TABLE OF CONTENTS Appendix: Creatures 20 Table of Contents 2 Morg the Vampire Hill Giant 21 Ancient Giant Phase Spider 23 Credits 3 Duergar 24 Map of the Sword Coast 4 Dwarven Ghast 25 Introduction 5 Dwarven Specter 25 Background 5 Dwarven Wraith 26 Adventure Hook 6 Dwarven Wight 27 Location Overview 6 Elder Black Pudding 28 Character Advancement 6 Umber Hulk 29 Part 1: Into The Depths 7 Vampire Spawn 30 Southkrypt Mine Locations (Level One) 7 Vampiric Myconid Adult 31 Part 2: Going Deeper Underground 10 Appendix: Magic Items 32 Southkrypt Mine Locations (Level Two) 11 Acheron Blade, Scimitar 33 Amulet of the Drunkard 33 Part 3: The Secret Of Southkrypt 13 Belt of Stone Giant Strength 33 Southkrypt Mine Locations (Level Three) 13 Cloak of Displacement 33 Part 4: Morg, I Presume? 16 Dagger of Venom 34 Southkrypt Mine Locations (Level Four) 16 Ring of Necrotic Resistance 34 Aftermath 18 Ring of Protection 34 Awarding Experience Points 19 Studded Leather Armor+1 34 Wand of Winter 35 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. Sample file This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2021 by Carl Vandal and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. Beneath Southkrypt ~2~ CREDITS Carl Vandal, NOTES ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sample file Beneath Southkrypt ~3~ Sample file Map of the Sword Coast—created by Christian Zeuch (www.czrpg.com) Beneath Southkrypt ~4~ ensure that they could not escape, and would thus become food for Morg. The Spellplague, and the This adventure is for five to six 7th-8th level changes in the area, did little to alter this situation. Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition characters. The However, an earthquake caused large sections of the material contained in this document can serve as a underground structure to collapse, trapping Morg one-shot adventure, or a quick side adventure for and his servants in the lower levels. Eventually, the your established game. This adventure is set in the goblin tribe moved on. Forgotten Realms and can act as a follow on to the “Lost Mines of Phandelver” or “Dragon of Icespire More recently, a new goblin tribe has established Peak”. The adventure is a follow-on from “Halls of itself in the upper levels of Southkrypt. Their leader, the Goblin King” but can be played on its own. who styled himself as a Goblin King, knew the legends of the lower levels and made no attempt to delve the BACKGROUND depths of the mines. He was happy to establish Thousands of years ago the dwarven realm of the Southkrypt as his new halls, and planned to build a Haungdannar Dwarves built into the Sword Goblin kingdom that was to be unrivalled throughout Mountains and areas 100 miles around the region. the Realms. This realm fell and was eventually rebuilt by the Following an elaborate banquet at Wave Echo Cave, Belsimer Dwarves that came from the areas east of to celebrate the opening of a new mining seam, the the mountains. This realm fell in 930DR to a horde of adventurers were invited to a meeting with Gundren orcs led by the great orc King Uruth Ukrypt. The orcs Rockseeker, Sildar Hallwinter and Linene Graywind. later seized Phandalin and threatened Waterdeep before being destroyed in the Battle of Westwood. At the meeting, the adventurers were tasked with surveying an old route through the Sword Mountains, Shortly after 1358DR, the lower levels of the mine leading past Southkrypt, through Kryptgarden Forest, became the residence of Morg, a vampiric hill giant and on to Westbridge. shaman. He, and the three hill giants he turned into vampire spawn, used local tribes of hobgoblins and As Linene explained to the party, the old dwarven goblins as servants. These tribes would encourage settlement had become home to the Goblin King and adventurers to go and explore the mines, but would his tribe of goblins, and the party were instructed to Sample file Beneath Southkrypt ~5~ deal with the Goblin King and his goblins. slumber. The adventurers journeyed to Southkrypt, facing all CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT the dangers that the Sword Mountains could throw at them. Upon arriving at Southkrypt, they gained entry In this scenario, character advancement is through to the fortress and faced the self-styled “Goblin King”. awarding of experience. By the end of the adventure, characters will likely receive enough experience to And so, the adventurers find themselves with the gain one level, although 8th level characters may only opportunity to delve the depths of Southkrypt. reach the midpoint of