TOMB OF HORRORS™

ROLEPLAYING GAME ADVENTURE

Ari Marmell • Scott Fitzgerald Gray CRED1TS

Design Art Director Ari Marmell (lead), Scott Fitzgerald Gray Mari Kolkowsky

Development Cover Illustration Stephen Radney­MacFarland (lead), Ralph Horsley Stephen Schubert Graphic Designers Editing Keven Smith, Emi Tanji Cal Moore (lead), Miranda Horner Additional Graphic Design Managing Editing leon Cortez Kim Mohan Interior Illustrations Director of D&D R&D and Book Publishing Kerem Beyit, Zoltan Boros & Gabor Szikszai, Bill Siavicsek Nicole Cardiff, Vincent Dutrait, Steve Ellis, Jason A_ Engle, Warren Mahy, Vincent Proce, D&D Creative Manager Franz Vohwinkel Christopher Perkins Cartographer D&D Design Manager Jason A. Engle James Wyatt Publishing Production Specialist D&D Development and Editing Manager Erin Dorries Andy Collins Prepress Manager D&D Senior Creative Art Director Jefferson Dunlap Jon Schindehette Imaging Technician Carmen Cheung

Production Manager Cynda Callaway

Game rules based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS" rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the later editions by David "Zeb" Cook (2nd Edition);Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison (3rd Edition); and Rob Heinsoo, Andy Collins, and James Wyatt (4th Edition).

620·25385000­001 EN U.S., CANADA, ASIA, PACIFIC , EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS WIZARDS OF THE COAST, BELGIUM 987654321 & LATIN AMERICA Hasbro UK Ltd Industrialaan 1 Fi rst Printing: Wizards ofthe Coast LLC Caswell Way 1702 Groot­Bijgaardcn P.O. Box 707 Newport, Gwent NP9 OYH Belgium July 2010 Renton WA 98057­0707 GREAT BRITAIN +32.070.233.277 ISBN: 978­0­7869­5491­9 +1­800­324­6496 Please keep this address for your records

DUN GEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, d20, d20 System, W,ZARDS OF THE COAST, Player's Handbook, Dunaeon Master's Guide, Monster Manual, Draaon, Tomb ofHorrors, FORGOTTEN REALMS, EBERRON, D&D Insider, Adventurer's Vault, Manual of the Planes, Open Grave: Secrets ofthe Undead, RevenBe of the Giants, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC In the U.S.A_ and other countries. All Wizards characters and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. 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 Wizards of the Coast LLC. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events included herein Is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC.

