Introduction: This adventure was originally written as a side quest

for a party playing the Hoard of the Dragon Queen published

adventure and took place during the journey from Baldurs Gate to
Waterdeep as they passed through the Fields of the Dead. You can
easily change the locale and the hook to match your own campaign.

A four-hour adventure for 4th level characters

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Under the Barrow

Introduction
Under the Barrow is a four-hour standalone
adventure set in the Fields of the Dead area of the
Forgotten Realms. It is designed for a party of four
4th level player characters (PCs)
The adventure takes place after the party have
made camp with the caravan one night in the
Fields of the Dead. One of the other travelers,
Green Isma, wanders away from the caravan and
is subsequently abducted.
If you wish you can move this adventure to
elsewhere in the realms and even use a different
hook without impacting the adventure at all.
Appendix A includes two sets pre-generated
maps, labelled maps for the DM and maps without
the labels for the players.

Synopsis

2. Barrow Entrance
Encounter Difficulty: Hard (300 XP)
SETUP
Following the trail, the PCs reach a small, rocky
hill. A trail runs up one side of the hill to a barrow
entrance at the summit with several undead
guarding the area.
The undead will attack anyone that attempts to
climb the hill to enter the barrow. If the party are
attempting to approach stealthily, their skill check
must beat the Wights passive perception score or
13
See Appendix A for a map of the hill.
This encounter includes the following creatures:
1 Wight (MM 300)
1 Minotaur Skeleton (MM 273)
2 Skeletons (MM 272)

With the caravan to Waterdeep camped for the

night in the Fields of the Dead, one of the travelers
wanders off into the plains where she is abducted
by a Necromancer wanting to use her body as a
new host for his master. The PCs track her to a
barrow where they must fight their way through the
undead guardians to rescue her.

General Features
Illumination: The two torches at either side of
the barrow entrance each shed bright light in a 20foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet.
The rest of the area is in darkness

1. Abduction

Heading north from the camp, you soon come

across a small area where the ground has been
disturbed by struggle. Its quite evident that
someone tried to put up a fight, but was quickly
restrained. Clearly visible tracks lead away to the
north west.

The adventure starts after a traveler with the

caravan wanders away from the camp. Read the
following:
As you settle down for the night with the activity of
the caravans camp fading as people prepare to
rest for the evening, a scream pierces the air.
One of the guards rushes from the edge of the
camp and explains that Green Isma, one of the
other travelers, had walked from the camp a short
while earlier, claiming that she had sensed
something unusual to the north and he fears that
the scream was hers.
The caravan leaders will request that the PCs, who
are all hardened adventurers, search for Isma
while the camp itself will stay on a high alert for
any suspicious activity.

Read the following:

Following the trail leads you to a track leading up a

small rocky hill. At its summit, there is a large
menhir and two lit torches in sconces. There is a
dark opening in front of the stone with a mist
seeping out of it.
On the hill you can see a pale, eerie figure in
archaic armor next to a hulking, horned skeleton,
tatters of flesh still hanging from its bones. Two
smaller skeletons guard the trail leading to the
entrance

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Under the Barrow

If the PCs decide not to investigate, you can draw

them in with another scream coming from the
barrow.
Once the undead have been dealt with, read the
following:
As the final enemy falls, you hear another piercing
scream issue from the entrance.
You can see a section of the hilltop that has
collapsed inwards, exposing a steep slope heading
down into the bowels of the hill.

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Under the Barrow

3. Inside the Barrow

Read the following when the PCs enter the

chamber:

The remainder of the adventure takes place within

the barrow. Appendix A contains a full map of the
barrow.

You enter a large chamber that contains a massive

amount of debris, the ceiling in the north western
corner has collapsed completely and there are
multiple broken stone tables. Rusted and broken
apparatus used for preparation of the dead is
scattered across the chamber. There is a large,
rusted metal door in the eastern wall that is flanked
by two ornate suits of plate armor

Torches have been placed in wall sconces

throughout the barrow, so the entire dungeon is
well lit.

3.1. Entrance
No encounter
Read the following:
The collapsed entrance leads to a small shrine,
emblems of a white skull on an inverted, black kite
shield adorn the walls and a small altar. A light
mist flows around your ankles and you can detect
a faint smell of rot and decay in the damp air.

Only the suit to the south of the door is a helmed

horror, the other is a decoy suit of plate armor. If
the PCs have taken the keystone from the
Necromancer, they can pass through the door
without triggering an attack by the horror.

