a 5th edition ravenlof t atl as

DARKON
III: Necropolis

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 The
Ravenloft Gazetteer
how to use this atlas
This is a series of Ravenloft Gazetteers updated for 5th edition, following closely to the original source
material, and in some cases embellished with new information where ambiguity allows. Each Atlas takes
on a new domain of Ravenloft, and is separated into parts. For instance, this Atlas is based around the
domain of Darkon, and this is the second part of that Atlas, dealing with the Forest of Shadows. Included
with every part is a short prologue detailing the nature of the domain and its Darklord. These locations are
sometimes bound to the intrinsic nature of the domain, but can usually be ported over to other modules
or homebrew campaigns with a little ingenuity.
As time goes on, more areas will be added to the Atlas, and occasional revisions may be made for the
sake of continuity. In the fashion of the original Ravenloft Gazetteers, these atlases are a combination
of descriptive information, settlements, random encounter charts, boxed text, mechanics, flavour and a
variety of other information based on what seems pertinent at any given time. Hack, chop and use as you
will. The only person who gets a say in how you use any Ravenloft material is you (and, of course, the
ineffable Dark Powers.) Enjoy, and if you like it, the surest way to make sure more get made is to leave a
rating (or a review).
If you like what I do, sign up to my mailing list here to get a heads up when I release new content, or you
can find me on my Twitter - @deathbybadger. Have fun out there.
Oliver Clegg

DARKON
We have always been citizens of Darkon

Ave Azalin

long live the king

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 The Darklord
Prologue: Azalin Rex
ab initio The adventurers’ sole means of escape is by
confronting Azalin and destroying him, thus
releasing Darkon from its age old spell and allowing
the trapped inhabitants to return to their homes in
I have always been a citizen of Darkon. other realms.

We have always been citizens of Darkon. The Past

You have always been a citizen of Darkon. Darkon is an old Domain of Dread. Rumours of
the history of the Lich King differ with each telling,
Ave Azalin. though all agree that Azalin is a powerful magician
and draconian ruler. Many times in the past has
Hail the King. Azalin attempted to escape his prison, and each
time has brought retribution on his lands more
terrible than the last. Whispers travel around the
lands of such events as the Grand Conjunction
and the Requiem, though very few Darkonians can
What Is Darkon? remember any specific details about those times.
Across Darkon, ruins and devastation evidence the
Darkon is a demiplane nested in the dark mists truth of these rumours, telling tales of dark dreams
of Ravenloft. Like the other domains of Ravenloft, and prices paid. Each time Azalin failed, he grew
the demiplane is self-contained, and difficult more desperate.
to escape from. This has led many to speculate
that the domains of Ravenloft hold some kind of Cursed
purpose, though this has never been revealed. The
first and most important feature of a domain is its Despite his mastery of the arcane, Azalin suffers
Darklord. This malevolent being is a creature of from a blight that prevents him from mastering
darkness that committed a crime so terrible that new magic. This is a source of endless frustration
the mists snatched them away. Many domains for him, as a creature who sought out undeath
spring forth from the evil of the ensnared Darklord, as a way to provide himself with time to improve
and thus the entire demiplane is permeated by their his magical capabilities. It also prevents him from
particular brand of evil. breaking any new ground with magic to help him
escape his prison, which undoubtedly explains why
In The Darkon’s case, the Darklord is cursed to each and every one of his past attempts to do so
rule a land in which he has no interest, desperate have gone to catastrophically wrong.
to return to his home. Worse, the insidious magic
of the domain leeches away the memories of the Driven
trapped, making all but the Darklord believe that
no other world exists but this one. Known as the Even with the curse stifling his exploration of the
Wizard King Azalin, or Azalin Rex, he has ruled arcane, Azalin is a rare genius. Blessed with a
Darkon for countless generations, all the while staggering intellect from birth, he is rarely caught
seeking a probing for a way home. unprepared and manages events in Darkon with an
iron fist inside a velvet glove. Though rarely seen
The presence of its Darklord has caused Darkon to in Darkon openly, his spies are everywhere, both
develop some brooding and insidious traits. in the form of his secret police, and in his magical
sensors that scry the land for signs of dissent. In
What To Expect particular, Azalin looks for talented spellcasters
ensnared by the mists, and works to assimilate
Adventurers who have the misfortune to enter
them into his company in the hopes of using their
Darkon will eventually come face to face with the
abilities for his own gain.
ancient and evil lich king Azalin Rex, his hordes
of loyal fanatics, resistance fighters and strange
creatures that stalk the borders of the shadowy
realm. All the time, their memories leech away from
them, placing them in danger of becoming true
Citizens of Darkon and fading into the backdrop of
the Domain of Dread. To defeat Azalin and escape
his hellish prison, adventurers will need courage,
resolve and cunning.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast
product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is
protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wiz-
ards of the Coast. ©2018 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley
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Artwork in this module is privately licensed by the author for non-exclusive commercial purposes through obsidian dawn, inkydeals, adobe, gabriel pickard,, d comerci and others.

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 Marks of Horror The Powers That Be
Darkon uses several tropes to achieve the desired Like any other Ravenloft setting, Darkon exists and
feel, one which focuses on the nature of life, death continues to exist by the whim of the Dark Pow-
and the self. ers an enigmatic entity/set of entities that control
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? The people of Dar- (to one extent or another) the creation and main-
kon live in perpetual fear of being branded enemies tenance of the demiplanes of dread. The reasons
of the state and dragged to a grisly fate by the se- they might do this are unclear, as are the extent of
cret police, who hide everywhere amongst the gen- their powers, but several theories are widely agreed
eral populace. The people of Darkon are often safe upon.
from monsters whilst holed up in their cities, but Ravenloft is a punishment To become Lord of a
exist in a permanent state of paranoia and stress. domain of dread is to commit a terrible evil, and be
The downtrodden civilians of the domain have little stolen away for eternal torment
personal freedom, and spend their short, bleak lives The punishment is self-inflicted A key compo-
trying to avoid being implicated in any scandals. nent of the misery of a domain is the fact that each
Pulvis et Umbra Sumus. The nature of Darkon Darklord is bound by their own cravings and selfish
steals away the memories of visitors, convincing impulses. In Azalin’s case, his need to control the
them that they have always lived in Darkon. This magic of others leads to his inability to learn new
has the potential to fuel many narratives, from a spells. His desire to escape leads to being tied up in
desperate “escape against the clock” arc to a “re- bureaucracy. His grief over murdering his own son
cover my secret past/my whole life is a lie” arc. The is compounded by walking every day in that son’s
slow nature of the change can make for a particu- bones.
larly acute creeping horror as memories are erased
and replaced with frightened compliance to Azalin’s Time is relative. Ravenloft’s punishments are
rule. infinite, and character spirited away by the mists
Memento Mori. Darkon is a land steeped in necro- might later return to find no time has passed at
mancy, mirroring Azalin’s dark accomplishments in all. Darklords are defeated, and rise again from the
that field. Corpses freely wander the land, restless ashes to be challenged by yet more adventurers.
spirits linger to torment the living, and old stories Collateral Damage. The dark powers are not afraid
are retold endlessly over and over. Much like its Lich of collateral damage in their enforcement of the do-
master, Darkon can never truly die, only be reborn. mains of dread. Adventurers die in droves. Innocent
citizens picked up by the mists fall prey to creatures
Alterations to Magic of the night. It’s impossible to say for sure who or
what the Dark Powers are, but they clearly are pre-
​ arkon resides in its own Demiplane, isolated from
D pared to accept bodies piling up by the wayside.
all others. No spell, not even a Wish spell, allows
one to escape. Astral Projection, Teleport and all
similar spells cast with the intent of leaving Darkon
Traveling the Mists
simply fail, as do all effects that Banish a creature This version of the Ravenloft Gazetteer assumes
to another plane of existence. These restrictions ap- that the borders of each domain are closed, either
ply to magic items and artefacts. Magic that allows by the will of the Dark Powers, or the will of the
transit to the Border Ethereal is the exception to Darklord. In past editions, it has been possible for
this rule. A creature that enters the Border Ethe- those who will it to travel between domains. In some
real from Darkon is pulled back into Darkon upon cases, suggestions are made to link one domain to
leaving that plane. another, in case you wish to avail yourself of this
For the purposes of spells whose effects change possibility.
across planar boundaries, Darkon is considered
its own plane. Magic that summons creatures or Earlier Iterations of Darkon
objects from other planes functions normally in
The Ravenloft Gazetteer for 5th edition is pulled
Darkon, as does magic that involves an extradimen-
from multiple sources across earlier editions of
sional space. Any spells cast within such a space
Dungeons and Dragons. In this case, the Ravenloft
are subject to the same restrictions as in the rest of
Gazetteer Vol II (2003) and Sea of Madness (1996)
Darkon.
were particularly helpful references. This product
Whilst in Darkon, characters who receive spells borrows some of the ideas from these earlier sourc-
from deities or otherworldly patrons continue to do es while presenting an alternative version of Darkon
so. Spells that allow contact with beings from other scaled for fifth edition and this product.
planes often receive false answers.