V1S1T OUR W£BS1T£ AT WWW.DUNG£ONSANDDRAGONS.COM ­­ ­­ ­­­ ~ ­­ - . . CONTENTS

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lNTRODUCTION ...... 4 Encounter M1: Portal Tower ...... 50 Encounter V1: A History of Horror ...... 4 Encounter M1: The Devourer's Welcome ...... 110 When the Dead Scheme ...... 5 The Tower of Test ...... 51 Encounter V1 : Up and Out ...... 111 Adventure Summary ...... 6 Encounter M3: Dark Barrow ...... 55 Encounter V3: Skull Shrine ...... 11 3 Encounter M4: Shadow Gate ...... 56 Encounter V4: I: THE GARDEN Of GRAVES .... 8 The Shadow Tomb ...... S8 Moghadam's End ...... 114 Adventure Synopsis ...... 1 0 Terrain and Features...... 58 Getting Started ...... 10 Planar Crossover ...... 58 4: DEAD GODS' TOMB ...... 118 The First Encounter ...... 11 Shadow Tomb Overview ...... 59 Adventure Synopsis ...... 110 Fey Crossing...... 11 Encounter S1 : Perilous Archways ... 63 What the Characters Know .. . .. 110 Feywild Encounters ...... 11 Encounter 51: Tapestries of Time .. . 66 Acererak's Revenge ...... 110 Features of the Garden ...... 1 3 Encounter 53: Black Well...... 68 Getting Started ...... 110 Planar Crossover ...... 1 3 Encounter 54: Feywild Ruin ...... 70 Endgame ...... 111 Garden of Graves Overview ...... 14 Encounter 55: Dark laboratory .. . . 71 The Ruins of Pluton ...... 111 Conclusion ...... 1 8 Encounter 56: Boneyard Bridge . .. . 74 Pluton Encounters ...... 113 Future Adventures ...... 18 Encounter S7: Shadow Engine . ... . 76 Terrain and Features ...... 113 Encounter W1: Ruins of Pluton Overview ...... 113 Woodland Woes ...... 19 3: SKULL ClTY...... 81 Encounter P1: Blade Gauntlet . .. . 115 Encounter G1: Campfright ...... 10 Adventure Synopsis ...... 84 Encounter P1: The FaJlen ...... 116 Encounter G3: What the Characters Know ...... 84 Encounter P3: Distressing Damsel ...... 11 Getting Started ...... 84 Eldritch Storm Ambush ...... 118 Encounter G 1: Beggars of Stone . .. . 14 Concluding Skull City ...... 85 The Dead Gods' Tomb ...... 130 Encounter G4: Perilous Pool ...... 15 Skull City ...... 86 Terrain and Features ...... 130 Encounter G5: Skull City Encounters ...... 87 Dead Gods' Tomb Overview ....131 Shadows out ofTime ...... 16 Terrain and Features ...... 88 Acererak's Message ...... 133 Encounter G6: Play with Us ...... 18 Skull City Overview ...... 88 Encounter 01: Hidden Temple . . .. 134 Encounter G7: Encounters ...... 89 Encounter 01: Fallen Amoth ...... 136 Death in the Dark...... 30 Encounter C1: Crossfire ...... 90 Encounter 03: Betrayed Tuern .. . . 138 Encounter G8: Dark Angels ...... 31 Encounter C1: Encounter 04: Encounter G9: Faithmarked Ambush ...... 91 A Prayer for He Who Was...... 140 Broken Catacombs ...... 34 Encounter C3: Courtyard Clash . .. . 94 Encounter 05: Wild Game ...... 141 Encounter G1 0: Wild at Heart ..... 37 Encounter C4: Encounter 06: liquid Night ...... 144 5kullbreaker Standoff ...... 96 Encounter D7; Black Pool ...... 1'46 2: THE TOMB Of SHADOWS.... 41 The Haven ...... 98 Encounter 08: Reaper's End ...... 148 Adventure Synopsis ...... 44 A Point of light ...... 98 Encounter 09: Astral Engine ...... 150 What the Characters Know ...... 44 Answers and Questions ...... 98 Acererak's End? ...... 151 Getting Started ...... 44 The Abandoned Tomb ...... 99 Final Confrontation ...... 1 51 A Glimpse of Darkness ...... 45 Terrain and Features ...... 99 Aftermath ...... 151 No Rest for the Weary ...... 45 One More Encounter ...... 99 Hunting the Demilich ...... 151 Concluding the Abandoned Tomb Overview .. ... 99 Cryptic Replies ...... 151 Tomb of Shadows ...... 46 Encounter T1: A longer Hunt...... 153 The Exit Portal ...... 46 Chorus ofthe Dead ...... 101 Encounters within the Tomb .... 153 Future Adventures ...... 46 Encounter n: Shrouded Dead .... 104 Encounter T4: Moil, the City that Waits...... 47 Encounter T3: Acererak's last Stand ...... 154 Arriving in Moil ...... 47 lady of the Mists ...... 106 Concluding the Adventure ...... 158 Random Encounters ...... 47 The Vault of Betrayal...... 108 Victory! ...... 1 58 The Tortured Vestige ...... 47 Vault Overview ...... 108 Success ...... 1 58 Terrain and Features ...... 48 Ruinblade ...... 109 Defeat ...... 159 Moil Overview ...... 49 Afterword ...... 159 .­­.­.­.­.­. ­.­.­.­ -.• FEW VILLAINS throughout the history of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game have a legacy as A HISTORY OF HORROR daurJting as that ofAcererak the demilich. From the earliest days ofthe game, tales of his lair have spread Acererak was born of the union between a balor throughout populations ofbold characters and fasci- named Tarnhem and a human named Kecethri. nated players alike. It was a short adventure that first Kecethri raised Acererak at the fringes ofsociety, introduced Acererak and his penchant for fiendish afraid ofwhat might occur ifthe people ofher town traps, but that adventure's name has lived on through- learned ofher son's half­demon heritage. But they out every incarnation of the game. You know it, of did find out, and in his tenth year, Acererak could course, as Gary Gygax's original Tomb ofHorrors. only watch as a mob lynched his mother and burned It's time to bring Acererak's legacy to today's garners. their home to the ground. Only Acererak's inhuman The 4th Edition Tomb ofHorrors is not a simple con- nature allowed him to survive long enough to flee. version ofthe original adventure. Why not? In addition The events ofhis life between his childhood to the fact that many players are familiar with the origi- escape and his reemergence as a potent wielder of nal adventure in one way or another, the game play arcane powers are vague. Some claim that he began and design aesthetics ofthe game have evolved over the searching at a young age for a means ofbecoming various editions; it would be doing both the 4th Edition undead, to escape the life he found so wretched. game and the original adventure a disservice for us to Other tales maintain that Acererak apprenticed with simply convert the latter to the former and call it a day. none other than Vecna himself, while the latter was Instead, this adventure involves the characters in still a Iich and had not ascended to divinity. Acererak's ongoing schemes, exploring not one but Whatever the truth, Acererak resurfaced as a three other "tombs of horror," created by the demilich worshiper of Orcus, using the cult's resources to for his own inscrutable purposes. Like the 2nd Edi- construct a number oflairs and tombs­the most infa- tion game's boxed set Return to the Tomb ofHorrors by mous ofwhich would become known as the Tomb of Bruce R. Cordell, this adventure builds on Acererak's Horrors. Some sources claim that Acererak was using legacy and finds inspiration in the original. Orcus's worshipers to complete his own schemes, and We hope we've done a good enough job that you, that he felt no true loyalty to the demon prince. your players, and their characters­those who survive- During this time, Acererak relocated to Bael will agree that we've created something worthy ofthe Turath, finding some acceptance from the tieflings, "Tomb ofHorrors" title. who, though connected to devils rather than demons,

