Endless Night: The Cellar

ENDLESS NIGHT

A Fantasy Core Adventure

© Jerry Harris 2014

Published here as Open Game Content.

(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)

Adventure Overview Index

First Floor Index

The Cellar

Description: Dank, dark (characters have to bring in their own light), musty, and cobweb-filled underground chamber.  It was never this bad when the house was inhabited by the living.  There is a pantry that used hold valuable spices and exotic food items, which are now ruined.  There is a large wine rack, which still holds many bottles of now finely aged wine.

Status: The door to the Cellar is locked and requires the Butler’s key to enter.

Inhabitants: Archina Creighton and 4 Giant Spiders

Objective: Kill Archina Creighton.  Award 3 XP for this encounter, because it means the group has finally cleared the First Floor.  This counts a major accomplishment.

Carter’s Introduction: “Meow.  Archina Creighton was an etymologist.  She had a weakness for insects, and unfortunately, spider venom as well, which is what killed her.  She is also the last spirit haunting the First Floor.  It's dark down there, be careful.  Meow.”

Going down the steps into the dark chamber, the characters will nearly trip over several cocooned bodies.  If they examine them, it’s characters themselves inside, dead.  The pantry is unlocked and open, with only ruined items inside.  The wine rack contains 40 bottles (50 gp each, healing effect 1d4+1 hp).  For every missed attack in the cellar, roll 1d4 for the number of bottles broken. 

Four Giant Spiders are also hiding inside the rack.  It is a DC 16 Detection to notice one of them first.  Attacking one, doesn’t activate the others (and will break 1d6 bottles of wine).  Setting fire to the basement will destroy all of the wine, smoke out the characters, and Archina and the remaining Giant Spiders will start their attack in the kitchen, 1 rd later, dropping from the ceiling. 

 

Two rds after entry in the basement, Archina will slowly reveal herself at the far end of the Cellar, producing the Fear effect.  The Giant Spiders hiding in the rack will attack from surprise if they were undetected.  Archina will then fire her Web on those left, then following it up with her Acid Arrow, before engaging in melee.    

Archina Crieghton (Drider-human torso on large spider body)

HD 6, Hp 35, AC 17 (natural), Enhanced Init +3

Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +8

Melee: Spear +7 to hit 1d8 + Venom DC 18 Fort Sv or Unconscious 1 turn

Cause Fear: Upon first viewing, DC 18 Will Sv or flee 1d4 rds.  (Classes and characters immune to supernatural fear are not effected.)

Spells: May automatically cast each once per turn.

Acid Arrow: 7 acid damage + -1 to non-Dex bonus AC. (DC 15 Ref Sv all damage) Short range.

Web: Fills 20-ft.-radius spread with sticky spiderwebs. Entangled 4 rds (DC 15 Ref Sv to avoid. DC 18 Str to break or Escape Artist skill)

Giant Spider (4)

HD 2, Hp 8, AC 14 (natural)

Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +0

Melee: Bite +4 to hit 1d6 + Poison DC 12 Fort Sv or sickened 1 turn (all bonuses and skill go to 0)

Stealth +4 (DC 16 to Detect)

Afterward

With Archina’s death, the grandfather clock chimes again.  The First Floor suddenly turns back into its real, dilapidated state.  However, the outside of the house is still inside the Astral Plane.  The real world can be seen through a haze, but not entered. 

The door to the Servant Stairway is now open.  Carter will appear upon the stairs and congratulate the characters.  He’ll tell them that they are safe where they are, if they wish to get some sleep.  He’ll warn them also warn them that once they go up the stairs, they can’t go back down.  The only way back to the real world is to end the haunting on the Second Floor.