Campaign Overview
In the mist-clad archipelago of Morvath, an age-old demonic pact lies awakened. The Whispering Ones—a cursed bloodline bound to infernal powers—haunt every ruined manor, echo through submerged crypts, and beckon from shadow-draped forests. Whispers tug at the minds of those who listen too long, eroding sanity and luring innocents into ritual murder. Family members mutate into shadow-tendril-wreathed vessels, prophets of terror whose nightmares summon eldritch horrors across reality’s seams.
As adventurers, you may be unwitting heirs seeking salvation, or driven exorcists determined to end the line’s damnation. Your journey begins on Fogshore Isle, where Blackspire Manor’s haunted halls and the drowned Sunken Crypts hold torn pages of the Infernal Codex. Decipher its secrets, sail through the Moonlit Archipelago’s treacherous reefs, and confront sea wraiths beneath a silver-lit lighthouse. Along the way, moral quandaries wait: do you slay a possessed heir to stop the ritual bloodletting, or risk a dangerous exorcism to spare an innocent?
Beyond the sea lies the Shadowfell Conflux, where rifts crack open to hellish realms. Seal portals, foil cultist rites in the Mire of Whispers, and recover reforged chains to bind the Black Crystal’s power. Allies can be found in the zealous Silver Eucharist or the clandestine Whisperbound Circle, each offering aid at perilous cost. Smugglers of the Black Network provide passage—but their loyalties shift with the tides of profit.
In the final surge, you will storm the Obsidian Spire, navigate trials of mind and soul, and face Wraith-Lord Zhaeleth amid collapsing obsidian halls. Will you shatter the Black Crystal and risk releasing an even greater horror? Or will you claim its abyssal might to stand against darker threats, pledging your blood to an unholy legacy?
Whispers beckon from every shadow. Steel your resolve, for in Morvath’s gloom, every secret costs a bit of your mind—and the choice to embrace or end the curse lies in your hands. Good luck, brave souls: may your willhold against the Abyssal Lineage’s call.
Starting Location
Fogshore Isle
Secrets
- A hidden letter beneath Blackspire’s fireplace reveals the original pact’s terms.
- Fungi spores in the temple produce temporary telepathy, revealing unseen messages.
- One cavern carving is actually a hidden lever opening a secret tunnel beneath Edrith’s Hollow.
Key Locations
Blackspire Manor
Blackspire Manor dominates the island’s center: a sprawling Gothic fortress of dark granite. Towering spires pierce low clouds, and shattered windows stare like empty eyes. Moss and lichen climb the walls, echoing the creeping corruption within. Inside, grand halls with vaulted ceilings are draped in dusty tapestries that depict the Whispering Ones’ blood-stained history. Rotting staircases ascend to servants’ quarters, chambers, and a ritual sanctum carved into living rock. Echoing corridors hide secret doors to crypts where shadow tendrils writhe across marble tombs. The basement holds an obsidian altar stained with dried blood, rings of infernal runes faintly glowing. In the private chapel, statues of angelic figures have chipped faces, replaced by gouged demonic masks. Light from tallow candles struggles through dust, casting monstrous silhouettes. Every drawn-out corridor seems to shift: hallways lengthen, doorways appear where none existed. The very stones seem to whisper, promising power or madness in the same breath.
Additional Notes
Rooms often shift when unobserved — use to complicate exploration. Whispering walls can deal minor psychic damage (1d4) each minute if ignored. Consider playing faint murmurs and moving walls to unnerve the party.
Edrith’s Hollow
Once a fishing hamlet, Edrith’s Hollow is now a ghost town where broken doors tremble in the sea breeze and rotting boats lie half-buried in sand. Cracked stone cottages exhale the stench of salt and decay. Barns and sheds slump inward, roof timbers long collapsed. Signs carved into driftwood still hang over shuttered windows. In the village square stands a dried fountain carved with anguished faces, its basin filled with stagnant water. Narrow lanes wind between collapsed walls, leading to cellars where cultists once performed sacrificial rites. Beneath a collapsed granary lies a hidden hatch leading to flooded tunnels. Sea mist slinks in among overturned carts and rusted tools. Lanterns of strange design hang in trees, their flames flickering with ghostly blue light. Eclipsed windows peer into dark interiors, revealing fleeting shadows of former villagers reenacting their final, terror-stricken moments. The silence is oppressive: only gull cries and distant thunder break it. Beneath the earth, cult sigils carved in red clay mark places of ritual. The ground is uneven, covered in moss and broken iron nails. Rats squeak in the gloom.
