Merlin’s brain is in a jar. Excalibur is broken. Arthur dealt with dark powers.
Introduction
Welcome to the weird and wild one-shot for Shadowdark RPG characters of levels 1-2. This adventure twists aspects of the Arthurian Legend into a deadly, fantasy dungeon crawl.
Prep
Background
A king from a faraway land once came to Dredmor Ruins to deal with dark powers. It brought him great fortunes but ultimately doom.
While his story is scattered, his artifacts remain. Rumors of great treasures and magic draw adventurers in. But dangers prove to be too much for most.
GM Only—The Truth
A king from a faraway land came to these ruins to seal Dredmor—his mortal enemy. He signed three dark contracts:
- Of Spell. He sacrificed his mage to be imprisoned for eternity.
- Of Steel. He sacrificed the blade that granted him power.
- Of Sacrifice. He sacrificed his love—but on a false altar.
In the end, he sacrificed himself.
Goals
The likely goal of most parties of adventurers is to obtain treasure.
Obstacles
Dangerous monsters and the possible consequences of unfolding a dark mystery stand in their way.
Seeds
Seed one or more of these with players before the session begins.
| d6 | Rumor | True? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The king guards his sword | False |
| 2 | The king turned into a devil | False |
| 3 | The mage betrayed the king | False |
| 4 | The sword is broken | True |
| 5 | The altar is cursed | True |
| 6 | The mage is alive | True |
Play
Procedures & Tracking
Unless otherwise noted:
- All doors are locked
- All areas are dark
- Roll reaction for any monsters unless otherwise noted
- Only demons, devils, and Dredmor will pursue the party if they retreat
Roll for Random Encounters every two rounds. If play stalls, roll for Chaos.
Random Encounters
| d6 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | A random NPC wanders in |
| 2 | 1d4 skeletons ramble in |
| 3 | An appears in smoke |
| 4 | A giant bat emerges |
| 5 | A mad cultist stalks the party |
| 6 | A dretch (demon) is summoned nearby |
Chaos
| d8 | Chaos Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | A priest appears and then dies |
| 2 | Voices whisper about a grail |
| 3 | See a vision of a lady in a lake |
| 4 | Silver pieces become white hot |
| 5 | A minor earthquake shakes you |
| 6 | Violent laughter echoes nearby |
| 7 | A swarm of bats overcomes you |
| 8 | Your rations smell of brimstone |
Tracking
Dredmor’s Current State
Use the checkbox below to track whether Dredmor is sealed or not.
- Sealed
stateDiagram-v2 direction LR [*] --> Sealed Sealed --> Free : jar removed (Room 6) Sealed --> Free : Chapel words spoken while sealed Free --> Stone : Chapel words spoken (Room 9) Stone --> Free : Chapel words spoken (Room 9) Free --> [*] : defeated in combat
The Adventure
Permissions through formatting: bold for freely visible, bullets for discoverable, [!secret]- for hidden.
Entrance
A single torch casts shadows across the walls and down the stone steps. The air smells of fire and brimstone.
- Tiny footprints start here and go down the steps—they belong to the Imp in Room 7
- The torch burns for 1 hour
GM Only—Secret of the Footprints
These footprints were left by the imp in the (7) Excalibroken room.
Pact & Penance
Marble statues flank the entrance. The western one wields a sword called Pact and points it toward the eastern door. The eastern statue wields Penance and points it toward the western door.
- Statues are too heavy to move
Exits: Entrance, Empty Room, Dark Armory
Empty Room
- Roll for Random Encounters
- 2-in-6 chance of finding 2d6 copper pieces
Exits: Pact & Penance, The Stone
The Stone
A stoic stone rests at the center of this room. It’s a few feet wide and three feet tall.
- The stone has a small slit on top
GM Only—Sword in the Stone
- If Once Upon a Time is reforged and inserted here, the ghost of the king appears and bestows the Boon of the Round Table upon anyone present
Exits: Empty Room, (5) Empty Room
(5) Empty Room
- Roll for Random Encounters
- 2-in-6 chance of finding 2d6 copper pieces
Exits: The Stone, M, Excalibroken, Sacrifice
M
A walkway overlooks a 10-foot drop into dark, ominous waters—as still as glass. Three pedestals stand at one end, one with a curious-looking jar atop. The words “Of Spell” are carved into the jar.
- Three feet deep; a shield, a dagger, and 1d12 gold pieces rest along the bottom
- A wizard’s brain is stored in the jar—fleeting memories of quests with the king; no memory of how it got here
GM Only—Removing the Jar
- Removing the jar from the room frees Dredmor
Exits: (5) Empty Room, The Altar
Excalibroken
The room bears a heavy silence. A pile of rubble rests at its center. The words “Of Steel” are carved into the floor nearby. A small, devilish being dances among the rubble.
