SHAVAKA

RISES
Credits
Author: Phil Beckwith
Editor: Ken Carcas
Layout: Phil Beckwith
Cover Artist: Sleepwalker/Shutterstock.com
Interior Illustrators: Dean Spencer, J Lonnee © 2011, Bradley K McDevitt © 2006, Gary Dupuis,
Bartek Blaszczec, ‘Jeshields’, Svetlanarib79/DepositPhotos.com
Layout Background: Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art © Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games
Battle Map Cartographer: Phil Beckwith

Special Thanks to:

Chris Bissette & Benoit de Bernardy

Ownership and Copyright

This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards
of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The
SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.

Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity and are not Licensed
Material: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots,
storylines, locations, characters, illustrations, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been
designated as Licensed Material or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.)

Licensed Material: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics
of this game product are Licensed Material, as defined in the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License Section 1(f) as it applies to the SRD 5.1. No portion of this work other than the
material designated as Licensed Material may be reproduced in any form without written permission.
Shavaka Rises - Copyright © 2024, P.B. Publishing, Daggerwood Games, Phil Beckwith, Clint Skene.
All rights reserved.

Reference to copyright material in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright holder of
that material. Daggerwood Games, Daggerwood Games Logo, and Daggerwood Dungeon Delves logo
and brand dressings are trademarks of Daggerwood Games, Phil Beckwith, and Clint Skene.

Copyright © Daggerwood Games 2024

 Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction 4 Chapter 3: Shavaka’s Tomb 11
Running this Adventure 4 7. Enter the Tomb 11
Character Advancement 4 8. The Ritual Room 11
Boxed Text 4 Plague of Soul Locusts 11
Setting & Location 4 9. The Mortician 12
Hook: The Expedition 4 The Ritual of Shavaka 12
Chapter 2: The Temple of Shavaka 6 10. Rubble Trouble 13
1. Temple Entrance 6 11. Death’s Door 13
2. Hall of the Disciples 6 12. The Tomb of King Shavaka 14
Gas Effect Table 6 13. Antechamber West 14
The King’s Story (Hallucinations) 7 14. Antechamber East 15
3. Sacrificial Chamber 8 Development: Retrieving the Amulet 15
4. Prayer Hall 9 Development: Rewards 15
5. High Priest’s Antechamber 10 Appendix A: Monsters 16
6. The Gates of Shavaka’s Tomb 10 Appendix B: Map 17

The Amulet of Shavaka

3
Chapter 1: Introduction

S
havaka Rises is a Daggerwood
Dungeon Delve designed to be Setting & Location
completed in about 4–6 hours of play. The Amulet of Shavaka is designed to be used in
any setting. With some tweaks in the lore of the
The combat encounters have King Shavaka, a savvy Game Master can drop
been calculated to present a tough and play this adventure into any setting and any
challenge to four characters of campaign.
2nd level. The APL (average party level) is 2.
Information is supplied in the text explaining
how to scale the encounters to APL 1 or APL 3.
Hook: The Expedition
The heroes are approached by a finely-dressed
human apprentice wizard named ‘Elel’. He
Not every loose end is tied up in the following advises that he has been searching for the
text, nor every possible reaction accounted group for some time, having heard of their
for. Be ready to improvise, and do so with bravery in recently overheard bard’s tales. Elel
confidence! Unless stated otherwise, assume offers the party a mission; enter the Tomb of
NPCs have the stats of a Commoner. Shavaka at the edge of the desert to the east/
west (dependent on the party’s current location),
Running this Adventure and retrieve the lost Amulet of Shavaka. Their
This adventure is location-based. The map in
reward is 500 gp along with any loot collected
Appendix B will help you, the Game Master, to
during the expedition.
drive the scenes as our heroes explore different
rooms accessible to them within the Temple and
If the heroes question Elel about the Amulet, he
then the Tomb of Shavaka.
will prefer not to divulge anything. If pushed,
Character Advancement he’ll relate that it was last to be seen, many years
ago, going into an ancient tomb deep within the
This adventure is designed to utilize the
Milestone leveling system, by which it is desert, around the neck of a daring adventurer
expected that the characters start at level 2 at the searching for the wealth of a long-dead king. It
beginning of the adventure. Upon defeating King and its owner were never seen again, and no
Shavaka and delivering the Amulet of Shavaka one has yet to enter the tomb on rumors that the
to Elel the heroes should advance by one level undead now walks its passages.
automatically.
Elel requires the amulet to be retrieved, but won’t
This is only a suggestion, however, and you, advise what the amulet is worth or what power it
as the GM, are in no way forced to use this might hold. In fact, he doesn’t know himself, and
method. This adventure runs perfectly fine with has been tasked by his master to simply ‘find it’.
Experience Points based leveling, and you are On failing the courage to enter the tomb himself,
encouraged to use XP if it is a better fit for you Elel has now turned to hired help, and thus he
and your playing group. searched for the heroes that he had heard sung
of by a bard within a local tavern.
Boxed Text
This adventure includes boxed text to assist Elel provides the party with a map showing
those Game Masters who like to have a the Tomb of Shavaka’s rough location in the
description of a scene or location. The use of desert and offers to act as a guide as far as the
boxed text is by no means required; many great entrance to the temple that lays in ruins above
Game Masters avoid the use of boxed text and the submerged tomb.
instead feel more comfortable describing the
action in their own words. You should consider Locating of the Tomb of Shavaka. As this
what works best for you and your group. If you adventure is designed to drop into any setting
choose not to read aloud any of the text provided, or campaign, the exact location of the tomb,
you should at least paraphrase the information to geographically, has intentionally been left
keep the players aware of their environment.
The Amulet of Shavaka

