Lords of the Cruth Lowlands - Vaults of Pandius

The Ruins of Achelos
originally built as an armory and
vault for the keep, to store
impounded goods that were small
and valuable enough to be stolen if
left in the main enclosure. The
Vampire refitted it with gloomy
furniture and a coffin. The Vampire
can be found here during the day.
The Graveyard
This area comprises the graveyard that
was once used by the noble families and
the well-to-do merchants of Achelos, as
well as by the royalty.
Due to magical interference from the
Vampire Lord that has taken residence in
the Achelos River Fort, the dead of this
graveyard are raising as undead Skeletons
and Zombies at an alarming rate. A Sons
of Night Darker has been investigating the
phenomenon, and countering the magical
influence of the Vampire Lord through his
own necromantic rituals.
Adventurers entering the Graveyard are
attacked by a party of undead led by an
Elder Ghoul who commands 6 Ghouls.
Zombies and Skeletons abound in the
Graveyard, but wander aimlessly as long
as the balance of magical power between
the Vampire Lord in the River Fort (q.v.)
and the Sons of Night is preserved.
After dealing with the first threat, the PCs
see a magic user (MU 7, N), 6 Orcs and 4
Zombies fighting 3 Elder Ghouls and 9
Ghouls. If they help the magic user, he
reveals that a powerful necromancer is
trying to raise the dead of the Graveyard.
He gives his own name as Cimon Desitus
(an anagram for “Medius Noctis”, or “the
Dead of Night”), but he doesn’t reveal his
affiliation to the Sons of Night, the
wizardly followers of Nyx.
Cimon is trying to prevent the undead
from wandering out, and putting as many
as possible to rest. However, he cannot
leave the Graveyard, or the walking dead
will attack the settlement, or worse the
Ogres of Castle Ivanovich.
Beyond hiding his connection to the Sons
of Night, Cimon is relatively honest with
the PCs, and will admit he does not really
know who is trying to raise the dead,
except that he was able to divine the
source of the necromantic magic to be
somewhere in or near the fort on the other
side of the Achelos River.
Cimon also has a key to the Tomb of
Achelos II Ivanovich, and, if the PCs insist
on getting a reward from him he will offer
to join them to explore the tomb, in return
for a share of the treasure, as well as a
first choice of items. He will, however,
point out that the authorities in Nova
Achelos should reward the PCs, not him.
Tomb of Achelos II Ivanovich
The tomb of the Achelos royals appears
outwardly as a small mausoleum, since
most of it is an underground complex.
Inside the mausoleum, a large stairway
gives access to the actual burial complex.
For the underground part, the Catacombs
map from the “Heroes of Horror” Map
Gallery 22 can be used.
Key to the Tomb
1. Great Hall: This large hall is
decorated with scenes of the
history of Achelos and its ruling
dynasty. There are human remains
scattered across the hall, and
clumps of rock with the telltale
characteristics of solidified lava.
Four Living Statues, Stone, protect
the entrance to the temple at the
end of the Great Hall. They only
allow a descendant of the Ivanovich
line to pass (i.e., if Natalia
Ivanovich is present, the statues do
not activate). The statues do not
22 http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ho
h_maps/HoH_map8.jpg
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