- Once Upon a Time—the broken pieces of the legendary blade are buried in the rubble
- An imp is digging through the pile—make a Reaction Roll with a -2 penalty
IMP
AC 13, HP 9, ATK 1 stinger +3 (1d4 + poison)
MV near (fly), S -2, D +3, C +0, I +1, W +0, Ch +2, AL C, LV 2
Impervious: Fire immune.
Contract: Can grant mighty boons and patronage on behalf of an archdevil in exchange for a sworn soul. ADV on related Charisma checks.
Exits: (5) Empty Room, The Altar
The Altar
Black candles burn on a bloody altar behind iron bars. The words “Of Sacrifice” are carved into the altar. A skeleton lies on it next to a jeweled dagger and gold crown.
- The locked door in the iron bars is hard to break open (DC 15)—roll for Random Encounters when attempted
- Jeweled dagger—embedded emerald worth 120gp
- Gold crown—weighs 5 pounds
- The candles burn for 1 hour each if removed from the altar
GM Only—The Skeleton
This is the body of the king. It’s the true altar he discovered after sacrificing his beloved on a false altar.
Exits: Sacrifice, Chapel, Excalibroken, M
Chapel
Two rows of decrepit pews lead up to three small altars. Words above read, “Speak the Dark Contracts. Seal Your Doom.”
- Speaking “Of Spell, of Steel, of Sacrifice” (in any order) produces one of two outcomes:
- If Dredmor is currently free, it will turn him to stone
- If Dredmor is currently stone, it will set him free—because magic is fickle.
GM Only—Dredmor State
Be sure to update Dredmor’s state in the Tracking section.
Exits: Dark Armory, The Altar
Dark Armory
Two black chests rest against a wall behind iron bars. Two skeletons of charred black bone walk around. Blood writing on the wall reads, “What is a soul worth?”
- The locked door in the iron bars is hard to break open (DC 15)—roll for Random Encounters when attempted
- The chests are unlocked; contain Malice and Torment along with 2d6 gold pieces
- The skeletons are hostile
Exits: Pact & Penance, Chapel, Sacrifice
Sacrifice
Three sets of stairs lead down into a vaulted chamber. A central dais rises ten feet from the chamber’s floor. A dark altar dominates the northern wall.
If the Dredmor statue is still here:
The stone statue of a warrior stands on the dais with a dragon-winged helm and sword raised in defiance toward the altar.
False Altar
Blood covers the obsidian altar. The words, “Of Damnation” are carved into it. A skeleton rests on it near a knife.
- A note nearby reads: “G—my love, I’m so sorry.”
GM Only—What Happened
The king, in thinking he completed the contracts, sacrificed his beloved on this false altar. His enemy was not sealed. In his grief, he had to sacrifice himself to complete what he set out to do.
GM Only—Secrets & Change
How this place changes: If Dredmor is freed and then defeated, the dungeon goes quiet in a way it wasn’t before. The random encounter frequency drops. The imp leaves. A sense of pressure lifts. The silence is no longer heavy, just the absence of sound.
Exits: Dark Armory, (5) Empty Room, The Altar
Monster Stats
Cultist
CULTIST
AC 14 (chainmail + shield), HP 9, ATK 1 longsword +1 (1d8) or 1 spell +2
MV near, S +1, D -1, C +0, I -1, W +2, Ch +0, AL C, LV 2
Fearless: Immune to morale checks.
Dretch
DRETCH (DEMON)
AC 12, HP 11, ATK 1 claw +2 (1d6) or 1 gas
MV near, S +2, D +0, C +2, I -2, W -1, Ch -3, AL C, LV 2
Gas: All in near range DC 12 CON or blinded for 1d4 rounds.
Giant Bat
GIANT BAT
AC 12, HP 9, ATK 1 bite +2 (1d6)
MV near (fly), S -1, D +2, C +0, I -3, W +1, Ch -3, AL N, LV 2
Imp
IMP LV 2
AC 13 HP 9 ATK 1 stinger +3 (1d4 + poison) MV near (fly)
S -2 D +3 C +0 I +1 W +0 Ch +2 AL C
Impervious. Immune to fire.
Contract. Can grant mighty boons and patronage on behalf of an archdevil
in exchange for a sworn soul. ADV on related Charisma checks.
Reaction: -2 penalty
Skeleton
SKELETON
AC 13 (chainmail), HP 11, ATK 1 shortsword +1 (1d6) or 1 shortbow (far) +0 (1d4)
MV near, S +1, D +0, C +2, I -2, W +0, Ch -1, AL C, LV 2
Undead: Immune to morale checks.
Info
Head over to DriveThruRPG or Itch.io to get the PDF of this adventure, including the keyed map.
The Dark Contracts, © 2023 PhD20. Designed and written by Kirk Wiebe.
“Death is welcome when it comes; but to yield—never!”—King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green.
The Dark Contracts is an independent product published under the Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License and is not affiliated with The Arcane Library, LLC. Shadowdark RPG © 2023 The Arcane Library, LLC.