4
undetermined. This is to allow you as the DM to
be able to place it in any location you wish. The
only real prerequisite for the tomb’s location is
to place it close to, or within the borders of a dry
and desolate desert. Once the characters have
departed their current location, Elel, acting as
a guide, leads the party on a 2-day journey into
the desert and shows them only as far as the
entrance of the half-buried and ruined temple.
Elel does not join the party on entry but elects to
stay outside, eager for the party’s return.

The Amulet of Shavaka

5
Chapter 2: The Temple of Shavaka

T
he Temple of Shavaka was once
a place of worship to the self-
2. Hall of the Disciples
As the heroes enter this room, read or
proclaimed God-King Shavaka.
paraphrase the following:
When the King rose in power,
thanks to the magic of the amulet,
he began to fancy himself a god As you enter the temple you notice that the air is musty
with the smell of death and decay. You see carvings
and had temples built in his name.
of six demonic faces along the walls of the narrow
Here his worshipers could congregate and offer passage leading west and the feeling of impending
fealty to their god-king in return for his blessings. doom itches at the edge of your subconscious.
Now, thousands of years later, the last remnant
of a ruined temple is barely visible to anyone If the players decide to investigate the demonic
not specifically seeking it out. It lays half buried face carvings, a successful DC 12 Intelligence
and hidden amongst the desert dunes with only (History) or DC 12 Intelligence (Religion)
the grand double door entry revealed for those check deduces that these carvings depict King
adventurers courageous enough to enter. Shavaka’s six disciples, pledged to protect his
godhood from powerful enemies in times of war,
1. Temple Entrance as well as spread the word of the King’s religion
As the heroes approach the temple, read or far and wide. A successful DC 13 Intelligence
paraphrase the following: (Investigation) check notices that the eyes of
each carved face have open holes with green
The sand blows sharply against you in the outskirts residue staining their edges.
of the desert. This is where the tomb is supposedly
located. Visibility is low; however, you manage to make It’s A Trap! As an adventurer reaches the dashed
out the structure of a half-buried building close by. line on the map, a successful DC 13 Wisdom
(Perception) check senses a faint gaseous
Once the heroes get to the structure, read or smell.
paraphrase the following:
A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation)
You reach the building, and the only part of it not check on the sandy floor finds a slightly raised
covered by yellow sand is the great double doors made pressure plate (as noted on the map). If any hero
from yellow tinged solid stone. The script above the places and releases pressure on the pressure
arch reads: “The Temple of Shavaka.” plate, a green gas begins to stream out of the six
demons’ carved eye holes. Any hero within the
It takes more than one hero to open the great corridor must succeed a DC 13 Constitution
double entry doors. No skill checks are required, saving throw; failure results in a roll on the Gas
but the vast weight of the doors and the sand that Effect Table below to determine what effect the
pushes against them make it too difficult for a gas has on that hero.
solitary hero to open.

