ogres.

The ogres have been raiding the

My Ancestral local farms and mining communities, so

Lady Westengles, the local noble, has
seconded the call to rid his lands of this

Home menace.

The party will meet up with Lord Bob in

Dedendwals and go with him up through
By
the mountains to his ancestral castle to
confront the ogres. The oni and Lord Bob
have a bit of history (and can be
incorporated if you choose to use this
adventure as part of a larger campaign).
A 6th Level Adventure Once the ogres are gone, Lord Bob will open
the hidden passage to the crypts (the
obvious one is fake and trapped) where he
will find the sarcophagus of his great-
grandfather.

Or so he says. He’s been lying the whole

time. Of course, he’s done extensive
research into the Thirbaubin family, but he
I NTRODUCTION doesn’t care one whit about the family’s
legacy. He wants Thirin’s Magic Staff: a
“Seek strength in both mind and body.” powerful staff of necromancy wielded by an
--Thirbaubwin family motto ancient archmage.

ABOUT THE ADVENTURE Upon finding the staff, Lord Bob betrays the
My Ancestral Home is a one-shot adventure party, raises undead in the crypts, and
which can be included as the party is attacks. The party will have to survive to
passing through a small town, or as part of prevent becoming a permanent resident of
downtime between story elements of a the Thirbaubin Ancestral Home.
larger campaign. It can easily fit into most
fantasy worlds with little alteration. ADVENTURE LOCATION
This adventure could take place in any
This adventure is designed for four to six small town or village that is a bit off the
6th level (or higher) characters. Creatures beaten path. It could be customized to fit
type bold and italicized text can be found in most environments or regions.
the Shadowdark RPG Core Rules.

ADVENTURE OVERVIEW
P ART 1 – D EDENDWALS
In the western town of Dedendwals, Lord ARRIVING IN TOWN
Edwin Thirbaubwin, or Lord Bob as the
Having already heard the call for
locals call him, has put out a call for
adventurers, the party arrives in
adventurers to aid him reclaim a lost
Dedendwals and can immediately inquire
heirloom from his ancestral castle
about Lord Edwin Thirbaubwin, either from
currently inhabited by a small band of
locals on the road or head over to the center • Other locals in the tavern can
of town where they can find the Silver reiterate what the locals on the road
Sickle Tavern. know above.

Shops in town are either poor or standard. LORD BOB

• Well dressed, but slightly out of
Locals on the Road
fashion.
• “Oh, Lord Bob? Ya, yeh can find him • Literate and well spoken.
over at the Ol’ Mack’s Place just • Cordial to the party and respectful
down the road on the east end of to all.
town.” • Staying at Ol’ Mack’s cottage. Ol’
• “Lord Bob is a curious fella. Guess Mack died a few months back and
his family had land here about a Lord Bob sort of took it over.
thousand years ago. Not sure what “Better than letting it sit
he hopes to find in that old, ruined abandoned.“ Made proper
castle.” arrangements with local lord, Baron
• “Yeh, I been up to them ruins in my Trufengal.
younger days. Not much there. • “Castle Thirbaubwin was my
Overgrown and crumbling. Nothing family’s home up until 250 years
at all to find there.” ago when great-grandfather died
• “The ruined castle? Oh, it’s to the without an heir. With no one to
north. I dunno, about ten, twelve claim it and without any strategic
miles up the road. Not much up importance, it simply fell to disuse
there since they closed the old and ruin.”
Bronson Mine.” • “My goal is to recover my great-
• “Won’t catch me tangling with no grandfather’s shield from his crypt
ogres. No, sir.” in the catacombs. The shield bears
my family’s coat of arms.”
At the Silver Sickle Tavern
• “I may not look it, but I am a
• “Name’s Dugal and it’s me place. capable fighter and can wield a
You need room? Meal? Beer? Well, sword throw a spell equally well.”
we got all o’ it. It ain’ the best, but • “I’ve done some reconnaissance
there ain’ nowhere else.” and it looks like it’s a small band of
• “Yes, Lord Bob is in here most ogres occupying the castle. Maybe 7
nights, trying to find people willin’ or 8 but led by an oni.”
to help him out. You those people?” • “I’ll pay you each 50 gp for your
• Prices: help, payable once we recover the
o Bed in upstairs common room: 1 shield.”
sp. • If pressed: “I really don’t know
o Meal of whatever’s cookin’: 1 sp. what might be there in the way of
o Mug of whatever’s on tap treasure, but sure. Anything you
(watered down swill): 3 cp. find, you can keep.”
• The tavern is considered “poor”, • Lord Bob will be ready to depart first
but like Dugal said, there ain’ thing in the morning.
nowhere else. • Party should stay at the Silver
• Known for exotic taxidermy Sickle, as Lord Bob doesn’t have
collection. room for them at the cottage.
• A complete sham and wants to get caused some of the larger stones to
the party’s help to recover Thirin’s come loose from the wall.
Magic Staff. • Interior walls are also crumbling
• Can recount much of the history of with age and large gaps appear in
Castle Thirbaubwin and of Thirin, most of the ceilings.
though he doesn’t reveal the fact • An ogre stands guard in Area 1
that Thirin was an archmage. watching the gate and courtyard.
• Lord Bob’s statistics can be found in Will shout to give warning to the
the “GM Information” section of others.
this adventure. • If alerted in intruders, the party
should roll initiative and the ogres
P ART 2 – C ASTLE will arrive at appropriate times (GM
T HIRINBAUBWIN discretion).

