Campaign Overview

Call to Adventure: Eclipse of Harvested Souls

Vordrak’s skies have bled black since the Great Rite—an unholy ritual that bound the dying souls of countless victims into crystalline prisons to fuel an immortal tyrant’s power. Under the eternal eclipse, warlocks roam battlefields and ruined cities, capturing essences to feed void–hunger that grows with each passing day. You awaken amid this horror, your soul already half–harvested, haunted by echoes of stolen lives that whisper cruelty and self–doubt. Each breath risks drawing the tyrant’s gaze closer, each victory compounds the darkness.

The Boneyard’s shattered plains will be your first crucible. Here, in half–alive catacombs and desecrated ossuaries, you will reclaim stolen memories, band with desperate rebels, and decide how far you’ll go to break the eclipse’s grip. Will you gamble with forbidden soul–alchemy to boost your power, or honor the cost of every life bound in crystal? The Soul Market in Kurr’hal will test your convictions: infiltrate its illicit auctions, unravel hidden schemes, and liberate captured spirits at the edge of your blade or via whispered bargains.

At the Academy of Bone and Echoes, you’ll confront the darkest teachings of soul magic, stealing forbidden lore and dodging infernal inquisitors to learn rituals that could shatter the tyrant’s nexus—or consume you in madness. In the shattered heart of the city, alliances will form and fracture, loyalties will be tested as rebel leaders hide their own secrets, and enemies may yet become uneasy friends in the war to come.

Finally, at the foot of the Crystal Nexus—a spire of soul–glass that resonates with the tyrant’s heart—your choices converge. Destroy its pylons in a symphony of arcane violence, lure the immortal Arvak Voss with a fragment of your own essence, and confront the court of undead nobles feasting on captive spirits. Success frees the captured souls, dissolves the eternal eclipse, and offers a chance to restore life’s light to Vordrak. Failure condemns you to become the next predator in a world that has known only despair.

This is a tale of sacrifice and salvation, of soul–forged power and shattered innocence. Every decision ripples through the eclipse’s shadow—will you become the heroes who shatter the Crystal Nexus, or will you slip into oblivion and let the harvest continue? The eclipse awaits your choice.

Starting Location

The Boneyard

Beneath the eternal eclipse of Vordrak’s skies lies the Boneyard, a blasted moor littered with half–buried bones and rotting war tents. Once a frontier battlefield where kingdoms fought for the Eclipse Crown, it is now a ghastly grave ritual site. Shattered earthenware and broken spearheads protrude from the ground like skeletal fingers. Endless rows of shallow pits contain ritual circles burned dark with soul–fire. Jagged obelisks carved with infernal runes stand sentinel around a central black altar. The air carries plaintive whispers—echoes of harvest souls trapped between life and death. Occasional flickers of pale green wraithlight drift among the tombstones, coalescing into vengeful specters that lash out at intruders. A dead river bed, its cracked floor etched with arcane drain marks, leads to hidden catacombs where partially siphoned souls writhe in crystalline prisons.

Secrets

  • A hidden ritual ledger in the War Camp names a high priest in the tyrant’s court.
  • One obelisk conceals a tunnel leading directly to the Slave Market’s back entrance.
  • Shards from the shattered soul–crystal can temporarily restore a PC’s stolen memories.

Key Locations

The Central Altar

This enormous stone dais, carved from black basalt, rises two feet from the ground and is inscribed with concentric circles of draining runes. At its heart is a crystalline prism that pulses with green light whenever a soul is harvested. Warlocks conduct mass–grave rituals here, chanting in hideous tongues. The prism’s glow intensifies as more souls are bound, and its light is rumored to warp the battlefield itself—corrupting the land, raising undead horrors, and driving mortals mad. A group of half–insane survivors once claimed the altar “speaks” to them, promising power in exchange for more sacrifices.

Additional Notes

DM: The Central Altar serves as the site of the PCs’ awakening. Use its pulsing glow to signal the eclipse’s intensifying power and hint at the tyrant’s growing strength.

Forsaken Catacombs

Beneath a cracked cairn lies a winding tunnel system, pitch black except for spectral lanterns. Pools of stagnant water reflect shifting ghost–lights, and the walls bleed oily ichor when touched. Iron–bound cisterns contain fragments of shattered soul–crystals, each still humming with trapped life. Murals depict warlocks binding souls into prisms—faces frozen in sorrow. Ghastly phantoms drift through corridors, lamenting stolen memories and begging for release. One chamber holds a sealed vault: inside, dozens of children’s souls weep silently in tiny crystal orbs. Opening it without a proper ritual triggers a spectral onslaught that can swarm PCs.