Gas Effect Table

1d6 Effect
1 Character suffers from disorientation for 1 hour, and has disadvantage on any ability or attack roll.
2,3,4,5 Character suffers from hallucinations. On entrance to any new room on the 1st floor, they must succeed a DC 15
Wisdom saving throw. On a failure read or paraphrase ‘The King’s Story (Hallucinations) sidebar’ below to describe
the hallucinations that the character witnesses for any of the respective rooms listed.
6 For 10 minutes the character believes that they are a mule that can talk in the character’s primary language, and wield
one weapon. The character walks on hands and knees for the period of effect, during which time their movement
speed is halved.

The Amulet of Shavaka

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The King’s Story (Hallucinations)
If a character has been affected with hallucinations from the gas in Area 2, then upon entering each of the following
rooms for the first time, read or paraphrase the respective hallucination description. Only those affected by the gas can
see the hallucinations:

Area 3:

A young dwarf lays on the black altar. His eyes are emotionless, but his breathing remains steady. Three priests
and a young boy enter the room. The boy wears a crown whilst the priests wear black robes. One carries a thurible
suspended from a chain; a strong incense streams from it. The other two hold a razor-sharp athame on a golden
serving plate between them. The victim is held down whilst the athame-wielding priest proceeds to remove the top
of the dwarf’s skull. “Yes, our Lord Shavaka will like them fresh and exotic.” He grins as he removes the brain, placing
it on a golden serving plate. The dwarf shudders and falls limp, never a blink of pain from those unemotional eyes.
As you notice a small black shadow looming over the boy, the child-king at first refuses, tears rolling down from his
cheeks. The priest scolds the young Shavaka who proceeds, reluctantly, to cut a sliver of the organ and begins to
devour it. The apparition fades from existence.

Area 4:

A room in disarray seems empty at first, then comes to life with the ruined benches now back in their original place.
Hundreds of spectators, made up mostly of humans, except for small groups of snake-people and cat-people, fill the
seats as six men in black robes watch silently over them. They all hum in prayer as a man in bronze-colored robes
addresses them, reading aloud passages from a tome in a foreign language. Then you notice him, the apparition of
a grown man, the king, mighty and powerful, sitting with command on the throne as a large black shadow caresses
him from above. Adorning the King’s neck is an amulet. It glows green as small motes of soul begin to drift from his
audience to his body. He grins with evil pleasure, as his followers begin to deteriorate before your eyes. Then the
vision fades, and the room is once again empty.

Area 5:

The dusty and forlorn antechamber slowly comes to life, as the aspect of a once mighty king materializes in the
center of the room, along with four figures dressed in varying adventuring gear. The king raises his empty hand
with the motion of holding a throat. Across the room, one adventurer gasps and drops to the floor as his neck is
telepathically crushed. The second and third adversaries have their souls dragged from their living bodies. The King
grins feverishly as the green energy flows into the green amulet adorning his neck. Suddenly his eyes widen as a
sword of flame thrusts out from his abdomen; black blood trickles to the floor. A small hand reaches from behind the
dying king, clasps the amulet and tears it from his neck. As her evil victim falls to his knees, the halfling quickly looks
about at her fallen comrades and says, “You’ve died for a righteous cause. I will take this to be destroyed by the high
mages. Your deaths will not be in vain.” The scene disappears as quickly as it began.

Area 6:

As you stand before the gates, the room once again springs to life with events long past. “The King must be
mummified and kept fresh for a time when the amulet has returned. It has been foreseen, you see. We must hurry, the
walking dead are upon us…”. The High Priest’s words are cut short as an undead creature appears from the shadows
to bite and tear at the priest’s neck. The two pallbearers carrying the mummy sarcophagus rush to lock the gates
behind them with fear in their eyes. You notice a dark shadowy form forever looming over the sarcophagus as they
descend from sight into the darkness below. The twitching body of the High Priest remains and fades from existence.

Note: The evil magic embedded within the temple induces the memories of its past on to those effected by the gas.

The Amulet of Shavaka

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3. Sacrificial Chamber
In the center of this dark and musty room sits a
single black altar. Lying on the altar is the small
skeleton of a humanoid. Three larger skeletons
lay in piles of black robes about the altar.

A successful DC 13 Intelligence (Medicine)

check deduces that the skeleton is that of a small
male humanoid, likely a dwarf. It is missing the
top of its skull which seems to have been cleanly
sawn off.

A successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation)

check notices symbols carved into the altar’s
polished black marble surface, with a DC 15
Intelligence (Investigation) check further
revealing them to be Abyssal sigils, likely used in
sacrificial rituals.

Once the characters have finished their initial

actions within the room, the three black-robed
skeletons begin to animate and attack any nearby
hero.
Creatures
3 x skeletons
Tactics
The skeletons attack immediately and fight to the
death.
Loot
The heroes will find, after defeating the
skeletons, 20 cp of indistinguishable origin.

Adjusting this Encounter

APL 1: Remove 1x Skeleton

APL 3: Add 3x Skeletons

The Amulet of Shavaka

8
 On inspection of the pulpit, the adventurers find
4. Prayer Hall an ancient tome. It is very delicate and requires
This is the room where the devout followers a successful DC 18 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand)
of King Shavaka would pray to him. During check to handle it; failure results in the tome
prayer, the King would activate the magic of the crumbling to dust. It is covered with yellow
amulet adorning his neck to feed on motes of sand, dust, and cobwebs, though any hero may
his follower’s souls, increasing his power and successfully clear it by simply blowing on it. If
ensuring his follower’s belief was not lost. the heroes wish to read the page once the sand,
dust, and cobwebs have been blown away, read
Read or paraphrase the following: or paraphrase the following:

A large hall opens before you with many long benches As the dust clears from the surface of the tome, you
arranged randomly about the place, obviously not in find that it is written in a strange language, with most
their original positions. In the north-western area, one of the passage faded with time. There are sketches on
heavy looking bench blocks the only other exit from the ancient paper showing a mighty being descending
the hall. A large obsidian throne sits front and center from the heavens. Its worshipers below hold out
facing an empty audience, a stone pulpit to its left. women as offerings to the “god” they serve. On the
Large and partly broken stained glass windows stretch opposite page, another piece of art depicts the “god,”
high towards the domed ceiling. A hot draft enters this time with large sharp teeth. What you see in its
through the broken windows and blows the ever- grasp horrifies you; a person with a feverish grin on
present yellow sand about the circular room. The smell his face, the crown of its skull removed and the “god”
of decay lingers. devouring the victim’s brain.

As the heroes advance into the room, 6 x ancient A passage, damaged through time, is written in
and dormant zombies smell their first scent of Abyssal. Read or paraphrase the following:
living flesh in centuries. They raise from their
prone positions behind the benches and attack
“… as the lord Shavaka descends from the heavens
the party. On entering the hall, any character to rule and conquer those less worthy… the mind of
with a passive Perception of 13 or higher a sacrifice and the offering a one’s soul to return the
notices the dormant bodies lying on the floor king-god to his rightful power and glory…”
behind the benches but cannot tell that they are
zombies until they stand up.
Creatures
6 x zombies
Tactics
The zombies attack immediately and fight to the
death.
Loot
The heroes will find, after defeating the zombies,
six sets of rotting ragged black robes, two small
skulls (the tops sawn off).

Adjusting this Encounter

APL 1: Remove 3x Zombies

APL 3: Do nothing

The Amulet of Shavaka

9
5. High Priest's Antechamber 6. The Gates of Shavaka's
This room was the private antechamber of the Tomb
King’s High Priest. Unfortunately, he still resides
Once the heroes defeat the zombies, or simply
here, dormant and undead biding his time,
move into this room for the first time, read or
waiting for bodies of living flesh to enter. As soon
paraphrase the following:
as the heroes open the door to this antechamber,
read or paraphrase the following:
You enter the small, dark and windowless room. Sand
covers the floor and the walls are made of hard stone.
As soon as you open the door a rotting arm, wielding a On the northern wall are two large gates; a keyhole in
morning-star, swings at you from the darkness beyond their center binding the two shut. Beyond the gates, a
and a zombie dressed in rotting priestly robes rushes stairwell descends into darkness.
forward, hunger in its dead milky white eyes. He holds
a skull lantern with a continual green flame within in his
right hand. The skull has been sawn off. The golden key found on the Zombie Priest in
Area 5 effortlessly opens the lock. A successful
DC 18 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) check will
Creatures also unlock the gates. Alternatively, a successful
1 x zombie priest (Appendix A: Monsters) DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check bends the
Tactics bars enough for a creature of medium size or
Characters must succeed a DC 20 Wisdom below to squeeze through. Lastly, any character
(Perception) check or be considered surprised can try to smash through the gates using brute
for the first round. force. The gates have an AC of 19, with 30 HP.

