Borough Bound

Sootwyn Barrow 02 - The Cemetery

Added 2022-10-26 16:23:14 +0000 UTC

She's building an army...

Welcome back to Sootwyn Barrow, all! This week, we're taking a look at the cemetery, a miserable battlefield your players will have to trudge through time and time again on the way to Vasile's Tomb. This is the perfect opportunity for you to either experiment with horde mechanics or for you to plop in your mini horror encounters in the middle of the quest. Let's take a look!

Borough Guide

Our borough guide this week introduces you to the necromancer Ingrid Drethi'al and her legion of loyal skeletons. We've got some great tables in this one, including a goofy list of potential skeletal quirks and complications your party might face as they march east. Plus, we take a deep dive into Ingrid, the origins of the Stain, and how the this Barrow Lord might influence the adventure. There's a lot of guidance here about how you can spice up what would seem like a simple trip from the town to the tomb.

Maps

I'm sure this map will inevitably find its way into a number of campaigns. Folks always need a cemetery! A stream bisecting the map might give your players a hint that Vasile is not the vampire people say he is. A maypole is presented for maximal creepy factor, and crows deliver riddles from atop a stony arch.

Patrons at the Chief Courier tier or higher gain access to Ingrid's illusory lair, hidden amongst the thicket of brambles. Let's see if players even find this location. It'll require them to explore the thicket, which... y'know, it doesn't look very inviting.

Music

You need some dungeon music. Here's some dungeon music. "Unsanguine" is your creepy gothic exploration tune. Unpleasant string harmonies evoke all those classic horror moods that you need. A combat variant should set the mood for duking it out with skeletons your party engages with the more distasteful aspects of exploring the barrow.