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The Lich’s History Roleplaying Azalin
Azalin is a magical mastermind, whose theoretical
The Legacy of Cain knowledge of spell-craft is unparalleled. Even before
Hailing from a distant world, the young Azalin was his curse rendered him unable to learn new magic,
known by a different name and walked under a he courted powers that defied belief. His long years
different sun. He had a brother who was kind and searching for ways to extend his powers have made
pure of heart, where Azalin was driven and cold. him capable of bending his mind to many places at
Azalin single mindedly pursued his magic, but once.
pushed beyond his capabilities, and accidentally
Though Azalin is not cruel by impulse, he occa-
killed his brother with an errant spell.
sionally indulges in what he considers small acts of
Death Becomes Her spite (such as having someone burned for treason)
when one of his experiments fails. His whims are
When he ascended to King, Azalin took for himself a largely dictated by the success (or not) of his latest
bride from one of his conquests. The marriage was project, which puts him in a bad mood more often
unhappy, and unbeknowst to Azalin his wife em- than most.
ployed witchcraft to prevent their union from con-
ceiving a child, for she knew the cruelty the wizard In person, Azalin is cold and distant. He has lost
king must visit on the babe. He slew his wife for her touch with his humanity, and sees the whimpering
insolence, and worked foul magic to raise a child of squirming meatsacks as far below his concern.
from what Could Have Been.
(It’s no concern of mine if your family has....what
The Binding of Irik did you call it? Food? Hah! You should have
The son Azalin wrought from magic took after his thought of that before you became peasants!)
long dead uncle, and despite his eldritch origins
-Yzma, The Emperor’s New Groove
became a man of honour and wisdom. Caught
disobeying his father’s rule, he was sentenced to
death, as per the draconian laws that Azalin him- In life, Azalin was a king, and a king he remains in
self had conceived. When Azalin heard of the death death. He speaks, and his subjects jump to fol-
of his son, he wept. As he grieved, the Wizard king low his commands. Orders are issued by courier,
was subsumed by the mists, and the realm of Dark- by magic sendings and occasionally by royal writ
on came to be. sealed with his skull-like sigil.
If Azalin has a flaw, he suffers from fatal (if war-
Azalin’s Motivation ranted) overconfidence. His powerful magic and his
resistance to most conventional forms of death have
Azalin has the following goals. left him in a strange and dangerous complacency.
Though he keeps one of his many eyes on adventur-
Escape Darkon ers who enter his domain, he expends no serious
Azalin has always hated his domain, and resents effort towards their extermination until they stand
the rulership of it immensely (this may go some way in the way of one of his motivations. Though Azalin
towards explaining his cruelty towards the citizens). is highly intelligent, he lacks insight into mortal
If he can train a powerful spellcaster (perhaps by emotions, and often underestimates their will to
sending them challenges to develop their strength) persevere against the odds.
he might be able to kill their allies and take them
If roused to action, Azalin sends his servants to
under his wing, using them as a proxy through
deal with the problem until he has no other choice.
which to develop new magic and escape.
A party who manages to aggravate Azalin enough
that he deals with them personally can expect to
Raise His Son face the cold, calculating wrath of a magician drawn
Azalin has many regrets. Chief amongst them is the away from his study to deal with a minor inconve-
death of his son, whom he seeks to restore to life. nience.1
Unfortuntely, part of Azalin’s punishment is to walk
forever in the bones of his son, and Azalin torments
himself over this daily. As a result, he takes great
personal umbrage at anyone who damages him, not
because he cares about being hurt, but because he
sees it as a failure to protect his son’s remains.

1 It’s well known that there’s nothing more dangerous on the face of this or any earth than a wizard forced to put his books
down and actually use their magic for something constructive

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 To raise the dead is simple. One might argue
the process could, in fact, do with being less
accessible to every hedge wizard with a grudge
and a dead uncle.

Adventure Hooks The Mists of Ravenloft

In order to reach Darkon, your characters are A deadly fog surrounds Darkon and engulfs any
snatched away by the mists of Ravenloft to meet an creature that tries to leave. In the unlikely event a
unknown fate battling the dark heart of Darkon. creature manages to crest the walls of Darkon, they
Different ways to approach this are detailed below. enter the Mists. Even flying creatures are subject to
Use whichever you desire, or invent your own. the fog’s effects, which are as follows:
A creature that starts its turn in the fog must suc-
A Letter From A Stranger ceed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or gain
one level of exhaustion (see appendix A in the Play-
You received a letter recently. It’s asked you to er’s Handbook). This exhaustion can’t be removed
come and collect your inheritance, at a place while the creature is in the fog.
called Richtenhaus. It gives rather peculiar No matter how far a creature travels in the fog, or
directions, heading out into the wild. It’s signed in which direction it goes, it gets turned around so
by the Bureau of Rivalian Affairs, on behalf of that it eventually finds itself back in Darkon.
the King.
The area within the fog is heavily obscured (see
“Vision and Light” in chapter 8 of the Player’s Hand-
Adventurers who find themselves drawn to this book).
hook are whisked away by the mists of Ravenloft as
they leave down, appearing near the Richtenhaus. Sunlight in Darkon
(See Volume I: The Jagged Coast)
Darkon is shrouded by the Dark Powers against
Creeping Fog the light of the sun, moon and stars. Day or night,
the light shed by celestial bodies is oddly muted,
You are traveling down a lonely road, tired from though it remains bright light for the purposes
the day’s exertions. The weather looks like it of establishing vision. Darkonian sunlight is not
might be about to take a turn for the worse, and considered sunlight for the purposes of effects and
rainclouds are moving in on the horizon. Before abilities tied to it.
long, a deep and uncomfortably wet fog swal-
lows your party whole. Axis Mundi
Darkon is a large land with several distinct regions,
This is the simplest hook. The rain obscures vision a kingdom vast enough to be difficult to effectively
and drenches characters not prepared with magic to police, but small enough to cause claustraphobia
keep them dry. When the fog and rain passes some in an immortal lich. From the gloomy Mistlands
hours later, the characters find themselves having through to the Mountains of Treachery, Darkon is
wandered into the Martiran Highway. a grim frontier of scarred plains, jagged coasts and
sinister bogs bounded by the mists of ravenloft. In
As the fog recedes, you hear the cry of gulls the center of Darkon, the necropolis rises above
in the distance. Rocky earth beneath your feet it all, a testament to the greatest of Azalin’s failed
sprouts grey looking weeds, and the sky retains experiments, The Requiem.
a bleak, thunderous countenance. The crashing
of the waves to the west and the shadow of a vast
wood to the north suggest you are not where
you thought you were.