The zombie priest attacks immediately and

fights to the death. Where possible, it attempts to
target the most religiously aligned hero first.
Loot
The heroes will find in the High Priest’s
antechamber, 38 gp, one set of rotting bronze
robes (worth 1 cp), one potion of healing, one
golden key (worth 10 gp), and a skull lantern
which provides an eerie green light of upto 30
feet.

Adjusting this Encounter

APL 1: Add 1x Zombie, and Reduce Zombie Priest HP to 32

APL 3: Add 2x Zombies

The Amulet of Shavaka

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Chapter 3: Shavaka's Tomb

S
havaka’s Tomb was built beneath the
Temple with the purpose of burying
8. The Ritual Room
the King’s family members, mistresses, As the heroes approach this room, read or
disciples, and priests. paraphrase the following:

Now within the tomb, King Shavaka As you come to the end of the corridor, the green hue
has been awakened in mummy form. spills over everything. You notice the shimmer of a
The amulet has been returned to the tomb, and mystical aura through the air just before the entrance
feeds the king motes of souls stolen from nearby to the room beyond. Within the room is an altar with
living creatures. The Soul Locusts and necrotic an unknown animal lying dead and rotting upon it. On
energies that plague the tomb’s halls transport the floor, near the entrance, is the decomposing body
of some long dead adventurer, their skeletal fist grips
these bits of stolen souls directly into the king
a golden amulet. Green energy spews from the amulet
himself, thereby slowly regenerating Shavaka and feeds into the green shimmering aura before you.
into the powerful being he once was. An open book lies just beyond the sickly green glow,
its pages clear to read.
If King Shavaka succeeds in his return to power,
he aims to claim his kingdom back from those If the heroes attempt to read the book, they will
who now possess it. discover the following points from a page that is
entitled “The Ritual of Shavaka”:
7. Enter the Tomb
When the heroes step inside the tomb gates • Activating the Ritual of Shavaka “returns a
and begin their descent, read or paraphrase the kings wealth”.
following: • King Shavaka considered his rulership and
godhood his wealth.
The stairs before you descend 20 feet and end at two • The shield will break when the king is
large stone double doors. either returned to power, or he is destroyed.

The doors require a successful DC 15 Strength A successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception)

(Athletics) check to pull open. Allow any other check will notice a moth fluttering towards the
character with a Strength ability score of 10+ to green shimmering transparent wall. Read or
provide Help. paraphrase the following:

You enter a foyer where, on the eastern wall, is a closed You notice a small moth fluttering about the corridor.
wooden door. On the western wall is an entrance to As it gets to within 5 feet of the green, shimmering,
a corridor. From the western corridor, an eerie green and transparent wall, a greenish stem of energy shoots
glow pulses from its depths. A long and dark corridor out and strikes the moth, which immediately crumples
stretches before you. Even down here, the yellow sand to dust. The green stem returns with a tiny white and
covers the floor. shining mote of energy which is then absorbed by the
shimmer.
Any character with darkvision can see that the
This ‘shimmer’ is the magical necrotic shield
end of the northern 40-foot corridor has piles of
developed by the Ritual of Shavaka (see The
rubble blocking further progress.
Ritual of Shavaka sidebar).

Plague of Soul Locusts

During their time within the confines of the tomb, each time the players move into a new room, or corridor, roll a d20.
On a roll of 10 or above. the party will be attacked by 1d4 Soul Locusts (Appendix A), who will each attack 1 hero with their
Life Steal action (as shown in their stat block). On a successful hit, the targeted hero reduces their maximum HP by 1, as the Soul
Locust then attempts to escape to transfer that 1HP into King Shavaka’s maximum HP. Provide the heroes with a chance for an
Attack of Opportunity as the Soul Locust attempts its escape. If a hero is successful in killing the Soul Locust, that hero will regain
the 1 Maximum HP. The Soul Locusts will move at maximum flying speed in their getaway.

