Dungeon Crawl Classics #82: Bride of the Black Manse
Dungeon Crawl Classics
Jost, Ghost: Desperate, Ilse sought aid from beyond this world and foul Mammon answered her call. In exchange for the promise of Ilse’s soul and a diabolic betrothal, Mammon tutored the young regent in a ritual of horrific proportions.
On the appointed eve, Ilse transformed the entire manse into a magic circle. The moors were rent asunder, brimstone flared in the night, and – come dawn – Ilse stood as sole remaining scion of House Liis.
Kethe, Ghost: Desperate, Ilse sought aid from beyond this world and foul Mammon answered her call. In exchange for the promise of Ilse’s soul and a diabolic betrothal, Mammon tutored the young regent in a ritual of horrific proportions.
On the appointed eve, Ilse transformed the entire manse into a magic circle. The moors were rent asunder, brimstone flared in the night, and – come dawn – Ilse stood as sole remaining scion of House Liis.
Joseph, Ghost: Desperate, Ilse sought aid from beyond this world and foul Mammon answered her call. In exchange for the promise of Ilse’s soul and a diabolic betrothal, Mammon tutored the young regent in a ritual of horrific proportions.
On the appointed eve, Ilse transformed the entire manse into a magic circle. The moors were rent asunder, brimstone flared in the night, and – come dawn – Ilse stood as sole remaining scion of House Liis.
These phantoms are the spirits of Josef and Matias sacrificed by Lady Ilse on the night of the great summoning.
Sabian, Ghost: Desperate, Ilse sought aid from beyond this world and foul Mammon answered her call. In exchange for the promise of Ilse’s soul and a diabolic betrothal, Mammon tutored the young regent in a ritual of horrific proportions.
On the appointed eve, Ilse transformed the entire manse into a magic circle. The moors were rent asunder, brimstone flared in the night, and – come dawn – Ilse stood as sole remaining scion of House Liis.
Lady Ursula, Ghost: Desperate, Ilse sought aid from beyond this world and foul Mammon answered her call. In exchange for the promise of Ilse’s soul and a diabolic betrothal, Mammon tutored the young regent in a ritual of horrific proportions.
On the appointed eve, Ilse transformed the entire manse into a magic circle. The moors were rent asunder, brimstone flared in the night, and – come dawn – Ilse stood as sole remaining scion of House Liis.
Lady Ursula, her lover, and their men-at-arms were murdered here, drowned in the mere.
Demut, Ghost: Desperate, Ilse sought aid from beyond this world and foul Mammon answered her call. In exchange for the promise of Ilse’s soul and a diabolic betrothal, Mammon tutored the young regent in a ritual of horrific proportions.
On the appointed eve, Ilse transformed the entire manse into a magic circle. The moors were rent asunder, brimstone flared in the night, and – come dawn – Ilse stood as sole remaining scion of House Liis.
Ilse, Ghost: Desperate, Ilse sought aid from beyond this world and foul Mammon answered her call. In exchange for the promise of Ilse’s soul and a diabolic betrothal, Mammon tutored the young regent in a ritual of horrific proportions.
On the appointed eve, Ilse transformed the entire manse into a magic circle. The moors were rent asunder, brimstone flared in the night, and – come dawn – Ilse stood as sole remaining scion of House Liis.
Matias, Ghost: Desperate, Ilse sought aid from beyond this world and foul Mammon answered her call. In exchange for the promise of Ilse’s soul and a diabolic betrothal, Mammon tutored the young regent in a ritual of horrific proportions.
On the appointed eve, Ilse transformed the entire manse into a magic circle. The moors were rent asunder, brimstone flared in the night, and – come dawn – Ilse stood as sole remaining scion of House Liis.
These phantoms are the spirits of Josef and Matias sacrificed by Lady Ilse on the night of the great summoning.
The Seneschal: The strange, withered man is the embodied spirit of the manse – the psychic torment of the house made manifest in the flesh. Though appearing real for all intents, this is the spectral manifestation of the manse’s wicked past: the Seneschal.
The Gruesome Lover: Lady Ursula, her lover, and their men-at-arms were murdered here, drowned in the mere.
Man-at-Arms: Lady Ursula, her lover, and their men-at-arms were murdered here, drowned in the mere.
Blue Phantasm Ghost: ?
Spectral Chorister Ghost: ?
Burned Heretic, Flaming Skeleton: [E]nemies of House Liis that were burned alive at the stake.
Lady Baethor Liis: Driven by the love of her children, the matriarch of house Liis is returning to life.
Zombie: Lady Baethor travels primarily along the walls and ceiling. On a successful attack she hoists her target from the floor, and presses her foul lips to theirs, exhaling a gout of diseased miasma into the target’s lungs; the PC must attempt a DC 15 Fort save. On a successful save the PC is left stunned, coughing the miasma from his lungs for 1d3 rounds. However on a failed save, the character collapses to the ground, only to rise 1d3 rounds later – a zombie under the matriarch’s command.
Headless Lady: The ladies-in-waiting were once attendants of Lady Ilse. The Mad Prince had them beheaded and their heads secreted away.
Flying Head: The ladies-in-waiting were once attendants of Lady Ilse. The Mad Prince had them beheaded and their heads secreted away.
Skeleton: The water conceals hundreds of skeletons – victims of the Mad Prince. Careful prodding reveals the thousands of bones; nearly all were once humans, though the skeletons of war dogs and horses also lie amidst the carnage.
All of the skeletons are the remnants of a single mass sacrifice – the Mad Prince’s attempt to stave off her devil’s bargain. The offering failed and their souls remain trapped within the vile manse.
Thing of the Undercroft, Bone Golem: Slain or turned skeletons collapse into the water. However, their spirits retain much of their power. Track the skeletons as they are destroyed: once ten are slain, they rise up as towering thing of bone, lashing out in fury at the PCs with spiked limbs formed of shattered bones. The more skeletons the PCs destroy, the more powerful the Thing becomes.
Lesser Charm Spirit: ?
Greater Charm Spirit: ?
Prejudged Soul: The prejudged souls are recently deceased followers of the Ascended God, many still bearing the visible wounds of their demise. They are technically dead mortals on their way to their afterlife.