```metadata title: 'ADVENTURE: The Corpse Purveyor' description: '' tags: [] systems: - 5e renderer: V3 theme: 5ePHB ``` ![Map](https://i.imgur.com/Wkkaja0.jpg){position:absolute;top:0px;right:0px;width:816px;height:1057px} \page {{wide # The Corpse Purveyor
### An Adventure in Deleran's Crossing Most magic requires physical components that can be found in the natural world. Certain magics, ones that most folk find problematic, require categories of resources often considered taboo. That means large profits for those who choose to deal in such macabre items. It also means many of these purveyors often keep secretive and dangerous lives. That danger is about to rear a reanimated head. }} {{toc, - ## TABLE OF CONTENTS - #### [{{ SETUP INFORMATION}}{{ 2}}](#p3) - #### [{{ ACT 1: Corpses}}{{ 2}}](#p3) - #### [{{ ACT 2: Necromancer}}{{ 2}}](#p3) - #### [{{ ACT 3: Graves}}{{ 3}}](#p4) - #### [{{ ACT 4: Stitching}}{{ 3}}](#p4) - #### [{{ CLOSING}}{{ 3}}](#p4) - #### [{{ MAPS}}{{ 4}}](#p5) }} : ### ADVENTURE MECHANICS - Target Party: Four Level 3 Players - Expected Playtime: 2+ Hours - Tone: Urban Horror : ### STYLE "SHORT SHOT" A Short Shot is designed to give the GM a solid concept of what is going on inside of the adventure not just ideas. The Story will be well flushed out, including both Area and NPC descriptions, but will be more conceptual regarding things like encounters, rewards, and hazards. The Short Shot gives everything most GMs requires to lead a fantastic game. : ### PLAYING A.O.G. ADVENTURES AOG adventures are written and designed to be system neutral to avoid Copyright and IP conflicts or issues. They will lean toward a d20 system, particularly 5e D&D, but language referencing specific creature types, treasures, and environments may be more generic or cast in my Homebrew World. All of which should be easily imported into any system of your choosing. You can follow this link to a [general appendix](https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/mycj8rDJGKXG) of notes and my thoughts on mechanics to help GMs and Players understand what I may mean by certain phrases and ideas. If necessary I will include one in the adventure that deals more directly with the source materials. \column ### ABOUT HORROR GAMES Running an effective Horror game can be a real trick and takes a different set of skills than the average DM employs from game to game. It is my favorite style of game to run, and has been for thirty years, so I have some suggestions for you. You can find those in the Appendices mentioned above. ## What is The AOG? It started 40ish years ago. I still remember the day my cousin brought out this thin blue book with a white sketched dragon on its cover and a pile of strange dice. He told eight year old me that we were going to play a game where I could be anything I wanted (as long as it was an elf, dwarf, human, or halfling). I immediately developed that love of bringing people along on journey after journey, and through all the moments and four decades of playing, the trip has never lost its wonder. : Now, I think we are best described as a network of Table Top Role Playing Gamers (Mostly D&D). I had been sharing my work online for some time but decided in April 2021 to open a Patreon and Discord. Honestly, I knew I was behind the Patreon Train, but it made sense as a platform. I’m not interested in money, but I am interested in sharing with and helping others in the hobby. So I run the site 100% free of any paywalls. More like a Digital Magazine than a Patreon. : Two years now and we’ve certainly grown. We host One Shots through our active Discord. I do a lot of requests for our supporters and some commission work. I coach many of our subscribers regularly on DMing and fantasy cartography. My son writes our “Year One” series which are adventures designed for entry level DMs and players, and we use our content to run an after school Jr High Group. We keep pretty busy over here! : ### Contact or Support Us : [PATREON](https://www.patreon.com/amplusordogames) Amplus Ordo Games
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[FACEBOOK](https://www.facebook.com/Amplusordogames) Yeah we know... Facebook... {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Corpse Purveyor, April 2023}} \page ## SETUP INFORMATION
### Town of Tragedies Guidebook This Adventure takes place in Deleran’s Crossing. My HomeBrew city designed for playing Gothic Horror themed games. You can find a lot of location info and almost 100 detailed NPCs in here if you need them.
