Below the Salt
OriginalOne-Shot · Village mystery and crypt crawl
The dead of Marrowby are going missing from their graves, and the village apothecary thinks she knows why. A short crypt crawl with a mystery at its heart.
Character Level 2
Length 3 hours
Players 3–5
Read Aloud
The Hedge Apothecary leans across her crooked counter, smelling of dried lavender and something sharper. "Three graves opened in a month, and no one in the village will say it out loud, so I will. Something is eating our dead. Something under the old chapel. I'll pay you to go down there and stop it, and I'll pay you more to bring me back one of its fangs."
The rest of this adventure is for your Dungeon Master's eyes only: its secrets, maps, encounters and rewards. No spoilers here. Switch to DM in the header if you're the one running it.
For the DM
Beneath the abandoned chapel lies the crypt of the Salt family, once lords of Marrowby. A barrow centipede has nested in its walls and has been tunnelling into the graveyard to feed. Worse, the Salts were buried with charms against the restless dead, and the centipede's tunnelling has broken them: the old lord's guards are rising.
Scene 1: Marrowby
The party talk to villagers. The gravedigger found strange, numbing bite marks on a dog; the priest won't go near the chapel; a child says she hears clicking under her floor at night. The apothecary, Wren Ashby, provides a map of the crypt and two antitoxin vials.
Scene 2: The Chapel
The chapel floor has collapsed into the crypt. Bats roost in the rafters, and tunnels bored through the graveyard soil lead down.
Disturbed Roost
- 2× Swarm of Bats (CR 1/4)
The bats burst out if anyone enters with a light. They're more frightening than dangerous.
Scene 3: The Salt Crypt
The crypt has three chambers: the guard hall, where the old lord's guards rise from their alcoves; the family tombs, where the broken salt charms can be repaired with a DC 12 Intelligence (Religion) check to put the dead back to rest; and the nest.
The Guard Hall
Repairing the salt charm in the guard hall makes the remaining undead collapse.
The Nest
- 1× Barrow Centipede (CR 2)
The centipede attacks from a hole in the ceiling. Its Grave Scent lets it track wounded characters through the dark.
Characters
Wren Ashby · Hedge Apothecary
Sharp-tongued, curious and fearless. She wants the fang to brew an antivenom, and maybe a poison or two. Use the Hedge Apothecary stat block.
Father Odric · Village priest
Ashamed that he hasn't dealt with the chapel himself. Gives a blessing (Bless, once) to the party if they treat him kindly. Use the Priest stat block.
Rewards
- 40 gp from Wren, 20 gp more for the fang.
- The Salt signet ring (worth 50 gp) and a Potion of Healing from the family tombs.
- Wren's lifelong discount: potions at half price.
Running It
- Lean on the sound: clicking in the walls, the scrape of legs on stone. The centipede is scarier before it appears.
- If the party are struggling, Wren turns up with a lantern and a flask of alchemist's fire.