Additional Notes
Village layout should feel maze-like; secret tunnels connect houses. Cult sigils can erupt psychic effects if disturbed. The fountain may act as a scrying focus for demonic guardians.
Ruined Temple of the Deep Whisper
High above the sea on a grassy knoll stand the broken remnants of the Temple of the Deep Whisper. Eight stone columns, half-collapsed, circle an altar carved with half-erased infernal glyphs. A shattered mosaic floor depicts a demonic deity rising from ocean waves. The roof has fallen inward, and rainwater pools around fallen statues of hooded acolytes. Vines choked with black blossoms flourish among the rubble. Strange phosphorescent fungi glow a sickly green. The altar’s front bears the carved outline of a severed hand clutching a black crystal. On full moons, ghostly chants echo across the hilltop, carried on the wind. Overturned pews, broken drums, and smashed flutes litter the floor, hinting at music once used to summon eldritch entities. Under the altar lies an ossuary filled with skeletal remains bound by iron shackles. The skulls whisper secrets when spun, though each glimpse costs a fragment of sanity. The temple’s foundation still glows faintly at night, tracing ley-line currents. Coastal storms lash the site, and the wind carries mournful lamentations.
Additional Notes
Fungi spores can cause hallucinations (DC 13 CON save or suffer illusions for 1 hour). Whispers grant insights (advantage on Arcana checks) but cost 1d4 HP.
Sable Caverns
Carved over millennia by sea and darkness, the Sable Caverns lie beneath the island’s northwest cliffs. A narrow crevice in the rock face opens into a network of twisting tunnels slick with algae and brine. Stalactites drip mineral-stained water, echoing in the gloom like distant heartbeats. Bioluminescent moss dots walls, casting a faint blue glow on rippled pools. Narrow ledges over chasms force careful navigation. Deeper, the air grows warmer and acrid; rising steam obscures vision. Grotesque carvings of twisting tendrils and screaming faces cover the rock walls, illuminated by strange phosphor stones. In one cavern hangs a giant clam shell filled with black ichor said to be a drop of demonic blood. Echoes distort every step, and tremors occasionally shake the floor. A central chamber opens into a cathedral-like hall where water-soaked pews face a submerged altar, corporal hands reaching from the water’s depths. The only exit is behind a waterfall of inky liquid that stains clothing and flesh.
Additional Notes
Navigate carefully or risk falling into pools containing shadow-spawn. Black ichor can be used for infernal rituals or sold as rare alchemical reagent.
The Sunken Crypts
Beneath Blackspire Manor’s west wing, hidden behind a false wall, stairs descend to the Sunken Crypts. The air grows damp and cold, dripping water pooling on flagstones engraved with protective runes now cracked. Filthy water covers ankles in most corridors, rising to waist height in larger chambers. Low arches of carved bone line the passageways, and skeletal remains of ancestors slumped against walls. Tombs sealed with rusted iron bars line the halls, each bearing the family crest: a coiling tendril. In the larger vaults lie stone sarcophagi etched with prophecies foretelling murders and sacrifices. A hidden alcove holds ceremonial daggers and vials of ichor. Bioluminescent fungus flickers in cracks, revealing more runes warning of forbidden rites. Beyond the wards lies the Heart Chamber, where a black crystal pulses like a heartbeat. Each pulse sends ripples through the water, and drowned whispers echo. Souls of the damned swirl around the crystal, bound to its power.
Additional Notes
Crypt wards delay digital locks by 1d4 rounds. Crystal pulse can be disrupted by a DC 17 Arcana check, briefly silencing demons within.
Moonlit Archipelago
Secrets
- Journal in Peregrine Lighthouse lists names of original cult leaders, some still alive on Morvath.