Additional Notes

DM: These catacombs connect to several side quests and hide the secret entrance to the Slave Market beyond the Boneyard’s eastern rim.

Rusted War Camp

A circle of collapsed canvas tents, their poles bent and rust–stained from arcane corrosion. Scattered around are broken tables, overturned chairs, and scattered weapon racks. Journals and charred parchments litter the ground—some written in Infernal detailing soul–yield extraction procedures. A crashed siege engine stands at the camp’s edge, its wooden wheels splintered. Within a wrecked tent lies the skeletal remains of a veteran warlock lieutenant clutching a blood–soaked grimoire bound in human skin.

Additional Notes

DM: PCs can recover the lieutenant’s grimoire, unlocking forbidden spells—at the cost of risking madness checks.

The Hollowed Obelisks

Five towering monoliths encircle the Boneyard, each engraved with arcane siphon runes. Between them, swirling crimson fog distorts perceptions; footsteps echo unnaturally loud, and shadows move out of sync. Approaching any obelisk requires a DC 15 Wisdom save or suffer nightmarish visions of one’s own death. At the base of the northernmost obelisk, a hidden panel opens to a narrow shaft leading to the Marsh of Hollowed Whispers.

Additional Notes

DM: Use the obelisks to hamper travel and inflict psychic damage; they also conceal multiple secrets and trapdoors.

Desecrated Ossuary

A domed stone structure half–buried in earth, its entrance sealed by a warded iron door. Inside, hundreds of skulls are mounted on spikes, each engraved with a name. A faint hum resonates as an unseen conductor siphons residual soul energy. In the center is a shattered soul–crystal, its shards spiking the floor and radiating malevolent aura. A secret lever in the door frame lowers the ward—only discovered by a DC 18 Investigation check—revealing a hidden stairwell down to an infested crypt.

Additional Notes

DM: The ossuary holds clues to the tyrant’s origin and the ritual needed to break the eclipse’s power.

The Shattered City of Kurr’hal

Once a grand capital of Vordrak, Kurr’hal now lies in ruins—skyscraping spires broken like bones, streets choked by debris and swirling ash. Soul–harvesters converted cathedral–like halls into academies of despair, where students learn to rend spirits from living subjects. Public squares host soul markets: cages of wailing victims traded like cattle. Phantom auctions glow with unholy light. Beneath the rubble, hidden passages connect former noble villas—elements of an underground resistance. Each key district resonates with the eclipse’s pulse. Daylight never breaks here; lanterns burn green and black. Gutted fountains pour sickly liquid sulfur. Warlocks patrol in winged armor, draining stray souls to feed the spectral highways that ferry prisoners to the Crystal Nexus. Occasional tremors—emanations of the nexus’s stability—shake the city’s foundations.

Secrets

  • A hidden elevator under the Academy leads directly to the tyrant’s palace sublevels.
  • One mansion basement contains a living trophy—an untouched soul–crystal holding a member of the royal family.
  • A rebel safe house is hidden behind a mausoleum in the Noble District.

Key Locations

Soul Market

An open plaza ringed by iron bars and chained stone slabs. Warlock guards display imprisoned souls in ethereal cages—luminous orbs hovering over sacrificial altars. Buyers brand crystals with runic glyphs to claim ownership. Auctioneers call bids in guttural tones. Occult coin—made from petrified hearts—is exchanged for spirit prisms. Amid the crowds, rebel informants slip papers of safe houses to sympathetic bidders. Beneath a false floor lies a cellar where traders butcher living subjects between sales.

Additional Notes

DM: This location is ideal for infiltration or social intrigue; disguise options and skill challenges abound.

Academy of Bone and Echoes

A sprawling fortress–library carved entirely from white marble stained red by soul–blood. Classrooms overlook bone–riddled courtyards where cadavers are dissected for ritual sacrifices. Warlock instructors lecture from podiums of soul–glass. Laboratories contain crystalline vats where living subjects are held in suspended agony. Students practice siphoning ethereal remnants using hooked rods. A hidden vault behind the main lecture hall holds an ancient tome—The Codex of Unraveled Spirits—which details the tyrant’s ultimate ritual.

Additional Notes

DM: Allow PCs to pose as students for a semester–long infiltration or break in to steal the Codex.

