A Dark and Stormy Knight
ADVENTURE BACKGROUND
Long ago, a small but mighty humanoid kingdom
existed in what is now the local wilderness. Bugbear
and ogre warriors fought brutal wars of expansion,
earning great fame and amassing considerable fortunes
from their predations. Those who died in battle were
buried in large tomb complexes dug into hillsides and
honored as patrons of the living. Among these tombs
was the large tor known as Hightower. Though it was
neither the largest nor the most famous of the kingdom’s
tombs, Hightower did represent a typical
example of this kind of structure.
As happens to all such nations, the cruel
humanoid kingdom eventually fell to a more
powerful foe that razed all its cities and outlying
fortifications. Of the tombs, only Hightower
escaped destruction—largely because it was an
unimportant monument in a remote location.
A few tribes of humanoids that survived the
devastation tried to use it as a fortress, but the
humans with whom they clashed defeated them
soundly and sealed the entrance with a huge,
round stone to ensure that the tor could no
longer be used as a base. Since then, Hightower
has served as a landmark for travelers in the
know, but it has otherwise been largely forgotten.
An enterprising group of tomb robbers
once dug an access shaft from the top of the tor
down into the tombs, but its members did not
leave Hightower alive, and only small rodents
and vermin have used the shaft since.
But the electrical storms that have plagued the area
in recent days have been quite severe, and a few weeks
ago, a stray lightning bolt broke open the stone seal. A
few humanoids have since wandered into the tor, and
the ancient bugbear warrior buried in the lowest crypt
has risen as a zombie to deal with these intruders.
Tonight, yet another terrible storm is sweeping
through the wilderness, driving all creatures to take
shelter where they can find it. Hightower looms on
the horizon, and its door is no longer blocked. Will the
Players dare to enter its silent halls?
