The Devil in the Crypt

Terje Nordin & Mattias Närvä

The Devil in the Crypt
Text: Terje Nordin and Mattias Närvä
Cover Art: Björn Ramsten
Cartography: Jim Magnusson
Illustrations: Jim Magnusson
and Andreas Sölvebring
Proofreading: Joe Ludlum
Layout: Terje Nordin
© 2016, Terje Nordin and Mattias Närvä
Haunted by evil both otherworl- Introduction
dy and mundane, the tomb of the
sorcerer-king Akhenseti lies waiting. In a valley by a major trade route,
Within its halls are secrets to be the rulers of ancient Khem built
uncovered, enemies to be defeated, crypts and catacombs to harbour
and weirdness to be encountered. their mummified remains. Largest
of these was the tomb of the sor-
The Devil in the Crypt is an OSR cerer-king Akhenseti, which also
adventure for a party of 4-8 cha- served as a temple dedicated to the
racters between level 1 and 3. It forces of the Outer Dark. The val-
is designed to be system agnostic ley is shunned by the local popula-
and compatible with traditional tion and considered to be haunted
role-playing games. by evil spirits, but an infernal cult
• This adventure assumes sil- has resumed the bloody rites in the
ver standard. If you use gold temple. Adventurers and soldiers
standard, all treasure should be of fortune may be attracted to the
adjusted accordingly. crypt through rumors of treasure
• The armor classes are given as or pleas for help from merchants
both descending and ascen- whose caravans have been lost in
ding values. The ascending the area.
values are in brackets.
• This adventure assumes that Legends and rumors
a single basic saving throw is PCs who visits caravan cities and
used. All creatures are assu- oases in the area may hear the le-
med to to use the same saving gend about how, in ancient Khem,
throws as a fighter of the same there lived a priest-king called
level as their hit dice. If your Akhenseti, who abandoned the
system of choice has several faith of his fathers and instituted a
categories of saving throws, bloody cult dedicated to the sinis-
check the categories in order ter forces of the Outer Dark. With
and use the first one which the help of these forces he strove to
applies to the situation. master the secrets of sorcery and
• For details on the Summon thereby make himself an equal of
spell, see Lamentations of the the gods. Even after the evil priest-
Flame Princess: Weird Fantasy king had been deposed - either by
RPG.

3
4
a group of brave heroes or be- Random encounters in the crypt
trayed by the powers of darkness The DM rolls 1d6 every third turn
(the accounts vary) - many of his in the crypt. There is a random
dreadful creations lived on. Migh- encounter if the die shows 1. This
tiest of these was a ring by which does not apply to room 7 and 9.
the sorcerer-king could summon
forth an enslaved devil, and a mir- 1d6 Encounter
ror that could be used to commu-
nicate with the infernal gods of the 1. A cobra: MV 90’ AC 5 [14] HD
Outer Dark. 2 AT 1 bite D 1d4+poison M 7
Each of the PCs may also have
heard one of the following rumors. 2. 5d10 rats: MV 60’ AC 9 [10]
HD 0 (1 hp) AT 1 bite per 5-10
2d6 Rumor rats D 1d6+plague M 5

2. Many of the crypts have more 3. 1d4 baboons: MV 120’ AC 8

than one entrance. [11] HD 0 (1d4 hp) AT 1 bite D
1d6 M 7
3-5. The tombs of the old sorcerer
-kings contain immeasurable 4. 2d4 jackals (obeys the cultists):
treasures. MV 180’ AC 7 [12] HD 1 AT 1
bite D 1d6 M 8 (5)
6-7. The tombs are haunted by
bloodsucking revenants. 5. 1d6 cultists (wears red robes
and black masks): MV 120’ AC
8-9. Caravans travelling along the 6 [13] HD 1 AT 1 sword D 1d8
trade route have gone missing in M8
the vicinity of the tombs.
6. A mummified cat follows the
10-11. Herders have noticed strange PCs as long as they are in the
sounds and lights above the area crypt, yowling loud enough that
by night. random encounters occur when
subsequent rolls come up 1 or 2.
12. Masked people have been seen
going back and forth from the
crypts during the night.

