Overview
The Neverwinter Nine, bodyguards of Neverwinter’s kings and queens before the destruction of the city, were buried in a magically sealed crypt in the depths of Castle Never. The general population speculates that there is great treasure in the vault, and rumors claim that the remains of the Neverwinter Nine are still down there, protecting the vault.
In this vault there is rumored to be a item of great value - the
Crown of Neverwinter. Stories say it shields the wearer from the extremes of heat and cold and that only the true heir to the throne of Neverwinter can wear it, as a false heir is allegedly burned by frost and fire.
General Features
Ceiling and Walls
The walls are smooth stone. Unless otherwise specified, the ceiling is 10 feet high.
Lighting
The entire vault is unlit and dark. Creatures without darkvision will require an additional light source.
Doors
All the doors in the crypt are solid stone. The doors are unlocked, can be pushed open fairly easily, and will remain open unless they are pushed closed unless stated otherwise. Opening and closing any of the doors will make a modest amount of noise as they scrape across the stone floor.
The Vault
1. Entry Hallway
A thick layer of dust makes it apparent that this vault has not been disturbed in some time.
2. Antechamber
The hallway ends into a nondescript 20-foot by 20-foot room. At the far end of the room is a set of stone double doors, 10 feet wide. Spanning the doors is a black, 8-foot wide rune that has been etched into the stone.
The rune is a
symbol of fear, placed here in the hopes of frightening away anyone who would plunder the vault. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the rune as abjuration magic.
As soon as any creature comes within 10 feet of the door, the symbol glows bright red. Every creature within sight of the symbol must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw; on a failure, they are frightened for 1 minute and will do anything they can to flee the vault as quickly as possible. On a successful save, the creature is immune to the symbol's effect for 24 hours.
The doors are actually panels that slide into the walls, and they require a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to open them. Unless the doors are held open with something, they will slide closed in 1 minute. They can be opened from area 3 with the same successful check.
3. Warded Hallway
The inner doors leading to area 4 are sealed with an
arcane lock spell designed to keep intruders from entering the vault. They are also warded with a powerful magical symbol designed to harm undead creatures. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the rune as abjuration magic, but different than that of area 2. If the outer doors close and the
symbol of fear rune on the doors wasn't deactivated, it will reactivate as soon as the doors close.
The ward designed for undead remains dormant until any creature touches the inner doors. As soon as the doors are touched, the rune glows bright and releases a blast of intense radiant energy that floods the hallway. Each creature within the hallway must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d6 radiant damage on a failed save. If the save is successful and the outer doors are still open, the radiant energy dissipates into the antechamber quickly and no damage is taken, but if the outer doors are closed, the radiant energy concentrates in the 15-foot hallway and half damage is taken. The effect resets after 1d4 rounds.
Even if the rune is disabled, the doors are still protected by the
arcane lock spell. Because of this, a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check is required to break open the doors. Once the doors are breached, the
arcane lock snaps out of existence. Unlike the outer doors, when these doors are opened they remain open.
4. Outer Vault
This large 30-foot by 30-foot chamber has a domed ceiling that is at least 20 foot high at the center. Standing in the center of the room is a statue of a large scorpion, positioned as if it was guarding the entrance, its pincer arched over its head in an attack position. On the right wall and the far wall are more stone double doors, and smaller doors stand at the far corners of the room.
The statue is actually a partially-enchanted construct. A
detect magic spell reveals traces of transmutation magic, but it is currently harmless and appears to be only for decoration.
Upon inspection, the doors to the south have a circular depression spanning the seam between the two panels. The doors are magically locked, immune to all damage and attacks, impervious to spell effects such as
knock, and can only be opened by using a Never Key.
There are only two Never Keys in existence. One is in possession of Dagult Neverember, and the other one is located in the upper crypt (area 7). There are also two false keys in the upper crypt.
If an authentic Never Key is placed in the depression between the doors, the doors slide open and grant access to the inner vault. The doors automatically close and re-seal in 1 minute.
