Legacy of the Mad Martyr 11th-level Adventure

LEGACY OF THE MAD MARTYR

This adventure module comes with the following digital items:

• 10-Page Adventure PDF
• VTT-Ready Full-Color Maps, both Gridded and Ungridded versions
• VTT Creature & NPC Tokens

Legacy of the Mad Martyr is a Fifth Edition adventure intended for three to five characters of 10th to 12th level and optimized for four characters with an average party level (APL) of 11. A young priestess has stumbled onto a conspiracy and is on the run from assassins sent by the Elder Keeper of her holy order. Can she track down the long-lost tomb of an ancient martyr and learn the truth she needs to expose the Elder Keeper as a fraud?

This adventure takes place in the Freelands campaign setting but fits into any existing campaign with only a few modifications and name changes.

Background

The Divine Preservers is a holy order who have dedicated themselves to the god of knowledge. Their purpose is to gather and preserve knowledge, building libraries worldwide to enlighten all who come through their doors. Tyrants have always attempted to suppress the education of the masses to control them, and the Preservers ensured that this knowledge would not be lost.

While many see the Preservers as little more than glorified librarians, the holy order is widely respected for its mission of providing schools and knowledge for all. Recently, however, something has changed. Armed guards now stand at the libraries, denying entry to those who cannot pay a fee. The schools are being shut down, and the teachers are starting to tutor exclusively to wealthy merchants and noble families. The once shining order has become stained in the eyes of the common folk as the librarians have turned into a military order bent on protecting the knowledge from those it once gave to freely.

This change came at the directive of the Elder Keeper Kaus Phaedrus, who was appointed as head of the order by the last Elder Keeper, Luthari Plotonius, on his deathbed. Kaus emerged from obscurity a few years ago after discovering he was a descendant of Octavanius the Radiant, a holy martyr of the order also known as the Mad Martyr. Octavanius sacrificed himself in a spell cast to protect the first temple from being lost to those who would destroy its knowledge. As Elder Keeper, Kaus declared a new path forward for the Preservers to better protect and preserve their divine knowledge. Unbeknownst to all, Kaus is not a true descendant of the martyr, and he manipulated the former Elder Keeper to appoint him to the position while slowly poisoning him to death. He is a con man who rose to the highest ranks using magic and murder.

While some in the order question the aggressive direction they are headed, many feel the changes were necessary and enjoy the benefits of the influx of gold. However, Junior Keeper Malory Moonrun was not convinced and suspected the new Elder Keeper was a fraud. After catching Malory stealing a holy tome from Kaus’s private library, he planted the poison he used in her belongings and accused her of murdering Luthari Plotonius. Malory is now on the run, using the knowledge she’s gleaned from the book to find the Mad Martyr’s tomb in hopes something within be used to expose Kaus as a charlatan.

Adventure Summary

The characters find the cleric Malory Moonrun being set upon by assassins. After rescuing her and learning of her quest, she begs the party to escort her to the holy tomb she believes is hidden in an underwater cavern. After battling through the sea creatures and other denizens of the depths living in the sea cave, the party finds the hidden entrance to the long-lost tomb. After making their way past the traps and puzzles, they discover the resting place is a prison for a construct housing the soul of the Mad Martyr and learn the truth of his legacy. With undeniable evidence that Kaus is a fraud, they return to confront the con man and restore the order to its sacred path.

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