Area 1 – Gate and Courtyard

GETTING TO THE CASTLE
• Heavy wooden gate is now rotted
• Can be found about twelve miles up
and shattered.
the north road.
• Remains of a rusted portcullis lay in
• Road is steep in places, rocky, and a
the weed-covered entry way.
bit overgrown, but passable.
• Infested with weeds and brambles.
• Ogres have either hunted or scared
• Rough flagstone path has been
away any threats between town and
beaten down by the ogres’ heavy
ruins, so party need not deal with
footfalls.
any random encounters (GM
• An ogre stands guard watching the
discretion).
gate and courtyard.
• Random encounters, if needed,
• Makes no attempt to hide, but sits
should roll on forest or mountain
just near the interior wall, watching.
tables from the Shadowdark RPG
Core Rules. Area 2 – Old Barracks

CASTLE THIRBAUBWIN • Several ogre-sized bedrolls and

tattered blankets.
• Overlooks a canyon road and
probably provided a way stop for Area 3 – Great Hall
travelers, many years ago.
• One ogre sits on a barrel eating a leg
• Its walls and towers are crumbling
of venison.
and much of the castle is overgrown
• Heaped with barrels, crates, and
with ivy.
sacks of supplies.
• The heavy wooden gate (and all the
• Supplies are mostly food and a few
doors for that matter) are rotted and
ogre-sized digging tools.
splintered.
• Smoke from cookfires can be seen Area 4 – Guard Posts
rising from the ruin.
• Occasionally, an ogre might appear • Two ogres sit by a large fire cooking
in the front courtyard (Area 1). a large ram on a spit.
• Large holes appear in the exterior
walls where weather and age have
Area 5 – Lord’s Quarters and the stairs will begin to roll
toward the western wall, revealing a
• Two ogres and one reduced-threat
set of stairs leading down into the
ogre (this one is missing his right
Lost Tomb of Thirin.
hand, HP 15 ATK 1 greatclub) rest
here on ogre-sized bedrolls and Area 6 – Storage
tattered blankets.
• One ogre sits on a barrel eating a leg
Area 6 – Throne Room of venison.
• Supplies are mostly food and a few
• Two ogres and one oni explore this
ogre-sized digging tools.
area.
• Under orders by the oni, one ogre is Area 7 – Collapsed Towers
about to pull a lever which is not so
• Were once the castle’s guard towers.
cleverly hidden behind one of the
• Littered with rubble from walls and
broken, stone thrones.
ceiling.
• Dried blood splatters the thrones,
much of the rear wall, and the floor.
P ART 3 – T OMB OF T HIRIN
• Lever triggers a guillotine trap
which causes a sharp though rusted
ENTERING THE TOMB
steel blade to swing from the
ceiling, severing the hand of • Catacombs have been sealed for
whomever pulls the lever. hundreds of years.
• Oni recognizes Lord Bob. • Sone caskets are covered with dust
o “I got here first! The prize is and cobwebs.
mine!” • Small spiders and insects are the
o “You lied to us! Got everyone only vermin small enough to have
else killed! But I made it!” made their way into these passages.
o “I’ll enjoy killing you!” • No sunlight penetrates the deep
• Lord Bob remains calm at the darkness.
accusations. Denies everything and • No wall sconces for torches or
returns the accusations to the oni. lanterns.
• “You were the one who lied.” • Walls and ceilings have also started
• “You planned on killing all of us, to crumble.
yourself.” • Risk of a cave in should the party
• The real entrance to the catacombs attempt to dig in the collapsing
can be found on the bottom step of areas.
the dais. • All doors are thick stone doors and
• A hard search check reveals a are unlocked, though heavy wooden
weathered engraving of rose which latches keep the doors closed.
matches a medallion Lord Bob • Unopened crypts contain decaying
wears around his neck. corpses and contain random
• Once all ogres and oni are either treasure (Treasure 4-6 table in the
dead or somehow convinced to Shadowdark RPG Core Rules).
leave, Lord Bob will search for the
Chamber 1 – Entrance
engraving, remove his medallion,
and affix it into the engraving. A • This room is bare except for layers
few turns of the locking mechanism of old dust and cobwebs.
Chamber 2 – Left Antechamber reverberates through the stone
corridors, and the screech of stone
• The ceiling here is very loose and
grinding on stone accompanies the
unstable.
returning echoes.
• When the party attempts to open
• The dead inside the five caskets in
the door to Area 2, the top door
the tomb complex animate and
casing collapses triggering a cave in.
emerge as one ghast, three ghouls,
A difficult DEX check allows the
and four skeletons. The undead
party to escape and avoid the
along with Lord Bob, attack the
damage.
party.
• The entire ceiling collapses burying
• Inside the sarcophagus are the
the contents in dirt and rubble.
remains of Thirin, a great archmage
Chamber 3 – Right Antechamber (animated as the ghast). His magic
staff rests across his chest.
• Thick spider webs line the walls, • In addition to the staff, roll d6 times
and a spider swarm attacks the party on the Treasure 4-6 table in the
as they enter. Shadowdark RPG Core Rules to
• Three stone caskets rest against the determine what additional treasure
walls of this chamber. might be present.
• One of the stone caskets here has • Stats for Thirin’s Magic Staff can be
been opened revealing a dry and found in the “GM Information”
decaying skeleton, but no treasure. section of this adventure.
Chamber 4 – Left Crypt
C ONCLUDING THE A DVENTURE
• Two stone caskets rest against the
walls of this chamber. • With the ogres, undead, and Lord
• The skeleton of a goblin lay at the Bob defeated, the party is free to
foot of the stairs. loot the crypts and gain whatever
• No visible explanation as to how or treasure the GM finds appropriate.
why this goblin is here. • If this adventure was used as part of
a larger campaign, the party may
Chamber 5 – Right Crypt also discover clues or items related
• Two stone caskets rest against the to the larger campaign hidden in the
walls of this chamber. tomb as well.
• One of the stone caskets here has • The players could return to
been opened revealing a dry and Dedendwals, speak with Lady
decaying skeleton, but no treasure. Westengles, and collect 50 gp per
person as a reward for removing the
Chamber 6 – Thirin’s Final Rest ogre threat.
• Because it is such a powerful
• A single, ornate stone sarcophagus
artifact, keeping Thirin’s Magic
stands at the center of this large,
Staff may add complications for the
pillared chamber.
party in the future. The GM can
• Atop the sarcophagus is a shiny
decide if any other groups might be
brass gong, untouched by age or
interested in recovering or
tarnish. A metal mallet rests near it.
destroying the staff.
• Lord Bob immediately seizes the
mallet and rings the gong. The gong
GM INFORMATION Wisdom check during the next rest or gain
no benefit from resting.