If a creature places one of the false keys in the depression between the doors, a blast of necrotic energy bursts forth from the door in a 20- foot radius. Each creature within the area must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d8 necrotic damage on a failed saving throw or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails the saving throw by more than 5 or rolls a natural 1 also gains one level of
exhaustion. The necrotic blast also destroys the false key in the process.
5. Collapsed Hallway
The hallway ends abruptly in a mound of large rocks, rubble and dirt. This hallway has been blocked by an impassable mound of stone, rock and dirt. There is nothing else of significance here.
6. Lower Crypt
This small crypt is approximately 20 feet long and 15 feet wide. On each side of the room is a pair of large stone sarcophagi covered in cobwebs and a thick layer of dust.
At the far end of the chamber is tall statue of a cloaked humanoid, his hands outstretched and cupped underneath a large bronze bowl. The statue is 8 feet tall and of a nondescript humanoid standing straight. The bronze bowl, which is at a height of about 5 feet from the ground, is hammered tightly into the stone hands of the statue and cannot be removed without damaging the statue. Upon inspection, the bowl contains a single gold coin that is, like everything else in this room, covered by a thick layer of dust and cobwebs.
The four sarcophagi are made of smooth stone and have been untouched for decades. They are sealed tight, requiring a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to slide open. Inside three of the coffins are
wights, part of the remains of the Neverwinter Nine. The northeastern coffin contains an ornate
+1 longsword and a gold and silver studded
+1 shield. If any of the sarcophagi are opened or if the coin within the bronze bowl is moved, all three wights rise and attack.
7. Upper Crypt
The leftmost outer door has the inscription “Tomb of the Unseeing” etched in it in Giant, and the rightmost door also has the same words etched into them in Abyssal. As soon as any creature passes through the double doors, they must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or become blinded as long as they remain in the chamber. The blindness can also be cured within the room with a
lesser restoration spell. If creatures attempt to re-enter the room, they must make another Constitution saving throw. A
dispel magic spell on the door suppresses the effect for 1 hour.
The small crypt is approximately 20 feet long and 20 feet wide. On each side of the room is a pair of large stone sarcophagi, each on a raised stone platform. Standing against the far wall are three
chests.
The four sarcophagi are made of smooth stone and have been untouched for decades. They are sealed tight, requiring a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to slide open. Inside three of the coffins are
wights, part of the remains of the Neverwinter Nine. The southeastern coffin is empty. If any of the sarcophagi are opened or if the chests are opened, all three wights rise and attack.
The three chests against the southern wall are trapped. If any of the chests are touched by someone who is not blind (closing one's eyes is not enough), a blast of bright light with the intensity of direct sunlight erupts out of the lid. Every creature within the room must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 8d6 radiant damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. In addition, if a creature fails the saving throw by 5 or more they are also blinded for 1 hour. Creatures that are already blinded are not affected by the burst. The chests can be individually dispelled with a
dispel magic spell.
Each one of the three chests contains a key - a circular gold disk approximately five to six inches in diameter that is decorated with ornate runes - that would seem to be usable to open the doors to the inner vault (area 4), but only one of them is an authentic Never Key while the other two are false keys. Roll a d6 to determine which is the authentic key: on a 1-2 it is the westernmost chest, on a 3-4 it is the center chest, and on a 5-6 it is the easternmost chest. In addition to the keys, the chests also contain the following:
8. Inner Vault
This large chamber feels colder than the rest of the crypt. At the southern end of the chamber is a raised platform with three ornate stone sarcophagi.
The four sarcophagi are made of smooth stone and have been untouched for decades. They are sealed tight, requiring a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check to slide open. Inside the three of the coffins are
wights, part of the remains of the Neverwinter Nine. One of the wights wear the
Crown of Neverwinter. It can only be removed once the wight is defeated. If any of the sarcophagi are opened, all three wights rise and attack.
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