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 • Darkon can do strange things to your memory. If
Darkonian Naturalization you ever leave, you might find you never be-
The earth of Darkon is infused with an insidious longed here in the first place. (True.)
curse that removes the memories of immigrant folks • Azalin can see through the eyes of any corpse in
and convinces them they have always belonged in the realm. (False. He can see through his un-
Darkon. The curse is slow to act, but once it takes dead, however.)
hold there is only a matter of time before the victim
• Martira Bay is very civilised, and the best place
succumbs. When a humanoid creature finishes a
for newcomers.
long rest in Darkon there is a 10% chance it gains a
level of Naturalization as it begins to lose its mem- • Creeana was destroyed by a demon. They say it’s
ories to the curse. With each level of Naturalization still out there somwhere.
gained in this way, a character becomes more and • The capital city of Il Aluk was destroyed by a mag-
more confused as to their origins. Refer to the table ical disaster. The king was thought dead, but
below for how each level of Naturalization affects recently returned. Il Aluk is still out of bounds,
characters. though, as it kills anyone who crosses the bor-
Naturalization levels can be removed by two means der. They call it Necropolis instead.
only. • You used to be able to travel across the border to
• Leaving the domain restores all memories and other lands, but the mists have turned away all
removes all Naturalization travel recently. Perhaps the king knows why.
• Removing or altering Azalin’s Book of Names (see • The king doesn’t like visitors. Best keep your head
Part Eight, Castle Avernus) down.
• The king lives in Castle Avernus, near the Forest
of Shadows. He’s probably very busy fixing it up
Naturalization Table after it was abandoned for so long.
Level 1 The character begins to suffer occasional • The wilderness might not look dangerous, but it
memory loss of their time before they harbours a great many walking dead.
entered the mists.
• We all wait for the Day of Ascension, an apoca-
Level 2 The character forgets the names of places lypse when the dead will rise from their graves
and people known before they entered the and take back the world we stole from them.
mists.
Level 3 The character suffers confused nightmares, Darkonians
and wakes up not knowing who they are for a
moment. When Azalin first arrived in Darkon, it possessed
Level 4 The character begins to react to things in some few scattered inhabitants in crude villag-
Darkon as if they had known them all along, es. Now, it is scattered with towns and cities, the
but forgotten them for a while. population bolstered by constant intake from other
Domains of Dread and stolen from the prime
Level 5 The character no longer feels out of place material plane. All of these acquisitions are
in Darkon, but instead feels a sense of
naturalized, and become part of the tapes-
rightness.
try of the domain. Thus, Darkon is full of
Level 6 The character forgets their life before
humanoids of all races, creeds and de-
they entered Darkon. They retain all their nominations.
friendships, bonds and emnity to creatures in Darkonians are usually gregarious to
Darkon, but rationalise them otherwise. a fault, welcoming strangers into
Darkon and encouraging
them to pay due homage to
the Wizard King. Even the
Darkon Lore untrained eye will detect a trace
of fear in this friendly attitude
Typical Darkonians know certain facts, or have which can be peeled away by a
certain beliefs, about their existence and their sur- savvy investigator to reveal a deep
roundings. This common lore is summarized here. terror of Azalin and his secret
Characters can learn this information after earning police, the Kargat. Those who
a Darkonian’s trust.: express malcontent always vanish
• The King is Azalin Rex. It has always been Azalin from the face of the earth once
Rex. He is very long lived, as he is a powerful Azalin gets wind of their mutter-
wizard. (True, but Azalin’s status as a lich is ings from his informants.
unknown to most civilians.)
• The Kargat are the King’s spies, who look for dis-
sent, and will take you away to be dealt with if
you cause trouble. (True.)

7
 Mistlands
[Part five]
oast
Jaggedt OCne] Necr0
[Par
[Partp olis
Castl Three
] Vale of Tears
e Ave [Part Six]
For [Part Eig rnus s
e s t ht] d
Sha
d of l anour]
[Pa
rt T ows o g tF
wo] B Par [

Mountains of Misery
[Part Seven]

Darkon Locations Part 4: Boglands

Darkon is a vast Domain, littered with struggling The Boglands was not always dead. They say that in
towns and grisly reminders of past horrors. Every- times long past it was filled with wildlife. Sadly, this
thing here is clinging to a life they despair of, and is no longer entirely the case. The bog is defiled by
the world is painted in bleak shades of grey, green polluted magic drifting downriver from Necropolis,
and yellow. Darkon has been divided into zones and only monstrous beasts live here now. The trees
for ease of referencing, and each delegated its own that walk the Boglands are said to carry great wis-
chapter. dom, and greater malice.

Part 1: Jagged Coast Part 5: Mistlands

The Jagged Coast is a hilly, blasted heath battered A quiet and oft-forgotten region of Darkon, the Mis-
by cold sea winds and haunted by the looming tlands harbour both a quiet dread that they might
spectre of Necropolis in the near distance. Once a be forgotten, and a keen fear that they might be
thriving trading post with other domains of Raven- remembered. Somewhere in the Mistlands, the Lake
loft, the closure of the borders has left this area of of Lost Dreams promises answers to those not wise
Darkon struggling for purpose and disturbed by enough to understand them.
strange foreign objects the naturalized citizens can
no longer explain. Part 6: Vale of Tears
Part 2: Forest of Shadows Harbouring the city Karg, it is possible that the Vale
of Tears boasts the highest population of any region
The Forest of Shadows is a foreboding and evil in Darkon. The Vale of Tears is watched carefully by
place, shrouded in rumour and mystery. Here lies Azalin and the Kargat for any signs of dissent. The
the dread encampment of Nartok, the decimated area is riddled with the living dead, who attack on
region of Creeana, and the relics of Azalin’s failed sight and show no mercy to the living.
attempts to domesticate the forest. The region is
rumoured to be stalked by the Whistling Fiend, a Part 7: Mountains of Misery
demon of dark whimsy and terrible destruction.
Home to Darkon’s tenacious dwarf population, who
Part 3: Necropolis live one day at a time in the shadow of an active vol-
cano. The threat of wyrms, eruption and corruption
Once the city of Il Aluk, the city of Necropolis is a make this a hostile environment indeed.
ruined crater in the earth scattered with the bones
of citizens and buildings alike. Only death resides Part 8: Castle Avernus
here now, amongst the ash heaps and paupers’
The lair of Azalin Rex, warded by powerful enchant-
graves. No sane man or woman or Darkon would
ments and guarded by legions of the dead. Though
dare set one foot closer to Necropolis than neces-
the castle can be seen from many places in Darkon,
sary, and even the walking dead step carefully here.
it remains firmly out of reach to anyone who is not
invited.

8
 Could I have saved Il Aluk? Perhaps. But it
was never anything more than a resource,
and all resources must be spent when
their time has come.

Necropolis:
mild necrosis, migranes and strange growths.
The entirety of the Necropolis is lethal to living crea-
tures. A creature that approaches Necropolis knows
instinctively when they are close to the border of

Il Aluk the shroud. A creature that steps over the border

into Necropolis is subject to the effects of its Shroud
of Entropy, as follows:

City of the Dead • All creatures except undead take 8d10 necrotic
damage when they start their turn inside the
shroud.

Ah, Il Aluk. • Creatures reduced to 0 hit points by this damage

The river runs with tears. die instantaneously.
The rain is ash, • A character killed by the Shroud rises again as
Death rules it now. an undead creature in 1d4 rounds. See “Shroud
Reanimation.”

Necropolis
The city now called Necropolis was once known as
Il Aluk, and was the de facto capital of the realm,
home to Azalin’s forces, and headquarters of the
domain’s most powerful organizations. It was dev-
astated by one of Azalin’s flawed attempts to escape
Darkon, in an event known as the Requiem. Now,
it is inimical to the living, and though the necrotic
shroud is perhaps not as puissant as it once was, it
remains sufficient to snuff out mortals like candles
in a strong wind.

Death
As part of Azalin’s scheme to escape Darkon, he
created through his magic a dark mirror of himself
- an elemental of necrotic energy which named itself
Death. Indeed, the crazed specter believed itself
a Darklord in truth for some time, until Azalin’s
eventual re-emergence into the domain proved
otherwise. Now, Death nurses its bruised ego in the
Necropolis, allowed free reign within the bounds of
the city by Azalin. It loathes the living, and shows
them no mercy if it discovers them somehow inside
the walls of the Necropolis.

Shroud of Entropy
For miles around Necropolis, the earth, water and
air are tainted by necrotic energy. When a creature The creature that calls itself Death is in
approaches the domain, they feel an uneasy sense some ways my greatest success, and yet
of nausea in their gut. This increases as they con- also a failure beyond imagining.
tinue to move further towards the border, eventually
increasing into other signs for concern, such as

9
 unclear, but Death has now been long years inside
Shroud Reanimation the ruins of Il Aluk, and Azalin shows no signs of
If the Shroud kills a character, the dark magic of rooting him out.
Necropolis inhabits their body, dragging it back to a
dark mockery of life. Not every creature that dies in Flora
Necropolis reanimates, but player characters always
do. They are simply too interesting as toys for the All plant life in Necropolis died at the time of the
Dark Powers to leave alone. Apply the Undead tem- Requiem...all except one. The Amaranth plant,
plate to the character. being native to Darkon, was considered a common
grain before the Requiem. Afterwards, rumours
began to spread of its mystical properties, including
Undead Template its potency when distilled into herbal formulas. The
Amaranth garden is closely guarded by Death, who
• Your creature type changes to Undead
correctly surmises that there might be a way to use
• You have resistance to necrotic damage. You have the plant to defy the death-dealing properties of the
immunity to the poisoned condition, and to poi- Shroud. A character proficient in a Herbalist’s Kit
son damage. or an Alchemist’s Kit can concoct one dose potent
• You do not need to eat, drink or sleep. [You must poison.
still rest to recover abilities, cure exhaustion Necropolitan Amaranth (Injury). A creature sub-
and so on.] jected to this poison must succeed on a DC 15 Con-
stitution saving throw or be poisoned for 13 hours.
If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature
For a more detailed exploration of undead player also gains a level of Exhaustion.
races, you should take a look at Monstrous Races
by Tyler Kamstra, a highly regarded supplement
which gives monstrous options for every kind of
undead in the Monster Manual.

