This 20-page (printed or digital PDF) level 5 adventure is created for Dungeon Crawl Classics with a strong old-school roleplaying focus. It can be easily adapted to any RPG system.

The usual excitement of the Blackmoon celebration is amplified by the appearance of a solar eclipse, bringing a larger than usual host of lunar hermits, fanatics and witches eager to sell forecasts, issue omens, or cast harvest futures. The eager participants relish these sacred days when the world of the dead is said to draw closest to the living and whisper messages from the grave. 

On this holiday, the priests of Shul move into the Cathedral of Justicia, creating a shared mystical space. Here, they perform sacred rites to call forth their ancestors, and connect the dead to the living for a brief period of time. For centuries, this has made the unique site all the more powerful.

But this year, agents of the hidden lord used the auspicious confluence to flood the site with necrotic energy, plunging the great cathedral of Justicia into perpetual twilight—not gone, but not existent. 

What is special about this adventure?

Among other elements, what makes Cathedral of the Undying stand out as a unique adventure is that PCs will not initially die when killed. A strange necrotic curse brings them back to life, but also a step closer towards becoming a mindless undead! PCs imagining this is a form of invulnerability may soon discover they have permanently joined the creatures of the night.

The Cathedral Features

As you enter the grounds, nothing seems out of place save the overwhelming darkness that rolls like a fog and fills you with trepidation and dread. It melts away the edges of your sanity, but why and how you cannot say. A wide path leads through ancient ornate gates and up to the great temple. The way continues up a short set of stone stairs toward the Cathedral’s double-door main entry, and to either side of the structure presumably to the rectory and ancient bell tower and gardens. The darkness smears details from this distance, as if the entire Cathedral is being smudged out of existence. You push down your urge to flee and mutter prayers of courage with each advancing step.