Noble District Ruins

Opulent mansions once housed high–born families; now their facades are pocked with magical burns. Crystal ruins litter the streets—remnants of noble’s soul–prisms destroyed during the city’s fall. Secret tunnels beneath lead to wine cellars and armories. One partially intact ballroom holds a crystal chandelier made from hundreds of micro–prisms—each containing a single soul. Locals believe smashing it at midnight weakens the eclipse’s hold over the region for an hour.

Additional Notes

DM: Can be used for high–stakes infiltration to rescue captive nobles or retrieve a piece of the chandelier.

The Crystal Nexus

At the eclipse’s heart stands the Crystal Nexus—a colossal spire of fused soul–crystals reaching into the blood–red sky. Around its base is a labyrinth of mirrored corridors, each shard reflecting twisted echoes of intruders. The Nexus pulses to the tyrant’s heartbeat; each beat hollows more souls from across the land. Four throne–like pylons at cardinal points bind the nexus’s power, each anchored by a noble’s soul–crystal. Between them hover ethereal bridges lined with razor–sharp prisms. Beneath the spire is the Abyssal Court, where the immortal tyrant and his undead nobles feast on captive spirits like wine. Breaking the nexus requires destroying the four pylons simultaneously and offering a piece of one’s own soul as bait to lure the tyrant forward. Every step closer drains vitality—aging the body and haunting the mind.

Secrets

  • A hidden ritual circle behind the Abyssal Court’s throne can reverse the nexus’s energy flow for a brief moment.
  • One noble’s weapon stores a fragment of the tyrant’s soul—usable to banish him permanently.
  • Mirrors in the corridors can be angled to reflect psychic blasts into the Nexus core.

Key Locations

East Pylon: Matron of Sorrow

A voluptuous silver prism containing the soul of a beloved matriarch. Her screams echo through the hallways, causing PCs to make DC 16 Wisdom saves or be frightened for one round. Destroying her pylon shatters those fears into a rallying cry for the living.

Additional Notes

DM: Use fear effects and illusions; allow PCs to glean emotional strengths from the matron’s memories.

South Pylon: Betrayer’s Egg

A smoky obsidian crystal harboring the soul of a traitorous general. Within, he plots and whispers to PCs, offering power if they break the pylon under his influence. Destroying it risks his vengeful echo latching onto the party’s darkest impulses.

Additional Notes

DM: This pylon can attempt a charm on the PCs; if they resist, they gain insight into the tyrant’s vulnerabilities.

West Pylon: Child of Dawn

A pale rose–tinted prism containing an ancient child–saint’s soul. Its pure aura protects PCs—granting a one–time HP and temp HP bonus if they free the child before destruction. But breaking it before liberation brings divine retribution: radiant backlash.

Additional Notes

DM: Offer a moral choice—free the saint then destroy, or shatter the prism for power at a steep cost.

North Pylon: Fallen King’s Prism

Once the heart of Vordrak’s monarchy, this pylon holds the soul of the last human king. Encased in transparent crystal, his tears still stain the prism’s core. Breaking it unleashes regal wrath—spectral knights who rise and attack friend and foe alike.

Additional Notes

DM: Spectral knights use charge and aura abilities; PCs can parley with the fallen king if they free his soul.

Abyssal Court

Below the spire is a vast obsidian hall, lit by floating soul–orbs. The tyrant sits enthroned on a crystalline dais, flanked by undead nobles feasting on spirits drained from prisoners in iron cages. Each noble wields a unique soul–forged weapon. The tyrant himself bears a crown of living souls in a rotating prism, granting him regeneration and psychic lances. Entering triggers minions—soul–wraiths and death knights—to defend their master. PCs must coordinate simultaneous pylon strikes and descend to face the tyrant before he can restore fallen pylons.

Additional Notes

DM: A multi–stage final battle; as pylons fall, the tyrant weakens but gains desperate new abilities.

NPCs in The Shattered City of Kurr’hal

Lady Vyra Kalquen

Ex–court noble who escaped enslavement. She leads the city resistance and wears a soul–forged gauntlet that leaks her own essence.

Role: Resistance Leader

Other Details: Distrusts outsiders but needs their help to crack the palace’s defenses.

Professor Zhurim

An ivory–skinned warlock lecturer addicted to soul–alchemy. He secretly experiments to create a soul–immune subject.