C REDITS
Designer: Michael Combe
Editor: Lindy Combe
Illustrators: Castle Thirbaubwin drawn by
Michael Combe, Tomb of Thirin drawn by
Daniel F. Walthall, Cover Castle illustration
AI generated using MidJourney, Lord Bob
portrait AI generated using MidJourney,
Staff image created by Chorazin3d courtesy
of Dreamstime.com

LORD BOB This work features adaptations of art by

Daniel F. Walthall, originals found at:
A capable fighter and trained wizard, a good DriveThruRPG available under a CC BY 4.0
combination… if he’s still on your side. license.

AC 11, HP 27, ATK 1 longsword (close) +3 Produced and distributed by Mountainland

(1d8) or 1 spell +3 MV near, S +1, D +1, C +0, Games.
I +1, W +1, Ch +0, AL C, LV 7

Arcane Armor (INT Spell). Self. DC 12. AC

L EGAL
16 for 2d4 rounds
Fonts. Old English Text MT by Monotype
Type Drawing Office used under license,
Blast (INT Spell). DC 12. Far, one target.
Montserrat designed by Julieta Ulanovsky,
2d6 damage.
Sol Matas, Juan Pablo del Peral, Jacques Le
THIRIN’S MAGIC STAFF Bailly, used under Open Font License, Old
Newspaper Types by Manfred Klein used
A scepter made of a single human bone tipped under license.
with an onyx head.
Shadowdark License. This product is an
Bonus. +1 staff. independent product published under the
Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and
Benefit. Once per day, you may animate one
is not affiliated with The Arcane Library,
intact corpse as if casting the animate dead
LLC. Shadowdark RPG © The Arcane
spell. Undead created in this way do not
Library, LLC.
collapse after one day but remain in your
service until destroyed. Layout Template.
Adapted from template
You may only have one undead animated by
created by Taylor Seely-
the staff at any time.
Wright.

Curse. If you use the staff to animate a

corpse, you are haunted by nightmares of
the dead that night. You must pass a DC 12
CASTLE THIRBAUBWIN

TOMB OF THIRIN