FB05: Dead City

While traversing the rocky desert, you come upon a large valley where the ground is largely flat and smooth. Bits of sand swirl and blow across what appear to be scattered, low-standing, clay-brick walls. Looking closer, you find that you have come upon the ruins of some ancient and long-forgotten settlement.
Nearly all traces of the settlement have been lost to time. Only the low-brick walls of various small buildings exist, none of which stand more than a foot tall and are often at least partially covered in sand.

This long-forgotten, dead city has been in ruin for at least 1000 years. Even the few skeletal remains that exist among the sands are broken, deteriorated, and difficult to identify as bone fragments.
Characters with a Passive Perception of 15 or higher will note that while the island in general is desolate, it is even more desolate here. There are no insects scurrying amid the rocks. There are no footprints from hyenas or other desert predators. The entire area is devoid of life.

Spirits of the Dead

Should the characters spend any appreciable amount of time in the ruins (searching them, resting within their borders, etc), especially if they move toward the ancient settlement's center, they will awaken the spirits of ancient, restless, undead. The persistent breeze that blows across the ruins will turn into a swirling wind and a haunting voice, the echo of many long dead spirits speaking with harsh whispers will carry on that wind: "Life... Give us your life ... ".
In the next round, eight individual swirling whirlwinds will pick fragments of bone up from the sands, assembling into the partial remains of skeletons surrounding the characters in a wide circle, roughly 30 feet away from them on all sides. Each skeleton is comprised only of fragments -- partial bits of arm, leg, torso, and skull all floating in the place where it would belong in life but often separated from other pieces by spaces of nothingness ... held together by some unknown force. The result is a strange apparition of vaguely humanoid shape that is only partially there and tends to blend with and partially disappear into the environment as it moves.
Ancient Skeleton Statblock

Ancient Skeleton CR: 1/2

Medium undead, lawful evil

Armor Class: 15

Hit Points: 26 (4d8+8) 4d8+8

Speed: 30 ft

STR

10 +0

DEX

14 +2

CON

15 +2

INT

6 -2

WIS

8 -1

CHA

5 -3

Skills: Stealth +8

Damage Vulnerabilities: Bludgeoning (Partial Form Only)

Damage Resistances: Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing (All in Dispersed Form only)

Damage Immunities: Poison

Condition Immunities: Exhaustion, Poisoned

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft, Passive Perception 9

Languages: Common

Challenge Rating: 1/2

Multiformed The ancient skeleton manifests itself in Partial Form, but may use a bonus action to change to a Dispersed Form or back to their Partial Form. Each form has its own characteristics and its own method of attack.
Partial Form The ancient skeleton has only portions of its body remaining. It moves without making any sound and can often seem to disappear in its surrounding environment, as the eye cannot make a full form from the skeleton and so tries to dismiss it from view. The ancient skeleton gains a +6 Stealth skill bonus and all ranged attacks made against it are made with disadvantage.
Dispersed Form The ancient skeleton disperses the bone fragments that make up its partial form into a swirling whirlwind of bone shards. In this form, it gains resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage and may occupy the space of another creature (and vice versa). It may move through any opening large enough for a tiny creature.

Actions

Life Drain. (Partial Form only) Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 2d6+2 necrotic damage. The ancient skeleton increases both their current hit points and their maximum hit points by the amount of damage done by this attack.
Boneshard Whirlwind. (Dispersed Form only) Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 0 ft., one target. Hit: 13 3d6+2 piercing damage.

Suggested Environments

Any

Experience Point Possibilites

• Discovering the area -- 50xp / character
• Defeating the Ancient Skeletons -- 800xp divided among the characters

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Adventure Begins
Desert Encounters
Interactive Map - Spire Isle
Interactive Map - Monastery
Scenario End

OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a