5
Room descriptions strewn about the cave entrance.

The temple is built in majestic 1D. Lair of the ghouls

proportions. The corridors are 20’ 5 ghouls: MV 120’ AC 7 [12] HD
wide and 20’ high, while the rooms 2 AT 1 bite D 1d6 + paralyzation
are 30’ high. The walls are decora- M9
ted with frescoes depicting blood Hidden among filth and broken
sacrifices to the animal-headed bones are 23 sp and the missing
gods of ancient Khem. ankh symbol from the obelisk in
room 11.
1A. Stone gate
A stone double door, barred from 1E. Nest of giant scorpions
the inside. 3 giant scorpions: MV 120’ AC 5
[14] HD 3 AT 2 claws + 1 sting S
1B. Underground river claws 1d6, sting 1d6 + poison M 8
A ledge leads down to the cave Secret door leading to 6B.
entrance where the brook flows in.
1F. The waterfall in the deep
1C. Old bones The waterfall leads down to 1G.
A man-made cave is hidden be- There are crumbled remains of a
hind the bushes. Human bones are stairway on the eastern cave wall.

6
1G. Wooden bridge
The secret door on the western
wall leads to 10. A rotten wooden
bridge leads across the water.

2A. Wheel tracks

Ledge with a stair down to 2B.
Sandy wheel tracks leads in from
the door, towards 13.

2B. Abyss.
A colony of bats are sleeping here
during the day. A stone ledge with my work, ye mortals, and despair.”
stairs leading up to 2A and down Anyone meeting the gaze of the
to 2C. The stairs are heavily worn, statue must make a save to avoid
and bear the tracks of ironshod becoming paralyzed, weeping until
wheels. death by dehydration unless some-
44 bats: MV Fly 120’ AC 6 [13] one comes to their aid. The eyes
HD 0 (1 hp) M 6 of the statue are two jewels, each
The bats do not attack, but may worth 100 sp.
confuse creatures by flying around
them, which gives -2 on attacks 4A. The golden scarab
and saving throws, and makes A gilded wall relief depicting a
spellcasting impossible. The bats scarab. The gold leaf is worth 100
must make a morale check every sp if scratched away. However, this
round to avoid fleeing. will also draw out the swarm of
flesh-eating scarabs living behind
2C. Bronze gate the relief.
A large bronze gate on the 1 insect swarm: MV 30’ AC 6 [13]
southern wall. Stairs leading up to HD 2 AT 1 swarm D 1d3 (×2 aga-
2B. inst unarmored creatures) M 11

3. Effigy of the sorcerer-king 4B. Unstable ceiling

A large statue with an eroded in- There are cracks in the ceiling and
scription on the base: “My name is stone fragments on the floor. 15%
Akhenseti, king of kings. Look on risk that the ceiling will collap-

7
se and bury everyone moving 1 yellow mold: HD 2
through the corridor. Uncareful The yellow mold gives off a spore
movement will increase the risk to cloud when the sarcophagus is
30% (or higher, according to the opened. Everyone within 10’ must
DM’s judgement). make a save or take 1d8 hp in da-
mage per round in 6 rounds.
4C. Barricade
The corridor is barricaded from 6A. Secret door
room 11. Nine skeletons are trying Obelisk (see room 5). There is a
to break through, using a croco- secret door leading to 6B in the
dile-headed statue as a battering northern wall.
ram.
9 skeletons: MV 120’ AC 6 [13] 6B. Fountain of dark wisdom
HD 1 AT 1 short sword D 1d6 M A fountain. Anyone drinking its
12 waters must make a save to avoid
The skeletons take half damage falling asleep for 1d4 turns. The af-
from slashing weapons. Projecti- fected is plagued by terrible dream
les only do 1 hp, plus any magic visions of the terrors of the Outer
bonus. Dark and cannot be roused. When
the drinker awakes he or she has
5. Sarcophagus switched to Chaotic alignment.
The corridor in the south is bar- The stairway in the east leads up to
ricaded from within the room. In 1E. The southern stair leads down
the middle of the room there is to the secret door in 6A.
a black stone obelisk, and on top
of this a green flame is burning, 7. Broken wall
emitting cold. There is an upside Obelisk (see room 5). The ankh
down ankh symbol on the side of symbol on the obelisk is missing
the obelisk. If turned upright, the (see 1D). A hole in the wall opens
flame goes out (see room 14). In up to the tunnel of the ghouls.
front of the obelisk there is a clo- Gnawed bones are strewn all over
sed sarcophagus filled with yellow the floor.
mold. In the sarcophagus there
is also a meteorite-iron dagger, 8. Treasure vault
worth 100 sp, and an amulet made Obelisk (see room 5). This is
of carved lapis lazuli, worth 50 sp. where the cult keeps its plundered

