee height. With each distant toll, dust jumps from its seams a heartbeat before the sound reaches you.
Mechanics
A character touching the conduit can feel an approaching toll a moment before it sounds. A DC 11 Intelligence (Investigation) check shows the channel was deliberately packed with wool and pitch in several places, another failed attempt to deaden the bell.
Map Location
Near Area 7: Blackwater Crossing
Passage Feature PASSAGE-FEATURE-MOURNING-ALCOVE
Mourning Alcove
Read Aloud
A shoulder-wide alcove opens in the passage wall. Someone has scratched dozens of tiny open mouths into the plaster around a soot-blackened candle shelf.
Mechanics
A DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) or Intelligence (Investigation) check identifies the scratches as a layperson's imitation of a funerary ward: an attempt to give trapped voices somewhere harmless to go.
Map Location
North of Area 2: Drowned Cloister
Passage Feature PASSAGE-FEATURE-PROCESSION-OF-NAMES
Procession of Names
Read Aloud
Names have been cut into the descending passage one beneath another, hundreds of them, the newest scratched with a knife rather than a mason's chisel.
Mechanics
No check is required to realize the list continued after the abbey's fall. A DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check notices several names match recent missing people from the region, implying the bell has continued collecting final voices for years.
Map Location
South of Area 8: Abbot Severin's Tomb
DM-Only Logic
Clues & Threads
The dungeon's internal connections in one place: callbacks, keys, puzzle information, and things worth remembering while the players explore.
Major Threads
Quick References
- Two Ways Below. Area 7 → 8 is locked by Severin's Bronze Door and opens with the Abbot's Iron Seal from Area 5. Area 6 → 9 is a secret Bellwarden route revealed by the ninth saint clue. Both reach Area 10.
- Final Objective. The party wins by silencing the Bell of Saint Orra. Killing the Wight works only insofar as it lets them deal with the bell. The Silver Clapper from Area 9 can end the supernatural tolling directly.
Running Notes
Use the Bell as Pressure, Not a Clock
Toll the bell after major noise, a long stall, or when the adventure needs to move. Each toll can wake a nearby corpse, change an Encounter Start from unaware to alert, or foreshadow the finale. Do not track turns between tolls.