Role: Sidequest Quest Giver

Other Details: Offers arcane knowledge for a price—often at moral cost.

Cormac the Wraithbinder

A hulking enforcer who uses a living spectral hound to hunt down soul–runaways. Rumored to be the tyrant’s former friend.

Role: Antagonist Enforcer

Other Details: Can be swayed if shown evidence of the tyrant’s cruelty.

NPCs in The Boneyard

Merrith Blackflame

A half–mad tiefling seer haunted by her own harvested soul. Pale eyes glow green whenever she speaks of the eclipse’s advance.

Role: Sidequest Giver and Guide

Other Details: Offers knowledge of hidden passages in exchange for fragments of soul–crystals.

Grunor the Hollowed

A war–scarred dwarf warrior whose soul is half gone, reduced to a hollow shell. He leads a small rebel band in the Boneyard.

Role: Rebel Lieutenant

Other Details: Secretly trades souls for arcane weapons that might turn the tide.

Seraphine of the Veil

A human warlock operative working for the tyrant’s court. Polite and composed, she hides her true cruelty.

Role: Primary Antagonist Scout

Other Details: She occasionally offers false bargains to PCs, testing their moral boundaries.

Old Thayl

An aged druid who once tended the battlefields to heal the dead. Now he moves among the ruins, whispering to the ghosts.

Role: Healer and Knowledge Keeper

Other Details: Knows the ritual to free trapped souls but refuses to speak until he’s convinced of the PCs’ cause.

Jaxan Riftwalker

A half–elf smuggler specializing in soul–forged contraband. Charming and roguish, he trades in illicit information and forbidden charms.

Role: Merchant and Info Broker

Other Details: Hides a fragment of the tyrant’s personal soul–crystal in his storefront.

NPCs in The Crystal Nexus

High Examiner Arithal

An undead noble and former inquisitor. He seeks a successor worthy of his frozen seat of power.

Role: Optional Final Boss

Other Details: Seizing his soul–weapon grants PCs formidable psychic abilities.

Tyrant Arvak Voss

An immortal being whose body is skeletal and crowned with writhing soul–shards. His voice echoes with thousands of stolen memories.

Role: Final Antagonist

Other Details: To lure him, PCs must sacrifice a sliver of their own soul—risking permanent loss.

Spectral Liberator Sira

A spirit–bound champion freed by a previous hero. Trapped within the Nexus walls, she can guide PCs if they release her.

Role: Guide and Ally

Other Details: She knows the sequences to disable the pylons but needs freedom to manifest fully.

Factions

The Eclipsed Court

A depraved cabal of warlocks and undead nobles serving Tyrant Arvak Voss. They oversee soul harvesting, maintain the Crystal Nexus, and enforce the eternal eclipse’s will across Vordrak. Their citadel glows with green soul–fires, and their courts are rife with betrayal and power plays.

Goals

• Maintain and expand soul harvest operations
• Prevent any encroachment on the Crystal Nexus
• Ascend Arvak Voss to true godhood

Relationships

With Other Factions
Dominate the Slave Lords through direct rule; contempt for the Resistance; neutral but suspicious toward the Free Circle.
With Players
Primary antagonists—PCs may infiltrate or oppose them, risking soul corruption.

The Free Circle

A coalition of disparate rebels—former nobles, exiled warlocks, and liberated spirits—united to end the eclipse. They operate covert cells in Kurr’hal and frontier borderlands. Their leaders have personally suffered soul theft and wage guerrilla warfare against Yohanna’s forces.

Goals

• Disrupt soul markets and harvesting networks
• Rescue and rehabilitate stolen souls
• Strike at the Crystal Nexus when the time is right

Relationships

With Other Factions
Secretly allied with the Slave Lords when convenient; actively fights the Eclipsed Court; wary of the Unbound Scholars’ experiments.
With Players
Allies—offer quests, safe havens, and resources; demand proof of loyalty.

Unbound Scholars

An underground group of exiled academicians from the Academy of Bone and Echoes. They study soul magic to develop cures for soul corruption. Some members have embraced forbidden rituals to harvest souls for their research, causing friction with the Free Circle.

Goals

• Collect samples of soul–crystal essence
• Unlock transcendental knowledge of life and death
• Publish a Compendium of Eternal Souls

Relationships

With Other Factions
Ostracized by the Eclipsed Court; tolerated by the Free Circle for their potential cures; grudgingly cooperates with local rebel cells.
With Players
Neutral with potential alliance—will trade knowledge or arcane devices for rare soul–samples.