US1NG TH1S ADVENTURE This adventure is not a single set of encounters designed Horrors adventures are known for their extreme difficulty; to be run consecutively. Instead, its structure allows you if you want to set that tone, consider running each chap- to weave Acererak's schemes throughout an ongoing cam- ter with player characters who are about two levels lower paign by presenting four separate adventures intended than the standard requirement. for different levels. Thus, it becomes a recurring plotline To run this adventure, you need the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS fl throughout most of the characters' adventuring careers, Player's Handbook®, Monster Manua/ " and DunBeon Master's allOWing Acererak's presence to loom over the characters Guide !!> . Some of the material in this book is drawn from for far longer than a single adventure. If you choose to Monster M anual~ 1, Adventurer's Vault'", Open Grave: Secrets run these adventures at a "standard" difficulty, Chapter 1 of the Undeacf", Manual of the Planes'", Droaon®magazine, is intended for 10th­level, characters, Chapter 2 for 14th- and various adventures; these books, although helpful, level characters, Chapter 3 for 17th­level characters, and are not essential for play. D&D®DunBeon TIles and D&D® Chapter 4 for 22nd­level characters. However, the Tomb of Miniatures can also enhance your play experience. were more accepting of those who had mixed and Utilizing his tomb. the dying city ofMoil in the Z otherworldly parentage. He. in turn. related to them Shadowfell. and his Fortress of Conclusion in its own 0 better than he did to any other race. due to their pocket dimension. Acererak planned to use the souls I• U ability to appreciate his heritage. He dwelt among ofthe world's greatest heroes to empower a ritual ::l them. feeling at least partly at home. but he knew that that would allow him to take possession of all undead Cl this relative peace could not last. It was during that throughout the planes. granting him true immortal• 0 time that he first began studying the methods and ity and sufficient power to ensure that all the living ~ means ofbecoming a Iich. (Ifthey played through the would suffer as he himselfhad suffered. Z Revenae ofthe Giants" adventure. your players­albeit As it happened. Acererak underestimated the skill probably not their current characters­might have of the final group ofadventurers to brave his tomb. and helped Acererak take a vital step along that path.) they were able to thwart his efforts. The demilich's Once he attained lichdom. Acererak ceased paying ritual was disrupted. the device he used to store the homage to Orcus. lending credence to the notion that soul energy was destroyed. and Acererak was all but his worship had never been more than a means to obliterated-his essence left to Ooat in the void between an end. He confined himself to his tomb, spending planes. powerless and helpless for all time. years in study and honing his powers to prepare for Or so everyone believed. his ultimate triumph. Eventually. his undead body Though it took him decades. Acererak has wasted away. leaVing him as a demilich­an animated resumed his physical form through sheer force of skull­and still he prepared. will. plotting a new scheme during that period that Slowly. Acererak allowed rumors of his tomb. and could potentially gain him even more power than he the great treasure supposedly buried there. to spread. had before . .- -.-- .-.--.-.-- _ ._- ­­.­_.­­.• .--._._- .-.-.• WHEN THE DEAD SCHEME