Lay of the Land Amaranth

The city of Il Aluk covers an area of perhaps 4 miles
at its widest point. The land is naturally boggy, and
floodwaters from the mountains frequently cause Herb [Flower]
the river to overflow its banks. The river becomes
tainted by the necrotic energy of the shroud upon Wick’d flower, one and three
entering the Necropolis, making it unsafe to drink Taking sleep and giving thee
and unable to support life of any kind. Barren farm- New and divers dreams of death
land sits unused around the edges of the city - no A hearth that welcomes us again
creature remaining in Necropolis feels hunger that A hall of endless rest and then
I wake, and take a breath. Awake.
can be satisfied by grain. Even outside the reaches
of the Shroud, the land is dotted with abandoned
farmhouses and fallow fields, the owners having Placing Amaranth on the tongue of a corpse
died to or fled from the free-ranging undead. that died within the last 24 hours has the
same effect as a gentle repose spell cast at its
lowest level.
History
A creature that wears a fresh Amaranth
Necropolis was once known as Il Aluk, and was the bloom touching its skin is immune to Necrotic
capital of Darkon. Its location on the river made it damage. The bloom remains fresh for 1d4
the central hub of trade for the domain, eventually hours. Amaranth withers instantly if it is
achieving a population of thousands, if not tens of ever within the radius of a Turn Undead class
ability.
thousands of Darkonians. Then, Azalin staged one
of his grand magical experiments, resulting in a
disaster euphemistically referred to as the “Requi- DC to gather/use:15
em”. Azalin vanished from the face of Darkon, and
Il Aluk was snuffed out in a cataclysmic explosion
Herbalist’s Kit
of negative energy that left the entire city in piles of
corpses. Worse than this, a shadowy manifestation
of necrotic energy took Azalin’s mantle, calling itself
Death. The long years of Death’s regency were dark A curious herb, Amaranth. A symbol of
times, and many perished at the hands of the dead. life in the face of so much death. You can
Undead rose like a plague in Il Aluk, until the city almost hear the powers-that-be laughing at
teemed with unlife. In more recent days, Azalin’s us for our folly.
miraculous reappearance has shattered Death’s
hold on the land, and forced the phantom into
hiding. Why Azalin does not deal with this threat is

10
 North Ca
nal

R
VUCHAR RIVE

South Canal
NECROPOLIS

Fauna Approaching the City

All animals alive at the time of the Requiem were When the characters first approach Necropolis (after
slain by it, and many subsequently rose as undead. passing through the Shroud), read:
Over the years, the wandering zombie rats, skele-
tal spiders and other urban nuisances were largely A dark and crumbling city lies scattered before you,
destroyed. With no way to repopulate, they soon ruins sinking into the canals, and the smell of dusty rot
vanished altogether. Only the dead walk the streets discernible even from this far away. Shadowy towers
of Necropolis, and nature has no sway within its are surrounded by winding streets, all cloaked in the
walls. ever-present umbral miasma you can feel around you
now. Everything in you, down to the bones, tells you to
Population turn away. Leave here, the land seems to cry. Return to
the world of the living. This place is of the dead, and the
Il Aluk was once a thriving cosmopolitan center of dead keep it.
industry, and though many undead have perished
at each others hands or to the simple degradations
of time, the city is still home to a veritable army of
undead Darkonians, speaking many languages and
struggling for survival. Many have turned feral and
forgotten their old humanoid ways altogether, and
some retain their higher faculties. The streets and
houses are rife with simple skeletons and zombies,
with more powerful forms of undead lurking unseen
in the shadows.

11
 d100
Necropolis Encounters
Encounter Canal Aluk Septentrion Aluk Meridian Grim Fastness Outer Reaches
Arrest 1-10 1-2 1-8 1 -
Assassins - 3-8 9 2-4 -
Book Thief - 9-15 - - -
Charredlatan - - 10-12 - 1-5
Corpse 11-17 15-17 13-17 5-15 5-15
Curfew 17-22 18-22 18-22 15-30 -
Customs Inspection 22-27 23-40 23-30 33-40 -
Cultist of the Grey 27-30 41-49 31-38 41-42 15-20
Dead Cow - 50 - - -
Death Guard 31-40 51-55 38-45 42-55 -
Decomposition Ooze 41-50 - 45-47 - -
Depressed Salesman 56-58 47-49 - 21-30
Discarded Pouch 51-55 - 50 - 31-40
Edifying Monument 56-60 59-60 51-53 55-60 -
Eternal Order Priest 61-65 61-64 54-56 61-65 41-43
Evil Necromancer - 65-66 - - -
Familiar Touch 66 67 57 - -
Fancy Skeleton 67-70 68-72 - - -
Gazetteer Researcher 71-72 73 - - -
Ghast Pack 73-80 - - - -
Gloom Weaver - 74-80 58 66 -
Gridlock - 80-85 59-64 - -
Kargat Agent 81-82 86 65-66 - 44-50
Lost Dog - - 67-69 - 51-55
Mad Undruid - - 70-73 - 55-60
Memento Mori - 87-90 74 66-75 -
Necrotic Pulse 83-85 90-93 75-76 75-85 61-62
Patrol - 93-95 95-96 85-90 63
Pickpocket 86-88 - 97 - 64-70
Pigeon 89 - - - 71
Protest - 96 98 - -

Public Execution - 97-98 99 91-100 -

Rag and Bone Man - - 100 - 72-80
Something in the Waters 90-95 - - - -
Street Cleaner - 99 - - -
Street Performer - 100 - - 81-90
Wandering Beggar 95-100 - - - 91-100

12
 tain and earn coin. Occasionally, it drops a torch,
Random Encounters which ignites the oil and sets it ablaze (a sure crowd
Il Aluk is of the dead, and the dead walk its streets. pleaser). It then runs down to the river and jumps
Introduce a random encounter from the table above in to extinguish the fire, only to return and find
whenever characters travel from place to place with- someone has stolen the cap of money and starts
in the city, or as frequently as you desire. again.
Corpse
Arrest
A body lies face down in the mud. It looks half-rot-
ten.
In the street ahead of you, two skeletal armoured
figures are trying to catch a ghost. “Now come on,
be reasonable,” one clatters wheezily. “How are we Roll a d6 to determine the nature of the zombie:
supposed to arrest you if you don’t stay still?” The 1-2 The corpse belongs to a humanoid who has lost
child-sized ghost merely blows a raspberry and the will to continue. They plaintively ask to be left
flits through a wall. alone if disturbed.
3-4 The corpse is an elf horrified by their situation.
The skeletons are erstwhile employees of the city They beg to be destroyed.
guard, who find themselves woefully ill equipped to
5-6 The corpse is a halfling child. It wakes from
deal with ethereal miscreancy. The ghost they are
its stupor if disturbed, and follows the characters
attempting to catch is (unfortunately) taking full
around out of curiosity.
advantage of this, and occasionally pelts them with
stolen underwear. Curfew
Assassins
A loud siren sounds through the streets, a cater-
wauling, eerie cry that chills you to the bone. At
A crash from above gives you pause. A robed
every street corner a spectral elf is keening.
corpse is stabbing a skeleton repeatedly with a
knife, hacking it apart. It looks down at you. “You
gotta take ‘em apart bit by bit nowadays” it says to This wailing occurs when Death decides it has had
you, cheerily. “Or they just get back up again.” enough of the noise and activity of the city, which
it does periodically. The wailing has no effect on
constructs and undead. All other creatures that can
The undead assassin is disposing of a contract,
hear the wailing must make a DC 13 Constitution
having worked out a rather methodical way to dis-
saving throw. On a failure, a creature drops to 0
patch of potential victims by taking apart the bodies
hit points. On a success, a creature takes 10 (3d6)
and scattering the component parts to the four
psychic damage. All undead return to their hovels
winds.
for 1d4 hours, during which time there are no more
Book Thief encounters on the streets of Necropolis.
Customs Inspection
A small, wan looking skeleton runs by, clutching
a pile of papers. It stops short of you, accidentally A patrol of foul smelling guards wrapped in linens
dropping them all into the mud. It seems paralyzed, is stopping passers-by. “Contraband Inspection,”
not sure whether to scrabble for the papers, or they announce, poking around ribcages and root-
keep running. ing through bags. “Please turn over all contraband
immediately.”
This undead master thief stole some sacred scrolls
from the Eternal Order, and is on the run. The A customs patrol consists of 3d6 mummies, which
papers consist of three scrolls, containing raise are doing a routine check for magical items. This
dead, gentle repose and animate dead respectively. practice was common under Azalin, and is some-
If allowed, he picks up the papers and flees. Four thing the Eternal Order have continued to enforce
undead veterans arrive 1d4 rounds later to arrest even after the Requiem. Of course, given that
the thief and take them back to the temple for dis- nothing new has come to Necropolis in some time,
integration. the job really is just a formality for the most part.
Charredlatan The customs patrol demand any magical items are
turned over to the Eternal Order, and will attempt
A charred looking skeleton covered in burn marks to secure the items by violence if they are refused.
is juggling flaming torches on a street corner. Oil
drips off it everywhere, and it stands next to a small
cap filled with copper coins.

