Some bloodlines do not transcend. Some die out due to natural causes, disease, or extermination. But what happens when you become so obsessed with wealth that you do not even want your offspring to benefit from it? You doom your family…
The Grayhorn Family once had great power and influence. However, that reputation declined when Lord Leviticus Grayhorn took control of the family and its wealth. Born into a life of luxury, he grew up pampered by wealth, and throughout his life, the most important lesson he learned was that there is nothing that money cannot buy.
Rulers. The Grayhorn family was known for its wealth and influence. That changed when Leviticus assumed charge of it all.
When Lord Grayhorn became the family’s patriarch, he could only think about the money they had and he expressed his wish to keep it all. He was no businessman. He never learned how to manage his finances or grow his wealth. In his mind, the best way to protect the family’s wealth was to simply stop spending and guard all the money himself. He laid off many of the family workers, believing they were an unnecessary expense. He abandoned many businesses that required gold investments. He never married, deeming the proposition too expensive and children time-consuming. He did not like his own blood talking behind his back, whispering, plotting… As revenge, he exiled half of his family and hired assassins to eliminate the other half. The once great Grayhorn Family became a shadow of itself. And in his hubris, Leviticus built a mausoleum where he interred the murdered family heads along with their gold. Then, he filled the place with intricate traps and expensive arcane defense mechanisms; an ironic and insulting contradiction that he would only spend big to protect his gold in a dungeon. He died alone; everything he had was stored in the mausoleum. In addition, he had the builders slain and never told anyone where the mausoleum was built…
Gold. Like alcohol or opium, gold drives men mad with greed. Wealth corrupts their weak minds and turns them evil.
Mercenaries. These people’s language is money. Their moral compass is almost non-existent. They shall do any job as long as it pays well.
Adventure Hook
The Grayhorns are gone. All kinds of things have been said about Leviticus and his insane selfishness and greed. With time, rumors about the family’s mausoleum filled with gold became more popular. It was eventually found.
Nevertheless, too many curious adventurers and treasure-seekers have lost their lives trying to get their hands on the Grayhorn’s wealth.
The characters are drawn by the stories and rumors. They come seeking glory. Finding the dungeon is not hard. And perhaps it is time for someone to reclaim this treasure. Will they succeed?
The Treasure. The sarcophagi in area 11 are made of gold and Leviticus had his relatives interred with luxury linens, coins, and jewels. Furthermore, the vault in area 12 has treasure chests, weapons, and valuable paraphernalia.
Random Events 1d8
| d6 | Details |
| 1 | The characters stumble upon four animated armors. These are immortal guardians that Leviticus left here to attack intruders. |
| 2 | A character trips on a wire and triggers a trap. A rusty spear shoots up from the ground and deals 2d8 damage (DC 18 Dexterity save). |
| 3 | An ominous energy and cold air traverse the dungeon. All light sources, including the braziers shown in the map, are extinguished. |
| 4 | Luck is on the heroes’ side; they find a lever that, when pulled, deactivates the pitfall trap mechanisms in area 5 (marked with a ‘T’). |
| 5 | The characters explore a chamber and disturb two swarms of centipedes. The insects fight but flee when reduced to half their Hit Points. |
| 6 | The heroes hear a voice speak in their minds: “He betrayed us, his own blood! This gold is the only thing we’ve got left. Leave, now!” |
This adventuring supplement is designed for D&D5e. On out Patreon page you can get it in PDF format (see image). Notice that some of the layout elements can only be presented as intended in the PDF layout (side-margin boxes and statblocks). The downloads include hi-res images for the maps.
1. Entrance
The stairs descend into darkness. An aura of uncertainty engulfs all visitors of this betrayal-stained burial place.
Spirits. Four shadows coalesce from the ash urns and give an unsavory welcome. They despise all visitors because their coveting of the Grayhorn’s gold only adds insult to injury.