- Drowned casket tear is a key component to sever the black crystal’s bond.
- Fisherfolk tattoos are actually ward sigils granting partial protection from demonic whispers.
Key Locations
Peregrine Lighthouse
Perched on a jagged promontory, the stone lighthouse towers above churning surf. Its iron door hangs off hinges, and broken windows reveal a spiral staircase winding upward. Oil lamps and lens shards lie strewn on the floor. In the old logbook, entries by former keepers detail strange lights at sea and harrowing storms. A locked journal cabinet demands a three-digit code based on moon phases. At the top platform, a massive Fresnel lens still holds a faint glow, powered by a magically sealed oil lamp. Beneath the lantern room is a hidden cell containing the bones of a keeper sacrificed to appease the sea deity Whisper-Mother. Strange runes carved into floor tiles channel lunar energy. If lit by pure moonlight through the lens, these runes project a ghostly map of Morvath’s ley lines.
Additional Notes
Lens mechanism can be used to reveal hidden sigils on other islands. Journal cabinet code: last three digits of dates in logbook.
Drowned Reef Ruins
At low tide, broken columns and shattered walls rise from shallow waters around a reef carpeted with barnacles. Beneath the waves, colorful coral obscures carved stone guardians half-submerged. A submerged plaza shows a giant statue of a hooded figure holding a broken black crystal staff. Currents here form looping eddies, dragging small boats under if pilots are careless. Sunken halls house drowned statues and coral-encrusted cultist arms. In the center, a sunken aria chamber still echoes trapped melodies when water levels fluctuate. Pockets of air form under certain arches, allowing exploration. Beneath one collapsed dome lies a flooded tomb marked “Here sleeps the echo whose voice will shatter worlds,” containing a sealed glass casket with a single tear crystallized inside.
Additional Notes
Air pockets last 1 hour; note breathing time. Coral limits movement (DC 12 STR to break free).
Mistshroud Inlet
A narrow finger of sea cutting into rock, the inlet is blanketed in dense fog even at midday. Limestone cliffs enclose a concealed lagoon where simple huts perch on stilts. The inhabitants are squat fishermen with dark tattoos of tentacles on their arms. They barter sea-salted fish, driftwood relics, and whispered rumors of black whirlpools. Paths of driftwood planks connect huts; trapdoors lead into hidden cellars. In one hut, a hidden library of weathered scrolls details moon-tide rituals. An underground tunnel leads into the Sable Caverns network. The inlet’s mouth is protected by a reef that appears only at high tide. On the full moon, the lagoon mirrors the sky so perfectly that it disorients travelers. At midnight, ritual lanterns are lowered into the water, summoning water wraiths that dance on the surface.
Additional Notes
Fisherfolk may hide clues about main quest if approached with silver or fish offerings. Lanterns can be used to repel wraiths.
Shadowfell Conflux
Secrets
- Obsidian Spire’s central void is a gateway to a demiplane where past heirs are trapped.
- Altar in the Mire holds a binding chain that can imprison the Black Crystal’s power.
- Hidden rune beneath a Shadowgrove stone unites all portals, allowing a single devastating ritual.
Key Locations
Obsidian Spire
The black tower is carved from living obsidian, its surface reflecting impossible angles. Interior halls are lined with infernal runes that glow when approached. Staircases ascend around a central void, each step echoing with distant screams. Doors open onto balconies overlooking the Scar’s swirling shadows. In the top chamber sits the Black Crystal of Oaths, hovering above a dais of charred bones. Tentacles of shadow coil around it, and ghostly apparitions reach out as if begging for release. The spire’s windows are slits high above, distorting sunlight into sickly beams of crimson. To reach the summit, adventurers must pass trials of mind, body, and soul: illusions of fallen comrades, pools that drain memory, and shifting stairways.
Additional Notes
Use illusions and psychic traps heavily. Black Crystal pulses every round, sending out a psychic shock (2d6 psychic damage).