Main Questline

Awakening in the Boneyard

Given by:

None (Emergent)

Players awaken around the Central Altar with fragmented memories and phantom whisperings urging self–destruction. They must fight off spectral echoes and rally scattered survivors to escape the Boneyard’s catacombs before the next mass–grave ritual begins.

Goals

• Clear surrounding phantoms (CR 2×3)
• Unlock catacomb exit (DC 15 Arcana)
• Reach the surface alive

Reward

• 1,000 XP
• Temporary Resistance: +1 to saves vs. fear for next 24 hours

Secrets

  • A hidden ritual ledger names the tyrant’s palace sublevels.
  • One survivor retains full memories and can guide the party.

DM Notes

DM: Emphasize horror; use environmental damage (poison gas, psychic tremors) to push PCs forward.

Infiltrate the Soul Market

Given by:

Merrith Blackflame

Guided by Merrith’s restored visions, PCs must enter the Soul Market to gather intelligence and sabotage its auctions. They infiltrate as buyers, plant rebel rune–bombs, and steal a patron’s soul–crystal containing a map to the city of Kurr’hal’s resistance tunnels.

Goals

• Secure forged passes (Dex check DC 15)
• Set three rune–bombs without detection
• Exfiltrate with the crystal map

Reward

• 2,000 XP
• Map to Kurr’hal’s hidden passages
• Ammunition: 3 Soul–bombs (deals 4d6 force in 10-ft radius)

Secrets

  • The market’s overseer attends the Academy’s secret council.
  • Some spirit cages contain illusions masking living inmates.

DM Notes

DM: Balance social vs. combat options; failure triggers a wave of soul–wraith enforcers.

Crack the Academy Vault

Given by:

Professor Zhurim

In Kurr’hal, PCs must steal a page from the Codex of Unraveled Spirits. They pose as students or break in under cover of night, bypass wards, fight shadow fiends, and escape before the alarm summons the entire Academy.

Goals

• Gain entry to the vault
• Disable three anti–intrusion glyphs (Arcana checks DC 17)
• Retrieve the page and return to rebel HQ

Reward

• 2,500 XP
• Forbidden Spell: Soul Ward (ritual)
• Partial favor from rebel network

Secrets

  • The stolen page reveals the tyrant’s vulnerability to divine energy.
  • Zhurim has embedded a curse that slowly drains the user’s soul.

DM Notes

DM: Introduce a timed clock—ward pulses every minute, summoning more fiends.

Rally the Rebel Forces

Given by:

Lady Vyra Kalquen

With new knowledge, PCs assist Vyra in a coordinated assault on the city’s eastern gates. They lead squads through hidden tunnels, disable arcane gate seals, and hold off warlock reinforcements until main forces breach. Their success determines the size of rebel reinforcements available for the final assault on the Crystal Nexus.

Goals

• Escort three rebel squads to gate control points
• Destroy two seal foci simultaneously
• Defend till breach occurs

Reward

• 3,000 XP
• Rebel Champion Title: +1 bonus to saving throws vs. mind control
• 2d6 days of safe quarters and supplies

Secrets

  • A gate seal device contains a slave–harvested core—destroying it frees dozens of captured souls.
  • One rebel captain plans to betray Vyra for personal gain.

DM Notes

DM: Use massive battle scenes; allow PCs to cut off flanks or rally panicked troops for morale boosts.

Shatter the Crystal Nexus

Given by:

Spectral Liberator Sira

The climactic quest. PCs infiltrate the Nexus, destroy all four pylons at once, and face Tyrant Arvak Voss in the Abyssal Court. They must coordinate pylon assaults, manage psychic backlash, lure the tyrant into range by offering a fragment of their soul, and deliver the final blow to banish him forever—or risk becoming new harvesters.

Goals

• Destroy four pylons simultaneously (Strength or Dex checks DC 18)
• Survive psychic and radiant/necrotic onslaughts
• Sacrifice soul fragment to bait Arvak forward
• Defeat Arvak (HP and legendary actions)

Reward

• 5,000 XP
• One Magical Item of choice from the campaign list
• Titles: Heroes of the Eclipse (land renown)
• Opportunity to restore freed souls to life

Secrets

  • Offering a soul shard opens a portal to the realm of lost spirits, granting aid if used correctly.
  • If PCs fail, they become new High Warlocks under the eternal eclipse.