This skeleton is juggling flaming torches to enter-

13
 Cultist of the Grey Depressed Salesman

A lone straggler lurks on a street corner, a bleached A sad looking skeleton lounges near a cart. The
skull poking out from under ragged grey robes. It sign reads “Balthasar’s Bedrolls” and the cart
preaches “Fear not these troubled times! We are seems to sell pillows, bedsheets and other necessi-
the vanguard of a new age! The heralds of the grey! ties for a good night’s sleep. It seems aware of the
Take solace in your new life, the life of the divine. irony of its situation.
You are blessed.”
This skeleton sells mundane gear, mostly bedrolls,
This is an undead cult fanatic who belongs to the backpacks and pillows. It hasn’t made a sale since
Cult of the Grey, a splinter sect of the Eternal Order it died, as undead rarely feel a need to buy bedcov-
who revel in the joy of being undead, seeing it as a ers.
blessing to be the first to experience the Grey Realm
of death. Discarded Pouch

What’s this? A pouch, left alone in the street. Per-

Dead Cow haps there is something useful inside...

An ossified cow is moo-ing grumpily between two Roll a d6 to determine the contents of the pouch.
skeletons who are attempting to pull it in opposite
directions. One is shouting “You left it to me in your 1d6 Pouch Contents
will!” and the other is yelling “Well, clearly I’m not 1 A dead frog
dead yet, am I? Give it back.”
2 A necklace made of silver links
3 An onyx spyglass
The two skeletons are arguing over an undead
cow, as something of an inheritance issue. The 4 A rusty knife
first skeleton left the cow in his will to his son, who 5 A black candle
argues that (his father having technically died) it 6 An ivory hairbrush etched with an “S”
now belongs to him. This argument has been going
Edifying Monument
on for some years now, with no resolution in sight.

A strange obelisk has been planted in the street,

Death Guard pointed towards the grey skies. Glyphs cover the
surface, running in strange concentric patterns.
The street becomes shrouded in gloom as a patrol
tramps down the street. Spectral warriors drift into The obelisk is inscribed in Darkonese with propa-
view, holding swords at the ready. “Death to the ganda for Necropolis. It vaunts Death as the harbin-
living. Death to the dead. Death to the light” they ger of the Grey Wastes, and promises a day when all
chant, in sobering tones. of the world will be taken back by the dead.
Eternal Order Priest
A death guard platoon consists of eight sword
wraith warriors, and one sword wraith captain.
The death guard serve Death’s will above all others, A grey robed skeleton walks calmly down the
and search the streets for the living to exterminate street, stopping at points to knock on doors or
any canny or lucky trespassers who managed to inspect windows. It wears a medallion around its
evade the shroud. The death guard kill living crea- neck graven with the image of a wicked scythe.
tures on sight.
Decomposition Ooze A grey robed skeleton walks calmly down the street,
stopping at points to knock on doors or inspect win-
As you pass a sewer grating, something bubbles dows. It wears a medallion around its neck graven
up from beneath. A sizzling, bubbling ooze filled with the image of a wicked scythe.
with bones emerges into the street. “Huuungry” it This undead priest is performing a ceaseless,
burbles. never-tiring vigil for the citizens of Necropolis. As
a member of the Eternal Order, it believes that the
end of the world has begun, and that Death will
This undead black pudding is the remains of a col- reach out from Necropolis to smite the arrogant liv-
lection of corpses which were turned to ash and goo ing, snuffing it out. It is baffled by the presence of
by the Requiem. They reanimated as a conglomera- any living creature in Necropolis, and excuses itself
tion with a single united desire - consume flesh and as soon as possible to run and warn the rest of the
add to the collective. Order.

14
Evil Necromancer Ghast Pack

A glum looking figure sits against a wall, poking a There is little warning. A few bubbles under the wa-
wand through a vacant eye socket. “Used to be a ter, a slight disturbance in the dark. Then, crashing
necromancer,” it says. “Not much point anymore - up in a foul-smelling spray, countless arms, legs
every man and his dog is raising ‘emselves, aren’t and sharp teeth. The attack is ferocious.
they? This is the thing about gigantic necrotic
calamities - they never think of the working man This pack of 2d6 ghasts is looking for an easy meal.
and his vocation. Can’t learn a new trade at my age, They strike haphazardly and randomly, dragging
can I?” paralyzed characters back into the river to eat
them.
The necromancer has lost the will to carry on, and Gloom Weaver
has been moping about for long enough to gather
cobwebs. He can be raised from his despondency
by finding him some new and exciting vocation to A shadowy figure rests against a wall, trimming
pursue, or bodies to animate. their nails with a knife. Elfin ears, wan flesh, and a
cynical expression. They eye you with barely con-
Familiar Touch cealed contempt.

A severed hand is crawling along a wall nearby. As This gloom weaver is here on a diplomatic en-
you watch, it slows, remaining tensed as if to flee at voy from the Raven Queen. It isn’t impressed, and
any sudden movement. regards the entire city with a distaste bordering on
enmity. It remains oblique concerning the Raven
This crawling claw is looking for someone to bond Queen’s motivations, even unto death.
with. If anyone shows it curiosity or kindness over Gridlock
hostility, it follows them around and does their
bidding. After 48 hours of the hand following the
target, the target gains Magic Resistance as long as
The street is blocked with carts, carriages and
the claw is within 5 feet of them.
wagons all piled up in a gridlock. Walking skeletons
and shambling corpses are waving papers at each
Fancy Skeleton other and bickering loudly in husky voices.

“Salubrious felicitations to you, my obnubilate This gridlock has been in place for months, and the
friends. A ghastly day, isn’t it? Enough to give you assorted undead are having the time of their lives
the collywobbles, I’ll warrant.” A skeleton in a smart arguing about it. They take any attempt to resolve
black suit wafts past, doffing a top hat. the drama with salty looks and a cold shoulder
before happily returning to their squabbles about
whose fault it was. They don’t object to creatures
This skeleton is locked in mad dreams of a time
climbing over the vehicles.
before it became a member of the walking dead. It is
entirely in denial about its situation, and becomes Kargat Agent
hysterical if convinced of the truth. Otherwise it
suits itself with bland pleasantries and is fairly A flutter of wings, the swish of a cape, and a
benign. handsome (if pale) man is standing in your path.
Gazetteer Researcher His eyes burn with seductive glamour. “Just a few
questions, if you please,” he asks, and his voice is
sweet as poisoned honey.
A skeleton has been propped up against the wall. It
has a withered bloom around its neck, tied with a
piece of rotten string. This vampire is an agent of Azalin working within
Necropolis to keep track of Death’s activities. The
This poor soul came to Necropolis from another vampire collects as much information as it can
town to gather information. Unfortunately, they did about the characters and their next movements
not escape before their Amaranth bloom died, and using its Charm feature, and then turns into a bat,
they perished as a result. Death arrived shortly returning to Azalin.
afterwards to destroy their soul.

15
 Lost Dog Pickpocket

A skeletal little girl wanders up to you holding a A faint giggle in the air is followed by a shimmer up
leather leash. “Have you seen my puppy?” she says. ahead and the scattering of your belongings across
“He’s been gone for ages. I hope my puppy is okay.” the street as your pouch splits.