The wise understand that substantial power can structures and complexes constructed in specific pat• be found among the souls ofthe dead. For ages. the terns whose inner surfaces are covered in thousands Raven Queen. Orcus, and Vecna have competed for ofarcane runes. all with a single purpose-to channel this power. hoping to learn what lies beyond the veil e1dritch energy to Acererak for his use. ofdeath through which even the gods cannot peer• Each engine also contains enough traps, puzzles. or. at least. to control the Oow ofsouls. and energy. and monsters to keep meddling fools, especially those beyond that veil. redirecting them to their own ends. of the adventurer variety that has plagued him in the Acererak hasn't changed his stripes either; as past. from learning the truth ofthe engines' purpose. before. he seeks to use powerful rituals to obtain Acererak. after all. has his own way ofdoing things. power over the entire world. But the demilich knows Given time. these engines constructed as dun• better than to compete with divinity. He lets the gods geons will channel enough planar energy to Acererak and devils squabble over the souls ofmortals while to allow him to absorb the lingering power ofhistory's he seeks his power among the souls ofdivine beings. dead gods-and even the living gods can scarcely Acererak knows that history has shown that imagine what the demilich might do with such power even the gods can die: Tuern the war god, slain by at his command. his brother Bane; Nerull. whose throne the Raven Queen now occupies; Amoth. thrown down by Orcus. POEMS AND PUZZLES Demogorgon. and Rimmon; all-seeing Semuet. whose So why, ifhe's so eager to prevent anyone from interfering body remains inhabited by the Far Realm essence with his schemes, does Acererak leave poems and clues Kabu-Athla; and, ofcourse. He Who Was, murdered for meddling adventurers to find? Rather than filling the by rebellious Asmodeus. These, and others who are dungeons with puzzles, why not seal them away entirely? lost to time. have proved that the "immortal" gods are Acererak is, frankly, insane ... and always has been. He's nothing ofthe kind. and it is from this fact that Acer• a being of almost godlike power and a schemer on par with erak seeks to draw power. None can say whether the the most devious of devils. But buried away at the core of spirits ofgods pass on to an afterlife as mortals do, but his soul, so deeply that even he is not aware of it, is the the power they once held must still be present. and the psyche of a young cambion boy who is furious at the world demilich is determined to make that power his own. that so terribly mistreated him. It's not enough for Acererak Acererak has spent years preparing himself. per• to win; he has to prove his superiority by saying, "I gave you forming rituals. ensuring that the stars are aligned. a chance, and you still weren't smart enough to beat mel" and constructing his great eldritch engines. These All his arrogance, and also the dues and hints he leaves engines are more than just machines. They contain behind, stem from this Single unshakable compulsion. devices ofalchemical and arcane nature. as well as within this tomb, the characters learn that their recur• ring foe is none other than the infamous lich Acererak. Chapter 3: Skull City brings the characters to This adventure occurs not only in different regions, the original site of the Tomb of Horrors to further but in different planes. To most effectively capture investigate Acererak's plots and gain inSight into the and control the vast power he seeks, Acererak must demilich's plans. The characters must navigate the draw on multiple types ofenergy. From the Feywild, labyrinthine streets, and the even more complicated he taps the essence of nature and life itself, which factional politics, of the City. By asking the right ques• will enable him to more easily contain the divine tions and following the right leads, the characters power he plans to absorb. From the Shadow fell, he learn the truth ofwhat Acererak is trying to accom• draws the energy ofdeath and spirit, which he will plish. They also discover that the original tomb is an use to bond the divine power to his undead form. abandoned ruin that has had its magic and powers From the broken astral dominion of Pluton, former drained by the demilich for his nefarious purposes. domain ofNerull, he draws the power of the dead Chapter 4: Dead Gods' Tomb occurs within gods from the ambient Astral Sea. the shattered dominion of Pluton as the characters Severing Acererak's access to the Feywild and the follow clues from their previous adventures (and any Shadowfell at this point won't prevent him from com• other linking adventures you include) that lead to pleting the ritual-he has already absorbed too much Acererak's lair. Fighting through the denizens ofthis energy, and he has secondary complexes in both horrific domain, the characters confront Acererak planes that, though weaker than his primary tombs, to put a stop to his ritual. If they succeed, it is not the can at least prevent his rituals from collapsing-but it end, however, because Acererak's true body is not will slow him down, because he'll be forced to devote present. The characters must track him down one last more effort to keeping the divine energy in check. time, while he remains vulnerable, and engage him Discovering and stopping Acererak's plans is an in a final battle to rid the world of his evil forever. adventure that has four parts. Chapter 1: The Garden of Graves has the player PLANAR CROSSOVER characters begin investigating some oddness in the The tombs in the Feywild, the Shadowfell, and behavior of the local wildlife and the local fey. After Pluton, as well as the original Abandoned Tomb, traveling to the Feywild, the characters must navigate are linked by the energy that Acererak is channel• through a tomb complex constructed from stones ing through them (or, in the case of the Abandoned taken from fey burial cairns. Winning through, the Tomb, the energy that has already been drained from characters come to learn that they have impeded and it). Characters who succeed on an Arcana check to interfered with the plans ofsome greater power, but detect magic in one tomb might receive flashes or not who or what that power might be. visions ofone of the other tombs, and each tomb Chapter 2: The Tomb ofShadows takes the has one or more sections that exist in one of the characters to the city ofMoil in the Shadowfell as part other planes. (For instance, entering one particular ofan investigation into a plague ofundead. Moil, the building in the Feywild complex briefly depOSits the City that Waits, is slowly sinking into a bog ofnecrotic characters in a similar structure in the Shadowfell, in energy, and the characters soon find themselves within Pluton, or in the Abandoned Tomb.) Information on another tomb complex that has been built under the these visions (and the other tombs) can be found in surface ofthis necrotic sludge. During their adventures each individual chapter.