8
 9. The guardian who never sleeps
Obelisk (see room 5). The room is
barricaded from the stair leading
to room 12. This is the lair of
Apep-Kha, a mummy tasked with
protecting the temple against all
intruders and controlling the ani-
mated skeletons (see 4C). Apep-
Kha is at war with the cult and
may agree to temporary alliances.
On his chest he carries a sheet of
papyrus which prevents the devil
Khartshma from attacking the
wearer as long as he himself does
not attack.
Apep-Kha: MV 60’ AC 3 [16] HD
4 AT 1 touch D 1d6 + mummy rot
M 12
May only be harmed by fire or ma-
gic. Everyone who sees him must
make a save to avoid becoming pa-
ralyzed by fear for 1d6+1 rounds.
His touch infects the victim with
mummy rot, which prevents all
magical healing and decreases the
rate of natural healing to 1/10.
Mummy rot may only be cured by
magic.
treasures: 200 lb salt (50 sp), 20 lb Hidden in a secret compartment
white lotus (100 sp) and 50 yards in the western wall are 2 golden
of silk (500 sp). These are guarded cups (150 sp each), 1 golden carafe
by two stone statues, one with the (300 sp) and 20 gp.
head of a hippopotamus and one
with that of a hyena. 10. Empty room
2 animated statues: MV 30’ AC 1 Obelisk (see room 5). The floor is
[18] HD 3 AT 2 D 1d6 M 12 covered by piles of rubble. There is

9
a secret door leading to 1G on the may be used in melee (1d6 hp). On
eastern wall. a natural 1 when using the energy
bolt, roll 1d10: 1-2 The staff explo-
11. Four-way intersection des like a Fireball (5d6 hp); 3-10
Obelisk (see room 5). The staff has run out of charges.)
There is a podium in the middle
12. Control room of the room. On top of the po-
Antechamber of the great hall. dium is a round stone dial with
Here are cultists (1d4 by day, 2d6 hieroglyphs and a small statuette
by night) led by Rafek, a renega- depicting the devil Khartshma (see
de priest. They use Khartshma to room 13). The dial may be turned
plunder caravans in the area. in order to align the hieroglyphs
Rafek (level 4 magic-user): MV with the statuette. This makes the
120’ AC 7 [12] AT 1 staff D energy devil perform various tasks. At the
bolt 1d10 / club 1d6 M 8 moment it is set to #2, the Guar-
Spells Darkness, Cause fear, Radio- dian.
activity, Web 1. The Gate to the Underworld.
Rafek’s staff is an ancient high- The devil returns to its homeworld
tech plasma weapon. The front through the portal in room 14.
end shoots a powerful energy bolt 2. The Guardian. The devil
(1d10 hd, ignores armor). The guards room 13 and attacks
back end has a club head which everything alive in the room. The