The skeleton gets within 5 feet of a sympathetic These three poltergeists were gnomes in life, and
character, then pulls out a knife and stabs the clos- have continued their mischief even unto death.
est person. They each pick up something from the ground and
wave it about for a round or two before fleeing with
Mad Undruid their spoils.
Pigeon
A rumbling passes across the street. A skeleton
clad in rags and furs is loudly wailing as it waves a
hand to excavate holes underneath nearby skele- A cadaverous pigeon flutters down awkwardly to
tons, sending them into newly dug graves. ground level. It stares blankly at you, before rooting
about on the street for non-existent crumbs that it
probably couldn’t digest anyway.
This archdruid was killed in the Requiem and
raised as an undead. This is an affront to his dru- This poor creature could probably do with being put
idic sensibilities, and he spends his days chasing out of its misery.
down undead and using a mold earth cantrip to
bury them. They inevitably dig their way out, which Protest
keeps him busy.
Memento Mori A horde of the unwashed dead are quietly protest-
ing. The signs and placards are decorated with
slogans like IM DEAD READY TO WORK and I HAVE
A tall statue of a cloaked figure holding a scythe ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD
dominates the street ahead. Mist coils around its
base, and it exudes a sense of finality. Words are
carved into it - “REMEMBER, YOU TOO SHALL These undead are protesting at the lack of infra-
DIE.”* structure in Necropolis, and are lobbying Death for
some kind of sensible resolution to the ennui that
pervades the place. They are looking for meaning in
This statue of Death leeches the will to fight from
an uncertain world. As yet, Death has not deigned
onlookers. Characters who see this statue lose
to respond.
inspiration if they possess it. Characters who do
not lose inspiration in this way must make a DC17 Public Execution
Charisma saving throw against Shadowfell Despair
(DMG) Three gaunt looking shades are clustered around
Necrotic Pulse a ghoul begging them for clemency. “Please,” it
whines. “I only said he was a bit serious..he don’t
need to take it all personal, like.”
A haze of purple light flashes briefly in the air. It
ripples through the city, shedding flesh from bones,
rotting wood and sickening living creatures. These avatars of death swiftly decapitate the
ghoul, and drift away. If the characters are still
The pulse of necrotic energy enervates the living. It around, the head shouts them down and asks if
immediately withers any Amaranth blooms being they would be so kind as to re-unite it with its body,
used to shield travellers from the Shroud. In addi- which has wandered off down the street.
tion, all living creatures gain a level of exhaustion.
Patrol

A shadow falls across your path. Drifting between

buildings, a black cloak wreathed in liquid night
carries an ominous scythe. It spares you a passing
glance.

This avatar of death is watching for spies of Azalin,

or living intruders. If it discovers anything untow-
ards, it returns to Death to report the incident
without delay.

16
Rag and Bone Man Wandering Beggar

A small cart creaks down the street, laden with A zombie lurches into a wall nearby, and holds out
piles of bric-a-brac and dragged by a mule. Leading a cap in a rotting hand. “Pennies for the poor?” it
it is a wizened old man, calling out “Know the price! croaks. “I need it for...well, I ain’t precisely sure. But
Name it thrice! Get your happy ending!” I’ve been a beggar all me life, and my father was,
and his father before him. Ain’t got no intention of
changing it now.”
The Rag and Bone man is a strange itinerant ped-
dler who offers anyone who cares to listen a strange
bargain. Name the manner of your death, and he’ll This zombie follows characters around begging for
make a wish for you. The wish (as long as it con- change for some time. He doesn’t know quite what
forms to the rules of the domain) always comes true to do if he gets it, and more than likely tosses it
in a twisted, negative way...as does the manner of away once he gets bored carrying it about.
death, sooner or later.
Something In The Waters

In the dark waters of the canal, a shadowy shape

moves past you. Dark flickers of something twist-
ing and tangled lurk deep down below.

The undead giant octopus follows the characters

along the canal for a while. If it sees an opportunity
to grab a quick meal from behind, it takes it.
Street Cleaner

A blue-tinged corpse is shuffling down the street,

using a broom to vainly sweep dust from one side
of the road to another. It stops, rather passive-ag-
gressively, and waits for you to pass by.

This wight was a street cleaner before Il Aluk’s

descent into death and madness. He kept getting
up to do his job day after day, and has never been
dissuaded from it. He takes a dim view of litterers.
Street Performer

A small street puppet theatre is playing out a nar-

rative using rather battered looking sock puppets.
The story seems to be of a big bad wizard who
bosses people around and blows himself up.

This Lamordian clockwork puppet show had the

misfortune to be playing in Il Aluk when the Requi-
em hit. The poor proprietor (undead commoner)
doesn’t believe in the undead, and instead thinks
that he and the rest of the city are taken by a
strange plague. The puppet show is called The Re-
quiem, and shows Azalin (who is represented as a
rather offensively cartoonish sock puppet) destroy-
ing Il Aluk in a careless magical experiment.

I do not envy this “Death” the burden

of managing a horde of recalcitrant
peasants without the backstop of
genocide.

17
 Canals Aluk Septentrion
The murky waters of the canal are tainted the mo- This well-structured, urbane section of the city lies
ment they enter the Shroud at the northern edge of to the north, and was once a center of education
the Necropolis. Restless dead wander up and down and entertainment. Most notably, it contains a
the edges of the canals, keeping themselves busy. rather feral community of insane halflings since the
Some stare into the water as if it holds answers. Requiem.

People on the Street People on the Street

d8 People on the Street (Canal) d8 People on the Street (Septentrion)

1 A ghost floats above the water. 1 A line of skeletons waiting outside a theatre.
“The river took my laughter,” it says. They’ve been waiting since the Requiem.
2 A ghoul stares at you, holding a dead fish. 2 A zombie looking at a book, which it is holding
upside down.
3 There is a skeleton floating face down in the
water. “Leave me be,” it says. 3 A ghoulish halfling is gibbering to itself on a
street corner.
4 A rotting hag offers you a lucky heather. 4 There is a cat. It coughs up a pile of bile at you.
It is withered and dead.
5 A skeleton with a beard is stacking books on
5 A zombie is eating a severed foot. a cart. “I’m going on sabbatical,” he says. “I
Best not ask where from. hear Har’Akir is sunny this time of year.”
6 A dead dog is playing in the canal. 6 An elven ghoul is holding its own leg forlornly.
“The wretched thing fell off” it says.
7 Skeletal children play catch on the banks.
7 A skeleton is out collecting taxes. It isn’t
8 A ghoul is fishing in the river, glumly. having much luck.
8 A zombie is selling rusty cutlery from a stall.
Rumours
d6 Rumours (Canals) Rumours
1 Someone said they saw a wolf in the street d6 Rumours (Septentrion)
last night. A wolf! I don’t believe it for a sec-
ond. 1 They say the halflings found something in
the Requiem. It tells them secrets, horrible
2 If you stare into the canals for long enough, secrets.
you can see your future,
2 The university has lots of books mouldering
3 Death can hear through the water. You away inside. It’s a shame so many people can’t
shouldn’t speak secrets within sight of it. read in these parts.

3 I’d love to see a show. But no-one puts them

4 Do you believe in faeries? I did, until I found on anymore. Maybe you could try?
the corpse of one floating in the river. Even
stories die, with time.
4 I wonder what happened to all the academics.
I heard they’re still out there somewhere.
5 I heard there’s a house way south of here
where the dead walk freely. Maybe I’ll go
there, take a vacation. 5 Do you know what a Doomsday Device is?
I’m sure I heard someone mention it, but I
6 We used to get a lot of trading vessels on the couldn’t say where or when.
canals. Not anymore.
6 Has anyone seen a skeleton in a red dress
and a large hat? That’s my aunt, and I
wouldn’t get tangled up with her.

18
Aluk Meridian
This southern borough is cramped, filthy and filled Rumours
with far more dead than its northern counterpart.
Ugly houses of worship border on cramped slums, d6 Rumours (Meridian)
which are only marginally more hygienic now that
everything inside has been dead for decades. 1 There was a plague a long time ago. Some
of the skeletons around here still bear the
marks.
People on the Street
2 Did you hear about the Great Fire? It torched
d8 People on the Street (Meridian) most of this place, back when we were all
alive. Nasty business.
1 A skeleton is nursing a pile of rags as if it
were a baby. 3 The lord Death hasn’t been seen in a long
2 A pox-scarred skeleton begs you for food. time. I suppose he’s up in his palace, brooding
or something.
3 A zombie with no head is sat in front of a cap
with a few coppers in it. 4 King Azalin wouldn’t have let things get like
this. He’d have it ship-shape in no time.
4 A grizzled old corpse is hanging out some
stained sheets on a line.
5 There must be a way to lift this curse. In the
5 A priestly figure in grey robes drifts past,
stories, there’s always a way.
murmuring a brief benediction.
6 There is a flutter in a window nearby. Was it a
curtain? Perhaps. 6 There was a researcher by asking all sorts of
7 There’s a skeleton stuck in a wall. “I took a nap questions. Called herself “S” or “F” or some-
for a year, and they built this on me” it says, thing. Very opinionated.
rather crossly.
8 A zombie is reciting spell vocals. It looks at its
hands. “This was much easier when I had all
my fingers” it says.