HOW TO USE TH1S ADVENTURE This adventure can be used as an ongoing plotline during You should read through the entire adventure at least a long-term campaign and is written with that purpose in once, because secrets and dues are revealed throughout. mind. However, you can also use each chapter as its own At the least, you should familiarize yourself with the individual adventure without links to any larger plodine; introduction and overview sections of the first chap• you only need to come up with some other villains and ter to form a solid idea of how events play out. Look motivations, or modify Acererak's current motivations. through the first few encounters as well. You can then Each chapter begins with a synopsis and plot hooks. read through the further encounters as the characters The events and overview of the adventure are shown next, progress. Repeat this process for each chapter as your followed by encounter areas and "pOint of view" artwork campaign nears the appropriate level. Once you're ready that you can show your players. This book also contains to begin, provide your players with one or more of the a pull-out poster map that is depicted in several of the adventure hooks from the chapter you're running, and adventure's encounters and rendered in a scale intended you're ready to go. for use with D&D Miniatures. LEARNING EXPERIENCES just their characters. Rather than solving problems through die rolls, the players had to figure out the Some encounters in this adventure can be solved meanings ofsubtle clues and think their way out of through either a skill challenge or combat; those trouble. encounters specify that the characters gain XP for suc- No homage would be worthy ofthe "Tomb of ceeding on the challenge or for winning the combat, Horrors" name ifit didn't present the same sorts of but not for both. This prevents characters from gaining challenges. Throughout this adventure, you'll find a experience for overcoming the same encounter twice. smattering of puzzles that require great thought not Similarly, the opportunity exists in some chap- only from the characters, but also from the players. ters for the characters to engage in skill challenges Not everyone is accustomed to that sort ofgame to question foes, obtaining information either from play. Ifyour players seem truly stuck on a challenge, prisoners or their bodies (using the Speak with and they've given it their best try but the game has Dead ritual). Characters gain experience for these ground to a halt, consider allowing a skill check­not challenges only ifthey undertake them for a legiti- to solve the puzzle, but to gain a hint. For instance, mate reason. For instance, ifthe characters capture if the characters are at location 13 of the Garden of multiple foes in an encounter and gain all relevant Graves and don't think to refer back to the sundial information by questioning one ofthem, they don't at location 9, you might allow an Intelligence check, gain another reward for questioning a second one. and on a success, then say, "The numbers along the wall are sculpted almost exactly like the numbers you PUZZLING IT OUT saw on the sundial." "This dungeon has more tricks and traps than it has These types ofchecks should have a moderate DC monsters to fight," Gary Gygax writes in the original for the encounter's level (Dungeon Master's Guide, page Tomb ofHorrors. "This is a thinking person's module, 42). Give these sorts ofhints only ifthe players are and ifyour group is a hack and slay gathering, they truly stymied and only ifyour group would appreci- will be unhappy." ate them; some players might prefer to succeed or fail The Tomb ofHorrors adventures are well known without any aid from you. for presenting puzzles to challenge the players, not