that level, depending on prior ADVENTURE HOOK experience gain. If the characters have played through “Halls of the SOUTHKRYPT FEATURES Goblin King”, they will have dealt with King Dobrin the Invincible and his tribe. Southkrypt is situated on the side of one of the mountains on the southern side of the Sword Mountains. If they set up an alliance between Dobrin, Phandalin It is surrounded by the remnants of what would once and Wave Echo Cave then King Dobrin requests that have been an amazing garden structure. In the dwarves they assist him in reopening the silver mine beneath absence, Southkrypt has become a dark, sullen tomb, full the fortress. of dust and bad memories. The mines have been If they eliminated the goblin threat by removing the abandoned and untouched for over a century, and are goblins from the fortress, then they will find the lift to now the home to a number of underground creatures, a s the mines and have the opportunity to explore the well as the vampire hill giant and other undead. depths for themselves. All the tunnels and caverns in the mine are hewn from Alternatively, once Gundren Rockseeker, or another the rock, and have thin veins of silver ore running through them. The following features are common suitable dwarven entrepreneur, becomes aware that throughout. Southkrypt fortress has been liberated from the goblins, they will approach the characters at the Ceilings. Ceilings throughout are twenty feet high and earliest opportunity and request that they investigate curved, unless the text says otherwise. Wooden pilasters the mine. and beams brace the ceiling at regular intervals. LOCATION OVERVIEW Doors. Where they exist within the mine, regular doors are made of thick, sturdy oak reinforced with iron bands Southkrypt is a dwarven fortress and silver mine, and fitted with iron hinges and handles. carved into the side of a mountain about thirty-five Light. The walls of the mine are lined with torch lantern miles southeast of Phandalin. The fortress and mine points, but the lanterns ran out of oil long ago. were abandoned by the dwarves over a hundred Adventurers require darkvision or their own light sources years ago after it was invaded by the vampire hill to see inside. There are some areas of the mine where giant, Mort. phosphorescent-like crystals are present in the walls, providing light in those areas. The goblin and hobgoblin tribes that Morg employed Smell. There is a strong musty smell of damp, and a faint as his servants were forced to move on during the smell of decay that pervades the mine levels. time of the Spellplague, and the vampire was forced Sound. In the mines, sound echoes around the chambers. into a comatose state. If the characters become involved in a fight, the noise will The arrival of Dobrin and his tribe, and their initial be heard throughout the level, with only a few exceptions due to inherent noise in the area. This will mean that limited investigations into the lower depths were other denizens will be alerted to the presence of the insufficientSample to reawaken Morg. party. file However, unbeknownst to the goblins, some duergar Walls. Most of the walls of the mine are rough to the have made their way into the mines, and have cleared touch, and have been carved out of the rock under the the blockages caused by the earthquakes. In the fortress. The lowest level was reinforced in some areas, process, they have disturbed the denizens of the and the walls there are more like those of a traditional dwarven fortress. mines, and this has in turn roused Morg from his Beneath Southkrypt ~6~ However, if you wish to use milestones for advancement, then characters should advance by one level if they complete the scenario. PART 1: INTO THE DEPTHS The dwarfs of Southkrypt excavated deep into the ground beneath their fortress, creating a vast mine system that extends through the Sword Mountains. The silver it produced was highly valued throughout the Sword Coast for its purity, and for its use in construction of silvered weapons to fight undead, lycanthropes, and other creatures. The advantage the mine gave to those that opposed Myrkul led to the god instructing his servant, Morg, to attack the mine. Thus Morg assaulted the dwarven fortress and took over the mine, driving the dwarves out. Unfortunately for Morg, he did this just as the Time of Troubles began, and he lost his connection to Myrkul. Southkrypt Mine Locations Over the last hundred and forty years the mine has become home to a number of denizens that have (Level One) found their way into the place through one-way M1.