Perhaps one day I shall deal with the

pretender in Il Aluk, For now, it serves
as a deft lieutenant, albeit unwittingly.

19
OUTSKIRTS
SEPTENTRION
CANAL
MERIDIAN

E A
B
C

F G

I H

Necropolis

Areas of Necropolis C - Art & Natural History Museum

The areas below correspond to the locations marked This large gothic building is surrounded by barbed
on the map above. wire and a contingent of skeletal guards. A large
A- Botanical Gardens stone sign reading Museum of Natural History lies
half-crumbled on the ground. Occasionally, an ugly
roar reverberates out from inside, but the guards
This dusty, barren waste is littered with withered pay it little mind.
plants and dead trees. Periodic signs are dotted
around the place amongst the bones of small The natural history museum was a place of study,
woodland creatures. but after the exhibits decided to get up and play, it
was closed by the Eternal Order. Inside an undead
This was once the famed Il Aluk botanical gar- tyrannosaurus rex stalks the halls alone, having
dens, but the Requiem turned it to dust and ashes. devoured or destroyed its competition over the last
Undead blights haunt the wounded landscape at few decades. Anyone attempting to head inside the
irregular intervals. museum is warned by the undead guards that “you
don’t want to disturb old bonetooth” as he’s been
B - Pangolin Theatre “particularly grouchy lately”.

An open air theatre stands abandoned, and peel-

ing posters suggest the last show was some time
ago indeed. Occasionally a passing undead sighs
wistfully at it.

The pangolin theatre once supplied entertainment

and humour for the beleaguered citizens of Il Aluk.
Death, however, took offense to a rather unflatter-
ing portrayal of him in a pantomime, and slaugh-
tered all the actors. The theatre has been closed
ever since.

20
D- Hallad Market Level 6: circle of death
Level 7: finger of death, power word pain
Level 8: maddening darkness
A dingy, ugly little market rests against the bank Level 9: finger of death
of the Vuchar. Gaunt looking merchants huddle
beside stalls filled with grey wares. Every single F - Temple of Eternal Penitence
store has at least three guards standing dejectedly
around it, jealously guarding bric-a-brac no-one in
The ruins of a cathedral are hidden here between
their right mind would go to the effort of stealing.
two houses. How it came to be so damaged and
battered is unclear, but the windows have all been
The market is full of deteriorated junk, from rusty shattered in some disaster long past. Some areas
weapons to broken shards of glass. Damaged are still open to the public, and grinning skulls clad
fabrics, splintered shields...if it’s broken, it’s here. in grey robes shuffle in or out to unknown purpose.
Prices are exorbitant, and the vendors (mostly skel-
etal commoners) vicious and nasty. Regular brawls
occur here, as one stall decides someone looked at This was once the epicenter of religious power in
them funny, and the guards get into a pitched (and Darkon. Now, it is a shell of its former grandeur.
high-spirited) battle in which heads quite literally Those priests who were not slain permanently or
roll. torn apart during the Requiem still haunt the halls
of the temple and wander the streets of the Ne-
Wares. Characters determined to pursue a bargain cropolis. Unfortunately for the Eternal Order, the
can find broken or warped versions of any item in Requiem puts them in something of a theological
the Player’s Handbook here, and will be charged 10 bind - has the end of the world started? Should the
times the normal price for it. Eternal Order pledge itself to Death, now that the
E - The Cult at Cullfemur House end has come? Most of the order finds itself ac-
cepting this as a necessary evil. There is however, a
splinter sect of the church that remembers the old
Deep in the halfling quarter, where feral little goal of averting the Hour of Ascension - this sect,
ghouls skitter around in the shadows fighting over led by the charismatic Serinida Brecht (LN female
bones, there is a house. It is boarded up, but candles wight) works to destroy Death and return them-
light the rooms inside. The ever-present stench of selves to life. The twenty or so members (LN undead
death seems all the more acute as you approach it, cultists) can be found once a week meeting inside
the remains of the Il Aluk hospital.
This house is home to the unfortunate halflings G - Hospital
who stumbled across a shard of Azalin’s Doomsday
Device, the experiment that caused the Requiem.
Medic. Apothecary. Surgeon. These signs are
The shard of glass (a remnant from the original
snapped in two and charred, as if gathered and
machine) has been mounted on a wall inside the
burned. A blackened, scorched wreckage fills your
house, and looks directly into the negative energy
view nearby - this building must have been large
plane. The sight of sheer nothing, a darkness with-
once, enough to hold hundreds of the sick and
out end, has driven the clan to feverish madness.
restore them to health.
The cult fervently believe that their moral duty is to
widen the breaches between this world and the neg-
ative energy plane (which they call “The Dark”) and The hospital was ordered destroyed by Death soon
let it subsume everything. To this end, they per- after the Requiem. Death finds the very sight of the
form unholy rites undercover of night in abandoned place discomforting, and cannot set foot across the
houses, weakening the fabric of reality and opening threshold into the ruins - his servants in the Un-
breaches. As yet, the domain shows no signs of holy Order are also bound by this limitation. The
crumbling, but the halfling lich matriarch Mother splinter faction of the Eternal Order who resist the
Dismass is devoted in her pursuit of this endgame. rule of Death meet here once a week, robed and
Mother Dismass is a lich, with the following chang- hooded to conceal their faces.
es:
• Her size is small Hauntings. The hospital is haunted by the ghosts
of all the women who died here in childbirth, in a
• If Mother Dismass rolls a 1 on an attack roll,
grim mockey of Death that satisfies the Dark Pow-
ability check or saving throw, she can reroll that
ers’ sense of irony. They want desperately to hold
die. She must use the results of the new roll
their baby again, and flit between tears and irratio-
• Mother Dismass has the following spells prepared: nal anger frequently. They are usually harmless to
Level 1: ray of sickness, cause fear strangers, unless they see the trappings of birth,
Level 2: blindness/deafness, darkness which drives them into a violent frenzy.
Level 3: feign death, vampiric touch
Level 4: blight, shadow of moil
Level 5: negative energy flood/enervate

21
 H- The Grim Fastness Walls. The walls of the tower are a strange mix of
organic material, bones and stone. This material
is very tough. Each 5 foot square segment has 100
The twisted, ossified wraith of a vast tower looms hit points, immunity to damage from nonmagical
ahead of you. A hideous. oppressive chill settles weapons excluding siege weapons, and resistance to
into your soul at the sigh of it. In a city infused with all other damage. A destroyed segment grows back
death, this keep is the epicenter of entropy. over one hour.
Light. The tower is unlit throughout. Light sources
The Grim Fastness has always been a dominat-
conjure only dim light within the tower, as Death’s
ing feature of Il Aluk’s skyline. When the Requiem
presence suppresses the light. Darkvision does not
struck, however, it leveled the old fortress, reducing
function within the tower, though blindsight and
it to little more than ashes. In the space where the
tremorsense function as normal.
old fort once stood, Death raised a palace in keep-
ing with his vanity. A spire of stone and sinew, bone Drowning Dreams. The tower is infected with
and earth, twisted to mirror its maker. Death’s doldrums. Creatures that die within the
tower cannot be raised from the dead - their souls
Tower Features are consigned to endless darkness. Additionally,
creatures that drop to 0 hit points inside the tower
The tower has the following features. Any exceptions
gain the following personality trait “I must sleep,
are noted in areas to which they apply.
that dreams might smother my grief.” This effect
Ceilings. The chamber ceilings are about 15 feet can be removed with remove curse or similar magic.
above the floor.

H1

22
H1- The Hall of Many Faces H2 - Glimmervoid

The wide open arch from street level leads into a The stairway stops at a landing, looking out into an
huge hall. supported by bone pillars. Everywhere, audience chamber. The air is cold here, bitingly so.
skulls peek out from the walls and ceiling. Memories trace themselves in shadows along the
walls. Is this where dreams come to die?
This hall is where Death keeps the skeletons of
those who have failed it, when it doesn’t just oblit- This hall is where Death comes to watch through
erate them. Unsurprisingly for such an unforgiving the eyes of his chosen servants. Images flicker in
master, the hall is well populated. the dark shadows, showing events from the past,
Skulls. As creatures enter the hall, the skulls begin present and future of Necropolis.
to beg for release. The skulls no longer possess true If You Stare Into The Eyes of Evil. The walls are in-
sentience, instead retaining only enough awareness habited by evil spirits from the far future of Necrop-
to know they wish to end their current torment. olis. A character who stares into the moving images
Shadows. This hall is infested with shadows. 1d4 too long risks attracting the attention of such a
shadows materialize in the hall each round a living creature, which emerges from the wall looking like
creature remains in the room, with malevolent in- an exact replica of the character but with complete-
tent. The shadows will not leave this room. ly black eyes. Use the statistics for a bodak or a
shadow demon to represent this shade.