The Amulet of Shavaka

11
The Ritual of Shavaka
The ritual of Shavaka was set into motion by the dead adventurer (Area 8). He used the Amulet of Shavaka to awaken the Mummy of
King Shavaka (Area 12). The dead adventurer had misinterpreted the ancient texts, found in the open ritual book lying near the shield,
relating to the origin of the amulet. He read the text as “… to return a king’s wealth …” thinking this would supply him with the
king’s lost treasure. The text had, in fact, been referring to King Shavaka’s self-imposed godhood and rulership as his wealth. Once
the ritual was activated, King Shavaka awoke to reclaim his desert kingdom and his dark throne. The amulet fed on the lifeforce of
the adventurer, killing him in the process, and pouring the necrotic energy into the mummy. The ritual also created a green necrotic
energy shield to protect the amulet and King Shavaka’s plans of return. To break the shield and retrieve the amulet the heroes must
first defeat King Shavaka (Area 12), thereby ending the Ritual of Shavaka, and rendering the amulet powerless.

If a hero comes within 5 feet of the shield, they If the heroes check the caskets, they find that
must succeed a DC 11 Constitution saving none of them are nailed shut. If they proceed to
throw. On failure, the creature suffers 1d4 open any of them, they find a skeleton in each,
necrotic damage, and their maximum Hit Points whose eye sockets begin to suddenly glow green.
will decrease by 1. Any maximum Hit Points lost They all hold longswords, once ready to be
restore after long rest. On a successful save, a honorably buried with their weapons.
hero still takes 1d4 necrotic damage but does not
suffer a reduction in maximum HP. No creature
Combat Triggers
The following triggers will start combat in this
can pass through the shield, and it will act as a
encounter, awakening all 8 of the skeletons (6
wall until the ritual is broken.
in the caskets, 1 on the stone bench and the
Mortician’s skeleton slumped in the chair):
Note: take note of how many maximum Hit
Points are ‘stolen’ by the shield, as these are to
• As soon as a PC opens a casket.
be transferred into the mummy of King Shavaka.
• Failure of a DC 11 Dexterity (Stealth)
For every Hit Point stolen, add that to the total
check, or normal non-stealthy movement
maximum Hit Points of King Shavaka in when
past the trigger line, provided on the map.
encountered (Area 12).
• Failure of a DC 13 Dexterity (Sleight of
9. The Mortician Hand) check when attempting to remove
the key from the Mortician skeleton’s neck
The wooden door on the easternmost wall of prior to its awakening.
the entrance hall is slightly open. Beyond is
a short hallway ending in steps that descend
into darkness. The room below has the musty Creatures
dank smell of mildew. This is the Shavaka royal 6 x Skeletons
morgue, and it is swamped with darkness. Tactics
For those heroes who have a light source, or The skeletons attack immediately and fight to the
darkvision, read or paraphrase the following: death.

Within the dark room, you see six closed wooden

Loot
caskets on wooden tables, three to each side. Small The heroes find, after defeating the skeletons;
round stool tables sit beside each casket. On them lie six longswords, nine scalpels, stitch thread and
many small operating tools such as scalpels, needles needles, and one silver key.
and stitching thread. Along the southern wall of the
room is a large 20-foot-long stone bench where a
skeleton rests lifelessly on its surface. Slumped in Adjusting this Encounter
a wooden chair beside the stone bench is another
APL 1: Decrease creatures by 2 skeletons
skeleton; this one with a head-strap that holds a large
magnifying glass over its face. A key dangles from APL 3: Change the skeleton on the stone bench to a Minotaur
a chain around its neck. Writing on a long 10-foot Skeleton
wooden plaque hanging on the wall over the stone
bench reads:
“MY LIFE IS YOUR PRIVILEGE, AND YOUR DEATH IS
MY RIGHT”.

The Amulet of Shavaka

12
 If the heroes decide they want to try to force the
10. Rubble Trouble door open, a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check
This corridor is blocked by fallen rubble. Long will budge the door slightly open, enough for
ago the roof fell to the weight of the desert one party member at a time to fit through whilst
sand above and the corridor now ends in being held open. If the door is let go, it will slam
rubble and yellow sand. An iron door can be shut. Anything caught in its way will be shoved
seen half buried in the western wall. A DC 15 back 5 feet and dealt 1d4 bludgeoning damage.
Strength (Athletics) check can kick open the
door inwards though it only leaves a gap at the The Oath of Shavaka. This of course, is
top of the door frame big enough for a small- written on the walls of the morgue (Area 9).
sized creature to enter. This door leads into If the players simply say the words “MY LIFE
King Shavaka’s tomb, where he waits, gaining IS YOUR PRIVILEGE, AND YOUR DEATH
strength from the amulet that slowly feeds him IS MY RIGHT” the guards say nothing more,
stolen life (Area 6). and return to their original poses as the double
golden doors swing silently open.
11. Death's Door
As the heroes approach the end of the corridor,
they come upon two large golden double doors.
Carved on each is humanoid people. One with a
snake head and another with a cat’s head, they
stand with spears in hand, almost as if they are
standing guard of the room beyond.