Mire of Whispers
A foul swamp of black water and matted vines, where every footstep is swallowed. Trees stand knee-deep in water, their roots forming natural bridges. The air rings with sibilant voices that latch onto passersby, pulling at their minds. Phantom figures flicker between trees, luring travelers off safe paths into quickmud pits. At the heart of the mire sits a stone altar covered in tattered veils and bone charms. Cultists perform midnight rituals here, drawing power to fuel the portals. Vile toads croak unnatural hymns, and swarmers of will-o’-wisps lead the unwary astray. Among the reeds, a hidden cache of demonic relics lies beneath a collapsed column.
Additional Notes
Quickmud deals 1d6 damage per turn; voices impose disadvantage on WIS saves. Cultists: 4 Cult Fanatics + 2 Will-o’-wisps.
Shadowgrove
A grove of twisted ebony trees encircles a ring of standing stones. The ground is carpeted with black petals that whisper secrets when crushed. Between trees, glowing sigils float in the air, creating shifting walls of glyphs. Beneath the largest stone stands a hidden doorway sealed with demonic blood. This leads to an underground library holding the forbidden Grimoire of Ancestral Nightmares. Pages float and shift as one reads, requiring constant focus. Beneath the library is a tomb where a long-dead Whispering One known as Lady Malvora sleeps. Her shadowy form still lingers, able to possess intruders.
Additional Notes
Groove charges psychic traps on 1d4 round delay. Lady Malvora’s shade can possess bodies (Magic Jar effect).
NPCs in Fogshore Isle
Maris Thornhart
A gaunt scholar obsessed with lifting the family curse; nervous twitch in one hand.
Captain Eamon Vale
Weathered ship captain stranded on Fogshore; lost a crew to the crypts.
Seraphine Duskfell
A hooded exorcist from the Silver Eucharist order; calm, steel-eyed.
NPCs in Moonlit Archipelago
Marilla Wavesong
A fisher-magistrate with braided seaweed hair; keen eyes reflect moonlight.
Old Keeper Bram
Last keeper of Peregrine; ghostly figure bound to lighthouse.
Tilda Reefwalker
A childlike woman who wades into the lagoon, speaking to spirits.
NPCs in Shadowfell Conflux
High Inquisitor Caldre
A zealot of the Silver Eucharist, scarred by past failures; hunts any use of demonic power.
Searing Wraith-Lord Zhaeleth
An infernal general bound to the Scar; oppressive presence dims hope.
Lady Malvora’s Shade
A whispering apparition of the first matriarch; cunning and manipulative.
Factions
The Silver Eucharist
Goals
Relationships
With Other Factions
Hostile toward the Whisperbound Circle, suspicious of the Black Network’s neutrality; respectful but distant toward the Fisherfolk Pact.With Players
Initially wary, they may withhold support if players use demonic power. Successful aid and exorcisms can earn their trust and resources.The Whisperbound Circle
Goals
Relationships
With Other Factions
Opposed by the Silver Eucharist; in uneasy cooperation with the Black Network when interests align.With Players
Offer arcane knowledge and sometimes powerful artifacts—but their true aims may betray the adventurers.The Black Network
Goals
Relationships
With Other Factions
Broker deals between The Silver Eucharist and The Whisperbound Circle; occasionally supply the latter with reagents.With Players
Friendly so long as deals are honored. They can arrange transport, sell rare goods, and offer intelligence on hidden sites.Main Questline
The Whispered Pact
Given by: Maris Thornhart
Goals
Find and assemble three pages of the Codex.Reward
1,500 XP; Infernal Codex (partial) revealing ritual structure.Secrets
- One page is hidden in a cultist’s skeleton in the crypt.
- Spectral ancestor holds a clue but must be exorcised.
DM Notes
Encourage players to role-play fear effects; use Madness rules sparingly.Echoes Across the Isles
Given by: Captain Eamon Vale
Goals
Activate the lens; map glyphs; survive the wraith attack.Reward
2,000 XP; Lunar Sigil granting advantage on Arcana checks in moonlight.Secrets
- Lens projection reveals hidden glyphs on submerged ruins.
- Old Keeper Bram is bound to the ritual’s first attempt failure.
