KRAWLITY HOUSE No longer mourn for me when I am dead than you shall hear the surly sullen bell Give warning to the world that I am fled From this vile world, with vilest worms to dwell. William Shakespeare, Sonett 71 Sample file Page 3 KRAWLITY HOUSE Introduction I’ve always thought one of the most evocative foes Other sources in a Dungeons and Dragons game is the elder power Information about Baldur’s Gate and the Kyuss and its minions of undead spawn animated by Forgotten Realms for this adventure comes primarily green worms, which was first described in 1981’s from these Dungeons and Dragons products: Fiend Folio. Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, by Ed During the third-edition era, good use was made Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams and Rob of this motif, from the Spawn of Kyuss in Monster Heinsoo, c. 2001 Manual 2 to the adventure path Age of Worms that Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, by Bruce R. appeared in Dungeon magazine issues 124-135. Kyuss Cordell, Ed Greenwood and Chris Sims, c. 2008 received extensive treatment in the 2007 companion Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster’s Forgotten supplements Elder Evils and Exemplars of Evil. Realms by Ed Greenwood, c. 2012 The lore of Kyuss was used in fourth edition in Murder in Baldur’s Gate, by Ed Greenwood and 2009’s Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead. Matt Sernett and others, c. 2013 The inclusion of the Spawn of Kyuss in 2016’s Hoard of the Dragon Queen, by Wolfgang Baur Volo’s Guide to Monsters for fifth edition inspired me to and Steve Winter, c. 2014 write a Kyuss-themed introductory adventure. Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, by Steve Kenson Although that creature does not appear in this and others, c. 2015 adventure, I’m hopeful the encounters are useful in Volo’s Guide to Monsters, by Mike Mearls, Jeremy laying the groundwork to a series of adventures with Crawford and others, c. 2016 Kyuss as a central figure. By the end of this adventure, Krawlity House, the player characters will have been introduced to the Table of Contents threat posed by the cult of Kyuss. There is a Course of Adventure ...............................................5 mysterious figure — Ransom Krawlity — whose and Background .....................................................5 location, scheme and aims have yet to be uncovered. A Fortunate Turn ....................................................6 And the players will have a home base (supported Map of Baldur’s Gate ...............................................7 by the Temple of Tymora) from which to investigate Meeting Miristum ....................................................7 how the cult has infiltrated all aspects of Baldur’s Healing Services ......................................................8 Gate government and society. Dealing with Squatters ............................................8 Destroy from within is a common Kyuss theme, Getting the lowdown ................................................8 and this adventure can serve as a launch pad to full Map of Krawlity House ............................................9 campaign of that nature. Carriage Lane .........................................................10 Squatters’ Rights .....................................................10 Connecting Garden .................................................11 Editorial credits Statue of Kyuss .......................................................11 Adventure Design Two Trees Corner ....................................................12 Troy E. Taylor Dead Hound ............................................................13 Editing Receiving Hall .........................................................13 Carolyn P. Taylor Closet .....................................................................13 Music Room ............................................................13 Sewing Room ..........................................................13 Art and Cartography Credits Private Bath ............................................................13 Cover: Zombie silhouettes designed by Let’s Dance, Shall We? ............................................14 Freepik.com, Kitchen ...................................................................14 Green hand-painted background Designed by Solar .......................................................................14 Layerace - Freepik.com Dining Hall .............................................................14 The base map of Krawlity House is the Patreon- Tower Floor .............................................................15 suppored, commercially available map “Strange Ending the Adventure .............................................15 Mansions” available from the library of Dyson Logos, Handout: Tymora Adventuring Contract ..................16 https://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/maps/ Monster and NPC List .............................................17 commercial-maps/ The map of Baldur’s Gate was a hand-drawn facsimile based cartography found in various products by TSR and Wizards of the Coast. Victorian ornaments, Designed by Pio_pio - Samplefreepik.com file Trees without Leaves, Shamrock coins, Open Books and Alchemy Symbol by freepik.com Page 4 KRAWLITY HOUSE Course of Adventure This adventure is designed for four to five 1st-level player characters. The adventure takes place in Baldur’s Gate, a city on the Sword Coast of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. In the course of the adventure, the PCs accept a commission from Miristum Holdsfast, a Tethyrian priestess of the church of Tymora, to investigate a vacant property the church had just purchased. It was the home of occultist Ransom Krawlity who has not been seen for ten years. During their exploration of the house the his manor home in Baldur’s Gate to become the adventurers will discover Krawlity’s connections center of the cult’s activities. to the cult of Kyuss and will battle a green worm About ten years ago, his activities could no of immense size that resides within the tunnels longer be tolerated by his family. At the same beneath the home’s deteriorating tower. time they were taking legal action to formally end all ties, he disappeared. The family closed his Background manor home, allowing it to fall into disrepair. Ransom Krawlity was a cousin to one of the Krawlity’s fate remains a mystery. But his city’s oldest founding families, the Dluskers. Yet, activities there had already made the site a lordly pursuits bored him. He devoted himself to lightning rod for creatures in Kyuss’ portfolio. the study — and practice — of the occult. The statue of Kyuss had, in a fashion, been His own works on the subject were lauded consecrated to the elder entity, drawing worms for their academic merits, though he incurred and larva to it. the disdain of his family and was removed from Among the worms that soon resided on the the line of inheritance. property was a Great Green Worm, which grew In the course of Krawlity’s varied and ever larger as its feasted upon lesser worms and esoteric research, he became fascinated with the other creatures. It took residence in the place lore and aims of the cult of Kyuss. beneath the tower, coming out only occasionally Kyuss was known by many names — to hunt. Spawner of Corruption, Lord Betrayer, and But its presence, as well as other blighted Bonemaster. But the elder power’s most powerful creatures associated with undeath, soon gave moniker was “The Worm That Walks,” and he Krawlity House its reputation as a cursed and was described as being either an agent or a haunted abode. herald of Orcus. This intersects the fading fortunes of the Kyuss’ aim was to bring about an Age of Dlusker family and the continued interest from Worms, undermining civilization by feeding upon the church of Tymora to acquire more property, its bloated and decadent underbelly, hastening especially a site perfectly situated as a site for a the self-destruction of societies and mission post . The Dluskers were glad to sell and governments. the temple was willing to buy without asking too The worm, the larva, and the maggot were many questions, despite the home’s sinister his tools. These are the lowest of creatures, yet reputation. also the most pure — for they do not So it is that a priestess, at the behest of the discriminate that which they feed upon. elders of Tymora, goes to the Blushing Mermaid Krawlity’s interest in Kyuss soon became an seeking adventurers to investigate the manor. obsession. But he was not repulsed by this turn, And so the adventure begins. rather he embraced it. He commissioned Sampleartisans to create a statue of Kyuss, intending file Page 5 KRAWLITY HOUSE A Fortunate Turn The DM is free to read aloud or paraphrase the following: You’ve heard that many an adventure begins in the Blushing Mermaid tavern, so your party goes there and finds a boisterous, bustling place in the Heapside district of Baldur’s Gate. The Blushing Mermaid serves thick, bitter beer, strong whiskey and simple meals of stew, fish and crusty rolls with gravy. It’s most notable feature is the wood carving of a mermaid that dominates the inn’s reception area. Blackened hands are nailed to the carving, grim reminders of the cost for skinflints failing to pay their bar or inn n bill. The inn itself is a maze of wings and interconnected floors with scores of rooms for private meetings and romantic trysts. Sea toughs, fences, smugglers, bandits and adventurers spend time gaming, drinking and plotting in the common room. Into this den boldly strides a lithe human woman of median age with the dark hair and dusky skin