[A TOWN OF TRAGEDIES GUIDE](https://www.patreon.com/posts/62746174)
### Trigger Warning Horror Games often deal with Triggering topics. This episode deals graverobbing and death. Now we probably don't know anyone whose family has been a victim of graver robbery, but if someone has a recently passed loved one that might pull at some feelings. ### Pregame Info The adventure can be run more lightly for tables not into Horror, but is does lean into my setting’s dark nature. The city of Deleran’s Crossing is thoroughly fleshed out in the Campaign Guide: A Town of Tragedy. It is a level 3 adventure so not terribly hard, although they will fight a Flesh Golem in the end so they should have some access to magical weapons even if that magic is only temporary. ### Story Flow The Adventure begins with a Zombie breakout in a rundown area of town. Several locals recognize the walking corpse as recently deceased members of town. A quick search of the building from which the creatures emerge reveal a secret arcane chamber and a dead necromancer. Inside the party will discover a number of recently stolen bodies that had not yet been animated. The Party must follow the clues and discover who is dealing in corpses. This will lead them to the local graveyard and down into a mausoleum where they’ll meet an awakened flesh golem who doesn’t mind dealing with corpses. He also doesn’t mind creating new corpses from nosey adventurers. ### Game Opening and Hooks - **Main:** The party is present when zombies break out of a nearby building and start attacking locals. - **Alternative:** The Group is hired to stop a local necromancer. When they arrive at his “lair” they are confronted with the zombie outbreak. - **Alternative:** The Group has been on the trail of The Corpse Purveyor for some time. The clues have pointed them in this direction. \column ### OPENING CUT-SCENE
{{monster,frame ### Anitmated ##### The body lays awkwardly in the center of a blood drawn foul magic sigil, its rigamortis stiffened limbs not allowing it to find a restful position. Black smoke rises from black candles fixed atop fire blackened skulls that ring the room. A cloaked figure begins chanting while their gore dipped hands move through the air in an macabre arcane dance. The corpse twitches and for a moment relaxes regaining a mockery of life. The eyes snap open and a rotting gasp crawls out of its lungs as the figure laughs madly in success. The dead will rise. }} ## ACT 1: Outbreak The party will either be walking down the street or headed toward the necromancer’s lair when the door to the building she works underneath bursts open and zombies spill out. The undead will immediately begin attacking the party and any nearby locals. ##### ENCOUNTER: Zombies
Not much special about this encounter. They’re just mindless undead killing and eating folks. If your party is a bit on the weaker side, definitely have the zombies attack commoners rather than them. ## ACT 2: Necromancer Following the trail of the zombies into the building will eventually lead them down from an abandoned shop into the Necromancer’s lair. Unfortunately for the Necromance, her creation turned against her. She was torn apart by them before she could follow through on whatever plans she had in mind. In her abode they will find all the trappings of a Dark Mage and a journal with clues leading them to someone she calls The Corpse Purveyor whom she meets at a place she calls the Mausoleum. (These clues will vary in directness depending on how well they do at the skill challenge below) You may want to gift the martial classes here with some enchanted weapons or “scrolls of enchant weapon”. They’re going to need them. ##### SKILL CHALLENGE: Search for clues
This should be a “non-failable challenge”. No matter how well they roll they need enough info to make it to the next act. However, the better they roll the more information you can reward them with regarding what is to come. Now, don’t go telling them The Purveyor is a Flesh Golem, but give them hints at an unnaturally large figure, you know that kind of stuff. {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Corpse Purveyor, April 2023}} \page ## ACT 3: Graves Heading to the graveyard shouldn’t be a big leap for them. Particularly if they did well on the skill challenge above. Unfortunately, this isn’t the Corpse Purveyor’s hiding place. Here they can meet a gravedigger who isn’t quite the most sane of individuals. You’d have to be somewhat nuts to dig graves in this city. Still, he will have some clues to pass along to them. He knows that there have been recent grave robbings and body snatchings. If questioned about the Mausoleum, he can direct them to the few in the cemetery. None of those will turn up clues though. The Gravedigger will have an “epiphany” and come find the players after they search for a bit. There is a nickname for where he sends folks to buy inexpensive Funeral Clothes. “Simple Stitching” is in an older stone building and just down the road. The locals have recently taken to calling it the Mausoleum. ## ACT 4: Stitching This old stone building used to be a Well House years ago. A sort of hybrid Guard post and Gathering Place where locals could get water and do business. As the town grew and the Guard Posts moved further out local businesses took over. The most recent is “Simple Stitching” a tailor shop run by Jorus Klevier, a gaunt little man recently moved to town. Some years ago Jorus came into possession of a Manual of Golems and used it to construct a bodyguard. At least that is what he intended. What happened was something a bit more unique. Rather than creating a mindless servant, he reanimated a rather wicked criminal, Dral Ungar aka The Corpse Purveyor. Dral has since been engaging in the sale of grave robbed goods and the bodies of the deceased to all manner of nefarious individuals. Jorus is living under duress and distress and has been forced to move several times in the past when folks start becoming suspicious and is looking for a way out of his situation. He will see the adventurers as a means of escape and attempt to alert them silently to Dral’s presence. Dral will be lurking under the flooring in a cavern off the Old well shaft. He will burst up out of the floor when things take a turn not in his favor. ##### ENCOUNTER: The Corpse Purveyor