To the north, a doorway opens out into a room that

has several pieces of rotten furniture and a large
pool of tepid dark water has gathered on the floor
where a leak in the ceiling has allowed water into
the barrow. Two passageways lead off this
chamber, one to the north and another to the west.
General Features: The symbols on the walls and
altar can be identified with a successful DC 10
Intelligence (Religion) check. They are all
dedications to Myrkul, the God of the Dead.

3.2. Preparation Chamber

Encounter Difficulty: Hard (275 XP)
SETUP
A helmed horror stands guard in front of the door
leading to the Necromancers chambers. It will only
attack when someone attempts to open the door
and does not possess the keystone held by the
Necromancer. The door is not locked.
This encounter includes the following creatures.
1 Helmed Horror (MM 183)

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Under the Barrow

Once the PCs successfully open through the door,

read the following:
You open the door and your noses are assailed by
the foul stench of rot and decay. You see a
passage heading to the east that opens up into
another chamber. Another corridor leads to the
north with a closed door at the end.

3.3. Crypt
Encounter Difficulty: Medium (200 XP)
SETUP
This chamber has a Ghast and two Ghouls that
are feasting on the remains of corpses that were
interred here. They will attack the PCs when they
approach, hoping to have fresh meat to feast
upon.
This encounter includes the following creatures.
1 Ghast (MM 148)
2 Ghouls (MM 148)
Read the following as the PCs approach the
chamber. You may need to adjust slightly if the
PCs decide to approach stealthily.
This room is a fair sized crypt, with shelves for the
entombed lining the walls. Water leeching from the
ceiling has caused a large pool of dark, disgusting
water to settle on the floor. Jars and baskets of
corpses that were interred here have fallen into the
pit and the water is black with their contagion.
There are three putrid, grey skinned figures in this
room, feasting upon what is left of the remaining
corpses. As you enter, with the scent of fresh meat
near, the undead turn and leap at you
If the few remaining corpses, jars and urns are
searched, coinage and archaic jewelry worth a
total of 50gp is discovered, but anyone searching
must make a DC15 CON save or be poisoned for
10 minutes due to the contagion in the water

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Under the Barrow

3.4. Necromancers Quarters

No Encounter
Read the following.
This small, well preserved room has been
converted to a study and sleeping chamber. One
of the stone tables from the preparation chamber
has been moved here and repurposed as a desk,
and a bedroll has been set up in the far corner. On
the desk are two full potion vials and two scrolls as
well as a tattered dark tome
The items on the desk are:

Scroll of Mirror Image

Scroll of Animate Dead
Potion of Fire Breath (a flickering orange
liquid with smoke filling the top of the
container)
Potion of Greater Healing (a red liquid that
glimmers when agitated)
Tome contains detailed descriptions of
various types of undead and has notes
describing rites, rituals and ceremonies
relating to undead and their raising.

The statue is of the god Mrykul, if the PCs failed

the earlier Intelligence (Religion) check, they can
make another check now, DC 10 to pass.
The hand holding the pearl is trapped and requires
a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check to detect
the trap. The trap can be disarmed with a
successful DC 15 Dexterity check using Thieves
Tools.
If the pearl is removed without the trap being
disabled first, the scythe arm will swing at the PC.
Make a melee attack with a +8 bonus against the
PC that moved the pearl. If a PC is hit, they take 7
(2d6) slashing damage and 7 (2d6) necrotic
damage.
The pearl is magical (Pearl of Power, DMG 184)
Pearl of Power
Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement
by a spellcaster)
While this pearl is on your person, you can use an
action to speak its command word and regain one
expended spell slot. If the expended slot was of
4th level or higher, the new slot is 3rd level. Once
you use the pearl, it cant be used again until the
next dawn.

3.5. Burial Chamber

3.6. Supply Room

Encounter Difficulty: Easy (100 XP if the trap is

successfully disarmed or avoided)

No Encounter
Read the following.

The PCs can find a useful magic item here if they

can bypass the trapped statue.
Read the following.
Through the passage is a large burial chamber,
there are five burial mounds, four of which have
been unearthed. Each mound has a chest in front
of it, but all of them already stand open. There is a
large statue on the northern wall, sculpted in long,
flowing robes, one hand holds a razor sharp
scythe, the other hand is outstretched, palm up. A
large silvery pearl rests on the statues palm. Two
doorways lead out of the chamber, one to the
south and the other to the west.

This room has been repurposed as a supply room,

crates are stacked in the south west and north
east corners.
It will take the PCs twenty minutes to thoroughly
search the crates, if they search the crates before
rescuing Isma, remind them that they are against
the clock by having them, hear another scream.
Upon fully searching the crates they find:

A pair of magical gloves (Gloves of

Missile Snaring, DMG 172)
40 days of rations
10 GP
100 SP

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Under the Barrow

Gloves of Missile Snaring

Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
These gloves seem to almost meld into your hands
when you don them. When a ranged weapon
attack hits you while youre wearing them, you can
use your reaction to reduce the damage by 1d10 +
your Dexterity modifier, provided that you have a
free hand. If you reduce the damage to 0, you can
catch the missile if it is small enough for you to
hold in that hand.