Hatred. The Grayhorns were murdered in an act of evil injustice. They want to at least be left alone and rest in peace. They are hostile to all trespassers.
2. Library
The story of the Grayhorns and most of Leviticus’s actions are recorded here. The heroes may spend 10 minutes searching this area to retrieve some valuable books, a few trinkets, and baubles (184 GP).
Records. Leviticus wrote most of these records. In his memoirs, he is not the bad guy, and everything he did has a good reason that only he can understand.
3. Lava Engine
Leviticus spent a small fortune to hire an artificer wizard to build the lava canals. The lava font here is the source of the dungeon’s magma.
Arcane Device. This apparatus cannot be disarmed with traditional methods. A Dispel Magic spell deactivates the lava flow for 24 hours.
Secret Passage. An expert spelunker notices that the south wall features a faint, door-shaped outline, next to the torch sconce (DC 16 Perception). Twisting the sconce to the right causes a section of the wall to move aside and reveal a passageway to area 4.
4. Fake Vault
To fool treasure-seekers, Leviticus built a fake vault. The chest is locked but it is empty.
The Trap. Whoever approaches might fall into the lava pit in area 8 and take 3d10 Fire damage (DC 12 Dexterity to jump away). Failing this save by 5 is deadly, as the victim is submerged in lava and takes 6d10 Fire damage as a result.
5. Main Burial Chamber
This chamber is locked (DC 20 Thieves’ Tools). It contains an opulent sarcophagus and six gold-plated statues. A spiked pit surrounded by a square lava canal can be seen through a circular opening at the center, 40 feet below.
Pitfall Traps. There are two squares marked with a ‘T’. Use the same description as the trap in area 4 for both squares. These traps are deactivated when Random Event 4 occurs.
Encounter. The six statues come to life (use the gargoyle statblock), and a wraith emerges from the sarcophagus. This is the spirit of Julius Grayhorn, Leviticus’s brother. Like the shadows in area 1, he despises all those who come seeking the wealth that ultimately meant he had to die. After the battle, the heroes may spend 10 minutes chipping off chunks of the gold plating from the statues. (They get 200 GP of value from each).
6. Secret Passage
Only an observant hero finds the lever to reveal this concealed corridor (DC 9 Perception).
7. Lower Level
Four shadows emerge from the clay vases and attack. The stone circle is a one-way teleportation trinket; the first two who step on it are instantly moved to area 1.
Circle. This device is built not to move around quickly but to divide groups. Whoever is transported to area 1 is separated from their traveling friends and must take the long way back to area 7.
8. Lava Pit
This deadly pit rests behind iron bars (DC 18 Strength to bend).
9. West Corridor
Both portcullis fall and the wall starts to move (3d10 bludgeoning damage). A successful DC 16 Thieves’ Tools disarms this trap. A DC 19 Strength check is required to lift the portcullis.
Traps. These devices are mechanical but arcane incantations reset them every 2 hours after being triggered.
10. East Corridor
Whoever crosses is cut by a blade trap. They take 3d8 Slashing damage (DC 16 Dexterity save).
11. Wicked Sarcophagi
This grim chamber is a sad proof of the injustice that happened the Grayhorns bore.
Four ghouls and four ghasts come out of the enclosures. They are the last line of defense between the heroes and the treasure in their coffins. They attempt to push Paralyzed targets to the lava. Each sarcophagus holds 2,000 GP worth of treasure (a mix of luxurious clothing, silk cloaks, jewelry, assorted coinage, and precious stones).
12. Main Vault
The chests, shelves, and tables have 2,000 GP worth of coins, weapons, and jewels. The real wealth is in area 11. Will the heroes find this and leave or seek the real jackpot in the sarcophagi?
This awesome cartography piece was featured in on our Patreon page and on issue 69 of Dungeon Vault Magazine.
If you like our content, please consider checking out our Patreon page so you can get the latest content in early-access, full HD maps, and the best TTRPG content!