DM Notes

DM: Final encounter should be epic—use environment hazards, ongoing pylon effects, and multiple phases for Arvak.

Side Quests in The Shattered City of Kurr’hal

Smuggling Shadows

Given by:

Lady Vyra Kalquen

Vyra needs agents to smuggle information and weapons past warlock checkpoints. PCs must navigate the city’s underground passages, avoid spirit–sniffing patrols, and bribe or bluff their way through arcane locks. Success strengthens the resistance’s network, reducing future infiltration DCs by 2.

Goals

• Obtain forged passes
• Deliver arms past three checkpoints
• Report safe houses to Vyra

Reward

• 1,200 XP
• Resistance Safe Passage: one free infiltration per region
• +1 to Stealth checks against warlock patrols for next two missions

Secrets

  • A checkpoint commander can be bribed into revealing patrol schedules.
  • A hidden resistance cipher in Vyra’s notes points to a hidden armory.

DM Notes

DM: Use a timed skill challenge with Insight, Deception, and Dexterity (Stealth).

Codex of Unraveled Spirits

Given by:

Professor Zhurim

Zhurim hires the PCs to steal the Codex from the Academy’s vault. The vault is warded by soul–glass barriers and shadow fiends. PCs must disable anti–intrusion glyphs and overcome a magical lock keyed to the dean’s heart–blood. Extracting a single page grants arcane secrets—at the cost of attracting the Academy’s wrath.

Goals

• Penetrate the Academy vault
• Bypass soul–glass wards
• Retrieve a single Codex page

Reward

• 1,500 XP
• One chapter of forbidden soul–alchemy (learn a new ritual spell)
• Zhurim’s partial loyalty

Secrets

  • The Codex contains an unfinished ritual that can imprison a tyrant’s soul.
  • Removing one page curses the remover with fleeting insanity.

DM Notes

DM: Build tension by having patrols time–gate the vault; shadow fiends guard the inner chamber.

Side Quests in The Boneyard

Echoes of the Lost

Given by:

Merrith Blackflame

Merrith begs the PCs to retrieve her stolen visions—stored in a shattered soul–crystal within the Forsaken Catacombs. She offers her guidance to navigate the Boneyard’s hazards but warns that reclaiming her memories means confronting residual phantoms of her past. These phantoms can turn on the party if allowed to linger. Success restores Merrith’s full prophetic power and reveals a coded map to a secret chamber beneath the Hollowed Obelisks.

Goals

• Enter the Forsaken Catacombs
• Locate and reclaim Merrith’s soul–crystal shards
• Defeat or banish lingering phantoms guarding the shards

Reward

• 500 XP
• Prophetic Insight: Advantage on one Insight or Arcana check per long rest
• Map fragment to Side Quest “Ashes of Valor”

Secrets

  • The crystal holds a hidden prophecy about the tyrant’s vulnerability.
  • Merrith once served the tyrant and betrayed her allies to save herself.

DM Notes

DM: Use shifting corridors and ambushes to heighten tension; reveal Merrith’s betrayal gradually through recovered memories.

Shadows in the Ossuary

Given by:

Old Thayl

Old Thayl tasks the PCs with breaking the ward on the Desecrated Ossuary door. Inside lie the names of countless soldiers whose souls are at risk of permanent loss. PCs must solve an inscription puzzle—each phrase corresponds to a word of power—to open the vault. But touching the shards inside will release tormented specters. Thayl will reward the party with a druidic ward that can block soul theft for one hour.

Goals

• Decipher the rune puzzle on the ossuary door
• Navigate the specter–infested vault
• Retrieve the ossuary ledger from inside

Reward

• 750 XP
• Druidic Ward: Once per short rest, cast Warding Bond on a willing creature

Secrets

  • One skull in the vault bears the tyrant’s true name.
  • The puzzle’s correct solution desecrates the tyrant’s own soul–crystal.

DM Notes

DM: The puzzle uses simple word–match riddles; specters use hit–and–run tactics to harry PCs.

Rust and Ruin

Given by:

Jaxan Riftwalker

Jaxan asks the PCs to recover an experimental soul–infused siege engine from the Rusted War Camp. He believes its arcane systems can be repurposed to breach slave pens beyond the Boneyard. The engine is guarded by a small patrol of warlock acolytes and animated statues powered by minor soul charges. PCs must dismantle or bypass arcane wards to disable it intact. Jaxan warns that every minor soul trapped in its components will torment them if not released properly.

