From your earier post you stated 'There either 3rd or 4th level don't remember off head tempest cleric, wild sorcerer,champion fighter and a bard valor'
I'll work off 4th level.
Tempest cleric
Wild Sorcerer
Champion Fighter
Valor Bard
For 4 x 4th level PC's we get an xp budget of:
Easy: 500 - 999xp
Medium: 1000 -1499xp
Hard: 1500 - 1999xp
Deadly: 2000xp+
On the way through a forest the PCs notice a clearing and hear voices. Upon investigation they see 1 figure in black robes (a Cult fanatic, increase AC to 16 from scalemail under his robes) and 3 henchmen (1 hulking - strength of 16 - Bandit captain armed with a greatsword (+5, 2d6+3 damage, multiattack) supervising the digging, and and 2 Bandits doing the digging) digging up a grave; a strange glow comes from the grave. The PC's get there just as the team finish their grisly work. If the PC's defeat the passive perception scores of the NPC's they get surprise on round 1.
The cult fanatic uses spiritual weapon and then targets heavily armored foes with Hold Person, and the cowardly bandit captain uses this opportunity to strike if if he can do so (gaining an automatic critical hit on any held foes). The bandits target any obvious spellcasters. If the bandit captain dies, the bandits flee. If the cultist dies, the bandit captiain fights on unless his men are also dead, at which point he surrenders. All he knows is that he he was hired by the cultist to escort him to this gravesite and help him with the excavation to recover some kind of powerful magical item. He only met the chap a few days ago, and is spooked out by him.
In additon to the normal gear, the bandits have 2d6 gp and sp each, the captain has twice this much, and the cultist has 200 gp (payment for the mission for the bandits) two potions of healing, and a map showing both the location of the graves, and a manor marked on the map (that none of the PCs have ever heard of before even with succesful knowledge checks). The manor is marked as 'the Manor of the black knight'. It is 2 hours travel away, but easy to find.
If the PC's investigate the grave, they see a human skeleton, clad in the tattered remains of a gown of white samite. Its skeletal hands bear a ruby ring and clutch a glowing (weapon that the Champion fighter likes to use). The weapon is magical and deals an extra 1d6 lightning damage on a succesful hit (requires attunement).
If the PCs touch the weapon, they trigger an ancient curse, placed on the weapon by the murdered woman whose skeletal remains they now stand before. Suddenly a ghostly apparition appears hovering over the grave; of a spectral woman with raven black hair covering most of her face and clad in white samite; a firey ruby ring adorns her finger.
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Before they can act she wails out:
'You have all broken the bonds and now will carry the curse. At midnight, seven hours hence you shall all be struck down. You must track down my killer, the black knight, and put his soul to eternal rest, If you do so, the curse shall be lifted and the [weapon] shall be rightfully yours'
Tell the PCs that they suddenly feel an odd cold feeling come over them, as if someone walked over their grave.. and they all have the strong sense of impending doom. Whover is holding the [weapon] gets a momentary vision of a grand manor house, and for the rest of the adventure will always know the location to it.
After saying this she fades away, with the words
'Seven hours...' echoing ominously through the forest.
More to come...