Powerful entities threaten reality’s foundation as they seek to usurp the Raven Queen ‘s position . To prevent this cosmic coup， adventures must enter the Shadowfell’s timeless core， where all things find their end.
Death’s Reach is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure for characters of 21st to 23rd level. You need the Player’s Handbook， Monster Manual， and the Dungeons Master’s Guide to play. D&D Dungeon Tiles and D&D Miniatures can enhance your play experience.
While the Shadowfell presents a dark echo of the world， significant variations exist between the two. One of the more terrible differences exists at the shadow plane’s fabled core， a place called Death’s Reach. Once a place of purity， Death’s Reach is now the spiritual nadir of existence. Before the rise of Raven Queen， before the founding of Pluton (where Nerull once trapped the dead)， departed souls simply moved on to a place beyond all reckoning. One of the doorways they used was Death’s Reach.
When the primordials first crafted the world， they had little regard for the fate of souls. Still， some among them recognized life force as a potent power and hungered for it. These entities arrived in Death’s Reach and shut the doorway. Souls continued to be drawn to the Shadowfell’s core. With nowhere to go， they were either consumed by insatiable primordials or， finding no further path or final purpose ， simply dissipated.
During the Dawn War， when primordials and gods battled over the world and existence， deities descended on Death’s Reach to weaken their primordials enemies. They established a beachhead-Nerull’s Gate-through which they could attack with massed armies. The battle was lengthy and vicious， but the deities triumphed in the end. Still， they were unable to cleanse Death’s Reach of its taint. So they sealed the core and devised other fates for souls.
Given its inaccessibility， the gods found Death’s Reach the ideal place to hurl the troublesome detritus of the ages. They used it to store dangerous enemies and artifacts. Such transfers required elaborate and powerful rituals， but， in the right circumstances， the gods felt such efforts were necessary. Over time， disposal or internment in Death’s Reach fell into disfavor. Despite being nearly for gotten， the Shadowfell’s core yet endures.
Death’s Reach is a graveyard of dead warriors and damaged weapons hailing from the Dawn War and other prehistoric events. At the close of the Dawn War， powerful entities， including the primordial Timesus the Black Star， were relegated to this barren place， where they are held in stasis by the location’s spiritual undertow.
Divine safeguards， put in place by ancient deities， long served to prevent entry into Death’s Reach. But the hidden doors have not proven invulnerable. Orcus’s minions have found a way into Death’s Reach. Now narrow passages allow defilers to enter and a dribble of power to be accessed. This meddling has created a soulfall: a handful of souls that should go to Raven Queen now find their way to Death’s Reach instead.
Although the Raven Queen knows Orcus is behind this evil， she does not know who his followers were， their number， or their exact plans. No deity， primordail， demon lord， or exarch can enter Death’s Reach， as they are blocked by a divine ban that， over time， has come to possess the weight of cosmic law. Yet， the continuing soulfall makes it clear that outsiders have arrived in the Shadowfell’s core. These interlopers are disinterring relics ancient weapons perhaps， but also the remains of primeval warriors of unknown strength and power. The Raven Queen believes an army is being gathered against her –an army composed of Dawn War soldiers roused from a sleep as old as the beginning of time.
As the adventurers travel through Zvomarana and Death’s Reach， and as they explore the Reliquary of Timesus， they might run into any number of creatures beyond the listed encounters. This section includes a number of random encounters for just such use.
Abyssal ghouls roam Zvomarana in packs. They can appear during short rests， or while the adventurers are traveling between locations. Such runins show that the Ebon Riders have brought corruption to this holy place.
Thy Name Is Vengeance
Death’s Reach， Level 20 Encounters (XP14，400)
1 angel of vengeance (level 19 elite brute， Monster Manual page 17)
6 angel of valor legionnaires (level 21 minion， Monster Manual page 16)
1 goristro (level 19 elite brute， Monster Manual page 55 )
Gruumsh banished the angel of vengeance Marsathus for failing to overcome a force of eladrin that opposed one of the deity’s pet projects to raze a Feywild city. The angel， outcast and unwelcome in other divine dominions， became a free agent.