H2

23
 H3- The Netherwell H4- Death’s Door

This floor is a deep and colourless grey. All the life The bleached bone underfoot winds and wends.
and light seems to be drawn to a gap in the air near leading suddenly into a large chamber blanketed
the far wall. It drinks in everything near it. in silence. A throne of osseus claws sits on a high
stone plinth, and on that throne sits a living shad-
ow, grisly skull half-hidden by a cloak. A bone hand
This floor of the tower contains a link to the Neg- rests idly on an armrest, tapping to unseen melo-
ative Energy Plane, from whence Death draws his dies.
power.
Vortex. A living creature that starts its turn on this This is Death’s resting place and meditation cham-
floor is pulled 10 feet towards it. A creature can ber, where it ponders the mistakes of the past and
move away from the vortex by making a Strength schemes vainly about stealing Darkon from Azalin’s
(Athletics) check against DC20. A creature that clutches.
touches the Vortex is obliterated, and a night-
Throne of Bones. Death can always be found here.
walker forms inside the Vortex. The nightwalker is
It has little time for anything that doesn’t involve
hostile to all life.
Azalin’s destruction, and quickly dispatches any
poor fool that interrupts its meditations.

H3

24
 H4

I- The Amaranth Gardens

This open air garden hidden on a secluded side-

street is guarded by countless wraiths drifting
above it. The purple blooms seem a vibrant act of
defiance in the face of everything you’ve seen here.

This garden, which contains a blanket of Amaranth

blooms (see “Amaranth” earlier in this document),
is guarded by ten wraiths set to keep it from prying
hands by Death’s express decree. The wraiths are
vigilant against attack or theft, and drift ominously
over the garden with malign intent.

A throne of skulls? How tasteless. Next

it will be sipping from a skull full of
wine and playing the organ.

25
 Priest of the Eternal Order
I:
Often dressed in dour blacks and greys, Priests of

Monsters and NPCS the Eternal order draw their power ostensibly from
their sacred rituals designed to placate the dead.
In actuality, their power stems directly from Azalin,
though many of the Order have no idea.
Ravenloft harbours horrors both old and new, the
ever changing mists conspiring to introduce adven-
turers to new vistas of horror. New monsters that
appear in this volume of the Gazetteer are de- Eternal Order Priest
scribed below. Medium humanoid, lawful evil

The monsters and NPCs are presented in alphabet- Armor Class 12 (15 with mage armor)
ical order. Hit Points 78 (12d8 + 24)
Speed 30 ft.
Creature CR
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Avatar of Death 4
10 (+0) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 18 (+4)
Eternal Order Priest 7
Death 25 Saving Throws WIS +4, CHA +7
Skills Arcana +4, Deception +7, Perception +7, Reli-
gion +4
Creature Descriptions Senses Passive Perception 11
Languages Common, Darkonian, Abyssal
Avatar of Death Challenge 7

These hideous manifestations of entropy are the

Innate Spellcasting. The priest’s innate spellcasting
heralds and messengers of Death, a figure of evil
ability is Charisma. It can innately cast the following
that hides in the Necropolis.
spells (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks),
requiring no material components:

Avatar of Death At will: mage armour, gentle repose, detect magic,

detect evil and good, speak with dead
Medium undead, neutral evil
1/day each: harm, power word pain, mind blank
Armor Class 20 Spellcasting. The priest is a 17th-level spellcaster.
Hit Points 1 (1d4) Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15,
Speed 60 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover) +7 to hit with spell attacks). It regains its expended
spell slots when it finishes a short or long rest. It
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA knows the following spells:
16 (+3) 16 (+3) 16(+3) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) Cantrips (at will): toll the dead, chill touch, thauma-
turgy
Damage Immunities Necrotic, Poison
Condition Immunities Charmed, Frightened, Para- 1st–5th level (4 5th-level slots): inflict wounds, fear,
lyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Unconscious life transference, death ward, danse macabre, nega-
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Truesight 60 ft., Passive tive energy flood
Perception 13l Aura of Death. This creature emanates a deathly
Challenge 4 aura that extends 30 feet in every direction from
its space while it isn’t incapacitated. The aura is
Incorporeal Movement. The avatar can move blocked by total cover. While in the aura, the crea-
through other creatures and objects as if they were ture and any friendly undead are immune to the
difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it frightened condition and have resistance to radiant
ends its turn inside an object. damage. Enemies suffer disadvantage on death
saving throws while in the aura.
Turning Immunity. The avatar is immune to features
that turn undead.
Actions
Actions Mace. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft.,
one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage plus 10
Reaping Scythe. The avatar sweeps its spectral
(3d6) necrotic damage.
scythe through a creature within 5 feet of it, dealing
7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage plus 4 (1d8) necrotic
damage.

26
Death
Ruler of Necropolis and spectre of negative energy, Entropy. Creatures that successfully strike Death
Death rules his domain with dour silence and bitter with a melee attack must succeed on a Constitution
resentment for Azalin’s control of Darkon. saving throw (DC26) or fall to 0 hit points. Non-mag-
ical weapons or objects that touch Death immedi-
Drowning Dreams. Death wrestles with dark ately shatter into pieces.
thoughts which keep it occupied for years at a time.
It spends most of its time in quiet contemplation of Life Aversion. Death has the following restrictions.
these horrors. 1. Forbiddance. Death cannot harm those who carry
new life inside them, or those who are assisting/
Ideal. “Control of Darkon will be mine.” have assisted with a birth in the last 13 days.
Bond. “I loathe Azalin and all his creations.” 2. Fear of the Wheel. Death recoils from objects that
symbolise new life. What constitutes such an object
Flaw. “Symbols of life and fertility terrify me, and
is open to the DM’s interpretation, but Death loses
remind me there are greater powers than death.”
its Turn Immunity against characters wielding such
an object. Death is not immune to the Turn Undead
Death feature of Life domain clerics.
Medium elemental, chaotic evil 3. Cry of the Newborn. The cry of a baby younger
than 13 months of age is anathema to death. If
Armor Class 17 Death hears such a cry, it becomes Frightened of
Hit Points 333 the source of the noise (bypassing its immunities).
Speed fly 60 ft. (hover)
Actions
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Multiattack. Death casts a spell and attacks twice
24 (+7) 24 (+7) 24 (+7) 24 (+7) 24 (+7) 24 (+7) with The Touch.
The Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5
Saving Throws STR +14, DEX +14, CON +14, INT +14, ft., one target. Hit: The target drops to 0 hit points.
WIS +14, CHA +14
Damage Vulnerabilities Radiant
Damage Resistances Acid, Lightning
Damage Immunities. Necrotic, Poison, Psychic, Cold, Legendary Actions
Bludgeoning, Piercing & Slashing from non-magical Death can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from
weapons the options below. Only one legendary action option
Condition Immunities All. can be used at a time and only at the end of another
Senses Truesight 120 ft., Passive Perception 17 creature’s turn. It regains spent legendary actions at
Languages Telepathy 120 feet, all languages the start of its turn.
Challenge 25
Touch of Death. Death makes an attack using The
Incorporeal Movement. Death can move through Touch.
other creatures and objects as if they were difficult
terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its Move. Death moves up to its speed.
turn inside an object.
Turning Immunity. Death is immune to features that Gaze of Death. Death casts a spell.
turn undead.
Discorporation. If Death is reduced to 0 hit points, Lair Actions
it vanishes into the ether. It returns to a spot of
its choosing on the same plane of existence in 1d4 When fighting inside its lair, Death can invoke the
days. ambient magic to take lair actions. On initiative
count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Death takes a
Innate Spellcasting. Death’s innate spellcasting
lair action to cause one of the following effects:
ability is Charisma. It can innately cast the following
spells, requiring no material components: • Until initiative count 20 of the next round, all
creatures within 120 feet of Death have their
At will: power word kill
movement speed halved.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Death fails a sav-
• Death targets a corpse it can see. That corpse
ing throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
rises as wight under Death’s control.
Magic Resistance. Death has advantage on saving
throws against spells and other magical effects. • Until initiative count 20 of the next round, all at-
Deadly Chill. Creatures within 30 feet of Death lose tempts to leave the tower are foiled by the Mists
any immunity they possess to fear. Creatures within of Ravenloft - see page 6.
120 feet of Death become frightened of it. Undead
creatures are unaffected.

27