Goals

• Infiltrate the Rusted War Camp
• Bypass wards on the siege engine
• Retrieve the engine without destroying its core

Reward

• 600 XP
• Arcane Wrench: Grants +2 to tool checks for disabling magical devices
• One free passage through Jaxan’s black market

Secrets

  • The engine’s core holds a recipe for a greater soul–harvesting spell.
  • One statue’s soul was a beloved child; releasing it causes the others to falter.

DM Notes

DM: Animated statues obey simple command words; if PCs learn the child’s identity, they gain advantage on Diplomacy checks.

Whispers in the Gloaming

Given by:

Grunor the Hollowed

Grunor requests aid to rescue malformed phantom–spawn from the Hollowed Obelisks’ fog. These tormented souls were over–harvested and now stalk the dead river bed. Saving them eases Grunor’s guilt and grants him strength for the rebel cause. PCs must brave psychic assaults as each phantom tries to possess them. Once freed, the souls coalesce into a spirit–guardian that will aid in a future major battle.

Goals

• Venture into the fog around an obelisk
• Dispel or survive the possession attempts
• Release the phantom–spawn trapped in crystal prisms

Reward

• 800 XP
• Spiritwarden’s Blessing: Summon the freed spirit as a one–time ally in combat
• Grunor’s loyalty and one piece of rebel–forged armor (+1 half plate)

Secrets

  • The spiritward of the north obelisk knows the location of a hidden cache of soul–prism shards.
  • Grunor’s own rebellion was founded on freeing phantom–spawn he once commanded.

DM Notes

DM: Use ethereal phase shifts—phantoms disappear and reappear unpredictably to unsettle PCs.

Memories for Freedom

Given by:

Jaxan Riftwalker

A desperate matron bribes PCs to recover her son’s stolen memories from a minor soul–prison held by a passing warlock patrol. She fears the boy will be conscripted forever. The mission requires stealth or combat along a patrol route that skirts the central altar. Recovering the crystal without alerting the entire camp is critical. Once the memories are returned, the boy leads PCs to a hidden rebel hideout beyond the Boneyard’s eastern boundary.

Goals

• Identify and track the warlock patrol
• Steal back the memory–crystal from its pouch
• Safely return it to the matron

Reward

• 900 XP
• Amulet of Remembrance: Once per day, restore 2d6 HP to an ally and grant advantage on saving throws against fear
• Access to the rebel hideout and its resources

Secrets

  • The boy provides coordinates to a secret crossing under the altar.
  • The patrol’s leader has doubts and can be bribed into defecting.

DM Notes

DM: If PCs choose stealth, require multiple Stealth and Sleight of Hand checks; if combat, risk alerting nearby camps.

Side Quests in The Crystal Nexus

Shatter the Looking Glass

Given by:

Spectral Liberator Sira

Sira directs PCs to destroy three enchanted mirrors in the upper corridors. Each mirror channels power to the Nexus core and is guarded by psychic constructs. Shattering them weakens the tyrant’s telepathic link. However, each destruction triggers a psychic backlash that forces PCs to fight illusions of their worst fears.

Goals

• Locate and break three Nexus mirrors
• Survive psychic backlash each time
• Return to Sira for final guidance

Reward

• 2,000 XP
• Sira’s Blessing: once per long rest, gain advantage on saving throws vs. psychic effects
• Quickening of Spirit: +10 ft movement while within the Nexus

Secrets

  • One mirror holds Sira’s own fractured soul; destroying it fully restores her temporarily.
  • A backlash can be redirected to damage nearby constructs instead of PCs.

DM Notes

DM: Use short-term fear conditions and illusions of PCs’ backgrounds to heighten drama.

Crown of Shattered Souls

Given by:

High Examiner Arithal

Arithal challenges the PCs to prove themselves worthy by retrieving his Crown of Shattered Souls from the tyrant’s person. This soul–crown grants control over minor wraiths but is fused to Arvak’s skull. PCs must improvise to pry it off during combat without alerting him too early. If they succeed, Arithal may defect or attempt to claim the throne for himself.

Goals

• Engage Arvak in melee
• Remove the crown mid–battle
• Keep the crown intact and present it to Arithal

Reward

• 2,500 XP
• Crown of Shattered Souls: Summon 1d4 wraith helpers once per day
• Arithal’s uneasy alliance for future rebellions

Secrets

  • Crown removal weakens Arvak’s regeneration by half.
  • Arithal covets the crown and may betray PCs afterward.