Following tales it heard while in Gruumsh’s service， it found a path into Death’s Reach，and it now searches for weapons potent enough to turn against the gods. Adventurers might be able to talk to Marsathus without resorting to combat， but the goristro doesn’t make that easy. It continually insults the adventurers in Abyssal， spoiling for a fight.
The Perfect Hoard
Death’s Reach， Level 20 Encounter (XP 14，000)
1 elder blue dragon (level 20 solo artillery)
When rumors of an ancient trove of treasure beyond all imagining made their way to the elder blue dragon Tartha-lona’s lair， the dragon set finding Death’s Reach as her preeminent goal. Having succeeded， her next objective is to claim a relic for her hoard. The dragon slipped into Death’s Reach as a supposed ally of Elder Arantham. At the first opportunity， she offered to “patrol，”and under that pretence， began to search the blasted crater for treasure . So far， she’s found little， but she’s seen what Covenant agent have unearthed and is undeterred. Ideally， the dragon runs across the adventurers after they have claimed an artifact from Death’s Reach .The dragon offers to let the adventurers live if they hand the item over. If the party complies she might even keep her word.
Numerous creatures died during the battles in Death’s Reach， and a few endured in spirit despite the place’s dark power. Some were allies of Timesus； others were servitors of the gods. The soulfall into Death’s Reach has caused the shells of some of these ancient creatures to shudder back to animation. These undead attack all creatures， regard-less of affiliation.
Rumors reached the Nine Hells that souls are falling into Death’s Reach. Several devils stole in to reap the rewards. They unearthed a little golden mechanism that，when fed a soul， stores the energy. Daelbrech the war devil believes if it is fed enough， the device might confer a boon or point him to a cache of ancient weapons. The devils are willing to talk rather than fight， but they are wicked schemers.
Ashen Covenant Patrol
Death’s Reach or the Reliquary， Level 22 Encounter (XP 21，675)
5 blackstar pawns (level 23 minion， Adventure Book One page 20)
1 blackstar annihilator (level 23 artillery， Adventure Book One page 18)
2 blackstar knights (level 23 soldier Adventure Book One page 20)
Elder Aranthan has control of enough blackstar creatures that he has created patrols to hinder any agents of the Raven Queen who attempt to interfere with his plans.
Blackstar Pack
Death’s Reach or the Reliquary Level 23 Encounter(XP 26，450)
2 blackstar prowlers (level 23 skirmishers， Adventure Book One page 18)
1 blackstar crushers (level 24 brute， Adventure Book One page 18)
2 blackstar annihilators (level 23 artillery， Adventure Book One page 18)
Now that the Ashen Covenant has breached Death’s Reach and stared digging up ancient relics of war， the blasted crater has become a dangerous place to remain in the open for too long. Packs of the blackstar host roam the vast area. The blackstar pack stealthily surround adventurers， then attacks from all directions at once.
Worm of Ages
Death’s Reach， Level 24 Encounter (XP 30，250)
1 worm of ages (level 24 solo controler)
Below Death’s Reach burrows a great worm， long dead but roused from eternal slumber by the soulfall. The adventurers might spot this tremendous creature one or more times before encountering it， especially if they’re flying. Much like a purple worm with a black carapace， the undead worm exists only to consume.
The monster lurks beneath the ashen soil of Death’s Reach (DC 29 Perception check to spot signs of its nearby presence). Off to the side of the battle area， draw four 2-by-2-square areas and label them “maw” “throat” “gullet” and “stomach”. Save space to draw the worm’s 3-square-wide tunnel if it retreats. Players can move their miniatures through these sections and around the other areas of the battle as the fight evolves.
Given the creatures‘s size， an adventurer can occupy one of the worm’s squares； while so doing the PC is the either free， grabbed， or swallowed. If it has surprise， the worm emerges with a gulping maw attack. It then uses up to three minor actions， employing an action point， to swallow PCs. On its next turn， it tries to swallow any character remaining in its maw， then makes another bite attack against a PC it hasn’t grabbed or swallowed. It uses another action point to accomplish this if necessary. Its aim is to swallow all the PCs. If it does， it retreats into its tunnels to digest.
The worm’s flesh becomes dust when it is finally destroyed， leaving behind teeth and a black carapace.
发表于 2010-8-17 02:02:23