3.7. Ruined Chapel

Encounter Difficulty: Medium (225 XP)
SETUP
This chamber has two Ogre Zombies which will
attack the PCs at first sight. The wreckage
scattered about the ruined chapel makes the entire
area count as difficult terrain for Medium sized and
smaller creatures
This encounter includes the following creatures:
2 Ogre Zombie (MM 316)
Read the following as the PCs enter the chamber.
You enter a vast chamber, smashed furniture is
scattered about the floor. A passageway leads out
of the chamber to the south. Before you can go
any farther, two extremely large, hungry Zombies
charge towards you their loud groan echoing in the
room
An examination of the wreckage shows that this
room used to be a chapel, the remnants of pews
are scattered about the floor. There is nothing of
any use here however.

3.8. The Rescue

Encounter Difficulty: Hard (300 XP plus 100 XP
if the trap is successfully disarmed or avoided)
SETUP
The PCs must first open the door to the final room,
bypassing the trap before dealing with the
Necromancer and his Wight bodyguard. The Wight
will attempt to block the doorway, allowing his
master to cast spells from range at the PCs.
This encounter includes the following creatures:
1 Necromancer (Cult Fanatic MM 345)
1 Wight (MM 300)
Read the following as the PCs enter the corridor.
The walls of this passage have been intricately
carved with bas-relief scenes of humanoids being
killed by various methods, a Grim Reaper like
figure standing over each and every one. You
make your way down the passageway and around
the corner, in front of you is a metal door that has
started to corrode. As you approach, another
piercing scream fills the air, issued from the room
behind the door.

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Under the Barrow

The corridor running east to west is trapped, when

a hidden pressure plate in front of the door is
stepped on, poison-tipped darts shoot from springloaded tubes concealed in the walls. The tiny holes
in the walls are cleverly hidden amongst the
carvings.
A character searching the area for traps can find
the holes and the pressure plate with a successful
DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check.

As the last enemy expires, a ghostly vision of a

skull with emeralds embedded in its eye sockets
takes shape in the air above Isma and speaks:
This was to be my new host. You have delayed my
plans mortals, this shall not be forgotten
The vision then fades from view.

The trap can be disabled by wedging an iron spike

or similar object under the pressure plate or by
stuffing the holes in the walls with cloth or wax to
prevent the darts from launching.

The Necromancer has in one of his pockets a

large Topaz (500 GP), if the Helmed Horror in area
3.2 has not been defeated, there is a minor
magical aura emanating from the gem.

If the trap is triggered, each creature in the corridor

is subjected to a ranged attack with a +8 bonus.
Anyone hit suffers 2 (1d4) Piercing damage and
must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving
throw, taking 5 (1d10) poison damage and be
poisoned for 1 hour, if their save is successful,
they are not poisoned and take half as much
damage.

This gem is a keystone that will allow the PCs to

pass by the Helmed Horror without it attacking
them.

When the door is opened, read the following.

On opening the door, you are presented with a
large stone altar dedicated to Myrkul with an
unconscious Green Isma strapped to it. Behind the
altar stands a humanoid cloaked in large, hooded,
flowing robes which hide his features. He is
holding an ornate sacrificial dagger above Ismas
breast. In front of the altar, blocking the doorway is
a large Wight.
As you enter the room, the robed figure snarls a
curse and orders the Wight to attack while
attacking with his own spells
The Wight will stay in the doorway, preventing the
PCs from reaching the Necromancer without
suffering attacks of opportunity while the
Necromancer will cast spells from the rear, his first
action will be to cast Hold Person on a PC in the
doorway, hopefully preventing any one else from
entering the room.
Once the Necromancer and Wight are defeated,
read the following.

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Under the Barrow

4. Wrap Up
With the Necromancer and his minions defeated,
the PCs can safely return to the caravan with
Green Isma where they will be thanked and
congratulated and their renown will grow.
The vision of the floating skull is a protagonist that
can be used in the partys later adventures.

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Under the Barrow

Appendix A: Maps
Barrow Entrance GM Map

One Square Equals 5 feet

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Under the Barrow

10

The Barrow GM Map

One Square Equals 5 feet

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Under the Barrow

11

Barrow Entrance PCs Map

One Square Equals 5 feet

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Under the Barrow

12

The Barrow PCs Map

One Square Equals 5 feet

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Under the Barrow

13