DM Notes
Use naval travel encounter tables; incorporate storm hazard checks.The Tides of Betrayal
Given by: Seraphine Duskfell
Goals
Prevent the murder; cleanse or slay the heir.Reward
3,000 XP; Blessed Talisman (advantage vs. possession).Secrets
- The heir was manipulated by Lady Malvora’s Shade.
- Exorcism requires use of binding chains from side quests.
DM Notes
Exorcism is a skill challenge: 3 successes before 3 failures with Religion, Insight, Medicine.Riftfall Assault
Given by: High Inquisitor Caldre
Goals
Seal the portal; retrieve the fragment.Reward
4,000 XP; Caldre’s Blessing (resistance to necrotic damage).Secrets
- Missing ward chain fragment held by Zhaeleth.
- Portal closure opens a smaller internal rift in the Spire.
DM Notes
Use large-scale battle rules; incorporate civilians and cultists.Heart of the Scar
Given by: Lady Malvora’s Shade
Goals
Enter the spire; defeat final guardians; deal with the crystal.Reward
6,000 XP; choice of either Purifying Hammer (legendary) or Shadowheart Blade.Secrets
- Shattering the crystal may release an even greater horror.
- Harnessing the power binds you to the pact forever.
DM Notes
Prepare cinematic final battle with environmental hazards: collapsing floors, psychic storms.Side Quests in Fogshore Isle
Echoes in the Tide Pools
Given by: Captain Eamon Vale
Goals
Find tide pool cave; interact with or banish the spirit; recover journal.Reward
1,200 XP; Sailor’s Journal granting advantage on History checks about Morvath.Secrets
- The spirit can possess one party member temporarily.
- Journal pages contain a half-erased map of submerged tunnels.
DM Notes
Spirit is a Wraith (use weaker stats) and moors strong emotions.Tainted Harvest
Given by: Maris Thornhart
Goals
Harvest 3 black blossoms; return to Maris.Reward
Maris’s Potion of Insight (grants +2 to next skill check); 500 GP.Secrets
- One fungus was tampered with by Seraphine.
- Consumption yields prophetic nightmares.
DM Notes
Use fungi hallucination rules from location notes.The Silvered Chains
Given by: Seraphine Duskfell
Goals
Locate the forge; defeat guardians; retrieve chainmail.Reward
Silvered Chain Shirt (AC 14 + DEX mod); 800 XP.Secrets
- Forge bellows echo with cursed voices.
- One armor piece is inscribed with a hidden protective rune.
DM Notes
Cultists use shadow blades (treat as short swords + shadow touch).Whisper in the Walls
Given by: Anonymous Note
Goals
Eavesdrop in manor; find cell; free captive.Reward
1,500 XP; secret family sigil granting +1 AC against demonic entities.Secrets
- The note’s author is a traitorous heir.
- Visions in the cell hint at a future betrayal.
DM Notes
Use Duress skill challenge to avoid detection.Storm-Tossed Reliquary
Given by: Captain Eamon Vale
Goals
Locate wreck; retrieve box; return to Eamon.Reward
Relic Box (holds ritual scrolls worth 1,000 GP); 1,000 XP.Secrets
- Box triggers a psychic alarm when opened incorrectly.
- Inside lies a shard of the black crystal, still pulsing.
DM Notes
Wreck guarded by 3 Drowned Zombies.Side Quests in Moonlit Archipelago
The Broken Compass
Given by: Old Keeper Bram
Goals
Infiltrate atoll; recover compass; return to Bram.Reward
Compass (never leads astray in fog); 800 XP.Secrets
- Compass needle points to demonic focal points.
- Smugglers plan to auction it to a cult.
DM Notes
Smugglers have 4 Thugs + 1 Smuggler Boss.Lanterns of the Deep
Given by: Marilla Wavesong
Goals
Dive to wrecks; evade or banish wraiths; recover lanterns.Reward
200 GP; Lanterns grant darkvision up to 60 ft. for 1 hour once per day.Secrets
- One lantern contains a shard of crystalline tear.
- Wraiths respond differently to each lantern color.