A successful DC 11 Intelligence (History) check

will discern that these are carvings of yuan-ti
and tabaxi warriors, both races having colonies
in this area serving under the rulership of King
Shavaka thousands of years ago.

Locked! The door is locked. There is a keyhole

that the silver key from Area 3 can be used to
open. A successful DC 17 Dexterity (Thieves
Tools) check successfully picks the lock.

As the door unlocks, read or paraphrase the

following:

As the lock clicks open, suddenly you notice the carved

guards on each of the doors start to move. Their two-
dimensional images warp in ways that make their heads
turn to face you. The guard with the cat-like features
says, “Speak your pledge truly and you shall enter”.

If the heroes attempt to converse with the guards

of the tomb, read or paraphrase the following:

The second of the guards now looks down upon you

with cold snake-like eyes and speaks in a hissing voice
“ssspeak the oathssss of sssssshavaka or sss turn from
thisssss place-sss”.

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13
12. The Tomb of King Shavaka 13. Antechamber West
As the doors open, read or paraphrase the This antechamber holds 3 unopened mummy
following: sarcophagi. If the heroes enter the room, two
of the three sarcophagi will open revealing two
As you consider the room before you, it takes a mummies beginning to animate. These are
moment for your eyes to adjust to the bright green the sarcophagi of the three mistresses of King
light, feeding energy through the walls and into Shavaka who were mummified alive upon the
the upstanding open golden sarcophagus. A few King’s burial.
glowing green locusts also flutter about the standing
sarcophagus. Within that sarcophagus rests a body, Creatures
wrapped in heavy, and dirty bandages. You then notice 2 x Mummies with 32 total Hit Points (the third
a second sarcophagus lying along the western wall of mistress mummy does not awaken for a level 2
the room. Brilliant maroon tapestries, laced with gold APL but stays dormant unless attacked).
trimming and encrusted with emeralds, adorn the
northern wall. Tactics
The mummies will attack the heroes to defend
As soon as any hero moves past sarcophagus their King’s tomb.
along the western wall, read or paraphrase the Loot
following: The heroes will find three jeweled necklaces,
gifts to the three mistresses from the King
You suddenly notice that the figure in bandages begins during their days among the living, worth 100 gp
to move, and moans as its long unused limbs creak and each.
crack with stiffness. The mummy of King Shavaka walks
again! Adjusting this Encounter
APL 1: Remove 1x Mummy (32 total HP)
Have the players roll for initiative.
APL 3: Add 1x Mummy (32 total HP)
Secret Door. On a successful DC 14
Intelligence (Investigation) check for secret
doors, the characters notice small cracks in
the north-western wall, outlining a section
that seems to be a façade. Pushing on the wall
swings it open on a successful DC 13 Strength
(Athletics) check.
Creatures
1 x Mummy
Tactics
The mummy of King Shavaka will fight to the
death to protect his final chance at regaining his
rulership once more.
Loot
The heroes will find that the three tapestries
hanging from the northern walls are worth
150gp each.

Adjusting this Encounter

APL 1: Reduce the Mummy of King Shavaka’s Hit Points to
38 HP

APL 3: Add a zombie which rises from the sarcophagus along

the western wall

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14
14. Antechamber East Development:
This thick wooden door is locked, the silver key
found in Area 9 opens the door with no required Retrieving the Amulet
check. A successful DC 15 Dexterity (Thieves Once King Shavaka has been defeated, the
Tools) check picks the lock on the door, and a players hear a loud shattering sound coming
successful DC 18 Strength (Athletics) check from the direction of the tomb entrance. The
kicks the door open. The door has an AC of 15 green energy feeding into the room regresses
and 20 HP should the heroes wish to break the back through the wall and seeps back towards
door open with attacks. the direction of The Ritual Room (Area 8).

