This adventuring supplement is designed for D&D5e. On our Patreon page you can get it in PDF format (see image). The downloads include hi-res images for the maps. And there is a variant PDF version designed for Shadowdark RPG.
Only those who truly surrender their possessions, material belongings, and personal bonds, shall be granted the gift of a glimpse of the future.
Dungeon’s Inscription
The Shrine of Beggars is located in a secluded temple east of Northcrest Mountain, deep within an old dungeon, built by clerics and priests of yore. Despite its humble name, the main genuflecting statue holds a powerful allure, drawing the downtrodden and destitute from across the valley with tales of its mystical properties of foresight.
According to legend, the shrine is a place of divine insight where those who have nothing to give but their sincerity may glimpse fleeting visions of the future. Beggars and travelers leave offerings, mostly coins, and trinkets, hoping to receive guidance in their darkest hour. The shrine itself is guarded by ancient incantations, said to protect it from those with ill intent, and many believe that only one who truly knows no greed and has abandoned all links to material things or wealth can unlock its greatest secret: the fabled Beggar’s Cape.
The Beggar’s Cape
This is a mythical relic, said to have been woven from the rags of a long-forgotten sage who sacrificed everything to protect the needy. It is believed to grant its wearer protection from harm and the wisdom to see through deception, but only those with a pure heart can claim it. Rumors say that somewhere within the shrine lies the hidden path to this relic, buried beneath the very stones of the altar, waiting for one worthy enough to unearth it.
The shrine’s unpredictable magic often reveals glimpses of the near future to those who make sincere offerings, though the visions are fleeting and cryptic, appearing as hazy astral visions in one’s head. Many have sought the treasures and secrets of the Shrine of Beggars, but few have left with more than a mysterious vision.
Adventure Hook
- Retrievers. The heroes may come as explorers after learning about this place. However, they could be hired at the Red Auction House in Queendell. Theverell, the curator, is looking for a group of heroes. He wants them to retrieve the fabled Beggar’s Cape (450 gp).
Level 3 Dungeon
- Danger. Unsafe. Check for a Random Event every 20 minutes and after loud noises (4-in-6 chance).
- Devices. The dungeon has many traps (see map). Unless stated otherwise, the traps reset after 1 hour. Provided the heroes find the panels to manipulate the traps (DC 13 Perception), they can be disarmed by a skilled rogue (DC 14 Thieves’ Tools, one check each).
| RANDOM EVENT d6 | Details |
| 1 | The air fills with the whispers of unseen spirits, offering cryptic advice or warnings (DC 13 Charisma). Characters who fail to listen carefully hear only misleading riddles. This translates to a magical disadvantage on the next check or attack they make. |
| 2 | Three commoners and their escorts, two thugs and one guard, have come to leave offerings at the shrine. |
| 3 | A pile of coins materializes, but those who reach for it trigger a trap. The illusion explodes (DC 13 Dexterity or 1d8 damage). |
| 4 | A sentient brown bear has come to leave some acorns as tribute. The beast becomes hostile if bothered or interrupted. |
| 5 | An ancient, spectral figure appears, challenging the heroes to solve a riddle about sacrifice and greed (DC 12 Intelligence). Success reveals the secret passage that takes to area 8 (see map); failure summons the anger of one shadow. |
| 6 | The heroes disturb a swarm of spiders in the area they explore. The insects are aggressive but flee when reduced to half HP. |
1. Leaf Valley
The characters must travel the main road east of Glenfield and continue through the rocky hills. Finding the shrine is not hard (DC 11 Survival). On a fail, the heroes stumble upon a herd of wild horses. The two alpha males from the herd are violent and territorial. A character may try to tame one (DC 15 Animal Handling). On a fail, the hero involved takes 1d10 damage from a kick.
2. Entrance
The heroes descend 30 feet and reach a stone corridor where overgrown grass and moss have managed to sprout. The light of two braziers marks a small antechamber. Areas 3, 4, and 5 can be seen from here.
3. The Beggars of Stone
The corridor slopes gently downward, its stone walls lined with alcoves that cradle four statues of solemn, genuflecting figures, each depicting an elven warrior bowing with hands extended in the utmost reverence.