DM Notes
Sea wraiths use phantasmal force and water jets.Side Quests in Shadowfell Conflux
Seal the Northern Rift
Given by: High Inquisitor Caldre
Goals
Collect oil; plant wards; close portal.Reward
Caldre’s Sigil of Warding (cast Protection from Evil once daily); 1,500 XP.Secrets
- One ward inadvertently strengthens the portal until all five are placed.
- Oil must be blessed under a full moon.
DM Notes
Warding runes require an Arcana or Religion check (DC 15).Recover the Binding Chains
Given by: Lady Malvora’s Shade
Goals
Search rifts; gather fragments; return to Malvora.Reward
Reforged Chains (attaches to crystal to trap its power temporarily); 2,000 XP.Secrets
- Chain fragments are cursed, requiring purification rituals.
- Reforged chains make the crystal brittle, not destroyed.
DM Notes
Fragments guarded by shadow fiends (use Shadows and Shadow Demons).Encounters
Shadowspawn on the Cliffs
MediumSuggested Level: 5–7
Creatures
- 4 Shadow Mastiffs
Terrain Features
- Narrow cliff path (10 ft. wide)
- Loose rocks (DC 12 DEX save or fall)
- Sea spray grants partial concealment (half-cover).
Treasure
50 GP; one Mastiff Fang (alchemical reagent).
DM Notes
Mastiffs use pack tactics; terrain hazards increase tension.
Crypt Guardian Awakens
HardSuggested Level: 6–8
Creatures
- 1 Skeleton Knight (use Death Knight stats, but CR 5)
Terrain Features
- Water-logged floor (difficult terrain)
- Glowing runes trigger a necrotic pulse every 3 rounds (1d8 necrotic).
Treasure
Armor scraps worth 200 GP; Necro-Shard (minor magic item).
DM Notes
Scale HP down if players unfamiliar with Death Knight.
Sea Wraith Ambush
DeadlySuggested Level: 5–7
Creatures
- 3 Water Wraiths
Terrain Features
- Shallow tide pools and submerged rocks
- Slippery algae (DC 13 DEX saves)
- Hidden caverns beneath water.
Treasure
Wraith Tear Gem (500 GP); 100 GP coins.
DM Notes
Wraiths should toy with players; use stealth tactics.
Cultist Ritual Obstruction
HardSuggested Level: 7–9
Creatures
- 4 Cult Fanatics
- 2 Will-o’-Wisps
Terrain Features
- Black water pools (difficult terrain)
- Flickering ghost lanterns
- Vines that animate on command.
Treasure
Cult robes worth 150 GP; Ritual Parchments.
DM Notes
Interrupting the ritual changes enemy tactics; time pressure crucial.
Zhaeleth’s Shadow Legion
DeadlySuggested Level: 8–10
Creatures
- 1 Shadow Demon
- 4 Imps
- 6 Shadows
Terrain Features
- Floating obsidian platforms
- Shadow pits (fall into them = unconscious for 1d4 rounds)
- Eldritch pillars granting high ground.
Treasure
Demonic Sigil (50 GP); Spell scroll of Banishment.
DM Notes
Consider a skill challenge to navigate platforms safely while fighting.
Magic Items
Black Crystal Shard
Very RareLocation
Sunken Crypts
Attunement
Yes, must be studied for 1 hour
Purifying Hammer
LegendaryLocation
Reward for Heart of the Scar quest
Attunement
Yes, by a paladin or cleric
Shadowheart Blade
Very RareLocation
Reward from shattering the Black Crystal
Attunement
Yes, requires a pact boon
Infernal Codex
RareLocation
Assembled from Blackspire Manor pages
Attunement
No
Caldre’s Sigil of Warding
UncommonLocation
Seal the Northern Rift quest reward
Attunement
No
Lunar Sigil
UncommonLocation
Echoes Across the Isles quest reward
Attunement
No
Reforged Binding Chains
RareLocation
Recover the Binding Chains quest
Attunement
Yes, requires attunement by two persons
Maris’s Potion of Insight
UncommonLocation
Side quest: Tainted Harvest
Attunement
No
Sailor’s Journal
CommonLocation
Echoes in the Tide Pools side quest
Attunement
No
Mastiff Fang
CommonLocation
Shadowspawn on the Cliffs encounter
Attunement
No
Player Characters
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