Strixhaven Mysteries #4:
A Deep and Creeping Darkness
The fourth of the Candlekeep Mysteries, "A Deep and Creeping Darkness" can for the most part be ported into Strixhaven with minimum modifications. In particular, this module for 4th-level adventurers can be used as either an extended field trip or a summer adventuring gig for the players.
Sources of Inspiration
- "A Deep and Creeping Darkness". Sarah Madsen
- Admissions & Tuition. R.B. Skald
Accepting the Gig
Characters may find recruitment fliers around campus during the final month of the school year. These fliers ask for volunteers to join a summertime archaeological expedition led by Professor Hofri Ghostforge (see Strixhaven's "Lorehold College" section). The voyage is projected to take nearly all of summer to complete and may involve risk of injury, but the compensation for partaking in the expedition is the waving of all tuition fees for the upcoming school year (see Admissions & Tuition.).
Job Description
The characters' job will be to assist Professor Ghostforge's efforts in uncovering the fate of the doomed citizens of Vermeillon, a mining town that was abandoned a few hundred years ago. Although Hofri's spiritual senses allow him to summon almost nearly spirit that he chooses, for reasons unknown he has been unable to visualize the mortal appearance of any miner or other resident who vanished after the mining disaster. Hence, he is traveling to the very ruins of Vermeillon to find answers.
As the expedition will discover, the souls of victims transformed into meenlocks don't pass on into the afterlife until their meenlock forms are destroyed.
The Lost Oracle
Lei Duvezin — previously the doomed mayor in the backstory — is now a former Oracle of Strixhaven (see Strixhaven Chapter 7). Her wife Tifra instead fills the mayoral role. Aside from tis change, the rest of this adventure's backstory remains unmodified from the original module.
Questioning Spirit Statues
Instead of still being alive, Lukas Grosvenor and Astra Vorn have both since passed on. However, their spirits can be summoned into statues and questioned by the characters. Professor Ghostforge guides them through this process by explaining how spirit summoning works, and gives characters the opportunity to construct the statues using his directions.
As neither witness remains alive, they can potentially be summoned at any location of your choosing.
The Road to Vermeillon
On the way to Vermeillon, the characters encounter an archaic (see Strixhaven Chapter 7) which cryptically describes how they've waited to meet its doom since time immemorial. If asked about the fate which befell the town, all it says is that they'll see the group up ahead in Vermeillon. . . then walk off in the completely opposite direction.
Vermeillon
In this version of the adventure, Vermeillon has been abandoned for at least a couple of centuries before the characters arrive. Accordingly, adjust the setting so that all of the ruins are in a more dilapidated condition.
Upping the Tension
When the characters first arrive at Vermeillon (preferably at dusk), try to have the meenlocks refrain from any interference right away. Professor Ghostforge will insist that the group rest immediately and wait until dawn before investigating the town's ruins. He will volunteer to take first watch, as he would have done so throughout the rest of the party's travels so far.
However, the meenlocks will make Professor Ghostforge their first target, abducting him while the other characters are fast asleep. Once the professor's absence is discovered, then the meenlocks proceed to haunt the rest of the party as per the original adventure.
Aside from uncovering the mystery behind Vermeillon's abandonment, rescuing Professor Ghostforge becomes another objective, although the meenlocks generally refrain from tormenting him as long as the players remain in Vermeillon.
Oracle Duvezin's House
The books in the Oracle's library contain lore pertaining to some of the deeper mysteries surrounding Arcavios, which include snarls, star arches, the Founder Dragons, and the archaics. A character who spends 30 minutes investigating these books learns that when oracles die, their fragmented souls and memories are drawn backward to the dawn of time, where they are reborn as archaics (see the "Strixhaven's World" section).
Indeed, the archaic encountered previously in this modified adventure is no other than the time-displaced reincarnation of Oracle Duvezin. . . whom the party must kill in her meenlock form in order to enable her rebirth. The symbol on the former Oracle's signet ring is that of Strixhaven University.