The heroes are free to descend to area 10 from here. A group of people starts climbing the stairs the moment the characters choose to make their descent.
- Visitors. Six commoners and their three bodyguards (guards) just finished their prayers and left their offerings. They tell the heroes that Lauren, a woman from her group, has prayed for more than a day. The heroes meet Lauren when they approach the shrine (see area 10).
4. The Sacred Pond
The tranquil room’s heart is dominated by a shimmering pond of sacred water. Four statues on their knees line the walls. A faint, mystical glow emanates from the water’s surface, and the air is filled with the scent of wildflowers and the vibration of magic.
A detect magic spell reveals the arcane properties of the water. The heroes may use empty flasks to fill up to four holy water doses. The remaining water becomes regular after this but regains its blessing every 24 hours.
- Site of Prayer. The walls show old frescoes of people on their knees, their heads inclined forward, being blessed by a majestic holy light cast above them. The heroes can assume a genuflecting position like the statues in the room and meditate for 10 minutes before the holy pond. This prayer-like action grants them inspiration.
5. Funerary Urns
Eight golden urns are symmetrically aligned by the walls and the room’s extension. The dead found their eternal rest in their peaceful, undisturbed darkness.
The urns hold the ashes of some of the people who helped build this place. Their offerings and sacrifices earned them a place of honor in these halls.
- Treasure. Each urn is coated in gold (25 gp). However, three shadows coalesce from the dark ceilings and attack whoever attempts to remove or take them.
6. The Shrine’s Office
Three shelves filled with tomes and scrolls surround a single central desk. A detect magic spell reveals an incantation that protects this chamber from the passage of time; all looks clean and remains in good condition.
lore. If the heroes spend 10 minutes reading the documents in this area, they learn the following: The shrine was built ages ago by a religious guild that believed in life without material belongings. All the gold they gathered or gained throughout their pilgrimages was invested to build the shrine.
- Their spells and beliefs became one, and the shrine is now bestowed with arcane properties.
- The religious guild is long gone, but the shrine remains. It has become a beacon of hope and a spiritual motivation for those who have nothing.
- A well-made bastard sword (10 gp), a pair of silvered daggers (10 gp each), a case with a Level-1, and a Level-2 random Wizard spell scrolls.
7. North Treasure
The heroes must traverse a 100-foot-long corridor to reach the treasure chest at the end. An automated crossbow shoots three times when creatures approach.
- Crossbows. Bolt +3 (1d8). This apparatus in particular reloads and is ready to fire again in 1 minute.
- Treasure. A half-finished suit of chainmail (30 gp), a silver-and-gold circlet (40 gp), an opalescent pearl (40 gp), a rare incense that is repulsive to undead (50 gp), and a wooden box with a ring of protection.
8. Chamber of Death
A hero may notice the secret passage while entering the dungeon (area 2, DC 12 Perception, see map).
- Traps. Creatures crossing get burned by fire jets or cut by rotating blades (DC 15 Dexterity, 2d8 damage). The heroes may try to disarm them (see Devices).
9. South Treasure
- Swinging Blades. Four attacks. Blade +3 (1d6). The blades return to their starting positions after 1 minute.
- Treasure. A mithral shield inlaid with small, blue pearls (80 gp), and a Level-1 spell scroll (80 gp).
10. Shrine of Beggars
- The Future. After leaving an offering worth at least 1 gp, the heroes must meditate for an entire day kneeling and praying, like the effigy. If they do, they experience a mysterious, cryptic vision of the future (GM’s choice).
- The Beggar’s Cape. The heroes do not meet the requirements to take this artifact. The only way for them to get their hands on it is through Lauren (see below).
- Lauren. Wearing a simple ragged robe and no shoes, she prays and explains she is looking for the Beggar’s Cape. She has given up everything she has in life. A secret compartment opens on the floor and Lauren grabs the Beggar’s Cape and dons it (the wearer gains +1 AC and advantage on checks to detect lies or ruses). There is nothing the heroes can say to convince her to sell it or exchange it. And if they take it by force, six wights emerge from their sarcophagi (see map) and chase the heroes wherever they are to punish them. They shall bring the cape back to its rightful owner or back to the crypt.
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