STEP AND OlE The original Tomb ofHorrors was known for its lethality. Many you might decide that the necrotic energy and other magic of its traps and tricks were unforgiving and could easily kill of Acererak's tombs make healing and recovery difficult. a character who made a Single wrong choice or poor die If the characters rest within the Garden of Graves, the roll. Although this style of play is not popular with most Shadow Tomb, or anywhere in Pluton, they recover one garners, who prefer their characters to have more of a fight- less healing surge for each consecutive extended rest they ing chance, there are those who do enjoy such challenges. take in those locations. So, for example, they regain their If this adventure as written doesn't strike you as tough total healing surges minus one after the first extended rest, enough, consider making the following alterations. These they recover their total healing surges minus two after the changes are not mechanically balanced by the game rules, second extended rest, and so on. so be prepared for a lot of character death­and make As an alterative (or in addition to the previous limita- absolutely certain that your entire group wants such an tion), any character who takes an extended rest in these experience. locations does not gain an action point after that rest. Player Skill Only: Don't allow Intelligence checks or Quick Death: Due to the magic and necromancy of skill checks to help the characters solve riddles or puzzles. Acererak's minions and tombs, a character who is reduced If the players cannot figure them out, they're stuck. If you to 0 hit points or fewer while within any of the locations go this route, you run the risk of bogging the game down detailed in this book dies after failing fewer than three in spots where the characters aren't dead but cannot con- death saving throws. For a greater risk of death, consider tinue, but it does invoke the feel of the original adventure. changing the death saving throw limit to two, or one while Bolster Trap Damage: Whenever a trap or a hazard the characters are in Pluton. causes damage, increase the damage by half. Do not make Terrifying Soul Drain: According to the rules for Acer- this adjustment for monsters, unless those monsters are erak's drain soul power (Open Grave, page 201), a creature summoned or created by the trap, puzzle, or skill challenge whose soul is destroyed can still be brought back to life (such as the mad wraiths in the encounter on page 26). In by a Raise Dead ritual. Acererak and the creatures serving those cases, since the creatures are essentially part of the him use this drain soul power throughout the adventure. trap, modify their damage accordingly. You could decide that a creature whose soul is destroyed Recovery: Although some of the dungeons throughout this way cannot come back by means of that ritual, or this adventure already have some restrictions on resting, through any other revivifying method. FOR ACERERAK'S schemes. it is not enough to draw upon the strength of the dead deities whose power he plans to usurp, or to focus upon the necrotic energy that empower his own unliving form. To fully absorb and control these powers that will allow him to manipulate reality, the demilich must also tap into the energy of nature and life­the essence of the world. For this reason. Acererak came to the Feywild. and it is there that the characters­albeit aCcidentally and unknowingly­will interfere with the machinations of this most ancient foe . Chapter 1 begins in the mortal world, where the characters experience an encounter that is strange even for an interaction with the fey. Following up on this encounter. whether immediately or in a later adventure. the characters find themselves drawn through a fey crossing into the Feywild. While in that realm. they must confront a number ofchallenges and puzzles­ placed before them by the fey and by Acererak. though the characters do not yet know of his involvement­ to win through to the heart of the tomb located in the Garden ofGraves. Once they enter the tomb. the characters receive their first real clues that they have become involved in something far larger than a single isolated event.

C HAPTER I The Garden of Graves