10
devil returns to room 13 if on its ne in these areas should make a
homeworld or outside the crypt. save to avoid being crushed to a
3. The Beast. The devil goes out pulp instantly. Survivors still take
of the crypt and attacks every 6d6 magical damage from the ex-
living thing it encounters within a plosion (tough a second save will
day’s travel. reduce this amount by half).
4. The Master and Apprentice.
The devil offers to teach sorcery 13. Forecourt to Hell
but demands one human sacri- This great hall is the lair of
fice per spell. It knows Summon, Kharshma, an infernal devil. It
Charm person, Continual Darkness has the shape on a vulture-headed
and Web. warrior in a war chariot pulled
The door to room 13 is flanked by by a black sphinx. The warrior is
two black obsidian statues depic- screeching wildly, while the sphinx
ting faceless sphinxes. A statue talks with a majestic voice. The
weighs 300 lb and they are worth devil is always accompanied by a
200 sp each. howling sand storm.
The stone dial has 15 hp and Khartshma: MV 180’ AC 7 [12]
reduces the damage from each hit HD 9 AT 1 bite + 1 sword or 1 ar-
by 5 hp. If destroyed, Kharshmas row S bite 1d10, sword 1d8, arrow
HD will immediately increase to 1d8 SA immunity to fire M 12
15. The devil is now free to spread Haste (always active on self), Dif-
death and destruction in the world fuse (AC +2, the first attack against
as it pleases. It will begin by obli- the creature always fails)
terating the closest settlements, ad-
vancing outwards counter-clock- 14. Portal and inner tomb
wise in an ever increasing spiral of The corridor opens up on a vast
death. plain of whitened bones beneath
If the portal in room 14 is open, it an endless night sky. If anyone
will remain so permanently, slowly goes in here while Khartshma is in
spreading its chaotic influence and room 13, the devil will pursue and
corrupting the surrounding area. If destroy the interloper. There is a 1
it is closed, there is a 50% risk that in 6 risk for a random encounter
it will explode in a holocaust of each turn in Khartshma’s infernal
green flame and make the ceiling realm:
in room 13 and 14 collapse. Anyo-

11
1. devil (2d4 HD, random weapons and can move through
form and abilities) solid objects.
2. 3d6 skeletons
3. 1 djinn Akhenseti’s mirror
4. 2d4 radioactive zombies A glass mirror, 20’’ in diameter, set
5. 1d4 hell hounds in a bronze frame decorated with
6. a dimensional portal opens mysterious glyphs. If the mirror is
up to a random campaign setting viewed in total darkness the spell
from the DM’s collection. Contact Other Plane is activated
If the green flames have been put and a kaleidoscopic inferno ap-
out in all of the seven obelisks, pears before the viewer, who must
the portal closes and the corridor make a save to avoid becoming
instead leads to the tomb of Ak- paralyzed with fear for 1d6 rounds.
henseti. In the middle of the room Through the mirror the user may
there is a huge sarcophagus made ask questions to the cosmic cons-
from black obsidian. If contains ciousness Abaraxaz (12 questions,
jewels worth 1000 sp, as well as 5% Don’t know, 95% True Answer,
Akhenseti’s ring and mirror. There 50% Insanity; roll for each separa-
is no corpse to be found, however. tely; see Contact Other Plane).

Akhenseti’s ring
This is an exquisite golden ring
with a small black pearl. The word
“Shemyaza” is carved with ancient
Khemite signs on the inside. When
the wearer touches the pearl and
utters this word the devil Shemya-
za is summoned. The wearer must
make a d20-check to control the
creature (see Summon).
Shemyaza is a vaguely human-li-
ke creature with features from
both hyena and peacock. It has 8
HD and may cast Animate Dead
and Cloudkill once per round. It
is also immune to non-magical

12
New Spell

Radioactivity
Level: 2
Duration: Instantaneous
Range: 90’
This spell projects irradiates a 10’
radius within range. Roll 1d10 to
determine damage die: 1. 1 hp;
2. 1d4; 3. 1d6; 4. 1d8; 5. 1d10; 6.
1d12; 7. 2d6; 8. 3d6; 9. 4d6; 10.
5d6. A save reduces damage by
half.

13
14
This book is published under the Open Game License version 1.0a by permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The Open Game Content appea-
ring in this book is derived from the System Reference Document v 3.0, copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
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15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Reference Document Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original
material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
The Devil in the Crypt © 2016, Mattias Närvä and Terje Nordin
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15
16
 In the depth of jungle, a terrible and ancient foe has awakened. There
are rumors of gold to be won there, but it will take more than luck and
a sharp sword to survive after daring the savage forces of the wilderness.
The lost temple of the Ape God awaits!

Temple of the Ape God is a location based adventure suitable for 4‐6
characters of levels 2‐4. It is designed to be system agnostic and com-
patible with traditional role‐playing games.

17
SV006

The Devil in the Crypt

Haunted by evil both otherworldy and mundane, the tomb

of the sorcerer-king Akhenseti lies waiting. Within its halls

are secrets to be uncovered, enemies to be defeated, and

weirdness to be encountered.

The Devil in the Crypt is an OSR adventure for a party of 4-8

characters between level 1 and 3. It is designed to be system

agnostic and compatible with traditional role-playing games.