Dral is no mindless Flesh Golem though he will still have an aversion to fire. He will fight intelligently and use his environment to his advantage. If things turn against him he will retreat to the cavern below, and attempt to flee down the well into the deep underground. Dral can and will collapse the building above them causing the area not only become impassable but possibly burying players in the process. Players rarely let a foe out of their sight, but iIf he gets away he will certainly return later to seek revenge. \column ## CLOSING After defeating or driving Dral away the players can examine the scene. Jorus will have fled given the opportunity. I like letting him escape, particularly if Dral escapes as well. Jorus’ head would make a fine delivery at a later point. “What’s in the box?!” There will be several bodies that have recently been dug up and ample reward for the players. Dral will have amassed a bit of coin engaging in his dark business, and even more if they don’t mind collecting treasures that were likely stolen from corpses. The city will be grateful that they stopped the menaces, and could reward them as well should ask the authorities for compensation. This may also be a great place to insert some more adventure hooks as Dral certainly had more clients than the recently deceased necromancer. ### REWARDS There are some easy go to rewards for an adventure like this. First, there is a straightforward gold reward from the city for dealing with the threats. The Zombies, Necromancer, and Corpse Purveyor all could reep benefits.
Secondly, there is the actual loot in the Purveyor's lair. These will all be Grave Robbed treasures, but Adventurer's rarely have problems with things like that. The loot should be a mix of antique jewelry and personal items. However, if they do try to get these items back to the proper families, I would find a way to better reward them. Perhaps even a migical item. ::::
## THE END
:::::::::::::: ### ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS - To the Long History of Open Gaming that allows our adventures to be written with certain Rule Sets in mind but stay system neutral. - WotC, Piazo, Kobold Press, and others publishing with Creative Commons and Open Licenses. - Original story written by Amplus Ordo Games. - All Maps and Handouts were done by Amplus Ordo Games using Inkarnate - PDF Formatting done using The Homebrewery {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Corpse Purveyor, April 2023}} \page :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ![Map](https://i.imgur.com/tkIEpLy.jpg) {position:absolute;top:20px;right:30px;width:750px} {{wide # Villainous Hideouts
### The Streets / Necromancer Hideout / Tailor Shop / Purveyor's Lair
- The City Street Map is pretty straight forward. Be sure to add some panicked commoners! - The Necromancer's Hideout has a secret door leading down to her sanctum. Her patron was displeased and ended their arrangement. You could explore that if you wish! - Simple Stitching is a small Tailoring Business located in an old Well House. (Old Public Space and Guard House) - The Corpse Purveyor hides in the lower area. It is easy to identify his room, the junk room, and the treasure room. The treasure room should be trapped and locked. - There is also that chained Coffin for you to play with if you so wish. What or Who is in there? Up to you! - The Well leads down into a cavern that connects to the city sewers if you want a further chase! }} {{pageNumber,auto}} {{footnote The Corpse Purveyor, April 2023}} \page {{wide
# THANKS FOR PLAYING : **I do want to take one last moment to sincerely thank you for playing an AOG Adventure. It means a lot to me as a creator. If you enjoyed it please leave me some comments on wherever you found this adventure. You can support more content like this by subscribing to our Patreon. [AMPLUS ORDO GAMES](https://www.patreon.com/amplusordogames)** ::::: ## If You Liked this Adventure ## Take a Peek at the following!
### DELERAN'S CROSSING CAMPAIGN GUIDE : #### [A Town of Tragedy Campaign Guide](https://www.patreon.com/posts/supplement-town-62746174) ::: ### A TOUCH OF BLACK ADVENTURE CAMPAIGM : #### [Warehouse of Woe](https://www.patreon.com/posts/63188187) : #### [Condemned](https://www.patreon.com/posts/64929203) : #### [The Haunting of House Trellu](https://www.patreon.com/posts/adventure-of-of-65802400) : #### [Black Taxes](https://www.patreon.com/posts/adventure-black-68566623) : #### [A Candle In The Window](https://www.patreon.com/posts/adventure-candle-69463504) : #### [The Shadows of Song Dell](https://www.patreon.com/posts/adventure-of-71110441) : #### [Pitiful Little Things]() : #### APRIL 2023: Along Came The Spider :::::::::::
}}