A single treasure chest can be found here. It is Once the heroes circle back to the entrance, they
locked. a successful DC 15 Dexterity (Thieves’ notice that the green glowing shield has been
Tools) check can open the lock, or a successful shattered, and they can now enter the room and
DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check can break it retrieve the Amulet of Shavaka, along with the
open. Ritual Book of Shavaka. 12 gp can be found on
the decaying body of the dead adventurer.
It’s A Trap! A successful DC 20 Intelligence
(Investigation) check determines that there Note: The Amulet is now powerless, having lost
are two traps attached to this chest, and a DC its power with the destruction of the mummy of
12 Intelligence (Investigation) check only Shavaka.
discovers one of them (DMs discretion).
Rewards
The first trap is a pressure plate under the On successfully handing over of the Amulet of
chest. If the chest is removed from the plate, the Shavaka to Elel, who patiently waits outside at
release will trigger a block of stone to release a short distance from the entrance of the temple,
and fall from the ceiling. A successful DC 15 he hands over a pouch containing 500 gp.
Dexterity saving throw is required for any hero
standing adjacent to the chest to dodge the block.
On failure, the character takes 1d6 bludgeoning Character Advancement Options
damage. Choose one of the following:

The second trap is the lock itself, which contains • If you are using the Milestone Leveling
a poison needle that will prick any hero who System, then each character should progress
attempts to open the lock without first disarming by 1 level on successful completion of this
it. A successful DC 12 Dexterity (Thieves’ adventure.
Tools) check disarms the locked trap.
• If you are using the Experience Point
Loot System, then the party should gain 2,000 XP
The chest contains 55 gp, four gemstones (worth split between them on successful completion
10 gp each), two Potions of Healing, and two of this adventure.
Potions of Climbing.

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15
Appendix A: Monsters
Soul Locust
Tiny undead, unaligned

Armor Class 14 (natural armor)

Hit Points 2 (1d4)
Speed 10 ft., fly 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

3 (-4) 16 (+3) 11 (+0) 1 (-5) 7 (-2) 1 (-5)

Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 8

Languages - King Shavaka (Mummy)
Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) Medium undead, lawful evil

Armor Class 11 (natural armor)

Actions Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18) + HP from Soul Locusts
Speed 20 ft.
Life Steal. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 0 ft.
(touch), one creature. Hit: 1 Maximum HP reduction to the STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
target. The Soul Locust enters any creature’s area without 16 (+3) 8 (-1) 15 (+2) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1)
penalty. After a successful hit it will then attempt to flee to
transport the mote of soul to King Shavaka to assist with his
rejuvenation. Saving Throws Wis +2
Damage Vulnerabilities fire
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities necrotic, poison
Zombie Priest Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened,
Medium undead, neutral evil paralyzed, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 10
Armor Class 8 Languages the languages it knew in life
Hit Points 66 (7d10 + 28) Challenge 3 (700 XP)
Speed 25 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA Actions

19 (+4) 6 (-2) 18 (+4) 3 (-4) 6 (-2) 5 (-3)
Multiattack. The mummy can use its Dreadful Glare and
makes one attack with its rotting fist.
Saving Throws Wis +0
Damage Immunities poison Rotting Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one
Condition Immunities poisoned target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 10 (3d6)
Senses darkvision 60ft., passive Perception 8 necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed
Languages understands the languages it knew in life but can’t on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be cursed with
speak mummy rot. The cursed target can’t regain hit points, and
Challenge 2 (450 XP) its hit point maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) for every 24
hours that elapse. If the curse reduces the target’s hit point
Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the zombie to 0 hit maximum to 0, the target dies, and its body turn s to dust.
points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC The curse lasts until removed by the remove curse spell or
of 5 +the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from other magic.
a critical hit. On a success, the zombie drops to 1 hit point
instead. Dreadful Glare. The mummy targets one creature it can see
within 60 feet of it. If the target can see the mummy, it must
Actions succeed on a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw against this magic
or become frightened until the end of the mummy’s next
Morningstar. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one turn . If the target fails the saving throw by 5 or more, it is
target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. also paralyzed for the same duration . Atarget that succeeds
on the saving throw is immune to the Dreadful Glare of all
mummies (but not mummy lords) for the next 24 hours.

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16
Appendix B: Map

14
13
S

12

10
11

8 9
7

5 4

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17