The Lurker at the Threshold
Archi (or at least one of the magic users) has a dream that someone is waiting to teach him magic at the marshland to the southeast of Eschbach. They promise to teach him Necromancy & Conjuration spells. What does he do?
Plot points/Scenes
Archi is telepathically contacted by an entity that has made it's way to the marshland southeast of Eschbach. It wants to talk to him to see if he is a good candidate for learning Necromancy and maybe some Conjuration. It is a shadowy humanoid form and seems to be made up of oily smoke. it hunts out those with promise and they need tested first to see if they are up for further training in the Tower near the Black Pyramid. Only by doing a ritual spell will they be judged.
If he goes he is confronted by Ein Sof Choshek, as a formless humanoid shape of black oily smoke, along with 3 First Men who appear out of nowhere. The latter offers him many magical powers if he fulfils a task. By kidnapping a Kobold, Goblin, young child and bringing it here the next step can take place.
Ein Sof Choshek will offer him the powers of a Necromancer and how to build powerful dolls. If the Kobold, Goblin, or child is young enough, then it is all the better.
If turned down then there is no bargain and Ein Sof Choshek will try someone else. There is a 50% chance it will be someone else in the party.
They may try to get the Druids, the Germanic Priests, and the Church to banish Ein Sof Choshek. It can't be destroyed or fully banished but will be prevented coming near the inhabitants of Eschbach again. They may be tempted again outside the townlands though.
If accepted, he has to flay the child alive, then removing the heart. They are supplied with Black Sand and a bone knife to do the task and stuff the skin with the sand. The heart is to be placed inside it. Then given a series of Deep Speech sentences to trap the soul of the child in the skin doll, and the souls of the three First Men making it a puppet of the person.
If not completed, he is attacked by Ein Sof Choshek taking 25 1d100 necrotic damage. This can be prevented by a Ward or Wall spell cast on the person.
If completed they are invited to the Onyx Tower in the Cavern of the Black Pyramid. There they can be taught more in the intricacies of life and how to give life to the dead. If they refuse, they will be attacked again. If accepted, they are given the skin golem puppet, and can go back to their life until contacted to come to the Onyx Tower.
They will likely suffer at the hands of the law when the child is reported missing and turned into the puppet. Charged with murder and black magic they are due to be executed for this crime. The party may need to jump in to tell them what happened and try to break the spell he is under.
They may need to have him warded / walled off from Ein Sof Choshek, and likely need to be exorcised. This will require a few days and at the end they will have 3 levels of Exhaustion, and half the Hit Points at least temporarily. At the end, they may need to make a DC 15 Con saving throw or drop to zero hit points. They can still recover as long as healing is carried out.
Afterwards they have to still do penance of some sort.
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