DM Notes

DM: Offer a contested Strength (Athletics) check against Arvak’s Constitution save to remove the crown.

Encounters

Catacomb Wailers

Medium

Suggested Level: 3–5

Three spectral phantoms wail in tight tunnels, deafening and disorienting intruders.

Creatures

  • Wraith
  • Specter
  • Ghost

Terrain Features

Narrow passages; difficult terrain from rubble; low ceiling imposes disadvantage on ranged attacks.

Treasure

Phantom’s Ring: grants +2 to saving throws vs. charm.

DM Notes

Scale number to party size; wailers can retreat into walls.

Market Surprise Raid

Hard

Suggested Level: 4–6

Warlock enforcers probe the Soul Market’s back alleys for rebel signs.

Creatures

  • 4 Warlock Acolytes
  • 2 Hellhounds

Terrain Features

Crowded stalls; cover from crates; magical sigils on walls causing wild magic surges.

Treasure

3 Minor Soul–Prisms (1d4 radiant each)

DM Notes

Use crowd illusions to mask reinforcements.

Library Shadow Fiends

Deadly

Suggested Level: 5–7

Shadow fiends emerge from soul–glass barriers in the Academy’s vault.

Creatures

  • 2 Shadow Fiends
  • 3 Shadows

Terrain Features

Reflective floors cause disadvantage on stealth; dark zone blocks darkvision.

Treasure

Scroll of Soul Imprisonment (rare spell)

DM Notes

Limit rest options inside vault; timed ward pulses add tension.

Rebel Camp Defense

Medium

Suggested Level: 6–8

Rebel outpost ambushed by soul–harvesters just outside Kurr’hal.

Creatures

  • 6 Soulbinders (warlock fighters)
  • 4 Animated Armors

Terrain Features

Palisade walls; burning fires create smoke screens.

Treasure

Warbinders’ Bracers: +1 AC against necrotic damage

DM Notes

Allows PCs to command defenses; success grants morale bonus for main assault.

Nexus Mirror Guardians

Hard

Suggested Level: 8–10

Three psychic constructs guard the Nexus mirrors; they unleash mind shards to disorient intruders.

Creatures

  • 3 Mind Golems
  • 2 Psychic Sentries

Terrain Features

Mirrored walls reflect spells; narrow walkway over abyss causes potential falls (save or drop).

Treasure

Crystal Mirror Shard: can reflect one spell back at caster

DM Notes

Encourage creative use of reflection; constructs highly resistant to non–psychic damage.

Magic Items

Ring of Soul Recall

Rare
Once per day, recites one memory lost to soul siphoning, granting advantage on one saving throw.

Location

Hidden in the Desecrated Ossuary vault.

Attunement

Yes, a fragment of your own soul

Soul–bomb

Uncommon
A small crystal grenade that releases a concussive wave of spirit energy (4d6 force, DC 14 Dex half).

Location

Jaxan Riftwalker’s Smuggler Stash.

Attunement

No

Crown of Shattered Souls

Very Rare
Wearing it lets you summon 1d4 wraith allies once per day.

Location

High Examiner Arithal’s treasury.

Attunement

Yes, to a creature with shattered memories

Spiritwarden’s Amulet

Rare
Once per day, restores 2d6 HP and grants advantage vs. fear effects.

Location

Reward from Grunor the Hollowed’s quest.

Attunement

No

Spectral Lantern

Uncommon
Illuminates ethereal creatures within 30 ft.; dispels Nystul’s magic aura.

Location

Merrith Blackflame’s quarters.

Attunement

No

Soulforge Wrench

Uncommon
Grants +2 to tool checks for disabling arcane devices.

Location

Rust and Ruin quest reward.

Attunement

No

Shattered Mirror Shard

Rare
Reflects one incoming spell back at its caster.

Location

Nexus mirror guardians loot.

Attunement

No

Codex Fragment

Very Rare
Allows casting of Soul Ward ritual once without material cost.

Location

Stolen from the Academy vault.

Attunement

Yes

Druidic Soul Ward

Uncommon
Warding Bond on a willing creature once per short rest.

Location

Old Thayl’s Ossuary reward.

Attunement

No

Amulet of Remembrance

Rare
Restores memories, granting +1 Intelligence and Charisma for 1 hour.

Location

Memories for Freedom quest reward.

Attunement

Yes

Player Characters

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